Odyssey Mid term Assignment

Part One

Choose any two of the following four questions. Number your answers. Write at least 1.5 pages per
answer (one and a half, that is) in Times New Roman 12 pt. font, double-spaced, or longer if
necessary to fully cover the topic in each of your answers.
Support your answers with direct evidence from the texts. Such evidence need not be cited except by
page number. But any evidence you introduce from sources outside our Norton Anthology (Spark
Notes, sources at the Motlow library, etc.) must be cited in MLA style, in your answers and in a
“Works Cited” page that doesn’t count toward your minimum answer length.
All quotations also must be identified as such by being placed in quotation marks, of course. However,
outside sources are not required, and a strong focus on the texts themselves is recommended.
1: Death is a common theme of world literature, as together with religion it seeks to provide the
answers to why we are mortal and what happens to us after we die. Question: In which works
that we have read so far are these mysteries addressed by which characters? Name specific works
and characters.

2: Another “explanatory” function of both world literature and religion is to answer how we, this
planet, and everything in the universe came to exist. These mysteries are answered in two texts
produced thousands of miles apart, Genesis in the Hebrew Bible and “Popol Vuh” of the Mayans of
Central America and Mexico. Question: Compare the differing details in both works, and also
describe the occasional amazing similarities, possibly influenced by the arrival of colonialist Catholic
priests among the Mayans. What “explanatory” functions do both stories perform? Be as specific as
possible.
3: A Great Flood can be found in three works we have read: “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” Genesis, and
Hud (Book 11 of the Qur’an). Once again, the three texts have some amazing similarities in addition
to some significant variations. The Great Flood may have been regional rather than worldwide, but it
does appear in all three Middle Eastern texts. Question: What factors may account for the
variations in both works? Which versions contain parables, lessons, and / or promises? Be as specific
as possible.
4: Odysseus in The Iliad and The Odyssey is celebrated as a clever tactician or strategist, skilled at
defeating his enemies with his intelligence, cunning, and outright deception. Similarly, in “Popul
Vuh,” the immortal brothers Hunahpu and Xbalanque defeat proud and evil adversaries through
trickery, paving the way for the creation of mankind and explaining why macaws have distinctive
eye patterns. These brothers are part of the “trickster” tradition in Native American beliefs and
folklore. Question: Describe the ways that both Odysseus and the “Popol Vuh” brothers defeat
opponents through trickery. Do their strategies mirror each other in any remarkable ways? Be as
specific as possible.

Part Two

Answer the question below. Write at least 3 pages (three) per answer in Times New Roman 12 pt. font,
double-spaced, or longer if necessary to fully cover the topic.
Once again, support your answer with direct evidence from the ancient epic poem and the movie. Such
evidence need not be cited except by page number. But any evidence you introduce from sources
outside our Norton Anthology (Spark Notes, sources at the Motlow library, etc.) must be cited in
MLA style, in your answer and in a “Works Cited” page that doesn’t count toward your minimum
answer length.
Once again, all quotations also must be identified as such by being placed in quotation marks, of course.
However, outside sources are not required, and a strong focus on the poem and the movie
themselves is recommended.

Odyssey Mid term Assignment

Question: Using the notes you took while viewing the Coen Brothers’ film O Brother, Where Art
Thou? when it was screened in class, describe the ways in which the film is or is not an
adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey, as it claims to be. Which scenes, names, or elements in the
movie are based on counterparts in the epic poem? In what ways are the representations in the
film similar or “true” to the original poem? Sometimes they differ from the original considerably
– describe how they do and whether it matters. Does the film ultimately depict the spirit of the
poem accurately, even if it differs significantly in setting and details, or does it stray too far from
the original to claim the title “adaptation”? As instructed above, support your answer with
direct evidence from both the film and the poem, being as specific as possible. APA FORMAT