Here at the halfway point of the semester, I’d like us to take a different approach to our weekly discussion, and focus on the work you’ve been doing through your reflection projects. Consider one of the following prompts, or reply to the comments of someone else from your family:
- Tell us about a reflection project you read by another student that stood out to you. What was exceptional about it? What did you find inspiring, intriguing, compelling, or otherwise affecting about it? What questions did it raise for you?
- Consider on your own Reflection Project work. How did things go with your first project? What aspects are you proud of? What did you accomplish through revision?
- Looking forward to your next Reflection Project, what ideas do you have so far for your approach? How will it connect to work you’ve done previously? What are you looking forward to thinking about in the second half of the semester?
- If you didn’t choose to complete a Reflection Project for the first submission deadline, take some time to read through your family members’ responses below and join the conversation by replying to ideas raised in their posts.
This week, each family will hold its own conversation below. Reply to my family comment headers below, or to someone else in your family!
Remember, you can be very brief in these comments, but you need to add something new (an observation, an argument, a quotation, a question). For full instructions on participating in the discussion forum, click here. Your comment should be submitted before midnight on Wednesday.
Children of Medea (Family A): Post your comments here!
For my next Reflection Project, I am planning on doing the research project option. I think for this next project, I’m going to try to do some more planning prior to starting the written part of the project. For this research project, I’d like to learn more about how (if ever) women fulfilled more masculine roles in Greek culture. I was inspired by the character of the Amazon Alexia in the media work I analyzed in my previous reflection project. I’m looking forward to thinking more deeply about gender roles in Greek society and how they are maintained or subverted in cultures around the world as well as at home in the United States.
When thinking about my next reflection project and building off of my first one, I think I will take the artistic route and attempt to create a Spartan shield. In my first project, I wrote about the film “300” and the Spartan warriors at the Battle of Thermopylae. Researching and creating the shields they used will be a great way to build off of that and connect the two projects, while also putting myself in the shoes of the Spartans
With my first reflection project, I did a reception essay on a movie inspired by a greek myth! I think that things went well, the writing process well smoothly, I did have to watch the movie again since it had been some time since I watched it, but I was glad I had a good reason to watch it again! As for the essay, the first time I wrote it I think I went a little overboard with my summary of the movie and my analysis was a little all over the place. I would say my main goal for the first draft was to get words on the page since that tends to be the hardest part for me. But after some feedback from my peers, I was able to tidy up my work and add some much-needed analysis. I think I did a pretty good job of connecting scenes from the movie to the original myth and analyzing them, but also finding ways that they differed. For example, how movies, adaptations, etc. tend to overexaggerate ideas for entertainment.
For my first reflection project, I wrote about the relationship between Wonder Woman’s character and origin story and Greek mythology. It was super interesting to draw connections between the modernity of DC Comics and the ancient backdrop of Greek mythology. Something I did find challenging, though, was that I am not incredibly well-versed in DC Comics or Wonder Woman’s role in DC Comics, so my essay required a good deal of research about the DC Comics universe. However, I am grateful to have learned a lot about the DC Comics universe as a result of writing my reflection project.
Given that I wrote an essay for my last reflection project, I think I will attempt to go the artistic route for this next project. I’m pretty good at sketching but I’m not very good at colors so I’m thinking I do some sort of collage of “dark” myths — maybe portrayals of Arachne, Nyx, Hades, Uranus, Chaos, Artemis, etc.
One reflection project that stood out to me was Vivian’s “A Song of Medusa.” Vivian’s project consisted of 5 poems that are each based on a different version of the myth of Medusa. Her project was very intriguing as it highlighted how myths are so incredibly malleable. I really enjoyed reading her poems as well as her artist reflection where she went into depth about the inspiration for each of her poems.
For my first reflection project, I learned the importance of putting greek mythology into today’s context. I think it was beneficial in revisions to add a so what factor. While analyzing and interpreting the myth, I was pushed by my peer reviewers to explore what this myth meant for future works and the modern day. I was proud that I was able to make these connections that helped further my learning while recognizing the role greek mythology had played.
For my next reflection project, I am planning to write a reception essay on Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes. This book is a retelling of sorts of the Medusa story, and I’d like to continue to focus on the figure of Medusa, since I structured my artistic project around her. The book also delves into other aspects of mythology, such as the Gigantomachy, and I am looking forward to spending some time researching connections between seemingly disparate mythological events. I also listened to an interview with Haynes wherein she discusses the inextricability of Athena and Medusa. This idea, and the resulting roles that the two women play in Haynes’s novel, is fascinating to me, and I am excited to write about how I see their connection and relationship.
For my next project, I’ll be doing a research paper. I decided to focus on scholarly articles analyzing Ovid’s depiction of Orpheus and Eurydice, specifically Orpheus’ persuasive speech to Hades. I wanted to look into critique of this myth because it has been adapted into one of my favorite films, Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Because I wrote on a cinematic adaptation of another myth for my first reflection project, I thought it would be interesting to look into other forms of commentary and study of Greek myth while still keeping artistic adaptation in mind as a jumping off point.
For the first reflection project related a song to the myth of Daedalus and Icarus. I thought it went pretty well, and I liked how it forced me to listen to the song from many different viewpoints in order to get the most analysis out of it as possible. I was happy that the feedback I got opened up a new aspect of the song that I was able to incorporate to heighten my analysis. I think that through my analysis I was able to better understand my favorite myth.
I really enjoyed writing my first reflection project. I didn’t know anything about what I wrote about until I was told about it by a friend. I wrote about the song “Cult of Dionysus” by the Orion Experience. And I compared it with the Bacchus, a story about Dionysus taking revenge on his hometown, who exiled him and his mother. I really enjoyed seeing how the song and the myth fit together, and how they didn’t. And I really thought it was cool a whole song got written on this ideal of Dionysus’ crazy cult. On my next project, I am going to do the creative choice. I love writing fiction, so I’m going to do something like that, involving what my role in Greek mythology would be, or what I think it would be, but I have no idea exactly what yet, but I’m confident I will get it done.
For my first reception project, I compared Disney’s movie Hercules to the Greek myths about Heracles. I argued that Disney changed Heracles’ story to portray the characteristics of a modern-day hero rather than a Greek hero through Disneyfication. I think I did a good job backing up my argument by including information presented in class and outside research about Heracles’ story. I believe that my revisions were beneficial in turning my draft into a comprehensible final paper. Based on the comments, I changed the organization of the paper, which helped it to flow better. I also compressed the information about Heracles to make it less overwhelming.
