Post 3: Archetypes Are Just A Fancy Word for Things We've Seen Before (Part 1)
How's it going internet? Welcome to the Late Night English Blog with Andy Ferguson. I'm your host and possible robot Andy Ferguson and tonight we will be talking about (drum roll please)...Archetypes! What the hell are those, you ask? Well, I'm glad you so conveniently asked; According to oxford dictionary, Archetypes are "A very typical example of a certain person or thing" or, in a more literary sense, "a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology" (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/archetype).
Put more bluntly, Archetypes are things that tend to show up frequently throughout works of literature as well as everyday life. Still not getting it? Well then, here are some examples from real life to help you understand (Complete with pictures!)
1.) The Cross- if you grew up like I did, i.e in the Deep South with a hardline methodist family, then you sure as hell know all about Jesus and how he died on a cross so that we may not burn in hellfire. Since then, the cross has become an astonishingly popular symbol in Western Culture: from churches to christian rock bands to angry white guys in racist klans, the cross appears quite often in everyday life.
2. the Caduceus- have you ever been to a hospital, urgent care, or other type of medical facility and seen that weird symbol? You know, that thing looks like a stick with wings and two snakes twirling around it? Well guess what buttercup, that there's an archetype and an old one at that. It's a caduceus and it's used to denote a place of healing or other such health related services. it's origins come from the legend of the Greek god Hermes who used the caduceus along with his iconic winged sandals to accomplish his duties as the messenger god.
3.) Ajax- what, you thought archetypes could only be symbols? No no no, archetypes can be many more things than that. For example, they can be certain events, kinds of characters, and even names. Ajax,for example, was a great warrior renowned for his courage and battle prowess in greek mythology. In today's world, however, the name Ajax has been given to a variety of things: computer programming courses, movie/comic book villains, and, perhaps most amusingly,dish detergent. No really. Ajax, stronger than grease is their slogan. Get it? Grease? Greece? ah whatever, I think it's funny.
That's all for today's discussion of archetypes but stay tuned: part 2 of this discussion will be coming shortly and in it we will discuss the presence of archetypes in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Until next time, thanks for reading. See ya later!
(all images courtesy of Google image search)
Discalimer: I am not actually a robot. Just an English major. Not much difference you say? Screw you, we have feelings too.
Disclaimer 2: sorry, that was harsh. I appreciate your readership.
Put more bluntly, Archetypes are things that tend to show up frequently throughout works of literature as well as everyday life. Still not getting it? Well then, here are some examples from real life to help you understand (Complete with pictures!)
1.) The Cross- if you grew up like I did, i.e in the Deep South with a hardline methodist family, then you sure as hell know all about Jesus and how he died on a cross so that we may not burn in hellfire. Since then, the cross has become an astonishingly popular symbol in Western Culture: from churches to christian rock bands to angry white guys in racist klans, the cross appears quite often in everyday life. 
2. the Caduceus- have you ever been to a hospital, urgent care, or other type of medical facility and seen that weird symbol? You know, that thing looks like a stick with wings and two snakes twirling around it? Well guess what buttercup, that there's an archetype and an old one at that. It's a caduceus and it's used to denote a place of healing or other such health related services. it's origins come from the legend of the Greek god Hermes who used the caduceus along with his iconic winged sandals to accomplish his duties as the messenger god. 3.) Ajax- what, you thought archetypes could only be symbols? No no no, archetypes can be many more things than that. For example, they can be certain events, kinds of characters, and even names. Ajax,for example, was a great warrior renowned for his courage and battle prowess in greek mythology. In today's world, however, the name Ajax has been given to a variety of things: computer programming courses, movie/comic book villains, and, perhaps most amusingly,dish detergent. No really. Ajax, stronger than grease is their slogan. Get it? Grease? Greece? ah whatever, I think it's funny.
That's all for today's discussion of archetypes but stay tuned: part 2 of this discussion will be coming shortly and in it we will discuss the presence of archetypes in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Until next time, thanks for reading. See ya later!
(all images courtesy of Google image search)
Discalimer: I am not actually a robot. Just an English major. Not much difference you say? Screw you, we have feelings too.
Disclaimer 2: sorry, that was harsh. I appreciate your readership.
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