Question

Write an expository essay of 4-5 paragraphs using evidence from multiple texts we studied in class. Your job is to inform and explain, NOT persuade. This is NOT a research paper. Use ONLY sources assigned in this unit. Do not Google information, use AI, or any online assistance, such as Grammarly. If you use AI, you will receive a '0.'

This essay will be scored using the Florida B.E.S.T. Expository Writing Rubric. (I will double the rubric points. So, a 24 would be like receiving a 12 on the B.E.S.T. test - the highest score possible.) Review the rubric closely here: RubricDownload Rubric

Choose ONE of the following prompts:
OPTION 1 — Myths & Human Nature
Explain what at least two of the myths (or one myth and The Odyssey/one myth and the poem "Pride"/one myth and "Athena and Poseidon's Contest for Athens" article) we studied reveal about human nature AND why you think we still create/recreate myths today.
Use examples from Old Greek Stories (required), The Odyssey (Cyclops story) and/or “Pride" AND some of our nonfiction texts/video (2 required).

OPTION 2 — Heroes
Explain how the concept of a hero has changed over time, comparing ancient heroes from Old Greek Stories/The Odyssey (Theseus, Odysseus, Cadmus, Europa, etc.) with modern heroes (from the superhero article, current movies/comics/TV shows or our superhero discussions).
Show how heroes reflect the values of their society.

OPTION 3 — The Hero's Journey
Using the story of Theseus from Old Greek Stories, analyze how his journey follows the steps of the Hero’s Journey (see your notes in the Classkick) and explain what his journey reveals about human values such as courage, pride, responsibility, perseverance, or sacrifice.

Identify and explain at least THREE specific stages of the Hero’s Journey as they appear in Theseus’s story
(for example: Call to Adventure, Trials, etc.)

Explain what each stage reveals about Theseus as a person

ANY ESSAY OPTION MUST INCLUDE:
Five pieces of text evidence
(from at least two different sources (ONLY THOSE ASSIGNED IN THIS CLASS)
Evidence must be quoted or paraphrased, and each one must be cited, for example:

In the story of Arachne in Old Greek Stories, Arachne says...

In the Cyclops story in The Odyssey, Odysseus...

In the article “Why Are We Obsessed With Superheroes?” the author notes... (paragraph 6).

In the video “Why Myths Still Matter,” the speaker explains...

In“Pride," the poet expresses...(stanza 2).

You MUST include both:

evidence from myths, and

evidence from nonfiction we studied

Three of our vocabulary words, used correctly and naturally
Choose from:

omniscient, omnipotent, tangible, din, wrought, pith, haste, vexed, lithe, perilous, naught OR any other vocabulary words in our Mythology Classick

(Using words incorrectly or randomly does not count.)

Expository structure aligned with the rubric
Your essay must have:

Introduction (1 paragraph - at least three sentences)
Background/context

Clear, focused central idea

Body Paragraphs (2–3 paragraphs - at least five sentences each)
Each must include:

Topic sentence

Evidence

Elaboration: explanation/analysis

Proper citations

Academic vocabulary

Comparisons when appropriate

Conclusion (1 paragraph - at least three sentences)
Reinforce—Do NOT repeat—your central idea from the introduction

Explain the broader significance (why myths/heroes still matter)

Original thinking—not AI-style generalizations
Your writing MUST include:

at least one specific comparison (myth ↔ myth OR myth ↔ nonfiction)

at least one insight based on our class discussions, not found in the text itself

accurate references to details ONLY someone who actually read the stories would know

Essay Checklist (for your own reference only - Do not submit with assignment.)

CONTENT

I responded to the prompt clearly.

I used evidence from at least three different sources.

I included six total pieces of evidence.

I cited every piece correctly.

I used at least three vocabulary words accurately.

STRUCTURE

My introduction presents a clear central idea.

My body paragraphs develop and support that idea.

I included comparisons or connections between texts.

My conclusion explains why my topic matters.

LANGUAGE

I used transitions and academic vocabulary.

I checked grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.

My voice is formal, clear, and appropriate.

