Reading Notes: Andersen's Fairy Tales, Part A

The Princess and the Pea

• I've read this story many times but I still thought it was fun to read again!
• I may actually rewrite this and have the girl NOT be a princess 
• I could have her say she slept very well, which tells the family that she is not a princess

The Emperor's New Suit

• This story is incredible as it shows you how some people will do anything to seem smart in front of others 
• It also shows how some people will lie in order to praise you and to boost themselves as well

The Wicked Prince

• I like that he was set straight by God
• I'm not sure why he thought he could conquer God in the first place, but that just shows his confidence levels
• Not sure how I could rewrite this, but I might tell the story of how God conquered the Prince in another way, instead of the little gnat

The Little Match-Seller

• This story was quite interesting because it was so different
• It was kind of creepy because of how at the end, the little girl died and her frozen body was found by strangers
• I thought it was really sad that she was forced to go out in the cold to sell matches and if she didn't, she would be punished at home
• I might rewrite this story but have someone come rescue her before she dies

Source: An image of a burning match.

Bibliography: Andersen's Fairy Tales, Part A. 

End of the Semester Review

Thoughts about video:
I saw this video in the announcements and IMMEDIATELY knew I wanted to write my review post about it: Understanding mental illness through empathetic storytelling: Jake Morgan and Neal Walia at TEDxOU. As a psychology major, this topic greatly interests me. I also am concerned about how nobody talks about mental illnesses as much as they should. I liked how they brought up the issue and how both were so comfortable talking about it with each other when they weren't even close friends. I love those types of stories and I really liked this one as well!

Thoughts about image:
I really liked this quote in the image below, just because it's a cute motivational picture. I love that it outlined how lessons are learned and applied, and we should never give up in the middle. I think that is really important for us to remember this week especially, at the beginning of dead week. We have all come this far in the semester, and we may feel like quitting and not studying, but we have to remember not to give up in the middle! 

Source: A beautiful quote to send to people when they might be struggling.

Learning Challenge: What is Sleep for a College Student?

Data Reveals How Some College Students Sleep
This article talked about a survey that found out how much sleep an average college student sleeps. They found that on average, students actually get at least seven hours of sleep a day. They also found that women get more sleep than men because they need to, due to biological reasons. I found this really interesting because I don't think I or any of my friends ever average 7 hours of sleep a week, unless it's the weekend or in the summer, when we don't have as many (or any) classes. 

One thing I already knew, however, was that as classes get tougher, students get less sleep. That is clearly evident throughout life, because I remember when I was in elementary school, my bedtime was 9 pm. I used to get almost 12 hours a sleep on the daily! In high school, I would get 8-9 hours of sleep at first, then eventually got to the point where on some weeks, I only got 4-5 hours a sleep due to some AP classes and tests coming up. In college, it truly depends on the week and the classes I'm taking. Some weeks, I'll have no tests or papers and hardly any coursework to finish, so I may get some sleep. Other weeks, I'll have 3 papers, 2 projects, 2 tests, AND an event coming up that I have to participate in. Those weeks, an all-nighter is bound to occur. Every day, every week, is different. 

Overall, I'm glad the results of the article were consistent with health needs. That is a little reassuring, so that is good :) I wish to explore the same question in this study to people of specific majors. For example, explore how much sleep Pre-Health students, education students, Pre-Law students, history students, engineering students, philosophy students, and business students get. I think it would be interesting to compare all the majors available at a university and see who all gets how much sleep. 

Source: An accurate description of the messy environment most college students sleep in, especially during finals week.

Growth Mindset: Sharing Thoughts with a Friend

I decided to talk about the Growth Mindset with a friend, since I feel like everyone should learn about the Growth Mindset sooner than later. And college is the perfect time to learn about it, so we can all implement these ideas in the rest of our classes and in the work force when we graduate!

My friend had never heard of the Growth Mindset, so I explained Carol Dweck's video that we watched at the beginning of class. I explained the part where students all over are in this competition to get the highest grades, when in reality, we should all be trying to understand the material at hand (since that's what we're here for in the first place). 

