I've always been a fan of mythologies, so I do like that there are fairy tales rooted in those mythologies. I chose Cupid and Psyche because I am somewhat familiar with Cupid (and his Greek counterpart "Eros"), and wanted to expose myself to more about him. I like how Roman (and Greek) fairytales have pretty simple and direct storytelling while still being a strong story. Like Laura notes in the overview, the story is "very similar to the story of 'Beauty and the Beast,'" and she is complete right. There's something clean to stories like these that I appreciate.
Many stories in mythological folklore are told by following one particular character. However, something I think I would like to try is telling the story through the perspective of everyone else. How would the story follow if it were told by the people Psyche interacted with or onlookers? With such a straightforward tale, it should be easy to do so. There's not much auxiliary action occurring meanwhile.
Would the gods and people she interact with her be rooting for her? Would they be annoyed? What kind of information would they know? I think it would be a neat way of looking at the story. In addition, with the noted similarity between Cupid and Psyche and Beauty and the Beast, I wonder if I could throw a Disney-spin on the story. I might take inspiration from Disney's Hercules to do so.
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Bibliography: Cupid and Psyche by Apuleius and translated by Tony Kline, source
Image: Cupid and Psyche by John Roddam Spencer Stanhope, via Wikimedia Commons
Something that resonated with me is the idea that we should look for the positive feedback and not just the negative feedback. I feel like the word "feedback" carries a negative connotation because it is meant for improvement. How do you improve? Take the bad and make it better. It can definitely be hard to accept positive feedback, but it's essential because whether we realize it or not, the positive aspects are just as important as the negative aspects. And beyond that, just because something can be improved doesn't mean it wasn't something positive. Similarly, a big aspect of feedback that can be difficult to manage is separating you as a person from your performance. Many times it's easy to slip into the mindset that your final product directly reflects you as a person. Clearly, this is not true, but when in that position, it sure feels like it. It's all about the mindset you are in when receiving feedback. Choose to only see the negative, and you will live in the negative.
In regards to giving feedback, I am quickly reminded of the growth vs. fixed mindset. A large component of that philosophy is praising effort, not results. Like the "Narcissism vs. Healthy Self-Esteem" explains, when giving praise, it is vital to not inflate someone's ego. That only will incentivize they remain at that level of effort and comfortability. However, it should not be thought that positive feedback is bad. In fact, it should be encouraged. It's just all about phrasing. Let them know how the positive feedback directly relates to the work ethic or persistence in that particular project or task. Compliment them overcoming challenging and difficult tasks. Make sure they know the effort was worth it. The change in the way of providing praise has shown more and more to be key. Even the Army is now using this method because it, so far, has been the best way of improving people.
I personally believe I have made huge strides in improving how I give feedback. At first, my feedback was weak. After all, the only form of feedback I had been exposed up until that point was an out-of-one-hundred grade written in deep red at the top of my assignments. Where was the constructivism? But after joining the Union Programming Board freshman year of college, I've seen a major improvement in my feedback. It's no surprise that an organization that remains critical of itself would teach its critics (read: members) how to properly critique. It's not something easy to learn to do. You have to learn what constitutes good feedback, you have to learn to not let emotions sway feedback, and you have to learn how to balance the positive and the negative. Too much of one or the other can lead the receiver to dismiss the other, leaving you in a debatably worse situation.
Adam and Eve have resided in the Cave of Treasures for nearly 5,500 years. They know that God promised to bring them back into Paradise, so they begin to ready themselves for the fulfillment of that promise. But civilization has advanced, and so they must board an airplane to head to Paradise. Adam and Eve have two young kids, Cane and Abel, but their conservative lifestyles in the Cave have led them to refuse to purchase tickets for their kids. Now they must figure out how all four of them will make it to Paradise.
How did each day occur during the wait?
They awoke each as the sun rose. They pray to God. The Lord provided them with animals for nourishment once a week. They prepare their first meal and consume it after praying again.
They clean what needs to be cleaned in the Cave of Treasures.
Cane and Abel bicker a lot. I wonder what that will lead to...
