Week 15: Famous Last Words: Literally.

So this week I am finishing up everything in here and this will probably be my last time to post on this blog for at least now! I wanted to finish this as soon as possible so I can be free to focus on my other classes! I am on top of most of my work in those classes and would like to stay that way! I have one final on Wednesday that I need to get to stuDYING for and a huge project proposal presentation on Friday! I am super excited to present the research and experiment I have been working on all semester! I also have some Italian stuff to finish up on and I am so excited because this is my last semester of Italian! I can read Italian almost perfectly, but speaking it and listening to it is hard for me. I suppose that is what happens when you take an online class were the emphasis is on reading and writing it! I have had a lot of fun this semester in this class and would like to take this as an opportunity to thank you for your kind comments and critiques this semester! You have made this class enjoyable and encouraged me to continue on with my creative writing so thank you!!! I wish you all the best! To those of you who are graduating like me in May, I am just as excited for what your future holds for you as I am what mine holds for me. For those of you who still have school to go, I wish you the best in your classes and would encourage you to keep putting in hard work! It will all be over before you know it, so make the most of your time here at the beautiful University of Oklahoma! Live on University!

---Karisa

(Thank You!)

Week 15: Tech Tip Cheezburger: Christmas meme!

(Cheezburger)

I made this on Cheezburger! I really love Christmas and I know it shows in all of my Christmas related posts, but this is one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite Christmas poems! 

Week 15: Growth Mindset: Get Festive!!!

(Get Festive)

Christmas (and Karisamas...my birthday is December 20th haha) are almost here! It's time to GET FESTIVE!!!

Portfolio Guide

Heart and Soul
This is a story about forbidden love.


The Mighty King and the Turtle
This story is about a father's love and  his two easily frightened sons.


The Story of the Third Old Man
This story is a story within a story within a story. It is a tale about revenge and what happens to those
who seek it out of greed.


The Terrapin's Escape
This story is about how one adventure for a morning snack turns changes a terrapin's (who may be a little too clever for his own good sometimes) life completely.

The Fisher Maid
This story is about a fisher maid who loved very deeply. She risks it all to save a man she had only admired from a far.

The Faithful Unfaithful
An older gentlemen goes on a frantic search for his missing younger wife. Where could she be at such a late hour of the night?

Week 14: Storytelling: The Faithful Unfaithful

(Mr. Shannahan walking in the night)

Where is my wife? Hmmmm...she should have been home with dinner ready an hour ago. Something is up, I just know it. I have to come up with a plan to catch what she is up to. Wait, you don't even know me. You see, I am an older gentleman in this great village of mine, who took a beautiful young maiden for my wife. My name is Mr. Shannahan. She wanted children, but was very disappointed when I could not give her them. I knew she confided in the other young women in town about how unhappy she was about it. I felt sorry for my incompetence in this area. I have noticed, however, that she has been staying out with her friends later than usual. I know a few of her friends' husbands and they would not allow their women to stay out as late as my wife claims they have been. She has to be up to something and I must get to the bottom of it.

And with that, the old gentleman was off into the night. He took a lantern, his coat, a scarf, and a his warmest hat. He quietly slipped off into the night on a search to find is wife. 

I believe I'll stop by the market first. Perhaps some of the shop owners have seen her....

The man walked into the first shop that sold fabric.

"Excuse me! Mrs. Jones...have you seen my wife?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Shannahan...I'm afraid I haven't seen her since this morning...She stopped by after having brunch with Mrs.Davis and Mrs. Linn."

"Thank you, Mrs. Jones! I'll move along so you can finish closing. I have good night!"

The man left Mrs. Jones' store and wandered next door to Mr. Davis' butcher shop.

"Mr. Davis! Mr. Davis, are you still here?"

"Yes! I'm in the back! Who is it!?"

"It's Mr. Shannahan! May I please have a word with you?"

"Of course! Come on back!"

Mr. Shannahan went to the back of the shop where he found Mr. Davis cutting meat for the next day. They chatted about their wives and Mr. Davis told him that his wife had stopped by earlier, but that was a long time ago. He was almost certain she had gone to see the priest after she left his shop. She definitely should have been home by now. Mr. Shannahan was starting to worry that something bad had happened to her. Feeling discouraged, he started his way back home to wait for her. 

That was a very weird encounter I had with the priest last night...I do not remember ever loaning him my winnowing basket....and why did he return it so late? This is all very strange to me. He seemed so nervous last night when he woke me up. If he really was just returning it, then why was he so nervous to do such a noble thing?

The old gentleman had it in his mind now that he was going to go ask the priest if he knew anything about where his wife was. He headed straight to the priest's house and knocked on the door...but there was no answer. However, the door was open. Mr. Shannahan decided to walk in and check on the priest to make sure he was okay. 

"Hello?! Is anyone home?"

There was no answer. The Mr. Shannahan made his way deeper into the priest's house. He looked into the kitchen and saw his wife's winter coat. 

Wait a second....that's my wife's coat!

And with that, the old gentlemen understood what was taking place behind his back. He ran into the bedroom and caught the two in an affair. 

"HOW DARE YOU! After all I have done for you this is what you do to me? I can't believe this!!! AND YOU SIR! HOW DARE YOU CALL YOURSELF A MAN OF GOD!"

And with that the man turned his collar up to the cold and stormed off door to door letting everyone know about his wife's infidelity and the priest's part in it. The two were banished from the village and never heard from ever again. 


Author's note: This story is based on The Villager, his wife, and the Priest which is out of the Heptameron unit in the untextbook. In the original story, the priest comes to tend to the older gentleman's sheep and has an affair with his wife while he's away. One night, the man comes home before the priest leaves so he has to hide. He hides up by the man's winnowing basket and stays there until the man falls asleep. When he goes to leave, he knocks the basket down and wakes the man up. The wife assures the man that the priest was only returning what he had borrowed from the man and the old man bought it. I chose to write about what happened when the man found out what his wife and the priest were doing. I was very upset while reading this and really wanted the man to catch them in their act.I definitely felt like the old man in this story deserved better and wanted to retell it so he caught them. I also went back into my original story when I added it to my portfolio and gave the characters names and made the Mr. Shannahan's hunt for his wife a little longer to build suspense.   

Bibliography: The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre, translated by Walter K. Kelly (1855).

