The Song of Roland
Write an essay comparing The Odyssey with either The Song of
Roland or Dante’s Inferno. In this paper you will write an
in-depth analysis using your own ideas and excerpts from the epic poems in the
form of quotes, paraphrase, or summary.
As you prepare to write this essay, make sure you understand what you are
being asked to do.
Pick a Topic
First, write about one of the following options:
- Although nearly two thousand years separate The Odyssey and Dante’s
Inferno, both works are epic poems that:
- Explore the theme of good versus evil.
- Employ journey as a metaphor for maturation.
- Reveal and teach cultural values about leadership.
- Caution audiences about the appeal of temptation.
- Contemplate the nature of immortality.
Compare and contrast how one or two of these topics is developed in The
Odyssey and Dante’s Inferno. Be sure to contextualize your
examination in the cultural values, philosophies, literary movements, and ideas
that typify each work. Use literary perspectives to enrich your analysis.
- The Song of Roland and The Odyssey, though separated by
thousands of years, are both epic works whose protagonists are warriors engaged
in violent conflict: Roland is a medieval Crusader and Odysseus is on a long
journey home after conquering Troy. Additionally, both works:
- Explore the theme of good versus evil.
- Reveal and teach cultural values about leadership.
- Contemplate the nature of immortality.
- Examine the moral and practical implications of loyalty and betrayal.
Compare and contrast the figures Roland and Odysseus by considering whether
and/or how they exhibit the characteristics of an epic hero. Be sure to
contextualize your examination in the cultural values, philosophies, literary
movements, and ideas that typify each work. Use literary perspectives to enrich
your analysis.
Develop a Tentative Thesis
As you consider different options for your thesis,
- Develop a few hypotheses about the text that are based on your own
perspectives and relate to the topic that you chose to explore for this
assignment. - In addition to considering the texts’ plots, reflect on the role(s) that
genre and other elements of literature (see the online lecture on this topic)
play in revealing medieval Western European and ancient Greek cultures,
including important philosophies and values associated with these regions and
eras. - Review the lectures on literary movements and literary perspectives
(feminist, psychoanalytic, and historicist perspectives on literature) and
identify which of these analytical tools best supports the ideas that you are
beginning to develop.
