assignment

ANTH/ZOO EXERCISE

NOTE: Please make certain you follow these directions

Purpose of this exercise: You will actively confront or deal with the concept of anthropomorphism and/or zoomorphism.

Outcome of this exercise: Once you apply these terms by actively confronting them, you will know what the two terms mean; you will also understand, recognize as well as appreciate their role and importance for us humans in general as well as in your culture’s and in your personal stance or attitude about your own surroundings.

O.K….. I’ve mentioned and illustrated to you the concepts of anthropomorphism and zoomorphism. Please check your notes if you’re still uncertain about the meanings, importance, and universality of these words or concepts.

Here’s your task:

1) Think of ONE ‘force’/‘power’ that is EITHER external to us (an earthquake, [presumably] fate, or [again presumably] luck, for example) OR is [again presumably] within us, that is, internal (lust, fear or joy, for example). Your choice. State what it is, and whether it’s external or internal

2) Give your ‘force’/’power’ either a human or an (other) animal characteristic. Perhaps as with many of the figures in, for example, ancient Egyptian mythology, you choose to combine both. NOTE: Although perhaps your choice of ‘force’/‘power’ can and does have many characteristics or aspects, for this short exercise, just think of one.

3) Describe this characteristic. Examples: Is it generous? Mean-spirited? Tricky?

4) Explain why you gave your ‘force’/’power’ the characteristic you did.

5) Give it a gender. Is it male, female, neuter? A combination?

6) Explain why you assigned it the gender you did.

7) What does your ‘creation’ look like? Describe it. Is it clothed? Naked? Color hair or fur? Claws? Wings? And so on.

8) Explain why you made it look as you did.

9) Conclusion. What is the purpose of your ‘force’? That is, how and why does your force interact with us humans? Remember the concept that if we humans can know/understand something we can possibly control it.

10) Please make this exercise a 1 pager, 12 point, double spaced and with standard margins. Bulletize and do so only with a complete sentence or two; no one-two word blurbs. Please proof your work! I expect to see no spelling, grammatical or other errors violating language rules. NOTE: When bulletizing, please number each section 1,2,3,4, etc. following the order or sequence of the outline (paragraphs 1-9) above. The total number of your sections should, therefore, be 9.

11) Please let your imaginations soar. Our ancestors did and we humans today too sure do when we anthropomorphize and/or zoomorphize ‘forces’/‘powers’. . . . and we do it all the time.