Week 6 Story: Bedtime Story Lesson

The father put his son to sleep, but after he tucked him into bed and headed for the door the son asked for a bedtime story. The father reluctantly agreed to read his son one and only one bedtime story before bed. The father knew that the son was giving the mother difficultly this morning and decided to teach the boy a lesson through one of the oldest stories in time. It began...

There once lived Sun, Moon, and Wind. These were the children of their mother Star, who had just sent them off to dine and feast with their beloved friends. Sun and Wind were the oldest of the three children and were at times greedy and thought only of themselves. Moon on the other hand was humble and selfless. All three had enormous amounts of fun with their friends all the while eating exquisite foods. Sun and Wind ate until their stomachs gave out, but Moon was humble and selfless. Moon knew that their mother, Star, was waiting at home all alone for her sons to come home. With this in mind Moon brought back a little bit of everything for their mother. When the sons arrived back home, their mother asked them what they had brought back for her. In ignorance, Sun and Wind told their mother that nothing was brought back for her because they were out with their friends to have a good time and not think about home or what to bring back. Moon, on the other hand, brought back a little bit of everything for their dear mother. Star saw what kind of children she had brought to this world and cursed Sun and Wind to all of eternity. Sun was to be high in the sky where its rays will burn anything it touches causing people to avoid it. Wind was to blow through the hot and scorching weather, shriveling and parching all things in its path. She then turned to Moon and told her that she will be high in the nights sky. She will be bright, cool, and beautiful for people will always say that Moon is blessed.

(Sun, Moon, and Wind, Source: Kidsgen)

The father had finished the bedtime story and begun to close his book. He looked into his sons eyes and told him that there is a lesson/moral to every story. The son did not understand what the father was talking about, so the father told him that in this story the Sun and Wind did not appreciate their mother and thought nothing of her in times of fun. However, for Moon she thought of her mother and was very sincere, bringing food back for her. The lesson was that even when you grow up, or have fun, or get mad at your mother, you must always think of her because she is always thinking of you. After hearing this, the son got right up out of bed and ran all the way to his mother. Hugging her tightly he apologized for his bad behavior earlier that day.

Author's Notes:
The original story was exactly the same as the bedtime story told in this rendition. Nothing changed except for how the story was told. The lesson behind this story was very strong in my opinion and can be applied to most people who grow up or get anger at their mothers. In my version, I had the father tell his son the story of Sun, Moon, and Wind and how they went out with their friends to dine and feast and have fun. The son had caused problems for his mother earlier that day and I wanted this story to be told to him as a lesson.

Bibliography: "How Sun, Moon, and Wind Went Out to Diner" by Joseph Jacobs. Web Source

Reading Notes: Indian Fairy Tales Part B

In the Part B of the Indian fairy tales there were a total of 7 stories. Ironically, the last story was the most enjoyable of them all. This was a story concerning the Sun, Moon, and Wind. Their mother, the Star in the sky, let them out to have a feast with friends. However, none of them thought of their mother in their time of fun except the Moon. The Moon brought back a little bit of everything for Star. The mother cursed the Sun to burn so hot that people would have to avoid it and the Wind to blow during the heat to parch and shrivel all things. What really stood out to me was the moral/lesson of the story: even in times of fun you must be humble and not forget who got you where you are. A son or daughter should not forget their parents, especially their mother who gave birth to them. It's easy to forget where you came from, but that's the whole point of this story. I love the story overall, but in my rendition I would change what the Sun, Moon, and Wind were going out for. Maybe instead they grew up and went on with their lives leaving their mother behind, instead of going out to hang with friends. I might also change the characters themselves to something entirely different.

Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, link to online reading

(Sun, Moon, and Wind, Source: MainLesson)

Reading Notes: Indian Fairy Tales Part A

This week I chose to read a collection of Indian fairy tales. There were 8 short stories in Part A of the reading, but only one story really stood out to me and caught my eye. This was the story of "The Tiger, The Brahman, and The Jackal". This story was very fun and engaging. The language, words, and grammar used was easier to comprehend than the other readings. I like the story, but I don't like the characters. I would keep the tiger because of it's dangerous presence, but would change the Brahman and jackal. To replace the Brahman would be a hunter instead because a hunter would understand the dangers of letting out a tiger and would make more sense in this story and for the jackal I would replace it with a rabbit or bunny like Bugs Bunny. The beginning of the story doesn't expand on how the tiger came to be in the cage, so I would expand more on that. Also, expanding and changing why and who the hunter talks to before returning to the tiger would be best. I would keep the obliviousness and deceiving nature of the jackal however since that was a crucial component of the story.

Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, link to online reading

   (Bugs Bunny, Source: Wiki Characters)

Week 5 Story: The Unsolvable Riddle

There once was a kingdom far from others and in this kingdom lived a king by the name Clever. Clever was known for his undying love for his people. He was not your typical king. When the weather was bad and the crops would not grow, Clever would come down from his castle and help the people sow seeds into the ground. He would go and help the elderly to the best of his ability. He was no ordinary king. He was the people's king.

On day at the break of dawn, a wandering traveler came to the footsteps of King Clever's kingdom. He begged to be let in for he was in dire need of the king's help. Once Clever heard of this he ordered that the man be brought into the lands, be fed, and dressed in the finest clothes. He then had the traveler brought to his chambers and ask him, "Dear traveler, you have wandered a great distance judging by the conditions of your attire. What brings you all the way to my beloved kingdom?".

The traveler answered, "Your highness, I have indeed traveled a great ways to find you for I have heard of the kindness in your heart. You must help me retrieve a body from a cemetery. I would do this myself, but I am not allowed anywhere near the body. Will you please help me? I have brought all my treasures for you. Gold, silver, diamonds, anything you want you can have.".

The king was shocked at the fact that he traveled so far to him find him only to ask that he bring back a body. And so the king told the traveler that he would accept his request and travel with him to the cemetery to aid in the retrieval of the body. They wasted no time at all and by the time the sun came down and the moon shined above, they were already on horseback riding to their destination.

It took 3 days to reach the cemetery. King Clever was a man with the nerves of steel. Nothing had ever scared him and nothing was going to change that night. The weary traveler stop at a willow tree and told the king that this was as far as he was allowed to go. He said, "The body is ways down this path. Just keep following it and you'll see the biggest headstone of them all. That is where the body lays. Please bring the body back to me.".

And so the king set out to find the body. When he finally reached the headstone, it was nothing he'd ever seen before. It stood taller than he himself. He walked over and saw that the grave had already been dug open and down below the casket was already open. Although suspicious, the kind did not hesitate and gathered the body over his shoulders. He began walking back to the traveler when he heard a voice coming from the body. It said "O king, you have traveled so far for such a rotting corpse. Let me entertain you as you carry this heavy body back.".

King Clever, with nerves of steel, asked who lived inside the body. It replied, "It is I, the goblin of the cemetery. I inhabit all bodies that are taken away from their graves. Now let me tell you of my riddles. I will give you many riddles and if you know the answer to them then you will tell me. Once you have answered my riddle correctly I will be teleported back to the grave you found me in. If you do know the answer and choose not to open your mouth then your head will be split into a million pieces. If you do not know the answer then you may take the body all the way back.".

So they went on their way back to the traveler. Again and again the king answered the goblins riddles. And again and again he would have to travel all the way back to the grave to retrieve the body. After twenty-one riddles and twenty-one answers, the king grew tired of the goblins tricks and using his cleverness told the goblin this, "O Goblin say no more as we talk our walk back again. I propose to you a riddle of my own. Instead of my answering one of your riddles you will answer one of mine. I call this riddle 'The Unsolvable Riddle'. No man or woman in my kingdom has ever gotten it right. If you know the answer to it then you shall speak and we can continue with your riddles. But if you are stumped then you will allow me to take the body back to the traveler.". The goblin reluctantly agreed.

(Goblin, Source: Pinterest)

The king began the riddle:
"I turn polar bears white
And I will make you cry.
I make guys have to pee
And girls comb their hair.
I make celebrities look stupid
And normal people look like celebrities.
I turn pancakes brown
And make your champagne bubble.
If you squeeze me, I'll pop.
If you look at me, you'll pop.
Can you answer this riddle, dear Goblin?"

Alas, the goblin was finally stumped. He could not utter a single word. And so the king kept walking and walking, but as he almost approached the willow tree of the traveler the goblin finally spoke and said, "O king, you have definitely fooled me. As a token of your reward I will tell you this truth. The traveler that you are seeking this body for is using you. He will sacrifice you to the gods to become king himself.". The king was filled with disbelief at the goblin and went on his way to the traveler. He set down the body and the rest history because as it turns out... the goblin was right.