My friend agreed that we should be trying to focus on learning instead of simply obtaining the letter grade we want. However, he stated that it would be extremely difficult to get that ball rolling, since we have been doing it this way for so long. Even if you do get the ball rolling, there would be a lot of discrimination against the idea and many people may not want to do it that way. A lot of people may ask why we can't just be doing it the way we have been, since so many people have succeeded for so long this way. He stated that the only way to do that would be creating a college with no letter grades and simply basing their intellectual level off of what experiences they have. That way, when they go into the work force, the employers know what they can and can't do, instead of just looking at one test score that may not truly reflect the abilities of the candidate. 

Source: Very relatable quote, as a path with no obstacles is not a path of learning.

Reading Notes: The Brothers' Grimm, Part A

The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids

• I liked this story because it was cute and it showed how the wolf was cunning and how the way of the world is
• I loved that the mother was able to cut the kids out of the wolf's stomach without him noticing and fill it with stones.
• I don't think I've written a short, cute, fun story in this class so I could write one now if I wanted to rewrite this story in particular

The Seven Ravens

• I wonder who exactly or how exactly the boys got turned into ravens and back into humans?
• There is no character devoted to that task specifically, so I might rewrite this story and add a character, like some sort of magician or witch who is capable of transforming humans into animals

Little Red Cap

• This story is very similar to the Wolf and the Seven Young Kids in that the wolf tried to eat children in both, and at the end, everyone he swallowed was let out again and his stomach was filled with stones instead
• I like this version of Little Red Riding Hood since it is more of a happy ending than the original story

The Elves

• I really like this story and find it really cute that little elves came and helped a poor shoemaker without expecting anything in return
• This reminded me of the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire book, where Hermione makes all the elves little hats and campaigns for them because she hates the way they are treated
• I could rewrite this story with a little Harry Potter addition to it

 

Source: Hermione's campaign for elves in the Goblet of fire book.

Bibliography: Ashliman's Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales, Part A. 

Week 14 Story: A Tale of Two Stories

There once was a hideous Beast who stole a baby from the king and queen of a great palace. The little princess was a girl named Belle, and the Beast had kept her in a lonely tower all her life. The Beast was friendly towards her, and acted as if she were his own child by feeding her, teaching her life lessons, and cleaning up after her. However, he would never let her out of the tower. He had said it was for her own safety, but in reality he was scared of losing her.

There was only one window in the entire tower, and it was at the very top, where Belle stayed. Belle had beautiful golden-brown, long hair, and anytime the Beast went out to hunt or run errands, he would have to climb down Belle's hair. Every time he wanted to come back up to the tower, he would yell "Belle, let down your hair!" One day, when she was older, a prince from a neighboring kingdom happened to travel through the forest with the tower, in which Belle was staying. He soon saw the Beast call Belle from down below to let down her hair, and he saw how the Beast was able to climb up the hair all the way inside the tower. He was immediately intrigued and the next day, he waited until the Beast left the tower, then called to Belle from down below. Immediately, Belle let down her long hair and the prince climbed up.

Belle was extremely startled, as she had never seen anybody else in her life but the Beast. She, too, was intrigued by the handsome prince. He convinced her that he was a good person and asked her to marry him. She wanted to, but she was afraid of what the Beast may say. The prince convinced her to run away with him, so she did.

Back at the prince's kingdom, Belle was welcomed with open arms. Everybody loved her and thought she was well suited for the prince. After a long day of touring the kingdom and finding out there was much more to life than her little tower, Belle found a magic mirror in the prince's room. The prince told her it would show her the thing she wanted to see the most in that moment. She immediately thought of the Beast. When the mirror drew up an image of the Beast, Belle saw him in pain. He had fallen over and looked very ill, and was lamenting about losing Belle.

Distraught over what had happened to the Beast that had card for her for years, the princess immediately traveled to the tower once again, threw her hair up to the window, climbed up, and found the Beast trembling on the floor. Immediately, the Beast was engulfed in puffs of white smoke and when it cleared, a handsome man stood before Belle.

He quickly explained how a witch had cursed him long ago, causing him to transform into a hideous beast, and that he would only be released from the curse when someone actually cared for him like family. Belle had grown to care for him, and although she ran away from the tower to be with the prince that rescued her, she always had a special place in her heart for the Beast who had raised her.

