Thoughts on the Final Project

 Looking at the final project, I am excited! The concept seems super interesting, and I cannot wait to dive in further.

I am finding it a little difficult to brainstorm without reading the last 2 texts, as I do not want to become attached to a topic from Home Fire/Antigone without considering what the other texts could offer! However, there are definitely some interesting jumping off points I am considering.

One idea I thought could be interesting is to look into the impact translations have on a text. I'm not sure if this counts as intertextuality, but looking at different translations of Antigone across time could be an interesting comparison. However, this doesn't stretch very far across the globe so I don't know how interesting that would be culturally. Expanding the idea slightly, maybe it would be cool to do translations of ancient plays in general, from all around the world? I know there are a lot of modern day adaptations, so it could be interesting to feature something like an original text from China, this version of Antigone, and a completely modernized (2010 or even more recent) version of a story from the Middle East, where all of the original stories were written around the same time period (cerca 441 BCE).

If I were to use Home Fire, I think I would likely want to take an approach around family dynamics and roles, especially with Isma and Aneeka. I think with Isma being forced to take care of her siblings from a young age, it definitely shaped her personality. I know, unfortunately, stories where the older sibling is pushed into a parental role are not uncommon. I am curious how in different parts of the world, or different eras, their exact role shifts. For example, in other countries, children are raised in more community-centric environments, so a parent dying, while tragic, would not immediately put all the responsibility on the older sibling. I think there is lots to explore here and could definitely be something I would be interested in!

I think for this project, I would use Neatline. I tried it during my Research Excursion this time, and after getting through the initial learning curve, it is definitely not as daunting as it first seemed. I think if we are considering texts from around the world and different time periods, Neatline would be a great tool to visualize everything and see how they all connect/contrast. 

Comments

  1. Hilary LeOctober 20, 2022 at 9:37 AM

    Hi Cassi! It too was hard to come up with ideas with only two texts for me. I think translations/adaptations of ancient plays sounds like good idea! Between all the texts, you can truly see all the differences and similarities and see what impacts the way a story is told or changed. I'm glad to hear that you have somewhat conquered Neatline! Whatever format you use, I'm excited to see your final project!

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  2. Noah English 11H BlogOctober 20, 2022 at 2:58 PM

    I agree how interesting it is to see how translations affect a play. With books written in one's native language, there is a direct conversation between the author—and their intent/impression—and the reader. However, when a translation is necessary it adds a third person into the conversation. Now, the reader gets the author's original intent through the perception of another person. So, the reader has to draw conclusions from the perception of someone else. This necessarily changes the meaning behind a text from the original intent.

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  3. Eloise DanielloOctober 21, 2022 at 1:44 AM

    Hey Cassi! I agree with the fact that I wish we could finish all of the texts before deciding which one to use. However, your ideas sound really good so far. I think you're on to a really good start and are brainstorming some unique topics that others might not have done in the past. It is also awesome you used Neatline for this project so you already have a handle on it for the future.

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  4. Gema Sanchez GamezOctober 21, 2022 at 6:17 PM

    Hi Cassi, looking at different translations of Antigone would be super interesting! I found Antigone and Isma's relationship fascinating and I wonder how that relationship changes throughout different translations. If you wanted to, you could even look at different sister relationships throughout the texts you choose!

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  5. Monique Cov.October 22, 2022 at 3:09 PM

    Hey Cassi! I think looking at the different impacts of translations is a very good research topic to look into! I also think your topic idea for the parental role as seen in Home Fire would be a great research topic as well! I wish you luck in choosing!

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  6. Jalen PaigeOctober 22, 2022 at 9:22 PM

    Hey Cassi! Translation is interesting to me, too! There's a theory that art is noticeably altered whenever we view it. The very act of consuming art changes it. Translation is a big piece of this. To change a piece's language must fundamentally change it because it not all languages can express the same ideas.

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  7. James MaddenOctober 22, 2022 at 9:52 PM

    Hey Cassi! I agree that it's difficult to consider what topic we want to write about when we've only read half of the texts. I think your idea of exploring translation is incredibly interesting. Changing a text's translation changes the plot as it could change characters' motivations or the conditions of the characters.

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  8. Paulos HabtewoldOctober 23, 2022 at 2:41 PM

    Hi Cassie, I really like the idea of finding out how the differences between cultures and time periods play a role in how ancient plays are adapted. Simply the change in religion from adapting an ancient play to a book in a different time period would cause a pretty big difference by itself.

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  9. Audrey SchroederOctober 23, 2022 at 2:56 PM

    Hi Cassi, thanks for sharing your ideas. I completely agree with the sentiment of not wanting to become attached to an idea before reading the last two texts. However, the idea of the impact of translations is super cool. I just did my research excursion on translations and it was really interesting to learn about. I'm sure you'd have fun with that topic.

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  10. Catalina DegnanOctober 23, 2022 at 11:47 PM

    Hi Cassi, It was great reading your ideas and seeing where your mind is at right now in terms of the final project. I do find it hard to stick to a topic right now as we've only read half of the required material, but I think you're off to a good start with the texts we've already read! I think the family dynamics topic would be really cool to research because I can think of a lot of books where family is at the heart of the story and it would be neat to see how portrayals of families have evolved over the years.

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  11. Critical Thinkers and WritersOctober 25, 2022 at 9:31 AM

    Although the translation angle is interesting, it's so vast and runs you into the problem of translingualism. I'm glad you mentioned the final two texts and encourage everyone to consider topics related to those. You don't need to have read the text to do so! THERE THERE is a contemporary novel by an indigenous North American writer, that can also be considered a story cycle since it's a collection of short chapters by different narrators that piece together into a whole. It refers back to colonialism, to indigenous perseverance, to oral storytelling traditions, etc.

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