Week 8: Comments and Feedback

1. Feedback in:

I would say that the comments I have received so far have been helpful and encouraging. I like that I get useful criticism from people and that they specifically tell me what I can change or fix. 

2. Feedback out:

I think I do well at leaving feedback on others' posts. I tend to use the TAG strategy the most because it's the easiest way for me to leave good constructive feedback as well. I do think I need to practice using the other techniques, though. 

3. Blog Comments:

I enjoy reading other people's intro posts and getting to know them. I think that in this class I get to know people better than I do in in-person classes at times. I think my blog is very thorough (maybe too thorough!) about introducing myself. I feel like I got most of the important things about me in it. 

4. Looking Forward:

I think it would be more useful for me if I tried other feedback strategies besides just the TAG one. This could even help me find out other things to say in my comments. As of right now, I do not want to make any changes to either my Intro post or comment wall.  

5. Image:

(Source: Growth Mindset & Feedback Cats)

I chose this image because I find that most of the time I am growing is when others are teaching me to be better than what I am currently. 

Week 8 Reading and Writing

 Week 8 in Review 

Looking Back...

    Overall I think that the reading and writing assignments are going great. My own personal schedule has been really busy, but I like that this class is structured to where even if I do miss any assignments, I can always catch them up later with extra credit. I'm pretty happy with how my blog and website have turned out. When I started this class, I did not know anything really about designing stuff like this. So for a beginner, I think I've done pretty well. I'm pretty satisfied with the direction my project is taking. I have a really emotionally and mentally tough internship and class load this semester, and my project stories and weekly stories, and reading have become a form of self-care for me. My biggest accomplishment in this class with my writing is it has really helped my creativity. I used to write a lot more when I was younger and I really enjoyed it. But as I got older I didn't have enough time and I really feel like I was letting my creativity go to waste. But this class gives me a great outlet for it and encourages it. My favorite reading so far is the Adam and Eve unit. I grew up in church hearing the classical Bible story but never read any of the Apocrypha, so it was interesting to add that into the story and even think about it on a more spiritual level for me, as well. I think my reading notes are helping some. They help me remember names and things about different gods and goddesses a lot.  

 (Source: Once Upon a Time Fandom Postcard )

Image Information

I chose to use the image above from my favorite storybooks post I did at the beginning of the semester. This postcard was a promo for the show Once Upon a Time. The arc of the season they were promoting was about the land of untold stories. I thought it was fitting because in this class we are all telling our own stories and they are all unique just like the ones in the show. 

Looking Forward....

    Something I think I really need to focus on is maybe sticking to more of a schedule going forward? It's hard because I have an internship/practicum that the schedule changes day to day really. But I think this just means I need to be more intentional with my free time and downtime. I also think it would benefit me to maybe look into a different note-taking strategy. This would help me come up with ideas for stories. 

Reading Part B: Japanese Mythology

 Japanese Mythology Part B

Picture of the underside of a Japanese Umbrella (Source: Pixabay )

The Labors of Yamato: The Grotto of Love 

-Benten- sea kami (goddess) one of the Seven Lucky Gods of Japan

-Yamato got bored with his wife Princess Tacibana

-he went hunting to stop his boredem 

-Enoshima 

-jumped from a cliff into the sea and found a grotto filled with emerald light

-"Upon a couch of coral bowered mid glittering sea-blooms, reclined his lost siren, singing softly the whiles she gently fingered a gold and amber lute."

-handmaidens of the siren Benten spread out a feast before Yamato

-"Grant me thy love, sweet siren- else I shall surely die."

The Labors of Yamato: The Golden Apple

-Benten tells the story of Jofuku who traveled and got a golden apple

-"Prince! If thou wouldst be my lover, that Enchanted Isle discover, Bring me back the Golden Apple, thy devotion thus to prove! Then in joyance beyond measure, in a round of ceaseless pleasure, Thou shalt dwell with me forever in eternal youth and love."

