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.