Source: The Disney's Belle and Rapunzel.

Bibliography: Thomas Crane's Italian Popular Tales.

Author's Note: As many of you may have guessed, I have combined aspects from two fairy tales into my story for this week: that of Beauty and the Beast and that of Rapunzel. The Italian Popular Tales I read had different versions of these stories; Zelinda and the Monster and the Fair Angiola. In Zelinda and the Monster, the father of three daughters asked what everyone wanted as a present, and the first two haughty daughters asked for something expensive, while the youngest, Zelinda, asked for a simple rose. In getting her that rose, a fearsome Beast mistook the father for a thief and asked for either him or his daughter to stay with him. Zelinda decided to stay with him and the Beast treated her nicely and even asked her to marry him. She said no at first, then when she saw her father in pain in a magic mirror, the Beast said he would let her see her father if she promised to marry him. She did so, and when she got back, the Beast got turned into a handsome prince and he explained how a witch had turned him into a Beast and only someone who loved him for him could release the curse. In the Fair Angiola, a woman stole from a witch, who made her promise to give up her first-born child at the age of 7. The woman agreed, and when the time came, she had to give up her daughter Angiola to the witch. The witch kept her in a tower and cared for her as her own. One day, a prince came by and convinced Angiola to marry him. She consented, and gave all the furniture in the room something to eat so they would not tell the witch where she went. The broom in the corner was not seen, so he didn't get any food. When the witch got back, the broom is the one who told her where Angiola went. The witch found her and turned her face into a dog. A few months later, an actual dog came and helped Angiola get her beautiful face back with the witch's consent and the prince and Angiola got married. I took both of these and combined the stories to make one. This author's note is really long but I had to explain the context behind both!

Reading Notes: Italian Popular Tales, Part B

The Language of Animals

• I thought it was super cool to be able to understand the language of animals
• Why did the father ask to have his son's heart removed due to that? That's so inhumane and sad
• What's even more sad is that the servants killed a poor little dog instead
• Also, what happened to the two daughters that the son promised to marry in a year and three days? The story never mentioned those later

An Incident in Rome

• I was a little confused about this story, although it was super interesting and mysterious to read 
• Pilate sounds very mysterious and it's actually kind of scary that he can never take his eyes off the paper
• What does it mean when the story says he is neither saved nor damned?

The Cat and the Mouse

• I thought this was an amusing story
• If I were to rewrite it, I would change up the different objects in the story and give more reason as to why they were giving up certain things
• I thought the last line was funny because the King just went on about his daily life

Buchettino

• I like the aspects of the little poems in the story
• Maybe I can try writing a little poem or writing my whole story in the form of a poem
• I've seen some of these written by people in this class and if I have the time to sit down and think about it, I may try to come up with one

The Three Goslings

• This is a different version of the Big Bad Wolf story
• I could rewrite this in a different way and instead of houses, have something else that the Wolf took away from the first two characters but got stuck on and outsmarted by the third

Source: The story of the Big Bad Wolf (a different version of the Three Goslings).

Bibliography: Thomas Crane's Italian Popular Tales, Part B.

Reading Notes: Italian Popular Tales, Part A

Zelinda and the Monster

• This is a different version of Beauty and the Beast
• I love this fairy tale already, and this story was almost the exact same, with some minor changes
• This story was shorter, and the beast only had to get consent of marriage from a girl in order to be set free from the curse
• In other stories I've read or in the movie that came out recently, the Beast needed a girl to fall in love with him or kiss him in order to turn into the prince again
• I may stick to this version or the other versions I've read/watched if I decide to rewrite this story
• I'm trying to think of alternate endings that are not the same ones we have always known

The Fair Angiola

• This is a different version of Rapunzel
• The witch was more lenient than in the other stories I've read
• It was more cruel for the witch to make the woman give up Angiola at 7 years of age, instead of taking her as a baby (in my opinion) 
• If I were to rewrite this I may add some more elements of cruelty to the witch (I was surprised she let the dog save Angiola so easily)
• I like the parts of the talking furniture because it reminds me of Beauty and the Beast 
• I could rewrite this unit as a lot of fairy tales put together

How the Devil Married Three Sisters

• I've never read a story like this, and I loved it! 
• It was really interesting to read and I thought the third sister was really smart for getting her and her sisters out as she did
• I may rewrite this story and change up the way in which the sisters escaped the devil

Source: From the story How the Devil Married Three Sisters. It's a popular sculpture in Italy.