 The Labors of Yamato- The Demon Boar 

- very similar to the labors of Hercules 

-asked all the servants, sailors, and fishermen about the Golden Apple but no one knew anything

-depressed- "A lethargy of despair"

-boar in the forest of Hakone

-Ise- high priestess 

-the priestess tells Yamato that only the sacred sword can kill the boar and that he is only vulnerable in his tail and runs like the wind

-search brought them high into the mountains

-killed by cutting off tail and driving off a cliff

The Labors of Yamato- The Grass- Cleaving Sword

-Suruga 

-Sagami

-Princess Tacibana saves Yamato and men from  raging fire

The Labors of Yamato- The Sacred Sword

-Yamato starts thinking about Benten again and tells Tacibana to go home and hide herself till her hair grows back and her burns heal because he says she is hideous in his sight

-Benten trying to trick Yamato for the Sacred Sword for Susa-no-wo

-she got him drunk and made him pass out and she stole the Sacred Sword

-lost in the forest

The Labors of Yamato- The Sacred Sword (Cont.)

-Kwannon- the merciful, goddess of mercy and love

- told Yamato that the sword is in the horns of a stag

-made a lance from bamboo

-goddess lent Yamato her hounds for the hunt

The Labors of Yamato- The Dragon

-norito-an ancient exorcism to protect the faithful from serpents, sprites, and goblins

-Tacibana was "the goddess more beautiful than Benten whose love was greater than her own,"

-Susa-no-wo the dragon- "His head was like a camel, his horns were like a stag, and his eyes were glowing coals of fire. Scaled like a crocodile, he brandished a tiger's paw, armed with the talons of an eagle. 

-Yamato's wife died just like Hercules did in the story of his labors

The Jewel of Heart's Desire: The Land of Morning Calm

-Emporer Chiuai- son of Yamato

-the Empress had a vision from Amaterasu and the Emporer doubted it and was killed by the goddess

-the Land of Morning Calm

-jewel of heart's desire

Bibliography:

Romance of Old Japan by E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917). 

Reading part A: Japanese Mythology

 Japanese Mythology Part A

The Kyoto Path in a Shinto Temple in Japan. (Source: Pixabay )

Izanagi & Izanami

- Kajiki-Den

-Izanagi- God of Heavens

-Izanami- Goddess of Love

-"ere yet were heavens or earth, sun or moon, or the multitudinous waters, all was gloomy chaos"

-"floating upon a sea of silent space"

-Taka-ma-no-hara (High Plain of Heaven)

-Flowers that bloomed were the sun and moon

-Izanagi- all-powerful god of the air 

-Izanami- fair goddess of the clouds

-800 deities

-"Floating bridge of Heaven- vast, aerial arch 

-8 Islands of Japan-

    -Yamato- the flowery isle of the dragon-fly 

    -Tsukushi- the white sun youth

    -Iyo- the passing fair princess

    -Tsushima- the stepping stone

    -Ahaji- the isle of grieving 

    -Shikoku- the pearl of the inland sea

    -Oki- the islet of the white hare

    Lado- gold maid of the north

Izanagi & Izanami (cont.)

-Amaterasu- "the great august kami (god) who shines in heaven"

    -Shinto religion

    -sister of Susanowo and Tsukuyomi

-Amaterasu rule over Takama-no-hara 

-Moon god- morose, turbulent, sinister 

-Izanami gives birth to God of Fire and Water and dies

The Miraculous Mirror

- Amaterasu fled, God of laughter tricked her out of her cave with a mirror

The Eight-Forked Serpent of Koshi

- Kushinada-hime (Wonderous-Fair Princess)

- Serpent- "eyes as red as ripe mountain cherries, a noisome blood-inflamed body, armed with 8 fearsome heads and 8 forked tails."

-"its back is all overgrown with firs, cedars, and pines, and it trails its tortuous coils over 8 valleys and as many mountains"

-"thine august name"

-crone brewed a sake of 8 times the strength of regular sake

-after slitting tail of dragon, Susa-no-wo discovered the sword Kushanagi (herb-queller)

The Heaven Descended

-Amewaka (Heaven-Young Prince)

-Princess Shita-teru-hime (Princess Nether-Shining)

-Na-naki

-cassia tree

-Ama-na-sagu (the Heaven spying woman)

-Necklace of Jewels, Sacred Sword, Miraculous Mirror

-Uzume- Goddess of Mirth

The Heaven Descended (cont.)

