Week 10 Story Planning: The Monkey and The Crocodile

The Monkey and The Crocodile

My favorite part of the story, when the monkey out wits the crocodile in an unexpected way
Source: The Baldwin Project

• Summary: 
• ****This is the same summary from my reading post, I already take detailed notes, but I did re-read the source story.
• In this story, the setting is a river that is home to a lot of crocodiles and on the banks of the river there are massive trees that are homes to monkeys. One day a mother crocodile and her son were watching the monkeys and she said to her son that she wanted to eat a monkey heart. The son was confused about how he was going to catch the monkey because monkeys did not go into the water and he did not travel on land. He told his mother this and she said that he needed to use his wit and brain. After thinking on ways to catch a monkey, the little crocodile noticed that a particular monkey wanted to go across the river to the island that had ripe fruit. The little crocodile approached the monkey and told him that he would take him across the river to the fruit on his back. The monkey, lusting after the ripe fruit agreed. About half way across, the little crocodile asked the monkey how he liked the ride. The monkey told him it was good. Suddenly, the crocodile dove underwater and the monkey asked what he was doing. The crocodile told him his plan and the monkey told him that he left his heart in the tree. The crocodile demanded that he go back and it. When they arrived back at the monkey's tree, the monkey climbed high and the crocodile could not get him. The monkey then moved to a different tree further down the river.
• The little crocodile, still in search of his mother a monkey heart, eventually found the monkey's new home. For days, he watched the monkey and noticed that everyday he went across rocks in the river to the island with the abundant fruit trees. One day the crocodile decided he wait until night and he would lay on the rock to catch the monkey. Now the monkey was smart and he immediately noticed that the crocodile was on the rock so he decided to trick him. He began talking and acted confused that the rock would not talk back to him. The crocodile then thought that the rock must talk back to him and he responded. The monkey then called the crocodile out. The monkey then acted defeated and told the crocodile to open his mouth and he would jump in, knowing that when crocodiles had their mouths open they closed their eyes. The monkey then jumped over the crocodile and ran up his tree. The crocodile appreciated the monkey's wit and decided to leave him alone.
• Research: 
• Hinduwebsite.com
• When doing stories about animals, I like to first look up their significance within the culture. The first article I read made this statement: " India is probably the only country in the world where life in all forms is honored and revered, and where you will find temples and rituals for animals." I started by searching for the significance of monkeys in Hinduism. This same article said that monkeys are prominent in the public eye due to their association with Rama. It also specifically stated in the Jataka tales, there are many stories of monkeys. Another interesting this the article said was, "that the stories in the Jataka tales point to the monkeys fickleness, mischievous nature, lack of discretion, and foolish behavior." I found this statement interesting. In this story, the monkey was very smart, but he was very selfish. He knew what he wanted and it almost seemed like he would do anything to get it. The article also said that monkeys typically personify, "positive qualities as obedience, loyalty, duty, divinity, righteousness, courage, and selflessness." I did not agree this statement in the terms of this particular story. I thought the monkey was selfish in the fact that he wanted the  fruit. My idea for this story is to make the monkey more like the monkey depicted typically. Maybe I could make him like Hanuman and possess his qualities. Maybe the monkey to eventually sacrifice himself to the crocodile. He could have a divine call to please everyone. I feel like this would be an interesting twist on this story. Of course, I would also put the story in the monkeys perspective. Or I could even make it like a retelling of his story. I could make all the monkeys find what this particular monkey did honorable and they told his story from generation to generation. There are a lot of options with this story.
• ** This site had a lot of information about all the sacred animals of Hinduism. 
• Kashgar
• The next source I found was on Hanuman from the Ramayana. I remembered Hanuman, and I really liked his character, however, I did not relate any of his qualities to the monkey from the story.
• I
• I spent my time on researching the monkey since I want the story to be about him. I thought if I got more insight, I could make the story more traditional and relate it more to the culture.
• Bibliography: "The Monkey and The Crocodile" from the Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbit

Week 10 Reading B: The Princes and The Water Sprite

The Princes and The Water Sprite

The Water-sprite and the Prince of the Stars
Source: The Baldwin Project

• Summary:
• Once there was a King who had three sons. The eldest was called the Prince of Stars, the middle child was called the Moon Prince and the youngest was called the Sun Prince. The king was so happy when the third son was born that he promised to give the queen any boon she wished. The queen saved the promise until the third son, the Sun Prince was grown. On the Sun Prince's 21st birthday she finally brought her request to the King. She wished that the kingdom would be given to Sun Prince. The king was shocked and he refused knowing that the kingdom was the right of the first born son. He then sent the queen away. Knowing that the elder sons would not be safe in the palace, he decided to send them into the forest until his death to keep them safe from the queen. With sadness, he sent them. On their way out, Sun Prince wanted to join, and so he did. Once they reached the forest, they sat in the shade to rest. First, they sent the Sun Prince to the pond to drink, bathe, and brink back water. This particular pond had a water sprite and in order to use the water, the person wanting it would have to answer one question, "What are good fairies like?"
• When Sun Prince went down and was asked this question, he responded by saying they are like the sun and the moon. This was the wrong answer and the water-sprite carried the prince down into his cave. After a while, the older brothers got worried so the eldest sent the middle brother, the Moon Prince to see what had happened. When he tried to go into the water he too was asked the question and he responded with the answer like the sky above us. This too was the wrong answer and he was also swept away to the cave. Now the older brother, the Prince of the Stars, went and looked for his younger brothers and new that their must be a water-sprite. When he was asked the question, he responded, the pure in heart who fear sin, the groom kindly in word and dead. this was the right answer and with that the water-sprite told him he could choose one of his brother's to come back.The Prince and the Stars chose the youngest brother as he was the reason that they were sent into the forest. The water-sprite was so touched by this he brought both of the brothers back. They lived in the forest until the King died and when they returned, the eldest son was appointed king and riles with the help of his brothers. He even made place in the palace for the water-sprite.
• My ideas:
• There are a lot of ways to change this story. One way would be to put it in first person. This would allow more detail to be added to the story. Another way would be to change the story completely. Maybe there was hurt in the eldest brothers heart and he would have chosen the middle brother. Then the water-sprite could also put him in the cave, and the princes could never be seen again. Maybe the only way to escape the cave is to work together and love each other purley and the brothers have to work out they anger and hurt in their heart. What is instead of sending the sons away, the King just had the queen killed. How would this affect the story? Would this drive a wedge between the brothers or would it unite them but force hate for their father in their heart?
• Bibliography: "The Princes and The Water-Sprite" from Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbit

Week 10 Reading A: The Monkey and The Crocodile

The Monkey and The Crocodile

My favorite part of the story, when the monkey out wits the crocodile in an unexpected way
Source: The Baldwin Project

• Summary: 
• In this story, the setting is a river that is home to a lot of crocodiles and on the banks of the river there are massive trees that are homes to monkeys. One day a mother crocodile and her son were watching the monkeys and she said to her son that she wanted to eat a monkey heart. The son was confused about how he was going to catch the monkey because monkeys did not go into the water and he did not travel on land. He told his mother this and she said that he needed to use his wit and brain. After thinking on ways to catch a monkey, the little crocodile noticed that a particular monkey wanted to go across the river to the island that had ripe fruit. The little crocodile approached the monkey and told him that he would take him across the river to the fruit on his back. The monkey, lusting after the ripe fruit agreed. About half way across, the little crocodile asked the monkey how he liked the ride. The monkey told him it was good. Suddenly, the crocodile dove underwater and the monkey asked what he was doing. The crocodile told him his plan and the monkey told him that he left his heart in the tree. The crocodile demanded that he go back and it. When they arrived back at the monkey's tree, the monkey climbed high and the crocodile could not get him. The monkey then moved to a different tree further down the river.
• The little crocodile, still in search of his mother a monkey heart, eventually found the monkey's new home. For days, he watched the monkey and noticed that everyday he went across rocks in the river to the island with the abundant fruit trees. One day the crocodile decided he wait until night and he would lay on the rock to catch the monkey. Now the monkey was smart and he immediately noticed that the crocodile was on the rock so he decided to trick him. He began talking and acted confused that the rock would not talk back to him. The crocodile then thought that the rock must talk back to him and he responded. The monkey then called the crocodile out. The monkey then acted defeated and told the crocodile to open his mouth and he would jump in, knowing that when crocodiles had their mouths open they closed their eyes. The monkey then jumped over the crocodile and ran up his tree. The crocodile appreciated the monkey's wit and decided to leave him alone.
• My ideas:
• For this story I would make the mother crocodile have a larger role in the story. Maybe making her work with her son and them eventually catching the monkey. With this I would want to provide some background information. Why did the mother crocodile randomly decide she wanted to eat a monkey heart? Was it some form of revenge? Did something happen to the dad crocodile? I feel like adding detail would make the story more dramatic. Also why did the mother crocodile not help her son? I found this odd. She just told him to get her one and did not help at all. I feel like adding detail and changing the storyline a little could go a long way. Maybe I could make a story that a monkey killed her husband and she wanted revenge on that monkey. 
• Bibliography: "The Monkey and The Crocodile" from the Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbit

Week 9 Story: Ved Vyasa

Ved Vyasa
Source: Wikipedia

Vichitravirya died suddenly and left the world childless and unfortunately, left Hastinapur without an heir. Chaos struck the palace. No heir, left no one in life for the throne and without a king, Hastinapur was at risk. The obvious solution was to have Bhishma father children, but he refused, holding up his vow of celibacy. The next solution was brought up by Bhishma's and Vichitravirya's mother, Satyavati. Satyavati revealed to Bhishma that before she was wed by his father, she had a child out of wedlock. He was raised as a sage in the forest and he would come to her whenever she called, his name was Ved Vyasa. Her idea was to have him come to father the children of Ambika and Ambalika. Bhisma agreed and Satyavati called upon Vyasa.

When Ved Vyasa arrived in the palace, everyone was frozen in awe. They could not believe their eyes. Ved Vyasa was the most beautiful man anyone had laid eyes on. He was tall, muscular, and had the a perfectly chiseled face. It seemed that Ved Vyasa had been made by the god of beauty. Every women in the castle was struck speechless just by once glance at Ved Vyasa. Word eventually reached the two young queens, that Ved Vyasa had arrived and he was the best looking man anyone had ever seen. Both the queens, being excited to meet the man who would father their children, dressed in their best clothing and jewels and went to greet him.

Just like all the other women that had laid eyes on Ved Vyasa, both Ambika and Ambalika were speechless upon first look at Ved Vyasa. They gathered themselves and approached him. Both were eager to meet him and perhaps were too strongly influenced by his looks. Their first encounter with Ved Vyasa was wonderful. They treated him to a four course meal and wine, and showed him to the best room in the castle.

You see, Ved Vyasa was the perfect man. He was kind and has amazing looks but this caused a feud between the two young queens. Both argued constantly over who he would take into his embrace first. When Ved Vyasa went to Ambika first, he could see the greed in her eyes. He then told that her child would be born greedy. When Ved Vyasa took Ambalika into his embrace, he could tell she was angry and told her that her child would be born angry and mean.

Not wanting another child with a certain condition, the next time that Ved Vyasa entered her chambers, Ambika sent a servant in her place. When Ved Vyasa entered and the servant did not woo over his looks and he could see in her heart that his looks did not affect her, he took her into his embrace and told her that her child would be born a great wiseman.The three children were born just as Ved Vyasa had said they would.

Author's Notes: The original story was very similar to this one except for one fact. In the original story, Ved Vyasa was not beautiful. In fact, he was the complete opposite. His looks were so bad that when he took the two queens in his embrace, Ambika closed her eyes, so her son was born blind, and Ambalika was pale with fear, so her son was born pale, the servant however, did nothing and he said no fear was in her heart and her child was born wise. I wanted to change this story to the opposite and make Ved Vyasa so beautiful that it would cause a feud between the queens. I thought this was a nice twist. My original idea was to just put this in the perspective of one of the queens, but I liked the idea of completing changing the story to the opposite and have Ved Vyasa being a man worth fighting over.