Week 13: Growth Mindset: Thanksgiving is upon us!!!

(Source)

And with that being said, I decided to make a meme about the food comas that ensue after hours of stuffing yourself full of turkey! This little goat looks like he got his fair share of food this Thanksgiving and needs a nap! I hope his little belly settles soon! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Week 15: Reading Evaluations

I really enjoyed most of the readings in this class! I think the earlier reading options were more enjoyable to me though. This might be because as the semester neared the end, I became very bored with the same weekly routine. I really liked the Aesop's stories and the Jataka's about turtles. I really wish I would have done a storybook project about turtle's, but I enjoyed the free reign over my portfolio. Without have a subject, I was allowed to post my favorite stories regardless of what the theme of the story was and I liked that. I do not think I would have enjoyed being stuck on one subject the whole semester. One thing I did not like were how many comments we had to leave every week. I think the whole 150 words on three people's blogs on top of four different 60 word comments was a little ridiculous and a waste of my time. I really did not enjoy that for the most part. I have things to say to people's stories and I like reading my classmates posts, but I think I should be allowed to say what I want regardless of how many words was in it. I did not like being forced to say so many words because I ended up repeating myself and I feel like my comments lost meaning because of it. My favorite reading diary strategy would be to read the different story sections and take notes on the ones I liked the most. I thought the balance of reading and writing was fine, but like I said earlier, I thought being forced to comment so much on other people's was a little extreme. I was grasping for things to say when I could definitely get out what I wanted to in about thirty words. It is hard to expand on comments when you spend all semester working on short and sweet writing strategies. Advice that I would give to students in this class next semester would be to get out and get ahead immediately. Also, you should plan your reading out from day one. It makes it so much easier that way. You can just go to your reading plan and call it a day.

Week 15: Reflections: Looking Back

Looking back on this semester, I really think that one thing that went well was my storytelling. I really surprised myself with how well my portfolio went. I am really proud of these stories and have been sharing them with my family and friends. I think that is my favorite part of this semester. I also really loved the extra readings. They are very interesting to me because I can just read them and enjoy without having to worry about writing about them. I also enjoyed everyone in this class because everyone's comments were always so kind and encouraging. There was never anything rude or hateful that I saw all semester long. Every thing was warm and constructive and I would like to extend my thanks to all of you for sharing your brilliant writing and encouragement with me for this semester! I hope you all achieve everything you have set out to! You are wonderful people with bright futures! This class has truly been a blessing to me and I hope you all know how much I have enjoyed it!

Best wishes to you all!!!!

Karisa

Week 14: Extra Reading Diary: Myth-Folklore Unit: Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 5-7)

Myth-Folklore Unit: Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 5-7)

Cupid and Dis: I like how this story shows another aspect in the relationship between Cupid and Venus. In my earlier storytelling, I wrote about the defiant side of their relationship. This one tells us that she is his mother and he loves her and listens to what she has to say. I feel like Venus is super jealous of everyone even though she is supposed to be the most beautiful person ever. She is annoyingly insecure and I hate it. She is so rude because of it. 

(Cupid and Venus, by Bronzino)

Ceres and Jupiter: I can't say I blame Demeter for being so upset over losing her daughter. I don't understand why Jupiter is not upset. This is such a crazy story to me. Like why is no one besides Demeter upset that Proserpine was kidnapped and raped? It just doesn't make any sense to me. It is such a tragic thing and from the stories I have read about her, she is very unhappy in the underworld. I just wish they would let her do what she wants and not leave her trapped there with someone she doesn't want to be with.

Persephone's Fate: I'm glad they let her spend equal time in the heavens and equal time underground. That way she is with her husband and her mother. However, I still think the whole marriage thing is sketchy. I am done with these stories. They upset me because I have a more modern way of thinking than these stories do. I don't understand why Persephone has to stay put. If she doesn't want to be in the underworld then she shouldn't have to be.

Week 14: Reading Diary B: Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of the Navarro

Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of the Navarro

The Haunted House: This sets a very eerie scene. I would like to hear more about this story. It is kind of sad that he had them beaten. I think that is a little extreme to be honest with you. However, they should have been punished for it. I don't know, I just think this was handled kind of harshly.

Brother and Brother-in-Law: This is the most ridiculous story I ever read. I can't believe the guy talks about how much he wishes this guy was his brother in law and the kills him when he finds out that he married his sister. I hate that. This story really upset me. Especially how he made his sister watch it happen. I wouldn't blame her if she never spoke to him again. Or killed him herself. He had no right to do that. I hope the guy lived a long miserable life.

Woman on her death bed: This story is crazy too. Did this woman have a cute girl try to seduce her husband while she was on her death bed then get mad when her husband chose her company instead of consoling her. She then got better when she found out her husband was with that woman and never let him live down the fact that he did not choose her.

(Source)

Week 14: Reading Diary A: The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre

The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre

A Villager, His Wife, and the Priest: The language of this story is very euphemistic. It basically beats around the bush instead of just coming out and saying that the wife is having an affair with the priest. What kind of priest has an affair with another man's wife? He is like the worst man of God ever. And how did the husband not know there was an affair going on? Especially if the priest was visiting so late at night to return something that the husband did not even know he was borrowing in the first place? I would like to see what happens when the husband does a little sleuthing and puts two and two together.

The President of Grenoble's Revenge: I like how the president has a kind enough heart in the first part of this tale to not kill the clerk or his wife. It is crazy to me how people will just up and cheat on their spouses thinking that they will not get caught! How did this lady not think that her husband's guards wouldn't tell on her!? That is so crazy to me. What an idiot.


The President of Grenoble's Revenge cont.: Ohp. There's the revenge I was looking for. I was waiting for him to actually take action. I wonder if the President sent men after the clerk to kill him when he up and left!? I also wonder if the wife knew that he hadn't forgiven her and was hell bent on poisoning her when the time is right? This is kind of like a last wish story were the man gives the two adulterers lives of luxury up until their deaths.