- giant's name is Saruta-Hiko (diety of the field paths)

-Ninigi married both Ko-no-hana and Iha-naga-hime

-Ninigi wanted nothing to do with Iha-naga-hime, so now children (all of man) have short brief lives

The Fortunate Fish Hook

-Ho-wori (Prince Fire-Fade) was a famous hunter (younger brother)

-Ho-deri (Prince Fire-Flame) was a famous fisher (older brother)

-switched talents

-Ho-wori lost Ho-deri's fish hook

-Shiko-tsutsu (the old man of the sea)

-Wata-tsumi

-cassia tree

-Ho-wori wed Toyotama (Peerless Jewel)

The Fortunate Fish Hook (cont.)

-"broad of fin and narrow of fin" repeated 

-Court-of-seaweed

-lost fish hook found in the gills of the Tai 

-Ho-wori lived in the palace beneath the icean for 3 years

-Jewel of flowing tide

-Jewel of Ebbing Tide 

-Toyo-tama had a son

The Labors of Yamato 

-"youth of comely mien, great of stature, strong and fearless and skillfull in the use of arms"

    mien-a person's look or manner

-Strand- shore of a sea, lake, large river 

-mermaid in dream

-Suminoye

-married Princess Tacibana

-"black waves of death surged over his soul"

The Labors of Yamato (cont.)

-Takeru- infamous outlaw, lord of caslte the princess was brought too

-Yamato took the sacred sword of Susa-no-wo to defeat him 

Bibliography

Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legends  by E.W. Champney and F. Champney (1917).

Crash Course Mythology Videos Thoughts

     

Crash Course Mythology Notes

    This week instead of writing a story, I chose to do the story lab option of watching the Crash Course mythology videos and writing about my thoughts. I enjoyed looking at the different schools of thought and the focus on Joseph Campbell's hero monomyth. When studying the background of mythology it's interesting to see how all of the stories have so much in common. I like how the guy in the video used the Australian version of the Pleiades to show how even though all the hero myths may not follow each step of the monomyth, they do follow the general pattern. It also interests me how mythology can be connected in many different ways to other topics. I like how they call mythology a "Slurpee of Knowledge" because of how so many things are addressed in it. The way the guy in the video brings the roots of psychology into it is good too. Looking and studying myths and folklore this way can give a whole new perspective on what these stories do for the cultures they are apart of. 

    The video on the hero monomyth has definitely given me ideas on how to start my storybook and how to make it flow better. Since I'm doing a King Arthur story, he is perfect for the monomyth. I also like the school of thought from Carl Jung and collectiveness. I think that since I am pulling in other knights to fight alongside Arthur, that the idea of collectiveness will fit in very well and help bring the story cohesiveness. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the three videos. I will definitely be watching more of them in my own free time. 

A picture of Wonder Woman, because why not? (source: Pixabay )

Sources for videos: Crash Course Mythology

Reading Notes: Sinbad, Part B

 Sinbad Reading Notes Part A

Sinbad and the Legend of the Sevens Seas Theatrical Release poster. (source: Wikipedia )

Fifth Voyage Notes

-built his own boat for the fifth trip, so he could go where he wanted when he wanted, and invited other merchants to go with him

-Found an inhabited island

-they found a roc's egg they saw hatching. The merchants cut it open and killed the young bird and cooked it, although Sinbad thought it was a bad idea. 

-Parent rocs came after them with huge stones to throw at the ship

-one rock smashed through the boat and Sinbad floated on some debris to another island

-"a garden of delights"

-he saw an old man who wanted him to carry him across a river on his back

-the old man wouldn't get off his shoulders and stay on all day and night.

Fifth Voyage (Cont.)

-Sinbad grabbed a dried up gourd and pressed grapes in it and left it in a fork in a tree, came back for it later when it was wine and "had the satisfaction of a draught of excellent wine so good and refreshing that I even forgot my detestable burden, and began to sing and caper."

-the old man took the gourd of wine and drank so much his legs loosened and Sinbad threw him to the ground where he never got up again. 

-"The crowns of the cocoa-palms were all alive with monkeys, big and little, which skipped from one to the other with surprising agility"

-got the monkeys to throw done the coconuts for them from tall slippery palm trees

-was able to gather pepper, aloeswood, and pearls

-repetitive again, gave a share to the poor, and rested

Sixth Voyage 

-"It must be a marvel to you how, after having five times met with shipwreck and unheard of perils, I could again tempt fortune and risk fresh trouble. I am even surprised myself when I look back, but evidently, it was my fate to rove," 

-repetitiveness in the beginning again by mentioning his restlessness 

-ship was taken in a storm and blown into the side of a mountain the rose out of the sea

-saw all the treasure from ships that had wrecked on the island before

-"as I was born under a lucky star,"

-left on a raft he made on the river into a cave 

Sixth Voyage (Cont.)

