Hi there. I am beginning to write one of my term papers for class, and I need help discerning where to begin, how to begin, so on and so forth. Here is my prompt :
"The gods in The Odyssey are constantly interfering in human affairs and to a lare extent, determine the action of the poem; yet the gods also consistently assert human' responsibility for their own actions and thus justify the rewards and punishments they dole out to the humans. Who determines the course of events in the Odyssey, gods or humans? What does your answer tell us about ancient Greek attitude towards fate, the gods, and human agency?"
Again, any help at all would be great. Subjects, points, information, thoughts, reference links, sites and citations, viewpoints, structure.
Hi, Lionel. Here are some questions to help you form your thoughts:
1. Do you think the humans control their own fates in The Odyssey, or do you believe that the gods do it?
2. Why do you believe what you believe in question #1? Give examples, citations.
3. If you assert that humans control their own fates in The Odyssey, what does that say about the gods? Are they really powerless, just a realm separate from our own? Or do they control some things but not others (like the weather, but not our decisions)?
4. If you assert that the gods are in charge, what does that say about them? Are they benevolent, mischievous, foolish, etc.?
5. What does The Odyssey say about the author and the people alive during his lifetime?
6. How is The Odyssey relevant today? What can it teach us about ourselves?
I hope that helps you some. In the future, it would be helpful for you to explain your thoughts briefly before asking for help. That only helps us help you more precisely :)
Hello, I can help you further.
"Who determines the course of events in the Odyssey, gods or humans?"
First, when you begin your essay, you should remember to also think about whether the gods had control of events, leaving humans powerless. Also, you should determine if humans had power or was it taken away by the gods because of their actions.
If you begin your essay you could choose to focus on this sentence: The gods in "The Odyssey" are constantly interfering in human affairs. This could help you with the body of your essay because if the gods are interfering, they could determine the course of events and you would have to find details to support your answer.
"What does your answer tell us about ancient Greek attitude towards fate, the gods, and human agency?"
I really think that you may need to do research regarding the specific attitude of ancient Greeks and their beliefs.
@Lionel, this term paper may seem challenging but if you do an extensive research, you should be fine.
I also have a few points for your paper;
- Define greek mythology ot the beginning of "the Odyssey"
- how does this affect our daily existence
- how does the our belief in god's existence influence us
- define the logical order of actions and consequences following the rules govern by Odyssey
- Finally, what are your personal thoughts in believing and following ancient greek myths.
When it comes to your writing, make sure you do the following;
- be objective
- focus on your subjects
- research and provide the facts and facts alone
- cite examples if you can, personal experiences will also add interest to your paper
Draft it and post it here on EF so we can help out
