Week 2 Review

Meme from Sunday's Class Announcement

This meme just spoke to me on another level:

1. That cat looks almost EXACTLY like my cat, and this is totally something that mine would do!

2. I hate taking risks and I just liked the reminder to take risks in my everyday life. If this cat can do it, so can I!

Week 2's Famous Last Words

It has been a crazy hectic and busy week and my school work definitely showed that this week. Compared to orientation week and the first week, this week I submitted assignments much closer to the deadline than I was comfortable with. I found myself getting very caught up in my other classes and not sticking to the schedule I had created for this class. This coming week I am going to work harder to keep up with my assignments in all of my classes, especially focusing on making sure my assignments in this class do not get forgotten.
I ended up only doing the half-reading this week, because I let it fall to the bottom on my to do list and it did not get done. I read from Ovid's Metamorphoses and I throughly enjoyed the Greco-Roman mythology. It was nice that the readings were familiar to me and that helped me get used to how to read the stories. Although I had a lot of trouble with the Reading Diaries, I couldn't really come up with what I wanted to put in my notes. I do want to read something farther from my comfort zone next week though.
I felt like my writing was good this week, but my story concept was not as strong as it was in week one. I had a hard time thinking of a way to retell the stories in Ovid's Metamorphoses because so many different angles are told in the stories themselves. What I ended up with, though, I thought was good and I really do like how my story ended up!
My week consisted of a lot of studying for other classes, but I was very proud of myself for the amount I studied and how dedicated I was this week. Now to just continue that on throughout the rest of the semester.

Personal photo of my study space this week (September 2015)

Tech Tip Poster

Poster created by me on the AutoMotivator Website with random image (September 2015)

Source: AutoMotivator

This was my first time creating a "demotivated" poster and I thought it wasn't that bad! I came up with the phrase looking at the picture of the Earth and seeing how big it really is and how many people must be included in that picture. 

Week 2 Growth Mindset Challenge

Since learning about the concept of Growth Mindset and realizing I am often guilty of not applying this mindset to my own life and classes, I have been wondering how I can apply this mindset to my own thinking when it comes to my classes or even just my life altogether.

My most difficult class this semester, and probably my entire college career, is Human Anatomy. I have already struggled with sheer magnitude of information that I am required to know and all the different applications of that information. So this past week I worked on my growth mindset and applied it to my studying for my human anatomy practical coming up this week.
One of my favorite study techniques is studying information for a set period of time and then quizzing myself on what I have learned in that time period. Often times, I find myself stuck in remembering the same things and not remembering the same things each time. I start to think things like "I can't learn these new things" or "I must just know what I know and that's it." These types of thoughts are in a fixed mindset that I am only as smart as I am and can only learn a fixed amount of things, like my brain only has a certain amount of space for this information.
This past week, however, I worked on focusing on how exciting being able to learn all of this new information was and how much room I had to grow. Instead of just rote memorizing the words on my flashcards, I worked to think about how I could use this information and how much potential I have. I found my studying to be so much more enjoyable and I feel like I learned more. When I quizzed myself, I didn't get discouraged by the things that I didn't know, instead I got excited to work to really learn them.

I think the challenge presented to me in Anatomy can be seen in almost any fact-based class that I have taken or will take. Often it seems that you are only able to learn so much, like your intelligence directly decides how much information you can remember. In the future, I will try to apply a growth mindset to these classes and learn to love to learn, not just try to memorize!

Just an idea of what I look at all day!

Photo of the bones of the arm and shoulder

Source: Wikipedia

MythFolklore Storybook Topics Brainstorm

MythFolklore Storybook Topics Brainstorm

Juno's Wrath
Comments: In my readings this week from Ovid's Metamorphoses, I noticed how often Jupiter sleeps around on Earth and also how often Juno's rage causes her to punish those he has slept with. I think it would be really cool to do a set of stories on her inner monologue of what she is thinking and feeling as she learns that Jupiter has cheated again and as she decides to punish the girls. Maybe it could be a concept of an Autobiography by Juno to explain herself since she sometimes get a bad name.
Possible stories: There are several stories on the Untextbook about Juno's wrath, or at least contain elements of Juno's wrath in them. In my first reading unit, I read three already! I searched online and there are also several sources with both Greek and Roman mythology to browse through and I found a couple more stories about Juno and her punishments.
Sample Story: I would like to use the story of Castillo if I were to use this topic for my storybook! I think Juno's punishment for Castillo is very unique and the story mostly focuses on Castillo rather than Juno, so I think it would be cool to flip that around and show Juno's side of things!
Bibliography Info:
Sample story: Castillo
Book Title: Ovid's Metamorphoses
Book Author: Translated by Tony Kline
Year: 2000

