Students from two AP English classes here met in the Brunswick Room on February 27th to have a virtual meeting with secondary school students in Puglia, Italy. Both groups interpreted Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy through mediums such as music, dance, drama and theater. Students on each side of the Atlantic shared their projects, and by extension, their “take” on Dante’s work.

 

“There’s a lot of benefit to a project like this,” said Aidan Kiergan ’23, “The Italian students could provide more expertise with Dante’s writing because it’s part of their culture. They helped us better comprehend the nuance.”

 

Gemma Cascarano ’23, agreed. 

 

“It was a great opportunity,” she said, “It was really cool. And the Italian students kept saying ’Thank you for keeping Dante alive across the ocean.’"

 

One goal of the exercise was to examine the relevance of a 14th century poem for students of the 21st century.

 

Saint Ignatius College Prep English teacher, John Hoarty said, “It helped students understand how and why educational context shapes reception and interpretation of a literary work. In this case, students could compare their take on the work to that of students for whom the work forms a critical component of the literary and linguistic national identity. On a more human level, the experience also allowed students to engage with peers on the other side of the Atlantic and develop a sense for another country’s broader approach to secondary education.”

 

Hoarty made sure to mention the virtual thought exchange would not have been possible without help.  He thanked Elizabeth Moroney of the Science Department and Franco Cirulli of the Language Department for providing excellent translation for Ignatius students.  He also thanked Tony Rosinia and Gene Shlikhutka from the IT Department for helping make overseas, visual communication possible via the live feed from Italy.

 

Turns out, it takes a village to interpret global literature!