Bibliography: "Sons of Vyasa" from the video Mahabarata Episodes by Epified.

Week 9 EC Reading: Part A of Mahabharata Videos: The Sons of Vyasa

The Sons of Vyasa:

• Vichitravirya died and Bhisma refuses to father children. Satyavati calls upon her son, Bhisma's half brother, Ved Vyasa and asked him to father Hastinapur's next king (apparently he was really bad looking). As per his mother's request, he paid Ambika a visit, but she could not contain her fright. She did not resist when the sage took her into his arms, but she did close her eyes. He then told her that her son would be born blind. Ambika warned Ambalika, since Vyasa was to visit her next, to keep her eyes open and so she did. While in Vyasa's embrace however, she turned pale with fear. He then told her that her son would be born pale and afraid. Vyasa then went back to Ambika but instead, he was greeted with one of her servant, who did not greet him with fear. Instead she accepted him. The three women gave and birth and just as Vyasa had said, Ambika's son was born blind, Ambalika's son was born pale and afraid (grew up to be an archer), but the servants child was born wise. 
• My ideas: My idea is to put this in either Ambika or Ambalika's perspective. More than likely Ambalika. I feel like if we were able to explain why they feared him so much, then that would make more sense. I mean, I know looks are a main factor at play here, but why was her love for country not more than a man's looks. Did she not want her heir to be the next king? I just want to give some explanation. Also, I may change the story to where Ambalika accepts Vyasa and her child is born and named heir of the throne.
• Bibliography: "Sons of Vyasa" from the video Mahabarata Episodes by Epified.

Ved Vyasa
Source: Wikipedia

Week 9 Reading B: Eklavya's Story

Eklavya's story:

• In a trip to the forest the Pandava's discovered Eklavya. As they were walking in the forest, one of the dogs that they had sent out in front of them had been shot by arrow. He was not shot in just anyway however, the arrows were filling his mouth. The dog had not been hurt, but its mouth was full of arrows. This was definitely a surprise. Arjuna was then struck with grief because he knew that he was not the best archer in the world. He confronted the man who had shot the arrows. He was simply a hunter. Arjuna was angry and he and demanded to know who was his guru and who he had learned his skills from. To Arjuna's surprise he said it was Drona. Arjuna immediately went back and asked Drona if he had been Eklavya's guru and he said he had not. Drona went to Eklavya and Eklavya told his story. He had once gone to Drona and asked him to teach him but Drona had refused. Eklavya was determined to learn, and learn he did. He taught himself and used an image of Drona to motivate himself. Drona wanted to praise Eklavya's dedication, but instead, he ordered him to cut off his right thumb. Drona knew this would end his archery career. Eklavya did as his guru said and cut off his thumb. Drona always wondered what the legend Eklavya could have been apart of.
• My ideas: To change this story, I could go a few ways:
• My first idea is to change the story altogether. In this version, Drona would have been teaching Eklavya all along, but in secret. 
• My second idea is just to change the ending and have Drona stand up for Eklavya and maybe even hide him from Ajuna.
• Finally, I could put this story is Eklavya's perspective. Maybe make it a retelling of the story of how he lost his right thumb.
• Bibliography: "Eklavya's Story" from the video, Mahabharata Videos, Part B by Epified.

Eklavya cutting off his thumb as requested by Drona.
Source: Ritsin

Learning Challenge: Reading Out Loud

When I think of reading out loud, I am instantly taken back to my fifth grade classroom. Reading out loud is often associated with learning to read, but it can be beneficial even as a college student. I was challenged to read out loud and record my personal experience.Reading out loud was different from silent reading because it made me think more about what I was reading. I am not sure why, but there is just something about hearing things versus just saying them in your head. I remember using this technique last semester, but have neglected to use it so far this semester. An advantage to reading out loud when editing is to catch errors that you would not have noticed otherwise. This is a big problem for me. I always have errors that I do not catch myself, so I am going to try and apply reading out loud when I edit. It is just not always possible, as I am not always alone when working on homework. I also want to read out loud more when I do the actual readings. I feel like this would allow for me to process what is happening better. Sometimes I get caught up in the stories and lose track of what is happening, so maybe this will help.

