Week 3 Story: The Wild Bear

Author's Note: For my story, I based it off the story of Shurpanakha and Rama. In my story, there are three characters and a bear. This first character is Paul (Rama), the second Matthew (Lakshmana), and the third character is Olivia (Sita). The bear in my story portrays Shurpanakha. These three characters are in the woods on a camping trip, when they are attacked by a bear. This light tale is based off the story of Shurpanakha meeting Rama for the first time, which ends in heartbreak.

The Source: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie, verse Ramayana, The Epic of Rama, Prince of India

It was a sunny afternoon in Colorado along the Rocky Mountains, when Paul, Matthew and Olivia decided to go on camping trip. Paul and Matthew were two brothers that had been close all their lives. Paul was the oldest and at 26, was married to Olivia. As they were hiking along the trails with all their gear, they saw so many beautiful sights. From the river streaming below the mountain, to the deer drinking from the lake, there was natural beauty all around them. As they neared the camping ground, the excitement built. Once they arrived, they pulled out their tents and began to set up their camping site. Olivia was so excited she could not stop running around and talking at a million words per minute. Paul, the more quiet of the two, was busy at work setting up the tent. Matthew was being his easy go self and cracking jokes at everything. They fished in the river for their dinner and cooked the fish over a warm fire. The smell of the cooking fish dispersed throughout the forest, and it wasn't too hard for a hungry bear to pick up on the scent. This wasn't any average bear though, this was a hungry mamma bear looking for food for her cubs. So as the bear approached the camp, she got louder and louder. Paul, Matthew and Olivia heard this bear coming from a mile away, and they needed to think of a get away plan quick. Paul remembered that he had packed a tranquilizer bow and arrow set in his camping gear, so he instructed Olivia and Matthew to hide in the bush while he attempted to subdue the bear. Even one shot would slow the bear down so they could escape. As the bear came nearer, Paul focused his arrow on the approaching sound and when the bear came through the trees, he shot the arrow straight into the arm of the bear. As the bear fell down to take a quick nap, Paul, Olivia and Matthew grabbed as much of their stuff that they could and booked it out of there.


(Rama, Sita and Lakshmana: wikipedia)

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part B

I became really interested into the story of Shurpanakha after reading a few entries about her. In Shurpanakha and Rama, written by Donald Mackenzie. Shurpanakha was a man eater that was cursed with hideous looks and forced to live in the jungle. The moment Shurpanakha saw Rama, she fell in love. Shurpanakha decided that she would change her form into someone more beautiful in order to steal Rama away from Sita. Shurpanakha introduced herself into a beautiful young women and approached Rama, where he introduced himself as well. Shurpanakha told Rama she had chosen him as her husband and was needed to help rule over her great empire. Rama told her no, that he was in love with Sita, but that his brother Lakshmana was in need of a bride. Shurpanakha became enraged and spoke of how she would come to destroy the weak human Sita and take her husband. Rama heard this chant and repeated that Lakshman was in need of a wife and had a lot of love to give.

The next story involving Shurpanakha that caught my eye was Lakshmana and Shurpanakha also written by Donald Mackenzie. From the start of this story, we learn that Shurpanakha runs away from Rama and goes to Lakshmana. Lakshmana instantly starts making fun of Shurpanakha and this totally enrages her. She goes to attack Sita in a blind furry in which Rama pushes her away. Lakshmana pulls out his sword and cuts off the nose and ears of Shurpanakha, so as she runs away she's screaming at the top of her lungs. Shurpanakha runs to her brother Khara, who, surprise surprise, becomes infuriated when he sees his sister bleeding. Shurpanakha told her brother that Rama and Lakshmana attacked her because she wanted to drink Sita's blood and then asked her brother to bring her Sita. Khara instructed fourteen rakshasas, the man eaters, to go get the three people living in the jungle, but none of them returned as they had been killed by Rama and his celestial arrows. Khara calls upon an army to come along with him as they go and kill Rama. As the rakshasas approached, Rama knew something had to be done. The last part I am a little confused about, I believe Rama cuts off Sita's nose and ears so he can protect her life and be even with Shurpanakha.


