Due Wednesday, February 7
(in both paper and electronic form)
Directions: Write three 600-1000 word essays. Choose from the topics given below.
2. What would Plato make the non-Greek myths we have studied so far? In your essay also make sure to state succintly but accurately what Plato's views are.
3. Leeming in his introduction to his section on "The Flood" states "The flood myth ... is ... a 'festival' of productive chaos, a 'restoration of primordial chaos, and the repetition of the cosmogonic act'." Discuss with regard to 2-3 of the flood myths we have studied. In your discussion you may wish to note how the flood is a return to the "primordial chaos", a "repetition" of the initial act of creation, and explore how chaos can be "productive." Optional query: is 'festival' a good word choice?
4. One aspect of science is to make hypotheses about what one cannot observe on the basis of what one can observe (think of Newton's proverbial apple and the theory of gravity). Since divine myths can be seen as proto-science, some scholars have noted that these myths are based on what the people could physically see and observe around them. Discuss with respect to the myths of two different cultures, making sure you discuss 2-3 of the following : the creation of the universe, the creation of mortals, the flood.