(Source)

Week 13: Last Words

(Source)

This week has been a very hectic week for me. I have been scrambling to get everything done so I could get my wisdom teeth out today. (I am currently laid up on the couch and watching the Walking Dead). So my schedule for how I do this homework usually has been very thrown off. It is also the end of the semester and I am rushing to knock out at least two online classes before December starts up! ANYWAY, I chose to talk about other people's writing in this class. I have found so many great writers in this class. Like you all are seriously fantastic. I was very nervous coming into this class because I am very, very, very shy about my writing and showing it to people. I love to write and I know I am pretty good at it, but still. So the fact that everyone in here put themselves out there and tried something new every week with their new stories is pretty cool. I think what makes stories successful is trying to understand the character's personalities and thoughts in the story. Before you write, I believe you should sit down and go down you character list and give them a name(if they don't have one), distinct personality traits, and I also like to think of their physical characteristics because that also gives insight into how people are going to react in certain situations. For example, if one of my characters is red headed, it plays into their temper tantrums because red heads are said to have fiery tempers! (Even though this is not necessarily the case at all times.) I really like to play with characters in my writing by giving them opposite traits or taking away some of their old ones to see how that changes the outcomes of the stories and most of the time it does!

Storytelling Week 6: The Fisher Maid

(Maiden and Fish)

As I approached the bright, glimmering arches, I could not help feeling a sincere amount of pride. Although I would not be able to be with the man I admired and loved, Takeuchi, I had used my last moment to honor him and fetch the Jewel of Heart's Desire so he could be back in favor with the Empress. Wait, I am sure you are all confused about me. My name is Tamatori. Let me tell you my story.

Once upon a time, there was a great minister named Takeuchi. I would constantly admire him from afar because, you see, I was just a lowly fisher maid. My heart belonged to him and he did  not even know I existed. I knew he would marry some beautiful princess someday, but still...a girl could dream right? One day, I saw Takeuchi climbing to the summit of a cliff. He looked very sad and defeated. I followed him so I could keep a watch over him. That is when I realized his purpose. He was going to take his own life. 

"Stay, my Lord!" I screamed as I watched him taking his sword off. I ran forward, almost as if possessed, and grabbed him around the waist.

"Let me die!" he yelled at me trying to break out of my hold. 

He then told me about how he had lost one of the Empress's great crystals and that he was disgraced and deserved to die. I was completely appalled! The man I loved was trying to end his life?! How could he do that? He has so much to live for. He is loved by so many! 

As I was trying to find a way to convince him to live, I noticed a glowing light in the distance out over the sea. 

"Behold!" I yelled, "yonder gleams a wondrous light. Can it be that some great star hath fallen into the sea?"

"Tis the palace of Benten!" he said in awe. 

He was staring out into the sea with amazement when he saw the glittering Jewel of the Heart's Desire. The look in his eyes told me that he wanted it and I just had to get it for him. I knew I was a very good swimmer and with that I had made up my mind to take to the sea. 

“Do not fear!"  I declared. "I am a very strong swimmer! I will swim out and attain the jewel so you may have your heart's desire!"

And with those final words, I dove into the ocean. I swam past all sorts of terrifying fish I had never seen before. All of them were there to try and frighten me away from taking my prize, but no amount of fear could ever keep me from saving my love. 

Once I made it to the magic crystal, I grabbed it to be on my way back to shore. When I turned around to swim back to shore to get out of the tumultuous waters, I came face to face with a dragon. I knew I would not make it back alive. At this point, I remembered my grandmother telling me all sorts of stories about dragons. One thing about dragons is that they will not touch a corpse. I knew my hour had come so I plunged my dagger into my heart and embedded the jewel there. The dragon fled as the last ounce of life was freed from my frail body. 

So now you understand. I died so my love would not. My lifeless body drifted back up to the beach were Takeuchi had been waiting for me to return. When he realized what I was holding in place with my arms over my heart he dropped to his knees. He took me back to the palace and bestowed some of the highest honors on me. My pride swelled when I saw how I had helped Takeuchi and became a hero to the people of the city.  This is why there was a beautiful smile that had spread across the face of my lifeless body. I believe my death was not in vain. Takeuchi regained his honor, and if I am not mistaken, married the Empress in secrecy. It seems I was not wrong all along about him marrying royalty. I could never be with Takeuchi for I was just a lowly fisher maiden. He knows my love for him, though, for I proved it when I plunged my dagger into my heart. However, I am not sad about not being with him. I am free. 

Author's Note: The story I chose to right about is from the Japanese Mythology Unit. It is called The Jewel of the Heart's Desire: The Quest. The story is originally told from a third person point of view. The story goes just like how I told it, only I chose to tell it from Tamatori's point of view. Tamatori was a fisher maid who was in love with a minister named Takeuchi. She watched him from afar until one day she saw him climbing a cliff to take his life. She could not stand to watch this happen and went to stop him. They both saw the Jewel of the Heart's Desire and because she loved him so much she went to retrieve it for him losing her life in the process. I chose to tell it from her point of view because I thought it originally sounded crazy for someone who had never really spoken to someone to give their life for someone because they were in love with them. I tried to give a little bit of insight into what she was thinking and feeling. I really like the way that Takeuchi told Tamatori's story and made her a hero. It helps give a little more insight as to why she loved him so much because it makes him seem like a decent person. 

Bibliography: Romance of Old Japan by E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917)

Week 13: Tech Tip: Weather Gadget

Hello all!

I added a weather gadget to my blog tonight! I think it is very helpful to always have some sort of weather on your phone, so why not put it on your blog!!! It is a very simple tech tip. If you are looking for something like this then I recommend it!!!

My favorite type of weather is storming. I love all of the storms early summer and late spring. They are so beautiful, yet dangerous and the same time and it just intrigues me. My least favorite weather are the extremes of Oklahoma. I do not enjoy the face melting heat, and I don't enjoy the ice and cold weather in the winter. Oklahoma's cold weather is unlike anything that people from other states just don't understand. It doesn't matter how bundled you are the cold can still get through to you bones and it sits there and once you're cold you can never be not cold!!!

Week 13: Extra Reading Diary: Ovid's Metamorphoses

Ovid's Metamorphoses

Narcissus: The story of Narcissus is one of my favorite stories. I am a psych major and I am very interested in narcissism. I enjoy reading about the original narcissist. I like this story and all of the others about the gods and goddesses. I am surprised I straight up missed this when I did some of the early readings. I am glad I found it now though and got to read it.

The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe: There story somewhat reminds me of Romeo and Juliet. They were both in love and wanted to get married, but it was prevented by their parents. I really like the parallels you see in all of these stories with a lot of the other classics.

