Essay Example on American Mythology

Introduction

Societies all over have myths that tell of how the people came into existence. These myths play a fundamental role in creating unity among residents as they narrate the origin of man. American mythology pertains to traditional tales that portray ancient stories of way back to the first colonists' settlement. A nation's mythology is made up of several stories that have many similar features. This essay discusses how these characteristics absorb in Washington Irving's story of "Rip Van Winkle" and the impact that these features have on the tale of a reader's experience on the account.

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Myths are ancient stories to mean that their setting is before the time when there was the keeping of actual records. Tales often happen in distant and isolated areas or even in exciting places at times. The story of "Rip Van Winkle" takes place in a remote village near the Catskill Mountains. It is a story from the past as Rip Van Winkle is a Dutch-American villager during colonial America, which took place in the 1700s. Rip Van Winkle falls into a deep slumber when the American colonies were under British reign in 1776 and wake up after the American War of independence (Irving, 1819). Rip waking up to an entirely new world also shows that the myth has its setting in the past.

Mysterious Events

Strange people and mysterious events are some of the great features of myths. The extraordinary occurrences attract the audience or readers focusing all their attention on the story. Irving (1819) narrates a puzzling happening where Rip Van Winkle was walking up the Catskill Mountains and meets some strange people. Rip moves closer to the individuals who have on old clothing, and one of them has a keg of alcoholic drinks and offers to Rip, who drinks the alcohol and desires for more, ending up drinking too much and falls into a deep slumber. Upon waking up, Rip realizes that all the strange persons were gone and his dog and his gun had rusted. Washington tells us that Rip was asleep for twenty years, creating the character of a mysterious event in the mythical story.

Heroic events and positive messages about a nation or its people are aspects that several myths portray. In the "Rip Van Winkle" story, heroism is seen when Rip inquires about his friends and learn of their demise. One would suppose that their death resulted from the American War for independence that occurred while Rip was asleep (Irving, 1819). The surviving friends and Rip are made village elders and receive utmost respect for remembering how the village was like before the American Independence War. A positive message is seen in how the people regard and admire elders for their service during the independence war.

Conclusion

In conclusion, these features enhance the reader's ability to understand the message in myths. Furthermore, myths impact significantly on knowing the identity and heritage of a society. One can compare the past generations to the future and fix what is being done wrongly. The heroism character brings patriotism to citizens of a nation, which helps develop a country.

References

Irving, W. (1819). Rip Van Winkle. Creative Media Partners, LLC, 2015.