Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Athene warns Arachne, “Your talent has poisoned you with pride like the sting of a scorpion” (Part 1, Chapter 3).

• What general lesson about pride do the stories in this collection convey? (topic sentence)
• Explain Athene’s warning to Arachne and give evidence from the stories that shows how the fates of at least three characters support the message you explained in your topic sentence.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how this idea is related to the book’s concern with Moderation and Restraint as Ideals.

2. Throughout the collection, the strong attempt to prey on the weak.

• How do the stories in this collection show that there is more than one way for weaker people and gods to respond to predation by those stronger than themselves? (topic sentence)
• Offer evidence from at least two stories that demonstrate differing strategies the weaker party might choose and show how this leads to differing outcomes.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, comment on how these strategies relate to the book’s messages about The Wisdom of Aligning a Weaker Power With a Stronger Power.

3. In the story of Midas, Midas is punished by getting exactly what he asks for.

• What lesson about life or about the gods is being taught in this story? (topic sentence)
• Give evidence from Midas’s story and at least two other stories that supports your interpretation of this lesson.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how this lesson supports the book’s larger thematic concern with Moderation and Restraint as Ideals.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. In his “Introduction,” Evslin makes the claim that the myths have “a moral quality.” What does he seem to mean by this? What is his standard for a story that conveys a moral message? How does his retelling of the stories—his language, choice of detail, and so on—impact the reader’s ability to see them as moral lessons?

Write an essay in which you explain Evslin’s perspective on morality in Ancient Greek myths and then examine how his retellings of the stories either do or do not live up to the standard he sets for stories intended to convey moral lessons. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text, and be sure to cite any quoted language in the format the instructor suggests.

2. When Perseus asks his mother what it means to be the son of an immortal, she replies that it makes him “[a] hero. Or a very great scoundrel” (Part 3, Chapter 1). What do her words convey about the nature of heroes? How do you see this idea play out in other stories in this collection that tell the tales of the children of the immortals? What does this message about heroes add to the book’s thematic concern with Moderation and Restraint as Ideals?

Write an essay in which you explain Perseus’s mother’s response and how it applies generally to the children of immortals in this collection. Connect your discussion to the theme of Moderation and Restraint as Ideals. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text, and be sure to cite any quoted language in the format the instructor suggests.

3. Throughout the collection, the gods act in cruel and impulsive ways. But they also show compassion, love, and an interest in justice. What does this tell a modern reader about the way Ancient Greeks thought of the gods? What does it imply about human interaction with the gods?

Write an essay in which you demonstrate that the gods in these stories are capable of extremes of what we would today call “good” and “evil.” Discuss how their behavior characterizes them, how it impacts humans, and what messages it sends about the best way to interact with gods. Show how their behavior supports one or more of the book’s themes of Moderation and Restraint as Ideals, The Wisdom of Aligning a Weaker Power With a Stronger Power, and Love as the Most Powerful Force. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text, and be sure to cite any quoted language in the format the instructor suggests.