Sir Fiorante, Magician

• I've never read a story like this either and I thought it was interesting that the magician pretended to be a snake 
• Why a snake? Why couldn't he just be himself?
• If I were to rewrite this, I might add more elements of being yourself into the story

Water and Salt

• This story reminds me of Akbar and Birbal stories (some popular Indian tales) because it had that moral at the end of the story and sounded like a trick Birbal would play on someone

Bibliography: Thomas Crane's Italian Popular Tales, Part A. 

Famous Last Words: Getting Through the Rest of the Semester

So this semester has been pretty busy. Not just in terms of classes, but also due to my extracurricular activities. Since I had a pretty easy workload this semester, I decided to commit to being in numerous dance performances. I had never danced in anything before college, and then my first semester at OU I got added to a group to dance for something called ISA Diwali Night. I absolutely loved it, so I decided to do more! This semester, I actually participated in five different dance groups, with a total of ten performances total. I had dance practice almost every day for different things, and I would often get confused on which practice I was going to next. 

My joy at the fact that I get to start sleeping again (taken from my phone camera).

I also had trouble staying on top of some of my classes. I never missed a class or forgot an assignment, but since I was always tired at the end of the night after dance practice, I would just sleep and then have to rush to do my homework the next day or night. I did get everything done, but I skipped a whole week's worth of assignments in this class for that reason. I also had a Genetics test on the same day as Eve of Nations, in which we had rehearsals the whole week of, so I couldn't study much for that. My goal for this week is to allocate all the time I used to be at dance practice, to studying for my next Genetics test, which is on this Friday. 

I am a little worried about finals coming up. I only have one final exam, which is in Genetics. However, I have a final paper to write for two of my classes. That scares me just because I take forever to get started on papers (yay, procrastination). And of course, this class doesn't have a final, but I still need to stay on top of it and complete all my assignments for the week/weekend. 

I have so much free time now and I can finally get back to sleeping and seeing people outside of my dance practices, but I also need to remember that the end of the semester is only three weeks away! My goals for the end of the semester include:

• Getting all A's
• Applying to internships for the summer
• Sleeping a normal amount (although that never happens)
• Making plans with some of my international student friends who are leaving after this semester
• Giving gifts (such as painting canvases or something) to the people who have inspired me this semester and who I truly appreciate in my life 

Growth Mindset: Mantras and Mottos

This is one of my favorite quotes and it is something I relate to/use a lot. You only get out, what you put into it. 

Source: Don't expect more until you do more.

I like this quote because it shows that if you only put in 50% in something you do (such as an assignment or studying for a test), you will only get that much out of it. Of course, there are those times you will get lucky and end up getting a high score on a quiz or test you barely studied for, but then again, what are you really gaining if you haven't learned anything?

Similarly, I like to use this when I lead a group (ex. Camp Crimson, Big Event, Soonerthon, etc.). I always say to my group: you only get out what you put into it, so if you give it your all and are engaged the whole time, I'm sure you'll love it!

Week 13 Story: Beowulf Returns

Nobody had seen Beowulf for years. After he had defeated Grendel's mother, he had simply left the kingdom. It's almost as if he had a feeling that nothing would attack the kingdom in his absence. He had told no one about where he was going or what he was going to do for the rest of his life. He simply left without saying goodbye to anyone.

At first, people were upset and confused. Beowulf had grown up around them and defeated monster after monster for them. He was always there to save the night and kept the people safe. When he left, everyone was forced to think of the question: Who will protect us now? There were armies in place for the kingdom, but everybody knew the monsters that had attacked the kingdom in the past were beyond the soldiers' capabilities.

The first few months were difficult for everyone to adjust and to get over the fear that someone or something was going to attack them. After that, people began to live their normal, fearless lives, and were able to go about daily activities without being afraid. Although Beowulf was not present, everybody still missed him and families throughout the kingdom prayed for him every day.

