A little while ago, we received the first details of our Research Papers in college. This began with the systematic choosing of subjects, approaching moderators nervously and trying to get our heads around what to do in the space of a week.
Except for me. I've been thinking about this since about October or November. I've known for a long time what I wanted to do my Research Paper on: the Seven Deadly Sins. For the actual paper, it's boiled down to a single sin: Pride. And so, the theological, psychological and literary examinations of Pride began, with a bibliography of over thirty titles to get through. Of these, many are meant directly for the actual discussion of Pride in literature and popular media, but there are also articles and books about Sin, Pride, the Capital/Deadly Sins, Demons, Lucifer, the Devil... the list goes on.
What it has essentially done is make me look at certain things in the world in terms of Sin. It's a weird experience. I don't consider myself to be overtly religious. Yes, I have faith, but I never really thought I would look at people or their actions and consider the Sin they were committing. Don't ask me how it happened or what I think about, because if I ever knew (about the former), I've long since forgotten (in both cases).
I plan on using this research, of course. I'm getting an understanding of some of the basic principles the Church has been against for centuries, and the psychological sources and implications of the sins as I do my research. Essentially, I'm reading about what makes a person "bad".
It's the ultimate villain research.
The Research Paper will be examining a number of texts, from Doctor Faustus to Lord Sunday to Like a Rolling Stone. Yes, Marlowe, Nix and Dylan. I don't do subtlety, do I?
It will be fun, though. I love reading about this stuff. I've had ideas about how to use it all beforehand, and now I'll actually have some proper understanding of it. God, I'm turning into an adult, aren't I?
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