Funny meme about reading out loud in class
Source: Quick Meme

Growth Mindset: Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset Infographic

One thing that the infographic confirmed for me was that while having a growth mindset, you do not give up easily and you embrace challenges, while in a fixed mindset, you have a harder time doing things that challenge due to the fear of failure. One thing I learned is that people with a fixed mindset feel threatened by the success of others. This is not something I did not know necessarily, but it is something that I definitely did not think about, but it makes sense. When you are afraid of failing and see someone else succeed, it makes you feel even more anxious to not fail, so it makes sense to me why people with a fixed mindset feel this way.

One thing that I am curious to look up is the long term effects of a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset. The infographic briefly mentioned that people will a growth mindset will be able to reach higher levels of achievements, so I want to find studies that involve the long term effects and examine them more to learn about how they affect individuals and their success. I want to know if this is information found in a study and it is actually true or is the level of achievement determined by the person? In other words, are the people equally successful but the person with a fear of failing is not living life to the fullest therefore leading to less achievements? Another thing to research could be the psychological effects between the two types of mindsets.

Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
Souce: Jackie Gerstein

Week 8 Progress

I am fine with my progress right now. I know in the sister class, last semester, I was definitely further ahead in the class. I really do not have a good weekly routine, I just do homework when I have time. I have a very hectic schedule this spring, so I typically work on things in my free time. In the beginning I planned to do this class on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, but that has not stuck. My favorite assignment is the blog comments. It is a great way to get class interaction. So far I have maybe done one extra credit assignment. Unfortunately, I have been very busy and have not had time to do the EC. For the second half of the semester, I definitely want to try and do more EC so I can finish up sooner. Something new I want to try is to do at least two EC assignments each week.

Are you motivated yet?
Source: Nurse Buff

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

The feedback so far has been really helpful, especially when editing. Having a second set of eyes really helps to catch errors and other things that I would not think about or catch when writing/editing. I have found all the comments helpful and I really enjoy getting suggestions on ways to improve my stories.

I feel like I have not really had to give a lot of feedback telling people to fix things. I feel like I mostly ask question and give suggestions on ways to expand on ideas. I am not very good with grammar, so I leave that for the people who are, but if I do happen to catch something I mention it.  

I love blog comments. They are one of my favorite assignments. I am not a very outgoing person, so in a normal class setting, I would not have learned thing about people. In fact, more than likely I would have only talked to one or two people in the class all semester. I love the relaxed environment of getting to know people. I am happy with my blog and my introduction post. I feel like it is an accurate representation of my personality. 

Look forward I want to analyze the writing strategies used by others in the class. I mentioned this in my last review post, but I always find myself migrating toward writing from a different perspective, so I want to challenge myself and try some new styles. What better way the get ideas and see all of the writing styles out there than from your peers?

Cute feedback meme about learning from mistakes
Source: Laura Gibbs:Cheezburger

I chose this image because it is the perfect summation of how feedback should be used. Feedback is there for learning, not judging or criticizing. It is there to help you learn, but in order to learn from the feedback, you have to be comfortable receiving feedback in the first place.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

So far, the reading and writing assignments have been going well. My favorite reading so far has been the Ramayana. I felt a better connection with the characters from this story, which is why it has been my favorite so far. In my reading notes, I always try to focus on one story, that I could write my story about, this way I am not choosing between several stories when I write my story. I always start my reading notes by providing a detailed summary of the story. In this part I also make note if something did not make sense to me. Then, I follow the summary with my ideas about how I would change the story. Sometimes, I include multiple ways, because I am not sure which way I will go yet. When reading the stories, I like listening to the audio as well. I get stuck on a name, and that causes me to lose focus, so when I use the audio tool, I am able to keep on track.