-Close thine eyes, and while thou sleepest Heaven will change thy fortune from evil to good."

-the men he met took him to their king to tell of his amazing adventures

-"Nay, Sindbad. Heaven forbid that I should covet your riches; I will rather add to them, for I desire that you shall not leave my kingdom without some tokens of my goodwill."

-tales were written in gold into the kingdom's archives 

-"for this was the place to which Adam was banished out of Paradise."- the top of the mountain that was in the center of the island 

-"I pray you give these to the Caliph Haroun al Raschid, and assure him of my friendship."

Sixth Voyage (the end)

-the king of the island sent goods, rubies, diamonds, pearls, and a slave girl with Sinbad for a present for his leader

-Sinbad gave the letter and presents to his king and told him of what he saw

-very good detail 

Seventh and Last Voyage 

-Sinbad chosen by his king to bring the king of the island a gift and letter of friendship, even though he wanted to not voyage anymore 

-on the journey back to Bahgdad, they encountered pirates 

-Sinbad sold as a slave to a rich merchant by the pirates

-killed an elephant for his new master

Seventh and Last Voyage (Cont.)

-hunted elephants for the master for 2 months

-elephants took Sinbad and carried him off

-they brought him to an elephant graveyard.

-"you must be under the special protection of Heaven"

-returned home with a caravan, because the sea made him nervous 

Bibliography:

Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

Reading Notes: Sinbad, Part A

 Sinbad Reading Notes Part A

Theatrical Release Poster for the movie Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. (Source: Wikipedia )

First Voyage

- First-person Point of view 

- telling stories to an impoverished man also named Sinbad

-inherited wealth from parents

-stopped voyage at a small island to rest, but was really the back of a whale

-Sinbad got left behind while leaving the "island"

-he drifted to another island on a piece of wreckage 

    -Mihrage-king of the island Sinbad floated too

First Voyage (cont.)

-Cassel- tiny island owned by Mihrage

    -supposedly inhabited by a spirit named Deggial

-found the captain of the ship from the beginning of the voyage 

Second Voyage 

- got left behind after falling asleep on an unknown island

-"a white ball of immense size and height....marvellously smooth and soft"

-"fifty paces round"

-whate ball was really roc's egg

-roc- a huge fiercesome bird 

-tied himself to the leg of the roc with his turban 

-stranded in valley of diamonds

Second Voyage (Cont.)

-camphor trees

-bound to a piece of meat to escape valley of diamonds by being carried out by eagles

-"my first action was to bestow large sums of money upon the poor"

Third Voyage 

-repetitiveness in the beginnings and ends of each story

-giant with one eye

-"He was as tall as a palm tree, and perfectly black, and had one eye which flamed like a burning coal in the middle of his forehead. His teeth were long and sharp and grinned horribly, while his lower lip hung down upon his chest, and he had ears like elephant's ears which covered his shoulders, and nails like the claws of some fierce bird."

-passed out at the sight of the giant 

-similar to odysseus 

-more giants

-Sinbad escaped on a raft with 2 others

-the giant snake on the next island crushed and ate one companion and ate the other 

Third Voyage (end)

- built tent made of reeds to protect from huge snake 

-repetition again because he found the captain of his ship at the start of the voyage 

-bought land and gave money to the poor

Fourth Voyage 

-violent hurricane 

-savages on the island who ate the rest of the crew 

-Sinbad went with other men he found on the island who were exploring and gathering up peppers

-he pleased their king by making saddles, stirrups, and bridles for their horses and entertaining them with stories. He was rewarded greatly 

Fourth Voyage (Cont.)

-King ordered him to marry a girl there and stay

-Sinbad still had plans to leave the newer country asap

-spouses are buried together on the island when one dies

-Sinbad was buried alive with his dead wife 

Fourth Voyage (end)

-found a way out of the cavern with the many treasures he took from the dead

-found a ship to take him home

Bibliography:

Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).