Storybook Topics

Battles and Weapons
Growing up I always found myself intrigued by war history even though I never got very excited about the other sections of history classes. I love to learn about how strategy and weapons have advanced throughout the centuries. I know that swords and bows were a large part of the weapons scene of the era we are studying, but I would like to see what other weapons were popular if any. I do not, however, know much at all about the strategy used in battles. I would enjoy learning more about that. The research I have conducted so far for this topic includes surfing the web and reading a Wikipedia page as well as several other web pages.

Heroes and Heroines
Heroes and Heroines are interesting to me because they have to do something courageous to earn that title. Courageous acts are usually exciting to hear about as they usually include action and triumph. I’m looking forward to learning the similarities and differences between these Indian heroes and heroines and the ones from the classic stories that I grew up with. I think heroines are especially fun to learn about because they seem to be less common in stories and add a little extra flavor to the story. I have read the Wikipedia page on this topic and some of the storybook articles.

Animal Characters
Animal characters always keep things interesting too. I like seeing the creative ways that writers give them human characteristics while keeping some of the mannerisms that are specific to that species. I have already seen a deer and a bird used in the stories I have read and I saw a variety of animals in the storybook articles from the animal characters page. I am interested to see how they use these characters to enhance the stories.

Karma
It is always fun to hear about someone getting what they deserve whether it is for good things or for bad. I think we like to hear about good karma because it helps us believe that if we do good things then we will be rewarded for our actions. So far I have not been able to recognize any karma taking place in the stories I have read, but that might just be me missing them. I hope to catch it happening soon. I have read the karma Wikipedia page and some storybooks about karma from the previous semester in this class. 

Varaha the Boar

Storytelling for Week 2: Lakshmana's Letters

Dear Mother,

I know that you do not agree with my decision to accompany Rama and Sita in the forest, but Rama is my dearest brother and it is my duty to serve him wherever that may be. Please do not worry about me. I assure you that we are going to be fine. Between Rama's skills with a bow and mine with my sword we could take on every living creature in this countryside if we had to. That being said, we have been wandering around for a week and have not encountered any dangers yet. I will send more letters soon.

Love,

Lakshmana


Dear Mother,

A lot has happened since I last wrote you. Bharata traveled to us to convince Rama to take his rightful place on the throne. Part of me was hoping that he would accept this offer so we could return home. I only wished that because I am bored here; who would have guessed that hanging out with your brother and his wife in the middle of a forest could be so dull? Anyway, Rama said that neither he nor Bharata could overrule what our father has ordered. He has more obedience than I. I guess that is what makes him so fit for the throne.

P.S. Please write back. I miss you.

Love,

Lakshmana


Dear Mother,

I still haven’t heard from you! These last few days have been crazy! A demon named Viradha picked Sita up and ran away. Our arrows and swords barely even fazed the beast, but they made him mad enough to turn around and to charge Rama and me. He then picked us up and began to run as we broke his arms. He could not be killed so we threw him into a pit to keep him out of our way. Then a Rakshasa named Surpanakha tried to seduce Rama, but Rama quickly shut that down. This angered her and pushed her to attack Sita at which point I cut off her nose and ears. Long story short, her brother brought an entire army of their kind against us. Luckily Rama was able to defeat them with his arrows while I hid Sita. One thing is for sure; this adventure has no longer been boring.

Love,

Lakshmana


Dear Unresponsive Mother,

It’s hard enough not being able to see you, but not hearing back from you after several letters is icing on the cake. Have you forgotten your son? Today Rama hunted a beautiful deer for Sita. I figured it was a demon playing tricks on us though. Sita and I heard Rama’s voice crying for help in the woods, but I know my brother better than that. He is way too smart and skillful to get himself into a threatening situation. Sita on the other hand yelled at me because she believed Rama was crying for help. We argued about it for a while. She can be really mean. Anyway, I gave in and went to search for Rama, which is exactly what the demon was hoping for. He carried her off! I hope for my own sake we can retrieve her while she is still alive. Rama is going to kill me for leaving her alone if we don't. I will let you know how everything turns out in my next letter.