(Shurpanakha: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part A

The biggest storyline that connected with me was the story of Dasharatha. From beginning to end, he seemed a genuine character that had true love for his kingdom and his family. He wanted to continue his legacy and have a few sons that he could nurture into true kings. The first story is King Dasharatha, as all the stories I will be taking notes about are by Donald Mackenzie. In the King Dasharatha, we get our first look at his character in these stories. As king of Koshala, he needed a son to take over his thrown once he died. The capital of this kingdom was Ayodhya. He had three queens, Kayshalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra.

The next story that is key in Dasharatha's story is Kaikeyi and Dasharatha. This story is key in the overall storyline of Dasharatha. Since Kaikeyi is Dasharatha's wife, you would think she would be loving and stand by his side through everything. This is sadly, not true. Kaikeyi tricks the Dasharatha into vowing to grant two of her wishes. The first, is that her son Bharata be appointed the Yuvarajah, which is the heir to the thrown. The next wish is that he banaish Rama, his other son, to the woods for fourteen years. Dasharatha has no other option than to grant these wishes, which truly upset him. Rama was the shining son destined to take over the thrown, so Kaikeyi was jealous. This leads to a series of adventures along the road.

Lastly, Dasharatha's Death is the final story in the Dasharatha's lifetime. Dasharatha's favorite sons were, in my opinion, Rama and Lakshman. Rama was his eldest son and destined for the thrown, while Lakshman was a loyal son he respected. In some of his final moments, he scolds Queen Kaikeyi for sending his innocent children into the forest. Rama's mother, Kaushalya, came to Dasharatha after Rama's department and blamed him for lying to everyone about Rama being the next king. Dasharatha was so overcome with grief that he passed away while his spirit left the physical world.


(King Dasharatha grieving over banishment of Rama: wikimedia)

Feedback Thoughts: Learning About Positive Assessment

I think more professors and teachers need to be more feedback positive and less grade negative. So much pressure is forced onto kids at such a young age to be perfect and it doesn't lead to any successful impacts. The first article that caught my attention was Why rejection hurts so much - and what to do about it. As I learned, the part of the brain that registers rejection is also the area that gives use the experience of physical pain. The best way to deal with rejection is the increase your self-worth, avoid self-criticism, and to boost feelings of social connection. As social animals, we want to be accepted by our society, so we often rely on those opinions of people surrounding us. I hope to take these lessons and work on my own ability to process rejection and to have a better sense of self-worth.
The next article I read was Silence the Critical Voices in Your Head and I found it very informing. The most important area of this article was the four step plan into how to ignore negativity and increase productivity. These steps are look for the positive, hear the positive, dig in to understand the positive, and to believe the positive and act as if it were true. It follows the story of Rajeev, an executive vice president for a billion-dollar business. As he focused more on the negative effects of the job, he lost control of his mind. It became more negative and lead to decreased work productivity, so these four steps turned that negativity around.
I find that positive feedback is essential in mental health and stability. Increasing your productivity and work ethic, these more positive mind growth tools can help in the work place and at home. All ways of life are increasingly productive with positive feedback.


(Feedback: pixabay)

Topic Brainstorm: Making a Storybook

Project Idea I: For my first idea, I wanted to do a storybook about the different love stories within the Indian Epics realm. I have always been drawn towards love stories, from books to movies, they are always so beautiful in their own way. I would base the stories around another famous romantic relationship, although I haven't decided which one. Similar to How I Met Your Mother, I would use a famous story to integrate into the Indian Epic. I have seen many shows and movies and read many books about love stories, so I think I could be very good at it.

