Here is the topic: What is the role of calligraphy (writing as art) in the objects presented in the galleries in the Met?? How prevalent is it, how widely does it appear, what kinds of objects does it appear in or on (or not)--and why is this happening?
I am suppose to get 3 topics and write 6 pages about them to answer the prompt. I have 2 so far: In islam, imagery is forbidden and considered creationism, which is why islamic artists use calligraphy AND that god said not to eat out of gold/silver plates/pottery, so islamic artists put arabic writing in it. I don't what else to write about. Can you historians help me out? Thanks :)
This question is skirting the line of the homework rule as on one hand it shows that you have done some research into the topic, but on the other is asking for ideas (even if it is just 1 of 3). I'd recommend then that you reformulate your question to ask about some of your possible ideas and we can perhaps give more substantial feedback. If you have come up with 2, surely there are others that you have considered!
In respect to your first point though on imagery, that isn't quite entirely accurate. Although imagery was frowned upon in many circles, it isn't expressly forbidden in the Qur'an and it may be wise to qualify your statement away from being so definitive. I wrote a little on this subject here in response to a manuscript illustration currently on display at the Met.
A source you may be interested in regarding calligraphy is Paper Before Print: The History and Impact of Paper in the Islamic World by Jonathan Bloom. In particular, chapter 3 focuses on written Arabic and the "culture of writing". I used this in my response to a question on the censorship of the printing press in the Islamic world, where I talk some about the long tradition of Arabic penmanship.
A final source I might recommend is Calligraphy and Islamic Culture by Annemarie Schimmel. I haven't read all of this one yet myself, but Schimmel is an extremely accomplished scholar and what I have read has been extremely interesting.
It sounds to me like you've somewhat misunderstood what the question is asking you to do. Both the examples you've given seem to be based on knowledge you have about Islam which you're applying to calligraphy, rather than coming from your observations of the objects in the Met's collection.
Perhaps your professor has clarified things differently than they are written here, in which case I apologize for the advice I'm about to give (and you can disregard). That said, this is what I would recommend:
The prompt first asks a general question: What is the role of calligraphy (writing as art) in the objects presented in the galleries in the Met? Your two ideas are focusing on the first half of this general question, but seem to be missing the second half: that this is a question not about Islamic art in general, but about the Met collections specifically. To answer it, you'll have to visit the Met (or look at their website; however it is you're supposed to access their exhibit). That's the general starting point.
The prompt, however, gives you more specific guidelines for how to do this. They are:
How prevalent is it? You can answer this one by looking closely at the exhibit. Count how many art objects have calligraphy on them. Is that a lot? Describe how often you found calligraphy, and note which objects it was on.
how widely does it appear? Is it all over, or restricted -- and if it's restricted, what are the things that seem to limit when and how it's used? Is it where the object was made? When it was made? The kind of object? ONly on certain parts of objects (the tops / sides / middles / fronts / backs)? Etc.
What kinds of objects does it appear in or on (or not)? Again, describe what you see in the exhibit.
and why is this happening? Here's where you'll need to put on your thinking cap. But that should be easier once you've answered the first three questions above, because you'll have spent a few hours looking at and writing about the calligraphy on these objects, so your brain will already be noticing patterns, and you'll just have to try to figure out what's going on with them.
What I'm not clear about is what you mean by 'get three topics', as this isn't mentioned in the part of the assignment you've shared. Do you mean you're supposed to find three objects to answer these questions about? Or that you are to answer the three questions posed by the prompt?
Hello there. Your question seems to be related to school work, so we just want to remind you, and any potential respondents, that our rules DO permit people to ask for help with their homework, so long as they are seeking clarification or resources, rather than the answer itself. This policy is further explained in this META Thread.
Additionally, while our users may be able to help you out here, we hope that you also will take the time to check out our six-part series, "Finding and Understanding Sources", which should hopefully prove to be helpful for you as you continue in your research.