I found that writing a new myth around a natural phenomenon, such as Hello Kitty's lack of a mouth, was fun and cathartic. I was in a bad mood when I wrote it, and writing this myth made me think about how I could frame my own experiences and feelings as a life lesson that could apply to other people. I don't feel that I was doing anything profound, like the authors and storytellers who created myths about the formation of mountains or the sources of evil, but I specifically chose to write about a set of characters, Hello Kitty and friends, who are incredibly popular right now, to the point where they appear on many people's clothing or accessories as if they were talismans. Other people have a habit of projecting their thoughts and experiences onto their favorite characters, and I think the same must be true for the people who created the myths surrounding ancient gods and spirits. Creating my own myth gave me insight on what might encourage people to write myths in the first place. My own myth is a cautionary tale, and many other myths serve as cautionary tales (this is a dramatic example, but think of the creation myth in Genesis which warns people of the dangers of disobeying God). I think students could have a lot of fun creating their own myths, and the example modeled in this class would be well-suited for high school students. For my part, I don't love computers, so I think I might have students create scrolls in class detailing their myths with text and illustrations.
Hi Katherine! I enjoyed reading about how you used writing a myth as a way to frame your experiences, especially around something as iconic and whimsical as Hello Kitty. There’s something so relatable in how you connected a popular character to a meaningful, cautionary tale. It reminds me of how people project their feelings and ideas onto well-known figures, creating their own interpretations. Ancient myths likely came from a similar impulse, with people using gods, spirits, and heroes to explain life’s mysteries and communicate values. Your idea of turning this experience into a classroom activity with scroll-making is fantastic! By having students write and illustrate their myths on scrolls, they could experience storytelling in a tactile, immersive way that connects them to how myths were originally crafted and shared. Plus, the visual element lets them express their stories in a personalized, creative format that feels more engaging than typing it out on a computer. This approach makes mythology come alive in a way that feels interactive, historical, and deeply memorable for high school students. It’s a creative way to help them understand the timeless, personal nature of myth-making.
ReplyDeleteHey Katherine!
ReplyDeleteI love that you wrote your myth about Hello Kitty! I appreciate your vulnerability by letting us know that you weren't in the best mood when you wrote it. I can relate! When writing my own myth I wasn't in the best of spirits but the process ended up being cathartic for me as well. You may have felt like you didn't write anything profound yet the creation of the myth is profound in itself in my opinion! I agree with you, the process of writing the myth provided deeper insight as to why someone would write a myth in the first place. From a teacher's perspective, I think students would absolutely enjoy this writing process. Or that would be the hope at least! I feel the same way about technology. It's awesome when it works and when it doesn't, it can be super frustrating! I enjoyed reading your post and hope you have a great weekend!
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ReplyDeleteHello, Katherine! Like others have mentioned, I appreciate your candidacy in admitting that you were not in the best of moods when composing your myth; writing creative fiction can serve as not only an outlet for our feelings, but as a chance for us to process challenging or complicated situations. I too agree with your assertion that the majority of myths seem to fulfill the purpose of being "cautionary tales," intended to instill certain cultural values within the listener. Take, for example, the tale of Arachne, which possesses the moral of never proclaiming one to be above the gods in skill. Though the content of these myths have evolved throughout the years, and are dependent on the cultural values that are attempting to be conveyed, the overall message nonetheless remains the same. Those who are members of the culture must follow the unwritten norms, lest they accidentally fail to do so, and cause issues for themselves in the long run. Overall, excellent work, and I very much enjoyed your myth!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you provided insight to the creation of your personal myth, and having such adds a lot more depth to what kind of place it came from. I thought your myth was adorable and meaningful at the same time. I think that what you learned from this is extraordinarily valuable, and I appreciate you sharing that with us. I do believe that there is a level of projection in any kind of story because it's difficult, if not impossible, to separate our work from our personal selves, what we know, our opinions, our experiences, etc. Personally for me and my work (I am a Creative Writer), I tend to either relate too much to a character where aspects of that character are like me, or create stories the come from somewhere in my personal life. And about your last point, I'm sure there is a way for students to get this experience without doing it all on computers; you just have to get creative with it, as I know you can do.
ReplyDeleteHi, Katharine!
ReplyDeleteJennifer Morrow: I had not really looked at Hello Kitty in forever (she was my niece's generation LOL), and I had forgotten that she didn't have a mouth, so your title caught my eye because it was funny. I like Hello Kitty. I like that you came up with a reason as to why Hello Kitty lost her mouth, in the manner of an actual myth story explaining why. It was really funny and how a myth would read in action and story.
It felt kind of like a Coyote myth or Native American myth, so that was really well done. I enjoyed the exploration personalities of Hello Kitty and her friends, and that she had been annoying, so her friends played a trick on her to punish her and make their lives more comfortable. You wrote that this was a cautionary tale, and that is exactly what many other myths and legendary stories are about.
I actually went and looked up on the internet the reason why Hello Kitty doesn’t have a mouth, and there were several explanations. However, now it weirds me out that she doesn’t have a mouth! I think it would be fun if you ever decided to write a further chapter on this story, and give Hello Kitty her mouth back. I’m definitely going to mention your story to my niece to also enjoy your myth. :)