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Preliminary Paper

The Children of Macha:

The main theme of this section is a discussion of myths. Kolbenschlag talks about how as people age, myths become more signifcant for what people can learn in common with each other than what the individual can learn about themselves. The example she gives about Macha is one that she uses to illustrate what she feels is the mistreatment of maternity and its relationship to the bad things that happen in the world.

The Abandoned Self:

The main theme being explored here by Kolbenschlag is that of how impersonal the world is today. WIth the advent of technology and globalization, there is much less communal activity and more concern about the individual, by the individual. What we think we want or need is subject to the whims of society, and by being so subjected, we are essentially orphaned to those whims. As orphans, we cling to security (however flimsy it may be) and only feel worthy through the attention of others. And yet, the orphan always has hope that things can improve, because the orphan is a survivor. As the orphan survives more and more calamaties, it becomes more resilient to future events.

A Nation of Orphans:

In this segment of the text, Kolbenschlag introduces the origin of the story "The Wizard of Oz," and uses it as a metaphor for her own experiences venturing to the big city from the small university town she was accustomed to near Indiana. One of the comparisons she makes is that of the Wizard to the political leaders of the time. Both of them had a deceitful manner of conducting their relationships with others. These metaphorical entities both manipulate their acquaintances into thinking that they can be the real agent of change, that to trust in them was to discover the secrets of their lives and overcome the obstacles that stood as barriers to their futures. Likewise, the different segments of the population have, in a sense, allowed themselves ot be duped, for they eventually will come to realize that their leaders can do nothing for them, and that if they really want change, they must accomplish it on their own. These individuals did not feel themselves capable of making such change themselves, however upon the realization of their deceit at the hands of the Wizard of Oz, they suddenly wake up and feel empowered, and realize that they are the ones who are best able to shape their own lives.

Another theme that