Epic Essay Outline Help for The Odyssey and El Cid
You cannot earn an A if you use this outline.
Step 1 – Brainstorm epic characteristics to write about
 Long dangerous quest
 Brave
 Epic hero was a great example of what the society valued
 He was so important that we still remember the names of some of his weapons, ships, animals…
Step 2 – choose an organizational pattern
Standard by Standard
Step 3 – Write an introduction ending with a thesis statement
Walking up the stairs, my friend tripped and uttered, “Epic fail! I hope nobody saw that.” I rolled my eyes thinking about how
Mrs. Petrosky mocks the slang term “epic”. “I guess, I really did learn something in English 9B”, I thought to myself. A classical
epic is not a mistake but a type of literature. Heroes that go on a long and dangerous quest, being extremely brave and being
a great example of what his society valued proves that both The Odyssey and EL Cid are both epic stories.
Step 4 – Outline topic sentences and ideas for quotes and examples in each body paragraph
Body paragraph #1
Epics nearly always include heroes that go on a long and dangerous quest.
Example and quote(s) from The Odyssey about Odysseus going on a journey. Explain.
Examples and quote from El Cid about the hero going on a quest or journey. Explain.
Clearly, both Odysseus and El Cid are epic heroes in part because of their long dangerous quests.
Body paragraph #2
Epic heroes are always extremely brave and Odysseus and the hero of EL Cid are not different.
Examples and quotes that prove that Odysseus is brave. You should have tons of good stuff here.
Examples and quote about El Cid being brave. What did he do that was brave? Explain.
They showed it in very different way but both Odysseus and El Cid were very brave men and epic heroes.
Body paragraph # 3
Every society values different characteristics in their heroes.
Odysseus was admired for_________________. Quotes and examples and EXPLAIN.
El Cid was admired or looked up to because of __________________. Quotes and examples. Explain.
Both of these epic heroes embodied valued characteristics from their societies.
Step 5 – Write a conclusion
Begin with restating the thesis statement (see step 3)