Then God started planning, sorting, organizing, shaping the raw materials, and giving specific functions to the various elements of the cosmos.
Thus will you proceed with your final creative projects: you will plan, sort, organize, shape raw literary materials, and give specific function to the various elements of texts you've read.
You have numerous options: create a board game; create original artwork, build a model; develop a story-board; write poetry; envision settings and characters; write a personalized protagonist journal; narrate a relationship between secondary characters; build something; sew something.
For this post, write a preliminary proposal for your final project. You must describe the end-product (what form will it take? what will it include? what steps will you take to create and complete it?) AND must explain how you will engage with and analyze the text(s) throughout the creative process.
This proposal MUST be posted by Wednesday, Oct. 25 at midnight. You will also need to meet with me in person the week of Oct. 30th to finalize all details.
I really enjoy poetry, music, and editing. I love the process of putting something together, especially things that rhyme. I have decided to make a rap song parody! I was hoping to take a story that was written and give it a fun, exciting twist by talking through the lens of "how does this book exemplify God's character". Here is how the process will go: I will probably write out the lyrics, as if I was writing a poem. Once I have a good enough flow, I will probably try to find a good beat to try my cover flow over. I have been recently learning how to play guitar, so I might try to work on that and try to get a solo in there or something! Lastly, I will edit the music and put it all together. I'm excited to get started!
ReplyDeleteApproved. Can't wait to hear it.
DeleteI would propose to write an essay, but I don't think it would go over too well.
ReplyDeleteInstead, I was thinking about writing a small collection of poems/songs/laments similar to the Psalms, yet from Joseph's perspective. To do this, I would analyze different parts of Joseph's story and write psalm-like poetry that mirrors the ups and downs of his life. His life parallels David's life in many ways, so it shouldn't be too difficult to utilize the genres and framework of the Psalms and look at it through Joseph's eyes.
Approved - per our conversation during office hours. You'll need to decide if the poetry is the full project or if you'll put it into an artifact/form that is also part of the project.
DeleteFor my project, I'd like to engage with the book of Esther. At the very end of the story, the book tells us that the holiday Purim is celebrated by Jews to honor Mordecai and Esther and to remember the evil deeds of Haman. I'd like to research the history of Purim and look at the traditions of the celebration and how they relate back to the story. I think it would be interesting the see how modern Purim differs from the early celebrations of Purim. For the presentation, I would like to present differences between ancient Purim celebrations and modern celebrations. I would also like to make traditional Purim food for the class (maybe the famous pastries called "Haman's ears").
ReplyDeleteWill you primarily be writing a report on Purim? I want you to do something that requires you to create something rather than report on something. Let's talk through details - we'll be able to tweak this into a good project.
DeleteI intend to re-write a biblical chapter by adding more detail and novelistic flair. The story line will remain much the same, but in order to read more like a modern story as opposed to biblical I will have to use my imagine and take some liberties in order to fill in the gaps.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. What story are you going to novelize? It will need to be an episode that offers enough breadth for novelistic elements and creativity.
DeleteI plan to take scriptures from the Bible, showing themes and imagery from the text, and putting them into photographs. I really love photography, it's a favorite hobby of mine, and I think with photography, we can see the scripture in a different, more modern way. I plan to either print or post them on a social media platform or doing it the old-school way, and putting them on a poster board. I intend to include scripture verses in what those images represent with the inclusion of the photographs.
ReplyDeleteLovely. Will there be some kind of unifying theme? i.e. how will you choose what scenes/characters/moments to include?
DeleteThroughout the Bible, there is a motif of going into the wilderness to find God. (Ishmael, Israelites, David, etc.) For my project, I want to write journal entries of some of the people who were led into the wilderness to experience God. For example, in 1 Samuel 23:13 it says that David took 600 warriors with him into the wilderness. I could write what the soldiers may have been feeling. To do this, I will use evidence from all over the Bible. I will use David's Psalms, evidence in 1 Samuel, and evidence from the Israelites in the book of Exodus.
