A Journey Through Stories: Mythology and Folklore

So now it's time to talk about something that is a little scary for me...Feedback. I know that it makes you think, work harder, and ultimately be better. For most of my life though, I have been terrified of receiving feedback for fear that I would hear something that I didn't like or that my feelings would be hurt. Learning more about why failure and feedback are both necessary parts of the creative process, though has given me a new perspective. The first article that I read while researching this idea was "Talking about Failure is Crucial For Growth. Here's How to Do It Right."  This article was particularly interesting to me because of its emphasis on actually speaking out loud about your failures when they happen. From personal experience, it has always been my instinct to hide from or ignore my failures instead of learning why they happened and how I can do better next time. Failure is not something to be ashamed, but something to learn from. This article g...

Below are a few topics that I am interested in learning and writing more about in the coming weeks for our storybook project. Alice in Wonderland Alice is a character that I have resonated with since childhood. I appreciate the stories being centered around her curiosity. After all, wonder and exploration are what make stories interesting to tell and listen to, right? I think that if I were to cover this topic for my storybook, I would create a sort of alternate plot that explores: What if Alice had gone through a different door? What happens in Wonderland if she doesn't make it there? These are just a few ideas of how I could create my own Alice in Wonderland story. Web source.  The Land of Oz I may have mentioned this before, but I am completely fascinated with any and all stories of Oz. While we have all heard stories that focus more on the witches of Oz, (Wicked the musical likely being the most popular) I think that I might be interested in doing some research and ...

Photo of  Glücksburg Castle taken by  Matthias Süßen . Web source: Wikimedia Commons.  A long time ago, the most powerful witch in the kingdom, Doriana, fell in love. This love all but consumed her life, and she felt happy just thinking about the subject of her affection. There was just one problem, though. Doriana, Dori, had fallen in love with the wrong person. A person who she was never supposed to love. To understand her situation, it is important to know that Dori was in line to rule the kingdom. Her parents had arranged for her to be married to a young, powerful warlock name Samson. He was a suitable choice, with powerful magical blood, who could help Dori run things from the castle. Dori did not love Samson, but she did love the idea of one day following in her beloved parents' footsteps. That is what made her lovestruck predicament so concerning. The person that Dori fell in love with was not from a powerful family. He was not even magical. The boy was...

This post will be exploring some stories and reading note-taking strategies that are new to me. I focused my notes on Aesop's fables about the lion that were included in this week's anthology.  The Lion's Share - A lion reasoned that he should get all of the hunt's spoil. The fox points out that it is strange that the lion would share the labor of the hunt, but not the spoils of it. - Powerful people can take control of groups, even if they are outnumbered. Androcles and the Lion - Androcles is a slave that escapes, and saves a hurt lion. The lion and Androcles form a bond, until Androcles is captured again. When it comes time for him Androcles to be eaten, the lion recognizes him as a friend and licks his hand. -The most important part of this fable is the unexpected relationship between the lion and the human, Androcles. Sometimes, unlikely friendships and partnerships make the most interesting stories, which I found to be the case.  -The message of...

Here is my tentative plan for reading units that I will cover throughout this semester: Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4. Week 3: Aesop (Winter) Week 4: Women Saints Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6. Week 5: Arabian Nights Week 6: Tales of a Parrot Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.] Week 7: Brer Rabbit Week 9: The Monkey King Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11. Week 10: Marriage Tales Week 11: Cherokee Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13. Week 12: Robin Hood Week 13: Alice in Wonderland Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15. Week 14: Brothers Grimm (Crane) Week 15: Italian I am very excited to start these reading assignments. One of the units that I am most looking forward to is Women Saints. During my time in college, I have taken several gender studies courses, so I am curious to ...

Clock. "Clocks for Den" by robstephaustralia. Web source: Creative Commons. So far, I have been very comfortable with the classwork schedule that I initially set up for myself. It concentrates all of my work on the days that I do not have class on campus, and leaves my weekends open to complete extra credit or get ahead on the next week's assignments. I know that as the semester moves forward, things are only going to become busier, and time management is going to be critical to my academic success. There are many tips and resources that can help instruct and inspire me to better utilize my time, and many of them were covered in the articles for this assignment. The Important Habit of Just Starting  highlighted one of my biggest struggles: procrastination. While it's easy to put things off until the last minute, this article discussed why it is so beneficial to just start something and the motivation to finish will follow. When I feel like putting things ...