Fast Forward to Fairy Tales
Comments: I like the concept of using Fairy Tales and giving them a new spin. For this I could take the Fairy tales, not the disney versions, from the Europa's Fairy Book Unit and write them as if they had been propelled into the 21st century, complete with technology and language from today. I like the idea of making the fairy tales really relatable, but still keep with the real versions, not the watered down versions that Disney sells. I do want to work on a better title though, something more creative!
Possible stories: There are several stories from Europa's Fairy Book Unit, like The Cinder-Maid and Beauty and the Beast, that I would be able to readapt into modern times. I also like the idea of telling a lesser known fairy tale in modern times; I think it would be cool because there are less preconceptions in readers minds if the fairy tale isn't famous. I was also able to search online to find Brother's Grimm versions of several fairy tales, which are very very different from the Disney versions, that I could use!
Sample Story: I would like to start with the story of The Cinder-Maid because it is the most famous and well known fairytale. I think this would make a great start to a Storybook because the reader would start by reading a topic that they are comfortable with. I could start the story as a modern fairytale with a tweet as the invite to the Royal Ball, rather than the announcement in the square!
Bibliography Info:
Sample Story: The Cinder-Maid
Book Title: Europa's Fairy Book
Book Author: Joseph Jacobs, Illustrated by: John Batten
Year: 1916

Dateline: Understanding the Circles of Hell
Comments: The poem of Dante's Inferno definitely intrigues me and I think it would be cool to do a storybook on what its like to be stuck in different circles of hell. I thought it would be interesting to do a TV interview format, much like the investigative TV show Dateline, and interview different sets of people stuck in the different levels of hell and why they are there.
Possible Stories: The unit Dante's Inferno contains the entire poem, from which I could pull stories from. Also, Wikepedia's page on Inferno (Dante) is also very helpful in explaining the back stories of the people met in each level of hell and that could help me form the stories (sometimes it can be hard to understand exactly what happened or what is going on because of the language of the poem).
Sample Story: The first story that stood out to me to use was the story of Paolo and Francesca in the second circle of hell, Lust. I thought it would be cool to "interview" them to have them describe why they did what they did and if they think they deserve the punishment that they received. Their story is described well in the poem and I think it would be fun to "get to the bottom" of why they are there.
Bibliography Info:
Sample Story: Paolo and Francesca
Book Title: Dante's Divine Comedy
Book Author: Translated by Tony Kline
Year: 2002

Being Human in an Aesop Fable
Comments: Most of Aesop's fables use animals to demonstrate the moral of each story, however, I thought it would be really cool to take those animal fables and create a human story! Take the animals in the story and make them human characters and make the basis of the story, like what the conflict is over, human based! I think this concept would take a lot of creativity and it would deviate from the original stories quite a bit.
Possible Stories: Looking at the Index of Aesop's Fables is almost overwhelming as there are so many to choose from! It would take awhile to pick just four, but I like that I have a large enough selection to pick four perfect stories for my storybook. There are also a lot of analysis's of Aesop fables available online to make sure I am not changing the moral basis of the fable!
Sample Story: The Ant and the Dove comes with the moral of "a kindness is never wasted" which I thought really could be applied to a human situation. I immediately thought of one kid saving another from being bullied, and then the bullied kid showing kindness back to the kid who saved him. 
Bibliography Info:
Sample Story: The Ant and the Dove
Book Title: The Aesop for Children
Book Author: Illustrations by Milo Winter
Year: 1919

Storytelling for Week 2: Great Bear watches over the Earth

For many years, I have lost count myself, I have watched over the Earth and its people with my son near my side. From the night sky, I see everything that happens during the dark hours of the night and have learned much from my years up here. During the day, the Sun and its chariot blaze past me blinding me and leaving my sight blind for hours; but as soon as the sun has made its journey and it is the moons turn, it is also my turn to observe the people and all I can see. A lifetime ago, Jupiter raped me and he left me to bear his child in shame. I was shunned for what happened, the actions that I fought so hard against left me alone with a child growing inside me. I was denied to bathe with the one I loved the most, Diana, and shunned from her. I had never felt more shame than in that moment; as I walked away my eyes stayed on the ground and tears threatened to fall over at any moment.

