Cultural Influences on Myths: Legend of the Menehune People

Cultural Influences on Myths Legend of the Menehune PeopleIntroductionMyths, being narratives about early history (Barker, 2014, p.4) explains social occurrences which involves preternatural events. When it comes to myths, people bathroom be very opinionated when deciding if the myth is true or not. Some people believe it because it is a relation they bemuse been told while growing up or simply because it sounds fantastical, other people choose not to believe it until there is proof of whatever it is they have been told. It has depart the responsibility of social scientists, namely Archaeologists and Anthropologists to uncover the truth about these myths. One of the nearly infamous myths in Hawaii involves the Menehune people and the structures that atomic number 18 believed to have been build by theme.The legend of the Menehune people takes different versions in Martha Warren Beckwiths book, Hawaiian Mythology (1940, pp.227-37). According to Brien Foerster (2000, pp.15-20) t he term Menehune is just a tale which was altered and confused with the existent accounts of the Manahune, the first settlers of the island who were lower in social status compared to the Tahitians. The Menehune people however are believed to have been small figured beings with a height of 15 to 90 centimetres that lived on Kauai before the Polynesian settlers and lived in caves and valleys (Mugner, 2013). Just as any other myth, the legend of the Menehune differs when it comes to the physical description of the Menehune, according to Eberhart (2002, p.326) they were well dressed, well-built and hairy beings, compared to Mailly (1998) the Menehune had now long hair that covered their undressed bodies. This is just minor battles amid sources on the Menehune people. What many of the sources do agree on is that these beings enjoyed bananas, fish and starch. Even though they were playful beings who liked playing games, diving, dancing, making music and singing, they were good at hea rt as they were known for shooting magical arrows at people who were infuriated, stir up emotions of love instead. What makes the legend of the Menehune famous is that they were believed to have been exceptional craftsmen, extremely strong, fast and nocturnal (Eberhart, 2002, p.236). The Menehune have allegedly constructed houses, fishponds, ditches, roads and temples all in nonpareil night and if by chance these structures were not complete by sunrise, they would desert the structure. The to the highest degree famous structures said to have been built by the Menehune is the Alekoko Fishpond, Kikiaolo Ditches, Necker Island Structures, Pa o ka Menehune breakwater and the Ulupo heiau (Foerster, 2000, pp.15-20) (Paul, 2007). Even though the pond is no longer in use today for fishing, instead it is a wetland for threatened birds. Archaeologists estimate the pond to be over a thousand years old (Foster, 2008, p.193).the Kikiaolo ditches were built using the same st champion used in t he Alekoko pond, the ditches lead water to other ponds for irrigation (Foster, 2008, p.203). Necker Island has to be the most spoken about archaeological site in Hawaii, compared to the other two islands which surround Necker that could have supported a permanent population, the conditions on Necker Island kindle that a permanent population could not be sustained but there is proof of activity on the island (Kirch, 1997, pp.94-98).There has always been conflict between science and culture, science being a field whereby something can be straind or disproved, culture on the other hand is something that has been embedded in us, and culture is a way of life. Just like any other myth, the Menehune myth is believed by some and not by others. There is not a great deal scientific evidence to prove that the Menehune did exist besides the archaeological sites that are said to have been built by the Menehune, but archaeologists are not one hundred percent certain about this. Individuals tha t are in favour of this myth usually have biases for this notion, culturally it might be that this was a tale that they have grown up with being told which have led them to believe that that the Menehune did in actual fact exist. Others might believe it for the sake of believing it this can also be gestateed as a social factor which contributes to the bias. For those that do not believe the myth, they base their opinion on lack of evidence most of the time. Its no lie that how we perceive the beingness is namely based on our social and cultural biases (Boundless, 2014) to make something more favourable in the world we live in but this can be seen as a problem in some scientific fields such as archeology and anthropology, because the world today is not the same as it was a hundred years ago, even fifty years ago, there is a major difference in how history is viewed. Scientific theories are in place to prove or disprove a notion and if a researcher is bias towards a specific notion, it is reflected in their work which in turn doesnt provide the desired outcome. In context of the Menehune myth, researchers ultimate goal is to find out if they did or still do exist, they would do this by listening to the local population and their narratives about the Menehune, This can be seen as bias because locals tell researchers what they have comprehend and what they have been told as part of folklore, this affects how researchers conduct their investigation.It would be incorrect to say that scientific theories are based on what people believe in, but aspect at it logically, what people believe in form the basis of scientific theories, which then form a broader picture to conduct scientific research to prove or disprove the theory, so in essence, science is not a worthless way of looking at the world, but one must consider how people view the worth culturally. The world is viewed in many ways, science is just an added way of looking at the world, and the only difference is that science has authenticated justification. This is accomplished through repetitive testing, observation and investigations. Science answers unsolved mysteries, prevents the present generation from making past mistakes to create a better future and most importantly provides a better understanding of humanity. Science might not solve all our problems but it most definitely is a start. The one tone that any person needs to have when evaluating a scientific theory, is that they need to be open minded because science has endless possibilities.ConclusionJudging from the supra mentioned, it is easy to see that science plays a valuable role in union today, it does not only uncover the truth but new discoveries are made using science. One must not forget however that social and cultural biases also play an important role in society and when it comes to issues regarding myths of any kind, there will always be two sides to the story, the truth that hasnt been uncovered yet and the tal es that have been told over the many centuries and the Menehune myth is outlying(prenominal) from the truth,Works CitedBarker, G., 2014. What is a myth? Britannica Educational Publishing.Beckwith, M.W., 1940. Hawaiian Mythology. Hawaii University of Hawaii Press.Boundless, 2014. cultural influences on perception. Online ready(prenominal) at https//www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/sensation-and-perception-5/advanced-topics-in-perception-40/cultural-influences-on-perception-174-12709/ Accessed 14 march 2015.Eberhart, G.M., 2002. mystic Creatures A Guide to Cryptozoology. ABC-CLIO.Foerster, B., 2000. The Real History Of Hawaii From Origins To The End Of The Monarchy. Lulu.com.Foster, J., 2008. Frommers Kauai. 3rd ed. John Wiley Sons.Kirch, P.V., 1997. Feathered Gods and Fishhooks An Introduction to Hawaiian Archaeology and Prehistory. Hawaii University of Hawaii Press.Mailly, H.D., 1998. Menehune. Online Available at http//www.pantheon.org/articl es/m/menehune.html Accessed 13 March 2015.Mugner, S., 2013. Sean Mugner. Online Available at http//seanmunger.com/2013/12/01/the-menehune-of-ancient-hawaii-did-they-reaally-exist/ Accessed 14 march 2015.Paul, P., 2007. Were there menehune in Hawaii? Online Available at http//ahistoryofmigration.blogspot.com/2007/07/were-there-menehune-in-hawaii.html Accessed 14 march 2015.