Author's Notes:
In the original story, there was a monk who approached the king and every time he gave him a gift. Inside the gift was a gem and once the king found out he asked the monk why he had been giving him so many gems. The monk wanted the king to help him carry a body. The king helped the monk and inside the body was a goblin. This goblin kept telling the king riddles as he would walk back to the monk and each time he answered a riddle correctly the body would teleport back to the tree. Finally there was a riddle that the king could not answer and so the goblin told him that the monk was tricking him and to ask him how to lay on the ground so that he can cut off his head. The king did this and killed the monk. I changed the monk to a traveler and the background story of the traveler. I also skipped all the riddles and had the king tell the goblin a riddle instead. The goblin would not get it right and the king would be able to take the body back. The goblin would warn him, but the king filled with disbelief would not hear it. This marked the end of the kings days. I put a twist of the ending instead of the original.

Bibliography: "Twenty-Two Goblins" translation by Arthur Ryder. Web Source

Reading Notes: Twenty-Two Goblins Part B

In Part B of the reading, the king and the goblin are still going at it with the riddles. Per usual, the king knows the answer to the riddle and the goblin is transported back to the tree. However, on the last riddle the king is stumped because he does not know the answer allowing him to take the body back to the monk. The goblin tells the king that the monk is rouge one and is using the king as a sacrifice to gain magical powers and become king of fairies. He tells the king to trick the monk into cutting his head off. I really enjoyed reading this unit because it entailed riddles that peaked my interest. I would change the riddles to moderns one instead because all of them are set in an older time period. Another possible outcome of my rendition would be to change the ending. Where the king tricks the goblin with a riddle of him own and this allows him to escape with the body back to the monk only to be tricked by the monk and used as a sacrifice. This would put a twist to the ending because we all expected the king to survive since he was doing such a kind and selfless deed. 

                                  Twenty-Two Goblins by Arthur Ryder, link to online reading

(Shiva, Source: Pinterest)

Reading Notes: Twenty-Two Goblins Part A

The story "Twenty-Two Goblins" is a very interesting read. I've always been a fan of riddles and it always excites me to read them and solve them. This story has a story predicament, in that, the goblin inside the dead corpse goes back to the tree every time the king figures out the riddle. This means that he has to go all the way back to the tree and retrieve the body all over again. Meaning that he's going in a circle over and over again. This is only Part A of the reading, but I would like to change the story and have the king be very clever and after many riddles from the goblin have him trick the goblin with his own riddle. His ultimatum would be that if the goblin can't figure out the answer to the riddle then he'd have to leave the body, so that the king may bring it back to the monk named, Patience. A different aspect of the story would be the riddles themselves. These riddles that the goblin tells seem very out of date, so I would like to replace them with modern day riddles that are more relevant to the present.

Twenty-Two Goblins by Arthur Ryder, link to online reading

(Goblin, Source: Deviant Art)

Comment Wall

For those interested in viewing my storybook this semester here is the link

(Dante's Inferno, Source: Wikimedia)

Week 4 Story: Eurylochus's Odyssey

It's been 8 years since we've set foot on our own soil. It's been 8 years since we've seen our wives and children. It's been 8 years since we've been able to enjoy a day without disaster at every turn. We seized and sacked the city of Troy only to be drawn to this never ending journey back home. Zeus and the gods have cursed and forsaken me and my fellow members. I've wanted to give up many times and dive head first into the bearing sea with no reason to resurface, but every time my mind drifts any further Odysseus, my fellow leader and companion, leads me in the right direction. He encourages all of us to keep pushing on, so that the day may come when we are able to see the faces of our wives and hold our children up high. 

We saw it in the blackness of the sky. Smoke coming from land afar. Odysseus told us that this was worth exploring since it was the second day that we were running low on rations and weapons. I told him to be wary and to proceed with caution for I knew that this was the land of the Cyclops's. Odysseus, a man capable of risk, headed my warning and we pushed onward in the night sky to an island of unforeseen dangers. 

When our ship arrived at the shores, Odysseus and I, along with 19 other men we ordered to leave the ship behind and go on an expedition to uncover the secrets of this island. As the smoke from the island started to fade, our men started to walk faster. The smoke was our only clue to what this island holds. It took us many hours, but we eventually made it to the origin of the smoke. It came from a cave as big at the mountains. We proceeded with caution and as we entered we saw riches in forms of sheep, water, endless amounts of food and drinks to last us years. We began to suspect that the inhabitant of this cave would come back soon. Odysseus decided to wait until they got back and ask for hospitality from them. I was skeptical. What if this person was a great threat to us? In the end, we made ourselves at home and began to eat and drink the sheep and wine. 

