In the myth, Daedalus instructs Icarus to "follow a course that is midway between the earth and sky...be sure to fly halfway between the two." In what ways could we turn these instructions around and around like a kaleidoscope and see different meanings? What might these instructions mean for us living in the modern world? In what areas (work, politics, religion, relationships, behavior, etc.) might we understand these instructions?
Daedalus's words of advice towards his son, Icarus, can be told in many different ways to fit modern scenarios. It can relate to a big project in school because you don't want to overwork yourself by doing all of the work in one day but at the same time you don't want to wait until the last minute to do all of the work. The best option is to do a little work every day and slowly progress on your project. These instructions can relate to many of today's situations.
ReplyDeleteIn whatever people do, each individual should follow an honest path which does not cross moral or ethical boundaries. More often then not, people will receive a punishment if they attempt to test a superior force, or stoop to a low level. The reader observes this in the story of Icarus; if a person defies warnings and tests set boundaries, the result (most of the time) is one detrimental to the perpetrator. Any and almost every aspect of modern day work: social, financial, political, etc. one must follow a straight and narrow path or face the consequences. The myth of Icarus's death is one that can provide a universal basis for the necessity to follow a straight and narrow path, while also not crossing set boundaries.
ReplyDeleteNice, Josh. Does Jack Gilbert's poem "Failing and Flying" offer another way to read Daedalus' advice? Could there be a negative side to always following his advice?
DeleteDeadalus instructs his son Icarus to fly the through the middle of two perils, which metaphorically are overworking and laziness. In many modern things, these boundaries are evident, especially in, for example, a sport, such as tennis. Laziness will result in not aspiring to anything, but devoting way too much time will not only restrict other possible activities, but also may take away the enjoyment of playing. This concept of midway flying can be applied to many other areas in life as well.
ReplyDeleteAs children we often are told what to do by our parents, even though we aren't little children anymore. We are told to do more main stream things by our parents, which in comparison to the myth is flying in the middle of the sky. Although, we don't alway listen, we may venture into things that are way bigger and more dangerous than what we should be doing. Such as more advanced things that only adults are actually able to handle. As well as do things that are so childish that people or parents get up set about. To find that happy medium is something we learn to pick up on sooner than later. We learn from the myth that it is always to fly in the middle to be a perfect medium of both sides.
ReplyDeleteWe are told from the second we can understand life how to do things in the world, some parents say that their children can reach the stars but others tell them to fit right in the middle like Daedalus. These words that Daedalus has told to Icarus, can be taught threw modern language in several different ways and senarios. One senario is like the popularity contest, some would perfer to be right in the middle not the most popular but not the "nerd". In life i believe everyone should find that happy-medium in their life and what works in their life situation.
ReplyDeleteHi Taylor. You're first sentence is a great opening, but it's a run-on. There should be a semi-colon or a period before "some parents", which is a new subject.
DeleteDaedalus instructs his son, Icarus to fly in the middle where it is neither too hot or cold to melt or dampen the wax, which will ruin the feather and destroy the use of the wings leading him to his death. In reality these instructions explain how someone should neither work too hard till there heart is exhausted or slack off and watch things break apart. Either going over the maximum height or under the minimum level would have killed Icarus. Icarus was the daring type who wanted to try something new and big. Though there was a consequence for going outside of the safety zone, Icarus managed to do what no other man had done. He went in the no man zone. Instead of being safe and controlled, kids today try to do everything in little time and become overwhelmed or do not even try. Daedalus was the type to live in a mediocre life. He never went below average, but neither an over achiever. He stayed where he could play safe, like what most people try to do now a days, but there are always those people like Icarus who will explore farther out of the nest than others. Sadly Icarus' success and freedom did not last long, for he flew too high but he went where no one has ever tried to fly.
