Storybook Plan

 Storybook Plans

Theme and Ideas:

My Storybook's main theme is a mashup of King Arthur and the Zodiac. He and his knights will face off against three members of the zodiac and if they succeed, will stop the impending doom of Camelot. Because in many of the stories about King Arthur, Morgan Le Faye is after his and Camelot's destruction. In their journey to the stars, they will have a chance to gain a magical item that will help them defeat her if all three battles or trials are won. All three stories of the battles they face will connect to the overarching story. The three trials will be Leo (the Nemean Lion), Gemini (Castor and Pollux), and Libra (Scales of Justice). King Arthur will be in the first battle, Knights Gawain and Gareth in the second, and Sir Lancelot in the third. I want the story to give the reader a sense of adventure. I want it to be an epic-like story. I also want the reader to get a feel for the bond between Arthur and his knights and the strain that these trials reveal are going on, as they are preparing to go to war with Morgan Le Faye. 

Sources:

The sources I use will be mainly from Wikipedia and The Arthurian Unit from the class Untextbook. 

- King Arthur Unit

-Castor and Pollux Wikipedia 

-Zodiac Wikipedia

-King Arthur's Knights website

 

Comment Wall 

Zodiac Sky (Source: Pixabay )

Hello, readers! Feel free to leave any constructive criticism or comment you'd like! Thank you for reading! 

Storybook website: King Arthur and The Star Quest

Week 5 Story: The Tale of the Rothchild Hiest

The Woolworth Building in New York City. (Source: Picryl )

The Five Points, New York City. 1921.

"Extra! Extra! Read all about it!" Cried the little newspaper boy on the corner where Cross Street and Orange Street meet. "Rothchild builds new bank!" An old man in a coat and hat flips the child a coin and picks up the newspaper with the headline "Rothchild Hits it Big, Plans For New Bank," he smirked as he read the paper and made his way down the street to his store. There was a smiling young man in the store as he entered. "Hello, Tony. Are the men waiting in the back for me?" "Of course, sir. Don't youse worry, I can look afta this place whiles youse and ya guys have ya meetin'." Mister Fauci clapped him on the shoulder and made his way to the back of the store to his office. "I'm tellin' ya, Lorenzo, dad's gonna get it big on this one!" Two big brawny young men were arguing as Mister Fauci walked into the office. "Boys! It's fine. Lorenzo and Vincenzo, I already told ya, you aren't involved with this. I promised ya ma. Now go help Tony in the store while I talk to the guys." The two sons mumbled as they were kicked out of the office. "Now let's get down to doing real business. The big words on the street that money bags Rothchild is building a new bank to hold all his money in. But he's looking for a decent building crew. And who knows how to build a better rock-solid building than me and youse guys?" He explained to a bunch of middle-aged men excitedly. "We go and build the bank for him, all the while we's plannin' our own way in nice and easy to the money." He finished with a confident smirk. "This payday will pay our retirement boys!" He stated loudly. "But boss, how we gonna get those fancy buildin' jobs anyhow?" One man in the corner of the room questioned. "I got the connections. Leave that to me, boys. Youse just shows up tomorrow mornin' ready to work." He ordered and ended the meeting.

The next day, all the men and a few others Mister Fauci had hired on showed up to work at the bank's building site. "Tell, Mista Rothchild he's got nothin' to worry about with me and my guys on the job!" Mister Fauci explained to the assistant who showed up to meet with him in the morning. He shook hands with them and they got to work. They worked on the huge building for the next three years. Even with the long timeline, they made fast progress. While running the construction site, Mister Fauci and his three closest men in his gang built in a secret passageway that just by moving a couple of stones, a person gained entrance into the building. 

While business remained good and the plan was on schedule, things in the Fauci home were not going well. Mister Fauci had been getting sicker and weaker. It worried his wife and sons constantly, but he wouldn't let it stop him from carrying out the job.  The day and night they moved all the Rothchilds' fortune into the bank vaults, Mister Fauci's life was coming to an end in their little home in the Five Points of New York City. "Boys, I gotta tell ya where the secret entrance is. So youse can get the money and take care of ya Ma for me." He said weakly and then told Lorenzo and Vincenzo where it was. He passed away in the loving presence of his family and was given a proper funeral.

