Reading Diary A: Jewish Fairy Tales

First the first week of reading, I chose Jewish Fairy Tales.

(The image that accompanied The Beggar King)

The Giant of the Flood:

• A giant goes out of his way to guarantee his survival through the floods by making Father Noah help him. 
• Og basically became Noah's slave. Sacrificed a lamb, a pig and a monkey to bless wine so when man drinks too much he behaves silly.
• Og eventually turns against Noah's word and opposes the Israelites. His plan to use the mountain to harm them failed and Moses was able to mortally strike him with a sword. Years later he perished.

The Beggar King:

• King gets mad at the Holy Book and tears out any pages that he dislikes because he is unwise.
• Goes on hunt and with no success ends up getting stuck in woods to learn a lesson from a Genie.
• He is forced to do be the servant of a troop of blind beggars as a punishment for his sin. 
• After he has completed his punishment, he returns to throne and rules with kindness and sympathy to his subjects.

The Quarrel of the Cat and the Dog:

• Cat and dog were best of friends until the winter came. Dog became depressed and Cat became restless and angry.
• Cat suggests they split up because they cannot find enough food together to share. Dog is upset by this but reluctantly agrees. They make a pact to never cross paths again.
• Cat goes to Adam's for mice as food and forgets about Dog. Dog doesn't fare well and nearly dies. He finds Adam's house by accident.
• Cat is unhappy Dog now lives there. They fight constantly because Cat is upset Dog broke the oath and this is why they all always fight.

The Water-Babe:

• Princess Bathia finds Moses floating on the Nile river.
• Princess throws Moses a birthday party and at the party he puts on the Pharaoh's crown. Bilal takes this as a sign that he means to steal the throne. Everyone else brushes it off as nothing because he is only a child.
• Bilam requests that he be judged.
• Moses has to choose between a burning coal and jewels to stay alive. He chooses the coal.
• Reuel gives the Princess a staff that was given to Adam when he left the Garden of Eden and said that it will passed down to Moses. 
• Years later when Moses became a man, he was able to read the magical words on the staff and with that staff he did the amazing things that he did in Egypt (when he free the children of Israel as related in the Bible).

From Shepard-boy to King:

• David understood the world around him. He heard someone whisper that he will be the king of Israel one day.
• Finds a mountain that lacks the normal natural scenery. Realizes it's a unicorn. He is stuck on it until a lion comes.
• Lion was angry. Deer saves David from Lion and brings him back to humanity.
• The deer leads lion astray, allowing for David to continue to live and write his experience as a psalm after he was king of Israel.

The Magic Palace:

• Ibrahim and his family fell on hard times. Wife asks that he look for work so they can feed their children.
• Borrows nice clothes from neighbors so he can leave the city and work abroad.
• A builder confronts him with a plan to build a palace and says they should work together to build it.
• The find a Jeweler and show him the plans and a model so they can get the money to build it.
• Ibrahim now has money to feed his family and the architect/builder can make his palace.
• They dream about the palace and they realize it came true. The builder was freed and you find out that it was Elijah the Prophet who built the glorious palace. 
• The merchant hosts a feast with all the people of the city in the palace and spreads the gold and silver throughout the streets.

Week 1: Review

Out of the class announcements, I must say that the Map of the Internet was my favorite post. It was featured in the August 30th post. I giggled when I read there was a My Little Pony island. I knew there was a big My Little Pony following, but not big enough to warrant an island on a map! I found that a bit intriguing.

Week 1: Famous Last Words

(A sad but true depiction of me during week one. I found this on google.)

It's nearly Monday, which means the start of week two. I know you guys are reading this, but I just frowned at the thought of the weekend of being over. My first week of classes was a bit...rough? I decided to take 6 classes this semester (one class is capstone) and reality just hit me with the insane amount of readings I have to do. My goal is to stay ahead. We will see how long that will last. I refuse to leave my spot on campus until I am done with most of week two for this class! The need to do work for this class also stems from excitement to work with the material. I really enjoy writing and I think this class was a perfect choice to work on my writing skills. I want to get better at story telling, so I look forward to those posts the most.

