Jordan Bradshaw

UWRT 1104
4/3/17
Persuasive Genre
Today, influence holds a precedence over many factors. Everywhere one goes, another

thing influences something. Advertisements influence viewers to purchase products, ingredients

of food influence what one wants to eat, and the appeal of something affects how a person feels

about aesthetics. There are more ancient things that have influenced us today that many people

may not have thought about. Mythology is the great influencer of society. Without mythology,

many of the things would not be the same as they are today. Our beliefs would be very linear and

there would probably be no variation among the beliefs of the entire world.

Do people know where their original beliefs came from? To the surprise of many,

mythology would be at the starting point of the beliefs that they cherish. Common stories told

among cultures around the globe include the story of the creation of the world. Many stories

detail about how the world started from nothing and was created bit by bit. They all featured a

great disaster coming onto the earth and devastating the lands and people. Because of this story,

it shaped many current beliefs. They have changed over time because these stories were

originally passed down through word of mouth.

Without mythology, our current literature would not be as developed as it is today. Much

of the literature that is taught in current schools has been taken from some type of mythology.

Students are taught things from stories like Beowulf all throughout their high school career.

Teachers depend on its storytelling methods and its usage of old English to teach students about

the time. They even teach smaller stories like Icarus and Hercules to detail how some stories

taught the people of that period the most basic life lessons. Even the teachers and professors of
universities credit much of our literacy to great mythologies and the impact they have on our

society. Without the stories and the teachings that many great stories detail, we would not be as

sophisticated as we are today.

In conclusion, mythology has helped advance our society more than we know. It has

shaped our most fundamental beliefs and has survived the course of time. Mythology has

educated our young and instilled sophistication within our society. Because there are so many

different stories on mythology, we still have much to learn. Mythology has greatly influenced

how we live today and how we will live in the future.

 Jordan Bradshaw

UWRT 1104

4/6/17

Opinion Editorial Response

Some may that money holds the greatest influence over society. Others may say that a

persons reputation is a great factor when dealing with influence. Since the beginning of time,

there has always been something that has been the epitome of greatness. Although some may say

the earliest influence that has stood the test of time is mythology, a great deal of the population

does not agree with this statement. Mythology may hold a special place in many peoples hearts,

but it has not influenced our society as much as some may give it credit for.

In many religions, there is a detailed creation story of how the world came to be. People

take religion very seriously, and one cannot credit the basis of an entire belief upon stories that

have been retold times over throughout time. In fact, one could say that generalizing the beliefs

of a religion upon common mythology is disrespectful to that religion. Although mythology is a

very entertaining subject, religion is an entirely different subject that cannot be grouped together

with mythology as its origin.

Todays school systems teach many subjects to our future generations. Literature is a

subject that is focused heavily upon throughout the years. Many people may credit great

advances in literature to great myths and epics like Beowulf and The Odyssey. But, were stories

like these really the reasons for literatures tremendous growth? Many people forget about

Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales that served as a milestone for Middle English studies.

F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby created an entirely new dimension to the understanding of
American culture and ourselves. Much of literature is not praised as much as mythology is,

simply because it is not as entertaining. Upon looking at some examples of great milestones, one

can see that mythology is really lagging.

In a word, mythology just is not what everyone believes it to be. It cannot be used, or

credited, for religion. They are not based upon the same principle, and were not formulated in the

same way. Mythology has been given too much credit for the advancement of our literature

today. If one researches which excerpts hold the greatest influence, old texts and novels have

more weight in literature than mythology does. In sum, mythology cannot be praised as the great

influencer of society, because it does not influence everything the same.