Famous Last Words: Upcoming Week

This next week is going to be hectic. I understand that it is only the third week of school, but I am taking 21 hours and my classes are already picking up. I am taking a class called Directed Readings. In this class I have to read several chapter books all relating to a topic of my choice. Then I write essays over them. The essays consist of summarizing the book, as well as, highlighting what I have learned from it. So I am excited to start my readings this coming week. 

My hopes for this next week over all is to be as productive as possible. I hope to complete all my assigned assignments for this class, as well as, the extra credit. I really would like to finish this class early, if at all possible. I would really help cutting down on the load! However, I am so intrigued by the material that we cover in this class, and I always learn something new.

I also am going to be working on my 15-page paper that is due for my weekend class! I hope to also start volunteering at Bethesda which is an organization that advocates for kids who have been sexually abused. I love volunteering and hope to volunteer at this place for more than just this semester.

I also have work three nights this week! I know this may not seem like a lot, but with my schedule it is crazy and I am not sure how I am going to do it. I am part of several committee’s and organizations on campus. One of them being part of Student Society of Human Relations, and another is being an ambassador for Pink and Black Ball. I have those meetings to attend this week as well as a few others. It will be one busy week but I hope to finish it all and come out strong!

I Am One Busy Bee

(Source: SparkleBox)

Tech Tip: Canvas Notifications

I used this tip to stop all the notifications coming to my email! I am the type of person that cannot stand a cluttered inbox. Everyday, I would receive several emails about everything that I had been doing on Canvas. I used this tip to stop all notifications being sent to my email. I log onto to Canvas regularly so I feel as if I did not need the emails. However, I think the notifications are a great tool to use. Especially, for those who do not log on. You have the options to be notified if someone replies to our comments, class announcements, grades etc. Using the Canvas notifications is also very user friendly! I highly recommend checking this out for those who have not already.

Growth Mindset: Growth Through Quotes

Something New 

(Source: Twitter)

This is something that I have put much thought in, especially recently. I feel that this quote is extremely relevant when it comes to universities. Many people take certain classes because they are "blow off classes." What this means, is that several students look for what they believe would be an easy class. They want to take a class where they will not do a whole lot but still get credit. They are not learning something from this, but just practicing things that they already knew. 

Mindsets such as these are very limited. If you think about it, you are paying thousands of dollars to just sit in a room and listen to things that you already know, and do things that are easy to you. Instead of challenging ourselves, we have accepted that we rather take the easy route instead of the route that would lead us to explore new subjects and ideas.

Growing is an important par of life. Growing our mind is part of that growth. Constantly learning new concepts helps us expand our mind. I decided my sophomore year I would never take a class because I thought it was a "blow off" class. I would only take classes where I thought I could get something out of it. I love this quote because it is everything that I believe. 

Learning Challenge: Empathy Quotes

Empathy Can Take You A Long Way 

(Source: Twitter)

Empathy. It is a word that I do not often hear now a days. It is an action that I do not always see taking place. I think this quote does a tremendous job explaining how empathy should work. Empathy is a step forward from being sympathetic. It is putting yourself in someone's shoes and trying to understand what they are going through.

This quote points how something really important that many people look over. It says we need to learn about other people's arguments, errors, and achievements. To me, this means we cannot make any assumptions when it comes to empathy. We cannot make judgements in place of someone else. Furthermore, we need to learn about people's arguments to see where they are coming from. There errors, to see where they have been and what they have learned. There achievements, to know how far they have come and see their potential. 

This quote also highlights another very important aspect of empathy, respect. We do not need to agree with someone to empathize with them. Empathy comes with respect. To understand someone and to respect their culture, decisions, actions, and to accept them for who they are is a huge part of what empathy is. 

It is important for us to get use to one another because the more we do that, the more we are able to do that, the better we are able to empathize with others.

Reading Notes: The Husband's Shadow

A Hidden Affair

(Source: Maxpixel)

This story was about a king who fell in love with a merchant's wife. The wife then indulged in the affair. They both waited for the husband to go out of town so that they could be together. However, the husband left a nitwit to look over his wife. The nitwit then asked then asked the wife who that man was? The wife told him that it was a shadow. She took him into the mirror and showed him his shadow. When the husband came home and asked the nitwit if anyone had come. The nitwit said just your shadow sir. 

