The Cost of Flight-Bulfinch's Mythology Assignment 4

In the myth concerning the story of Daedelus and his son Icarus we can derive another human flaw and error. Daedelus and his son Icarus were trapped in a tower built by king Minos. Daedelus being somewhat of a genius pondered over a means of escape from the prison. Both the sea and land were well guarded and watched but the air was free. So he constructed two pairs of wings using; feathers big and small, wax and string, one pair for himself and the other for his son. They practiced and when it was time to escape Daedelus instructed his son not to fly to high because the sun’s heat would melt the wax, and not to fly to low because the water would dampen the feathers. They took flight and Icarus followed his father. But as they continued on their way Icarus gained more and more confidence. He soared much too high and the wax melted causing him to plummet towards the crashing waves. He was lost to the sea and the feathers floated above the water where he had fallen. Human nature is at times arrogant, when we gain too much confidence in ourselves; some are pressured to go further until a point where it can become dangerous. This myth teaches us to be mindful of our situation, and to be cautious of the circumstances we find ourselves in. Icarus was careless and died because of it. If we are careless it could easily lead to our death, although more probable, to an injury to ourselves or those around us. It is best to be catious and aware of the situations and circumstances that we find ourselves in so that we may keep ourselves safe as well as those around us.