Essay: Parents/Elders and Children

    I really enjoyed this unit, Ovid's Metamorphoses. The story of Daedalus and Icarus stood out to me out of all the other stories. Reading this particular story, I believe that the moral of Daedalus and Icarus was it is important to respect and listen to your elders. It was clear from reading the story,  that Daedalus is a wise, intellectual, and practical man. Daedalus created the complex Labyrinth which housed the dangerous Minotaur. This is a great feat.
    Daedalus created wings for himself and his son to use to escape from imprisonment. He made the wings and thus one would think that Icarus would listen to Daedalus's instructions. He knows firsthand how the wings work; he made them. But Icarus succumbed into his curiosity and ignored his father's command. As a result, Icarus fell to his death.
   There is a reason people seek counsel from elders or parents. They have experienced life and therefore knows how life works. They know what life offers and what it takes away. Even though some elders may have not received a high education they are still wise in that they know how to survive and respond to certain situations that adolescents have yet to experience. These are things that one cannot simply learn from books or school. Experience is one of the best ways to learn. And elders have tons of experience.
     Children can sometimes look down at their parents or ignore their advice because they believe they know what is best for themselves, when really they do not. In this case, Icarus was so driven by curiosity he forgot his father's instruction and carelessly flew toward the sun. He believed he knew what was best for him. He thought that he was better than his father and therefore was capable of flying higher up. Icarus believed that his father was just being overprotective and hindering him from his full potential.
    Icarus's downfall was a result of his lack of obedience towards his father's command. The story of Daedalus and Icarus is a lesson to all of us that we should respect and listen to our parents or elders.

(Daedalus and Icarus)