Write an essay of between 600 and 800 words (about 3-4 pages) on the following topic. Use 12-point Times New Roman Font, and use 1.5 line spacing. Your essay can be longer than 800 words if you need it to be, but it should not contain fewer than 600 words or more than 1,000.
Make sure that your essay has a clearly stated purpose (a thesis statement) The thesis statement should make clear the point that you are trying to make about the myth you are discussing.
Make sure that you document quotes and paraphrases from our textbook using in-text citations and a Works Cited page. Use MLA documentation style for essays in this class.
You may choose one of two options for this essay.
Option 1: Classical myth and literature have provided artists with a fertile source of inspiration for many centuries; often artists will use these myths and stories as a means of interpreting events and attitudes of their own times. Many people even use the study of the Greek gods, their myths, and artwork inspired by those myths and gods to come to a better understanding of their own personalities and characters.
Find a work of art depicting a Greek goddess, god, or scene from a myth featuring goddess or gods. A good way to start is by searching for your favorite god or myth online and clicking on Images. Try to find a work of art to which you have a strong personal reaction. It doesnt have to be a positive reaction; just a strong one. Write a brief paper in which you analyze how the creator(s) of the work of art has used the myth for his or her own purposes, adapting the ancient story to make some comment on problems, values, or events of his or her own time. You may choose a painting, work of literature, or sculpture from any time period, as long as it depicts a Greek deity or scene from a Greek myth.
Option 2: Choose a figure or story type from one of the Greek myths that we have studied that fits a Jungian archetype that addresses a universal concern shared by all humans, then analyze that archetype. Your research will consist of reading up on one of the following terms from Jungian psychology and choosing the one that best fits the myth you have selected to analyze: Shadow, Anima, Animus, Libido, Syzygy, Psychopomp, Hieros Gamos. You may wish to reread the section in our textbook on internalist theories in Chapter 1 of A Journey Through Greek Mythology.