(Polyphemus and Odysseus, Source: Detsky & Nabytek)

It didn't take long for the Cyclopes to appear from his hunt of sheep. He was a big as the cave itself and towered over us. Looking at Odysseus he asked who we were. Odysseus answered that we were band of men that got lost at sea only looking for hospitality for our troubles. Polyphemus, the Cyclopes, answered with rage and took us surprise. He wept up my men and ate them. First their heads, then their legs, and finally their bodies. About 5 of my men died that night. Polyphemus settled down after feasting on my companions for he was full and needed something to wash down his throat. I was astonished at how fast Odysseus came to devise a plan in the mist of the rampage. He told us that while he would offer Polyphemus wine to wash down the food, the rest of us including myself would sharpen at spear to pierce the one eye of the Cyclopes, blinding him. 

We did as he told us and as we watched Odysseus offer the wine to the Cyclopes. We waited awhile before Polyphemus began to become impaired from the wine. That was our cue to spear him. We rushed out from behind the sheep and lunged towards his eye, piercing it with all our strength. Polyphemus yelled in pain. He shook the very foundation of the island with his feet stomping all around. While he was busy trying to get the spear out of his eye, we hid underneath the sheep so that we may escape his clutches. As he felt threw his sheep, looking for me and my men, we were all tied to the bottoms making it impossible for him to find us. We miraculously made it out alive and with all our limbs intact. I rushed our men back to the ship as soon as we had made way out of the cave, but as we headed back in panic Odysseus stayed behind. I could hear him shouting at the Cyclopes as I was heading back. I don't know what Odysseus said to this day, but whatever he said to the Cyclopes angered him so greatly that as we were sailing away from the island he heaved a rock so big that it almost made impact with our ship. We were all lucky to have survived that day. Although that was only one of our many troubles along the odyssey. 

Author's Notes:

Odysseus stumbled upon an island inhabited by Cyclops's. He and his went to go explore this island and found a cave filled with sheep and other riches. They decided to stay there and ask the cyclopes for hospitality, however when he returned he set a great huge stone in front on the entrance and began eat the men. Odysseus devised a plan to get the Cyclopes drunk with wine and blind him using a spear. Once he was blinded they tied sheep to themselves. The cyclopes moved the stone door and started to search for the men by shifting through the sheep. Once they made their escape, Odysseus shouted to the Cyclopes enraging him and making him throw huge stones at the ship. The only thing I changed about this story was the point of view it was told in. Instead of Odysseus, it was told from the point of view from Eurylochus, a close companion to Odysseus. I gave a little bit more of an introduction to give insight as to how the crew ended up where they were. 

Bibliography: "The Odyssey" by Homer. Web Source

Reading Notes: The Odyssey Part B

In this section of stories from The Odyssey, Odysseus meets various heroes, comrades, enemies, demigods, and so forth in the House of Hades. He summons the ghosts of many people so that he may get in touch with Teiresias who gives him the prophet about his journey back home to his wife and children. He also meets his mother, who died of sorrow, and asked of his family back home. In the end he returns back to Circe's island and she tells them to beware the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis. She tells them that to avoid the sirens they must cover their ears with wax to avoid their call. They do so and succumb to the horrors of Scylla and the oceans swallow of Charybdis. In my rendition of this latter half I would put a twist on the ghosts that Odysseus sees. Instead of his mother he would see his wife instead. She would have died by the hands of a suitor. This suitor would have committed the murder in jealousy and revenge, leaving the child to be an orphan. Lastly I would change how Odysseus listens to the Sirens singing tied down to the raft. He would succumb to their song and escape from the ship. His comrades would have an adventure trying to save him from the Sirens, let alone Scylla and Charybdis.