Mars and Venus: Oh man. I really like this story. It is very funny. I love that instead of like going off on Venus, Vulcan just gets even. He straight up just makes a net and shows everyone what kind of people those two are! This story is great.

(Venus and Mars caught in the net)

Week 13: Reading Diary B: Dante's Inferno

Dante's Inferno



Canto 12: The Minotaur and the Centaurs: Oh man. Things are 'heating up' for Dante and his guide. Haha, bad pun...I know. I am amazed at how much descending and punishments they are seeing. It really makes me want to join a convent and become a nun so I don't have to go through that! I would not have been very calm if I came face to face with an angry minotaur or centaur!!!

(Source)

The Harpies: I have always been scared of harpies. When I was younger I always had nightmares about them so this part of his story really gave me the gooseys. I wonder what these harpies are thinking. I imagine it's not very nice!!!

The Eighth Circle: Malebolge:Oh what a dreary sounding place. Everywhere else in this story so far sounds terrifying, but seems full of excitement. This place just sounds dull. I would hate being stuck there forever. Out of all the places they visit, this so far is my least favorite. There is just nothing there, but a grey colorless scene. 

Reading Diary A: Week 13: Dante's Inferno

Dante's Inferno

Canto 1: Dante and Virgil: This is the opening of the play. It introduces us to Dante and explains how he is scared away from the gates of heaven by an evil monster(that looks like a lion). He is met by Virgil who explains he is in hell because he did not live by God's law when he was alive. Virgil agrees to lead him through a journey so he can see how bad it is and then try and ascend to heaven afterwards.

Limbo: Limbo does not sound like a fun place. I would definitely not want to be left there. It also sounds like it is a sad place. Everything I have gathered about it evokes negative emotions. I do not blame anyone for trying to get out of there.

The Fallen Angels: These fallen angels are a piece of work. They sound like nasty little creatures. I don't understand why they are denying them passage if they wish to go. I mean, maybe it is just their job but it sure seems silly to me. This is a tale that is riddled with mystery and I really look forward to the second half of this story.

(Dante and Virgil)

Week 12: Growth Mindset: Other Classes

SO probably one of my most exciting classes for me is my independent study as a research assistant in a psychology lab. I really love it! I spend my days running experiments and I think that is just fantastic. One of the biggest challenges of the year for me is making my own project proposal. This means I get to research a subject in psychology and then make a powerpoint, do the research, and do a formal presentation in front of my lab of what my project would be. You basically create your own experiment and present the hypothetical data! How fun is that? I have another class that I am also doing the same thing only instead of proposing a powerpoint and giving a presentation, I am writing it down in a paper format. To do these two projects is a huge task. However, I can relate them to each other and build one presentation off of the flaws of my other one and that is going to be so helpful! My area of studying right now is cognitive psychology so to relate that to how doing to similar presentations is that by doing two things over one (but slightly different) I am creating multiple ways to recall the information I am learning and this should help with my presentation overall!!! And all of these classes are so hectic I chose a meme that plays off one of my favorite lines in the Avengers! "When did you become an expert on thermonuclear astrophysics? Last night" That's how I feel about 90% of my finals!!!

(Source)

Week 12: Famous Last Words

So this week, I read the Faerie Queen: Britomart unit. I had time to do both halves of the reading and I found them very interesting. The thing I liked the most about this reading is that Britomart defied gender norms from her time. Women were meant to be dainty and sitting in the house sewing and all that jazz. She basically stuck it to the system and decided she was going to be a knight. Another thing that I really liked is that even though she was going out of her way to fight gender norms, she still had a crush and wanted to be with him. This shows that you can be a feminist and not hate men. That is one of my biggest pet peeves in the world today. Some people assume just because women are strong and independent and do the same jobs as men (sometimes better) that they are cold and callous and don't want to be in a relationship. It's absolutely ridiculous. I am really glad this story showed both sides of this.

This week I did the writing for my story in my Wednesday night class. I always do my best writing in there because it is a three hour class that I have to have something to do in. However, as the weeks go by I have noticed that my ideas for writing stories are starting to run out. I think I may be suffering from some end of semester writer's block!!! I hope that is not the case because I have some more papers to write still! I think that I just need to take a moment and come up with a good writing strategy for this week. I really need to plan it out and maybe play around with more character development. I also might switch it up and write the story from my desk in my room with the lights off (I have two old vintage lamps that give off a nice warm glow.) I like to write here when I cannot think because it makes me feel like Jo off of Little Women and that is one of my favorite books!

(Jo writing at her desk)

Week 12: Extra Reading Diary: Italian Popular Tales

Italian Popular Tales

The Language of Animals: Well..this was a very interesting story. It shows how every bit of knowledge is useful, no matter how silly it may seem. I like how the boy uses it to help people. It is nice that even though is father was ashamed of him that he did not give up hope.I also like how he didn't settle for just marrying into money. He went out and continued to help others.

An Incident in Rome: This is a very eerie story to me. I love ghost hunting and for a second it made me think that the man was a demon. However, it is interesting that he was neither saved nor damned. Does this mean that he's in a sort of purgatory? Why is the Pope the only one who could read it? Did he know that the man would turn to stone?

The Cock that Wished to become Pope: This story starts off and I was very hopeful for the rooster. He gathers Mrs. Hen to be his Popess and you're like...ok, so there's a chance this could work. He's got his letter and he has this really thought out. Then the cat joins in and he has a place for her too.Then the weasel joins and it is basically a travelling pack of animals. When they get to the witch's house though, you just feel like something bad is going to happen to them. The cat and weasel very intelligently dip out and then you know this whole thing is going to fall apart. Once they talk to the man at the end and he is so excited that they are here you know they are doomed. It had a very morbid ending haha.

(Rooster Statue)

Week 12: Storytelling: A Helping Hand

Brittany was not your average girl. She was strong-willed, determined, and destined for great things. Her father was a wealthy CEO of a Fortune 500 company. He knew his daughter was very bright, but he had always expected her to be a socialite who married into another wealthy family. Brittany, however, had a different idea.

"See you in a month, sweetheart!" her father called as he boarded their private jet.

He was on his way to Europe for business. Brittany had become accustomed to his long trips over seas and being alone. She was not really alone...She had her nanny, Gladys, who had taken care of her since she was little. You see, her mother died when she was very young. Ever since then, it was Brittany, Gladys, and her father.

