essay about the book Metamorphoses by Ovid

 

Classics  2220  Classical  Mythology   The  Ohio  State  University  |  Autumn  2015    

  Essay  #5  

Assignment   The  seal  of  The  Ohio  State  University  features  the  following  phrase  in  Latin:      

Disciplina  in  Civitatem.    

“Disciplina  in  Civitatem”  means  “Education  for  Citizenship.”  And  when  I  design  and  teach   my  courses  at  Ohio  State  I  always  keep  this  phrase  in  mind:  I  help  citizen-­‐students.       Now,  being  a  citizen  entails  all  sorts  of  things,  including  certain  rights:  the  right  to  justice   through  courts  of  law,  the  right  to  various  social  services,  etc.  But  at  the  core  of  citizenship   is  a  notion  which  transcends  even  national  citizenships:  the  notion  of  collective  decision-­‐ making,  the  notion  of  having  a  say,  the  notion  of  voting  on  shared  problems.       This  essay  is  your  opportunity  to  think  about  the  role  of  literature  in  a  citizen’s  education.   The  broad  question  is,  how  can  Metamorphoses  by  Ovid  help  citizen-­‐readers?  But  here’s  the   specific  question  you  must  answer  for  this  essay:      

• Which  two  passages  from  Metamorphoses  by  Ovid  are  most  helpful  for  citizen-­‐ readers?    

  The  essay  must  state  its  thesis  in  a  short  introductory  paragraph,  followed  by  two  body   paragraphs  actually  making  the  argument,  one  body  paragraph  for  each  passage.  Essays   may  only  use  the  Metamorphoses  as  evidence.  Further  details  are  below.  For  more  tips  on   writing  this  type  of  essay,  and  a  post-­‐writing  checklist,  see  the  relevant  document  on   Carmen.       Assigned:  Mon,  Dec  7.     Due:  Mon,  Dec  14  by  5pm  in  Carmen’s  Dropbox,  formatted  as  a  Word  doc  or  pdf.                                      

 

  Rubric   Formatting  &  Length     _____  /  1   Is  the  paper  appropriately  formatted?    

• 12-­‐point,  Times  New  Roman  font  in  black   • 1.5  spacing   • 1  inch  margins

_____  /  1   Is  the  paper  the  appropriate  length?     • 1  page   • The  student’s  name  and  essay  title  should  be  on  the  first  line,  and  the  

essay  itself  should  start  on  the  second;  no  additional  space  should  be   taken  up  with  headers,  dates,  etc.    

• Anything  over  the  page  limit  will  not  be  considered  part  of  the  essay.       Thesis   _____  /  3   Does  the  thesis    

• adequately  answer  the  question  posed  in  the  assignment,     • provide  a  sufficient  reason  for  that  position,     • and  provide  a  mini  outline  of  the  points  the  essay  will  make  to  argue  the  

thesis?       Supporting  Paragraphs   _____  /  2   Argument:  do  the  supporting  paragraphs  sufficiently  argue  the  thesis?       _____  /  2   Evidence:  does  the  essay  use  sufficient  evidence  from  the  texts,  and  cite  it  

correctly,  to  support  the  argument?       Grammar  &  Other  Mechanics  of  Writing   _____  /  1   Does  the  essay  use  proper  grammar,  spelling,  and  punctuation,  and  is  the  

prose  clear?         TOTAL     __________  /  10