The Odyssey by Homer, link to reading online

(Scylla and Charybdis, Source: TV Tropes)

Reading Notes: The Odyssey Part A

The story of Odysseus is a classic and having read this poem in high school, I have some background knowledge to the story already. The story is told in the point of view of Odysseus, but it would a totally different and interesting take if it was told in the eyes of Eurylochus. He is the one who was sent by Odysseus to go and investigate the house of Circes. The main elements of the story, the plot, morals, etc are all very integral to the whole poem. I wouldn't change anything about the story except the point of view that it is told from. All the events would be the same. Instead of it picking up quickly where it left off without any previous knowledge of what happened, I would give a short introduction to how Odysseus and his crew went from 12 to 1 ship and how he ended up on the island of the cyclopes. The ending is fine because the latter half of the story is told in Part B. The best part of the plot was when Odysseus found a solution to get out of the cyclopes's cave by hiding in the sheep and blinding him. Odysseus is a very prideful, daring, and intelligent man. Eurylochus on the other hand seems like the jealous type who doesn't always agree with Odysseus. In the story, Odysseus even thought about drawing his blade and cutting off his head. This is why a different point of view on the story would be interesting.

The Odyssey by Homer, link to reading online

(Cyclopes, Source: Pinterest)

Articles On Feedback Strategies

In this week's feedback blog, I read two articles on how to give feedback. The first one was called "How To Give Students Specific Feedback That Actually Helps Them Learn". To me it's very hard to find the right words when giving someone feedback on their assignment. I don't want to be too harsh with my words, but then I don't want to be too nice and compliment them too much. In this article they discussed that being transparent in your feedback is crucial because it doesn't leave any questions about what you want from them. It's clear what needs to be changed and how they can do it from being transparent instead of having to guess what the critique wants from them. Also I like how they suggest that feedback should be goal-oriented with a guide to get to this goal. This way you're not left wondering where to start or how to get there. Also time is key. When the assignment is fresh in your head, which in the case of our projects it should be, then the feedback will be more useful. The projects we will be working on every week will be a consistent remainder.

The second article I read was called "How To Craft Constructive Feedback". This article was much shorter than the first one I read. This article included a diagram. An easy flowchart on what to say and how to give your feedback depending on the purpose (is it for self-expression or to craft a performance?). The first one doesn't really apply to our project since it's more to craft a performance with our storybook. It's good to observe, describe, and suggest in our feedback. Say what stands out to you, describe how it makes you feel, and then suggest (in detail) what could make this little bit better. You never want to be vague or else it'll leave the writer in confusion.

(Feedback vs Feedforward, Source: Linkedin)

Project: Topic Research

For my storybook this semester, I have decided to expand and do more research on Dante's Inferno. In my adaptation I will be stepping into the role of Dante and my guide will be a character of great evil who has been doomed to guide people through the circles of hell. There will be 3 circles that I will have to go through: wrath, lust, and treachery. Each of the three stories within my story book will include one of these deadly sins. I will be exploring these circles of hell and learn about each sin (wrath, lust, and treachery) that will expand and intrigue my knowledge of them. For the circle of wrath I shall meet Hitler. He will tell me his life story on how he hated the Jews and wanted to convert the world into the perfect race, the Aryan's. After the first circle, I will continue to the next one and meet Bill Cosby. He'll tell me all about his 51 sexual encounters with the women who accused him of rape and sexual assault/misconduct. Lastly, the final circle of treachery will introduce me to Kevin Durant. KD will let me in on why he left the great city of OKC for the Golden State Warriors, leaving everyone in Oklahoma feeling betrayed. There were a couple sites that led me to each person I picked. I stumbled upon Bill Cosby and his attachment to lust from this site. I also used Wikipedia to give me background information on the original "Inferno" book and each of it's circles in hell.

(Angry Hilter, Source: Psychology Today)

(Bill Cosby Rape Meme, Source: Westword)

(KD Betrays OKC, Source: Blazers Edge)

Week 3 Story: Noah and 2012

On the 25th day of December, God looked down upon the world and saw all the evil that spread across the nations. He saw the theft, killing, adultery, betraying, etc. He grew fed up with his creation of mankind and vowed to erase their existence from the world and start over from scratch. Before he unleashed his wrath upon all that was evil, he looked down once again to see if there was anyone pure left and this is when he stumbled upon a man named Noah. Noah was a man of his 30's and a husband and father of two children. God had seen all that was pure in Noah's heart and sent an angel to warn him of the epidemic to come and what to do. The angel told Noah that the world would be ending in 6 days and that he needed to build an ark, in this case a bunker, deep below the surface of the Earth and gather 2 of every animal, one male and one female, to keep safe.

