The Odyssey (Books 9-11) Week 4: Ancient Greece - Assignments - Reading - Resources - Images

Reflections Essay

Choose one of the essay topics for this week. You will find the topics listed down at the bottom of this page; scroll down to find them. If you want to write on a different topic, contact the instructor first (make sure you do that at least one day before the deadline so that you can receive an answer back in time).

Links to stories. You need to provide a link back to each of the specific stories that you discuss in your essay.

Image. You are required to include at least one image with the story, along with a link to the webpage where you found the image, plus information about the image. You are free to re-use the images you find at the course website, or you can choose some other image to use that you find on the internet. Remember: even if you are re-using an image from the course website, you need to provide image information about it.

Title. You need to include the words "Essay for Week ___" in the title you give to the post, along with a title for your actual story (for example, "Essay for Week 2: Dangerous Magic in Egyptian Legends")

Length. Your Storytelling post needs to be a minimum of 300 words long (maximum 1000 words). Make sure you do a spellcheck and a word count, and that you proofread your post by reading it out loud.

When you are done, complete the Gradebook Declaration.

Heroes. The word "hero" has a wide range of meanings in English. In the most neutral terms, a hero is someone who is able to successfully accomplish a difficult task. But many people expect more from a hero: they often assume a hero should be a positive role model, or that a hero should make great sacrifices for the benefit of other people. For other people, the test of a hero is the incredible obstacles that he has to overcome (that's what superheroes do!). What is your definition of a hero? Did you find any examples of a hero in this week's readings? Make sure you make specific references to at least three different stories in your essay.

Our Fears. Many myths and folktales are "scary" stories that play with things that we are afraid of. Did any of this week's stories qualify as "scary" stories? What are the fears that these stories used in their plots? What were the sources of fear in these stories? How did the characters in the story react to these frightening situations? Why do you think people like reading stories on topics that are frightening? Do these stories somehow calm our fears, or exploit them and make them worse? Make sure you make specific references to at least three different stories in your essay.

Magic and the Supernatural. Magic and supernatural elements are important for many mythological and folktale traditions. What examples of magic and supernatural elements did you see in this week's stories? What kinds of characters used magic? What did they use magic for? Were there supernatural characters or events in this week's stories? What role did these supernatural characters or events play in the plot of the stories? Would you say that magic and supernatural motifs were dominant elements in this week's readings? Make sure you make specific references to at least three different stories in your essay.

Tricksters and Fools. One of the most popular figures in folklore and mythology around the world is the "trickster" character. The "fool" is a related character. Who are some of the tricksters and fools you saw in this week's readings? Are there characters who combine "trickster" and "fool" into a single character? What kinds of adventures do the tricksters and fools have? How do the other characters in the story interact with the tricksters and fools? Make sure you make specific references to at least three different stories in your essay.

Women's Roles. Many storytelling traditions are male-oriented, with the female characters appearing in clearly subordinate roles. Sometimes the stories are explicitly misogynistic, treating women with contempt, suspicion or fear. In other storytelling traditions, women (or girls) emerge as the central characters, and they are represented in a more positive light. What did you think about the way women and girls were represented in the stories that you read this week? Make sure you make specific references to at least three different stories in your essay.

Wisdom. Is the "quest for wisdom" an important theme in this week's stories? Are any of the characters in the story especially curious about the world? What kind of knowledge do they want to acquire? How do they go about seeking knowledge? Do they succeed in this quest, or fail? Does this story of a quest for knowledge contain any message about education in general? Does this story provide a kind of example for us to imitate (or a negative example to avoid)? Make sure you make specific references to at least three different stories in your essay.

An Image. Take a look at the images from this unit that are listed below. Pick one image that you really like and talk about it in detail. Make sure that you connect it with a specific story. What part of the story does it illustrate? Does it match the version of the story we read for class? What do you see in this image at first? What details emerge after you study it more carefully? Does the image fit with your own imaginings about the stories, or does the image surprise you, contradicting what you expected? Make sure you include the URL of the image page in your answer. Choose from one of these images (click on the image for more information):

Setting and Landscape. What impression did you have of the setting and the natural landscape for these stories? What details do you remember? Did the setting(s) play an important role in the stories? How were the events of the story related to the natural landscape(s)? Were the seasons or time of year important in any of the stories? The weather? Was the natural setting realistic, or was it a kind of fantasy setting? Make sure you make specific references to at least three different stories in your essay.