The arts and the prodigal son The different existing forms of art borrow from the stories told by our ancestors. Art is inspired by the stories we hear, the books we read, and our life experiences. Among the stories of inspiration, the parable of the prodigal son and the myth of Icarus play a large role in influencing this inspiration. Poems, artwork, music, and life in general have drawn inspirational lessons from both stories. The story of the prodigal son inspired songs and poems about coming home, planning, forgiving, and spending one's wealth wisely. The myth of Icarus has inspired poets and songwriters to write about music and poems that address topics such as overconfidence, regret, preparedness, and the desire for freedom. Since art has a direct influence on life, the inspiration drawn from the parable of the prodigal son and the myth of Icarus has a direct influence on people's way of life. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay The Parable of the Prodigal Son tells the story of how a rich man's youngest child took his share of wealth and traveled to distant lands, had fun and squandered wealth. He then returns home, a poor man, feeding with the pigs and sleeping in the pigsty. His return home is welcomed by his father much to the disgust of his brother. The myth of Icarus tells the story of a father and son who build each other wings. The father, Daedalus, wanted to build the wings so that he and his son could fly to freedom. Over the years, they gathered feathers and fixed the wings with wax. Amid the excitement of the flight, Icarus flew too close to the sun. The heat of the sun melted the wax, Icarus lost the ability to fly and died. The stories summarized above are sources of inspiration in various art forms such as music, poetry and everyday life situations. Inspirations from the Parable of the Prodigal Son include themes such as forgiveness, planning, coming home, parenting, and spending one's wealth wisely. The parable has been used biblically to inspire good characters in Christian disciples, such as obedience to one's parents, the wages of greed, the character of forgiveness, and love. Some musicians choose their stage names and base their music on this parable, like Calvin Curtis. The myth of Icarus covers themes such as the desire for freedom, overconfidence, regret, preparation and risk-taking. This myth has inspired the artwork, poems, music and way of life of people throughout many centuries. A picture is worth a thousand words; a painting is probably worth more. There are paintings in the world inspired by both the parable of the prodigal son and the myth of Icarus. The painting “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt Van Rijn, c. 1668' is an example of a work of art inspired by the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Sullivan). Here, the painting is said to inspire family reconciliation, unconditional love, mercy and forgiveness. Other paintings include “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Pompeo Batoni in 1773, James Tissot, and an engraving by Hans Sebald Benam in 1538. There are many works of art inspired by Icarus. These include “Daedalus and Icarus” by Charles Le Brun, “Daedalus and Icarus, 1779” by Charles Paul London, “Lament for Icarus” by Herbert James Draper and “Fall of Icarus” by Granger (Henessy). The parable of the prodigal son has inspired musicians such as Calvin Curtis, known by the stage name Prodigal Son. The choice of name is.