ENG 220-GA: Mythology and Folklore, CRN 42932 Brian T.

Murphy
Monday/Wednesday, 11:00 AM–12:15 PM, Bradley Hall, Y-16
G-249 Mon./Wed. 9:45–10:45 AM
Spring 2024 516-572-7718
[email protected]
RESPONSE PAPER TOPICS
Students will complete at least five of response papers during the semester, on topics to be assigned; see
Response Paper Topics, below. Students may complete more than five response papers: only the best five
scores will be utilized in determining final grades. Respond to each question or topic in a brief, well-developed,
coherent, and thoughtful short essay of two to three pages (500-750 words minimum). Your essay should
include independent analysis and demonstrate careful thought. Directly reference the work(s) being discussed—
text, video, or other—using quotation or paraphrase, and include an appropriate Work or Works Cited at the end
for each source, in MLA format. Note: No research is necessary, nor should any secondary sources be used.
This is not a research essay; the only sources utilized or quoted should be the texts themselves. Use of
secondary sources, whether credited or not, will be considered grounds for failure.
Although these are personal responses, and therefore there is no “correct” answer, remember that they are still
formal essays: in your analyses, formulate a clear, explicit, assertive (persuasive), objectively worded thesis
statement, and—except where indicated—avoid use of “I” or “you” throughout.

1) Due Monday, 5 Feb.

Choose one of the following:
A. In “Why Mythology Is Still Important Today,” Bryan N. Griffin, Jr., states, “For one thing, it makes up a
major part of anybody’s heritage. It is a constant reminder of who we are and where we come from....But
the reason why mythology is still important is that it is pure storytelling. Everybody either likes to tell a
good story or listen to someone tell a good story.” Heritage and story-telling: are these adequate reasons
to study mythology? Why read and study mythology? What is its value, be it in our current socio-
cultural milieu, or ever?
B. Joseph Campbell, in The Power of Myth, makes the following recommendation: “Read other people's
myths, not those of your own religion, because you tend to interpret your own religion in terms of
facts―but if you read the other ones, you begin to get the message” Other than the obvious, what
might Campbell mean when he refers to “your own religion,” and what myths do we accept as
truths?

2) Due Wednesday, 7 Feb.

According to Leeming (16), Charles Long’s Alpha: The Myth of Creation identifies five archetypes of
creation: ex nihilo, chaos, world parent, emergence, and earth diver creation myths. As we look at the
creation myths from numerous cultures and different eras, we do see that certain themes or elements repeat,
and that these categories, while overlapping, do apply, at least to those discussed by Leeming. Why do so
many different cultures share these common motifs or ideas? That is, what does this indicate about the
nature of myths or about humans and human culture?

3) Due Monday, 12 Feb.

Many cultures present humanity as somehow “fallen”; that is, inferior to Primordial Man or the original
created beings from whom we are literally and figuratively “descended.” Consider the story of Adam and
Eve’s fall and expulsion from Eden, the sequence of ages in the Works and Days of Hesiod or the
Metamorphoses of Ovid, and others. Why is the focus on entropy or devolution so common, and how
does it reflect the purpose(s) of mythology as discussed by Leeming, Biallas, and others?

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4) Due Wednesday, 21 Feb.
Choose one of the following:
A. David Leeming suggests that the pantheon of a culture “reflect[s] that culture’s value system and view of
itself” (89); furthermore, it could also be argued that these pantheons also shape cultural norms and
beliefs. Consider at least two or three of the different pantheons presented in the text, and contrast
the cultural mores or values suggested by them.
B. Apply what you have learned concerning the role of mythological pantheons in both shaping and
reflecting culture to a non-traditional “pantheon”; for example, consider the original Avengers or
Justice League, or the main crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Castaways on Gilligan’s
Island…

5) Due Wednesday, 28 Feb.

Choose from one of the following:
A. In “Questions to Consider,” David Leeming writes, “Can a single archetypal flood myth be derived from
these many cultural dreams of the flood? What are the necessary details of that myth? How are these
details significant?” (44). Considering both those flood narratives Leeming presents and others, define the
elements of an archetypal flood myth; that is, what elements do all (or most) of the flood narratives
include? Which are not universal, but at least relatively frequent? And which are not common to
the archetype at all, but specific to a single tale or culture? And, why?
B. Compare “Akallabêth: The Downfall of Númenor” in The Silmarillion (Handout) with the story of
Atlantis as told in Plato’s Critias. Discuss the way that Tolkien draws on the Atlantis tradition but
modifies it to suit his invented mythology. That is, compare and contrast “The Downfall of Númenor”
and the legend of Atlantis. How are they similar, how do they differ, and why?

6) Due Monday, 4 March

Leeming states that often, tricksters are “working companions of the creator” but also “[work] to undermine
the creation itself” (104); he also states that the trickster, such as Enki, “resembles culture heroes in that he
teaches the people, whom he creates … the art of survival through agriculture and the social order” (157).
Consider the trickster in both the stories presented by Leeming in this section and in other myths and
legends: creator and subverter of creation, cultural hero and amoral child, “good” and “bad.” Why is
the Trickster a near-universal figure, and why this dual nature?

