Showing posts with label Week 2.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Week 2.. Show all posts
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App
I downloaded the Canvas app onto my phone at the end of last semester. Overall I have liked the app so far. It has a push notification option that I have found really useful. Unfortunately, the app seems to glitch a lot. So far it hasn't glitched as bad as some other apps but it still glitches probably once every other week.
Feedback Thoughts
14 Signs Your Perfectionism Has Gotten Out of Control
I can definetely be a perfectionist so I really enjoyed this article. Not everything mentioned applied to me but I could identify with most of the 14 signs. Some, such as the inability to take feedback, used to be much worse. However, I have been actively working on improving my feedback reception skills throughout college so that is much less of an issue now. The go big or go home mentality definetely still exists though, as does a tendency to procrastinate and to view results in extremes. I always enjoy articles like this one because they remind me of tendencies that I have improved on and ones that I still need to work on.
Eight Things Students Should Do When They Make a Mistake
I really enjoyed this article. I especially liked the advice to strive to find a good balance between work and play. I can remember times when I went week without really spending quality time with my friends because I was so stressed about a paper, or a test. Over the past year or so I have been able to find a much better balance but I definetely do not have a perfect system yet.
General Thoughts on Feedback:
Whether or not I am a good feedback taker has honestly varied depending on what kind of day or week I am having when I receive that feedback. I have had professors tell me I need to basically rewrite an entire paper and readily accepted that criticism. However, I have also had professors inform me they do not like one element of my writing style and felt very attacked. Generally, I have figured out that I appreciate feedback that feels objective and resent feedback that appears to be subjective. For example if someone points out a plot hole or logical inconsistency in my writing, my automatic response will be better than someone saying they just did not like my writing style or how I wrote a certain character. I am currently working on receiving ALL criticism better while still holding on to my uniqueness within my writings.
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| Growth Cat growthmindsetmemes |
Topic Brainstorm
Topic Idea 1:
I think it would be really interesting to retell/embellish some of the major indian "love stories" from the perspective of Kamadeva. I think, flipping the script on some of these stories and portraying Kamadeva's involvement or noninvolvement would allow me to offer something unique in my story telling. For example, last week one of my favorite storybooks was about Rama and Sita going to couples therapy. I have this idea in my head that Kamadeva was not really involved in their story actively, but rather watched in sorrow as Rama claimed he loved Sita while only loving himself. I would love to play around with that idea in the next few weeks. I also think it would be really interesting to play around with the characterization of Kamadeva. I've noticed in Western Mythology the gods or goddesses of Love and/or Desire are often portrayed as very fickle beings who enjoy watching those they influence go through never ending cycles of seduction and heartbreak. I think it would be nice to give more weight or seriousness to these gods and examine how they would really feel about how humans love one another.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sita
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| Kamadeva commons.wikimedia.org |
Topic Idea 2:
Another project that I think could be really interesting would be a storybook that focused on the immortals. I'm not sure how feasible this would be, but I think I could do an overarching story about the Immortals losing their immortality and have an individual chapter following each of the seven main immortals as they reckon both with their lost immortality along with their complicated feelings about eternal life to begin with. Each chapter would culminate in that immortal finally meeting the god of death and examining how they respond to that fate.
Topic Idea 3:
As we will spend a lot of time on the Ramayana, I think it would make sense to pursue a retelling of the story in some form. Since I don't know very much about Indian Epics but I do know a lot about Greek Mythology, I could see a really great project in retelling the Ramayana with Greek and Roman characters. This project would allow me a fun way to examine the difference in how each culture characterizes their heroes. Additionally, I am interested to see if their are many common denominators between the stories.
https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/
Topic Idea 4:
My final topic idea is to write a story from the perspective of a seeming normal family in india whose eldest daughter loves to read ancient poetry and epics. Once she turns 18 however, each story she reads begins to actually take place in the real world with her inhabiting the role of one of the characters. This idea is probably the least concrete in my head but I think it would be really interesting to pitch this unassuming girl into the role of a great indian hero or god like Vishnu and examine her responses.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu
Extra Credit Reading Notes
The Foolish Timid Rabbit:
I really enjoyed two specific elements of this story. I thought it touched on something very real in its metaphor about how easy it is to get swept away by what the majority believes. In contrast, I thought it showcased the importance of wise leaders standing up against majority opinion and asking intelligent questions.