So far, I am really enjoying my project. I chose to do a portfolio, so I could focus on a variety of topics, instead of one main category. I really enjoy the freedom that comes with doing a portfolio. My biggest accomplishment this far is just writing the stories. I am not much of a writer and I do not consider myself to be very creative, so just changing these stories is a big accomplishment to me.

Looking forward, I want to challenge myself to try new writing styles. So far, I have found myself just changing the perspective or changing the main character. While this is my favorite style to use, I am growing too comfortable using it and would like to try and expand my writing skills. As for the readings, I would really like to take more time and enjoy the stories. I read the stories, but I do not really take the time to enjoy them and let the story line sink in. I think that the unfamiliar names and places are what cause this for me. I have a hard time remembering what is going on because I cannot remember the characters names.

Taj Mahal reflection on the Yamuna River
Source: Wikimedia Commons

I used this photo in my latest portfolio banner, Losing Amba. I used this image as a representation of the Yamuna river, which in the story is where Amba enters the funeral pyre. This photo really stuck out to me because it is beautiful and gave a setting for this story.

Week 7 Planning: Draupadi's Story

• Bhima and Kichaka:
  **When doing my notes, I take a very detailed summary, so I copied the summary from my reading notes. I did re-read the source story.
• This story is primarily about Prince Kichaka. The story begins by saying that Prince Kichaka was the bravest, most fierce warrior in all the lands of Viratnagar. It even said that men, even kings were afraid to cross him. In this story, Prince Kichaka goes to visit his sister, Queen Sudeshna, and while he is there, he lays eyes on a serving maid, who he really likes. He then instructs his sister to send her to his palace. The queen loved her brother so much that she did not want to displease him, so she sent Sairandhri to his palace with a tray of food and wine. As soon as she entered the door, the prince grabbed her waist and tried to rape her. Sairandhri was able to free herself from his clasp and flung the tray of food in his face. She then ran straight to King Virata's palace. On her way, the prince caught up with her and struck her on the face, but she was able to escape again and flee unannounced into King Virata's audience room. Here she showed her face to the king and told him what the prince tried to do to her. The king however, being afraid of Prince Kichaka, told her it was her in the wrong (or the cruel one). Sairandhri was horrified about what happened and went to seek Prince Bhima hoping that he would help. She found him asleep in his room and he told her he would kill Prince Kichaka with his bare hands. The next night at a dancing hall, Prince Bhima waited until Prince Kichaka was alone and killed him. He then told Sairandhri (he calls her Draupadi) to go and raise the other maid-servent and tell them her husband (an immortal) caught her with Prince Kichaka and killed him.

  

  Sairandhri watching the Prince's fight
  Source: Wikimedia Commons

• Bibliography: "Bhima and Kichaka" from The Indian Heroes by C.A. Kincaid
• Wikipedia:
• Draupadi is considered to be one of the Panch-Kanyas (Five Virgins). The version of this story is discussed on this website There are few differences. 1. This version said that Kichaka first asked for Draupadi's hand in marriage and she refused, warning Kichaka that she was already married and warned him that her husbands were very powerful. 2. Kichaka kicked her in front of all the courtiers (nothing was mentioned about this in the original version). 3. It says that when Draupadi went into King Virat's court, Bhima was present, and it took a look from Draupadi to keep Bhima from attacking Kichaka there. In the version we read, it said Bhima was asleep, and Draupadi woke him.
• Wikipedia:
• This source confirms that Draupadi is Sairandhri. I figured this was true, but the story confused me. Draupadi was disguised as Sairandhri for one year in King Virata's palace
• My Plan: My plan for next week is to rewrite this story in Draupadi's perspective. I wanted to gain some background information on her before I write from her perspective. I plan on incorporating some of her background information into the story. For example, I want to make her immortal husbands really be the ones to avenge Kichaka. I think this would add a good twist to the story. In the original story, I was confused why Bhima did not just take the King's side and do nothing to help Draupadi. I want to change this and give an influential person in her life a role of helping her.