In the weeks after their father's funeral, the brothers took up the family business and the plans their father had laid out. They got with their father's trusted guys and planned the whole heist out in a meeting. So they made their way to the bank in the middle of the night along empty streets. The two brothers moved the stones and went in and grabbed all the money they could carry in their sacks. While leaving Vincenzo said, "Wait, I think I saw something else back there," as he headed in the other direction. "No, wait! That's not part of the plan!" Lorenzo yelled out. When he went after him he saw that he had been caught in a trap. Vincenzo was crying out, "Lorenzo, there's no reason for youse to be caught too! Ya gotta get home to Ma! Shoot me now, so's they don't catch you! I don't wanna go into prison with all of dad's and our family's enemies waiting for me!" He begged Lorenzo, and his brother seeing no other way, shot him and quickly left the building. 

For weeks, the police looked for the thieves while the Fauci family mourned in secret. Mr. Rothchild was at his wits end on who could have come up with such a scheme to fool such a powerful and wise man as him. He went over the plans of the building and could not find a trace of how someone had pulled off such a grand thing. He started to be impressed and realized he could turn this into his own good fortune, were he to have someone like this in his employment. He paid off the legal system and the police and had the newspapers publish a new article. This article explained that he would grant pardon to whoever committed the crime if only he would come forward and meet with Rothchild. Lorenzo, full of grief and guilt for his brother, came forward. When he met with Rothchild though, he was completely surprised. Rothchild welcomed him and said, "Here is a talented man who is deserving of a job and title!" He gave him a prestigious position right then and there. Later, Lorenzo also married Rothchild's oldest daughter and became his heir. He provided for his Ma and lived a good life. 

Story Source:

Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907). 

Author's Note:

For my retelling this week, I chose the story of "The Tale of King Rhampsinitus" in Egyptian mythology. The actual tale is of a wealthy king who builds an impenetrable fortress for all of his fortunes. One of the builders slyly leaves a stone loose that only he knows about. When this builder is on his death bed he tells his two sons of it and they steal from the king. The tale goes on to tell about the death of one son and how the other son continues to trick the king and impresses him enough, that the king gives him his daughter in marriage. I thought it was really interesting that the son, after all, he stole and tricked the king, still was rewarded for his slyness. I thought that this kind of mutual respect would go well in the 1920s where there was a lot of criminal activity going on, not just in the slums, but also among the upper classes, as well. I also did a bit of research and based part of the story on the historic Five Points area in NYC, which was at the time known for being the slums. Many immigrants lived there and there was a lot of Mafia activity going on. I really went very far away from the Egyptian mythology part and only really kept the basic tale of it, but I hope you still enjoy it! :) And, comments and constructive criticisms are always helpful! TIA! :) 

Reading Notes Part b: Ancient Egypt

 Ancient Egypt 

Thoth Figure. (Source:Pixabay )

The Two Brothers Part 1

-Anpu-older brother

-Bata-younger brother

-Anpu- house and wife of own, Bata lived with him and was like a son to him

-Bata worked hard in the fields

-"he was imbued with the spirit of a god."

-Anpu's wife lied about Bata hurting her

-Anpu waiting to kill Bata

The Two Brothers Part 2

-Oxen warned Bata (talking animals)

-Bata cried out to Ra-Harmachis "O blessed lord! Thou art he who distinguisheth between falsehood and truth."

-Ra helped to uncover the truth

-Bata set out for "the fair region of the flowering acacia"

-Anpu slayed his wife and cast her to the dogs

-Gods took pity on Bata and made him a wife "whose body was more beautiful than any other's in the land, because she was imbued with divinity."

-seven Hathirs saying "She shall surely die a speedy death."

-Bata "opened unto her his whole heart and revealed its secrets"

The Two Brothers Part 3

-Bata's wife left the house

-lock of her hair was brought to the King in Egypt

-King sent out messengers to find her 

-the "girl wife" told all of Bata's secrets to the King and the king had the acacia cut down where Bata's soul was and he died

-Bata was brought back to life by Anpu

Two Brothers Part 4

-girl wife said to the Pharoh "Promise me now before the god that thou wilt do what I ask of thee."- repetition 

The Book of Thoth Part 1

-Ahurah- wife of Nefer-ka-ptah and mother of Merab

-Nefer0ka-ptah only cared to read ancient records

The Book of Thoth Part 2

-Ahurah- "for she knew that sorrow must come of this journey to the Southern Land." -Foreshadowing

-Schoenus- ancient unit of length and area based on the knotted cords first used in Egyptian surveying, "river-measure"

-"snakes and scorpions and crawling things watched but could not stop him"-repetition 

-wrote spells on papyrus, dipped it into beer so all the spells washed off and drank the beer and knew the spells

The Book of Thoth Part 3

-Thoth discovered the Book had been taken and "raged like a panther of the South"

-"and now the sorrow for which Ahura watched and waited was about to come upon them"

-same words used to describe Ahurah's, Merab's, and Nefer-ke-ptah's deaths

-repetitive 

-"Thus was the vengeance of Thoth fulfilled, but the Book remained with Nefer-ke-ptah."