Adam makes dad jokes. Eve rolls her eyes.
God sends angel with two tickets to Paradise
They need 4 total, but God argues that he only ever said he'd bring back Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve devise a plan to get their sons to Paradise
Packing to leave the Cave of Treasures
Abel accidently leaves behind his favorite rock, but will later find a better one in Paradise. The rock will need an endearing name.
Should I include a scene where they need to find their misplaced passports?
They figure out how to get Cane and Abel to Paradise. They will just stuff them in their carry-on bags!
At the airport
Adam gets "randomly" selected for a strip search while at the airport.
He argues it's against his religion.
Eve has the aisle seat, and Adam takes the window seat.
A random 70-year-old grandma gets placed between them, refusing to switch with Adam or Eve so that they can sit together.
She asks incredibly invasive questions not knowing they were invasive questions.
The plane experiences turbulence
Adam thinks this is God trying to kill him (again).
Adam goes to the bathroom to pray for mercy.
Plane lands
God sends the Holy Uber to pick them up.
They arrive at the pearly white gates.
The family of four get inside Paradise and begin to explore their former home.
Somehow Abel finds his a new favorite rock. Try to make this part of the story a long-con joke.
~ ~ ~
Author's Note: I based this story mostly on The Forgotten Book of Eden. God promises Adam and Eve that he would bring them back into Paradise after 5,500 years. I imagined a scenario where society still reached its current form. Essentially, this serves as a sequel. What would someone that old who has been ostracized for so long do if he or she were to emerge from a cave? I then took inspiration from the Bible to include Adam and Eve's two most well-known children, Cane and Abel. I found this entire thought to be absurd, so I decided it would probably be best to make the story itself outlandish. I kept Cane and Abel at a young age because I figured it could be the basis of the conflict present in the story. I tried to include aspects of the source material such as Adam believing the turbulence to be God's way of killing him just as he believed many other things to be God killing him in The Forgotten Book of Eden.
Part B of the Adam and Eve unit tells a story of Adam and Eve after being sent out from the Garden. This eviction was caused after Satan came to Eve in the form of a serpent and convinced her to eat the fruit of the Tree of Good and Evil. I wonder how this narrative would play out if it were instead Satan who was the one banished from the Garden to live in the Cave of Treasures. Would God show pity and mercy to Satan as he does to Adam and Eve?
Another thing I note about these stories is how depressed Adam and Eve become after being ostracized from God's presence. Thrice Adam ends his own life, only to be revived by God. An odd parallel that comes to mind is that of a drug addict. People will cut out drug addicts from their life while still showing pity. The drug addicts will make mistake after mistake, desperate for the mercy of those he or she once had in their own life. And just as God promises Adam that he will bring him back into the Garden after 5,500 days, people will, too, promise to rekindle relationships with drug addicts if they are to overcome their habits.
One thing I note as Adam exits the Cave of Treasures is that he believes the sun to be God. This interests me because the sun is often believed to be a god in many cultures and religions. Shortly thereafter, Adam and Eve encounter the serpent Satan. After attempting to kill Adam and Eve, Satan was noted as being thrown to India. I wonder if anything comes about of his arrival there. I also wonder if this passage refers to the land we currently know as India.
Something that has always interested me about the Bible is how its stories are usually told. Among believers, it is commonly held that the Bible is the word of God, yet it is (mostly) written from the 3rd-person perspective of an omniscient author that isn't God himself since God is referred to as a separate being from the narrator. A couple of ideas stem from this observation. What if the Bible were written with God as the narrator? Would this influence anything significantly? The current narrator states how God feels about various actions and events. How much, if any, of these details would be lost if God were the narrator? It also makes me wonder if I could find a way to formulate an experimental telling of the same story from the perspective of multiple, objectively omniscient narrators. Could I get each story to leave the reader with different thoughts or feelings without using any subjective narration?
Another widely-held belief is that the Bible, more specifically the Old Testament, is a series of symbolism and metaphors. Rather than the literal interpretation, they are merely stories created to explain the numerous facets of life, nature, culture. The stories describe what is not fully known. Where did we come from? Perhaps it is much easier to tell a story about two people named Adam and Eve than it is to try to comprehend the concept of people being willed into existence. Maybe I should find creative ways to explain more abstract ideas through relatable stories.