ReplyDeleteSo this will be a collective wilderness journal rather than simply one person's thoughts? That sounds interesting. You'll need to identify the author and context so the entries can sound distinct and specific.
DeleteThroughout 1 & 2 Samuel there is constant fighting between the Israelites and Philistines. The two are almost constantly at war with each other. You think that the Philistines are finally defeated and then a few chapters later the two are back at war. For my final project I would like to create a board game in which you can chose between game pieces such as Samuel, David, Saul, Abner, and etc and you have to defeat the Philistines. I will incorporate cards which have events that happened in the books as well as certain verses.
ReplyDeleteEXCELLENT! I was hoping for at least one board game/card game. Can't wait to see what you create.
DeleteFor my final project, I want to create something that I can hang on my walls after all is said and done. I was thinking of doing two to three string art pieces (depending on how long it takes) that can be tied back to the Bible. I was thinking of doing a cross, an angel, a tree, or something else I may think of. I will tie it into the scripture by relating my pieces back to it. I will state what verses I used to draw my inspiration from and why I created what I did. We also talked about possibly doing three things that wouldn't seem like they fit together, but finding scriptures that tie them together.
ReplyDeleteYes. This. Love it.
DeleteI always loved the character of Mary the mother of Jesus. Like many other narratives, there is a great amount of details left out about her life. I would like to write a literary work that would describe how Mary might have felt when she learned that she would become the Mother of God.
ReplyDeleteI would research further into her life and the descriptions of her actions in the narrative and build from that a deeper background that would describe her personality and experiences.
This is delightful. You might build off the verse that says Mary hid all these things in her heart - likely referring to her thoughts, responses, feelings, etc. That might be the launching point for your project.
DeleteWhen we originally talked about the final project I was interested in doing genesis in memes which still is a possibility, but lately I've been getting into animation so if I can find the time to test that out I might do something involving an animation of the text. Now that we have gotten through Samuel I have found that those have been the most interesting books to me, so I might do Samuel instead of Genesis. I intend to engage the text in a less solemn way, maybe shine a more humourous light on it instead.
ReplyDeleteYes. This would be fun and engaging.
DeleteThroughout the bible there are many powerful and inspirational imagery within the text. For my final project, I will be looking at quilt blocks that have been linked to or inspired by various bible passages. With this I will create a composite quilt pattern using these designs along with what colors I think would create the most visual impact. Of course, I will also include brief notes on the blocks, where they might relate to the books and sections we've read; and about why I think they successfully convey parts of the bible into a more visual medium.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. This project still has my full approval. Can't wait to see what you land on.
DeleteI am proposing the use of textual evidence to illustrate the evolution of God in relations to man, I will be exploring the book of Genesis through 2- Samuel and if need be, I will explore further to the book of Job and Psalm, the Final Product in a narrative form will show God from physical interaction with the first Humans (Adam and Eve) to where he is just not seen to appear, but heard and how his character changes in that regard, bringing his demeanor to bear, his rage and anger and realization of emotions.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting - are you going to write a single "storyline" narrative of God? Will it be a profile of him? A biography? Let's talk about specific details to ensure it fits the criteria.
DeleteFor my project, I would like to take a few popular Bible narratives and modernize them to fit today’s culture and situations. To do this, I was thinking of the idea: “If Bible characters had Instagram,” where I would make mock accounts for important characters and post photos using the text to analyze details and visualize them, in a humorous light. For example, maybe create an account for Eve and have her post a picture of her latest apple diet. I could also go broader and make God his own account, posting pictures of his latest creations and his reactions to the mischief everyone gets into. To present this, I could pull it up on the computer, or just print off some pictures to share in class, whichever is more feasible.
ReplyDeleteMy backup plan would be to make a short video parodying Jimmy Kimmel’s “Celebrities Read Mean Tweets,” and have people dress up as biblical characters reading tweets about them from other characters. For example, someone dressed as David could read out a mean tweet directed at him from Saul. This would allow me to establish a better understand of different character’s motives and personalities.
