essay 2

ENG1B

PROMPT #2

PROMPT Is Jeanette Winterson’s novel, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, a work of modern myth

that features a modern day hero? For your second essay, you will do a Mythopoeic

reading by applying the Hero’s Journey structure to Winterson’s novel. You will look at

the ways in which the novel meets the criteria of the Hero’s Journey and present an

analysis that shows the novel is or has characteristics of a classical myth.

NOTES - Assume that the audience for your essay has not read the novel or is familiar with

Campbell’s mythic structure, which means you’ll have to explain certain things to

your readers as you move through your analysis.

- When applying the Hero’s Journey to the novel, look at the 12 stages of the hero and

find connections to the novel that fit well. One difficulty you may face is you may find

a number of different examples from the book that fit with a certain stage in the hero’s

journey. In that situation, you have to choose which one to focus on.

- The challenge of this assignment is to see how well you can take the information in a

novel and selectively shape it into a story that meets the criteria set by the Hero’s

Journey structure.

- You may find trying to fit all 12 of the stages of the hero’s journey difficult to fit into

a 5-6 page paper, so you are not expected to apply all 12 stages. However, you are

expected to apply at least 8 stages from the Hero’s Journey.

- Lastly, be sure to address the question of whether Winterson’s novel is an example of

a modern myth with a modern hero. Explain your reason based on your analysis.

REQUIRE-

MENTS Essay Length – 6-7 pages (going over is fine for this assignment)

Introduction – Must contain full name of author and full title of work so readers know

what you are focusing on.

Theme – Located in the introduction (usually at the end) and states the central point of

your essay. Mainly, you’re answering the question of whether the novel is a work of

myth.

Paragraphs – Your essay should contain paragraphs focused around various stages of

the Hero’s Journey.

Conclusion – Restate the thesis using different words and end on some kind of final

observation, thought, opinion that encapsulates the stories you focused on

Works Cited Page – Cite the novel as your primary source, the animation video on the

hero’s journey, and the article on Joseph Campbell.

FORMAT Header – Top left corner; double-spaced; includes Name, Class, Instructor, Date

Essay Title – Centered; one return after the Header; essay begins one return after Title

Spacing – Everything, including the Header, is double-spaced

Margins – Left/Right = 1”; Top/Bottom = 1”

Font – Type = Times New Roman; Size = 12pt

Page #s – Top right hand corner, outside the margins

DUE DATE TBD