The Turtle and the King/The Turtle and the Geese:
I thought the juxtaposition between the two turtles in these stories was really fascinating. It pointed to the fact that when storytelling, you can have two characters of a similar background take very different paths.
The Cunning Crane and the Crab:
I really liked this story. At first it reminded me of the old story of The Scorpion and the Turtle, except with a surprise twist at the end. I thought it was interesting that the author of the story clearly felt that the crab had been just in his dealing with the crane.
The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart:
A common theme is emerging amongst the last few stories; Intelligence and cleverness seem to be the most admirable traits as opposed to brawn. I thought it was interesting that the monkey's immediate trusting nature was not as fatal in this story as in the previous ones.
The Crocodile in the River:
What I found most interesting in this story is the respect that the crocodile gives the monkey at the end of the story. Unlike the previous version when the crocodile was miserable because he lost his meal, this version has the crocodile possessing enough wisdom to appreciate being outmaneuvered.
The Monkey who Gathered Lotuses:
This story certainly had the most unexpected ending for me. Most of these stories have followed a logical path to the end, but I was not expecting the father to basically have a heart attack and die before a final confrontation with the son. I did notice that similar to The Crocodile in the River, a potential adversary praises the monkey's intelligence.
The Self Willed Deer/Noisy Out of Season:
I liked both of these stories. They, strangely, reminded me of biblical parables found throughout the Gospels. I am curious how familiar the author was with the Christian affinity for parables when he wrote these.
Goblin City:
This was probably the story I liked least out of this bunch, not because it was not a great story, but rather it felt out of place compared to the previous animal themed stories.
I really enjoyed two specific elements of this story. I thought it touched on something very real in its metaphor about how easy it is to get swept away by what the majority believes. In contrast, I thought it showcased the importance of wise leaders standing up against majority opinion and asking intelligent questions.
The Turtle and the King/The Turtle and the Geese:
I thought the juxtaposition between the two turtles in these stories was really fascinating. It pointed to the fact that when storytelling, you can have two characters of a similar background take very different paths.
The Cunning Crane and the Crab:
I really liked this story. At first it reminded me of the old story of The Scorpion and the Turtle, except with a surprise twist at the end. I thought it was interesting that the author of the story clearly felt that the crab had been just in his dealing with the crane.
The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart:
A common theme is emerging amongst the last few stories; Intelligence and cleverness seem to be the most admirable traits as opposed to brawn. I thought it was interesting that the monkey's immediate trusting nature was not as fatal in this story as in the previous ones.
The Crocodile in the River:
What I found most interesting in this story is the respect that the crocodile gives the monkey at the end of the story. Unlike the previous version when the crocodile was miserable because he lost his meal, this version has the crocodile possessing enough wisdom to appreciate being outmaneuvered.
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| Wise Monkey maxpixel.freegreatpicture.com |
The Monkey who Gathered Lotuses:
This story certainly had the most unexpected ending for me. Most of these stories have followed a logical path to the end, but I was not expecting the father to basically have a heart attack and die before a final confrontation with the son. I did notice that similar to The Crocodile in the River, a potential adversary praises the monkey's intelligence.
The Self Willed Deer/Noisy Out of Season:
I liked both of these stories. They, strangely, reminded me of biblical parables found throughout the Gospels. I am curious how familiar the author was with the Christian affinity for parables when he wrote these.
Goblin City:
This was probably the story I liked least out of this bunch, not because it was not a great story, but rather it felt out of place compared to the previous animal themed stories.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Reading Options
Week 3 and 4:
I decided that I would prefer to read the more novelistic version of the story. I have a kindle so I went ahead and ordered the kindle version of the book. I also think that the reading guide will be really helpful since I am unfamiliar with the general story.
Week 5:
The reading option that emphasizes Indian heroines seems particularly interesting. As I stated in a previous blog post I really liked the former storybook that told Sita's side of the tale. I do not normally read graphic novels or comic books but I think it would be interesting to check out some of the free options.
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| Graphic Novel iereadingguides.blogspot.com |
Week 6 and 7:
Again I think I will read the novel version. I will see how much I like reading the novel version of the first story before I buy the kindle version. I may also listen to the audio of the other version just to see whether that helps me absorb the story.
Post Week 7 - I am going to wait to decide my game plan until after the first 7 weeks for the rest of the semester.
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