For my first reflection project, I analyzed two different works of Romantic poetry about Prometheus: a poem by Lord Byron and the opening to a play by Percy Shelley. My first draft was a bit scattered: it had analysis of the separate poems without much connection between them. The feedback from my peers helped me focus the essay more on uniting themes of the poems. One interesting aspect that arose during my analysis was how the choices that the poets make in their adaptations are very telling of their contemporary and personal beliefs, like how Byron and Shelley’s praise of Prometheus’ free thinking is representative of their general admiration of individualism.
For my next reflection project, I am really looking forward to doing the research option! So far my research and readings have been really interesting and engaging. I am researching Homer’s Odyssey and different scholarly opinions about symbolism throughout the epic. It has been really interesting to explore other’s opinions and ideas. I am really looking forward to reading Circe this semester!
In my last reflection project I feel like I used the feedback I got from my classmates well and changed my essay accordingly. I did a reception project so now I am going to a research paper. I feel like my last paper lacked an advanced vocabulary so I am currently trying to expand that for all my writing as well as being very cohesive. I was impressed by my peers creativity. I enjoyed both the works I reviewed because I was actually interested in both of them, they took a unique work and analyzed it especially the KPOP song that was written about!
For my second project, I decided to do a creative project. I am always pleased to do creative work in order to switch up my mind for a little bit. So I chose to write a hymn inspired by some other ones that I read before. It is also an extension of my previous project. I am writing about Dionysus again. But differing from the last project, which was a retelling of Dionysus’ myth, in this project I chose to stick entirely with ancient texts (various hymns) and used them as examples to compose my own hymn. It was a really interesting and novel process.
I think my first reflection project went fairly well. I opted to write a reception essay on a specific painted shield by Caravaggio that I found very interesting. Throughout the essay-writing process I found myself really appreciating the feedback I was given. My first draft was under the word count, so I needed some more content while writing the final draft, and my peers’ comments guided me on places in the paper that I could add more information, and also places that I could even do some more research. For my second project I am working on a research paper, also likely focusing on pieces of artwork.
For my next reflection project, I’ll be writing it on the video game Hades. I haven’t played it yet though (that’s something to grind for this week) but I’m really looking forward to combining my favorite passtime (videogames) with class. Considering my last reflection project went surprisingly well, I’m looking forward to writing this one about something that I already was interested in playing.
I’m really excited for this next reflection, because it’s based on an idea I had awhile ago. It started with the whole conversation that Odysseus and Polyphemus have where Odysseus defines himself as “Nobody”. I thought about that instead of being a trick, it’s almost admitting defeat- Odysseus has this great and legendary name, and to say that he is ‘Nobody’ is to rob him of his identity. Then, I started thinking about my own struggles with mental illness, and realized that there’s a lot of opportunity for metaphor in the Odyssey. So, I’m making a comic based on books 9-12 of the Odyssey, comparing Odysseus telling his story to revisiting your trauma in therapy, with Polyphemus and the other monsters representing depression and hopelessness.
My first project went very well. I wrote about Artemisia Gentileschi’s Minerva, a painting without very much information available. I really enjoyed the process of hunting this painting down and researching it. For my second project, I am doing a proposal of how Medea could be staged, complete with set, props, costumes, etc.
For my first reflection project, I analyzed a science fiction movie called Prometheus. This work was inspired by a play also called Prometheus staged at Bryn Mawr. In this play, the creator used Chatgpt to simulate a discussion about the future with Prometheus. On the one hand, it showed the progress of modern science and technology, but on the other hand, it shows the creator’s concern about the replacement of humans by machines. Similar to the play, the film also connects the fire in the myth with the black fluid in the plot, and through this black fluid defines the relationship between human beings and their “creators.” When I was writing the first draft, I just wrote down my chaotic ideas without any deep logical arrangement. Thanks to my peers, they read my article carefully and annotated the points I didn’t make clear.
I am very excited for my next reflection project. I am going to combine my love of LEGOs and curiosity about the greek myth Sisyphus and design a LEGO project that references some of the most well known aspects Sisyphus’ character, the most obvious being his punishment of rolling a boulder up a hill for eternity. This project won’t really connect to my previous submission, but I hope to gain a deeper appreciation knowledge for Sisyphus as a character.
My first project was very enjoyable as I prepared and wrote over a long period of time. This gave me the ability to spend more time thinking and rewatching the movie I wrote about. For my next reflection project, I am aiming for a more academic assignment, as I will be pursuing the research based project. I think both writing about a movie in addition to researching will provide me with a very broad view of classical mythology.
For my second reflection project, I will be looking at one of my favorite Greek tragedies that I read in high school by Sophocles, Oedipus Rex. There are lots of themes in this play surrounding Greek beliefs on fate and free will, and I am exploring this themes and their broader meaning by looking into scholarly work about the play. It will be cool to look at a deeper meaning of the play than I have previously when I read it in English class when I was younger.
For my next reflection project, I will be taking the artistic route. I will be drawing from a specific mythological myth, still undecided, and creating a type of song or poem. I will use a song and create lyrics based on a certain story. The goal will be to tell a story through a song while adding some humorous notes.
For this project, I think I want to focus a bit on narration and storytelling. I found some cool articles that explore these topics. Narration and storytelling are woven into the fabric of the story and epic itself, and as such, I think would be really interesting to dive fully into. It will be interesting also to switch from the reflection side to the research side to compare what some of the insight of other scholars says about some of the topics we’ve covered.
My initial idea for my second reflection project was to look at the Studio Ghibli movie, Spirited Away, as a retelling of both Circe and aspects of Persephone being taken and trapped by Hades in the underworld. I’m interested in this because it’s not a pure retelling but incorporates many of the motifs of these myths with parents being turned to pigs by eating the food of the spirit realm. There is also an uncrossable river between the spirit and real world that recalls the river styx of the Greek underworld. I will overall explore these themes. If I had more time or page space I would have loved to also research the overlap of the Greek myth references with those of Japan (the country of origin of the film).
I think that this idea is really interesting. The mix of genres (ancient stories and anime) makes for what seems like an unusual pairing for a re-telling. I would love to see this kind of project come to life in exploring how these themes are both intentional but also cross many histories as the film reference both Greek and Japanese myth. Especially the idea of the spirit realm in all of these stories is interesting as this idea comes from so many different cultures.
Children of Artemis (Family B): Post your comments here!
I really liked doing a response paper for my first reflection paper and enjoyed reading others’ papers as well and seeing how Greek mythology is still present in our culture and storytelling today. For my next reflection paper, I think I will research something about Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, a trilogy of plays depicting what happens to Agamemnon and his family after he returns from Troy. I read this trilogy in high school and really liked exploring the character of Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, so I was thinking of researching what scholars have written about her in this trilogy.