Bilingual Education :: Politics

The issue of bilingual education is a much debated topic in this country and especially in this state. The Spanish-speaking populace has boastful tremendously in these past decades, much of which has immigrated with Spanish as their only language. This has left the public school system with an interesting problem how to conquestfully novelty Spanish speaking students into an English environment. Public school systems have generally adopted one of two approaches to this problem. One is to allow students several old age to direct their English with lessons taught in both languages. The other is a total immersion program where students are thrust into English-only lessons with little time develop their second language. both(prenominal) approaches have ardent followers with valid arguments for each approach.In immersion programs children are allowed at most one year of English study in advance being placed in main-stream English-only classes. Proponents of this sink-or-swim approach often site the success of their forbearers who learned English without schools trying to accommodate them with native-language classes. Immersion proponents also cite the particular that the bilingual approach creates a cultural segregation of students. The English language is a tool of national unity, they point out.Supporters of immersion also question the success of students in bilingual education programs. They argue that students never really learn English and instead fall into using the native language all by means of school. They also site studies that show test scores juicy in schools with immersion programs than in school that favor a bilingual approach. The approach of bilingual education is to allow students to study and learn in their native language while they master their understanding of the English language over three to sextuplet years. The argument is that it makes sense that a teacher would want to teach a child in a language they understand unt il they have fully get the hang their second language. Supporters also have their studies to quote. In 1998-1999, for the third year in a row, students learning in a bilingual education program scored higher in English reading and comprehension than students enrolled in immersion programs according to the Arizona Department of Education. Opponents to English immersion cite the massive increase of high school dropouts since California passed statewide initiative for all public schools to adopt immersion only programs. Bilingual supporters also note that most students are integrated after just three years of bilingual education while immersion students are often held in immersion programs two to three years longer than the one year term.