This was one of the most entertaining stories I have read. I loved the setup of the story and how it ended. However, I would change a few things in this story. In my story, I, would end the story differently. In my version of the story I would have the husband find out about the affair. However, some things to think about would be, would it matter if the affair was with the king? Another idea I have for the story is the king requesting to marry the merchant’s wife. That would be an internal struggle for the merchant. Would he give up his wife for the riches? Or would he fight for his love?

This story has given me so many ideas for a story. One more idea is a more feminist perspective. The feminist I am comes out in my writing. I would have the king and the merchant fight for the woman. However, she would realize that she is not a prize. So, she would leave the merchant and curse the king and live a life by herself.

There are many ideas that come to mind when I read this story. I would keep the characters the king, merchant, and the wife. Keeping the nitwit in the story would just depend on what my story line is.

I would also like to have a shadow play a role in the story somewhere.

Bibliography:

A Flowering Tree and Other Oral Tales from India by A. K. Ramanujan. Link to The Husband's Shadow.

Feedback Thoughts

For Giving Feedback:

1. Try Feed Forward Instead of Feedback

2. Key Characteristics of Better Learning Feedback

In the first article I really liked that they pointed out that feedback is usually based on past performances. I agree with the idea that it should be more of future suggestions. As they stated, you cannot change the past but you can change the future. They also pointed out that it is better to learn something right than to improve what is wrong. I agree with this to an extent. I still think it is good to improve on things that are wrong, but fixating on them is not healthy. Feed forward is based on the future which gives a lot of hope to those working on themselves. It helps people see that it about building them up and not breaking them down. 

In the second article there is something that definitely stood out to me. "Coaching is about quick and effective adjustments in light of results." This is basically what feedback is. They are just adjustments due to results. The article pointed out the importance of feedback because it can be just additional information that you have missed in the heat of the moment. It is important to review this information and get it right for next time. 

For Receiving Feedback:

1. 5 Tips for Taking Feedback Like a Champ

2. Overcoming The Fear of Feedback

I really liked the "5 Tips for Taking Feedback Like a Champ" article. It explained what people do when they hear feedback. They see it as a negative thing, however people do not see the other side. Getting feedback means you have no maxed out on your potential. There is always room to grow. As humans we tend to turn "state" into "trait". This means we take the situation of the feedback and make it into a personal trait that we posses. This is usually never the case. Feedback is not a shot towards a person characteristics, instead it is advice on their ability to do better. We should be reacting in a more productive way. 

This second article explains what exactly happens to us biologically when we hear feedback. First of all we reply to negative stimuli faster. It is our initial reaction to automatically get hostile or aggressive when hearing negative feedback, because we association negative with dangerous. Also, we remember negative experiences than positive experiences. In order to change this we need to change our mindset. We need to stop blaming others, instead we need to accept responsibility. A reward system would help change our bad habits and enforce the feedback.

Feedback. It's not always bad. 

(Source: Pixabay)

  

I think the most useful article was " 5 Tips for Taking Feedback Like a Champ." It did point out the state to trait aspect of feedback, which I tend to do sometimes. I think now that I am more aware of it, I will try harder to not do that. I actually do have a lot of experience in giving feedback in my classes. A lot of my classes are discussion based. Through these discussions I think what really helps when giving feedback is showing interest in the person or the situation and being polite about it. It is understandable when someone does not accept negative feedback when it is coming in a rude or hateful form. I think I am pretty good at handling feedback, but as one of the articles said I have not maxed out my potential. There is always room to grow.

Week 2 Storytelling: A New Hero

(Dasharatha's grief. Source: Wikimedia)

"King Dasharatha! Your wives had the babies!" said one of the servants to the king. 

"And?" said the king cautiously. "Are they boys or girls?" 

The servant was hesitant to reply at first. Then he croaked, "A boy! And three girls."