Answer 1

Myths, whether sung by ancient bards or retold in classrooms, reveal enduring traits of human nature: pride that invites punishment, cleverness that secures survival, and the constant need to explain perilous events and social rules. By examining stories from Old Greek Stories alongside the Cyclops episode in The Odyssey and pairing them with our nonfiction materials, we see that myths both describe human behavior and teach communities how to live. This essay uses examples from Arachne and Midas (Old Greek Stories), the Cyclops story (The Odyssey), the poem “Pride,” and two nonfiction pieces—“Athena and Poseidon’s Contest for Athens” and the video “Why Myths Still Matter”—to explain what myths reveal about people and why we keep making them.

First, myths expose human flaws—especially pride—and show the costs of excess. In the story of Arachne in Old Greek Stories, Arachne boasts that her weaving rivals Athena’s and is turned into a spider after the contest, a clear cautionary tale about hubris and divine retribution; Athena is described as vexed by Arachne’s insolence, which frames the punishment as a social lesson (Old Greek Stories). Similarly, in the tale of Midas in Old Greek Stories, Midas’s wish and its foolish outcome (his donkey ears or the “golden touch” consequences found in the collection) illustrate greed and short-sighted desire leading to humiliation. The poem “Pride” reinforces this theme when, in stanza 2, the poet expresses how pride blinds the proud to consequences and isolates them from their community (“Pride,” stanza 2). Comparing Arachne and Midas shows a pattern: myths personify pride so listeners can recognize the trait in themselves and learn restraint. In class we discussed how these cautionary functions are not merely moralizing but practical—myths encode social norms in memorable, tangible stories so people remember the risks of arrogance.

Second, myths also celebrate human ingenuity and explain dangerous realities, revealing that people value cleverness and resilience as much as they fear hubris. In the Cyclops story in The Odyssey, Odysseus uses wine to make Polyphemus drunk, blinds the monster, and escapes by hiding under the bellies of sheep—an ingenious, lithe strategy that wins survival where strength alone would fail (The Odyssey, Cyclops episode). Yet Odysseus’s later boast—revealing his true name—invites Poseidon’s wrath, showing again the double edge of human behavior: cunning saves him in the moment, but pride brings long-term peril. The article “Athena and Poseidon’s Contest for Athens” makes a related point: the Athenians chose Athena’s gift of the olive tree over Poseidon’s salt spring because the olive’s practical value—food, oil, wood—matched the city’s needs, indicating that societies craft myths to affirm the virtues they prize, such as usefulness and foresight (Athena and Poseidon’s Contest for Athens). The video “Why Myths Still Matter” explains that myths endure because they provide a framework for making sense of unpredictable events—sea storms, famines, wars—by giving them narrative causes and lessons, which makes human responses to danger feel less random and more manageable (Why Myths Still Matter). Together these nonfiction sources show that myths are not just fanciful tales but cultural tools for coping with a perilous world and for modeling valued behaviors like prudence and cleverness.

Because myths both warn against excess and celebrate resourcefulness, they continue to be recreated: they are adaptable templates that reflect changing values while preserving core human truths. In class we observed that modern retellings often shift emphasis—sometimes humanizing formerly monstrous figures or highlighting marginalized perspectives—yet the underlying concerns (pride, survival, social order) remain. The combination of memorable narrative details (Arachne’s weaving turned to the literal creation of spiders; Odysseus’s “Nobody” ruse and the sheep escape) and the cultural commentary in nonfiction readings explains why myths are still told and retold. Myths give communities an omnipotent-seeming set of examples to consult—stories that are not really omniscient, because they are human-made, but that function like collective memory—and so they persist as a way to talk about who we are and how we ought to act.

In sum, the myths we studied reveal consistent aspects of human nature: vulnerability to pride, admiration for cleverness, and a need to render danger and choice into teachable stories. Evidence from Old Greek Stories (Arachne and Midas), The Odyssey’s Cyclops episode, the poem “Pride,” and our nonfiction sources shows that myths perform social work by encoding consequences and values. Because those social needs—teaching, explaining, and binding communities—remain constant, myths are continually recreated in forms that new audiences recognize and learn from, which is why ancient stories still matter in our lives today.