ReplyDeleteWell in high school this could apply to us. I say this because in high school you have a lot of chances and if you take none of them then i would assume that you are flying to low and then your not having the most fun you can have, and it is important to obviously learn in school and also you should be social. But you could be one of those people who take to much on their plate. That would mean you are taking every single chance someone offers you. For example being apart of five clubs and having all honors classes. Doing all of this is flying to high in my perspective. When you have all of this stuff you might feel overwhelmed and you have no social time or free time. If you have a balance then you have time for a variety of things, just like in the myth. If Icarus flew in the middle of the two areas he would have been alright.
ReplyDeleteTurner, you're ideas are so smart, but they can get lost in some grammar issues. Be careful to distinguish between "your" and "you're", and "to" and "too", and also take care to capitalize "I".
DeleteDuring the myth, Daedalus instructs his son Icarus to fly halfway between the sun and the water making sure he does not injure himself in the process of flying. This metaphor for life can be looked at in many different perspectives. One may look at the message and say that Icarus payed the punishment for trying to fly high in order to feel the strength of the gods. Others may describe this message as a false idea but instead to soar even with knowing the consequences of one's actions. They believe that anyone should take there chances in life when given and try to reach there full potential without remaining in the middle of the path. Staying in the middle of the sky represents someone who is either afraid to dare and push themselves to higher levels, or that person is cautious and realizes when tasks are to difficult. In the modern world as intellectual and prosperous people, we must take risks, "flying high", in order to gain wealth, knowledge, and friends. If one remains un-daring, the chances they will have to grow and mature will slowly pass by. Throughout the world in politics, the economy, relationships, and especially school, we must take great risks and challenge ourselves to reach new heights. For example, students should strive for the best grades and most honors classes possible to excel in the future. Overall, even though Icarus took the deadly risk of flying too high towards the powerful sun, people should not fear the results of failing after attempting to overcome a seemingly impossible task.
ReplyDeleteThe meaning I got from Daedalus instructions, are that two parallel opposites need to be in balance for something to work and succeed. I can compare this piece of advice to the real life example of distributing time for afterschool studying and extracurricular activities. There are many people that stay on different spectrums of this topic, but the ones that are acknowledged, balance the two, because they can get the benefits of both. Lets say the sun is sports activities and the sea is academic studying. The “sun” makes you more socially active but if you bask to long in the sunlight you will fall, with the sea if you spend too much time around it you will never get to experience the warmth of the sun. Now if you where to stay in the middle of the two you would have a consistent warmth which would never lead to your fallure.
ReplyDeleteIn this myth, Daedalus demands Icarus to "follow a course that is midway between the earth and sky...be sure to fly halfway between the two." This instruction can be interpreted in many different ways, and express multiple meanings. First it could show how there is one way to do something, and doing the action a different way can result in damage or failure. This could relate to behavior in class, for example, we must always be tentative, interested, and participate. Therefore that is the only way to act, because not listening or being quiet could result in possible damage to your grade, like how flying not in the middle causes possible death. Next, another point of view could be saying when someone instructs you to not take risks and go the safest way, follow your heart and do something exiting. In relationships sometimes you have feelings towards a guy, but you are not for sure if he does, so maybe instead of always hiding it take a risk and express your feelings. Lastly the instruction could be seen as people with more experience know what works better, Daedalus. For example at work when your boss, who has more knowledge about the topic, gives you instructions follow them, because most likely the results will be positive. The myth regarding Daedalus’ request towards his son, Icarus, can be twisted into many lessons that relate to our modern life.
ReplyDeleteWhat Daedilus is saying to Icarus, not only literally means don't fly too high or too low, the statement has a meaning that is much deeper. In our behavior we never want to have such a high ego of yourself that you are too narcissistic and that you only care about yourself and no one else. On the other hand you do not want to be so down on yourself that you think you're horrible at everything you do because if you say you are bad at something, you will be bad at that thing. If you are not too positive or too negative you have a perfect balance so that you can be comfortable for not only yourself but also in your society.