Other than the insane amount of readings, my classes seem pretty good! This class and my German Thought and Culture class are the ones I am most excited about. I really enjoy reading stories from other cultures because I think they are good representations of some portion of a culture. Hopefully these classes will give me a holistic perspective of cultures I do not know much about. Perhaps I can use these two classes to find common tropes that may appear in literature.

Tomorrow will be a bit nerve wrecking because I start my internship bright and early at 8am. Wish me luck! I will need it, in addition to coffee. On the bright side, my boyfriend is coming to visit Thursday evening to Sunday afternoon! Woo! I am so excited. He lives all the way back home in Richmond, Virginia. Perhaps week two of the semester will be a pick me up in comparison to week one!

Week 1 Curation: ?!

(Curation flow chart found here.)

I am going to be quite honest, my organization would be considered as disorganized to most. Hopefully this class will whip me into shape! In the past I have tried to use bookmarks as a way to group the things I find interesting online together. Despite my lack of ability to keep my online life organized, I am really good at filing my saved documents into folders. That is something I am very OCD about because I know I will revisit them, so having them in a location that I can easily find is important to me. Hopefully, I can transfer that skill of filing my saved documents in organized folders to online with the help of this class.

As for social media, I am not too good at it. I know how to use it and am capable to do so, but I absolutely suck at following through. I've never been big on Pinterest. It has always seemed a bit like one of those websites that leads you down the rabbit hole and you end up spending an endless amount of hours filtering through posts. This is the reason why it is not my cup of tea at all. I do like Twitter, but I just often forget about it.

The engagement level of this class will hopefully improve my ability to actually function effectively and efficiently online. Online curation seems like one of those areas where you want to work smarter, not harder.

Growth Mindset

(Cat meme by Laura Gibbs found on the Growth Mindset Memes Blog.)

I wasn't sure what to expect after seeing the title of this assignment. I had never heard of the growth mindset or Carol Dweck, so I was a bit nervous. After watching Carol Dweck's TED Talk "The Power of Believing That You Can Improve," I am quite happy that I watched her videos. I am a firm believer in looking at the glass as half full rather than half empty. Having a positive, encouraging culture around education can only strengthen the experiences one has. Everyone learns differently and I think it is important to focus on getting everyone to understand a concept rather than focusing on how they got there.

I've always found that most things come easily to me. I really haven't had to put too much effort into things and would still be able to get by. I've changed that up the past few semesters by picking classes with professors that I knew would be challenging and I would actually have to work hard for a good grade. Due to this change, I have become a better student. I try not to improve based on the grade that  I am going to get (though it is an important factor), but I try to improve so I can become better at what I am trying to do. The desire to truly understand what I am learning has become a top priority to me with my classes.

To enhance the rest of my educational experience, I will be using some of the growth mindset challenges throughout the semester.

My Three Storybook Favorites

Let me start this post off with: I am really horrible at making decisions. I am possibly the most indecisive person ever and so, choosing three storybooks was really hard. I did, however, power through my inability to choose and narrowed my list down to three storybooks.

(Lion Emblem Noble created by Lockheart23 on Deviantart)

The one that grabbed my interest the most was The Thin Line Between Tragedy and Comedy. What kept drawing me in was the title. I am a sucker for a good title. Even if the content is bad, I will read a book that has a solid title. With this storybook, the title did not make the subject of the story book obvious, but it gave you a hint as to what the content would be about. I enjoy a bit of mystery and so, this was an obvious top choice for me.

Planet of the Cats was another storybook that kept popping up at the top of my list. I am not sure if it is the fact that I love cats, but I was drawn to this one. I like the style and layout of the storybook. I think it is clean and simple, and if you couldn't tell... I like clean and simple. It is so easy to navigate, which makes me like it even more. In addition to that, I like that there are pictures on every page and that they are not the same types of imagery. The image variety keeps things fun.

