I strongly recommend that you email me a thesis statement outlining a tentative argument on your chosen topic before you commence work on your paper.

Suggested topics:

1. Discuss the treatment of the theme of exile in two or three works we have read, one of which must be either Genesis or Exodus. Do not simply compare and contrast the details of exile experiences in the works you have selected. Rather, try to say something interesting about the meaning and/or value of "exile" as an idea/symbol/ritual in your chosen narratives, and possibly even speculate about the role of exile in our cultural imagination, based on what you have read.

2. Despite the fact that all the works we've read have emerged from male-dominated cultured, and have been written by men, women have played central roles in many of them. Indeed, femininity is often represented as very powerful--in quite diverse ways. Discuss the representation of women in two or three of the works we've read, one of which must be Genesis or the Symposium (you may use both). Be careful not to fall into simplistic or reductive theories (e.g., that women were "second-class citizens," or that all these authors were misogynists).

3. Over the course of the semester we have encountered a number of different genres: epic (Homeric and Biblical), devotional poetry (the Hymn to Demeter), drama (tragedy and comedy), and history. Each of these genres projects a particular worldview and a particular perspective on the individual. Pick two of these genres and discuss their differing approaches. What central concerns and values are apparent? How does change happen? How do characters realise themselves in the world of the text? Etc. I stongly suggest that you choose Biblical epic as one of your genres; and if you choose to discuss the Symposium, part of your paper must be devoted to making a case for your personal decision about what genre it belongs to (hint: "philosophy" is not a genre).

4. Compare the use of type-scenes in Homeric and Biblical epic (examples: death-scenes, betrothals, supplications, divine manifestations, etc.). Are there type-scenes in other works we've read? What literary conclusions can you draw about the works based on their use of type-scenes?

5. Compare the treatment of divine pronouncements/announcements in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis/Exodus) and Herodotus. You may also consider an additional Greek text if you wish. How are divine communications to be treated? How interpreted? Can you draw any parallels with America ("Western Society") today?

6. Discuss the relationship of the body to virtue in Genesis and one or two of the Greek texts we've read. Be sure to define "virtue" for each text you discuss; explain how, if at all, it is related to other positive terms such as "law," "knowledge," "beauty,." "the good life," etc.

Remember,
· Give your essay a title that describes your work.
· Number your pages after page one, and staple them together.
· Proofread and spellcheck.
· Documentation: Do not use any secondary sources; this paper is about your ideas, not anyone else's. If, however, you find yourself using any information from an outside source, be sure to document it in a footnote (use the MLA format in Bedford). Otherwise you lay yourself open to charges of plagiarism.
  For your quotations from the works we have read, provide citations using in-text parenthetical documentation, e.g.: ( XI: 499).

This essay is due at noon on Monday, December 10, to my mailbox in 708 Hamilton.

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