The Shahnameh, Sundiata, and The Popul Vuh

For this assignment, you will evaluate characters from The Shahnameh, Sundiata, and The Popul Vuh and then write an essay with a minimum of 1000 words (see specific topic below) arguing for and supporting your conclusions. This assignment will build your writing, analytical, and evaluative skills.

You may be able to further develop ideas you have already submitted in our discussions. However, be careful not to plagiarize your classmates’ submissions. You are encouraged to use the material in the course to further develop your own original interpretations and arguments; researching other secondary sources is not required for this assignment, and plagiarism of other sources and AI use will not be tolerated. If you use sources beyond the primary texts (the epics), be sure to include citations for those secondary sources along with your citations for the epics. Both MLA in-text citations and a Works Cited page are required for this assignment.

All semester, we have discussed the ways in which epics enable a community to share and reinforce strongly held cultural values. Heroes, in particular, are models of ethics and behavior, yet heroes are not static characters; they grow and develop during their journeys, shaped by the people they encounter and their experiences.

For this assignment, pretend that the heroes of our last three epics–Rustem, Sundiata, and the Hero Twins have the ability and desire to read about each other in The Shahnameh, Sundiata, and The Popul Vuh. Explain the most significant lesson each character would learn from each of the other two epics (that is, two lessons total for each character) and how that might shape their growth as heroes and leaders. For the sake of this assignment, consider the Hero Twins together, not as two separate characters.

Strong assignments will demonstrate awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of each hero, as well as the potential lessons to be drawn from the other two texts each hero will be reading. As always, support your arguments with detailed and specific evidence, particularly quotations. Use MLA format for in-text citations and the Works Cited.

Write an essay of about eight paragraphs presenting your argument. Be sure to include quotations from the texts as well as additional details that illustrate and enhance the points you are making. Use the following outline:

1. Your first paragraph should be an engaging introduction with a clear thesis that brings all three epics and epic heroes together. Structure your essay as you choose, but the writing should be organized. Perhaps focus on one character at a time, or focus on one text at a time. Be sure your thesis provides a strong argument and forecasts the structure you will be using in the essay.
2. Give specific examples and quotes from the texts to support your analyses. Use in-text citations in MLA format for the quotations, and be sure to include page numbers from the texts included in this course.
3. The last paragraph should be your conclusion. What do these three heroes (and, more broadly, these cultures) have to learn from each other? What have you learned from this creative exercise? Answer the question, “So what?” What should you and your reader do with the information and claims you’ve provided?
4. Your final page should be your Works Cited page, in MLA format. It should include the three literary texts (our epics), as well as any content pages from the course material to which you may have referred.