The Tale of King Rhampsinitus

-erected 2 statues- Summer (faced North and was worshipped) and Winter (Faced south and was ignored)

-built a strong stone chamber to hold his wealth, but one builder placed a stone so that it could be moved later

-after treasure was moved in, builder got sick, and he told his two sons of his secret 

Bibliography:

Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907). 

Reading Notes Part A: Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt Mythology Notes 

Isis figure holding two cobras (Source: The Walters Art Museum )

Creation

-"The god of brightness"- Khepara (dawn), Ra (High noon), Tum (eventide), same god

-Shu- wind god, uplifter, atmosphere god

-Tefnut- head of a lioness, "The Spitter," sends rain

-Seb- earth god

-Nut- goddess of firmament, sky, and heavens

-Seb and Nut parents of Osiris, Isis, Set and Nepthys

The Secret Name of Ra

-One secret name that gave him his power

-Isis-enchantress

-secret name of Ra "Hidden in his bosom and never revealed in speech"

-"Ra, the aged god"

-"venom overflowed his flesh as does the Nile when it floods the land of Egypt"

Ra and Hathor

-Hathor- vengeance goddess

-Temple of Ra at Heliopolis

-"a fiery pain"

-Ritual for Hathor at New Year's with beer and drunkenness 

-"Nut took the form of the celestial cow"

The Sun's Journey

-"Henceforth my dwelling place must be the heavens"

-Aalu

-Ra afraid of reptiles

-Ra gave men power over them

-Duat- underworld

-Thoth- records sins of men, binds Ra's enemies, messengers are the ibis, crane, and dog ape (baboon)

-Ah-moon of Thoth

-Anubis- "opener of the ways"

-Ra-scepter in one hand, Ankh in other

-Ankh- a symbol of life

-Urnes- river of the underworld

-Apep- great Night serpent, seeks to overcome and devour Ra

-Sokar-underworld god, three human heads, a serpent's body, wings, hawk form

    -home is guarded by "fierce sphinxes"

    -Drowning Pool

-enemies of Ra are consumed in fires of Horus

-Khepara- form of the beetle

Osiris

-"Now hath come the lord of all things"

-good and wise king

-ruled after Ra ascended to heaven

-ushered in a new age

-"caused peace to prevail....over all the lang of Egypt"

-Isis- queen consort

-Osiris taught man to plant and sow and make food for themselves

-"a father was he unto his people"

-Osiris the good

-"Peace followed in his footsteps and men learned wisdom from his lips"

The Death of Osiris

-evil followers of Set trapped Osiris in a coffin/sarcophagus

    -was flung into the Nile

-Isis mourned and searched for his body

-Set took over the throne, evil and chaos

The Journey of Isis

-gave birth to Horus

-Thoth warned about Set

-"will of the gods"  that he overthrow Set

-Temple for Isis in Byblos in Syria

King of the Dead

-Horus "grew into strong manhood"

-Mesniu-smiths, followers of Horus, bright and keen in weapons of war

-war between Horus and Set

-became a wise and strong ruler like Osiris

-Osiris brought back to life by Ra, Anubis, Thoth, Horus, and Isis

-Osiris became Judge and King of the dead

Bibliography:

Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).

Feedback Strategies

 

Feedback graffiti sign. (Source: Pixabay )

For one of this week's assignments, we looked at feedback strategies. This week was really helpful to me because I typically fall into the pattern of "Amazing!" or "Good job!" without actually giving good feedback. I read two articles called "The Trouble with Amazing: Giving Praise That Matters," and "Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset." Both of these articles talk about what I struggle with: giving good constructive feedback. I really like how a growth mindset helps me to focus on the effort someone is putting into it, other than on the person themselves. This is actually way more beneficial and I will be using this strategy more in other areas of my life also. 

As I was looking through the feedback gallery, the ones that really caught my eye were the comments that actually had thoughtful suggestions. If there was something missing or wrong in the story, they suggested a correction or a new strategy, they did not just give criticism and then move on. For me, that means that someone was actually paying attention to my work and took the effort to suggest something that would actually help me make my work even better. It makes me feel like someone thought my work was worth putting the effort into to comment back and make a helpful suggestion, too. I really think that this class will help me with my feedback strategies and help me give better advice and praise in different areas of my life. While I don't have many strategies for feedback myself, I am sure I will learn more as the semester progresses. I can not wait to learn more about growth mindset and how it can change the way I think about myself and my effort in class and work. 