Helena Maria Viramontes’ The Moths Essay -- Moths Viramontes Essays

Helena female horse Viramontes The Moths I was initially drawn to Helena Maria Viramontes story The Moths due to the striking similarities between the fabricators experience and my ownexperience with being thrust into the role of caretaker for a dying lovedone. By tracking a young girlfriends transformation through dealings withsubjugation (by her culture), freedom (through her grandmother), death (ofher grandmother) and grief, Viramontes successfully paints an endearing tale of change. The Moths emphasizes the narrators oppression by her family lines religion and by the social structures associated with it,juxtaposed by the freedom for development available within the nativecurandera custom taught by her grandmother. Through promising yet subtle symbols, the author weaves a complex web with which to showcase the narrators oppressive upbringing. Two literarycritics whose methods/theories allow us to better comprehend Viramontes kernel are Jonathan Culler and Stephen Gree nblatt. Culler points out that we read literature differently than we read anything else. According to the intertextual theory of how people read literature, readers make assumptions (based on details) that they would not make in real life.During these leaps within which we transform facts into values/themes, thereader creates supplementary meaning to the text by unconsciously setting up tension, also called binary opposition. Culler describes this crop in his statement The process of thematic interpretation requires us to move from facts towards values, so we can develop each thematic complex, retaining the opposition between them (294). though supplementary meaning created within the text can take many forms, within V... ...eedom was found and cultural boundaries were not shattered, simply battered, the narrators room was much preferable to that of her sisters (those who conformed to cultural boundaries). Through this story we can see how oppression in certain cultures ch anges individuals differently, creates tension between those who do not longing to be subjugated and those doing the subjugating, and we see the integral opposition between the path of Catholicism and that of curandismo.WORKS CITEDContexts for Criticism. Ed. Donald Keesey. New York McGraw Hill, 2003.________________. Jonathan Culler. Structuralism and Literature.288-297________________. Stephen Greenblatt. Culture. 436-441The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Ed. Cassel & Bausch. New York W.W. Norton and Company, 2000. Helena Maria Viramontes. The Moths 870-874

The Saga Of Elian Gonzalez :: essays research papers fc

The Saga of Elian GonzalezMore and more people sail away from Cuba to the United States every division. Theusual reason is to move from Fidel Castro and his rules, although many other reasons atomic number 18obviously important enough for them to risk their lives a reason like trying to escapefrom her ex-husband and landing with tragedy. A choice has to be make while dealingwith all of the Cuban frustration do I live or risk my life along with thirteen others? Among the heart racking events which happen worldwide every year, few flummox comeclose to the well-known saga of Elian Gonzalez and his family.In 1999, many Cubans left Cuba to sail to the United States. The Coast cautionpicked up more than 1,300 rafters more than double the number in 1998. The distancebetween Cuba and the mainland is less than 150 miles(Ramo 62). Most fleeing Cubansmake the trip from Cuba to the States the hoar fashioned way in a rickety craft with weakmotors. A good trip takes about ten hours, while a blighted trip goes on for days. Sailing theAtlantic could be eternal during a storm, as Cubans are swept away. At least sixty peoplehave paid the price of venturing each year(64).Caught up in freedom fever was Elisabet Gonzalez, who had been datingsmall-time Cuban hustler, Lazero Munero, since 1997. During the summer of 1998,Munero and three friends made the trip to America on a tiny boat. That fall he went backto Cuba because he was heartsick from his family and Elisabet. A few months after hisjail release for escaping, he began persuading Elisabet to give him on a second getaway. He also began to advertise the trip to others in their town at one thousand dollars ahead,then he began join up an old boat and envinrude fifty horse power outboard motor. When they set out that Sunday, Munero packed rations of water, bread, cheese, and hotdogs for his fifteen passengers. At four 30 A.M. they set to sea with hopes of arrivingin Miami before the next sunrise. After less than a mile, th e engine failed and Muneroreturned to shore, while passenger Arianne Horta nervously put her five year old daughterback on land. The group, now fourteen strong, set off again the next morning, but thatnight during a storm ripe south of the Florida Keys, the motor failed again. It left the boatmore vulnerable to the tumbling seas. The group decided they would be better off by