The driver dropped Brittany back off at their very large mansion. Now when I say very large...I mean VERY LARGE. It was built on a hill top over looking the city. It was a castle in it's own right. There were many expensive things in the mansion and there was nothing that was off limit's to daddy's little girl. She was his only daughter. He was very protective of her.

Now Brittany, as I said before, was very strong-willed. She was also curious. This day, she decided to wander the grounds of her father's estate and see what new things she could find. She was taking her usual walk in the garden when suddenly, something caught the light and caught her attention. Brittany walked towards the overgrown vines and started to pull them away from the object. After about ten minutes, she revealed a large, antique mirror.

"Hmmm...what an odd place for a mirror." she thought.

She used the sleeve of her sweater and wiped the dust off of it. When she looked at her reflection in the mirror she was shocked to see what image it reflected. It was not just Brittany in the mirror, but many children in ragged clothes smiling and dancing with her in what looked like a small village. She knew she had to get out and make a difference.

"Gladys!"

"Yes, dear?" the nanny replied warmly.

"I want to leave the house. I have all of these dreams of helping people and I cannot do any of that here."

"Oh no! Your father would never approve of that. Come now, let's go get you ready. Your father has arranged for you to attend a party at the Smith's."

"Sighhhhh...I suppose you're right, Gladys. I'll go upstairs and shower."

Gladys absolutely knew it was never that easy to convince Brittany to do anything. Something was up and she had a very good idea what it was...

"IF YOU'RE GOING TO SNEAK OFF AND CHANGE THE WORLD YOU'RE GOING TO NEED AT LEAST A NAP SACK AND ACCESS TO YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, DEAR!"

Brittany stopped in her tracks and turned around to see Gladys running down the street after her with two suitcases in hand.

Brittany smiled and said, "I should have known you wouldn't buy my agreeable act...I can't say I blame you either. I have never been the most agreeable person!"

"No, dear, you haven't. But that, and your huge heart, is what makes you special. Besides, I am over due a vacation and there is no better person I would love to take one with than you."

And with that, the two made their way off to the nearest volunteer group in the city and dedicated the rest of their lives to helping others.

(Volunteers helping people at Greenpointe Soup Kitchen)

Author's note: The story I read this week was the Britomart Unit from The Faerie Queen. I definitely admired Britomart because she had her own kingdom, but instead of living the cushy life of a lady, she went out and saved people. Her father goes away from the castle for a while and Britomart and her nurse, Glauce', steal armor (that was originally stolen from a fallen enemy) from a war memorial in the church in their kingdom. They do this because Merlin left a Magical Mirror in the hands of Britomart's father. Britomart looked in this mirror and saw Sir Artegall who is a very noble knight and fell in love with him. She went to Merlin after crying for days over never meeting him and is told to go on a quest to find him in the land of the Faerie Queen. She and her nurse set of disguised as a knight and a squire and fight many foes. She goes out of her way to help many people in need and that is the aspect of her character that I chose to focus on in my story. I chose to rewrite the story in a modern setting because I think it makes it more relatable. 

Reading Diary B: Week 12: Faerie Queen: Britomart Unit

Faerie Queen: Britomart

The Enchanted Chamber: This is definitely an interesting to open the second half of reading. All of the specters almost give it a Christmas Carol vibe. It also reminds me of the seven deadly sins. I really like how all of these specters represent something different. And they seem very scary. I do not know how Britomart is not shaking in her armor! She must be very brave!!!

The Wicked Enchanter: I absolutely love Britomart. She is so strong and brave! You go girl! I like how she just straight up said, "not today satan" and went after that enchanter. It is so noble of her to rescue others and to put her quest for true love on hold. However, it is so sad that the knight and the squire gave up on them and left. I think that is kind of shady since she was only gone for like one night. Surely they could have waited a few days before giving up on them.

Strange Meetings: The first description of these two wicked women who are seen riding with these dumb knights. "False and wicked...not able to tell anything but falses.." Britomart, I feel for you girl because I know a few females like that too. Ha. But really...this story just upsets me because everyone is acting dumb because of these two trouble making "women". I like that Britomart is not phased by them. But whyyyyy oh whyyyyy is everyone else!!!? It also upsets me that Sir Scudamor tries to attack Britomart's nurse because he is mad about his lady. She is down the road, bro. Quit wasting time and go get her!!!

(Knight in Full Armor)

Reading Diary A: Week 12: The Faerie Queen- Britomart Unit

The Faerie Queen- Britomart Unit

(Britomart)

I really like this story. I like how Britomart is brave and fearless. She defies societies norms by being a female knight. I am excited to read the next part of this story because I am curious to see if she finds Sir Artegall. This story is interesting because it is action packed and has a love story intertwined with it. I really like how all of the knights she runs into think they are going to destroy her and she uses her enchanted spear to sit them down. One question I have is does her father know that she has wandered off? That would be a good angle to rewrite this story from. We could find out what the father was doing while she was off doing all of these noble deeds.

Week 11: Growth Mindset: If I Ran the School

OU is a wonderful place for students to expand their worlds and learn new things. I think OU does a great job of expanding people's minds by introducing them to different cultures through the different clubs and the events that they host. However, I think OU could do even better. One thing that does not promote growth and learning is the way that so much emphasis is put on memorizing and passing important classes with an A (sciences, math, etc). I feel that so much learning is missed out on because students are afraid to look at the bigger picture because they are forced to buckle down and study Gen Ed classes that can be difficult and of no interest to the student. If President Boren came to me and asked how I would facilitate growth and learning, I would recommend making Gen Ed classes a lot more free. I would recommend taking out math and sciences out of Gen Ed requirements and replace them with classes like this. It is much easier to find out what you are interested in by writing  your thoughts and exploring in a fun setting. It is not nearly as stressful as trying to pass a math class that you may or may not need the skills from depending on your major. I also think that a gen ed major exploration class or something that assesses your particular interests and takes you through major options over the course of a semester would be a good class to take even if you already think you know your major.

(Gen Ed Meme)

Week 11: Extra Reading: Brer Rabbit

Brer Rabbit

The Calamus Root: I wish I had more insight into what is going on in this story. The way it is written is so hard for me to read and understand. It reminds me of Joseph from Wuthering Heights. I wish that someone who understands it better would maybe put what it says in italics next to the original words. But from what I have gathered, Briar Fox wanted to come over for dinner and Briar Rabbit invited him. When he showed up, he was up to no good so Brer Rabbit just shut the door and left him out.