Topic Research: King Arthur and the Zodiac

King Arthur and His Knights' Battles Against the Stars

For my stories, I would like there to be an overarching theme of King Arthur and his knights battling the zodiac. I thought maybe doing it by trails or battles so that they can prove themselves worthy of some treasure or achievement. 

King Arthur- Battle with Leo (Nemean Lion) 

I thought to have King Arthur battle the sign of the Leo, which is represented in Greek mythology by the Nemean Lion. I think it would be good to mention that Heracles (Hercules) battled the Nemean lion before him and won. This could be a measure to see if he is strong enough to be king. 

The sign of Leo. (Source: Pixabay )

Lancelot- Libra (Scales of justice) guilt of affair with Guinevere

For this trial, I thought to have Lancelot do the second one. He is the best friend of King Arthur until the affair in a lot of the stories, so I thought it would only be fitting to have him as part of the story. I thought to place this before it is revealed that he has an affair with Guinevere. In facing him before the Scales of Justice is testing his loyalty to Arthur and the crown and his own heart. 

The sign of Libra. (Source: Pixabay )

Gawaine and Gareth- Battle against Gemini (Castor and Pollux) Chariot race? Joust? 

Since Castor and Pollux in Greek mythology usually represent Gemini, I wanted to pair them up against a pair of knights. Gawaine and Gareth are said to be brothers in the legends. I thought to have them maybe do a horse race or joust against Castor and Pollux, because of the Greek myth that Castor and Pollux are good horsemen. 

The sign of Gemini. (Source: Pixabay )

Each of these stories will probably be told in the third person because I think I will be able to better describe the scenes and tell the story if I'm not switching perspectives. I also thought the setting of the story might be in some heavenly realm that they travel to or something. 

Sources

I used the same sources for all the stories. Mainly Wikipedia and the Arthur Unit from the class materials. I also found a great website that I thought maybe a good resource. 

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_and_Pollux

-http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/search/label/Unit%3A%20King%20Arthur

-https://kingarthursknights.com/

Week 3 Story: 3 Sides To Every Story

3 Sides To Every Story

The Banishment of Adam and Eve (Source: The Fall, by Michelangelo )

A lot of you readers have heard the Biblical creation story of Adam and Eve. You've heard it taught and preached from pulpits and Sunday school classrooms. But what you have never heard is the different perspectives of Adam, Eve, and the serpent…

Adam:

So here's what really happened: It all started when one day I was sitting by the river Euphrates talking with the animals that had come to tell me about their day. Besides the animals talking, it was a peaceful and happy time. My animal friends had just left when Eve ran up to me with an emotion on her face I had never seen before. (We never had experienced any negative emotions or anything, so how was I supposed to discern what she was thinking?) She came to me saying in her distress, "Oh I've done something sinful, husband! You must partake in it with me so that the Lord has mercy on us! You are his favorite creation! He will listen and forgive you!" So, because I hated seeing her that way, I took a bite of the fig. I mean I knew God said to not eat it, but he gave me her as another responsibility to look after right? So I did it. But, as soon as I bit into the sweet fruit, I knew something had changed and was wrong. I looked down and then looked to Eve in disgust and shock. We were NAKED!!! Why did we never realize? Afterward, we tried to find some leaves to use for clothes, but all the other trees were afraid to help us since we disobeyed God. The only tree that would help clothe us was the one we weren't supposed to even be around! Well, we put on the leaves and then of course we hid. I immediately started thinking of ways we could hide what we did from God. It was strange because I would've never had those kinds of thoughts before. Well, obviously God found out what we did. You know the rest of the story. What I find insane is that the very person who was supposed to HELP me dragged me right down with her. So yeah, you could say our marriage is kinda on the rocks right now...

Eve:

Yes, I know. Adam blamed me for the whole thing, didn't he? Nevermind that it was HIS job to be looking after me and keeping an eye on the slippery serpent. Every other creature knew he was no good. Well every other one except us, I guess. That day all I was trying to do was look for some grapes for Adam and me. They are his favorite. So there I was, minding my own business when the serpent walks up to me (this was when he still had legs) and tricks me into eating of the fig tree. You should've heard him though. He sounded so SMART. He definitely sounded smarter than Adam, who never tells me anything anyway. So if he sounded smarter than Adam, then he's probably as smart as God, right? Wrong. As soon as I ate the fig, I knew something was wrong. The sky seemed to kinda darken and the other trees kinda bent away from me, so I wouldn't touch them. So I did the only thing I could think of doing, I picked up another fig and ran to Adam. Surely, if he ate it, God would forgive us! Adam is His FAVORITE creation! So, I got him to eat it too. I had these thoughts in my head that told me I could easily convince Adam to do whatever I wanted him to do by showing my beauty and helplessness to him. Where did those come from? Well, as soon as he ate, we discovered we were both NAKED. I was mortified and rushed to try to cover myself with fig leaves. Then, we tried to hide from God, but it didn't work. He punished us for what the SERPENT did. If you ask me, and no one ever does, he was the only one responsible here. He knew exactly what he was doing. But I'm sure no one will agree with me. All I hope is that Adam can realize that it's NOT all my fault!

