Greek mythology

First Essay-Due Feb. 19
The essay should be 1500 words in length (ca. 6 pages, typewritten, double spaced; one side of paper). The assignment is to narrate an original myth that you have created. It should be based on one of the four major themes that we emphasize in this course: Creation; the Mother Goddess; the Hero; the Underworld.
You may make up all of the names of the characters, or you may use some modern story and adapt it to the mold of the ancient theme. For example, you might want to use the theme of the Hero, and choose some well-known sports star as the Hero. You would then tell about his unusual birth, a period of exile, trials against an adversary, etc. The important thing is to demonstrate in a clever way what we have been learning about these myth types by utilizing their standard themes, sequence of events and particular details in the story you tell. Be sure to include some divine beings, or else the story will not qualify as a myth.
The writing should be of high quality. Your story should be well organized and unified, written in clear, natural English with correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. The sequence of events should be logical. Since this is fiction, you will no doubt use conversation for your characters. It need not be formal in tone, but do avoid empty, sloppy phrases and incomplete sentences. When you have finished writing your paper, look over it one more time to make sure that it reads well and that it has no misspellings or typographical errors. In the typing, avoid having margins too large on the sides or at the bottom, and above all, do not triple space or use an enlarged font so that your paper spreads out over more pages than it would otherwise. Make a neat presentation of the paper, with a cover page giving the title and your name and the date. All pages should be numbered. Some people like to present their essays in an attractive binder or add an image on the cover. Include a word count at the end of the paper.
This is not a research paper, and you are not expected to do any extra reading for the assignment. You should, however, review carefully the texts we have studied in class for inspiration. If you should use any websites, you MUST list those at the end of your paper. The paper is due on February 19 AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS. The paper should be turned in as hard copy, but should also be deposited in the digital Turnitin drop box on our Canvas site no later than 11:59 PM on February 19. Late papers, whether on paper or digital, will receive a deduction of one letter grade if up to one week late. Papers later than one week will receive a deduction of two letter grades.