ReplyDeleteDaedalus instructs his son, Icarus, to follow a path, equally between the sun and the sea, in order to achieve his goal of arriving to the other side of the sea. Metaphorically, we can see this myth as a father trying to teach his son that to succeed in life and "get to the other side", Icarus must follow a path between the darkness and gloominess of the rockbottom ocean, and the sacred and holy sun, a deceitful place meant only for the blessed.
ReplyDeleteCulver, this is beautiful writing, but I'd love to see you delve further into the idea. What are the ramifications for us now?
DeleteIn this myth, Daedilus tells Icarus to "follow a course that is midway between the earth and sky... be sure to fly halfway between the two." This message means to find a balance in whatever it is that you are doing in life, as well as follow instructions. For example, say you are in science class, and the teacher gives you instructions to an experiment that has to be done very precise. If you do not follow the instructions correctly, you are at risk of danger to yourself and disappointment from others, just like Icarus received in the myth.
ReplyDeleteToday, in the 21st century, Daedalus's words remind us to do everything in moderation in all facets of our lives. We, as ambitious creatures, tend bite off more than we can chew. Every year in January, we make New Year's Resolutions. For most of us, they do not even last a week. This is because we try to accomplish the whole resolution at once. If it's to be more religious, we start by trying to follow every commandment instead of maybe one a week. If it's not to procrastinate, we will try and do a whole week's worth of work in one night before being reduced to tears. It is times like these when we must remember to follow Daedalus's words of wisdom. The key to success is finding a happy medium in everything that we do in our lives. We must work hard, but we must also find time play. We must fight for what we believe in, but we must also entertain the thoughts of others. Today, Daedalus's words are no longer relevant literally- we obviously cannot fly. However, they have a very real and deep metaphorical meaning: find a balance in your life.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your use of punctuation to stylize your sentences here, especially in the last line.
DeleteDaedalus' words of advice to Icarus can be translated in many way to the modern world. They can also relate to us as we journey through high school. When Daedalus says not to fly too high to the sun and not to low to the sea is can correspond to our academic and social duties. Flying too high to the sun could be saying to not go out to parties every weekend and focus on academics. Also, flying too low corresponds to spending too much time studying and not having fun and enjoying yourself a little bit. Daedalus' advice shows that a life in moderation and balance will lead to success.
ReplyDeleteDaedalus' words of wisdom to Icarus can relate to many of our modern day activities or routines. Usually we are told what to do by higher aged human beings and we are giving a certain responsibility to be respectful and consider their advice or message. Say everyone decides to set a goal for himself/herself.. We are expected or told to accomplish and go above and beyond in meeting or excceding our goal. Right? We have standards that we have to meet in this society. When Daedalus requires or expects Icarus to fly above and beyond but not over do it, what he is trying to say is that.. don't overachieve. Yes, make your point across and do whatever you need to correctly, but don't rely on someone specifically to set you own goals for you and achieve them for you.
ReplyDeleteDaedalus uses these specifc words towards Icarus to help him understand keys to an abundance of things. For intstance, flying high towards the Sun lead to Icarus' downfall. This could be used to help identify how we can't over use ourselves in sports or in our school work. If one were to stress out to the maximum, then one wouldn't be able to do the normal things they do properly. On the other hand, Daedalus also states that one shouldn't fly to low or risk being sucked up into the tides of the deep. Using this part of the statement can justify that slacking off or not giving something a proper amount of effort can cause serious consequences. If one were to just not try at practice or on a homework, then that person wouldn't be able to do very well in a game or on a test. The main thing that comes from Daedalus' teaching to Icarus is that you must not go to high or to low, take the middle way. This applies to our lives because we must do things with enough effort but shouldn't go to the extent of stressing ourselves out. There has to be a median amount, a ying and yang you could say. Going throughout things in the middle route will have a big payoff when all is said and done.
