The basic assignment is to talk about the cultural meaning to be found in two artifacts. In order to do this, you must compare AND contrast two cultures from Humanities Survey I by showing how a concept or theme is demonstrated in an artifact from each culture.Your point is to talk about why the diffs/sims exist, not just to point them out.
Here’s an example thesis:
Since the Roman culture adapted many of the innovations from the Greeks, there are many similarities between the two cultures. The concept of the hero certainly can be demonstrated in artifacts such as the Iliad and the Aeneid. While these two epics both admire heroes, the ancient Greek concept of a hero contrasts strongly with the imperial Roman because of the defining characteristics of a hero and the way the epics were written.
After a thesis like this, I would expect to see paragraphs about how both texts have heroes (“both admire heroes”), how each defines the concept of the hero differently (“defining characteristics of a hero”), and how each epic was written (“the way the epics were written”).
NOTE WELL! HERE IS THE KEY TO AN A PAPER!
The main point is not to simply point out similarities and differences, but to explain the significance of them. Therefore, the most important part of each paragraph is the analysis. For the example above, a student would have to clearly explain that the similarities in Greek and Roman cultures results naturally from the Romans conquering the Greeks and assimilating many aspects of Greek culture. The strong differences between the ways the two cultures look at heroes results from their different value systems; that is, the Greek Achilles is a hero because all others give him honors and his story lasts forever. On the other hand, the Roman Aeneas is a hero because of his sense of duty. Lastly, the remarkable difference between the ways the epics were produced results from the Roman Emperor Augustus simply deciding that all powerful nations need an epic. While the Greek epics of Homer were passed down orally for centuries, Virgil’s Aeneid was commissioned and produced to show the Roman Empire and its values in the best possible light. Empires often use cultural expression for political purposes. The crucial point is the difference between a democracy and an empire.
An essay has to have a thesis. Your thesis MUST indicate your ability to compare and contrast in an analytical way, and you will not get credit for description that is not used to support your thesis. Your chosen topics have to fall within the time frame of Humanities Survey I, prehistory to the late Renaissance.
Another Key Point! Organize your comp/con in point-by-point structure in order to decrease the likelihood that you might describe two different artifacts without comparing/contrasting or analyzing.
The assigned length is around 3-5 pages each. You have to cite at least four (4) authoritative, college-level sources in addition to the textbook.
Authoritative sources have to have known authors, whom you can identify as experts in the field. College-level sources take a stand on the topic. Purely informational sources, whether Wikipedia or other encyclopedias, web sites, or general information reference works, will not be accepted as fulfillment of this requirement. You should never use anonymous websites. Look into full-text databases.
Book to use:
The humanistic tradition 6th edition volume 1
Gloria K. Fiero
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