MYTHOLOGY PRESENTATIONS

 

What should be covered in a presentation for the mythology unit?

 

  1. The Story  -  in as many versions as you can find, noting differences, and presenting possibilities as to why the differences may have occurred
  2. The Characters – do they remind us of any other characters in stories, novels, movies of today?  Can they be considered in anyway archetypal?
  3. Influence – what other works in our culture reflect this story?
  4. Images/Art – Artistic representations of this myth

 

Here are some myths and heroes from which to choose.  I will consider others if you are truly interested in other myths and can explain why they are important to western literature and culture.  Remember, though, that you must choose a story and not just a description of a god, goddess, hero, or heroine.  Some to consider are:

 


  1. Prometheus
  2. Prometheus and Io
  3. Prometheus and Pandora
  4. Demeter and Persephone
  5. Athena and Arachne and Niobe
  6. Dionyssus (Bacchus)
  7. Europa
  8. Midas
  9. Flower Myths
  10. Ceyx and Halcyone: or the Halcyon Birds
  11. Vertumnus and Pomona
  12. Quest for the Golden Fleece
  13. Cupid and Psyche
  14. Orpheus and Eurydice
  15. Baucis and Philemon
  16. Pyramus and Thisbe
  17. Pygmalion and Galatea
  18. Cephalus and Procris
  19. Polyphemus and Galatea
  20. Endymion
  21. Daphne
  22. Alpheus and Arethusa
  23. The Quest of the Golden Fleece
  24. Phaeton
  25. Pegasus and Bellorophon
  26. Otus and Ephialtes
  27. Daedalus
  28. Theseus
  29. Hercules
  30. Atalanta

 


 

Resources:  How many resources do you need?  I don’t know. I’m tired of making up numbers.  You need to be thorough.  At least three, shall we say?  Here are good places to look:

 

  1. The library (school and local public library)!   All libraries have extensive collections to help you in your research.  If you are having difficulties finding them, politely ask your librarian for help.  Librarians are the most wonderful resource you will ever find to help you academically.  In addition, our school library webpage, which you can access from the comfort of your own home, has set up six websites for you.  To get there, you need to go to the FFMS website.  Choose the Library Media link all the way on the left side.  Once you get to the Library Page, choose the Subject Resources on the left.  Once in Subject Resources, choose the Greek Mythology 8 Internet Sites under English.  You will find six websites that can help you.
  2. The web!  Use Google or other search engines to search for your topic.  Be sure to use safe internet practices.  Also, beware of any “inappropriate” websites. 
  3. Mythology, by Edith Hamilton distributed in class, Bullfinch’s Mythology, by Thomas Bullfinch, also distributed in class.

 

Due date: Presentations will begin Monday, November 24th, 2008.

What exactly do I need?  You need to make a ten-minute presentation to the class with some kind of written handout to be used for reference and review.  You will need to make copies for the class.  (If you need help doing this, you will need to provide a copy of your handout to me so I can make the copies you need.)


What exactly do we need to do for this mythology assignment?

 

Overall Presentations:

 

Students must give an interesting and informative presentation that explains the given myth and includes the story, in as many versions as they could find, noting differences, and presenting possibilities as to why the differences may have occurred.  Students must make note of the influences their myth has had on literature, art, etc.  For example, do the characters remind us of characters in other stories, novels, or movies of today?  Can they be considered in any way archetypal?  What other works in our culture reflect this story?  Students must present many different images of the myth from the world of art, history, film, etc., as applicable.

 

Oral Presentation:

 

Students must speak clearly and at an appropriate volume to be heard and understood by all members of the class.

 

Visual Presentation: 

 

Students must give an interesting and varied presentation of the myth visually with representations from art, history, and film, as applicable.

 

Handout:

 

Students must create and distribute a handout to accompany their presentation.  The handout should be an interesting and useful document to help others recall important aspects of the myth.  Students must include in the handout an annotated bibliography of sources they used for this project.   The citation should allow any interested party to find this source with ease.  (I am not terribly interested in a particular format, but MLA is generally considered the gold standard….)   The annotations should give some indication of how and why the source was useful to the presenters and/or how it could be useful to others interested in this myth.

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