For my next reflection project I am thinking about analyzing a ballet called “Apollo” which shows his birth, interaction with three muses and then assent to Olympus. As we talked about in class, the performance of works like “Trojan Women” involved a chorus of dancers and I am excited to think about how this ballet might relate to or carry on the spirit of dancing being a part of the way myths were communicated.
For my first reflection project I compared the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with the movie Moulin Rouge. I liked being able to critique the movie in a way I wouldn’t have even considered without noticing the parallels between the two stories. Likewise, the characters in the movie also lead me to understand the myth in a new way. I realized there are some consequences with the typical interpretations of the two stories as they ignore a lot of the hardship faced by the female characters, so with my revisions I turned my essay into a critique of the typical understandings and weighed their implications.
For my next Reflection Project, I will be completing a Reception Project by comparing and contrasting Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad with Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey. The Penelopiad discusses Odysseus’ journey from the viewpoint of his wife, Penelope. I think it will be interesting to compare these two stories, as the differences in perspectives (i.e. that of Penelope versus that of Odysseus) could have important implications on my understanding of Odysseus’ journey. Based on our discussion of The Odyssey thus far and my reading of The Penelopiad, it will also be important to examine various overlapping or potentially conflicting themes that remain prevalent in both of these narratives.
One of the reflection projects that I read was Grace’s analysis of “Pirates of the Caribbean.” I found this project to be really interesting. One thing that I learned about was the connection of the Sirens in both the movie and throughout Greek mythology, such as texts like The Odyssey. I think what resonated with me the most was when Grace mentioned the Sirens that attempted to lure out Odysseus and his crew, but they were able to evade capture thanks to Circe’s warning. I found this link to the Sirens within “Pirates of the Caribbean” to be intriguing throughout her reflection.
I never thought about this connection! It’s interesting how Grace was able to draw parallels between the movie and the sirens in Greek mythology, and how they are both depicted as dangerous creatures using their seductive powers to lure sailors to their doom. I also agree that the part about Odysseus and his crew being able to evade capture thanks to Circe’s warning was particularly noteworthy. Moreover, I believe that these connections to classical mythology in popular culture not only demonstrate the influence of these ancient myths, but also serve as a way for modern audiences to connect with these stories and themes in a more relatable way. Overall, I think that Grace’s analysis of “Pirates of the Caribbean” provides a compelling example of how classical mythology can continue to inspire and inform contemporary storytelling.
For my next Reflection Project, I plan on doing a research project that discusses the question of whether the Medea of Euripides achieves heroic status using 2-3 journal articles. Fatoumata’s research project on Euripides’ Medea as a feminist play inspired my interest in this topic. As I began researching Euripides’ Medea, I noticed that multiple journal articles discussed whether Medea achieves heroic status and that the authors had conflicting views. This topic connects back to class discussions we have had throughout the semester about epic and tragic heroes.
This sounds similar to my first reflection project! I analyzed Medea’s depiction in Ovid’s Heroides, a collection of fictional letters by mythological women towards men who have wronged them. I analyzed numerous interpretations of this letter by scholars, particularly two, one which depicted her as a victim and one as a wrongdoer in her own right. I was interested in doing this as I had done research on the character before and was interested in reading more in preparation for Euripides’ play. I think that your project will be super interesting, as adding feminist interpretations to this play will add a new dimension to the question of her heroism.
I feel that my first reflection project went very well, especially after revisions. I reviewed scholarship on Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King”. I really appreciated my peer reviewers suggesting that I bring more of my own voice out through the piece and having a stronger opinion rather than just focusing on presenting the arguments of the works of scholarship accurately. I am excited to take this lesson learned to my next reflection project and will be mindful of having a stronger and clearer argument of my own.
I truly enjoyed working on the first reflection paper. I wrote my essay on a play called “The Zeusical” which is a musical about some very familiar Greek gods. It is explained in a very comedic youthful way. I enjoyed learning about different ways that Greek mythology is shared. It is very unique that we still include Greek mythology into modern day story telling. Going forward, I am excited to analyze new pieces related to mythology in a creative way.
I found the creative project really fun and engaging. I love to create art but this was the first time I wrote a poem. I felt inspired to write a poem using the myth of Medusa, specifically Persus beheading Medusa, as a metaphor. I was able to lean further into the myth as I tried to incorporate details into the poem. The revision process was helpful to pinpoint parts that I needed to clarify.
I found the creative project really fun and engaging. I love to create art but this was the first time I wrote a poem. I felt inspired to write a poem using a Greek myth as a metaphor. I was able to lean further into the myth as I tried to incorporate details into the poem. The revision process was helpful to pinpoint parts that I needed to clarify.
For my first Reflection Project, I chose the reflection prompt. I wrote about one of the most popular modern retellings of a Greek myth: Zack Snyder’s 300. More specifically, my essay focused on how certain aspects of the film were essentially using Ancient Greek mythology as a vessel to spread hatred, such as the xenophobic depictions of the Persians. I focused on the very black-and-white presentation of the conflict, as well as the broader implications of an unquestionably evil group of “backwards” nonwhite foreign invaders pitted against a group of hypermasculine white men protecting their homeland, particularly in post-9/11 America. I’ve always despised that movie for many, many reasons, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to deconstruct just one of its many problematic elements.
I did my first reflection project on the mythological accuracy of Disney’s Hercules. I think it went pretty well, and it was fun to get to watch a kid’s movie as part of my research. I’m proud of the connections I made between the movie’s portrayal of Herakles and American culture, especially as it pertains to dominant values of Christianity. I also liked putting the movie in the context of kleos/heroism that we have been talking about in class, and I found that the kind of sanitized modern heroism present in Hercules is very similar to that of The Lightning Thief. Through revision I was able to workshop a lot of my original essay into a work that was ultimately stronger and more cohesive. My partners’ feedback was very helpful because it helped me learn what my essay was communicating and what it wasn’t.
For my next reflection project, I plan to research Euripides’ Bacchae and investigate the scholarship surrounding it. I’m curious about Dionysus as a sort of “liminal deity,” caught somewhere between masculinity and femininity, the East and the West, etc., and the discarding of social norms which occurred during his festivities. I’m also excited to see Euripides’ interpretation of Dionysus and his followers, as a playwright who “rejected the gods of Homeric theology,” according to Britannica, and depicted the gods “as irrational, petulant, and singularly uninterested in meting out ‘divine justice'” instead.