Love,

Lakshmana

The Deer Hunt

Author's Note:

The original story is about Rama getting banished to the woods through an unfortunate set of events. Lakshmana and Sita accompany him on his journey refusing to let him go alone. The banishment lasts for fourteen years in which period a lot of things happen to them. The story is told using narrator style.

All of the events and characters from the original story were left exactly like they were. I changed the storytelling style from narrator to written letters. These letters are written by Lakshmana to his mother and are transported using carrier pigeons. He has no wife in this version in order to cut down on the length of the letters. This allows us to focus on Lakshmana and his side of the story; he was not a very big part of the original story.

I used this picture of the deer hunt because it was a major component to this story. The deer hunt was the cause of a long string of events from Sita’s capture all the way through her rescue.

My goal in this story is to show that there are many different sides to every story. Lakshmana does not get as much publicity throughout the original as Sita or Rama, but he is involved as much as they are. His side could be as exciting or more exciting than Rama’s depending on the reader.

Bibliography: 

Rama and Bharata, PDE Ramayana, Donald A. Mackenzie (1913).

Viradha, PDE Ramayana, translated by Manmatha Nath Dutt (1891).

Shurpanakha and Rama, PDE Ramayana, Donald A. Mackenzie (1913).

Lakshmana and Shurpanakha, PDE Ramayana, Donald A. Mackenzie (1913).

Battle with Khara, PDE Ramayana, Donald A. Mackenzie (1913).

The Golden Deer, PDE Ramayana, Donald A. Mackenzie (1913).

The Chase, PDE Ramayana, Donald A. Mackenzie (1913).

Jatayu and Ravana, PDE Ramayana, Sister Nivedita (1914).

Week 2 Reading Diary, continued: PDE Ramayana

PDE Ramayana by Donald A. Mackenzie, Frederika Richardson Macdonald, and Sister Nivedita.

When Bharata it called home he returns and mourns the death of his father and is saddened by the news that his brother has been exiled in order for him to rule. He shows compassion for the woman responsible for this occurrence. He goes to the jungle to see his brother and begs him to come home and take his place as the rightful heir to the throne. Rama refuses because he wants to keep his word. Bharata wants to keep something of Rama’s on the throne so he takes a pair of sandals that Rama has worn. The sandals become the symbol of royal authority in Rama’s absence. A beast that is unable to be killed grabs Rama and his brother and carries them through the forest. After injuring the beast they dig a pit and cast him into to it so that he will no longer be a problem. A rakshasa falls in love with Rama and takes the form a beautiful young girl to seduce him. Embarrassed by rejection she attacks Sita and is wounded by Rakshmana. A group of fourteen angry rakshasas attack the three royal humans and are stopped by Rama with his bow. Even angrier than before, the rakshasa launch another attack on the royal party where Rama again prevails using his bow. Rakshmana and Sita get into an argument after a demon imitates a cry for help in Rama’s voice. Sita convinces Rakshmana to break his word to Rama to find Rama in the woods. The mighty Jatayu tries to help save Sita, but fails. The god Brahma celebrates because he wants Rama to destroy Ravana and the events are leading to that.

Viradha the rakshasa

Week 2 Reading Diary: PDE Ramayana

PDE Ramayana by Donald A. Mackenzie,Sister Nivedita, John Campbell Oman, and F. J. Gould.


King Dasharatha- King Dasharatha has everything he could ever want except a son. He is unhappy because this is the one thing that matters most to him.

Dasharatha's Sons- The chief queen Kaushalya slays the horse so that king Dasharatha may have sons.

Rama: Avatar of Vishnu- Vishnu says to Indra and others who honor him, “Be not afraid, for I shall deliver you all. Ravana entreated Brahma for protection against all beings save the apes and men. Go therefore towards the earth, ye gods, and assume the guise of apes, and lo! I will divide myself into four parts and be born as the four sons of Maharajah Dasharatha. When I shall battle against Ravana, you will hasten to mine aid.”