Regardless of one's interpretation of the Bible, literal or not, Adam and Eve are integral to the beginnings of Biblical history. Rereading the accounts of Creation, and that which shortly follows, reminds me of a high school assignment I once had. We were tasked to write our own "Creation" story, modifying any existing story or creating something entirely new. World building has always been something I've enjoyed seeing whether in a book, movie, video game, or TV show. Maybe my stories would benefit from strong world building. But could/would that make them needlessly long?
In less than a minute, I had downloaded an app onto my iPhone that would give me convenient access to any course I am taking. Of course, the app to which I refer is the Canvas mobile app. Installation was very straightforward, and logging was just as easy. I've found the app to be incredibly useful because I'm not always around a computer, and an app (when properly made) makes navigation much more intuitive than using a browser on a phone. If I need to reference a syllabus, it's a few taps away. This is alone justifies switching from D2L. Education is further relying on technology and the Internet by the semester, so it makes perfect sense that this content should be just as available as seeing what a friend had for dinner on Instagram or what "share if you agree" is the latest trend on Facebook. In the past, I have constantly referenced the Canvas app, and I only see myself referencing it more often as more classes migrate to Canvas. I plan to continue using this app to keep up with the multitude of assignments and class alerts I'm sure to have. This app has been a bug-free, hassle-free experience I'd recommend to anyone.
1. Aesop's Fables: I began with Aesop's Fables because it was the source of the story I based my Week 1 story on. Aesop's Fables is a compilation of fables which were written by the titular Aesop. Aesop was a slave who presumably lived in ancient Greece. The fables cover many topics including religion, ethics, and social issues.
Portrait of Aesop by Velázquez in the Prado, Wikimedia
2. Ancient Greece: I next moved the article on Ancient Greece, the area believed to be the home of Aesop. Many of those fables which originated so long ago survive to this day. The timeline of Ancient Greece includes the Archaic period, Classical Greece, Hellenistic Greece, and ended with Roman Greece. Technology and mathematics flourished during this period. Astronomy was created and Hippocrates, "father of medicine," lived during these times.
3. Western Culture: I then followed Ancient Greece to an article on Western culture; Ancient Greece provided the basis from which modern Western culture grew. Western Culture refers to the values, beliefs, ethics, etc which emerges from Europe. Western culture societies are primarily rationale-based which influences everything from science to politics. In fact, Western culture is where democracy begins, a very prominent form of government.
4. Olympic Games: Finally, I followed Western culture to the Olympic Games. Sports, after all, have always been a commonplace in Western cultures. The Olympic Games are a massive collection of competitions competed in every four years by many countries and include summer and winter versions. The Olympic Games originated in Olympia, Greece, from which they derive their name.
I had not heard of Carol Dweck before this assignment, but I have heard of (what I now have a title by which to call it) the growth mindset. "Praise the effort not the result." Starting college, I would say I had a black-and-white fixed mindset. The credit goes to high school. How are you compared to your peers? GPA and class rank. It's about quantifiable differences in the students. I had it drilled into my brain that grades are all that matter. They're what get you high test scores, which gets you scholarships for college. I'm sure this routine wasn't designed with the intentions of conditioning students to not challenge themselves or to not take risks. But it was a side-effect, and we must now deal with it. However, like the video explains, we cannot solely treat the symptoms. In other words, we can't just tell everyone "C's get degrees!" to try and get students to challenge themselves. Instead, we must treat the "disease". Start way back where these mindsets first take hold -- at a young age.
Coming into OU was weird because I would hear a bunch of support for challenging myself while simultaneously hearing how important grades still are. These two ideas seemed, at first, to contradict each other. But that was because of my fixed mindset. Now I get it. Challenge yourself and you'll still do fine because you're putting in the effort. It's been a hard process to try and switch mindsets. At first, I was always looking for the easiest classes to fulfill requirements. After taking a few challenging courses, I see how much more rewarding they are. High school me would have scoffed at the notion of taking a perspectives class (a class that was primarily essay based and full of reading). But in hindsight, it's one of my favorite classes I've taken, and I accredit that to the challenges I faced.
