Develop a well-detailed essay of 4-5 paragraphs on ONE of the topics listed below.  Don't forget to review the guidelines for How to Succeed in the Written Assignments and the Sample paper in MLA format. All writing assignments have Turnitin enabled for plagiarism detection.

1. In the epics, we have discussed female characters and the social power they do or do not possess.  Apart from Sita, who is the one female character you found to be either the most powerful or weakest in our study so far?  From where does she get her power and what is the extent of her influence in her culture?  Be sure to consider her character and/or actions in terms of what her culture most values.

2. Many of the ancient stories that we have read feature miracles, stupendous events or activities that we would normally consider beyond the reach of mortals.  Select one miracle that you found integral in one of our readings and explain not only why it is important but also what the miracle reveals about the text's cultural values, beliefs, or customs.

3. Compare and contrast (mainly contrast) aspects of Sumerian (or Mesopotamian), Hindu, and Ancient Greek religion as conveyed in the epics.

4.  Select from one of the three epics one feature that seems most alien to our understanding or values today; detail the feature and then discuss why it seems so foreign to our modern culture.  Or select from one of the epics one feature that seems most understandable or familiar to our understanding and values today; detail the feature and then discuss why it seems so timeless or relevant to our modern culture.