The king was not too happy hearing about the three girls but was thrilled about his son. He knew that now that he had a son who could carry out his legacy. One day the sage Vishvamitra came into town begging the king to let his son go on a journey to beat the demons who had taken over his city. The king was hesitant at first but knew that his son Rama would be the only one who could accomplish this mission. When Rama and Vishvamitra were getting ready to go on their treacherous journey, Rama's sister Lakshmani snuck into their cart and hid so that she could be part of this adventure. Lakshmani did not reveal that she was with them until a few days into the journey because she did not want her dad to get upset. Once Rama and Vishvamitra found out she was with them, as furious as they were, Rama vowed to protect his sister.

The days were getting near to battle the demon, and Rama was ready to make his dad proud. When they first arrived in the city they heard cries coming from a few blocks away. Rama told his sister to stay in the cart until he came back. Rama and Vishvamitra left to go save the city while Lakshmani was left behind. As Rama approached the three headed demons, he grew fearless and cockier about how easy this would be for him. Yet, little did he know that there was a whole army of them. 

Rama began to attack, and one by one the demons fell. However, when he got to the last three he grew restless. He kept trying and yet they would find a way to jab him here and there. Lakshmani was respectfully abiding by her brother's request but started to worry, when she suddenly got a vision from the goddess Thataka. Thataka was a goddess who was actually the wife and mother of the three demons that Rama was trying to fight off. Thataka was ashamed of her husband and sons and did not agree with terrorizing innocent people. Therefore she wanted to help.

In the vision that Thataka sent Lakshmani there were three demons who were each eating a part of Rama’s body. In her vision she also saw three poisonous stones hidden in the city. In that moment Lakshmani knew that she had to do something to help her brother. She quickly left the cart and started to search for the stones. When she finally gathered the stones she followed the cries of the people. She slowly approached the demons from behind and swiftly chucked the stones into their throats. Before the demons realized what it was, they swallowed the stones and fell to the ground.

The people cheered and showered Rama in love and admiration. Rama quickly stopped the parades and confessed to the people that it was not him who had beaten the demons. He looked at his sister in shock but proudly announced her as the savior of the city. The people were as shocked as Rama. A girl defeated the demons? Never had they ever imagined a girl being capable of doing anything such as this. 

Lakshmani and Rama returned home to their kingdom. King Dasharatha was patiently awaiting their arrival. He wanted to congratulate his son for defeating the demons and saving everyone, at the same time, making sure his delicate little girl made it home safe. When Rama explained to the king in detail of what actually happened, the king did not know how to react. He spent many days locked in his sanctuary. As the people eagerly awaited his reaction, there was lots of gossip going around that Lakshmani was going to be exiled because she was disobedient.

However, when the king came out, he decided to exile Rama. He said that Rama was an embarrassment to him and would not allow him to continue to ruin the family name. Rama’s sisters were not happy with this decision and decided to go and bring back their brother. During their journey Lakshmani ran into Ravana, Rama’s enemy. Ravana was very witty and charming, and Lakshmani soon fell for him. She told Ravana that they were on a mission to find their brother and bring him back to their kingdom. Ravana used this as a chance to get back at Rama. He led Lakshmani on and followed the sister around the forest to seek Rama.

When they finally found Rama hidden deep in the forest, Ravana declared a war against him. Ravana and Rama started to fight. They would not stop until the other was dead. Lakshmani, distraught by what she was seeing, soon got in the middle of it. She told them that she cared for both of them deeply and could not live without them both. Rama and Ravana came to an agreement. They would put their differences aside if the child of Ravana and Lakshmani could become king or queen when they were older instead of Rama’s child. Rama agreed and they all headed back to the kingdom.

King Dasharatha was very pleased to see how mature his kids were handling the situations they stumbled upon. He appointed both Rama and Lakshmani as the head of the kingdom. He now understood how important it was to let women have a voice. He also saw how capable they were of solving problems and getting people to come to agreements. Soon all three of his daughters got married and were about to have kids.

"King Dasharatha! Your daughters had the babies!" said one of the servants to the king. 

"And?" said the king cautiously. "Are they boys or girls?" 

The servant was hesitant to reply at first. Then he croaked, "A boy! And three girls.”