I’m really proud of my first project! I know it’s a niche topic, but I think the work that went into making my subclasses look exactly like those found in the Player’s Handbook was really cool. For my next reflection, I think I’m going to do a reception paper on Xanadu, a weird movie from the 80s with roller skating muses
One reflection project I read that stood out to me was JJ Stein’s analysis of the animated Disney movie “Hercules.” I think it is really intriguing to take a movie that was made for children and be critical about what that story is telling us. JJ discusses how the movie censors the story of Hercules by taking out a lot of violence, especially sexual, and manipulating the myths to more closely resemble the values of Christianity. For example in the movie Hades and the underworld are made to be the embodiment of evil, which is more similar to depictions of Hell than how the myths portray the underworld. Hercules is also made to be the son of Zeus and Hera in the movie whereas int he myth he is a result of one of Zeus’ many infidelities with mortals. I thought the insight to see that the changes made to the story reflected Christian values was very compelling. JJ’s essay made me wonder about if the manipulation of this story for an animated movie for kids is ethical and if they should not have tried to make an adaptation of the myth at all.
For my first reflection project, I examined the parallels between Marvel’s Iron Man and the Myth of Icarus. Overall, I feel that the project went well. I am proud that I was able to choose a topic that interested me. However, in the first draft, I included too much summary about Marvel and Greek mythology, which was not particularly relevant to my analysis. As a result, I did not have enough analysis in my essay. The feedback that I received from my partners was helpful because I was uncertain about how much background information was necessary to explain the parallel to the reader.
I want to do an artistic project on Orpheus and Eurydice. It’s a sad love story. It does connect what I’ve previously done because Medea is about betrayal by someone you love and getting revenge. While their story is about loving someone too much and getting heartbroken by your own decisions. I am looking forward to reading Circe. She’s just so cool for being a hero and being known as a voice for women in greek mythology.
My first reflection project was really interesting, because it pushed me to reflect back on a book I read in high school and dig deeper into its themes. I enjoyed reading The Song of Achilles at the time, but I had not given deeper consideration into how the author revamped and revised the classic tale of Achilles.
My first reflection project was really interesting, because it pushed me to reflect back on a book I read in high school and dig deeper into its themes. I enjoyed reading The Song of Achilles at the time, but I had not given deeper consideration into how the author revamped and revised the classic tale of Achilles. I found it interesting to compare the Iliad to her novel, and how the authors portrayed the relationship of Achilles and Patroclus.
Children of Cerberus (Family C): Post your comments here!
I enjoyed getting to read Tali’s reflection of the novel The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, as I also wrote my reflection about this week. It was interesting to see how we had different interpretations of the same characters. It was also interesting to see what quotes Tali considered the most important in analyzing the book, and thus choose to include in her essay; some of our quotes overlapped but even so we used them in a different context.
I really like the theme of unraveling misconceptions about classic myths like I did with my first reflection project about Achilles and Patroclus. I am thinking about doing something related to Medusa and her tragic story for the next reflection project. I want to continue the theme of investigating and showing the truths to these stories, like how misunderstood Medusa is to the public, to analyze the way modern society retells greek myths.
I think things went relatively well with my first reflection project. I am really passionate about the subject I chose to talk about, and I think that was clearly reflected in the strength of my writing. I’m proud of the piece I wrote overall, as it covers real aspects of society that we need to truly rethink and try to change, like patriarchal ideas and a culture of victim blaming. With help from my revision partner I was able to cut down some sentences that were run on sentences and more clearly communicate my strong points and ideas, bettering the piece as a whole. I really want to learn, and do more projects and readings on Medusa and her story.
I agree with Sara! I think my reflection project also went really well, and it was also really fun! I watched Hercules (the Disney one) to do my reflection project on how it differs from myths and their modern tellings. I think the most fun part was being able to write about a very fun movie, and for my next project I’m thinking of doing more of an academic paper, unless I find another fun myth movie to watch! I’m excited for the next one as there’s many recreations of the myths in modern times.
For my next reflection project I definitely think I want to take the artistic approach whether thats building something like a shield or making a painting. There is such a rich history imbedded in greek mythology that I think will be super fun to explore in the process of creating a physical project.
I really agree with this. Theres such a vital aspect of greek mythology that goes into artistic interpretation that’s hard to get at when writing a paper. I’ve also been thinking that I want to try doing an artistic project even though its definitely not my strong suit, since it’ll be a different kind of project and help me see greek mythology in a less purely scholarly and more wholistic manner.
For my next reflection project, I am thinking about doing the artistic approach. I wrote about a painting in my first reflection project and I find artistic depictions of classic Greek myths to be very fascinating and open to interpretation. From last class, I found Bearden’s collages extremely engaging and subversive in terms of color, composition, and subject matter/interpretation. Right now, I am considering taking on my own approach to depicting Circe, the misunderstood sorceress who has a foot in both the human realm and the godly otherworld
I think my first Reflection Project went well. I enjoyed comparing the Disney movie “Hercules” to the Ancient Greek myth “Heracles”. I found many similarities between the two, but also a number of alterations which cater to the movie’s new audience. In my revision I wrote more of an introduction to properly set up my essay and present the comparison.
I read Ben’s reflection on the movie Troy and I really liked some of the themes he brought up. He talked specifically about choices that the movie made to express semi-political ideas, using classics. His essay felt very in-line with what we’ve been talking about.
I did an artistic reflection where I wrote a short story about Persephone and Demeter, and reflected on the demonization of their relationship in lots of modern media, while also thinking about the romanticization of Persephone and Hades. Going forward, I kind of want to continue with this line of thinking and write my next reflection on other portrayals of Hades and Persephone.
I read both Rebecca’s and Vivienne’s projects. I thought both of their projects were unique and super creative! In Rebecca’s reflection project, she compared the characters and scenes from the Trojan War to the characters and songs in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Throughout the essay, Rebecca compared the main characters, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton to Achilles and Hector. Vivienne took a different approach than Rebecca and chose the artistic prompt. Vivienne drew an impressive abstract piece that analyzed different aspects of ancient and modern art. Vivienne portrays the idea of blooming, fragmentation, and life & faith in her drawings and throughout her reflection.
I enjoyed reading Claudia’s artistic reflection on the myth of Hades and Persephone. I enjoyed that this reflection de-romanticized the myth and instead tried to focus more on the wholesome relationship between Demeter and Persephone. This subtle change allowed Persephone to interact with Hades more realistically. It also characterizes Persephone as being less crazy or possessive than in traditional versions, which I found interesting to read.
