1. The answer "man" or "human" to the Riddle of the Sphinx (found here, scroll to bottom of page) can be taken to imply another question: "What is a human being? i.e., What does it mean to be human?" What answer does the play Oedipus the King offer to this question? How is this answer revealed through the action of the play and the words of the characters and the chorus? Be sure to include a discussion of the main themes of the play in your answer.
2. It has often been pointed out that the gods in Gilgamesh (Enlil, Ishtar, Shamash etc.) and those in The Iliad (Zeus, Athen, Poseidon, ec.) behave very much like human beings. They fall in and out of love, feel anger, jealousy, pity, remorse, have favorites, and are capable of treating human beings harshly and unfairly. How different is the God of Genesis and Exodus from the gods of Gilgamesh and The Iliad? In what respects does he resemble them? What is different and what is similar about the ways in which human beings react to his actions, and he to theirs? Base your response on specific evidence in the texts, and do not retroject current beliefs, whether they be of Judaism, Christianity or Islam, into Genesis and Exodus.
3. Choose three of the major works we have read so far, and examine what they say about revenge. How would you describe the ethos that underlies these presentations? Is revenge compatible with a system of communal justice, or are the two irrevocably opposed? (Treat the Platonic dialogues as one work.)
4. In both the Iliad and the Bible it is fairly easy to see what humans want from God/the gods: Prosperity, success in war, offspring, a good home, the opportunity to rule themselves--in short, all the things that constitute a good life here on earth. But what, apart from burnt offerings, do the gods in the Iliad and God in the Bible want or need from humans? What is behind this desire or need? Be sure to base all your arguments on the texts and class discussions, especially in the case of the Bible: Do not build any arguments on modern Christian or Jewish beliefs!
Reread the texts, especially Genesis and Exodus, with a fresh eye.
Write at least five pages, double-spaced, with one-inch margins: This is approximately 1600 words, or roughly 120 lines of text.
Don't forget the Introduction! Your thesis is the last sentence of the introduction, which has two primary purposes: To interest the reader and to provide a brief context for your thesis, thus enabling you to express your assertion in a single sentence. In a five-page paper, the introduction should be roughly half-a-page long (11 to 14 lines), although occasionally it might need to be longer.
Do not use any outside sources.
Refer frequently to the texts to back up your argument, but quote only when the words of a passage are absolutely necessary to the point you are making. Otherwise, use paraphrase or summary. Any quotes you do use must be very short. When you are citing passages in the Bible, use the following form: Book, chapter, verse; eg. Gen 5:8. Cite the Iliad by book and line, e.g. 1.317, Gilgamesh by page number, and the plays by line.