Project Idea II: Another idea I thought of was to write a story about Trijata, a demoness who is given the job of guarding the kidnapped princess Sita. I am interested in her power and strength. I would write a series of stories about her from the viewpoint of her life. For every story, it would be in the eyes of her thoughts throughout all the stories. I would like to learn more about her life throughout these stores.

Project Idea III: My third idea is about the elephants of the Himalayas. I have always loved elephants and their elegance. They represent so much majesty in Indian culture. As a sacred animal, they represent intellectual and mental strength. I would write these stories from the viewpoint of an animal activist hoping to bring awareness of elephants against poachers killing elephants for their tusk. I want to learn more about elephants through this research and storytelling.

Project Idea IV: My final idea is the write about Devi, a powerful goddess in Hinduism. I want to learn more about her story and everything she represents. I am drawn to the idea of a powerful feminine figure. I could retell her story through the eyes of a modern day women living in the city. I think retelling these stories in modern day times could bring more attention to these stories.


(Indian Epics: wikimedia)

Week 2 Story: Parks and Recreation

This story is about based off the story The Monkey Who Gathered Lotuses. I changed a good majority of the story, but stayed to the same morals and lessons of the original. Brahmadatta became Ron Swanson and Bodhisatta became Leslie Knope. Their kingdom was altered into the Pawnee Indiana Parks and Recreation Department. The self-absorbed "king", Ron, was eventually over ruled by "the son", Leslie Knope.

The Source: "The Monkey Who Gathered Lotuses" by Tayodhamma Jataka in The Jataka: Volume 1


Parks and Recreation 

It was a typical Tuesday afternoon at the Pawnee Indiana Parks Department. Ron Swanson was overlooking his department, as director of the Parks and Recreation Department. Ron was fearful of a subordinate that would overpower his directorship one day, so he used his fear tactics to deter anyone from overpowering him. As an avid outdoorsman, Ron was skilled at all typical masculine activities. He would even describe himself as a mans-man. All was going well, until one day a bright eyed woman named Leslie Knope walked in. As Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, Leslie Knope has so many dreams about future government opportunities and the entire city of Pawnee. Ron Swanson didn't like this new Deputy Director who challenged everything he stood for. Leslie began to question Ron and the decisions he was making for the department. Leslie noticed abnormalities that Ron said would help the department, but actually did not. As Leslie became more and more suspicious, Ron caught wind of these doubts. Ron had to come up with a plan to get Leslie fired in order to protect his job as Director of the department. So Ron began planning, and had a seemingly brilliant idea. Ron remembered the creepy guy named Joe in the sewage department that he could rely on to trap Leslie in a scandal that would ruin her political career. So Ron sent Leslie to the sewage department to "talk" to Joe about issues with the public restrooms in the park. Joe began to be very creepy with Leslie, and instead of falling for Joe and Ron's plan for entrapment, Leslie reported Joe's antics to the Mayor. Leslie returned back to her department and realized that Ron had set her up. The Mayor was informed on this action and Ron was fired in a fit of fury. Leslie Knope was promoted to Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, and all was well in the small town of Pawnee Indiana.
 
(Parks and Recreation: flickr)

Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

One story that caught my attention was The Monkey Who Gathered Lotuses. Written by Tayodhamma Jataka and translated by Robert Chalmers, this story speaks about a king of a tribe of monkeys, Brahmadatta. As the sole king of Benares, Devadatta controlled an area of the Himalayas. Brahmadatta would castrate his male offspring with his teeth in the fear of one of them challenging his kingship. Buddha was then born as a monkey, Bodhisatta, and was a son of the king. His mother ran away while pregnant to protect him from the king. Bodhisatta had spectacular strength and became curious about his father. Bodhisatta's mother took him to see his father after he was persistent on seeing him. The king was instantly threatened by his son and wrapped him in a warm embrace. The son, as strong as he was, returned to hug and squeezed so hard the father's ribs broke. The father knew his son would eventually grow to kill him, so he tried to figure out how to kill the Bodhisatta first. The father knew of a vicious ogre that lived nearby, so he sent his son there to pick lotuses of a variety of colors. Bodhisatta realized as he approached the lake that an ogre haunted it, so he decided he was going to pick the lotuses without going in the lake. He leaped across the lake with all his strength and plucked two flowers as he crossed over. The ogre in shock of his power, came out of the lake and claimed the Bodhisatta had the ability to conquer all enemies. The ogre respected Bodhisatta greatly so he said offered to carry the flowers for him. At the sight of this, the father shattered into seven pieces. This story was greatly informative and many lessons were learned throughout.