Using technology illustration. "Technology" by Sephko. Web Source: Creative Commons.  It is no surprise that this course will utilize many online materials and technologies seeing as it is an online course. For the most part, I am familiar with the tools that we will use throughout this course. One that I have particularly used often is Canva for graphic creation, among other things. It is very user-friendly and allows non-experts (like me) creative professional looking work.  One thing that I am not used to doing is bookmarking website, pages, or other content. That is something that I will have to get into the habit of doing throughout the semester, as I am sure that it will be helpful and save myself some confusion in later assignments.  As far as online course go, this one is a little different for me. All of the previous classes I've taken online have been administered completely through Canvas. It makes sense to learn through different websites si...

Homework. Tapping Pencil. Uploaded by Atmoz on web source: Wikimedia Commons.  There are a variety of assignments on the weekly schedule for this class. One thing that all of the assignments have in common though is the opportunity for creativity. While all of us are going to be following the same instructions with our coursework, I am interested to see everyone's different stories and ideas come to life as the semester goes on. I am particularly intrigued by the storytelling assignments. Creative writing has always been something that I love, but since entering college, I have not had nearly as much time to do it. I am looking forward to getting back into a routine of writing something that is fun and fulfilling. Lastly, I like the structure of the course assignments with the built-in extra credit work. Not only does this allow for an extra opportunity for points to be made up (because we've ALL had those crazy weeks where nothing goes right), but it allows us to ...

Growth mindset cat meme by Laura Gibbs from Growth Mindset and Feedback Cats . Original image from cheezburger. I have never heard of Carol Dweck's research on the concept of growth mindset, so it was interesting to learn about this idea in education. A growth mindset means seeing and learning from a perspective that accepts and appreciates the process and time it can take to accomplish things. Dweck describes this idea in terms of "yet" and "not yet." A fixed mindset would put an emphasis on students getting a good grade on each test now. Growth mindset focuses on the possibility of yet though, which gives the opportunity for students to remain hopeful about their journey to learning or accomplishing something. Just because a student hasn't accomplished something yet does not mean that they never will. I think that the idea of growth mindset is completely fascinating. After reading and listening to some information about it, it makes complet...

Hello again everyone! For those of you who do not know, my name is Jacqueline Mamone, but I just go by my middle name, Rachel. Yes, it has made everything more confusing for my whole life. Personal image of myself. Anyway, there are a lot of things that are important to know about me. I am studying public relations. I have an adorable dog named Maggie (see image below), and I am obsessed with Gilmore Girls. Most aspects of my life all come back to one thing though, and that is my love of food. Personal image. My Pomeranian, Maggie.  I have the strong belief that food can bring people together and bring out the best in them. Some of my favorite childhood memories took place at various family holiday meals. Food has also been one way that I can experience parts of other cultures without traveling far from home. Different dishes serve as different reminders of certain people or moments. The practice of sharing a meal with someone is almost a sacred act to me, an...

Exploring through past storybooks gave me the opportunity to get some ideas for my own storytelling. During this exploration, I also found a few storybooks that were especially interesting to me. The Lovers of Zeus  stood out to me because of its modern story of the otherwise ancient Greek mythology figures in today's dating scene. I have previously read other books and stories that place ancient figures like this in present times, so I was interested in seeing this storybook's take on the same idea. The introduction places the reader right in the middle of the story and immediately left me curious about what was going to happen next. In addition to the written content, the visuals and layout contributed to effectively telling the story Zeus' dating life. The dark colors and stormy weather imagery serves a double purpose of representing Zeus' status as god of the sky and the stormy, tumultuous situation his relationships are in. This storybook has given me some ideas ...

Aerial image of Long Island City. "LIC" photographed by simplethrill. Web source: Creative Commons.   For as long as I can remember, I have loved the idea of living in a big city. Growing up in the small town of Noble, Oklahoma (just about 10 minutes south of the OU Norman campus) never gave me the thrill of fast-paced city life that I always wanted. My dad was born and raised in New York, and it has been in the back of my mind of a place that I would love to visit and eventually, maybe, even live. The past two summers I have had the opportunity to take trips to explore more of New York City. I know what most of you are thinking but, no. The New York that I am talking about is not Times Square with its crowded sidewalks and bright lights. My favorite place is a more secluded, industrial part of New York called Long Island City; specifically, the few blocks surrounding Queensboro Plaza subway station. On just one street you can find a market with the kindest workers...

This is a test post for my mythology and folklore blog that I will be working on this semester. See you soon with some real content!