Differences and Similarities in Hamlet :: Essays Papers

Differences and Similarities in Hamlet (1) Shakespe ars play Hamlet Titles uses character flaws and strong emotions to highlight strengths and weaknesses in his characters. He likewise uses differences and similarities between characters to force action along the path he intends the story to travel. This technique is called using amazes. The likes or dislikes of one character for other can completely alter the direction of the story. For example, love of a son for his take can be twisted and perverted, with the proper use of characters, into an outlet for hate and revenge. This is a very nice idea for a thesis, provided instead of using Gertrude and Ophelia as foils (See below.), it would have been much better to use Fortinbras, who, like Hamlet, is also a son of a king who has been killed. Gertrude and Ophelia simply do not fit the category of son. (2) An example of foils is Hamlet and Laertes. Which is the foil? They both love their fathers, but their love has been distorted and all they feel now is a need for revenge for their fathers deaths. The need they have for revenge is fueled by their love for the fathers No they lost. However, they pay for this with their lives. They both are honorable men, they both see the errors they made and forgive each other at the end of the play. Hamlet and Laertes are similar in some ways and different in other ways. (3) Laertes blames Hamlet for the death of his father. Poor topic sentence This becomes even worse when Claudius doesnt openly avenge Hamlet because of his popularity. Hamlet knows that Laertes is a good soldier and is loyal to Claudius. These men differ in the way they seek revenge. Laertes, upon arrival and hearing of his fathers death immediately goes to Claudius and seeks justice for his father. On the other hand, Hamlet doesnt show any need for speed at all. He begins to devise an manifold plan of faked mental instability and other ploys to get his way. However, Laertes would not hes itate to take his revenge quickly. This is, perhaps, Laertes most important role as a foil for Hamlet. It should be emphasized more, by showing how Laertes haste brings Hamlets procrastination into the sunlight.

voyage of the damned :: essays research papers

Reaction for Voyage of the Damned     Voyage of the Damned was a frivol away based on the true-life ship, The Saint Louis, which departed from Hamburg, Germany with over 900 Jewish passengers. Their final destination was Havana, Cuba, which is where they would live until they received visas to enter the United States.      Before watching the select we read actual news articles from the voyage and wrote down facts that occurred throughout the couple of months the ship was at sea. Then when we viewed the film was compared the facts from the news articles and "fiction" from the film.     Many of the situations visualized in the film were correlated to the articles. The departure of the ship, the amount of time spent on the ship, the problems with landing in Cuba, the amount of money each person involve to obtain visas, the mans suicide on the ship, and many other facts were accurate when relating this story from f act to "fiction". Overall, when taking into account what we read and what we saw, there were only electric razor differences in concluding which is fact and which is fiction. For example, in the articles, an elderly woman was granted permission to get off the ship when it was docked in Havana. In the movie both young children were granted permission to get off the ship.      Throughout this entire situation in both life and in the movie there were questions that necessary to be answered. One of which was why were 1,000 Jews allowed to leave Germany? When they were on the ship, and werent allowed to land in Havana, why didnt the captain just basically kick them off?

Egyptian Mythology: Enviromental Influences :: Ancient Egypt Egyptian History

Egyptian Mythology Enviromental InfluencesReligion can be thought of as the recognition by human beings of a superhuman occasion that controls the universe and everything that is, was, or shall be in it. Each individual human being can consider that the superhuman control power is a divinity worthy of being loved or capable of inspiring awe, obedience, and even fear. The effect of these feelings on individuals can lead to the setting up of a governing body of worship of the deity and to the drawing up of a code of beliefs and conduct inspired by their religious faith. As all religions follow this, the Egyptians seem to be unique in their beliefs.The Egyptians did not have a true religion they had more of a collection of myths and doctrines, which evolved to suit the worshippers needs. Although many changes were evident in their religion, negate between new and old concepts did not occur. However, their belief system was much more complex and elaborate than that of any other cultu re. A clear primer is not given, but we theorize that environmental conditions play a significant role in their authenticity.It is a truism that the activities of people everywhere are influenced by the conditions under which they live, and religious thought is no exception to this. Before the days of mass communication, an Eskimo, living in cold climate, had no experience of any great heat generated by the sun. His idea of hell, therefore, would be a place of extreme cold. On the other hand, a man living in a scorching climate can only visualize hell as an even hotter place than any with which he has ever had acquaintance with.The Nile River plays an important part in Egyptian mythology. As the Nile flows northward by Egypt, it creates a narrow ribbon of fertile land in the midst of a great desert. The sharp bloodline between the fertility along the Nile and the wasteland of the desert became a basic theme in Egyptian mythology.The Egyptians lived in a river valley, 1200 km lo ng from the Egypt due south border at Aswan to the northern boundary on the Mediterranean, bordered in by ancient river terraces. The only fertile land was that watered by the Nile, which flowed through the valley the rest was desert. Thus, the land in which the Egyptians lived was considered to be the gift of the river. Every