For my reflection project, I focused on the original Greek myth surrounding the story of Hades and Persephone, and the reinterpretation/retelling of the myth through Louise Glück’s poem, A Myth of Devotion. I think that something that was really helpful for me was peer feedback about how to organize and structure my writing, because that can be something I struggle with in terms of over-writing or going too much into detail in some areas, and not enough into others. I think the feedback I got was really interesting in terms of helping to guide the flow of my writing, which was exactly what I was hoping for. I think I was happy with how I tried to piece together the original myth and the poem, and how I tried to analyze the poem’s meaning in the context of the myth. It was really helpful to have insight through the revision process from my group members in terms of how to structure my writing better and make it a bit more clear and concise.
One reflection project I read and really enjoyed was Lyvia’s essay on Francisco Goya’s painting Saturn Devouring His Son. I loved her art historical analysis of the painting. The context in which Goya painted was also very interesting to me. Saturn Devouring His Son is one of Goya’s Black Paintings, aptly named because they were painted during a very dark period in Goya’s life. Lyvia’s essay got me wondering about classical motifs in Goya’s other work.
My reflection project was super helpful for me to go back and reflect on a piece of art that I had already loved so much. My reflection piece on the broadest musical Hadestown, allowed me to actually sit and listen to the lyrics and help me understand the deeper meaning of the production. Greek myths have always been relevant in attempting to explain natural phenomena in our world, but I never realized how they could so easily translate into our world and society now. While exceptionally problematic, the parts of Greek myths that serve as warnings to society actually hold a lot of truth to them. Hadestown to me represented a growing separation from industry and nature and how the two no longer work in tandem and how industry now abuses its power over nature resulting in climate change.
For my first reflection project, I chose to draw parallels between the musical Hamilton and the Iliad / larger themes about the Trojan War. I was first drawn to this idea when Professor Farmer asked us the significance of Hector’s stream of consciousness before he was killed; it reminded me of Hamilton’s soliloquy in The World Was Wide Enough. Although I was originally just going to write about the parallels between the two works, I found a deeper meaning about the evolution of grief and glory throughout time. Using my peer editor’s [Lena and Vivienne] comments, I realized that definitions of glory and legacy have changed throughout cultures. The ancient Greek definition of legacy and fame thus cannot apply to the modern era. This essay really helped me understand the value of studying Greek mythology.
For my next reflection project I’m thinking of doing a reception piece. I have some ideas on looking at novels, shows, or songs and examining their depictions of the Greek Gods because I find their stories differ in portrayal depending on their creators and the era it’s made in. In my first reflection project I talked about Odysseus and his anti-heroism, so this time I want to move on from the heroes and onto the immortals. I’m looking forward to talking about the Gods and am really excited about our Circe unit.
For my next reflection project I am planning on discussing how Margaret Atwood’s Pennelopiade takes Penelope and the “maids” from the Odyssey. I want to discuss what kind of retelling it is, because one might at first assume it to be a feminist one (by focusing on Penelope), but from what little I’ve read so far, I find that Penelope has some rather unkind things to say about Helen. I just kind of want to think about what it is doing as a retelling.
When reading my partner’s reflection papers, I appreciated the diversity of the subjects they explored. Garret’s was about a recreation of the myth of Eurydice and Orpheus by a Rice University theater group. It was interesting how some simple changes, whether for a presentation restricted by the many scarcities of a college presentation, or to make it more comical or contemporary, led to a devaluing of the significance of the story. It causes it to lose something the ancient story, and presumably presentation, had that elevated them to being reproduced centuries later. Claudia’s project was on a re-writing of the myth of Hades abduction of Persephone. This is a myth I’ve always had trouble with as it vilified Demeter, Persephone’s mother, for her grief which causes the whole world to suffer. The abduction of Persephone, as it is described in the myth, was supported by Zues and many other gods until the consequences were exposed by Demeter’s actions. Claudia’s short story develops the relationship between Demeter and Persephone and demonstrates how Hades is most definitely the villain of the story and Demeter is more than justified in her grief. Overall, while they were two different projects, both my partners touched on how little it takes to shift a narrative’s purpose.
In my last reflection project, I did an artistic interpretation of the Trojan War, specifically the ways both Trojan Women and the Iliad grapple with death and memory. I was inspired by the art of Cy Twombly and the poetry of Wallace Stevens for this piece, and the ways each, directly or indirectly, dealt with Greek Myth and the interdependence of life and death. Overall, I was happy with how my project came together!
Children of Nobody (Family D): Post your comments here!
One reflection project that stood out to me was Jill’s reflection. In her reflection, she connected the idea of the fates to the song “Invisible String” by Taylor Swift. She showed how both the song and the fates show humanity’s inescapable destiny. This project really stood out to me because even though I have heard this song before I have never thought of it as an instance of the reception of Greek myth. Jill did a great job making the connection and I thought it was a really unique project!
I fully agree with Ellie, Jill’s reflection project opened my eyes to the connection between Taylor Swift and greek mythology. Jill’s project made me realize how prevalent ancient greek mythology is in the media we consume daily. The story and connections to greek mythology remain strong even as the language used to convey them changes to become more easily understood/relatable to us and our world now.
So far, I’ve been looking at the myth of Callisto and how myths about women and rape have been received and analyzed based on social norms. In my second reflection project, I plan on doing a creative project where I rewrite the myth to see what new perspectives might arise. I will focus on Callisto’s perspective, which is not something that was done in the version by Ovid that I read.
I thought that Ellie’s reflection was really interesting. Using food as a medium for a creative project is something that I might not have considered, but it provided me with new insights. It really highlighted how present Greek myth is in modernity, not only in academic spaces but also in our everyday lives. I enjoyed reading about the story of the olive tree and how olives have been used in different recipes throughout the years.
I would have to agree with Deklan. I would say that Ellie’s Reflection Project was one that definitely stood out to me as I had not thought of food as a medium to discuss. While most including myself chose to write about music, films, books, and others, I had not once thought to explore food and it’s importance in Greek myths. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this Reflection Project, especially about how Ellie made these olive dishes herself. I loved how she incorporated art and its ties to food as well.
One thing I am excited about incorporating more in my next reflection project that I came across during the first is the way mythology is incorporated into pop culture. For example, in my first project I came across an amazon advertisement featuring Medusa and it was a really interesting way to see mythology incorporated and I would like to see more of that.
I feel the same way as Keira. For my reflection project, I connected ideas from the Odyssey and other ancient texts to Circe through the lens of feminism. I enjoyed doing research for this project, and I’d love to look at more sources that I’ve never heard of before and be able to see how they are connected with Greek mythology. One thing I came across was a book discussing video games and how they take a lot of inspiration from greek myths, which is something I definitely want to look into at some point.
