Role Playing
Objective:
To use the process of role playing to evaluate a myth.
Note:
This outline is based on the Greek myth.
The process:
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1. “Warming up” the group (problem confrontation)
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2. Selecting the participants (role players)
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3. Preparing the audience to participate as observers
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4. Setting the stage
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5. Role playing (enactments)
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6. Discussing and evaluating
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7. Further enactments (replaying revised roles, exploring alternative possibilities)
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8. Further discussion
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9. Sharing experiences and generalizing.
The Problem
(step 1) You are Zeus. You have concluded that Prometheus has purposely committed this act of defiance. You are not so angry that mankind now has fire, but that Prometheus aided mankind without your permission. What would you do?
Discussion and evaluation
(Step 6) will depend largely upon the enactment. This is the point, however, at which specific questions will be raised concerning Zeus’ actions and why one feels that he behaved in such a way. “Was Zeus cruel and unjust to punish Prometheus so severely?” “Was he within his rights because he was supreme ruler?” “Could Zeus have been jealous of Prometheus because Prometheus had created a race of men who were superior to earlier races of men?” “How would this situation differ if Zeus were considered the humanitarian who brought fire to man?” “Would Prometheus become upset because Zeus had interfered with Prometheus’ divine creation?” This kind of question sets up
Further enactments
(Step 7). Finally
Sharing experiences and generalizations
(Step 8) would solely depend upon those things which have come out of the total role playing experience.
The process can be used with any one of the myths. I have outlined these four steps because they are most crucial to the evaluation of the myth. Other steps in the role-playing process are equally important and should be performed in sequence.