Please respond to any four questions, essay form, 350 words (each) minimum. This exam must be submitted by March 6, 2013. Please do not submit each question as a separate attachment. You must use your (any part of) texts and course materials for this exam, as well as internet sources, you must also cite your sources in text and provide a bibliography/ MLA Works Cited. Chapter 4 (The Male Divine, from Myth & Knowing) and Chapter 2 (Creation Myths) may be helpful in this exam.
Choose any four
1. Consider the term arte, discuss this term as it serves to define or motivate myth figures. Does the use/application of this term within myth serve didactic or cultural purposes? Is so, how is this demonstrated?
2. Consider the importance of the heros journey. Discuss any two myths in which the hero changes or fulfills his destiny as a result of this journey? Were mythological deities significant to the experience of the hero, if so how?
3. Consider the ethical judgments and decisions of deities and heroes, or any other character from the myths in our text. How might this decision/action reflect the societal norms or rules from the culture in which it originates? What other meaning or message do we understand as result of this myth?
4. Examine epic hero (from mythology) of your choice; discuss your personal likes and/or dislikes in regards to his character or moral code. Can anything be learned from the hero? Does this model of behavior reveal anything about the culture from which it originates?
5. Discuss the significance of the Ramayana in terms of emotional universal appeal. On what level is this story relevant to the plight of the human condition?