Hayley WhiteADA10aJune 17 2015Final Reflection

Identify ways in which dramatic exploration promotes an appreciation of diverse cultures and traditions.Throughout the ages; jealousy, competition and self-ego constantly appear which makes it hard for an audience to distinguish the appropriate time period without the help of setting and culture. Because of this, my group and I found it difficult to portray these themes. There were a couple disputes when entering this project because my group and I did not portray our message as well as we could have in the very beginning. Therefore we refreshed our minds and took a turn on Greek mythology, story of Medusa and Athena, with a modern twist. The main reason as to why Greek mythology was chosen is because within different Greek gods and goddesses each one contains a certain symbol and personality. Therefore we picked certain gods and goddesses which suit a certain personality and connect it to modern day high school students. My group and I were able to make these connections because everybody is unique and at least somebody has one certain trait to those from long ago. People are different but similar. Furthermore the gods and goddesses which were chosen, besides Medusa and Athena, were Dionysus, Gaia, and Hermes. Dionysus is the God of fertility and wine; also known for festivals. Seeing that Dionysus represents similar characteristics to the stereotypical wild high school boy; it was decided to create his personality as a party animal. Gaia, also known as Gaea, was a primal Greek goddess. She is symbolized as the Earth and the mother of everything. Through analyzing Gaia, my group and I decided she would be considered as the modern day hippie or someone who is spirited and connected to nature. Lastly, the Greek God Hermes is known for being quick acting and moving swiftly. His main job was to be the messenger and the link between mortals and the Olympians. When looking at a modern day high school there are many students who illustrate Hermes. These students are considered representatives of the student council. Their job is to send important messages from the principle or anybody on top to students and teachers. Therefore the people on top are considered the Olympians and teachers and students are depict as mortals. Through the gathering and connections made with these information, my group and I were finally able to create a proper script which, we believed at the time, illustrated the theme and the hidden time period. However after the performance and asking for other audiences opinion, the Greek mythology was not easily distinguishable as we hoped it would be; even if we kept the characters the God and Goddesses names. Another reason as to why some could not get the exact message is because the story of Medusa and Athena is too broad and common. If told in a modern day twist it could represent any other typical modern day story making it seem that we did not modernize the story. Even when using different modern day and Greek mythology sources it was hard to create one trait or symbol which would make it obvious that the modern day version surrounded Greek mythology.