Days went by and Noah started to finish his bunker deep below Earth's surface. It reach miles down with a giant set of stairs to access each floor of his bunker. After the ark was finished he and his family set out to gather 2 of each animal and bring them back. Of course this did not go unnoticed by the people who lived near Noah. They began to question what he was doing and why. Noah, a man of no fear except for the fear of God, told the city people that there was to be great destruction upon the world at the end of the 2012 calendar year. This frightened people causing mass panic. People went into a frenzy and started gathering everything and anything possible to survive. They boarded up their houses or sought shelter elsewhere for they not know what do come. All the while, Noah kept to his mission and gathered all the animals in pairs of 2. Once he was done, he locked the bunker above him and waited for the destruction of the world to come. 

Then the day came. December 31st of 2012. The day the world would be cleansed of its sins and evils. God unleashed his wrath and wrecked havoc onto everything that was his. Volcanoes erupted plunging everything in its path to ashes. Hurricanes swept through the lands and blew away all buildings and trees. Tornadoes took everything that was grounded and plunged it out of the ground and into the air. Even floods took over the world. Everything and everybody was gone and the lands were then covered in water. As everything was ending, Noah awaited patiently in his ark. He tended to his family and to the animals. He stocked up on enough food and water to last everyone weeks. Every day he would send a dove into the sky. If the dove came back then the the world was still covered in water and no land was to be seen. But one day, the dove did not come back. It had found land and settled down. Noah knew now that God's wrath was receding and fertile land was to be found. 

On the 4th week of the new year, Noah unlocked bunker and set everyone out from underground to the airs above. The land was bare and stripped of everything. Noah and his family would have to start a new and bring about a world of purity. God had seen that Noah had resurfaced, so he went to see him. When God met Noah, he vowed to never unleash his wrath unto the world like that ever again. He made a covenant with Noah in the form of a rainbow. One that stretched miles and a high as the clouds. Once the covenant was made and God had returned to the heavens above, it was time for Noah begin his long and enduring journey to rebuild.

(Noah's Ark, Source: CLBA)

Author's Notes:

In the book of Genesis in the Bible, God looked down upon his creation of mankind and saw all that was evil. He decided to flood the world and start over. However, he saw that Noah was pure and sent down and angel to warn him of the floods to come and that he build an ark to save the animals and his family. He was to bring back pairs of each animal, male and female. When the flood came, Noah and his ark sailed patiently across the oceans for months. One day, the dove that he sent out never came back so he knew that land was to be found. When he reached land, God told Noah that he would never flood the world again and build a covenant in the form of a rainbow to always remind them. In my version of the story, everything is essentially the same. The backbone of Noah and his Ark remained intact. However, in the book of Genesis, it was an older language that was more difficult to read, so I modernized my rendition in terms of setting and language used. There was also an enormous amount of detail included in the original story that I decided to trim down because it was very repetitive. Also in my version, Noah builds a bunker instead of a ship and it is set in the year 2012 where volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods scavenged the world. 

Bibliography: "Noah and the Ark" from Genesis in the King James Version of the Bible. Web Source

Reading Notes: Noah and the Ark Part A

In Part A of "Noah and the Ark" there were 8 readings within the story. I like the big picture of Noah's Ark, but not so much the minor details. I could do without all the names of the sons of sons, and wives of wives, etc. There was a lot of repetition in each of these stories and they would be much shorter and straight to the point if they didn't repeat so much. In my rendition I would cut all that out. I would also modernize the story. It would still have God, a character by the name Noah, and all something he'd have to save in pairs of 2. This story would take place in 2012 (the year that everyone thought the world would end) instead of long long ago. Instead this time the world does "end" instead of everyone moving on to 2013. Instead of a flood, other ideas could be earthquakes and volcanoes or even hurricanes. Noah would have to build a safe zone similar to the ark. It would be underground and safe from all dangers. Noah would still have sons and I'd also include a background story to Noah and how he was born like one of the books in Part A. I would also still include an aftermath plot as well. The rainbow as the covenant from God to promise not to flood the world anymore is such a major scene in the plot that I would have to include it in my rendition as well. I also like how Noah sent out a dove to see if the flood had subsided and when the dove never came back he knew that there was land somewhere. Basically, I love everything about the characters to the major plot, but there would be small details I would cut out to make the story flow easier and I would also modernize it to keep it relevant to our generation. 

