辅导 HUM 110 READINGS IN WORLD LITERATURE辅导 C/C++程序

HUM 110 READINGS IN WORLD LITERATURE

The Epic

Section 15 - FALL 2025

Professor Agnes Lugo-Ortiz

Essay #3

Spartacus and The Epic

DUE: Wednesday, November 9th in Canvas Gradebook by noon

Choose one of the following two prompts, and construct a coherent, nuanced argument supported by carefully analyzed evidence from the movie Spartacus and relevant passages from the epic texts studied in class. Be sure to clearly explain the context, implications, and relevance of this evidence. Additionally, address the broader significance of your claim for the movie as a whole and its relationship to the other texts studied in class.

Your paper should be 3½ to 4 pages long, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins, and written in clear sentences and logical paragraphs with correct grammar and spelling. Your essay should include a title and a bibliography of cited texts in Chicago style. and your name on the first page. Please note: the use of AI is strictly prohibited at any stage in the development of your paper.

1) Spartacus, epic hero?

Throughout this class, we have examined epic texts from different cultures and historical periods. They all share a common feature: the construction of a protagonist, a “hero,” who serves as the central thread of the narrative while simultaneously being shaped by the events and actions within the story. Through a careful analysis of Stanley Kubrick’s 1959 film Spartacus, discuss to what extent Spartacus can be considered an epic hero. How does his characterization compare to or diverge from figures such as Gilgamesh and Odysseus? This reflection requires you to define the concept of epic heroism in light of the traditions studied in class and to focus on specific traits of Spartacus to support your argument.

2) The Worlds of the Epic

Epic heroes do not exist in a vacuum. They move within different worlds and are constituted by their interaction with the inhabitants of those worlds. Among the worlds in which Spartacus moves are those generated by the structures of the Roman empire, on the one hand, and the community of fugitive slaves, on the other. Discuss these two worlds, the relation between them (the specific social interactions and cultural values that organize them) and the place of Spartacus within them.

To what extent does each of these worlds give us (or not) a different Spartacus, and in what sense do this relate to and/or diverge from the traditions studied in class?

Grading Rubric

Criteria

Well-Developed

Adequately Developed

Underdeveloped

Claim (20%)

The essay includes a

contestable argumentative

claim in response to one of

the essay prompts. The claim is relevant and compelling, is clearly stated, and guides

the structure of the essay.

The essay addresses the

wider significance of the

claim for our interpretation of the text as a whole.

The essay includes a

contestable argumentative

claim in response to one of the essay prompts. The claim is

somewhat relevant and

compelling, is somewhat

clearly stated, and mostly

guides the structure of the

essay. The essay gestures

toward the wider significance of the claim for our

interpretation of the text as a whole.

The essay does not include an

argumentative claim or the claim is not contestable. The claim is

not relevant to the essay prompt or is not compelling or

convincing. The claim is not

clearly stated or does not guide the structure of the essay. The

essay does not address the wider significance of the claim for our interpretation of the text as a

whole.

Evidence (30%)

The essay includes ample

specific evidence and

examples from the texts that are all relevant for

supporting the main claim

and cited correctly. The

presentation of evidence

goes beyond summary and

includes in–depth analysis

and an examination of the

implications of this evidence.

The essay includes some

specific evidence and examples from the texts that are mostly relevant for supporting the

main arguments and mostly

cited correctly. The

presentation of evidence

mostly goes beyond summary and includes some in–depth

analysis and gestures to the implications of this evidence.

The essay includes little to no

specific evidence and examples from the text and/or evidence and examples are irrelevant to the main arguments. There are significant errors with citations. The presentation of evidence is largely summary without