The Serpent:

Yes, yes I know. "Here comes the bad guy of the story." That is what you all are thinking, right? Well, you couldn't be more wrong. I'm the only VICTIM in this whole scenario. I was a beautiful, gorgeous, wise, and respected creature, till those two idiots got me into trouble. Sure, I may have suggested to Eve to eat of the tree. But she didn't have to. That was her choice. Besides, God always favored them above everyone else. I made the suggestion to prove a point. Any wise creature would've done as God commanded and not eat it no matter what someone else told them. But that's the point. Neither Adam nor his ridiculous wife is wise or capable. It's not fair that we should pay lip service to two lowly creatures such as those humans. To top the whole thing off, I got punished along with them for what THEY did. I got kicked out of Eden too, but does anyone else care? No. My children and descendants are killed on sight by Adam's and no one bats an eye. The angels even cut off my beautiful limbs!!! I used to WALK along the ground. I had glorious color to my body. But my punishment did not stop at banishment, oh no. God had his angels MAUL me. So now I must slither in the dirt like so much trash. If you ask me, Adam and Eve deserve every suffering thing they are going through right now and more!

So, as you can see reader, there are more perspectives to this story than you thought. Who do YOU think was in the right and wrong?

Bibliography

English Standard Version Bible (2016): Genesis 3 

Author's Note

I chose to read the story of Adam and Eve as my story for this week. There was so much to the full story from Jewish legends and I was really intrigued. The story starts with the creation and goes through the traditional Biblical story of how God created everything, the creation of man, the fall, etc. But the Apocrypha goes into a lot more detail about what Adam is like, the angels, the fall of Satan, Lilith (Adam's first wife), the creation of Eve, the fall, what happens after the fall, etc. There is so much content to go through and it's all so interesting! There was honestly no way I could ever write a new story that would encompass the whole thing in just 1000 words. I was really stumped because I had no idea what to do. Then as I thought back to my old Sunday school days, I remembered how Adam, Eve, and the serpent all blamed each other for what happened to break the one command God gave. But it's only a few verses and we only get Adam's and Eve's excuses, we never hear from the serpent. So I thought to give each of them a little more voice to talk about what may have really happened from their side of the story. 

Reading Notes From Adam and Eve, Part B

 Reading Notes: Adam and Eve, Part B

A dark cave. Very much like the one Adam and Eve could've been banished to, except less light. (Source: Tysmiha on Pixabay) 

-God created the garden of Eden on the third day of creation 

-there are clear distinctions of the garden's borders and what is on each side 

-"God created the sea of His own good pleasure.."

-"Lest the transgression they had committed.." repeated often 

-Cave of Treasures- Where God made Adam and Eve dwell after having to leave the garden

-"similitude"?- semblance or image 

-"One would come and save him and his seed..." (a reference to the Messiah?)

- covenant- an agreement, usually formal, between two or more people to do or not do something 

-"Strengthen thy heart, therefore, and abide in the Cave of Treasures."

-Adam's comparison of the Cave of Treasures to the Garden of Eden is very dramatic and descriptive

-"he wept and smote heavily upon his breast" Adam and Eve consistently committed suicide because of their sorrow 

-Eve pleads with God very poetically to restore Adam and bring him back to life. 

-The word "transgressed" is used many times in all parts of the story

-thou, thee, thy, and other language like it used is the main form of the language, most like the Old King James Version of the Bible

-God continued to raise Adam and Eve back to life after they committed suicide

-The still continued to drink from the water from the Tree of Life

-Adam repeats "O Eve!" very often when lamenting his sorrows about how he misses the garden

-When night falls, Adam and Eve are both very afraid of what the darkness could mean. God tells Adam that he created the day for Adam and his seed to work and the night for the beast and man to rest. 

-Every time that God stopped talking to Adam the story says "And God ceased to commune with Adam. 

-The serpent is just as was described right after having received punishment. The description sounds like a cobra when coming after Eve. 

-The serpent was swept up by the wind and taken to India. 

