A man ain't nothin but a man

Abstract

In reflecting personally and historically, mythological tales and folklore such as the legend of John Henry and the many sagas of Greek mythological figures, have acted as a kind of measuring guide or moral compass for masculine traits. Aspects of our cultural masculinity are reflected in these stories. They serve in some cases as a manual for young men to look towards for guidance. The roles that men have played through history have always intrigued me; men who were singular figures of greatness, who actually existed well beyond myth and legend. Some of these men were alive and their prowess was so great they became more than human, showing that their feats seemed virtually impossible to normal men at that time. These stories and struggles go on in the culture and perhaps the genetics of my own family.