ReplyDeleteDaedalus's cryptic words serve many meanings in today's world. One connection that can be made is with our self respect. There is a fine line between being narcissistic and respectful of yourself. By flying too high, we put ourselves before others, and think that we are better than our peers. Having no self respect and being insecure would be flying too low. A healthy medium would be respecting ourselves to the point where we don't think anyone is better than us, but we aren't better than them either. It is important for us to stay in the middle and not be loathed by others. We must not fly too close to the sea or else we will sink in our own ocean of sadness.
ReplyDeleteIn the modern world, these instructions are like boundaries in life. Flying too high represents the egoistic view that people have; the flying too low may represent poor self-esteem. To fly in between keep a balance of our ego and insecurities will get us to our destination. Both ways can lead to a disastrous ending like Icarus's death;however not so brutal. The path perfectly between the two being the guidance inlife through our teachers, parents, and role models. In Daedalus instructions, he advised Icarus to fly between the two and follow him. The concealed moral in the story tells you not to get to much ego or so low self esteem that it leads to a catastrophy.
ReplyDeleteThe advice that Daedalus gives Icarus literally meant not to fly too high or too low. However the words can also be interpreted to mean to have balance in your life. This balance can apply to many things. For instance, it can apply to our school work. It is not necessarily good to do too much or to "fly" too high. Although on the other extreme, one shouldn't not do anything at all or "fly" too low. I would interpret the advice to mean not to be the one striving for attention or to stand out too much. You should also not be too quiet and not try to be noticed. This could apply to anything you do.
ReplyDeleteDaedalus's wise words of not flying too high or too low could be understood as an analogy of life. "Flying too low," could represent someone not having any fun in life, living a bull and boring life. On the other hand, "flying too high," might be someone having too much fun and getting their priorities mixed up. A perfect balance or as Daedalus said, "fly halfway between the two," should be taking exciting and fun opportunities and just having fun in life, but also knowing limits and keeping priorities your track.
ReplyDeleteDaedalus' instructions to Icarus can be applied to a large amount of people's lives. These instructions can be seen in many places such as work spaces, schools, and politics. A way in which we as Kinkaid student may see it is behaving, acting, and performing on the core values. If we follow the core values we are likely to maintain ourselves on a path to success. If you behave bellow the core values you are in for consequences, because the core values are meant to help set boundaries between an acceptable behavior and an unacceptable behavior. There are also consequences for behaving over the core values. Too much self-confidence and pride can lead to destruction. This is similar to when Icarus felt he did not need to follow the path halfway between earth and sky, he felt enough self-confidence he decided to fly high into the sky. The sun melted the wax on the feathers resulting n Icarus falling into the sea leading to his death. When are boundaries set for protection, I believe one should stay within them, because flying too high or too low may result in consequence.
ReplyDeletebut what about above the core values
DeleteThis is interesting. Alondra, can you find a better way to say "over the core values"? What exactly do you mean by that?
DeleteDaedalus' instructions to Icarus were from a man of experience to a child of ambition. The whole point of the story was for it to be a cautionary tail about how you should not reach where you know you cannot grab onto something and to not set your expectations so low that you are not trying. If one were to apply this to modern day politics or school, one would try to exemplify daedalus by exhibiting a good work ethic, etc.
ReplyDeleteDaedalus's advice to Icarus can be adapted in a multitude of ways to fit modern say situations. I interpret this advice to mean that you should maintain focus throughout whatever you are doing. The advice states that if Icarus strays from the point between the sky and the ocean in any way he will face consequences. At the beginning of Icarus's flight he does plan on doing what he knows is right and sticking to the path, but as he goes on, he begins to get distracted with the excitement of flying and forgets about his plan. This lack of focus ultimately leads to his downfall (literally and figuratively). This advice is currently very applicable to our lives as high schoolers. In order to succeed, we must maintain our focus on schoolwork even when faced with distractions such as social events or television.