The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story: The fact that this thing is named Tar-Baby makes this story fantastic. I love that. How did Brer Fox not get stuck to the Tar-Baby when he stuck it out there? Was he just making Brer Rabbit get stuck because he was mad at him for dinner? What exactly was the point of this prank other than to just prank?

Mr. Fox Tackles Old Mr. Tarrypin: Naturally, I had to read the terrapin story. I have written too many turtle stories for me not to at least check this one out. LOVE THIS. He straight up tells the fox not to drown him and uses him to get him home. These turtle's are absolutely brilliant.

(Brer Fox and Mr. Tarrypin)

Week 11: Storytelling: An Uninvited Guest to my Un-Birthday.

(Mad-Tea Party)

Oh. What a terrible day. Today is my un-birthday. My friends the Dormouse and the Mad-Hatter have shown up and ruined my tea party by dirtying all of my dishes. I set all of these places just for me so I can rotate and not have to do dishes. Now that they're here I do not have the freedom sit anywhere I please. Oh well.  I suppose it wouldn't be a celebration if... WHAT IS THAT CURIOUS LOOKING CREATURE COMING TOWARDS US?! No! It can't join our tea party...There is no room! 

"No room, NO ROOM!" we all cried out.

"There's PLENTY of room." retorted the creature as it plopped down in the large arm chair at the end of the table.

What is she doing? Why did she just sit down. She clearly isn't wanted. I don't understand. I know! I will offer her something not here so she knows she isn't wanted. 

"Have some wine!"

Oh no. I ruined it. That was my chance. I said it too encouragingly. What have I done! Get it together, Hare!

"I don't see any wine..." remarked the creature.

"There isn't any."

HA! There you go, Hare. You nailed it. You got this train back on track. 

"It wasn't very civil of you to offer it..." the creature said angrily.

IS THIS CREATURE SERIOUS?! It sat down at my table uninvited and then has the audacity to tell me that I am not civil?

"It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited..."

BOOM. Very nice, Hare. Very nice. 

"Do you plan on leaving anytime soon?"

"No." said the creature.

"Then we should at least know what you would like to be called."

"I am Alice. And you are???"

So the creature's name is Alice. Intriguing. 

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" inquired the Mad-Hatter.

"I believe I can guess that!" shouted Alice.

"You know the answer to it?"

"Exactly so."

This Alice, she is so wishy washy. She doesn't make any sense. Why not say what you mean?

"Then you should say what you mean."

"I do." she said firmly.

"No you don't! You just said that you could guess the answer then when I asked if you knew it you said that you did! It is not a guess if you know it!"

"Do you know the answer?" interrupted the Mad-Hatter.

"No, I give up! What is the answer?" concedes Alice.

"I haven't the slightest idea..." answers the Mad-Hatter

Hmph. This day just gets curiouser and curiouser...

Author's Note: This week I chose to write about the Mad-Tea Party from Alice in Wonderland. I wrote the story almost exactly the same. I omitted some details to make the story go along faster, but for the most part it is the same. However, the difference lies in the italics where I tell you what the March Hare is thinking. I wanted to tell it like this because the original story is already magnificent. I really just wanted to know what the other character's beside Alice were thinking when she just waltzed in to their party uninvited. I really love the character of the grumpy March Hare so I chose him as the character whose thoughts I added into the story. I also love the concept of un-birthdays so I had to include that in my story as well. 

Week 11: Reading Diary B: Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

Man. I just love the Mad-Tea Party scene. It is one of my all time favorites. I just think it is so cleverly written and I am like 90% sure that is what I want to write my story over this week. There are so many aspects to that particular tale in this book that I just love. I really love how all of the characters distinct personalities come through so well. I particularly like when the Dormouse is telling a story to the others and Alice keeps interrupting. It shows how inquisitive and interested in learning and making sense of her world she is. It is a great example of all of the children in us. I also like when they all switch spots to have a "clean cup". However, they just move into a seat that was occupied a few seconds ago so instead of having a clean cup, you just have a dirty one that someone else drank out of. I'm not really sure why that is so funny to me!

(Mad-Tea Party by Sir John Tenniel)

Week 11: Reading Diary A: Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

I really enjoy the continuous stories. I think they are quite refreshing after reading so many mini stories. I really love Alice in Wonderland. It was always one of my favorite Disney movies(even though I think the book and the movie are very different). I really like how this is broken up. By skipping a few chapters here and there it makes the flow of the book move even faster. I love the story of the Duchess's baby turning into a pig. The very imaginative aspects of Alice in Wonderland have always intrigued me. I think the way that this book let's your imagination run wild is fantastic! Writing a story based of this is going to be so much fun!!! I love that I get to start with the Mad-Tea Party next. That is one of the best parts!!!

(Mad-Tea Party)

Storytelling Week 9: The Terrapin's Escape

(Turtle)

"Hello, Mr. Possum! How is your day going?"

He responded with a slow yawn.

"YAAAAAAAAAWWWWWNNN! Why, Mr. Terrapin, it is going well. I have been asleep up until you woke me. I am hungry for some persimmons though...would you care to join me in my hunt?"

"Why, I thought you'd never ask..."

And with that they were off. The trail they went down to get to the persimmons tree was extremely treacherous...or so they liked to pretend. 

"Shhhh...Do you hear that, Mr. Possum? It sounds like there is danger up ahead! Proceed with caution, good man!"

"Yes, yes, Mr. Terrapin. I do hear that. You too should proceed with caution! Watch out! There is a trap!"

Of course there was no trap... but the two friends proceeded on like there were. They continued their brave, heroic quest until they reached the persimmon tree at the end of it. 

"Ah! Here at last, Mr. Possum! Why don't you climb on up and toss the fruit back down to me!"

"That sounds like a great idea!"

Mr. Possum scaled the tree and found the ripest fruit he could possibly find. He then threw it back down to Mr. Terrapin. However, hungry Mr. Wolf had heard them and followed the noise to the tree. As soon as Mr. Possum threw the fruit down, the wolf jumped out and ate it before Mr. Terrapin could get to it.  