I love the idea of rewriting and commentating Biblical characters through Instagram accounts. Let's talk about the specifics of how this would fit the assignment.
DeleteI really enjoy theater so I want to re-write the book of Jonah into a play. I might recreate it under a modern context. In order to do this, I will not only need to understand the culture and background when Jonah's story took place, but also understand why it was written and who was it written for. I will also research through both primary and secondary resources to filling the missing detail. I might also research some current social issues in order to put the story under a modern context.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I might also show staging and blocking through some paperwork. If time allows, I also want to design the lighting for the play shown through storyboards which is what I really love to do.
Excellent. Yes. Do this.
DeleteMy (vague) idea was to compare God/Jesus to Abraham/Isaac; however, Krystal proposed some other intriguing parallels and perpendiculars (???) as well. However, I will also be analyzing the idea of Jonah being in the belly of the fish for three days, and Jesus being in the tomb for threedays, as well as the anger of Cain (or maybe another biblical character) versus the repentance of Jesus. As for my mode of presentation, I plan to write poems about these three things (of course, using some form of calligraphy). Obviously, I will have to use the corresponding books to support my poetry, and perhaps I’ll have the scripture of the stories on the back of my poems. For an added layer, I may challenge myself to not using the charcter’s names.
ReplyDeleteFor the final project I would like to compose a song. Music is something I’m passionate about and it’s something I enjoy, so that is why I have chosen to do it for my final project. I have a guitar and a keyboard and recording equipment, so I have everything I will need to complete the project. I either want to write my song to be about Job or David. Both are important characters in the bible, and there is a lot I could write about either. This project will be a fun way for me to not only use the knowledge I have gained from this class to make a song, but to also do something I love.
ReplyDeleteYep. Perfect. Great idea. Go!
DeleteFor my final project, I want to incorporate my passion for digital media. I love working with Lightroom, Premiere and InDesign. I am thinking that for my final project I will use InDesign to create invites and flyers for an event in the Bible, as if it were a modern day event. I think I would use one of the feasts mentioned in Esther, or even when all the people of Israel are called to gather around when David is crowned king. I will analyze the text and pull out whatever information I can find (like who was at the feast, how long it was, etc) and then use my creativity to fill in the rest of the details. I love the ability to use my creativity along with analyzing the Bible for my final project.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea. So much.
DeleteBecause I have an interest in media and public relations, I plan to write a series of press releases about various events in the Bible for my final project. The press releases will either all be about the stories of Joseph’s life in the book of Genesis, or the stories of David’s life in 1-2 Samuel (I have not decided yet for sure). I plan to write at least 10 press releases in total (depending on how many “news-worthy” events I can decide on), each at 1-1.5 pages in length.
ReplyDeleteThe press releases will be written with a modern approach. I will have to critically read the stories of the Old Testament and decide which parts of the events would or would not be “news-worthy” in today’s world. I might also have to fill in missing details that the Bible does not include where they are needed.
The documents will include everything that a great press release must include. I will craft attention-grabbing headlines, recite important and compelling facts and numbers, and quote significant characters. I will create a unique and fitting name for my biblical PR agency, and may even design a logo for it.
The end product will be a collection of printed press releases put together in a binder with plastic sleeves.
Perfect. Wonderful. Creative and fresh idea.
DeleteFor my final project, I am bouncing around a couple of ideas. Ultimately, I would like to make it a small book that includes potential diary entries written by some of the characters in the bible. I cannot decide whether I want this to be strictly one woman, several women, or an integration of women and men’s character entries. I’d like to add drawings in with the entries to depict what is going on in a different art form as well. I think that is ultimately what I want this project to be: an art form and self expression while still keeping literary and academic structure to it. To complete this diary of sorts, I will need to get paper bound, whether that be at the Copymat or by doing It myself (which is actually not as hard as it looks). What I would like to do is to write an entry a week (hopefully several) to fill the book with entries and on the weekends draw the corresponding pictures. In regards to engaging the text, I would like to look at certain excerpts that we have read that could benefit from a sort of introspection. Although we cannot know the thoughts and feeling of these people exclusively, I would like to use this tool to give different points of view to the story. Doing this will help get across my own personal thoughts and include them in an analysis of the text, allowing thoughts to be shown in a more artistic way.
