Both Sundiata and Popul Vuh deal centrally with a heroic quest. Unit 1’s introd

Both Sundiata and Popul Vuh deal centrally with a heroic quest. Unit 1’s introduction to the Five Great Themes of World Literature states with regard to the hero: “The surest way to understand what a culture of the past most values is to focus on what it considers heroic, in that a culture recognizes its heroes as embodying its most important ideas, the values that are essential.” Discuss what forces Sundiata and the Hero Twins Hunahpu and Xbalanque have to overcome and how they go about doing it. For Sundiata your essay will probably focus on Sundiata’s historical destiny; in Popul Vuh, the Twins’ quest will have a more mythic quality, but you probably will focus on the meaning for the Mayan culture of the mythic events. Regardless, be sure to discuss the texts in relation to one another, and craft an argument about the similarities and differences in their presentation of their heroic quests.
Second, write an essay presenting your argument. Include quotations from the texts as well as additional details that illustrate and enhance the points you are making. Use the following as an outline of what to include:
Explain the general topic and relevant themes (e.g. heroes, women) and any relevant terms for that topic (suggested 1-2 paragraphs). Remember that less is sometimes more, and you want a clear thesis.
Apply that topic to both Sundiata and to Popul Vuh (suggested 4-6 paragraphs). Give specific examples and quotes from the texts to support your analyses. Use in-text citations for the quotations.
Compare and contrast the texts; Remember that you want to use block rather than point by point.
Your final page should be your Works Cited page, in MLA format. It should include the literary texts, as well as any content pages from the course material to which you may have referred and any secondary sources you used. Do not plagiarize.