An image of Lucifer from the story of Dante's Inferno
TOPIC IDEAS
My first topic idea for my semester-long project is Dante's Inferno. I read the entire Divine Comedy in the 8th grade as a challenge from my English teacher, but being in the 8th grade did not fully allow me to understand everything that was happening in the story, and I was not really able to grasp any deeper level of understanding or references. Therefore, I'd really enjoy being able to fully re-read Inferno and become more familiar with a story that interests me! I am a Christian, and I have always been eager to read any story about anything that includes my faith, and the idea of "Circles"of Hell is interesting to consider. I'd likely retell this story in a similar manner to the original.
My second topic idea for my semester-long project is The Man in the Moon. This Native-American story has been so ingrained into the fabric of children story-telling for so long that every single child has at least of heard of the idea of there being a man in the moon. There are countless adaptations of this story in so many styles and languages now that it's crazy to understand the breadth of this story. I loved a version of this story that my mom would tell me, and I think it would be really cool to be able to try to tell it myself now as a 20 year old adult.
My third topic idea for my semester-long project is Alice in Wonderland. This British story is likely one of the most well-known pieces of folklore or mythology in the world, especially for a newer generation of people that are less likely to study Greek, Roman, or Norse mythology. This is also likely due to the cartoon adaptation from Walt Disney Productions in the 20th century, but it is an iconic story that I hold dear to myself, and I will definitely be re-telling to my children when I have the privilege of being a father. I would re-tell this story in my project as a thought-for-thought iteration and less of a word-for-word one, and I'd be excited to do this project in particular.
My fourth and final topic idea for my semester-long project is Homer's Odyssey. This is one of the greatest and most well-known and studied pieces of Greek mythology, let alone any mythology, in the history of the world, which is no small feat considering how many stories exist in the world. I've read and re-read the Odyssey many times and I am always fascinated and intrigued to do so each time I set out to read it. This story has so many themes common and relevant to the human experience, even now over 2000 years later. It is truly a masterpiece of storytelling and I would love to be able to re-read the Odyssey and do a project over it.
Hey, Chase!
ReplyDeleteI think your idea for Dante's Inferno is super cool -- you can do a TON with all the different themes and motifs that are included in there. (Plus, you're a champ for tackling that thing in the 8th Grade; I haven't read it ever!) I think that the expansiveness of the topic would really allow you to explore the different faith concepts that interest you. Would you retell it with the original characters or give it a more modern spin while keeping the writing style the same?
Hi Chase,
ReplyDeleteI love reading about people's ideas for the project. Everyone has so many unique ideas. I love your idea of the Man in the Moon. There are so many versions of the tale and I think it's so cool your mom had a unique one she used to tell you. How fun and special! I love that you chose to go with Dante's Inferno to get a deeper understanding.