Lastly, we have Monsters or Misunderstood? This storybook caught my attention because it's so fun! The introduction made me laugh so much. Comedy is golden in my book.  Even the layout and design add to the humor because it feels like I am on a therapist's website. I think it is witty that they are monsters that have therapy appointments. It sounds like some future Pixar or Disney movie. I can only hope to have something as witty as this.

My Un-Textbook Selections

(14th-century tapestry)

It was extremely hard to choose only a few units to describe why I want to read them. I am so interested in so many different things that I feel my selections are culturally diverse within England (which is what I wanted).

So here goes my list:

Unit: Beowulf - In the 9th grade we read a translation of the Old English epic poem and I really enjoyed it. I am mostly wanting to revisit Beowulf because I would like to read it in prose form. Trying to understand Beowulf as a poem at the age of 14 was pretty challenging, and I hope to learn something new from rereading it.

Unit: Czech Folktales - Besides the similar tropes that run through most folktales, I know nothing about the ones from eastern Europe. I want to see how they compare and contrast to the ones from the west. I'm worried that I may not understand some of the cultural references that they may make, but I hope to learn a lot from them,

Unit: Kalevala - Much like the Czech Folktales, I am mainly interested in this because I know absolutely nothing about it. Based on the description though, I am excited to do the listening portion of the Unit. I think having an aural factor added into story telling can enhance the experience one has with a story.

Unit: Welsh Fairy Tales - I am mainly attracted to this unit because I have quite a bit of Welsh in my bloodline. I think it would be awesome to read stories that may have been told to my ancestors. I cannot decide between the two Welsh Fairy Tale sections, so it is likely that I will do both. I am probably most excited about this section. I am curious to see if Changelings will be mentioned.

Unit: Canterbury Tales - The Canterbury Tales were only briefly mentioned in high school, and I am excited to read these tales. I have only read a small portion of one, and I can barely remember which one it was. I also find Middle English interesting, so I can not wait to revisit these tales to compare the difference between this style of writing to that of today's.

Introduction: Oh Hey, Hi, Hello

Hello everyone!

(The Richmond skyline at night found here.)

My name is Christina Hughes; I am 22 and am a fifth year senior here at OU. I was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. I am majoring in Public Relations and Letters, but I want to go to graduate school for Urban Planning.I am currently in my PR capstone and it is a bit nerve wrecking. I have a strong fascination with cities, especially those with a minimal negative impact on the environment. I would love to study major cities in countries like Germany, Norway and Sweden to see how they implement green initiatives. I would then bring some of those ideas back to the United States and try to incorporate them into cities here.

(Three Norwegian Forest Cats in the snow found here.)

Other than cities, I really like cats. I mean I really really like cats. I have one cat, Lucky, at the young age of 12. He is my favorite. Along with having him, I also follow pretty much any Instagram account that features cute kitties. Even though I advocate for adopting cats from shelters, I would really love to own a pure bred Norwegian Forest Cat and a Ragdoll one day. Maybe I can convince my boyfriend to buy me one. :P Speaking of my boyfriend, his name is Taylor. He does IT/Tech-y things and is unbelievably intelligent. I suppose I will keep him.

For now I shall list some fun facts about me below.

My favorite movie is Drive.
I'm really scared of Toucans and Octopi. I can't even be in the same room as a Toucan.
I prefer hurricanes to tornadoes.
I'm notorious for crying during almost any animated movie or movies where an animal is the main character.
I adore Bernie Sanders. I will definitely be voting for him.
The Giver quartet is, in my opinion, the best book quartet ever. However, Harry Potter is my favorite book series (of course).

Go check out BernieSanders.com :)

Well, it was nice talking to you guys and I hope you enjoy my blog!

Week 1 Storytelling: The Crab Who Could Walk

"Why in the world do you walk sideways like that?" said a Mother Crab to her son. "You should always walk straight forward with your toes turned out."

"Why in the world do you walk sideways like that?" said a Mother Crab to her son. "You should always walk straight forward with your toes turned out."

