Monday, January 10, 2011
Popol Vuh Reader Response
Popol Vuh is the story of creation of the Maya. The story was transcribed by a Catholic priest in Spain. Because of that, it contains similarities to the Torah's version of creation. As a Christian, I could relate to a lot of the points of creation stated. For example, the gods declared humans to be protectors of the Earth and animals, similar to what God did in the Book of Genesis. Overall, I found the writing style of the Mayans really wordy. They aren't very concise with their wording and often speak in circles. For instance, when Vucub-Caquix was hit with the blowpipe, he sought aid but instead of receiving it, he was given wordy responses that didn't help him. However, I feel like I learned a lot about the Mayans. They believe in humility and giving thanks to the Gods; something that I found refreshing. Humility is one aspect that I constantly try to work on and Popol Vuh showed me a different perspective on how to work on it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Nice comparison with Genesis: there are some interesting parallels and differences. I think you make a good point about humility: I agree that it is good to see it valued. True, it is wordy in the older translation. Did you get a copy of the newer translation that I handed out in class? It was a very different style!
ReplyDelete