Exam Essay-Joseph Campbell

Essay you will complete DURING the exam (you may bring notes)

The title of our course was “Modern Mythology” (remember?!). Therefore, it will do us some good to consider this as we look back on all that we’ve learned.

Assignment: Analyze ONE of the following five Joseph Campbell* quotes and relate the quote to TWO of the major pieces that we’ve read this year (“Wife of Bath,” Of Mice and Men, Antigone, Lord of the Flies, Night, and Othello). Include your definition of “modern mythology” in the essay—be sure to evaluate whether, by Joseph Campbell’s definitions of mythology, the works that we’ve read are examples of modern mythology.

ORGANIZATION SUGGESTION:

Paragraph 1: Analyze the meaning of the Joseph Campbell quotation & briefly relate the quotation to two pieces of literature we’ve read; include your definition of “modern mythology”
Paragraph 2: Discuss Work #1 and how it relates to the Campbell quotation, using evidence from the text
Paragraph 3: Discuss Work #2 and how it relates to the Campbell quotation, using evidence from the text
Paragraph 4: Reflection about what mythology is and conclusion

QUOTATION CHOICES:

a) “One of the functions of mythology is supporting and validating the moral order of a certain given society. Well, what's your group? What's the society with which you associate?”

b) “The myth lets you know where you are. It knows what the patterns of life have been through centuries and what position you now are entering or holding.”

c) “The hero has died as a modern man; but as eternal man -- perfected, unspecific, universal man -- he has been reborn. His second solemn task and deed therefore... is to return then to us, transfigured, and teach the lessons he has learned of life renewed.”

d) “The images of myth are reflections of the spiritual potentialities of every one of us. Through contemplating these, we evoke their powers in our own lives.”

e) “Myth is the social dream and dream is the individual myth. By following your dreams you can discover the realm dynamics of your life course, your life intention, and your life impulse.”

	Exemplary (4)	Acceptable (3)	Limited (2)	Unacceptable (1)
Evidence	Appropriate, relevant evidence is used from multiple sources and integrated well with the text of the essay	Evidence is relevant and valiant attempts are made at integrated text with evidence	Some evidence used and/or evidence is not integrated with the text of the essay	Insufficient or irrelevant evidence used
Connection	Demonstrates perceptive associations and connections between the story and other texts and/or outside experiences and supports these connections with examples from the text.	Demonstrates some association and/or connection between the story and other texts and/or outside experiences that may not be supported with examples from the text.	Demonstrates difficulty in making or supporting an association or connection between the story and other texts and/or outside experiences.	Demonstrates no meaningful associations or connections between the story and other texts and/or outside experiences.
Organization	All ideas are logically discussed; chronological presentation of ideas; essay has an appropriate, sensible introduction and conclusion; paragraph breaks are logical	Ideas are logically and chronologically presented; introduction and conclusion are present; paragraph breaks are acceptable	Ideas are somewhat disjointed and not presented chronologically; attempt at introduction and conclusion made; paragraph breaks are questionable	Ideas are difficult to understand; introduction and conclusion are absent or insufficient; paragraphs are insufficient
Critical Stance	Demonstrates perceptive judgments about the literary quality of the texts discussed and supports these judgments with relevant examples	Demonstrates some judgments about the literary quality of the texts discussed and supports these judgments with examples	Demonstrates some judgments about the literary quality of the texts discussed and supports these judgments with examples	Demonstrates little or no judgment about the literary quality of the texts discussed
Conventions	Few to no grammar errors (does not detract from reader's comprehension)	Some grammar errors with no major impact on reader's comprehension	Grammar errors sometimes detract from reader's comprehension	Grammar errors make the paper next to impossible to understand