Project Descriptions
Aliyah Berg and Sydney Guenther | Spotify Character Playlists (Google Slides)
Songs of Ding Village
Our project utilizes Yan Lianke’s characterization process and presents it through music. By using Spotify, we were able to create personalized playlists that display characters growth and personality. Representing characters through music is important because Lianke’s story relies on them. Lianke’s story is made possible with his characters. Without his characters, there would be no story to tell. When you have a book that focuses on a pandemic, it must be all about the people as people are the victims of the disease. The characters drive his story by showing their struggles and it must be analyzed to fully understand the importance of this book.
Trayvon Crain and Gabriel Shaw | Minecraft (Bedrock Edition); world interpretation showcase, Part 1, Part 2 (Youtube)
The Blocked Dreams of a Village
The project will be created on both the PS4 and Nintendo Switch but we created short video captures of our world that will be shared.
Our project uses the popular video game, Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, to expand upon the interpreted world of Yan Lianke’s Dream of Ding Village. Using the images painted by the descriptions of this rural village, we created a world that represents our vision of the book. The setting depicted within the book plays an important role in reflecting the condition of the village during various sections of the book, emphasizing the changes happening not only to the environment but the characters within it. Characters, buildings, and memorable scenes have been reflected in a creative, blocky fashion, and demonstrates the greater themes portrayed within the book using the resources given to us in Minecraft: Bedrock Edition.
Lexus Partipilo | Nursery Rhyme/Poem (Google Drive Folder)
It Often Rhymes: Analyzing Greed in Yan Lianke’s Dream of Ding Village
My project incorporates the childlike wonder and persona of Ding Quiang, the ghost-child narrator of “Dream of Ding Village”, through nursery rhymes. By using a form of writing mainly directed for children, I am expressing the importance of the story being told from a child’s view and exemplifying how the author’s choice of narrator impacts the novel overall. Much like other nursery rhymes and fairy tales, mine sends a strong message to the audience. By paraphrasing and referring to the original story, I have carried on the initial message, “what happens when greed gets the best of oneself?” These three nursery rhymes are an abstract way of breaking down the story and theme so it can be enjoyed by multiple types of audiences.
Meadow Szoke | Literary Analysis (Google Doc)
The Sexy Lamps: Women Representation in Dream of Ding Village
This project is a literary analysis on the societal pressures and labels placed on the actions of women within the story Dream of Ding Village. The analysis highlights how women are represented more negatively, specifically in the instance of Ling Ling and Uncle committing adultery and how more fault is placed on Ling Ling. While the analysis stems from this instance, the analysis finds examples of this recurring issue of poor characterization of women throughout the novel. This is completed by the reviewing of the shame or reactions placed on the actions of women compared to their male counterparts, and especially in coordination with real life instances and challenges that faced women both in the time period of the novel and that continue to face women in China today.
Emily Richter and Devyn Klingaman | Freudian Inspired Dream Analysis (Google Slides
Freudian Inspired Dream Analysis
Our project uses a media presentation to explore the dreams within “Dream Of Ding Village” by Yan Lianke We took inspiration from Sigmund Freud’s dream theory in our dissection of the dreams. Dreams show our unconscious desires, thoughts, wish fulfillment, and motivations. Lianke, we believe, added the dreams into the story to explain events while Freud might have believed that the dreams are allowing the reader to look deeper into the character’s subconscious. This is exactly how the dreams within the novel helped our comprehension and add an interestingly creative aspect to the story. Our analysis of dreams will show how the dreams that occur within the novel give context and connect to events that unfold.
Nadia Gonzalez | Make-up Looks of Characters (Google Drive)
The Emotions of Ding Village
I created each look physically using makeup and documented each look with photographs that can be uploaded for sharing.
My project uses costume makeup to show the many emotions troubled families can have and how it really changed each character, externally and internally, in Dream of Ding Village. Through makeup, I plan to creatively embody the main characters and their emotions throughout the book. I chose to use makeup because there isn’t a limit on how you can use it to express yourself. You can also use different colors and different techniques to show emotions and characteristics. With this project, I believe I have showcased my interpretation and how Dream of Ding Village adjusted my views on the HIV/AIDS crisis in China.
Cassandra Eggen | Video (Google Drive)
The Way the Petals Fall: Flowers and blurbs.
My project consists of a variety of flowers that will be displayed and it explains the overall mood and setting of the novel “Dream of Ding Village”. Why I chose flowers is because in volume 3, chapter 1, page 80, grandpa was having a dream where there were flowers of almost every kind everywhere. Many colors were stated, “There were shades of red and yellow, purple and pink, orange and lavender and white; purple-ish red and reddish-purple, greenish-blue and blueish-green, aqua tinged with jade.”. I thought it was a great touch to add with there being so many different events happening in the novel. It shed some color where you’d think there wouldn’t be because some parts were so dark. Post comments and questions–Cass will respond promptly.
Elizabeth Waite | Script &Video Explanation/Reading (Google Drive)
Law & Order: Special episode Parody and video script interpretation
My project uses a written narrative to explore the scene in Ding Village prior to Ding Hue’s murder and after. This is a script that has been framed like an episode of Law & Order and has similar plot turns and a similar ending. Law & Order is a crime tv drama that follows detectives and whatever case they have for the episode. This formatting is perfect when looking at the events of Ding Hiu’s life because it has a lot of dramatic events that will be followed up until his death. The police will first start looking at Ding Hiu because of his illegal blood selling and they’ll be gathering evidence to make a case against him when he is then murdered. Dun Dun.
Tyesha (Diamond) Thompson | Episode 1 & Episode 2 (Google Drive)
The People of Ding Village Podcast
My podcast focuses on three characters Ding Hui, Grandad, and Ding Quaniang. In these episodes, I share our thoughts about the Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke and talk about who the characters are.