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ReplyDeleteDaedalus’ instruction to Icarus to fly in the middle can be interpreted in many different ways. This instruction can be taken literally. Daedalus knew that the wax was not dry and that it would melt if they fly close to the sun and get wet if they fly too close to the water. I interpret Daedalus’ words of wisdom more philosophically. It reflects Daedalus’ philosophy of risk-taking. Daedalus is asking his son to follow the path of moderation in everything he does. One should not take ridiculous risks, but that does not mean that one must not take the first step at all. Daedalus also understands the innocent exuberance of youth. If he did not warn his son of the risks of flying too high or low, he feared that he might lose his son.
ReplyDeleteIn today's society, Daedalus' instructions can be applied to many different aspects of our lives. For example, when a student is in class, they are encouraged to participate, but also should not dominate a discussion. Another instance Daedalus' philosophy can be seen is in politics. When campaigning, a politician should strive to make goals that are realistic and can be accomplished, but they also don't want to make a few insignificant promises, or ones that seem unrealistic or far-fetched. However, the advice of Daedalus can be viewed as another way of saying "just do the norm" or "don't do anything crazy". In society, if one doesn't take risks, they are not as likely to succeed rather than one that does put life and limb on the line.
ReplyDeleteSo, Stuart, you're saying the advice could be positive or negative depending on how one reads the myth?
DeleteOne could interpret Daedalus’ words as a warning to be an average person. If you are an average person you will have less physical and emotional harm. If you did nothing you would achieve nothing and have no friends. Similarly if you do to much you could be too consumed in your work to have friends and the chances of failure in life are much higher. But if you just do the average amount of work life will be easier, you will be accepted by society and have friends and you will have a fairly successful life.
ReplyDeleteIn the modern world Daedalus would have said study for an hour the night before the test, instead of not studying or studying 2 nights earlier and studying 2 hours each night. The result of this would be you wouldn’t fail, you wouldn’t put a lot of hard work in, and you would probably get a B. Another example is if you didn’t ask a girl out you wouldn’t have a girlfriend. If you just asked her out you could be rejected. But if you took the middle road and asked out a girl who liked you, you would still get a girlfriend but their would be no fear of failure. This principle could be applied to any other parts of our lives in the modern world. The way I took Daedalus’ instructions was as advice to take the safest route possible.
Worthley, do you think it's good advice? To be average?
DeleteAlso, be careful of making the correct distinction between "there", "their", and "they're."
DeleteMrs. Fleming, personally I think being average is the safest. Whoever strives to be average will be emotionally secure and content throughout life. The only problem with this approach is that the person will always think "what if ..." with no way to find out.
DeleteBecause no parent wants to see their child fail, they will always tell their child that it is better to be safe rather than sorry. I grew up with this motto and don't deny that I owe my fairly satisfying fourteen years to it. However, if I had strived for a challenge, or an opportunity, or a goal I thought I had a slim to none chance of succeeding, I would have learned something. And I think this goes for all of us. Because what I think this myth is trying to teach us is that failure is an indirect success. Every time you fail, you learn a lesson that stays with you for a long time. I feel that this advice does not apply to the modern world because it is so competitive that only the ones who constantly challenge themselves reap the benefits. Colleges look for those who have pushed their limits and tried AP classes verses those who have the higher GPA but no challenging courses. Overall, striving for a challenge always have and always will bring benefits.
ReplyDeleteJeel, I love your writing voice. I really like the phrase "failure is an indirect success."
DeleteBut one thing: in your last sentence, "have" should be "has" to agree with the singular "striving."
DeleteParents are always protective and supporting, trying to encourage their child to succeed but at the same time play it safe so they don't lose everything. People sometimes make unecessary risks for small enjoyments that don't last long and tend to lead to their downfall. For example, when people do drugs they get a boost of happiness and feel good, but then their body counteracts the drug and without it they are no longer happy. They also run the risk of getting addicted and have to rely on the drug to be happy and can no longer live a normal life. For situations like this its better to play it safe then risk everything for a quick reward.
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