inal Paper Instructions:

Choose one of the topics below and write a three-page paper that addresses all parts of that topic. Your final paper must address one of the following topics. As stated on the syllabus, papers that are off-topic or contain any quotations or references from outside works will receive a grade of 0. Papers must be turned into the drop box on the Canvas class homepage by 6:00 p.m. on the due date. Late papers will not be accepted.

AS ALWAYS, YOU MAY NOT USE THE INTERNET, ANY OTHER STUDENT’S HELP OR ANY OUTSIDE MATERIALS WITH ALL USUAL PENALTIES (FAILURE, REFERRAL FOR FURTHER ACTION INCLUDING SUSPENSION FROM THE UNIVERSITY AND LEGAL ACTION). LIKEWISE YOU MAY NOT POST ANY OF YOUR MATERIAL OR CLASS QUESTIONS, PROMPTS ETC ON THE INTERNET OR SAVE THEM IN ANY WAY. YOU ARE, HOWEVER, PERMITTED AND EVEN ENCOURAGED TO USE OUR TUTORING SERVICE.

Grading Criteria:

Format and length

1.) Use 12 pt. Times font and double spacing.

2.) All margins should be set at 1”.

3.) Use a standard MLA style header with name, course, instructor, and date. Do not put a title for your essay.

4.) You must do 3 full pages (do not use up too much of a page trying to fill it with the header). This will count as 1,000 words of our 3,000-word quota. Please include a word count.

5.) Save or export your file in MS Word format to ensure compatibility with Canvas.

WRITING AND ORGANIZATION

1.) Be sure to have an initial paragraph stating your thesis and briefly explaining what you will be writing about.

2.) You must break your paper into paragraphs, each of which explains one instance of the myth and its significance.

3.) Your paper must end with a very brief paragraph restating what you have shown.

CONTENT

1.) All elements of the chosen topic must be covered.

2.) Details must be accurate and have parenthetic page or book and line citation.

3.) Explanations must be reasonable.

4.) Only your text and study questions must be used. Do not consult any printed or online sources (you will fail if you do, you have to show YOUR thoughts and what YOU learned in this class).

topics a, B and C

Topic A

Virgil adapts a number of scenes, characters, and similes from Homer. Discuss how the Artemis/Diana simile (Od. 6, Aen. 1), the encounter with the Cyclops (Od. 9, Aen. 3), and the descent to the underworld (Od. 11, Aen. 6) have been adapted by Virgil to serve a similar or different purpose in his epic. For each borrowing explain 1.) what is the same in both epics, 2.) what Virgil has made different, and 3.) suggest a what purpose the element/myth serves in the Aeneid that is different from the purpose it serves in the Odyssey.

Topic B

Epic poems inevitably center around a hero on a mission. Compare and contrast the characters of Gilgamesh, Odysseus, and Aeneas in the three epics we have read this semester. What are the defining characteristic of each hero and give examples of actions that support these.? How do they act toward their people, and how do their people treat them? Be sure to discuss all three and support your assertions with specific evidence from the beginning, middle, and end of each work. In the end decide which one you find the most heroic (or least heroic) and why?

Topic C

Ovid adapts a number of myths from previous writers including Hesiod, Homer, Euripides, and Vergil. Discuss how the story of creation (Hesiod, Met. 1), the death of Hippolytus (Eur. Met. 15), and the prophecy of Rome’s future (Aen. 1, Met. 15) are adapted by Ovid to serve his humorous or political purpose (writing under the emperor Augustus). Discuss 1.) what details Ovid retains from earlier authors, 2.) what he has changed from earlier versions, and 3.) a reasonable explanation for how the changed details contribute to either humor or political expediency