National Classics Week Packet National Classics Week Packet | Page 18

Literature

“ Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign . But stories can also be used to empower and to humanize . Stories can break the dignity of a people . But stories can also repair that broken dignity ,” says author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie , and the same goes for mythology and its retellings .

Myths are stories passed down from generation to generation that explain how everything came to be . It acts as inspiration , reassurance , entertainment , and more . With mythology , we can peer through history and uncover the nature of humankind . Stories of the world ’ s creation reveal the foundations the people of today have built upon ; myths reveal everything about love and life and morality .

A flaw , however , of mythology is its antiquated themes , often arguing for sexism , racism , classism , and other forms of discrimination : they justify the oppression of women , the institution of slavery , and more . They have the power to “ break the dignity of a people .” This is where the appeal of retellings comes from ,”[ repairing ] that broken dignity .” Retellings take an original spin on well-established stories , grounding more modern ideas in a familiar narrative .