"Hey!" shouted Mr. Possum. "Those persimmons were for my good friend, Mr. Terrapin!"

"What are you going to do about it? If you come down here to stop me, I will eat you! If you refuse to throw me any more, I will eat your friend!" threatened the Mr. Wolf.

At this point, Mr. Possum decided that he had to do something. He always had a bone that he carried with him in case of emergencies. This...he decided, was an emergency. He threw the bone down to the wolf. The Mr. Wolf ate it and immediately began choking. He could not get the bone dislodged. In a short amount of time, the wolf crumbled to the ground dead. 

"Very good idea, Mr. Possum! I think I will cut off his ears and use them as hominy spoons since this little monster caused me so much trouble!"

And with that, Mr. Terrapin removed the wolf's ears. Now you see, Mr. Terrapin was not a dumb creature. In fact, he was about as clever as they come. He knew that if the other creatures thought he had vanquished a wolf they would be very impressed by him. He was going to use this to his advantage from now on. He bragged to other creatures about how he had killed a wolf. The word spread quickly through the forest. The pack of wolves, who were mourning their fallen brother, caught wind of what Mr. Terrapin had done. They hatched a plan to trap him and make him pay.

"Hmmm....What is this hero going to do today?" Mr. Terrapin asked himself. "I know! I will take my spoons and go down by the river! Maybe there will be some otters who will fish for me after they hear my story!"

Mr. Terrapin made his way down to the river. When he got there, he knew something was not right. It was dead silent and there was not one creature to be found. He knew there was trouble afoot. 

"Hello Mr. Terrapin...what do you have there?" growled a menacing voice behind him.

Mr. Terrapin turned around slowly and came face to face with the leader of the wolves. As he looked for some sort of escape, he noticed that there were more coming out of the forest and slowly surrounding him. 

"Um, I just have some plain ole hominy spoons. Nothing that you could possibly be interested in I'm sure!"

"I'm not so sure..." said the leader of the wolves. "Those sure look a lot like wolf ears to me. I'm not sure if you know this or not...but we lost one of our brothers a few days ago and we found him missing his ears. There was talk about how a terrapin killed him and took them. I didn't believe it was true until I saw it with my own eyes..."

Mr. Terrapin was in trouble. He was cursing his big mouth. The rest of the wolves kept getting closer and closer to him until they snatched him up. If Mr. Terrapin was going to make it out of this, he needed to act fast. 

"Hey, boss, I know! Let's boil him in one of our clay pots!" suggested one wolf.

"Go ahead," said Mr. Terrapin mustering every bit of fake bravado he had. "I'll just kick the pot to pieces."

"Well, maybe we should just burn him in the fire..." said another wolf.

"HA!" laughed Mr. Terrapin. "I would put that fire out so fast you would be disappointed you put all that effort into making it."

"I KNOW!" yelled another wolf. "We'll throw him into the deepest hole in the river and drown him!"

"NO! YOU FIENDS! I can think of no worse death than that! PLEASE! I'll do anything as long as you do not do that!" cried Mr. Terrapin.

"Haha!" laughed the wolves. "No! This will be your punishment! You will get no mercy from us!"

And with that, they threw Mr. Terrapin into the river. Mr. Terrapin had been waiting on this. He dove under the water and disappeared. This is the story of how the Mr. Terrapin outsmarted and escaped from the wolves. 





Author's note: I chose to write my story about the The Terrapin's Escape. The terrapin was trying to get dinner from the possum in the original story when  the wolf intervened. The possum threw down a large persimmon(or a bone) and killed the wolf with it. The terrapin took the wolf's ears and used them as spoons when dining with other animals. He did this to get free meals from others and to gain their admiration. He does this for a while and it puts a huge target on the terrapin's back. Other wolves hear of this story and make a plan to kill the terrapin. They catch him and take him prisoner. They then hold a meeting and decide what to do with the terrapin. This part of the story follows closely along with the original.  I chose this story because it reminded me of the Jataka I wrote about earlier in Week 4. I chose to make the terrapin out to be clever in this story because in the other one I omitted the part about how the turtle persuaded the men to throw him in the lake. I really like how turtles (and terrapins) are portrayed in these stories as cunning and clever. 

Bibliography: Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900).

Week 10 Extra Reading Diary: Persian Tales

Persian Tales

The Hemp-Smoker's Dream: This is about a man who gets high then has a crazy dream. I am very glad this was dream because it was a very confusing read. This story reminded me of a monologue someone did in my high school. It was about a dream someone had were the introduced party members who all had very similar three letter names. The names in this story would be easier to read if the last names were different.

The Story of the Wolf-Bride: This story is interesting because it says that fate is predetermined and it can't be changed. I like that the bride randomly turns into a wolf and eats the guy. I was left wondering if she had turned into a wolf before or if it was like a one time thing. I also would want to know what triggered that if she had always turned into a wolf. And if she knew what made her turn into a wolf why didn't she take precautions so she didn't kill her husband?

Tortoise bowl on the back of the Fox: I like this story because it shows the tortoise being clever again. All of the stories I have read about turtles and tortoises have portrayed them as very intelligent. I like how the tortoise stood up for his stuff because the fox did absolutely nothing. I hate people who try to claim your work as their own.

(Tortoise planting seed)

Week 10 Storytelling: The Spirit of the Sea

Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived in a palace with her father, the king. She found herself daydreaming constantly about an adventurous life outside of the palace. You see, the princess had always been inside the palace walls. Her father was going out of the palace on business the next week. She made the decision to sneak out and wander the forest.

The day was finally here. She was ready to act on her plan to sneak out. She walked passed the guards at the back door and told them she wanted to spend a day alone in the garden so they should not disturb her. Once she had made her way into the garden, she went straight for the tall tree in the back corner that grew over the castle wall. She climbed to the very top of it. Once there, she slid off the branch and onto the wall. From here, she reached into her satchel and withdrew a long rope made of sheets she had tied together. She tied it around a decorative gargoyle on the castle wall and then propelled herself down. When her feet touched the ground of the forest below, she celebrated! She had done it! She had made it out of the palace!!!