On one cold, winter night, there came a visitor to the castle. His shirt was completely ripped to pieces and one of his pant legs were cut short. He seemed to be a homeless person, and King Hygelac was about to throw him out of the castle, when the Queen, Hygd, stopped him. Something in his face caught the queen's interest, and she told him to come inside to tell his story.

Once inside, the visitor refused food or water. He began his story:

"Great king, I have no name and am but a poor escaped slave from a Frankish galley, and I am seeking my own home in the Northland. Along my journey I discovered, sleeping, the hugest dragon, surely, in all the wide world. At first I was so overcome with fear that I fled from the place. But after a while, when I got back my breath, I went back to the sleeping dragon to observe. The dragon was laying on a heap of treasure, so many gold and jewels. I went to grab some, and in doing so, I awoke the beast. I fled immediately, but not before I saw his glowing yellow eyes. I would not be surprised if he has found my scent along my journey and has followed me here. Please save me, Great King of Geatsland."

The visitor was immediately taken inside and given a bed to rest on, for although he may have caused a dragon to awake, he had warned the kingdom in advance. 

The next few days were full of chaos, as everybody had heard of the news that a dragon may come to destroy their home. People were afraid and wished and wished that Beowulf was here to defeat him. The armies were getting ready with all the weapons they could find and placed extra protection around the entire castle.

Finally, on the third night since the visitor arrived, one of the guards spotted the dragon flying above the castle, circling it as if he wanted to see how many people he would get to kill. As soon as the dragon was close enough to shoot, the soldiers began shooting arrows at it, trying to wound him at the least. They found that every arrow they shot just bounced right off of the dragon's scales. 

The dragon's tail swiftly snipped trees in half as he was flying around in the forest and around the kingdom. Then came the fire. The dragon expelled a huge breath of fire on the land, causing many homes and cabins to be destroyed. Finally, when all hope was beginning to fade away, the dragon let out a piercing shriek. Everybody looked up, and they saw the dragon's head fall to the ground, while his body slowly withered for a minute, then fell back lifeless. 

The kingdom was astonished. Just a second ago, they were all about to lose their lives and were running out of resources, and now, the dragon had just magically been destroyed? No way. With another glance up, the people of Geatsland saw Beowulf standing on a hill, sword in hand, looking at the castle and everyone in it. With a swift nod, he turned around and fled into the forest once again. 

Bibliography: Beowulf Unit; the Arrival of the Dragon.

Author's Note: I decided to retell part of the Beowulf stories, mainly the part of the dragon. The original story mentioned how Beowulf had been gone for years, then came back after his adventures in the Danes. He was greeted with immense respect and festivals, and everything was calm until one night, a visitor came to the kingdom and spoke of how he saw a dragon laying on a heap of treasure. The visitor explained the story of how he came across from the dragon and Beowulf and the whole kingdom soon went to slay the dragon and find all the gold. Beowulf ends up dying near the end. In my story, I focused more on how Beowulf didn't come back after defeating Grendel's mother and only comes back when the dragon is attacking the kingdom. Also, I took the part where the visitor is talking about his encounter with the dragon and changed up a few parts of it. Some of the wording I took directly from the original story, while the other parts I came up with my own little backstory. Hope you al liked this rendition of Beowulf :)

Reading Notes: Beowulf, Part B

Grendel Attacks

• I really liked the imagery in this story as well!
• It explained the way Grendel looks and why he was such a monstrous beast that everyone was afraid of 
• I could rewrite this by creating another monster or something that is equally feared 
• The main plot could be the same with just different characters

The Battle with Grendel

• This whole story uses a lot of imagery in it, making it really easy to visualize what is happening in the stories
• I could use this technique in my next story and try to explain every detail of what is happening, what the people and creatures look like, and what the area is like (trees, landscape, hills, mountains, prairies, etc.)
• I could twist the story around by making Grendel win and Beowulf lose, and see what turn that takes on the rest of the story
• I could even end it with Beowulf dying
• Or I could retell it in Grendel's point of view so we see a new perspective

The Arrival of the Dragon

• The story stated that many years passed since we have heard from Beowulf, and I was curious to know what he did in those years
• Maybe I could write a story in which I explain what Beowulf did in the past years
• I could write about how he went and helped other towns and villages around the world or how he went into hiding after a fight gone wrong or something

Source: The monster Grendel from Grendel Attacks.