Vishvamitra- Rama goes with Vishvamitra away to begin his manhood even though king Dasharatha is skeptical.

Thataka- The spirits of the celestial weapons tell prince Rama, “We are thy servants, O nobly generous one. Good betide thee! Whatever thou dost desire, lo, we shall accomplish for thee!”. The prince uses them shortly after to cast one of Thataka's acquaintances into the sea and to burn another.

Rama Wins Sita – The bow is brought out and Rama asks to be permitted to lift and bend the bow. He snaps it in half and wins sita.

Rama Breaks the Bow of Shiva

(illustration by Evelyn Paul)

Rama and Sita’s Wedding – Rama and Sita get married along with three other couples.

Rama Goes Into Exile – Neither Sita nor Lakshmana can be persuaded to remain in the city while Rama is forced into the woods.

Week 1 Review

This is my favorite post on the class announcements this week! It's from Thursday. 

Thursday Announcements

Famous Last Words Week 1

I am currently working on my reading skills; I would like to be a faster reader. There hasn’t been an excessive amount of reading in this class yet, but there has been enough to keep me working at it daily. The material has been really interesting too which helps a lot. With boring subjects I tend to zone out and then go back and reread sections.

I did a lot of writing this week, to be honest it way more than I am used to. I think overall it went well though. I am slowly getting more comfortable with it, but I know I have a long way to go. My favorite writing of the week was the story. I thought it was the most fun to write because it allowed me to use a lot of imagination. This was also the post that I thought was my best work of the week.

There were a lot of good stories posted by other students as well. I looked through a few to get ideas for some of my writings and there are some talented writers in the class. In the coming weeks I need to remember to look through classmates posts for entertainment and ideas.

My other classes are going well too, but they have started off slowly. There hasn’t been too much work in those classes thus far with the exception of capstone, which is expected. I know they will pick up and get really busy later on so I am trying to get ahead in this class. My hope is that I can get at least one week ahead in here so I can take a week off to focus on other classes when I need to, which will most likely happen, and still be on track for this class.

Creative Writing Picture at Wikimedia Commons

Tech Tip: Blog Profile

I think a persons online identity is important. To the people you know only through the internet, its their only impression of you. Peoples opinions aren't everything, but when you are looking for a job it is necessary to look professional. Ive never put too much thought into it other than just trying to be professional in recent years. I put a picture of myself from Peru as my profile picture and a nice generic picture as my background. I also kept my name displayed on my profile.

Tech Tip: Blogger Template

I have chosen a new design for my blog. After experimenting with the different options I chose to use  the picture window template with a raindrop background. This helps me feel like I am outside while I am blogging. I recommend doing it to everyone as it is quick and easy way to give your blog some life. Check out the tech tips to learn how to do it.

Learning Challenges

Happiness and health, empathy, attention, reading, and time management are all very important in our lives. By mastering these aspects, we can learn to accomplish more and get more out of everything we do.

The jelly bean video really put into perspective how short of time we have to accomplish all that we want to. That being said, time management is the area I feel is most important for me to focus on. It is easy for me to get caught watching TV or doing the fun things throughout the day and saving the things that are most beneficial to me until the end of the day. By doing this I usually end up rushing the important things or not getting all of the way through them. The famous concept "work before play" goes well with the time management idea.

Happiness is the first one on the H.E.A.R.T. list for a reason. Happiness is one of the most important facets of life right behind our religious beliefs. Lucky for me happiness and health are a major driving force in my life already, so I can focus my time on improving in the other areas of the list. I found a blog with a lot of good quotes about happiness. You can visit it here at The Six Steps to Overcoming Adversity. 

