Applicability of Archetypes and the Folkloric Panacea on Societal Ills and Degradation of Morality
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Date
2015-01-10
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Conference on Humanities, Literature and Management
Abstract
Technological advancement in this contemporary age
has, obviously, turned the world into a global village. The art of
news gathering and dissemination has become phenomenal. All one
needs do is punch the right buttons on the computer or mobile phone
and the world is, as it were, at your feet! This has brought to fore an
endless stream of disturbing news of chaos, violence, brutality and
absurdity across the nations of the world – all of which are,
surreptitiously, pushing the human society towards the precipice of
self-annihilation. Over the ages value system in most societies seem
to be changing at an amazing rapidity, resulting in a gradual but
alarming erosion of societal morality. In this respect therefore
sociologists, social crusaders, educational psychologists, guidance
counselors, opinion leaders, and significant others must put hands on
deck to arrest a worsening scenario. The foregoing background
forms the premise of this paper which seeks to examine the nature of
archetypes as embedded in African folklore in particular, and as
obtained in cultures of the world in general. The paper submits that,
by reason of its universality, archetypes can be employed through the
use of folklore (which is essentially didactic) to bring about a
reawakening of sensibilities, self-awareness and re-embrace of all
that is noble, virtuous and humanistic, towards the much needed
sanitization of our society in these unsettling times
Description
Keywords
Archetype, Folklore, Folktale, Panacea