7) Due Monday, 18 March

According to Leeming, the Trickster figure is “at once wise and foolish, the perpetrator of tricks and the butt
of his own jokes. Always male, he is promiscuous and amoral; he is outrageous in his actions; he emphasizes
the ‘lower’ bodily functions… Yet the trickster is profoundly inventive, creative by nature, and in some ways
a helper to mankind” (156-7). Given this explanation, and in comparison to figures such as Hermes,
Loki, Coyote, and Ananse, is Bugs Bunny a Trickster figure? Why, or why not, and if so, in what
ways?

8) Due Monday, 25 March

Hero Tales and the Heroic Quest: The Hero
Analyze a traditional hero not addressed by Leeming, or whose story is only briefly covered, such as
Odysseus, Aeneas, Beowulf, Sir Gawain, but not Parsifal, Jesus, or Gilgamesh. Or, analyze a hero from
popular culture, in literature, film, and/or television, such as Bilbo (or Frodo) Baggins, Percy Jackson, Harry
Potter, Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games), Lyra in Pullman's Dark Materials series, or Clarissa “Clary”
Fray from The Mortal Instruments. In what ways does this figure conform to the definition of The Hero
or the heroic archetype as defined by Leeming, Biallas, and Joseph Campbell? (Note that here we are
concerned mostly about the character, not the quest.)

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9) Due Monday, 1 April
Hero Tales and the Heroic Quest: The Quest
As above, consider the story of a traditional hero (one not addressed by Leeming, or whose story is only
briefly covered) or a hero from popular culture. In what ways does this figure’s experience or story
conform to the mythic structure of The Hero’s Journey as defined by Leeming, Biallas, and especially
Joseph Campbell? (Note that here we are concerned mostly about the quest, not the character.)

10) Due Wednesday, 3 April

Hero Tales and the Heroic Quest: The Holy Grail
I specifically left this one open-ended, so it is up to you. One student wrote about the film Monty Python
and the Holy Grail; another wrote about the film Ready, Player One as a version of the Grail quest. (It helps
that the protagonist's avatar is named Parzival!) I'm curious if anyone will consider writing about The Da
Vinci Code, the novel or the film.
Explore the meaning/significance/current symbolism of the term, in whatever way appeals to you. Is it
a universal symbol, or is it merely a cliché we use to refer to an attainable goal? So long as your response is
thoughtful (and well written!) I will accept just about any approach here.

11) Due Wednesday, 10 April

Ragnarök and Apocalypse
“Traditional” apocalypse narratives largely follow one of two patterns: one, the end of time, posits a radical
break with history and the creation of a new, eternal kingdom; the other, circular rebirth, presents the
apocalyptic event as one in a series of recurring cycles or patterns. Consider, for example, the difference
between the Christian and Islamic tradition with that in Hindu and Mayan traditions. Why do some
cultures posit a linear event while others present a circular pattern, and what does this particular
form of cosmic history suggest about each culture and its sense of self?

12) Due Wednesday, 17 April

Choose from one of the following:
A. Ragnarök and Apocalypse
If cultural identity is bound up in and reflected by its myths, consider contemporary American myths of
Apocalypse, especially as depicted in recent cinema. The world will end, or nearly so, due to alien
invasion (Independence Day, War of the Worlds), asteroid impact (Deep Impact, Armageddon), disease
(Contagion, Outbreak, The Last Man on Earth), environmental collapse (Waterworld, The Day after
Tomorrow, 2012), machine uprisings (Terminator, 9, I Robot), nuclear war (On the Beach, The Day
After, A Boy and His Dog), zombies (Dawn of the Dead, I Am Legend, World War Z)….. What do our
ideas of apocalypse suggest about our hopes and fears, especially considering how our focus shifts
over time?
B. By this point in the semester, you have read a large number of myths from various traditions, including
examples of Cosmogony and Creation Myths, Flood Narratives, Trickster Tales, Hero Tales and the
Heroic Quest, and Ragnarök and Apocalypse. Using specific examples from both western and non-
western cultures, discuss how mythology reveals the ways in which people in different cultural
traditions perceive and experience their lives.

13) Due Wednesday, 24 April

According to Bruno Bettleheim, in The Uses of Enchantment, “Each fairy tale is a magic mirror which
reflects some aspects of our inner worlds, and of the steps required by our evolution from immaturity to
maturity” (309). Other than “Cinderella,” is this true of fairy tales in general? If so, is it somehow
more true of fairy tales than of other forms of literature?

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14) Due Monday, 29 April
Consider the way in which the various versions of the Cinderella story present a society and its cultural
values and beliefs. What purpose and/or effect do these values and beliefs have? Focus especially on how
men and women are depicted in each version: what norms or standards are presented for each gender,
and how do these represent or reflect the texts’ socio-cultural milieu?

15) Due Monday, 1 May

In what ways do urban legends function as a modern form of folklore? What is their role or purpose, and
what do our urban legends suggest about our hopes and fears, especially considering how our focus
shifts over time?

16) Due Monday, 8 May

Reflect upon the past semester and write about how this course has impacted you, asking yourself
questions such as the following:
• What did you initially expect to get out of this class, and what have you actually learned?
• Have you taken away from this experience as much as you could have, and are you satisfied with your
growth and performance? What if anything would you do differently if you had the chance?
• What was your perception of mythology before this semester, and how does it differ from your current
beliefs about the value and purpose of mythology?
Do not just mechanically answer each of the above questions. Rather, take time to think carefully about your
experience this semester, and present a thoughtful, personal response. Note: Use of first person—I—is not
merely allowed, but required due to the nature of the topic.

ENG220 Response Paper Topics.docx Last Revised Tuesday, January 30, 2024