Picture by Jack Doueck 

Picture at The Six Steps to Overcoming Adversity Blog

Empathy is very important in relationships. We all have relationships with people around us, but how good is our relationship with them? Empathetic people are able to take those relationships to the next level. I think relationships are a big contributor to happiness and, therefor, that empathy is very important. 

Health and happiness, time management, and empathy are the three most important parts of H.E.A.R.T. to me, but I think that all of them are important in their own ways. These learning strategies will be beneficial to anyone who uses them. I look forward to working with them more later  on in this class. 

Growth Mindset

I have never heard of Carol Dweck before. I think that she is correct about everything she said. I have caught myself giving up at times when I struggled to solve a problem that seemed too complex for my comfort zone. I have also enjoyed the times when assignments seemed easy to me instead of wishing that I was being challenged to better myself. I know I am not alone in this mindset.

In today’s society, jobs seem to be as competitive as ever, and one of the main things that employers look at in employee candidates is their grade point average. This makes it very easy for students to get caught up in setting their goals on good grades rather than learning as much as possible. This isn’t exclusive to college kids searching for jobs. High school students do it in order to get into the college they want too.

In my time at OU I have learned that I am most effective at learning what I am constantly pushed to work hard and solve problems slightly out of my comfort zone. Like Dr. Dweck said, we don’t benefit from doing things that are easy to us, but I also don’t think we learn as much when we are pushed too far. Like most things in life it seems like there is a happy medium when it comes to staying outside of our comfort zone.

I would enjoy learning more about the growth mindset throughout this semester. I, personally, feel comfortable solving calculation problems, but really need to improve on writing and giving presentations. I hope that this class will help to improve my writing and I am looking to improve on giving presentation in my capstone class.

Picture of man thinking/questioning/Growth mindset 

Man Thinking at Wikimedia

Storybook Favorites

The Children's Biblical Zoo! by Kelsie Heitman

https://sites.google.com/site/thechildrensbiblicalzoo/

The title of this storybook is familiar to me; it tells us who the characters are in the story. The topic of the story is portrayed well in the introduction. The intro’s creatively talks to the reader welcoming them to the zoo. The introduction definitely makes me want to read the story. The page has wallpaper with animals all over it and colorful words and boxes to go along with the child theme. This is the best layout I saw out of all the storybooks I viewed. Some of the design features would be good to use in my own project. Below is a picture of the introduction page from this storybook.

Screenshot of The Children's Biblical Zoo!

https://sites.google.com/site/thechildrensbiblicalzoo/

Storybook: Tales of Ganesha from India to Norman

https://sites.google.com/site/ganeshastories/home

The title is not familiar to me. Just from the title you are not able to tell what the story is going to be about but you can tell whom it is about. The introduction is a good description of the story. The introduction grabs your attention by talking directly to the reader and making it feel like you are part of a conversation. The page layout is very generic; it does not affect my reaction to introduction at all. The images are used well together to help the reader visualize the character as well as the setting of the story.



Storybook: Indian Horror Story: Tales of the Lingering Souls by Hoang Truong

https://sites.google.com/site/indianhorrorstory/home

This title is familiar and does a good job of describing what the storybook is about. The introduction really makes me want to read the stories. The author uses very descriptive words and dialogue to make the reader feel as if they are in the story. A black background and a creepy photo are utilized in the layout match the theme. I would like to use the color of the page and the word font to set the mood in a similar way to this storybook’s layout.

Week 1 Overview

I chose to read the PDE Ramayana online. I like that it has the audio  option and illustrations and that is available online so that I can access it whenever I want. Thataka and King Janaka seemed interesting to me based off of their reading guide's.

I have never taken a class over epic literature, indian history or culture, or religion before, but I enjoy shows like Game of Thrones. I've never been to India nor do I have an Indian heritage in my family. This class is going to be a very unique experience for me like nothing I have ever done.

I do not recognize any of the characters in any of the photos. I chose the picture below because it is interesting to me that the head of an animal is on a human body.