ReplyDeleteHere are some things I am considering doing:
1. Writing journal entries from a woman’s pov with illustrations
2. Writing journal entries from a group of women’s pov with illustrations
3. Writing a mix of men’s and women’s pov journal entries with illustrations
4. Writing journal entries from a mix of characters with a scope of the concept of the treatment of women and modern culture and illustrating them
5. Mixed journal entries, adding scripture on what the journal entry is based on, pictures, and poetry (written in an old fashioned way)
6. A modern take on #5, as if it were happening today
I do not want to bite off more than I can chew, so I think some of these ideas will need refinement but are a great start to a really cool final project! I’m really excited about making it.
Journal/diaries entries are a great idea. I love the addition of art. You can simply buy a blank book (quicker, easier, you can start journaling right away). You're right - you need to streamline and focus the project. Perhaps pick just one woman and write entries that show change and growth over time. OR pick two different women in the same story and journal side by side - e.g. Sarah and Hagar, Leah and Rachel, Ruth and Naomi.
DeleteFor my final project I plan to write about the story of Noah and the boat he built. To put a twist on it, I'm thinking about having the story viewed from the perspective of a marine animal that is still up in the air. I may even switch point of views between different sea life.
ReplyDeleteThis is the most unique proposal I've read - I'm trying to imagine what a marine animal POV would be like---rewriting the story of Noah is a great option. Let's talk through the details.
DeleteI really enjoy sports, so I would like to incorporate sports somehow. I have some ideas about doing a sports cast over one of the books that we have read or doing a playbook for the Bible. Either one of these ideas would require me to dive deep into a book in the Bible to come up with a detail oriented sports report. If i were to create a playbook I would have to come up with a scouting report for the people in the book I chose and then come up with ways to tackle those characters. I am not sure which story in the Bible I would chose.
ReplyDelete-Sam G
I absolutely love this idea. We need to decide what narrative episodes would work best for this. Let's meet this week to set a plan.
DeleteFor my final project, I was thinking that I could do something with football and making a some what playbook, giving like a play name for something that had happened in the Bible, I think that it would be good length and highlight something that I am passionate about.
ReplyDeleteThis would be fascinating - but we need to settle on more details. Office hours this week.
DeleteI was named after King David. Over the years I have been fascinated with seeing my own name in the Bible. When I was younger I would flip to the books of 1st and 2nd Samuel and see my name and want to know everything about David. For my final project, I plan on making a timeline of David’s life, highlighting the most iconic moments of his life. From his youth as a boy leading sheep, to killing the philistine giant Goliath, to leading the entire nation of Israel. One of my hobbies is magic so I plan on incorporating a magic tick dealing with the King of Spades. The reason for this, in the 14th century playing cards that we use today originated in Europe. The cards were painted head to toe, and at the feet of the King of Spades was supposedly a sling, thus thought to be King David.
ReplyDeleteTimeline idea is solid. Will it be digital? Designed? Hand-lettered? Include graphics? We need to settle on details. Magic - yes. For sure.
DeleteFor my final project, I aim to write a musical adapted from the story of Joseph with other adaptions (from Jonah, David, and Ester etc.) woven into the primary story. The adaptions would be based in 1930's middle-america post economic crash but pre-dust bowl. The main character would be loosely based on Joseph and the other primary characters would have experiences similar both physically and in message to the other biblical stories I adapt from. I hope to sort of use things from our American history to show the Biblical stories in a new light.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds amazing - and also very extensive. Let's settle on reasonable limits so that you're able to finish a strong and solid project.
Delete