Diana Bathing with her Nymphs by Rembrandt van Rijn

Source: Wikipedia

It wasn't until I bore my child that I knew the full extent that my suffering would be. I felt so ashamed for what happened and I was lost and I was alone. But my child would get me through this hard time, I loved him or her no matter what and we could get through whatever as long as we were together. But Juno had other ideas how my son, Arcas, and I would spend our time and it definitely not together. In her fury that I had bore a son, something that she could not do herself, she lashed out at me and transformed my body into a bear; but my mind stayed as human as it ever was. The feeling was horrible and indescribable and painful. Hair began to grow everywhere, every bone in my body began to change shape. Let's just say that I don't exactly like to go back and relive that moment. Well obviously my son was taken from me and raised elsewhere; that was probably the hardest part, knowing that I could not see him grow and become the great man I knew he was going to grow into. We didn't meet for fifteen years, and the day that we finally did was the day that we were thrown into the sky to live as stars for eternity. As my son saw my face and I saw his, I knew he would not recognize me but I knew him.

Even now, after he pointed his bow at me and Jupiter showed his "mercy" to makes us constellations instead of having a son kill his own mother, we cannot talk to each other. He does not know why he is up here with me and I am unable to tell him. It is hard as a mother to know that he probably despises me for what I have done to him. To grow up without his mother and then to be hurled into the sky without so much as a explanation; it must be hard and for that, I wish I could tell him how truly sorry I am.

Ursa Major and Minor or the "Big Bear" and "Little Bear"

Source: Wikipedia

Author's Note
I developed this story off of the story of Castillo from Ovid's Metamorphoses translated by Tony Kline (2000). I decided to go with a different type of storytelling technique this time; I told this story as if I was Castillo and I was telling you my story. I wanted to tell you the story as if she were looking back on it and how she felt at the time. I came up with this idea when I was reading the story and wanted to know how Castillo was feeling and what she was thinking. I thought I could give you a glimpse of how I thought she felt when all of this was happening. I used the original story, but told it in the past tense and add a thought narrative as the story progressed, I made sure to include her thoughts and feelings about what happened. At the end I explained that Castillo was unable to tell her son who she was and what had happened; I got this idea from the story when as a Bear she was unable to communicate with him, I thought about how horrible it would be to not be able to talk to your son for thousands of years when he was right next to you.

Bibliography
"Castillo" from Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000). Web Source: University of Virginia Library

Reading Diary A: Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4)

This is my reading diary for my first reading of the semester from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Books 1-4.

Deucalion and Pyrrha

At the beginning of the story, the river gods caught my attention, as they are not mentioned much even though they are the ones to truly flood the earth. I liked that Deucalion and Pyrrha did not understand the goddess's instructions at first; I've found in reading mythology that instructions from Gods are often very confusing. The actual flood was the part I enjoyed most about the story, especially when the animals were included and described. 

Io

This story starts out very harsh with the rape of a young virgin, which seems very common with Jupiter. I sympathize with her father's sufferings as well. I found Juno's part in this story very interesting. 

Phaethon and Sun

I loved the description of the Sun's palace and how easily I could imagine it in my head. I wish that Phaethon asking to be able to control the chariot and the reactions were described better; I thought they would have had more emotions. 

Phaethon's Ride

Phaethon's ego intrigues me and his sure attitude makes for disaster in this story. My favorite part of the story was when Phaethon looses the reins and disaster is imminent for earth; I thought this could have been described with more imagery. 

The Death of Phaethon

The way that Phaethon dies is very interesting, Jupiter cannot control his anger and his ego shows through because he is the only one able to save the world. I like how Jupiter's punishments are turning Phaethon's relatives and those who allowed him to take the chariot into animals and plants. It would be such an interesting feeling to be turning into something completely not human and maybe not even know the reason why. 

Callisto

Again Jupiter rapes a young woman, which I have seen is a very common theme. It seems that every girl that Jupiter rapes is punished for her discretion, even when she fights him. It is an interesting sign of the patriarch dominated society at the time that these myths were written. The ending of the story is very interesting, that Jupiter considers it mercy to make the mother and son into constellations instead of the son unknowingly killing his mother. 

Semele

It is interesting that Juno's rage is directed to kill the woman Jupiter has been adulterous with, where as in the past stories she has sought to transform them into something else. I also love the irony that because Juno killed Semele, Semele's son was turned into a God by Jupiter's divine full presence. Now Juno must live with him for eternity, but if she had done nothing he would have remained alive only for his mortal lifespan.

Painting of Phaethon in the Sun's Chariot

by Gustave Moreau

Source: Wikipedia