Robin HoodWeek 9: Medieval Heroes - Assignments - Reading - Resources - Images |
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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.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: I have published a blog post with the words "Essay for Week ___" in the title, along with a specific title for my essay. My post is between 300 words minimum and 1000 words maximum. I have spellchecked and proofread the post. I have included links to the specific stories that I discussed. I have included an image, along with Image Information. |
Crime and Justice. Was the motif of "crime" an important element in any of this week's stories? Who was the criminal and what kind of crime(s) were committed? Do the stories promote the idea of justice? Or do the stories promote the idea that life is unfair and that there is no justice, or that crime can be something glamorous? Who were the agents of justice in these stories? Who were the criminals? Was revenge also a motif in the stories? How do the motifs of crime and justice in this week's stories compare to the other stories you have read this semester? Make sure you make specific references to at least three different stories in your essay.
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.
Comedy and Humor. What were some of the comic elements in this week's stories? Did you appreciate the humor in the stories? What are the characters and/or situations that were supposed to be humorous? Was the humor based on surprise? exaggeration? making fun of someone or something? Did any of the stories make you laugh out loud? Which story did you think was the most humorous? How does the kind of humor you found in these stories compare to the kind of humor found in television and movies today? Make sure you make specific references to at least three different stories in your essay.
Recurring Motifs. Folktales and myths are built up of "motifs" - common elements of plot and character that can be used and re-used over and over again, combined and recombined in different ways in order to create variants on existing stories. Did you see some motifs that recurred more than once in this week's stories? Some character types that repeated over and over again? Events in the plots that were similar between one story and another? Other things that repeated from story to story? Discuss these recurring motifs, and explain how these motifs are useful in creating a story. Make sure you make specific references to at least three different stories in your essay.
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.
Assess. Think back to your Starting Assumptions this week and your Starting Assumptions for the course in general. Did anything you read or studied this week make a big change in your starting assumptions? What surprised you the most? What story made the most vivid impression on you? Was there a story that didn't grab you at all or that you didn't understand? Did this unit fit into your expectations for a course in Mythology and Folklore? If you were going to continue with this topic, what kind of research and reading would you want to do? What questions would you want to find answers to? 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.
Resources. Each reading unit has a Resources page, listing websites where you can learn more about the topic. Listed below are some websites chosen from that page. Take a look at these websites, and choose the three sites you find the most interesting. Write a brief paragraph about each site. For each site, include a link to the site and give a brief description of the contents. Explain what you think are the main strengths and weaknesses of each of the sites. How does this information contained in these sites help you in understanding more about the stories from this week's readings?
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Modern
Languages / Anthropology 3043: Folklore & Mythology.
Laura Gibbs, Ph.D.
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Commons License.
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