Questions for Exodus and Genesis

1.     What are the roles of men and women in Exodus, Genesis, Gilgamesh, and the Odyssey?
In Exodus the role of men in the story of Moses and the flood is that this man has been chosen by God to save all the people and animals and help repopulate the world.  since God chose a man to take on this responsibility it leaves me to wonder if he did that because he thought a woman could not do it, or if he thought a man would just do it better.  In Genesis, the role of women in the creation story is that women are the source of all evil and sin.  Eve is the one that disobeys God and eats the forbidden fruit and then turns Adam over to the “evil” side.  Eve is portrayed very negatively and the story makes her seem like she is easily persuaded to do things and that she is a bad example for men to follow.

2.     Identify the archetypes: the mother figure, the “Eve” character, and the wholesome young woman character.
The “Eve” character is very easily identified in Genesis because that is where the character started.  She is the start of the fall of human kind and the one that tempts Adam into sin.  In Gilgamesh this temptress also gets him to leave his forest living with the animals and turn into more of a “real man”. The mother figure in the Odyssey is the goddess who comes to lead the main character to find his father and help him on his journey. The young women character in the Odyssey is the character's mother. I say this because she is leading all of these young men on and can't really make up her mind or finish what she starts.

3.     What are the roles of the male characters? How does it differ from the female roles?
The roles of the male characters in Exodus,Gilgamesh, and the Odyssey is the hero.  In all of these stories, the man is trying to prove himself heroic or rescue someone.  In Exodus, Moses is trying to save the people and animals from the flood representing the end of the world.  In Gilgamesh, he is going on an adventure to make a better name for himself and defeat the forest protector.  In the Odyssey, he is trying to save his father.  The role of the male character in Genesis is different than these other stories and he seems more like a follower who gives into the temptations of the woman.

4.     What do these character’s roles say about the way women are viewed in this time period? Has it changed now in the way women are viewed?
These character roles make women out to be the “bad guys” and the weaker of the sexes.  These archetypes seem to put women into small and negative boxes or boxes that need defending.  I do not think that the real idea of how men and women are viewed has completely changed because these stories are so imbedded into us.  There is more equality and opportunities available, but i think society still views them in a lesser way.

5. Think of one piece of popular literature, one movie, and one television show, and give an example of archetypes presented in the media and dissect the message it sends about roles.