This idea of a growth mindset is a rather fascinating thing. I've always had a competitive drive, and I've been satisfied with what that has brought me. But to know there's an arguably better way? Why aren't we pushing that?! Even if I don't (yet) naturally embrace challenges, I do try to be aware of it and force myself into challenges. I have three courses this semester that involve quite a bit of writing. That makes me uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable. But I know my writing should improve. And maybe I'll ditch the habit of putting off writing assignments! I hope that I someday enjoy the uncomfortable.
I first began learning about some time strategies by reading The Important Habit of Just Starting. For me, this really seems to be the biggest hurdle I face when tasked with something. "Zero percent finished." At the start, there's nothing to say "Hey! Look what you've already done! You're that much closer to being finished!" There's an entire journey to be made. And most importantly, there's probably a deadline attached. But that's not an issue for me; it'll be complete by the deadline. This often manifests with essays. It seems like I challenge myself to see just how long and important of an essay I can push back starting. A week until it's due. 5 days. 3 days. Due tomorrow. And yes, sometimes due today. But once that first step is taken, now that's progress. It's quantifiable work. Now the ball is rolling, and it should be smooth sailing from there on out. It reminds me of when one of my accounting professors likened it to doing the dishes. Sure, a full sink is overwhelming and can be put off until the next day. But start with a fork. Then you're in progress and can just keep going.
Sticky note checklists. If I have a project, you can guarantee I have dozens of sticky note checklists to go along. You'll find them on my laptop, on my desk, on the walls, and sometimes on the back of my phone. And yes, I do prefer physical lists. Tap or click the web page to cross off a to-do item? No thanks. I find very little satisfaction in that (other than the mere fact of finishing something). But to strike out a to-do item with a pen or to draw that check mark next to it? Sign me up! There's something satisfying about the physical connection of it; it's almost like you've literally destroyed the objective. And just like The Psychology of Checklists promotes, checklists often prove quite the incentive. This is how I usually tackle just about any project. Figure out what needs to be done, make a list of small tasks, and begin. Even Santa Claus makes lists.
It's pretty simple to see how these two aspects come into play for this class. I'm already provided a list of things to do, with day-by-day deadlines. Half of the planning is already done! Now I just have to assign these tasks to myself. I have two hours each Monday? Cool, how many of the tasks can I get done in two hours? Nice, now my plan is complete. Of course, I always like to build in some breathing room. Life happens. But by building a road map, a daunting task becomes manageable.
I've challenged myself to read more. Looks like this class is going to help me do just that. I feel like I'm standing in a library as I peruse through the different reading units available. Do I want something familiar or do I want something new? I ask myself this before settling on one particular unit -- Adam and Eve. I was raised up in church, so I know the classic story of human beginnings. It had something I'm acquainted with. But this unit also offers something more than just the basic story. It expands into what is, for me, unknown territory. What else is there to this story? Looks like I'm going to find out.
Furthering my look, I came across Panchatantra, noted for its nested stories. I like this one because of the depth added into the stories. It's a bit like world-building; the nested stories add to an already established world, further fleshing it out. It reminds me a bit of the movie Inception, so I think it might be one definitely checking out.
The third story I looked into was the Philippines' Folktales. My closest friend is Filipino, and he has lived a part of his life in the Philippines. I've rarely heard any folktales or stories outside of the US based ones, so these two facts coupled together piqued my interest in learning more of foreign stories. They're stories I could ask him about and get authentic information about, as well as get his stories on his experiences with the folktales.
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Image Information: George Peabody Library, Wikimedia
I began my search for three of my favorite storybooks by randomly generating them. This quickly became irksome. So I instead opted to look at the long, compiled list, hoping a few titles would jump out at me. That did the trick. Since all of the storybooks are based on pre-existing work, I wanted to choose ones with source material I was familiar with. Doing so led me to better appreciate what each author was doing. I could get "it."