Noah and the Ark by Genesis 5-6, link to reading online

(Noah's Ark, Source: Wikipedia)

Feedback Thoughts On Different Articles

The first article I read was "8 Things Students Should Do When They Make A Mistake". I like this article because all eight things related to me in way and can help me in the future. One of the points was that when you feel like your failing or stressing about something that you're not the only one. It's easy to say to yourself that you're the only one in the world that's having a hard time and that every one else is doing better than you, but that's not true. I fall victim to this all the time, but I always remind myself that I'm not alone. Although I know that there is help out there with all the resources at my disposal, it's hard for me to reach out to them. Help comes in the form of feedback as well. I never ask for any one's feedback on anything and it's something that I will get used to this semester throughout this course. There's also another point in the article that says "if you get something wrong, figure out how to fix it" and is exactly what feedback does for you. You have a peer suggest what needs to be changed or what could be better and it's up to you to figure out how to do that and make those changes for a better result.

The second article I read was "6 Bad Mental Habits That Sabotage Your Success"". All 6 mental habits related to feedback one way or another and they are all something that I fall victim to sometimes. The first one was making excuses. I usually don't take criticism too well and I try to blame it on someone or something else other than myself. Throughout this course I'll need to work on taking the feedback and criticism and stop blaming others and look at myself. Another point was trying to seek the audiences approval. In this course, its easy to try and write a story that will please everyone, but will take away from your own creative writing. This is where you'll have to stay away from that and just write the way you want to be heard and if others feel like there is something that could be better then you incorporate that into your writing to better it. There was also a point about putting yourself down and this is something that everyone is a victim of. When you receive harsh feedback it's easy to put yourself down and make yourself out to be a failure, but once that happens it starts a cycle that is very hard to break. So instead of putting yourself down you need to say that this is something that will make me better and embrace the criticism.

(Feedback from others, Source: Pixabay)

Project: Topic Brainstorm

One interesting topic I would I like to work on is OU ghost stories. I've always been a fan of scary movies, stories, etc which makes this an easy topic of interest to me. Before stumbling upon this, I did not know much about ghosts on campus. I did know that OU does provide ghost tours every now and then, but I've never been on one or heard any stories myself. After researching more on this, I would like to get a better grasp of what OU has to offer in terms of ghosts. I would like to tell stories in the viewpoint of the victim and their encounters with ghosts on campus. This will give the reader a feeling of actually being there themselves and adds to the dark and mysterious vibe. After googling some more about this, I found a link to a haunted hall located on campus that has supernatural activity.

A second topic that caught my eye was a one about the devil and his trickery. I'm a catholic individual, so the devil does appear to be relevant to me. In these stories he doesn't appear as a demonic being that everyone portrays him to be in movies and such, but instead a trickster and some of the stories even have him being tricked. My only background knowledge of the devil is through bible classes and church, other than that I've had no previous knowledge of him through folktales and myths. After finding this topic, I want to learn more about the different views on the devil and how other people than the church portray such a character. I'm not sure exactly what kind of stories I want to tell yet, but they will involve a component of intimidation and a frightening element. They will of course include trickery and maybe my own spin on the devil being tricked himself. This is a link that I found that includes a wide array of devil stories.

A third topic that sparked some interest was that of Dante's Inferno. This is something that, in the past, I read about through research just because I fascinated me. I played a game that was based on this book called "Devil May Cry" and Dante was one the characters, so I began to research more and more about this person. Although I do have a lot of prior knowledge to Dante's Inferno, there is still a lot of details that I do not know and through this project I would like to dive deeper into this book. Dante's Inferno is already a great book that features many characters and challenges, but I would like to put a spin or twist on the story. Possible change Dante into a character such as myself or even modernize the story altogether and bring in more relevant people in our day and age. Wikipedia is a great place to get a lot information about Dante's Inferno.

The final topic that I considered looking into was Alice in Wonderland. I have a girlfriend that loves Alice in Wonderland, especially the books. This somewhat rubbed off on me too. I have not read any of the book, but I have seen both movies so I do know the story of Alice. However, there is a lot that I do not know because the movie does leave out many details from the book. I would like to learn more about how Alice and Wonderland came to be from the authors point of view and more of the deeper meaning into Alice in Wonderland. Although it's already a great book with an amazing story line, I would like to retell it in a different setting other than Wonderland. As of right now, I do not have any place or setting in particular. Wikipedia has a lot of great information on Alice in Wonderland and Alice through the Looking Glass.

(Story Telling, Source: KISBD)