Bibliography: Beowulf, Part B.

Reading Notes: Beowulf, Part A

King Hygelac of Geatsland

• Really good imagery in explaining what Hygelac and Hygd looked like and what the rest of the scenes in the story looked like
• The community in Geatsland sounds like one big, warm family

The Young Beowulf

• Why did his parents give him up?
• He had immense strength, but clearly it wasn't a good thing for him when he was young since he was made fun of and he broke everything he touched
• This reminds me of Hercules
• If I were to rewrite this story, I would begin with the backstory of Hercules and really try to outline the similarities 
• In both stories, the parents gave up their son and the son grew to be the strongest and most awkward child in the community

Beowulf's Resolve

• This is where he started becoming a true hero??
• Nobody paid attention to him or respected until he actually stood up and claimed he was going to defeat a monster? I find that very sad 

Beowulf's Journey

• Although he is going on a dangerous adventure, it seems like he is the most respected and cared for at this point
• I could rewrite this part of the story as well and describe the journey of someone through a forest and add some obstacles along the way
• This part reminds me of the Ramayana, when Rama had to journey through the forest during his 14 years of exile. 

Source: Beowulf about to trek on his journey to defeat Grendel.

Bibliography: Beowulf, Part A.

Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales, Part B

The Dog-Husband

• Quite odd story, just because I wasn't expecting a dog to turn into a human and get a young girl pregnant
• This reminds me of animagus from Harry Potter (where a wizard can learn to switch between animal form and human form)
• Sirius Black transformed into a dog whenever he wanted to escape a situation undetected
• I could incorporate this into my story if I decide to retell this one

The Girl and the Turkeys

• Valuable lessons about being kind; good karma
• I found it sad that she was kind of outcast from the rest of the group - it's like the story "The Ugly Duckling"
• It also reminds me of Cinderella, because she really wanted to go to the ball and never thought she would actually be able to go. The only reason she did is because of the fairy godmother. The turkeys are like the girl's fairy godmother since they provide her with all the clothes and fancy garments needed to go to the dance.

The True Bride

• I can't believe the stepmother threw down the wife's infants down a hole and replaced them with random animals to look like she is an odd person who gives birth to odd things
• I also can't believe that the husband believed the stepmother and actually went through with a plan to kill his wife 
• I wish the wife didn't go back to her husband after everything was over and after everybody knew the truth, because he tried to kill her and she still went back!
• I would have taken the two sons and left to go somewhere else. Maybe I'll write a story in which the woman doesn't go back and stays independent and true to herself.
  

Source: Native American Tales.

Bibliography: Native American Marriage Tales, Part B.

Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales, Part A

The Piqued Buffalo Wife

• I was really confused by this story and what actually was going on
• Did the father leave before the child was born? 
• Did the child ever know his father before he went out to find him?
• How were they able to switch forms?
• I might write a story about the part where the father had to identify his son with four distinct traits four different times, and just change it up to someone trying to overcome an obstacle

Bear Woman and Deer Woman

• I thought this one was really interesting because it showed conflict between two wives, and the children were really smart in figuring out that one of the wives killed the other one
• The children were also loyal to their mother, it seems, since they realized Grizzly was a monster who killed their mother and decided to run away

Splinter Foot Girl

• A child born from a leg??
• Reminds me of a child born from the blood clot of a buffalo (Kut-O-Yis stories)
• Was weird that a buffalo wanted to marry a girl, and that a rock wanted to marry a girl
• Had some origin stories in there:
• (about the buffalo); they will be overcome by human beings and they'll have horns, but will be afraid when anyone comes to hunt them)
• (about the rock); they should not trouble people ever again and be found where there are hills

Source: A killer whale sculpture from the story The Woman Stolen by Killer Whales.

Bibliography: Native American Marriage Tales, Part A.