Queen Choladevi and the Sage Angiras

(circa 1790, Met Museum)

Introduction to a Petroleum Engineer

I was born and raised in Edmond, Oklahoma where I attended Deer Creek Schools. I participated in various school sports throughout junior high and high school including football, cross-country, wrestling, track, and golf. I only stuck with cross-country and track all the way through.

I am currently a senior majoring in petroleum engineering. I chose engineering because I like to know how and why things work. I think the petroleum industry is really cool because it’s the techniques and technology are always changing and improving and it is a big component of the Oklahoma economy. My goal is to work for an exploration and production company for a few years before starting my own independent oil and gas company.

My favorite food is biscuits and gravy, but I like all breakfast foods a lot. So I guess in general breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. For lunch and dinner my favorite options include macaroni and cheese, pizza, fettuccini alfredo, nachos, and wings.

My favorite thing to do in the summer is go to the lake because there is so much to do. There is a good mix of exciting and relaxing activities to so that everyone has options while still hanging out with each other. In the winter and spring I like to go snowboarding. Skiing/snowboarding isn’t as interactive with friends as going to the lake, but its more thrilling. I don’t think you can call something a hobby after only doing it once, but I went skydiving a couple years ago and would love to go again whenever I get a chance.

A picture of water-skiers from Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_skiing

I have three miniature wiener dogs named Bo, Shadow, and Rascal. They sleep most of the day, but when they are awake they like to chase squirrels.

My favorite books are Ender’s Game and the Count of Monte Cristo. My favorite movies include Gladiator, Fight Club, Forrest Gump, V for Vendetta, and Catch Me if You Can. Game of Thrones, True Detective, Arrested Development, Friends, Archer, South Park, and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia are among my favorite TV shows.

Week 1 Storytelling: The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

A long time ago a country mouse travelled to see his brother who lived in a town nearby. The two mice sat and nibbled breadcrumbs that the town mouse had gathered from the streets. The country mouse, in discontent, ate the bland dry bread with a smile on his face to be polite. He wanted the town mouse to know his hospitality was appreciated.

After the meal, the two mice talked late into the night about their different lives. The town mouse was intrigued by his brother’s descriptions of gardens and fields overflowing with mouthwatering snacks. Before going to bed, the town mouse agreed to follow his brother back to his home the next morning so he could experience the sensations of this place. In his sleep he dreamed about being in the country indulging in its pleasures.

Upon arriving, the town mouse was shown a land even more remarkable than what he had dreamed of. Gardens full of ripe vegetables and fields of sweet corn reached as far as the eye could see. For a brief moment the town mouse thought that he was in heaven.

The mice began to feast on a tomato when a fox came trotting by and spotted them. They dashed into the cornfield with the fox chasing after them. They managed to dive behind a corn stalk as the fox ran by and lost them. They laid completely still with faces in the dirt until they were sure the fox was no longer around.

The country mouse began climbing one of the corn stalks to show the town mouse how to get the corn. He reached the top and began to peel the husk back as a hawk swooped down and snatched him up. The hawk carried him away as the town mouse watched in disbelief. The town mouse raced home realizing that all the food in the world was not worth the constant threat of death.

Illustration by Arthur Rackham (London, 1912).

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rackham_town_mouse_and_country_mouse.jpg

Author's Note. In the original fable the roles are reversed from those in my story. The town mouse visits the country mouse to find his food boring and bland. The town mouse then embellishes his home life so that the country mouse follows him home the next day. The country mouse finds that dangers, including a cat, a dog, and humans, are not worth the feast at hand. He returns home content with his simple but safe life in the country. 

Bibliography. This story is based on the fable "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" in The Aesop for Children, published by Rand McNally & Company (1919).

Favorite Places

One of my favorite places to go in the world is Costa Rica.

This is a picture taken in Costa Rica by kansasphoto at Flickr

https://www.flickr.com/photos/34022876@N06/

Comment Wall

Welcome to my wonderful wall of comments.

Flickr Post by Karen

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