Writing Assignment:
Read the definition of genre and myth and explore how mythic culture is carefully interwoven within the generic context of the two epic readings assigned in Units 2, 3, and 4: Gilgamesh and Odyssey are required; Ramayana is optional. Because of the oral nature of myths, details may have been lost and inconsistencies may arise when these stories are interwoven – as they often are in epic poems. Select two or more specific examples from the epic narratives and show how the poet shapes the myth using epic conventions. What’s the poet’s agenda? How does the poem reflect on the culture? Since you have already explored the flood myth, choose the concept of the epic hero or his journey or the battles or the role of gods or the concept of women or any other appropriate example to illustrate.