A reflection project that stood out to me was by Kit McCaney. Kit was one of my feedback partners, so I had the opportunity to read her paper. She wrote a reception essay on the Broadway show, Hadestown, which she saw in person. This was particularly interesting because most of the other reception projects I had seen were about movies or books. I like how Kit talks about the style of the poetry and story while also mentioning how the show tackles social issues of climate change and poverty. She also touches on how the play compares to the structure of traditional Greek theater in a very intriguing argument. I also like that she discusses how this play structure affects the audience and their perception of the story, particularly how they become immersed in a modernized version of the Greek tragedy.
One reflection project I found to be really creative was Ellie and Eva’s take on greek mythology through food. They made an ancient greek inspired dish using olives and both shared really interesting responses on the significance of olives and the olive branch in greek myths. I definitely enjoyed their creative and distinct take on their reflection, and I am feeling inspired to take a similarly creative route in my next reflection.
A reflection project that stood out to me was Cynthia Clark’s because it compared a musical with a myth. She compared the musical, Hadestown, with the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, neither of which I was familiar with previously. Despite not being familiar with the material, I found her writing to be very interesting because she highlights the creative choices that were made in musical such as the use of bluegrass music and how it contributes storytelling and the focuses on relationships between characters. Reading this has made me more interested on how creative choices affect the way a story is received by an audience.
The tarot cards that were distributed at the beginning of the class have been a source of inspiration for both of my Reflection Projects. While I have used tarot cards to brainstorm character development, I had never considered using an entire suit for storytelling in its natural progression of number, as is done in the New Mythic Tarot. Parsing through the Swords suit in my first RP highlights the flowing and active nature of the Minor Arcana for me. For my next project, I plan to draw the Queen of Swords as Medea, staring at the hanging bodies of her two sons, inspired by a scene in Lars Von Trier’s movie adaptation of the myth. I want to explore how to depict court cards in the middle of a story, rather than simply having them pose for a photo, as is often the case in other decks. I wish to experiment with perspective and color to maximize the emotions (as Medea deserves), at the same time incorporating Aleister Crowley’s interpretation of the card if possible.
I really enjoyed your analysis of the tarot cards you chose. Tarot in general is something that I have always dismissed as tools for phony hocus pocus. I never really considered any further analysis of the imagery they used or the stories they may tell until I read your essay. Your essay made me delve deeper into the subject and it really made me interested in their history. Apparently, tarot cards originally were part of the standard deck of cards, i.e. 56 normal cards plus 21 ‘trump’ cards and a wild card, the fool. These cards were used in a game of ‘trick taking,’ where cards of higher value beat out cards of lower value, like pinochle. Three surviving decks from the 15th century were carefully painted for two royalty or a high-ranking military officer. Some decks included more trumps that symbolized virtues in religion like faith, hope, and charity.
For my reflection project I chose the “reaction paper” option. I picked a modern and loose interpretation of the Odyssey, the Coen brothers’ film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”. I chose to examine the differences and the similarities between these two stories. Additionally, the Coen brothers found a number of interesting ways to play with the viewers’ expectations especially since many people would be familiar with the Odyssey going into seeing their film. The film has a shocking amount of similarities to the classic story while also feeling highly original. I would recommend everyone from the course view “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”!
With my reflection project, I was most excited to talk about how Hadestown mimics the style of a Greek tragic play with their set design. It honors the history of the myth while giving a unique experience for lovers of Broadway and musicals. With revisions, I was able to get out of my own head with the help of my editors and add more context to the differences and similarities of the myth and the musical, as well as the modern goals of Hadestown. With more time and space, I would have loved to add more content as to the perhaps negative implications of the adaptation as suggested by my peers, such as how maybe a timeless format is not the best place to advocate for immediate change for things like climate change.
One reflection project that stood out to me was done by Sam Millie, who was also my feedback partner. I really enjoyed his interpretation of Disney’s “Hercules” movie. What I found really interesting was the focus on how this version of Hercules portrayed him entirely as a hero, rather than bringing any of his negative qualities into the movie. This entirely changes the view of Hercules into a character with extremely high morals. He also focused on the negative implications of Disney doing this, as well as pointing out how they made greek mythology adaptable to a younger audience. Overall, I really enjoyed how he pointed out both positive and negative implications of Disney’s portrayal of a classic greek myth.
One of the most interesting reflection projects I read was Sophia Miranda’s. She discusses the role of women in Greek mythology through a feminist lens and juxtaposes ancient texts to Madeleine Miller’s Circe. My favorite part was when she was discussing Cassandra. She explained that, to a modern reader Cassandra is pretty powerless: she is being enslaved and forced to leave her homeland, and she knows this will result in her death. However, as Sophia explains, in ancient context when it was normal for women to have no agency whatsoever, Cassandra is progressive. She “enthusiastically agrees to go off with Agamemnon… because she knows that Agamemnon will die,” which “gives the impression in her mind that she, in a way, is killing Agamemnon by accelerating the process and being compliant.” Reading this helped me better understand Cassandra‘s character. She seems powerless to us in modern times, but in ancient Greece it seemed that she had more autonomy than usual, and that just going along with everything was as good as killing him herself. After reading Sophia’s essay, I wished I could ask Euripides why this was his intent when he wrote her. Something else that stood out to me in Sophia’s essay was when she explained why it is important to discuss these topics: to help with “formulating ideas about what we can do better for equal rights today.” I wonder if Euripides was setting out to help his audience “formulate ideas about… equal rights” (or at least improved rights) when he chose to portray Cassandra in this way.
For my project, I looked at Francisco Goya’s “Saturn Devouring His Son”, and I really found it interesting to dive into a myth solely based off of an image and gather interpretations from there. Something else that was illuminated for me through my reflection project was how so much of the emotion and meaning of a myth could be conveyed in such a simple form. For my next project, I think it might be interesting to try and write the version of the myth that Goya depicts and interprets, perhaps in a modern context.
the first reflection project went very well surprisingly. When I started writing I just kept on writing and idea were endlessly coming up, which shows how diverse and huge greek mythology really is. I was passionate about my essay because I related it to my home country which was very fun to do research about. Through revision, I was able to make better connections between paragraphs and improve my vocabulary and word choices. So far, this reflection project was a huge success.
For my next project I plan on analyzing the mythological aspects of the Assassin’s Creed game AC Odyssey. As Professor Farmer already demonstrated in several of his lectures, the game explores the rich world of the Hellenistic Poli and their theological beliefs, with the latter being physically introduced into the world, which has varying impacts on both the characters and story. My paper might be an analysis of the significance of the tools and weapons of the gods portrayed in the game, and their “cursed” properties. I am also thinking of possibly exploring the idea that these mythological accounts originated from real events and people and how that is reframed by the influence of the pantheon. Both have many avenues to explore that overlap and might even create an entirely new option to pursue.
