History/Mythology of Dragons

Required Format: MLA 8
Required Length: 4 – 5 pages plus Works Cited
Required Sources: 7 (3 primary literary/film sources and 4 secondary sources) Please note that information from sources should be used sparingly to support your original thoughts and arguments. All borrowed information should be properly cited and documented according to MLA standards. A final bibliography (Works Cited page) must be attached to the document as the last page of the paper, and it cannot count toward the required length. Example: John types a four-page paper and attaches his Works Cited page last. His final document is five total pages long. This is acceptable for submission. Susan types a five-page paper and attaches her Works Cited page last. Her final document is six pages long. This is also acceptable for submission. Richard types a three-page paper and attaches his Works Cited page last. His final document is four pages long. This is UNACCEPTABLE as his paper does not meet the required length of four pages of text.
Topics: Students must select one of the various mythological creatures/monsters/beings listed below to research in their paper. Students will compose a paper that does the following three things:
1. Describe the history and mythology behind the creature. In other words, the student will make sure his or her reader knows the creature in detail.
2. The student will analyze how the creature/being selected MAY have developed as a fictional creature. This may include examining what the creature represents (human fears, behavior, use as social modification). The student will make a claim about the creature based on this analysis.
3. The student will offer examples of how the creature is used in literature and film. The student, therefore, will choose three literary works/and or modern films that showcase this creature or a similar one. ONE OF THESE WORKS MUST BE A POEM! ONE OF THESE WORKS MUST BE A PLAY/FILM. ONE OF THESE WORKS MUST BE A SHORT STORY/NOVEL.

Thesis: Students may use a thesis like the one give below to help them organize their ideas for this paper:
Certainly, the dragon creates a strong reaction in readers and viewers today. By discussing the mythology behind the creature, analyzing the psychological fears that underlie it, and examining its modern use if literature and film, one can clearly see that dragons represent our fears about _______________.

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