Summative Assessment

Analyzing: The Origin of Chinese Zodiac (Chinese Mythology)

Suryati

How does Chinese mythology relate to Animals of the Zodiac? As Merriam Webster
states, A mythology recounts the tales of the gods, supernatural, and legendary heroes of a
particular people. The Chinese zodiac animals have astrological and cultural significance.
There are specific characteristics associated with each animal sign. There is a belief that the
animals of a particular year define the personalities of people born that year. The Origin of
the Chinese Zodiac was published in 2015 by Ryan Landes Gilman. The genre of the story is
mythic fiction. The target audience for this mythology are male and female, especially
Chinese people and Asian countries such as Korea, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam.
Traditionally, the Chinese have used these signs as a way of dating years in a 12-year cycle.
The Zodiac is an integral part of folklore and stories in Chinese culture. Based on these, each
animal developed its personality traits. This article aims to inform the reader about how birth
signs can affect a person's personality, love life, career, lifestyle, and health. In addition, The
Chinese Zodiac interactive application is a promotional and educational tool for people
interested in learning more about the signs. It is generally believed that the Zodiac guides
how to live their life. Mythology portrays significant connections among cultures and beliefs
through certain elements such as themes to provide essential ideas of the story and get an idea
of how the characters live their lives; also, through stylistic devices, the reader can
understand the story better and interpret them more accurately.

Firstly, the theme is one element that allows the readers to understand better and
contest people's beliefs, values, and customs throughout ancient times. Through the theme,
the writer is able to transfer the information about why the author wrote the story. As an
example, the writer uses sacrifice as a theme. A sacrifice is often seen as self-sacrifice within
a person's values. Moreover, it has also been said that the only way to determine what we
value is through sacrifice. It can be seen in the excerpt, "I had to be careful, though. I did not
want to also sweep the villagers up in this gale of my creation. I also saw a tiny Rabbit in the
river clinging to a log, so I used my breath to push it to shore." Using these sentences, the
readers understand that the Dragon is helping the villagers and rabbit by using his breath. A
Dragon could have won in the zodiac race, but it sacrificed a lot for others (like helping blow
a rabbit across a river with its powerful breath). The Dragon is the luckiest of the zodiac
signs, and it is energetic and demanding. Furthermore, the author also uses heroism as a
theme. For example, "To put out the flames, I used my breath to extinguish the blaze,
snuffing it out like a flickering candle. I had to be careful though. I did not want to also
sweep the villagers up in this gale of my own creation. I also saw a tiny Rabbit in the river
clinging to a log, so I used my breath to push it to shore." In times of danger and adversity,
the Dragon rushes to help others because he genuinely cares about the safety and well-being
of others.

Secondly, A writer uses stylistic devices to convey information, create special effects,
or help readers comprehend it on a deeper level. In order to illustrate a theme, it reflects the
cultural values of a society in ancient times. In this mythology, the writer employed imagery
as a figure of speech. Throughout this mythology, the writer used imagery to convey his
thoughts. The use of imagery allows writers to evoke the feelings they want their readers to
feel, and by making their readers feel, they are able to make readers connect with their
work. It is shown through the excerpt “ splashing up water as her hooves moved like beating
pistons through the ankle-deep water”. The word “moved” reveal the five senses, which are
the sense of sight and movement. Furthermore, onomatopoeia is used by the author to create
particularly vivid imagery-the readers feel as if they are in the text hearing what the speaker
is experiencing. It can be seen in the excerpt “Water splashed forth from the river.” The word
“splashed” mimics the sound of a splash. A writer uses these techniques to provide the
readers with the pleasure of building a conclusion to the myth.

To conclude, the excerpt draws several important points; it begins with the sacrifice
and heroism themes to inform the critical thoughts in an excerpt and show the ancient time's
beliefs, customs, and values. In addition, the author uses imagery to appeal to all five senses
and onomatopoeia to create an experience that is multisensory with words. Through certain
elements, such as themes, mythology can provide essential ideas about the story and how
characters live; stylistic devices help readers understand the text more clearly and interpret it
correctly. This excerpt provides a vivid description of the Chinese Zodiac's origin story and
illustrates the characteristics associated with the twelve animal signs. Many aspects of human
life have been affected by it over time, and they continue to be influenced by it today. People
are often influenced by a mythology or belief system that involves supernatural
beings/powers, explains their religion and practices, and shows how they relate to each other
daily.
References:
Robinson, Ashley. “What Is Imagery? A Complete Guide.” What Is Imagery? A Complete
Guide, https://blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-imagery-definition-examples.
“Theme of Sacrifice Essay Examples.” Kibin,
https://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/tag/theme-of-sacrifice.
“Chinese Zodiac: Cultural Significance.” Chinese Zodiac | Cultural Significance,
https://depts.washington.edu/triolive/quest/2007/TTQ07030/culture.html.
Heath, Alex. “How Does Theme Affect the Reader?” How Does Theme Affect the Reader? –
Easierwithpractice.com, https://easierwithpractice.com/how-does-theme-affect-the-
reader/.
Muniz, Hannah. “The 31 Literary Devices You Must Know.” The 31 Literary Devices You
Must Know, https://blog.prepscholar.com/list-of-literary-devices-techniques.
Mark, Joshua J. “Mythology.” World History Encyclopedia,
Https://Www.worldhistory.org#Organization, 29 May 2022,
https://www.worldhistory.org/mythology/.