For my next reflection project I would like to continue to focus on women in mythology. I will chose another female goddess and their mythology. I enjoyed the challenge of the first project and look forward to trying to combine modern objects with mythology.
Children of Chaos (Family E): Post your comments here!
For my first reflection project, I wrote an analysis of Percy Jackson where I discussed some flaws in the novel, such as its censorship of real content found in Greek myths, as well as it’s unintentional propagation of racist ideologies, as well as discussed some of its merits, such as its centering of individuals with disabilities such as dyslexia and ADHD, as well as its use of modern humor to make Greek mythology appeal to a wider audience. Overall, I would say that it went well, and I’m proud of how I carefully considered the merits and flaws of the book. Before this class I hadn’t considered a lot of these aspects of the novel, and I’m happy I had a chance to look at them from a new perspective. Currently, I’m in the process of revising, and in my revision I’m expanding on my goal for the essay in my intro paragraph and working on tying my paragraphs together more.
For my next project, I plan to answer the following question, “How does The Clouds critique Socrates, and does Aristophanes significantly contribute to the indictment and subsequent execution of socrates?” This I think will be an interesting study as I will gain a better understanding of how the greek theater contributed to real world events and how they had significant influence over the civilization as a whole.
I enjoyed reading my family member’s reflection projects, as well as the comments in this discussion forum about previous projects and plans for the next ones. It’s really shown to me the multitude and varied ways that greek mythology pervades our culture, which is very interesting to see. Like many people, for my next project I’m interested in doing an artistic project, because it’s something that I don’t have the option to do in other classes and will allow for a lot of creativity.
For my first Reflection Project, I wrote a research paper about the Greek myth Antigone. I was especially interested in this myth because I had read it in high school and I considered Antigone’s character a symbol of defiance and feminism. I am proud of the scholarly articles I was able to find because they were in conversation with each other. I do wish I had started doing research earlier so that I could fully flesh out all of my ideas. In my revision process, I will focus on connecting the claims of the academic texts to my overall argument and showing how Antigone’s character can be a point of reference of feminism in the Greek past.
In my reflection project I found that planning helped me to organise my thoughts a lot better. I chose to focus on “Achilles Last Stand” by Led Zeppelin which I found to be a harder task than I had initially thought. I listened to the song multiple times and wrote down my thoughts after each listening. This meant that I was able to pinpoint moments in the song that I wanted to focus and expand on. I am quite proud that I was able to get most of my ideas into the first draft so that I can spend most of my time in the revision honing the arguments that I made. I will also focus a lot on the structure of my essay in the revision so that the flow of ideas is more streamlined.
I really enjoyed reading classmates’ reflection projects! They picked up on many subtle parallels between modern works and ancient myths. I really appreciated how they went beyond the obvious allusions or parallels and analyzed the works in depth, such as how birds are used as symbols both in the song and in Ancient Greece (in Josh’s project). I also really enjoyed reading Olivia’s project, as she analyzed a Taylor Swift song I was familiar with, but she showed me a whole new perspective on the song I hadn’t previously considered!
For my first reception project I did a reception of The Song of Achilles, another book by Madeline Miller. I really found it easy to connect to things we had learned in class with a more modern twist on it. For my next project I will probably do further research into a Greek vase, about a significantly important scene in Ancient Greek myth, possibly one that is connected to a work we read in class.
For my reflection project, I compared amd contrasted the presentation of Penelope’s character in Emily Wilson’s translation of the Odyssey and in the novel, The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood. I think this essay went better than I expected but there are definitely areas which I could expand on as identified by my peer editors. I am looking forward on digging deeper into what the differences in her character demonstrate on a broader scale.
For my next project, I am considering doing something for the artistic reflection. I have previously written poetry about Icarus for an assignment for another class, so I think it would be interesting to expand on that or include other myths in a small collection of poetry.
I thought my first reflection project went well. I chose to focus my reception essay on Greek renaissance art, particularly the statues done by Bernini. It was really interesting to research as I have previously taken an art history course and could further expand my existing knowledge through writing this essay. In my revisions, I plan to expand on my analysis and go into greater depth on some of my arguments and supporting evidence.
I honestly had a really fun time while producing my first reflection project. I chose to start off with an artistic reflection project — I like doing art, both digital & traditional, and I was really struck by Hector’s shining helmet in the Iliad. I really liked the idea of trying to bring life to such a striking symbol of power and glory that could be both brilliant and fiercely intimidating to foes. I ended up doing a good deal of research into different helmet styles and what kinds of colors were used on horsetail plumes which were pretty cool to learn about.
For my first reflection project, I analyzed the song “champagne problems” by Taylor Swift in its relation to the myth of King Midas and his golden touch. Overall, I found the process to be really interesting. By looking at a song which I had listened to so many times before through the lens of a Greek myth, I was able to gain a new understanding of the song. I think that this project helped me to see how looking at different works, whether it’s a book, a physical piece of artwork, or a song, it can be very helpful to view the work with another work in mind. By connecting the two, you may gain new insight into both pieces and see things in a new light. One of the main new things that I took from my project was how in King Midas’ story, he doesn’t receive any actual consequences because everything that he messed up goes back to normal in the end. What made me realize this true lack of consequences was how in “champagne problems,” the narrator of the song does have consequences for the actions that she took and while everything goes back to normal for those around her, she is forced to live with the results that her actions caused. Overall, this realization made me see just how greedy King Midas was and even though he learned his lesson to be thankful for what he already has, he didn’t actually get punished like the narrator in Taylor Swift’s song did, and that made him a lot less likable/relatable of a character in my opinion.
I was really impressed by Emma’s reflection project. She drew Hector’s iconic helmet from book 6 of the Iliad with great detail. Since there was no specific description of the helmet’s appearance in the book, she cross-referenced several ancient vases from that time to get a general idea of the helmet’s shape and decorations. One of the creative touches I liked about her depiction was the inclusion of a laurel wreath on the helmet. Since the laurel wreath is a symbol of victory, it would make sense for a man like Hector to wear it.
For my first reflection project I chose to pursue the art-based project. Admittedly, I am not the best artist when it comes to traditional mediums like drawing, painting, and sculpting, so I decided to pursue an avenue that best fit my skillset. That led me to 3D printing two objects: zeus’ lightning bolt and Poseidon’s Trident. I was able to create the design for the lightning bolt on my own but had to work off an existing design for the trident due to its complexity. I chose these two objects for two main reasons. The first being that Zeus and Poseidon were brothers making these objects connected to some degree. Second, these objects have been used to preserve Greek myths over time. If you show someone a lightning bolt, often times Zeus will come to mind. Finally, it was a great experience to combine my passion for 3D modeling with the requirements for this assignment.
