Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The picture of the Earth being taken over by flame represents the balance between chaos and order of Apollo and Dionysus. In Greek mythology, Apollo and Dionysus were both sons of Zeus, Apollo being the god of the sun, order, music, and poetry, and Dionysus being the god of wine, ecstasy, intoxication, and chaos. The Apollonian principles also suggest beauty as opposed to the Dionysian principles which suggest destruction. The picture accurately portrays the differences between the view of an Apollonian and a Dionysian because half of the Earth is destroyed while the other half remains relatively unharmed. Another theme that can be derived from the picture is light versus darkness. On the far left of the picture (the Apollonian side) there is a sun creating light behind the untouched side of the Earth. On the right hand side, there is a moon and darkness overshadowing the destruction of the hemisphere. Although the gods Apollo and Dionysus never considered each other rivals, many of their principles and ideas overlap each other’s and as seen in the picture, they differ greatly.

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