(Lotuses: Wikimedia)

Week 2 Reading Overview

For my future readings, I chose to read the public domain edition: Ramayana. The first thing that caught my eye was that it is free, which tends to attract most people. As I read more about the two different versions, I discovered more reasons why I personally would benefit from the public domain edition. I am a visual learner, so since these readings have lots of illustrations, I was instantly attracted. The first comic book that caught my attention is Ganga. I have always been fascinated with rivers and oceans and all things water, so a story set in the sea seems very interesting to me. The other comic book I would like to read is Rama. The whole story of Rama seems very interesting to me due to all the drama that surrounds his life. My absolute favorite video was the Symbols of Divinity. Seeing what the lotus, linga, and other symbols represent for different divinities is something that I find really fascinating as these types of symbols really vary from culture to culture. The next video I loved was Indian and Greek Mythological Parallels  because I have always been in love with Greek Mythology. Ever since a young age, I have read about Greek gods and goddesses and can name a good majority of them, so seeing the similarities between Indian and Greek Mythology was really cool.
 
(Ganga: Wikimedia)
My favorite image is picturing Ganga, since I realized earlier how interested I am in her story and origin of the sea.

Time Strategies

I have always had seemingly poor time management skills. Although I never miss an assignment, I still wait till the last day to do most assignments and end up just stressed out. I hope this class helps me work on these skills and develop better time management skills. The articles listed in the original assignment details page gave me a better insight into how important it is to ignore my procrastination tendencies and just start working. I think my biggest challenge in this class will be to set the needed time I desire to work on specific assignments and set aside my outside responsibilities. As of now, I plan to work a lot on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays, since they are my least hectic days.

(Time Management: Needpix)

Technology in the Classroom

Back in my middle school days, I used Weebly a lot to create various fan girl websites. It was super embarrassing, but I was twelve years old so I have an excuse. Other than that, I don't have much experience with these other technological tools that can be used on the internet. This type of online course is unlike any other online course I have taken. From my other classes, I can tell you how to use McGraw Connect like I can picture the back of my hand. Other than McGraw Connect, my other professors have not given any other type of assignments outside of canvas. Within my first week of taking this class, I have learned how to use Google Blogger, Word Count Tool extension, and many other online tools. I really want to work on my research skills within the online realm and how to work more efficiently.


(Technology Usage: flickr)

A New Semester of Assignments

As I am reading about my future assignments for this course, I instantly thought how unique this course was compared to courses I have had in the past. I am intrigued by the storytelling assignments, because in high school I loved creative writing. These storytelling assignments have the same feel to them as my class I took in creative writing. The semester project also seems pretty cool as I get to create a huge story assignment throughout the semester. I really like how much personal freedom is offered in this class, and how I have the opportunity to showcase my strengths. Famous last words is an extra credit assignment that caught my eye from the list. I just really find the title of it intriguing and mysterious. I am overall really excited to see how this class takes off and how creative I can become.
 
(Be Creative: pxfuel)

The Concept of Growth Mindset

The idea of a growth mindset isn't talked about much in our society. I had never heard of Carol Dweck or growth mindset before in my studies or every day life. Within my school work, I would like to think I have an open growth mindset that accepts challenges in order to attain more knowledge. During my time at the University of Oklahoma, I have learned more about my learning skills than I ever did in my twelve years of grade school. I learned I do better with visual learning, rather than reading straight from textbooks. I have a very short attention span so it is very hard for me to sit still and read page after page of text. My biggest challenge would be when professors only assign reading assignments, as I have a hard time focusing on such bland material. I am interested into seeing more in this semester about learning to actively incorporate a growth mindset in my day to day assignments. 

