Essay: Narcissist

The story that I learned most from was Ovid’s Metamorphosis: Narcissus. In general terms, the story is about a man named Narcissus who was completely full of himself. He believed he was better than everyone else and was extremely pretentious. He angered so many people that one man complained to the heavens about Narcissus behavior to the Greek goddess of Nemesis. The goddess heard the man’s request and granted it by leading Narcissus to a fountain in the forest where Narcissus saw his reflection for the first time. He laid staring into the water admiring the beauty of this man who lived in the water. Little did he know it was his own reflection that he had fallen in love with. But sadly no matter how many times he leaned in to kiss or hug the reflection it would vanish. Since Narcissus was in love with the reflection he lay along the side of the fountain for days and nights till he grew weak. He got so weak that he died and then his body turned into a flower.

            This story was inspirational because it shows the reader that being a narcissist can be a bad thing. Being full of oneself not only makes people angry and upset but it can also affect the self. If someone is a narcissist, they are completely consumed with their perfection and can be self-centered. This can lead to a poor or lack of social life causing the person to be lonely. Being a narcissist can also make a person feel like they are always right so see no reason to be open minded. In this story, Narcissus put himself higher than everyone else causing everyone to dislike him. When he looked upon his reflection he unknowingly fell in love with himself. The message isn’t implying that if you are a Narcissist you die but that it leads you into a path of seclusion and loneliness.      

Narcissist

Week 2 Storytelling. Ovid's Metamorphoses: Narcissus

Long ago there lived a Dryad named Anna who lived within a forest. The nymphs and woodland creatures that lived within the area believed that she was the most beautiful creature they had ever seen. Her hair was a soft brown flowing down to her thighs. The lightness of her skin paired with her striking light blue eyes would make any man weak.

            Even at the young age of fourteen, all Anna could think about was finding the right man for her. There have been men who would come out to the forest to try and impress the Dryad but she wasn’t interested in any of them. The young lady wanted a man who was charming yet had an edge to him. She wanted the love of her life to be very confidant. Because non of the suitors were what she was looking for, Anna left the forest to find the man of her dreams.

            Just passed the woods, Anna noticed some nymphs walking along the path as well. She ran up towards them and questioned the girls, “where are you three off too?” The other three then replied in an excited manner, “to see Narcissus! We hear he is the most attractive man in town,” the three then giggled in excitement. So all four began their journey to the village to meet this man.  

            Once they arrived, they saw a man who was surrounded by people who had stern looks on their faces. The man with all the attention then grew a sly smirk, “you people waste my time.” He would then turn to walk towards the women to look at them for a brief moment and stopped at the sight of the Anna to let out a soft chuckle, “Yes, ladies, I am Narcissus. It is cute how you think I will talk to you. But alas, I have no time to speak to the likes of you. Farewell.” He said those words without a care and just walked away into the woods without turning back. All nymphs boiled in anger for how pretentious the man was but Anna just sat in awe. She had found the man she had searched for.

            The nymphs made their way back into their section of the forest except for Anna. Running around in search for the man, she then stopped to the see Narcissus leaning over a fountain. Anna walked around the fountain to see him starring into his own reflection. The Dryad tried to speak to the man but it was useless because he would completely ignore her and continue to stare into the water. Out of frustration the nymph walked away to find a tree close to the fountain to watch him from.

            Days had passed and Narcissus was still staring into his own reflection in the water. She would bring him food and leave it by his side but he would not touch it. He was so consumed with himself to not notice anything around him. After Anna realized how full of himself the man was, she stopped trying to help him and walked away. Upon returning to the fountain, Anna could not find Narcissus in his usual spot. All she found was a flower in his place.

Reflection

Authors note: I used the story from Ovid’s Metamorphoses:Narcissus by Tony Kline (2000). I came up with the first three paragraphs to bring an introduction to my new character. Other than that the story mostly resembles the one I read but just in the perspective of the Dryad.

Reading Diary B: Ovid’s Metamorphoses I

“So may he himself love, and so may he fail to command what he loves!”

Narcissus was the story that stood out most to me in the second half of the Ovid’s Metamorphoses I unit. The story started off with Narcissus thinking he is better than almost anyone. He would talk down to people, thinking he was the best and everyone was underneath him. After a man shouted to the heavens in anger of Narcissus narcissism, the goddess of Nemesis heard his request. Narcissus finds a fountain thinking it’s an ordinary day but then he looked into the water. He saw a handsome man and he fell in love. Little did he know that he was just looking at his own reflection. He tried to reach for the male in the water by wrapping his arms around him or kissing him but then he would ‘disappear’. He stared at this reflection until he became so weak from the lack of food or water. Unable to bare the idea that this male could not speak to him or touch him, Narcissus cried as he lay down to die next to the fountain and turned into a flower.  This ending shows the transformation from man into a flower.

Reflections

Reading Diary A: Ovid’s Metamorphoses I

My favorite story from the first unit of Ovid’sMetamorphoses I is the story of Phaethon. Before reading the story, I remember who the sun god was from taking Greek Mythology in high school but I never read this full story. Once they introduced Phaethon I was upset that he needed evidence on who is father was to show it off to his friends. Personally, I think that you don't have to see to believe but that's just me. Because he wanted to prove to his friends that he was indeed the son of the sun god, he went to find his father. After meeting his father, Phoebus, for a few seconds Phaethon seemed quick with his demands and requested to take the chariot on a spin. Phoebus warned him that it was a bad idea but he had already said he would give his son anything for his proof so the sun god reluctantly let him ride the chariot. In the sky, Phoebus looses control after seeing the huge Scorpio and let’s go of the reins on the horses and falls to his death. This causes a chain reaction which led to the earth catching on fire and chaos in the heavens. His sisters then turn into poplar trees while Phaethons friend, Cycnus, turned into a swan. While they are transforming, all the gods get really mad at Phoebus. But Pheobus is blaming other people for his sons death and ends up taking his anger out at the gods. 

Phoebus

Phaethon and the Sun

Phaethon's Ride

The Death of Phaethon