"Show me how to walk, mother dear," answered the little Crab obediently, "I want to learn."

So the old Crab tried and tried to walk straight forward. But she could walk sideways only, like her son. And when she wanted to turn her toes out she tripped and fell on her nose.

Do not tell others how to act unless you can set a good example.

(A very happy crab gif found here.)

Joe, a young crab at the age of three months, taught himself how to walk. His mom, Lola, and his dad, Frank, had been trying relentlessly to teach him in the first two months of his life. It was only until they went on vacation that he had taught himself. As his parents were basking in the sunlight on the beach in Florida, Joe had become self-motivated to learn how to walk while his babysitter, Franny, was flirting with the boy who lived next door.

On day one, Joe first learned how to stand. Standing, you see, is fundamental for strengthening the muscles in his legs so he could eventually learn to walk. He had already known that this was his biggest challenge thus far. Learning to stand would be the gateway to walking, running, skipping and many other activities. So on day one Joe learned how to stand.

On day two, Joe discovered that he must learn how to use his leg muscles to move one leg at a time. So, he wobbled and fell, and wobbled and fell, repeatedly until he could manage on his own. This took hours and by the end of the day, Joe had learned that walking wasn’t as easy as he perceived it to be.

Day three was a big day for Joe. On this day, he learned how to walk from one side of the room to the other side. He had to be sly about learning to walk. He did not want Franny to see and call his parents, ruining his surprise. So, whenever she went to flirt with the crab next door, he would slowly, but surely, wobble his way throughout the house. He went from his bedroom to the living room and back with minor difficulty by the end of the day. Joe’s excitement for walking had strengthened and he could not wait to show his parents.

During the final day of his parent’s vacation, Joe focused on perfecting his newly learned skill. As soon as Franny would leave the house, he would walk around with such ease and confidence that it was like he had always known how to walk. Joe was counting – and walking – down the hours until his parent’s arrival. Joe hoped that his parents would be thrilled to see that he was finally motivated to learn this skill that had been trying to teach him for months. He was so excited that he dreamt of walking to the front door to open it for him upon their arrival home.

The big day was here for Joe and the thrill that was running through his body was comparable to the streams of the ocean: strong and wild. Today was the day Joe would show his parents that he knew how to walk. His parents came home from Florida not long after breakfast, and while they spoke with Franny in the hallway about how Joe was all week, Joe stepped out, walked to them, and told them about his week himself. His mom, Lola, and his dad, Frank, were floored. They were in such shock that they didn’t even know what to say. That is, until his mom said the wrong thing.

“Why do you walk like that?” she said. 

“How do you mean?” Joe replied. 

He looked down at his legs and walked just like his parents did. He maneuvered his limbs in the same fashion that he had seen them do so since he was born. His mom then proceeded to explain how a proper young man should walk and said he should try to walk that way. Joe was so confused. He did not understand why she was expecting him to walk differently, so he asked her to demonstrate for him. She tried to, but fell. She tried again and again, but continued to fail. Eventually she gave up. 

Joe then asked her, “I learned to walk from you, how am I to learn how to walk differently when you’re my only example?”

Author's Note: The inspiration from this story came from The Young Crab and His Mother from Aesop for Children, by (anonymous), illustrated by Milo Winter (1919). The fable is presented at the beginning of the story. I decided to expand the fable into a story about how the crab learned how to walk the way he does. His mother is critiquing him in both the short story and the fable, but creating a background story puts the criticism into context. 

My Favorite Place

(A personal photo of our family friend's son playing at the beach; photo from August 2015 )

I love to visit any beach on the East Coast. I've been very fortunate to spend a lot of time near the ocean when I go home to Virginia. Pictured above is Duck, North Carolina, where a family friend has a house 100 feet from the beach front. We do not typically go during the busiest part of the season, but it is guaranteed that we have at least two weeks there in the summer, a week in the autumn and spring break. My favorite time of year to be at Duck is late September. The ocean is still warm, it's not too hot or busy, and the smell of the water and sand is perfect.

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