问答题 The mythology of a culture can provide some vital insights into the beliefs and values of that culture. (1) By using fantastic and sometimes incredible stories to create an oral tradition by which to explain the wonders of the natural world and teach lessons to younger generations, a society exposes those ideas and concepts held most important. (2) Just as important as the final lesson to be gathered from the stories, however, are the characters and the roles they play in conveying that message.
(3) Perhaps the epitome of mythology and its use as a tool to pass on cultural values can be found in Aesop's Fables, told and retold during the era of the Greek Empire. Aesop, a slave who won the favor of the court through his imaginative and descriptive tales, almost exclusively used animals to fill the roles in his short stories. Humans, when at all present, almost always played the part of bumbling fools struggling to learn the lesson being presented. This choice of characterization allows us to see that the Greeks placed wisdom on a level slightly beyond humans, implying that deep wisdom and understanding is a universal quality sought by, rather than steanning from, human beings.
Aesop's fables illustrated the central themes of humility and self-reliance, reflecting the importance of those traits in early Greek society. The folly of humans was used to contrast against the ultimate goal of attaining a higher level of understanding and awareness of truths about nature and humanity. For example, one notable fable features a fox repeatedly trying to reach a bunch of grapes on a very high vine. After failing at several attempts, the fox gives up, making up its mind that the grapes were probably sour anyway. (4) The fable's lesson, that we often play down that which we can't achieve so as to make ourselves feel better, teaches the reader or listener in an entertaining way about one of the weaknesses of the human psyche.
(5) The mythology of other cultures and societies reveal the underlying traits of their respective cultures just as Aesop's fables did. The stories of Roman gods, Aztec ghosts and European elves all served to train ancient generations those lessons considered most important to their community, and today they offer a powerful looking glass by which to evaluate and consider the contextual environment in which those culture existed.

【正确答案】通过异想天开——有时甚至是不可思议的故事来创造一种口头传诵的传统,以此来解释自然世界中的种种奇观,警戒后世的年轻人要吸取前人的教训,一个社会就用这种方式将其最为珍视的观点、理念都表露出来。
【答案解析】
【正确答案】然而,与人们从故事中所得到的教训一样重要的是这些故事中的人物在传递这个信息的过程中所扮演的角色,也就是所起的作用。
【答案解析】
【正确答案】或许我们可以从希腊帝国时期被人们不断重复传诵的《伊索寓言》中找到神话的缩影并了解它是如何被当成一种工具来传递文化价值观的。
【答案解析】
【正确答案】我们常常贬低那些自己做不到的事情,以此寻求心理安慰。这个故事以轻松的形式告诉读者或听众人心灵中的一个弱点,让人们以此为戒。
【答案解析】
【正确答案】正如《伊索寓言》揭示出希腊社会里的一些特点一样,其他文化或其他社会中的神话也展现出这些文化各自的内在特征。
【答案解析】