For my first reflection project, I wrote a reception project paper exploring the differences in portrayal of Hercules in classical Greek mythology, and Disney’s 1997 animated film. I was inspired by our conversation in the first class about our first exposures to Greek mythology, and wanted to examine ways that stories of heroes – even centered around the same character – have changed over time. I really enjoyed the process of comparing the two texts, and received very useful notes from my feedback group that should help to clean up the presentation of my arguments, so I’m excited to go back through and finish up the paper.
Tommy Dandino’s reflection project stood out to me because of the way he used his skills in engineering to 3D print a lightning bolt and a trident. His out-of-the-box thinking had me kind of fanboying over his project. The visual appeal and his ability to explore the worlds of both Zeus and Poseidon really stood out to me. My only question is if he would be able to make a life-size version of it.
For my first reflection project, I wrote about the relationship between Wonder Woman’s character and origin story and Greek mythology. It was super interesting to draw connections between the modernity of DC Comics and the ancient backdrop of Greek mythology. Something I did find challenging, though, was that I am not incredibly well-versed in DC Comics or Wonder Woman’s role in DC Comics, so my essay required a good deal of research about the DC Comics universe. However, I am grateful to have learned a lot about the DC Comics universe as a result of writing my reflection project.
I was thinking of doing my next reflection project on Wonder Woman. I want to explore how the writers and directors chose to introduce Diana into the modern world. For example, how Diana encounters clothes and other humans when she reaches London for the first time. Additionally, I want to look at the role of women historically, in Ancient Greece, and how Diana shifted those typical female roles in the movie. Like Orly, I anticipate having to do research about DC Comics and Wonder Woman as I do not have extensive knowledge in that area, but I am excited to learn more.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with how my first reflection project turned out, at least so far since we haven’t submitted the revisions yet. I chose to look at the musical Hadestown, which depicts the myth of Hades and Persephone, as well as Orpheus and Eurydice, in a sort of modern, New Orleans, jazz style. I think I’m most proud of my analysis of specific lyrics in the songs and the ways they reflect the themes in the actual myths, and the ideas of what myths actually are and the purposes they serve.
I also did my first reflection project on Hadestown! I focused on similarities to Ancient Greek plays and epics, along with how the setting (industrial age steampunk) impacts the way the story is told.
I chose to write about one of my favorite poets (A E Stallings), and specifically. how one of her poems engages with classical allusions. I do think that I could have produced a better project. i found that the word count really limited me; at the same time it was really rewarding for me to try and focus my analysis, as well as try to introduce a poet who has shaped so much of my thinking on classical reception to my writing group.
I enjoyed Avery’s reflection project on the poem “Lost and Found”. I liked how the essay compared the narrator’s journey to the moon to the katabasis. I also thought it was interesting that the author used poetic elements to make reference mythological figures such as the use of falling meter to represent Sisyphus. I agree that it can be difficult to stay within the word count as I had the same problem in my own reflection project.
For my next project, I plan to answer the following question, “How does The Clouds critique Socrates, and does Aristophanes significantly contribute to the indictment and subsequent execution of socrates?” This I think will be an interesting study as I will gain a better understanding of how the greek theater contributed to real world events and how they had significant influence over the civilization as a whole.
For my first reception project I did a reception of The Song of Achilles, another book by Madeline Miller. I really found it easy to connect to things we had learned in class with a more modern twist on it. For my next project I will probably do further research into a Greek vase, about a significantly important scene in Ancient Greek myth, possibly one that is connected to a work we read in class.
For my reflection project, I compared amd contrasted the presentation of Penelope’s character in Emily Wilson’s translation of the Odyssey and in the novel, The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood. I think this essay went better than I expected but there are definitely areas which I could expand on as identified by my peer editors. I am looking forward on digging deeper into what the differences in her character demonstrate on a broader scale.
For my first reflection project I looked at ways in which perceptions of the barbarian and the other through greek mythology reflect and trickle down to systems of othering today. For my next one, I’d like to look at a more contemporary version of mythology through the film 300 and examine perception and portrayal of heroes and villains. One project which was very intriguing to me was a feminist reading Antigone. This brought an interesting new perspective and a lens which I would like to continue to learn more about and explore.
For my next project, I am considering doing something for the artistic reflection. I have previously written poetry about Icarus for an assignment for another class, so I think it would be interesting to expand on that or include other myths in a small collection of poetry.
For my first reflection project I chose to pursue the art-based project. Admittedly, I am not the best artist when it comes to traditional mediums like drawing, painting, and sculpting, so I decided to pursue an avenue that best fit my skillset. That led me to 3D printing two objects: zeus’ lightning bolt and Poseidon’s Trident. I was able to create the design for the lightning bolt on my own but had to work off an existing design for the trident due to its complexity. I chose these two objects for two main reasons. The first being that Zeus and Poseidon were brothers making these objects connected to some degree. Second, these objects have been used to preserve Greek myths over time. If you show someone a lightning bolt, often times Zeus will come to mind. Finally, it was a great experience to combine my passion for 3D modeling with the requirements for this assignment.
I really enjoyed your reflection project. I thought your use of your skills in engineering in both thinking of and producing the lightning bolt and trident was quite outstanding. The way that you took and unconventional approach and applied what you knew to this class was awesome. The visual appeal and his ability to explore the worlds of both Zeus and Poseidon really stood out to me. My only question is if a life-sized version is coming soon.
the first reflection project went very well surprisingly. When I started writing I just kept on writing and idea were endlessly coming up, which shows how diverse and huge greek mythology really is. I was passionate about my essay because I related it to my home country which was very fun to do research about. Through revision, I was able to make better connections between paragraphs and improve my vocabulary and word choices. So far, this reflection project was a huge success.
I really enjoyed your reflection project. I thought your use of your skills in engineering in both thinking of and producing the lightning bolt and trident was quite outstanding. The way that you took and unconventional approach and applied what you knew to this class was awesome. The visual appeal and his ability to explore the worlds of both Zeus and Poseidon really stood out to me. My only question is if a life-sized version is coming soon.
Overall I feel that my first project went well. The same week it was due my Astronomy class was talking about constellations and their connection to mythology across different cultures and I thought that would be a great idea for a research reflection project. I really enjoyed how I was able to find a cross section between these two courses and I think it helped me better understand the information in each of them. I liked seeing where science, archeology and mythology all connect through this project. Through my revision I was able to get a second perspective that definitely made my vision clearer to readers. It also gave me ideas of different things I could connect to this topic and ways to expand that I hadn’t previously thought of