Intro to Myth. Short Paper # 2 Women and Myth

Essay Instructions:

For this short paper, I would like you to take any goddess, female deity, female protagonist or archetype in myth, folk tale, or fairy tale and consider the duality that she represents. What are some of her main positive aspects and what are some of her negative aspects? Do her good qualities outweigh her not so good qualities? Basically, you will be doing a form of Levi-Straussian structural analysis of a woman in myth, identifying and analyzing the binary opposition of good/evil. You may choose any of the goddesses from Greek mythology discussed in the chapter from Classical Mythology by Harris and Platzner, such as Aphrodite, Hera, Artemis, Persephone, or Demeter, any of the female characters in the myths or fairy tales in our course textbook, or choose a goddess or heroine from another mythology which whom you are familiar, such as for instance, Kali from Hindu mythology, La Llorona from Mexican mythology, or Kuan Yin from Chinese mythology. Or you might want to choose a fairy tale character, such as Belle of Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella or Snow White. You could also choose an iconic figure in American popular culture, such as Wonder Woman or Xena, the Warrior Princess or even Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider games. . Length: Your short paper should be between 700 and 1000 words in length, or roughly between two and three double spaced pages. Please submit it in a .docx format to the appropriate Canvas assignment. Introduction including a Thesis about the positive/negative qualities of the female figure in myth 20 points Identification and Explanation of two to three positive qualities 20 points Identification and Explanation of two to three negative qualities 20 points Analysis of the Positive/Negative Qualities 30 points Proper Citation, Grammar, Punctuation, Diction 10 points

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Character Analysis of the Greek Goddess Hera Author’s Name The Institutional Affiliation Course Number and Name Instructor Name Assignment Due Date Introduction Hera, the female goddess of women and femininity, stands out for her multiple roles and duality of nature. Being the consort of Zeus, the mythological supreme god, she bears an air of royalty and magnanimity among the goddesses and gods; moreover, Hera is the mother of other Olympian gods, including Apollo, Artemis, and Athena (Pirenne-Delforge & Pironti, 2017). Owning to her deep-rooted connection with marriage, motherhood, and royalty, Hera holds the status of the female goddess of marriage and childbirth. In this capacity, Hera holds positive traits such as a staunch maternal instinct characterized by her overprotectiveness toward her children; Hera also reflects a strong capacity to stay loyal and committed to her consort Zeus (Cansın & KORTANOĞLU, 2021). However, she also suffers from negative character traits, including jealousy and vengeance, especially against Zeus’s disloyalty, and this feature makes her a wrathful and vindictive authority (Bakula, 2024). Nevertheless, Hera’s nobility of character manifested in her commitment, loyalty to her consort, and her role as a protective mother dominates over her negative features; she appears as a protective and benevolent goddess, and the following discussion verifies this statement. Evaluation of the Positive Qualities Being a goddess of birth and marriage, Hera’s character embodies her commitment to protecting pregnant women in their labor; in this way, she holds the status of the universal guardian of all women. Connected to her protective nature towards women, Hera is furious over disloyal and oppressive husbands; to make life easier for married women, Hera often inflicts punishment on their abusive husbands (Cansın & KORTANOĞLU, 2021). Another significant and prominent character trait of Hera is her extreme loyalty toward her husband, Zeus. Hera’s loyalty makes her acknowledge and respect Zeus as her consort despite his several extra-marital affairs with other women. In this way, her commitment and respect for the institution of marriage and loyalty between wife and husband make her entitlement as a goddess of marriage well-justified (Bakula, 2024). In her public dealings and everyday life, Hera appears to be a compassionate and benevolent godly figure, as indicated by her warm and amicable interaction and dealing with mortals and other lower gods (Center of Excellence, 2024). These positive traits make Hera an ideal womanl...

Updated on June 14, 2024

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