-"merciful God, good and lover of men...."

-"He smelt the sweet savour of their offering, and showed them mercy."

-They built an altar to God and made a burnt offering of the blood they had shed during their attempted suicides. 

Story Source

The Forgotten Books of Eden, edited by Rutherford H. Platt, Jr. (1926).

Reading Notes: Adam and Eve, Part A

 Adam and Eve Notes

Adam and Eve eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Source:Jeffjacobs1990 on Pixabay )

- Read Genesis in the ESV translation

- I like how the story starts with "In the Beginning.."

-In the Genesis parts, there is a clear timeline, followed with the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh days. 

- Uses very good descriptions

- Repetition is present by calling things good and very good

- "each according to its kind"

-"greater light and lesser light"

-"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." 

-"have dominion over"

-God rested on 7th day

-"a mist was going up from the land"

-Eden

-directions, specific timelines

-names are important and a lot of times have meanings with them in the text

-Woman- taken from man

-serpent was more crafty- uses convincing language with Eve

- "Lord walking in the garden in the cool of the day"

-Eve-mother of all living

-Adam was "fully and completed developed" when he was created 

-Adam possessed "extraordinary size and physical perfection"

-the word "see" repeated in different forms

-soul referred to as "her"

-Adam- created out of Adamah, dust of the earth 

-Adam a prophet

-Adam "aroused the envy of the angels"

-"God flung Satan and his host out of heaven."

-"Give adoration to the image of God!"

-marriage- used to make a difference between God and man

-"Ineffable Name"

-Lilith was made in the same way as Adam

-Lilith refused to submit to Adam

-Eve was made from Adam's body while he was asleep

-Lilith demon children

-Lilith preys on infant children, must put token on child of 3 angels who caught her 

-God when creating Eve- "Be chaste!"

-"for God longs for the prayers of the pious"

-"He who lusts after what is not his due, not only does he not attain his desire, but also loses what he has!"

-Sanhedrin of 71 angels

Bibliography

Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg (1990) : Volume 1

English Standard Version Bible (2016) : Genesis 1-2

Feedback Thoughts

 This assignment we were to pick 2 different articles dealing with the subject of feedback and how we deal with it. The two I chose were "Why rejection hurts so much- and what to do about it," and "Silence the Critical Voices in Your Head." The first article was very helpful to me, I have always struggled with accepting rejection in a healthy manner. I enjoyed reading the tips that the author gave in the article for combatting the negative effects of rejection. In the second article I like the one-to-five-ratio that the author describes to silence the critical voices we deal with everyday. As I have gotten older as a student I can deal with rejection a bit better. But I still find myself every time I get a grade back on something that has feedback on it, skipping over the positive and going straight to what I did wrong. My worse times receiving feedback has been when a teacher in class tells me in front of other students. I feel like I always focus on the negatives when that happens, even when there is not much negative feedback. My best times I have had feedback is when I get positive feedback, negative feedback, and then positive feedback again. This helps "sandwich" the feedback so I don't get it all at once.   This gives a boost of self-confidence for me and gives me the negative feedback in smaller pieces so that I don't focus on too much at one time and feel overwhelmed. 

 Rejected Stamp

(Source: Pixabay )

Topic Brainstorm

 My Chosen Topics

Astrology and Star Mythology

My first pick is the astrology myths and stories. I really enjoy looking at astrology signs and reading about the stars. I think it would be cool to write about a few of my favorite signs. Maybe doing a couple of profiles based on some signs would be a good idea. I also enjoy the stories in mythology about stars and about how each culture explains the different constellations. If I choose this route, I would probably put a  more modern retelling on it to give me a bit more freedom to play with the stories a bit. 

Research Link(s):

- Astrology - Wikipedia

- zodiac | Symbols, Dates, Facts, & Signs | Britannica

- The stars and their stories; a book for young people : Griffiths, Mary Matlock, comp : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Greek Mythology 

My second idea is to do something based off of classical Greek mythology. I am not sure if I want to do just the gods and goddesses or other stories, yet. But again, I like the idea of retelling in a more modern setting. I also like the idea of putting special twists into each story I choose and then connecting them all together, so that there is an overarching theme or point. I think this would be a good opportunity for me to learn even more about one of my favorite types of mythology. 

Research Link(s):

- THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY - Exploring Mythology in Classical Literature & Art 

Mermaids

I really like the diea of doing a storybook project on mermaids. One of my favorite fairytales is The Little Mermaid and all the creative ways its been retold over the years. I wouldn't mind maybe retelling it in my own way. I also think it may be interesting to do something for the different mermaids throughout different cultures. Maybe choosing 4 different cultures and looking at their myths over mermaids and retelling them or telling it from the mermaids' points of view. 

