midterm exam paper
An underlying premise of this class is that ‘Myth is an eternal mirror in which we see ourselves,’ and that ‘Myth is a pattern of beliefs that give meaning to life.’ (Bierlein xiii, 6) For your midterm exam, I would like you to look at the versions of the Ramayana we have read and watched, and consider how they reflect the culture that produced them. What are the underlying shifts in values and beliefs they pose? How and why has the ‘pattern of beliefs’ changed through the lens of these pieces? Your essay should be 750 or more words with a thesis marked with an *. You must have a minimum of three quotes (more is better) to support your analysis (one from each of the pieces- ‘Sita Sings the Blues’, ‘Ramayana: the Divine Loophole by Patel’, and ‘Ramayana by R.K. Narayan’). Cite all your sources in proper MLA format (Work Cited and inline citations).
Please make it very detailed. Must be 750 or more words.
The different versions of Ramayana are.
1. Patel, Sanjay. Ramayana: Divine Loophole. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2010.
2. Narayan, R.K. The Ramayana. New York: Penguin, 2006.
3. Bierlein, J.F.. Parallel Myths. New York: Ballentine Books, 1994.
4. Mandelbaum, Allen. The Metamorphoses of Ovid. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1995.
5. Nevins, M. Eleanor. World-Making Stories. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2017.