The princess began to explore the forest. She wandered past rivers and waterfalls. She saw wonders that she had only read about in books. She kept going deeper and deeper into the woods until it began to get dark. She realized it was time to head back. However, when she tried to make her way back to the palace she was lost. She tried to retrace her steps, but she kept ending up back were she began to retrace her steps. The princess began to cry. In the distance, a handsome young man heard her crying. He wondered up to her and introduced himself as a handsome prince. He told her that he would take her back to her palace if she would promise him her hand in marriage when the time came. The princess said she would and they began their trek back to her palace.

They had been walking for some time when the princess suddenly realized they had been walking much longer than they should have to get to her palace. She began to fear that this handsome prince was not as nice as she originally thought. She was right. They came to the end of the woods and the prince grabbed the princess by her arm and pulled her into is kingdom. You see, he was the prince of the rival kingdom and he had successfully kidnapped the princess.

The prince made the princess work hard and did not treat her well. She wanted to go home very badly. She regretted her decision to leave her palace tremendously, but no amount of regret could change what had happened. One day, she went down to the river to get water for the prince and his friends. She saw a man in a canoe and begged him to help her. The man came ashore and offered to take the princess away from their. She agreed.

This man was not just any mere mortal, he was the spirit of the sea. He took the princess to his palace in the sky and treated her very well. She was very happy with him, but she still missed her home. She begged him to allow her to take their son back to her kingdom were he would be trained as a great warrior. He knew this is what would make her the happiest so he said he would let her go, on one condition...she had to make him a blanket of how he courted her and their life together. She did. And this is the story of the first blanket.

(Chilkat Blanket)

Author's note: The story I retold was that of The Origin of the Chilkat Blanket. This story is of the daughter of a chief who is gathering with the women of her tribe when she is asked for her hand in marriage by a member of the Bear tribe. She becomes very unhappy there and the people won't let her leave. The Spirit of the Sea rescues her and takes her away from there. He treats her well, but she still misses her home. He agrees to let her take her son  and go back to her kingdom as long as she makes him a blanket. This is the original Chilkat blanket. 

Week 10 Reading Diary B: Alaskan Legends

Alaskan Legends

Origin of the Chilkat Blanket: This story explains why people aimed between the eyes to kill bears. I liked this story because there was no happy ever after for everyone on it. I also like how the sea god was kind to the woman and let her go home to her people. This would be another good story to tell like I did Cupid and Psyche.

The First Woman: I like how this story explains why women from different areas have different skills. It is interesting to me how all of these stories explain the world around them. I like how this story is ended with "it is still this way today so its true".

The Boy in the Moon: I like how this story explains the origin of the moon and the sun. It is interesting how the people say that the moon was a boy and the girl is the sun. This is consistent with other Native American stories and one of the Japan mythology stories I read. It is so sad that they say it is a boy who is in love with a girl that can never get to her.

(Moon of Anchorage Alaska)

Week 10: Reading Diary A: Alaskan Legends

Alaskan Legends

The Flood: This story is about how one Raven got angry at the people and caused a great flood that caused the people to die of starvation. This is another story that has biblical sounding origins. These stories that are all similar to each other make you really wonder if something like a great flood did happen because these people had to come up with these stories somewhere.

The Origin of the Tides: This story is used to explain a natural phenomenon. A lot of stories from different tribes do this. This one explains high and low tide. It is interesting to hear how they explain things when we have science now that teaches us it is something else. They didn't have that back then so they just think it is some weird thing like men putting the lid on and taking it off to create high and low tide. We know it is just the moon and it's gravitational pull.

Raven's Feast: This is a story about how the Raven wanted to have a great feast and asked for the Groundhog's for help with food. The Groundhogs were said to be able to know when the winter was over and spring was coming. I think this is cool because it explains why Groundhogs are used to decide when spring is coming.

(Nass River)

Extra Reading Diary Post Week 9: Eskimo Folk Tales

Eskimo Folk Tales

The Coming of Men, a Long, Long While Ago: I really enjoy hearing about how other culture's view the world being born so to speak. I think it is so interesting to see the similarities between Christian views and other religions. The Native American units have really been one of my favorites to see this. In this one, it retells some of the Bible's stories only with their own take on it. They talk about how man, children, women, and dogs were made. They even address a big flood that wiped out most of man kind.

Nukúnguasik, who escaped from the Tupilak: And then there are some Native American stories that just don't make a lot of sense. This is one of them. I feel like this story really didn't have a point. It talks about the many brothers and one of them trying to make something to kill one of the others. Then the one who is supposed to be killed, kills the one trying to kill him and leaves the monster made to kill him on the island with him. 

The Giant Dog: So this story is kind of crazy, but it does have a point. I like that the giant dog is made out to be a villain then is told that he is not that bad at all because the island dwellers are not nice themselves. I really enjoy how the very end rhymes. I also enjoy how the dog is just really cool and handles those three dogs that try to attack him.  

(Eskimo Girl)

Week 9: Reading Diary B: Myth's of the Cherokee

Myth's of the Cherokee

(Terrapin)

The Terrapin's escape from the wolves: This story reminds me a lot of the Jataka tale. I liked it because the turtle is clever and gets out of dying again because he knows how to play people. I find it really funny that this turtle used wolf ears as spoons to like frighten people!

The Crane and the Hummingbird: The crane and the hummingbird both love the same woman. She prefers the hummingbird...but do you blame her? They are so cute and colorful! I relate to her because I also love hummingbirds and do not blame her one bit for staying single!!!

The Owl gets Married: This story is very interesting. I like how the owl takes human form and then grieves himself out of having it. It is very supernatural in nature. It is weird how the owl was a terrible hunter though because I have always thought of owls as being great hunters.

Week 9: Reading Diary A: Myth's of the Cherokee

Myth's of the Cherokee

(the moon)

The Moon and the Thunders: There are a lot of stories compiled into this one. It is very interesting to observe the different style the Cherokee's use to tell stories. They make it one big compilation of stories that are similar to each other. All of these stories have a common theme that is the moon and the sun. The last one talks about thunder though. I think it is included because they talk about the sky in it.

The Deluge: Oh! This story is like the Cherokee version of Noah's Arc! These stories are all straight and to the point. I really like that the man's dog is the one that told him to build a raft. Did the dog ever get thrown into the water?

The Rabbit Goes Duck Hunting: This is the first of the rabbit stories. This rabbit is so clever and yet he is really creepy. I like how they talk about the rabbit getting out of their by convincing the human's to stand back. I also like how the rabbit is clever and mischievous. It reminds me of bugs bunny!