The first blog to capture my attention was Twilight Zone: Fifth Dimension. I couldn't tell you how much time I've spent watching The Twilight Zone. What I could tell you is which episode first gave me nightmares as a child. So I definitely had to open this one up.
From the get-go, I figured it was pretty safe to assume this storybook would be based on Rod Serling's sci-fi hit. I really enjoyed the introduction because it did a good job at capturing that slightly unsettled feel Rod Serling's narration produced. I liked the dark color scheme as it contributed to the eeriness that I could tell the author hoped would manifest.
Overall, I really enjoyed the script format of the stories. I thought it was a unique way of presenting the stories, a style I rarely see. I appreciate that the author wanted the reader to use their own imagination for the audio and visuals because the mind often can produce something scarier than what a production company can. However, it was a bit weird when a picture was provided of something that was included in the story since it was stated that much was to be left to the reader's imagination. I think more vaguely related pictures would have done a better job of keeping the reader submerged in the story.
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The next storybook I noticed was Alice's Journey through Social Media. What an interesting, modern twist to give to a well-known story. What would a girl like Alice post to her social media? What kind of language would she use? I had but one choice; I had to cyberstalk Alice!
The introduction made it abundantly clear that Alice was definitely a "basic white bitch." I say that, not in a condescending manner, but in appreciation for the author nailing the Internet meme-of-a-stereotype. The way Alice narrated her experiences and her responses and reactions made this something special, something that couldn't be accomplished with just any story.
I found it nice that the author broke up each story into many paragraphs. With all of the emojis, improper grammar, and countless uses of "literally", it made it much easier to digest. The inclusion of the social media posts was also great to see. Intentional or not, I think it was nice to the different ways Alice represented herself on the various social media platforms. I liked how clean the interface was, something social media often tries to accomplish. I'd definitely use the social media posts within my stories if it ends up being relevant enough to use.
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The third storybook to win my attention was Mount Olympus Gossip. I knew of many of the Greek stories, mostly from my middle school fascination. The numerous "Who slept with who?" (or "Who slept with what?") from the ancient myths would surely produce massive quantities of gossip. So with that thought, I opened it up.
I liked how reading the introduction felt like I was reading Entertainment Weekly. It had the journalistic feel with the proper dose of hear-say. It felt like someone really had that inside scoop on all things Olympic Gods. Aside from the diction, I felt like the introduction was pretty bare-bones. I felt like the introduction could have used a more tasteful layout to better emulate a gossip magazine.
Overall, the design was a bit underwhelming. I thought it would be better to include the images closer to the top of each story rather than throwing them at the bottom. I also think the titles would have been better using clickbait-y titles. In addition, the word "gossip" makes me think "speculation", so I think the stories could have used some theory-work. Maybe not in the facts of the stories, but possibly in motives? I think all of these things considered would help create a more cohesive, gossip-esque storybook that I felt like the author intended but fell short of.
At the crack of dawn, a small dog, no bigger than a new born human, made
its way into the forest that occupied the land west of its equally small
dwelling. This male dog sought out what would hopefully end up being
its dinner. As the dog neared a creek that ran through the wooded area,
it passed another dog. However, this dog was female, and it just so happened that the male dog
was at the right age to begin breeding. The two dogs interacted, and the
male dog decided to try and impress the female dog.
So off he set again to find food. However, now he was looking to also to feed another mouth. He quickly found the path he followed each day and followed it to where he could expect to find small game. Today, however, he seemed to have worse luck than days before. It was two in the afternoon before he was able to capture anything for dinner. Disappointingly, the rabbit he caught was rather small, and he knew it would not feed both him and the female dog. So he stayed out until nearly five trying to find more. He noticed the sun would soon set, so he started his journey, meat in his mouth, to where he first met the other dog. He decided that he would give her all of the food and hope tomorrow would bring better luck.
