Myths of Pyramus and Thisbe

Pyramus and Thisbe

      This story reminds me of Romeo and Juliet.  They sacrificed their life because of love. Lovers tend to do anything even killing themselves if their love is forbidden. As for Pyramus and Thisbe, their love was opposed by their parents. The story is concerning devotion of lovers and how they sacrificed their life because of true love. due to misconception, Pyramus killed himself with his own sword. Later, Thisbe stabbed  herself with the same sword. It was said that Pyramus blood ran amongst the grasses and the roots of the mulberry staining the white fruit into a deep red hue. Therefore,every year, when the fruit of the mulberry is ripe, it turns a deep red to commemorate the devotion of the two lovers.

The conflicts that I found in this myth are as below:

Forbidden love

Both the parents of Pyramus and Thisbe disagree with their relationship. Due to their parents disapproval, they plan to meet in a secret place, at Ninus tomb under a mulberry tree. 

Misconception

Upon seeing Thisbe's veil being torn apart by a lioness with bloodstained, Pyramus mistaken that the lioness had killed Thisbe. He killed himself by thrusting his sword into his groin. His misconception had led to his  and her lover's death.

Impetuousness

Pyramus action was not preceded by thought.  If he had waited then time would have kept them alive. He followed his heart rather than his mind.

Nowadays, lovers too face opposition from their parents but I don't think not many will kill themselves if  their spouse is dead. In our society, lovers may simply run away and forget about their parents.  Death because of love depends on how deep their love is. It depends on the person. There are  some who may act emotionally just like Romeo, Juliet, Pyramus and Thisbe  but definitely, it is not right to commit suicide if a spouse is dead. We have no right to take away our life no matter how sad we are.   

Iroquois: The Girl Who Was Not Satisfied With Simple Things

     Upon reading this Native American story, this proverb "the grass always looks greener on the other side" came to my mind. The proverb defines the uncertainty of whether what we are holding onto now is the best or whether are there any better alternatives out there. If we have this 'uncertainty syndrome', there are chances of missing out things what we have now.

     The proverb has a similar meaning with the girl in this story. The story is concerning a girl named Dahjoh who always not satisfied with simple things especially when her parents find her husband. She doesn't want to marry anyone from her village. Each man who came was not good enough. Later, out of nowhere a handsome young man wanted to marry her. He took her away from her family. Unfortunately, she found out that the man is a serpent disguised in human form. She realised her foolishness and escaped from the serpent.
 

     There are many good things we can learn from this story. Firstly, do not judge someone by looks. A man may be rich and handsome but he may not be good in behaviour or the other way around. Another lesson is, be thankful on what we have. Initially, in real life many of us are just like the girl in the story, never satisfied what we have, always look for better choice rather than appreciating what we have. Of course it is our human  nature. Looking for betterment is good but it is not necessary if we can't afford it. For example, getting a car beyond our means will lead us to financial burden.

      The recipe of happiness are; appreciate every single thing in our life, do not complain, do not take things for granted and accept whatever life gives us in the most beautiful way. Last but not least, we must always remember that what we dream of may never give us what we want from it.    

“The grass is not, in fact, always greener
on the other side of the fence.
Fences have nothing to do with it.
The grass is greenest where it is watered.
When crossing over fences, carry water with you
and tend the grass wherever you may be.”

- Robert Fulghum,

'A Rose For Emily' by William Faulkner

     

     A story which made me ponder and think about the value of life is 'A Rose For Emily' by William Faulkner. I have read it many times. Putting myself into Emily's shoes, made me realise how important it is to make a wise decision in ones life.

     In this story, Emily was blindly in love with Homer Barron after the death of her father. Having no other siblings or relation around her, Emily loved him seriously. As for Homer Barron, he did not have any idea of getting married to her. Her life filled with loneliness. Emily killed Homer so that he could never leave her.

     Being born in upper class society, her father did not allow her to be married by just anyone. So until the age of thirty she was still single. When Homer entered her life, she did not want to lose him even though he did not have any plan to marry her. Emily poisoned him to prevent him from leaving her for everyone who she had ever cared for had left her. Poor Emily. She had gone crazy and completely lost reality by living with a dead body. She had gone insane because she has not accepted the changes that have occurred around her. She lived in loneliness and isolated herself from the 'world' around her.

    This short story is suitable for teaching literature for students in secondary school. Teachers can ask students to role play the characters, analyse the plot, setting, and etc.  The most important thing is how we as  teachers are going to instill moral values learned from this story. For instance, teachers can discuss with students problems like mental instability and depression which may occur due to loneliness. Take for example Emily in the story, she should have seeked help from her relatives or friends but unfortunately, she made a wrong decision and lost her life living with a corpse.

     Teachers can make students appreciate their family, be thankful to God for sustaining their life and never be like Emily. From the story, students may come to realise that 'Life is so precious'.