(Growth or Fixed Mindset: Flickr)

Introduction of My Life's Autobiography

Welcome to my life! My name is Anna Moore and I am a student at the University of Oklahoma. I am twenty years old and graduating at the end of the spring semester. My major is Psychology with a minor is Sociology Criminology. I am hoping to get my master's degree in Forensic Psychology. I want to work within the prison system and hopefully one day join the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I have played golf since I was twelve years old and piano since I was eight. I was born in Mobile, Alabama then moved to Houston, Texas when I was ten. I have two littles sisters (14 and 18) and one little brother (17) who are my favorite people in the world. I have one dog, named Bama, and he is the cutest boxer ever!

(Bama: Personal Photo)

I love cooking and hanging out with my friends. My favorite food is sushi and fro-yo. I want to learn to make sushi, but have never gotten around to doing so. If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be Italy. I have been studying italian in school and hope to become fluent one day. I listen to a bunch of different genres of music, depending on my mood. I love Criminal Minds and Parks and Recreation. I am also obsessed with Star Wars and Marvel.

Over the past Christmas break, I went to Orange Beach, Alabama and New Orleans, Louisiana. I have visited Orange Beach so many times before, but it was my first visit to New Orleans. Obviously, we stopped at Cafe Du Monde and it was worth all the hype. I love traveling and visiting new restaurants, so this trip was lots of fun. I could eat cajun food and gumbo for every meal, so I thrived in New Orleans. That is just a peak at what I am all about!

Storybook Favorites

Indra Lord of Thunder
I thought this story about the different Gods of Thunder was unique and interesting. Incorporating the Greek, Norse, and Vedic gods creates a dynamic storyline that the reader can easily get lost in. I am very familiar with greek mythology and I know a little about Norse mythology. However, I didn't know anything about Vedic religion, later shaping the religion of Hindu. Although all these beliefs have a god of thunder, it is interesting to see the personality differences intertwine and interact with one another. Overall, I loved the storyline and the layout of the storybook.

(Thor's Fight with the Giants: Wikipedia)

Gossip Girl Ayodhya
As an avid Gossip Girl fan, I was instantly drawn into this storybook. From the drama to the romance, it perfectly encases the true essence of gossip girl. Add the multi-layered storyline of the Vedic religion and you have this fascinating storybook. Through Rama's dramatic life, we learned more about the subculture and life lessons of the Vedic religion, even if it is through an altered storyline. The introduction might be my favorite part, since it has a very similar style to gossip girl. When stories are altered to look more like past-time favorites, interest is peaked.

Rama on the Golf Course
I took a personal interest in this outlook of the story of Rama, since I was on my high school's golf team for all four years. I thought the chosen title was interesting, since the storybook was about golf and romance, but you wouldn't know that from the title. This mystery surrounding the title lead to multiple surprises within the storyline. Having a background in golf helped me to better understand specific references and the golf storyline within the text. My one wish though is that the chapter title pages included a reference to the names of the characters or some reference to the Vedic religion. Overall, I greatly enjoyed the storybook.

Tuscany, Italy... My Favorite Place

As a very indecisive person, I had a difficult time choosing a specific place I loved. So rather than choose one city or town, I realized my favorite place is the region of Tuscany in Italy. As a region of Italy, it's full of different cities and towns each one unique from the rest. I visited several towns in Tuscany the summer after my senior year of high school and I fell in love. 
(Sienna, Tuscany, Italy: Needpix)

(Florence, Tuscany, Italy: Max Pixel)
The Arno River!
The beautiful scenery and architecture unique to Italy and the Tuscany region is what I love about this place. The food is even better. There is an abundance of pizza, pasta and carbs. It is an amazing place that should be visited by more people.