Research Link(s):

- Mermaid - Wikipedia

- The little mermaid and other stories (ufl.edu) 

King Arthur

My idea for this topic was to maybe put a twist in the story. Maybe giving King Arthur a son or daughter and giving  some of the other characters children and working through that within the traditional story. I think it will be very interesting to research more into this topic. I know some of the stories, but not all of the stories of King Arthur. I also would maybe like to look at the stories from different character points of view. 

Research Link(s):

- Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook: Unit: King Arthur (mythfolklore.blogspot.com)

- King Arthur | Story & History | Britannica

The zodiac signs on a dial 

(Source Pixabay )

Week 2 Story: The Perfect Guy

 

 

 Silhouette of lovers against a starry sky (Source:  Pixabay )

 

 Katie was completely over it. High school was hard enough without all the jock guys being rude to you, just because you were intelligent and possessed a working brain in your head, unlike those bimbos on the cheer squad. She stared at her reflection as she wiped the tears away and replaced her glasses in the girls' bathroom during lunch. Why did I ever think he would be different? This always happens to me. Katie sighed internally, while remembering the last few months, after Jason Clark came to their school. He was a transfer from an out of state high school and plenty of talent on the football field. But that day in biology class when he became her partner, he showed a completely different personality to the typical brainless chauvinistic jock she knew permeated the halls of Southview High School. They had talked about books, music, and art. He seemed so, so...genuine... She shook her head. "It was stupid of me to think that any guy would actually like me for me. Well, that's it. I'm done with guys here. Actually I'm done with guys and men forever. They are all pigs. I'm not wasting one more tear over any of them."

The next day was Friday and Katie was brainstorming what she was going to do for her science fair project. She was the only student picked out in the school to participate in the science fair, because of her high grades and intelligence.The science fair was next month and held a great first prize for the winner. It was a full ride scholarship to one of the best and most technologically advanced universities in the country. It was so important that she win, so that she could leave this town full of men who were jerks and who had broke her heart. As she tried to come up with an idea, she brooded over what had happened the day before. If only there was someway to create the perfect guy for me...yeah right, that would be a miracle. She snorted and shook her head at herself. But there more she thought of it the more it might seem possible. "Hmmm...maybe if I use the hologram program from last year? But instead of scenes, I can maybe calibrate it to project a human." She stated to herself thoughtfully as she wrote down her thoughts and notes. She then hurried home to start on her project.

Katie worked on the holographic program and machine all through the month. Her broken heart and humiliation from the jock guys at school seemed to drive her motivation to really create the most perfect guy a girl could ever wish for in holographic form. After calibrating the machine to project people,  she started on her design. He had the handsomest, kindest facial features she could contrive. She used special algorithms and theories of beauty to design his face and body. She then researched the latest trends and designed the best clothes she could find. She was so determined to make the guy perfect, she pulled away from her friends and did just enough to get by in her studies at school. Her whole life revolved around her creation. She slowly found herself developing feelings for the holographic guy she had created. She imagined she had conversations with him over science, art, music, and books. She wondered out loud to him what it would be like to go on dates with him or to even kiss him. 

Soon, the day of the science fair came. Katie excitedly set up her project and the hologram machine. When she turned it on, her perfect guy appeared and it instantly calmed her nerves. She talked to him until the judges came around and asked her to explain the project to them. She hurriedly told them all she had done and demonstrated how the machine worked for them. They awarded her first place. She was so excited, but one thought was on her heart. The only thing that would make this day completely perfect is if you were real and i could actually touch you. She thought as she smiled sadly to her hologram man and started to pack everything up.  

That night at home, Katie was laying outside on a blanket looking at a sky full of stars, while the hologram machine and holographic man were beside her. Suddenly she said, " Oh there's a shooting start! Make a wish!" She exclaimed to the hologram, while she quickly and tightly shut her eyes and wished with all her heart for a guy like her hologram. When she was done she smiled at her own silliness. "Wishes on shooting stars aren't real. That's for kids. Well, it's fun to still pretend though," She said as she smiled to herself and the hologram. 

What she did not know, was in the Heavens, the gods were holding court and talking about her. The goddess of love was pleading her case for Katie's wish. "It's just so romantic! You all must let me grant this one, please!" She said with glistening tears in her eyes and such beauty that it moved the King of the Heavens. "You may," He stated regally. She immediately granted the wish and watched to see how Katie would react.