As he crossed the river, he looked down and saw, what he thought to be, another dog carrying meat. This dark dog looked rather small, so he decided he would try to ambush him and steal the food. He jumped towards it to snatch the meat away, but in doing so, he dropped his own meat. Unfortunately, what the male dog did not know was he was actually seeing his shadow. As the dog surfaced the water, he watched the dinner swiftly move down the river. With disappointment at hand, the dog scurried home, making sure not to be seen by his could-have-been companion.
~ ~ ~
Author's Note: Aesop's original story follows a dog which was crossing a brook when he notices his shadow. The dog believes his shadow to actually be another dog which also has a piece of meat. So the dog decides he wants to have both pieces of meat, and in trying to do so, loses the only real piece of meat. For my story, I first wondered if there could have been an ulterior motive. What if this dog had another mouth to feed? So in my version, I imagine a scenario where the dog is acting in an arguably less selfish way. However, he still loses his food when he resorts to the selfish act of trying to steal.
Bibliography: The Dog & the Shadow in the Fables of Aesop, retold by Joseph Jacobs. Web source.
My name is Todd Riddle, and I'm a current accounting major. I come from a small town of about 3,300 people, so adjusting to Norman took some time. Aside from taking classes, I also serve as a program director for the Union Programming Board. In other words, you'll probably be able to find me any given Friday night at the Union helping put on an event. Like my title implies, I have a beard, an unruly beard (for now). I've had it since 10th grade, and it has pretty much become my identity. Here's a picture that was taken of me for a UPB event promotional video. And yes, they asked me solely because of my beard.
Personal photo captured by Francis Phan
One class I took last semester that I greatly enjoyed was a perspectives class on food, culture, and society taught by the wonderful Dr. Sarah Tracy. Throughout the semester we read several books about the world food systems, ingredient manipulation, and how farmers are affected by legislation. It challenged our class to think critically about many facets, from sustainable growing to GMOs to corporate affairs. We even ended up taking a class trip to the Norman Natural Grocers to examine their model of business which includes a strict GMO blanket ban on their products. It opened my eyes to problems our society faces, allowed me to examine my own diet from a new perspective, and led us to examine the nuances of eating. We also wrote papers about our Thanksgiving dinner, so that, too, made the class really cool.
I have seen a lot of classmates including mentions of their favorite music. One band I saw as an opener for a concert was MUTEMATH. I hope to one day see them in concert as the main act. Here's one of my favorite songs by them, "Used To".
One thing I have been challenging myself to do is read more. One book I have recently read is Leah Remini's Troublemaker, a memoir on her experiences with the Church of Scientology. I actually received this book from a game of Secret Santa played among a small group of friends. But it wasn't too secret because I was able to deduce who my secret Santa was. (Thank you, Audrey!) I've found it to be an incredibly engrossing, and flat-out hilarious, account of her time with the Church. As a supplement, I've also been watching her A&E mini-series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. Though I find this topic to be extremely fascinating, I'll move on to another book in lieu of sharing my commentary.
One novel I have recently read is Silence by Shūsaku Endō. It follows a Jesuit priest as he travels to Japan on a mission trip. Acclaimed director Martin Scorsese has also recently adapted it into a major motion picture, a "passion project" of his. (Edit: I saw the movie, and I was blown away by how faithful and amazing it was!) My best friend came across this novel while Hastings was still having its liquidation sales. We would go together and browse through the hundreds of book that were becoming more discounted by the day, and on the day of 60% off, he decided to grab it. In retrospect, the book was worth full price.
As for this winter break, I spent it at home doing the one thing I love the most -- sleeping. My mom sometimes gets offended because she thinks I'm just trying to avoid her. I just roll my eyes and look for food. During the breaks between sleeping, I'm probably watching Netflix (because who has time for this during school?) Waking up at two in the afternoon will soon have to change, but I will milk every day I have. Will I hate myself for waiting so long to adjust my sleep schedule? Yes. But am I content for now? Yes, yes I am.
This is my first foray into creative writing, so please bear with me as I get the hang of this.
A favorite place of mine is the Rocky Mountains, specifically in Colorado. Here I spent several childhood spring breaks skiing, snowmobiling, and drinking hot cocoa. The various ski villages were always something I looked forward to with its eclectic array of shops and restaurants.
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