The king was not too happy to hear about the boy, but was thrilled to hear about the three girls.

Author's Notes: 

This story is based on Narayan’s Ramayana. I changed a quite a few aspects of the story. In the original story Rama is born with three brothers, one being Lakshmana. Rama is the hero in the original one and is the one that is most loved. One of the king’s wives gets jealous that Rama is being proclaimed king so she asks Dasharatha to send Rama into exile. Though the king dreads this, he does as she pleases. When Rama is sent into exile his brothers go to find him to bring him back. During this time the king passes away of grief. Also, in the original one Thataka is the demon that Rama must fight off. In my story, I changed the plot dramatically. Instead of Rama being the hero I changed the sex of his brother Lakshmana to a girl and made her the hero. I took more of a feminist perspective in my story because I believe girls are strong leaders and are often overlooked. I also tried to end my story with a happy ending because I believe the real world is already full of sadness, stories and movie should end happy. The picture that I choose was one of my favorite pictures from the online reading guide. It does such a good job of depicting all the emotions that are running through the people.

Bibliography:

This story is based on the Narayan's Ramayana Reading Guide Part A and B. 

Reading Notes: The Ramayana Part B

It is unbelievable the amount of love Dasharatha has for Rama. So much so that he dies when Rama is sent into exile. It is also interesting the how loyal the brothers are to each other. This is actually a surprise for me. I thought that envy would take over and the brothers would fight over the throne, but it is the exact opposite of what I expected.

Since I am deeply a fan of chick-flicks I find the love triangle to be quite interesting. The jealous Shurpanakha tries to get rid of Rama because she is in love with him. However, her plans back fire on her and she is mutilated. But her brother falls in love with Sita. I guess it is more of a love square than a triangle.

I would like to continue my idea of the feminist perspective. In my story Dasharatha would realize how important his daughters are and would start treating them equally as Rama. I would also add a little drama to the story by having Dasharatha's two wives plotting to send Rama to exile. While Rama is exiled the sisters would have to team together to get their brother back. Along the way Rama's sisters fall in love with Ravana (Rama's enemy).

By doing this I can keep the love aspect in the story but making it more complicated because all three sisters are in love with Ravana. This also creates more conflict for Rama. Not only does he have to win back the love of Dashartha's wives, he also has to find a way to convince his sisters love for Ravana. I would also like to use Sita has a woman of wisdom in the story. I think that she plays an important role in Rama's life and should not be "hopeless" instead be powerful and helpful.

Rama goes into Exile Source: British Museum 

Bibliography:

Narayan's Ramayana, link to Reading Guide B.

Reading Notes: The Ramayana Part A

Birth of Rama. Source: Wikimedia

The story begins with a sorrow king because he has no son to carry on his legacy. This type of plot is especially common in the Indian/Pakistani world. It is important for a boy to carry on the family name. In the story there is a sacrifice and his three wives are gifted with the birth of 4 sons. Two of the sons Rama and Lakshmana accompany Vishvamitra to defeat a demon Thataka.

I find this story to be pretty interesting, however there a few things that I would tweak. For instance, in my story I would have The king's wives give birth to three girls and one boy. Rama and of his sister would go on the journey to beat the demon. I am taking more of a feminist perspective on it. It would show that girls are also capable of something more than just giving birth. I am also stealing this idea from a new bollywood movie called Dangal. In the movie there is man who wants a son to become a professional wrestler to get the gold for India. However, he ends up having four girls. He soon learns that girls are capable of so much more than he thought, and they end up getting the gold for India. Like the movie, I would have Rama's sister be the one who defeats the demons, while Rama fails. I would also change Thataka from a demon to a god. I do not believe that is is fair that Thataka was turned into a demon because of the behavior of her sons and husband.

I also enjoy the mini stories in the story to teach Rama lessons about life and his ancestors. I would keep this aspect in my story because I find it helpful learning through others experiences. However, in my story Rama's sister, would have a special connection with the gods, who would show visions of these stories to her. She would then interpret them for their next quest.

The way it is written can be hard to read a times but it is all very beautiful.

Bibliography:

Narayan's Ramayana, link to Reading Guide A.