Katie was just starting to pick up her blanket when as sudden light flash and temporary blinded her. "W-What's going on?" She asked fearfully. "No need to fear child, your heart's wish has been granted," said a melodious voice coming from above. Katie turned and saw that the machine had disappeared and in its place stood a man. This man was the same she had painstakingly created a hologram of. She cautiously touched his face to prove he was real. "You ARE real! I can't believe it!" She exclaimed in happiness. He smiled and kissed her just like he did in her dreams. 

Story Source: Ovid's Metamorphoses, Translated by Tony Kline (2000). 

Author's Note:

So I chose to retell the story of Pygmalion. I chose this story because I love Greek Mythology and I am a romantic. In my version, Pygmalion has been gender-swapped and changed into a teenage girl in high school named Katie. She gets her heart broke by a bunch of guys and has the familiar high school drama. But, because she is a very intelligent student, she sets off to create the "perfect guy." I really wanted to give it a female's point of view. It seems like all to often we get a male's point of view in Greek mythology and I thought it would be fun to change it up. Thanks for reading! 

Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

 Reading Notes For "Pygmalion" 

- Full of beautiful sentencing, phrases like:

•  "offended by the failings that nature gave the female heart"
•  "He marvels: and passion, for this bodily image, consumes his heart"
• " heifers, their curved horns gilded, fell, to the blow on their snowy neck"

- It's very descriptive in wording. Gives a clear picture of the clothes and object that the main character buys for the statue he falls in love with. 

- The writer described the goddess Aphrodite as "Golden Venus" 

- "Ivory Girl"

-The setting of a remote island is interesting for a story of magic and metamorphosis, a lot of strange magic can happen on an island

 - Mordern Day Cyprus actually apart of Turkey in the Republic of Cyprus

-"the daughters of Propoetus spending their lives in wickedness"

Link for info:

https://mythontheweb.wordpress.com/2020/12/09/the-daughters-of-propoetus/

• refused to acknowledge Aphrodite and her divinity
• the goddess punished them by turning them into prostitutes and ruining their virtue

This leads Pygmalion to be horrified and create "perfect woman" 

-Story is a reinforcement of what the role of a woman was back in ancient Greece and to show them as general "wicked" characters...genderbend for a different perspective  

-Add more info of Venus' involvement with the couple

-Child named "Paphos" and island named after him 

-Different from the other myths and folklore I read because sounds like a novel

Bibliography 

Story Source: Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000).

 http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/04/ovids-metamorphoses-pygmalion.html

 

 

 Image Information: Pygmalion priant Vénus d'animer sa statue by Jean-Baptiste Regnault.

 

Week 2 Reading Overview

Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4.

Week 3: Adam and Eve

Week 4: Jewish Fairy Tales

Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6.

Week 5: Ancient Egypt

Week 6: Sinbad 

Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.]

Week 7: Japanese Mythology

Week 9: Brer Rabbit 

Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11.

Week 10: Cherokee

Week 11: Marriage Tales

Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13.

Week 12: Celtic Tales 

Week 13: Faerie Queene

Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15.

Week 14: Grimm (LibriVox)

Week 15: Jacobs

Nun Raises The Sun. I've always though old Egyptian writings looked really cool.

(Source: Egyptian mythology - Wikipedia)

Comments:

I am really excited for the whole semester. Each unit has something I'm looking forward too. I'm looking forward to looking into more Jewish folklore. Since I am a Christian, and enjoy reading the Bible, it will be interesting to look at some of the folklore stories and the Adam and Eve unit. For the next unit I picked Ancient Egypt. I'm a fan of Rick Riordan's books, but haven't read his Egyptian series yet, because I don't know as much about Egyptian mythology. So, I think it will be interesting to learn about. I also picked Sinbad, because I like adventure tales and it sound really interesting. The next unit I picked Japanese Mythology and Brer Rabbit. I am looking forward to both of these units. In the Native American unit, the marriage tales sound like they will be different from other folklore I've read before. Also, I took a Native American music class and read some stories from that class. It will be interesting to make connections since story-telling and music both are a huge part of Native American culture. The last two I'm really excited for are Faerie Queene and Jacobs stories. I love heroine stories like the Faerie Queene seems to be. One of my favorite young adult authors, Tamora Pierce, has a book series called The Lioness that is based on a young woman masquerading as a knight, as well. So it should be really entertaining for me. Also, as I mentioned in earlier posts, I'm a huge twisted fairytales fan. I'm sure I will love Jacobs rendition of fairytales, as well. One type of folklore I would like to learn about is the Gullah people of South Carolina. When I visited I saw a rich culture that I didn't get to spend enough time observing or learning from. But, all in all I am ready for this class!