Mythology and Folklore MLLL 3046

Einstein on Flickr The first article that I read was 5 Tips for Taking Feedback Like a Champ by Megan Bruneau. She explains that feeling uncomfortable isn’t a reason to avoid getting constructive feedback. I agree with this, because refusing to accept someone else’s advice or opinions is limiting yourself and your project goals. Bruneau also explains that starting a project while you still have areas you need to improve in is not a bad thing. All it means is that you have room to grow, which is an opportunity we should all take whenever it is presented to us. Bruneau also explains ‘state’ vs. ‘trait’, meaning that we take criticism for what might be a behavioral or incidental issue and “turn it into a characteristic about ourselves”. If given feedback on a specific issue, don’t automatically turn it into a problem about your whole self. The article also explains how to take critique and see it in a positive light instead of a negative one. For example, if someone tells y...

1. For my “Favorite Places” post, I posted photos from recent trips to the Pacific Northwest. Ms. Gibbs suggested that I do a project on Native American Traditions of the Pacific NW , so I thought I would do some research on that. I was never able to take a Native American course at OU, and think that this is a good place to get to know a little about their culture. Katharine B. Judson collected myths and legends from the area, and you can access her book here: link . These stories include origin and creation tales such as The Origin of Daylight and How the Coyote Got His Cunning . 2. I saw that another student had done a project on Aesop’s foxes. I have been intrigued by the fables since I was little. I chose to research Aesop's wolves , because I have never had much sympathy for them. However, I thought it might be interesting to research their varying roles across the myths. The wolves are tricky, malicious, and many of them lie. Looking into the stereotypes surrounding these...

Image source:  Wikipedia A friendship formed between a Man and a Lion. This was almost unheard of, and the kinship was met with animosity. The Man and the Lion were unbothered by the glares they received, and they met daily to discuss many things. They played word games, talked of hunting, and laughed often. There were a number of things in which the Man excelled compared to his friend. He could read and write and discuss politics. Although the Lion could not perform the same tasks, he was King of the animals and proved to have great strength. Once in their regular conversation, the Man began speaking of human strength. He made extravagant claims that Man could overpower any animal. “Do you think that Man is stronger than Lion?”, the Lion asked. “Well, of course. Man has wrestled many great beasts and always prevails”, his friend replied. The Lion wondered why the Man would believe something so foolish. “How can you believe that Man is stronger than Lion, than...

Basilisk by Friedrich Johann Justin Bertuch (1747-1822) I enjoyed reading the range of stories for this assignment. I always take notes the same way, whether typing them into a computer or writing them out. I wrote these first, then transferred them to my blog. In this post, I have decided to share my notes on the two Moon origin stories, the Japanese divinity story, and the fairy tale. After the notes, I've provided an explanation. Moon Origin Stories #1 The Man in the Moon - quickly moving plot - no substantial paragraphs - not much context - not much insight into main character's thoughts or feelings - man who needs help from others - lesson to be learned - writing is not superfluous - the end is a punishment #2 The Hare that was not Afraid to Die - Buddhist - more context given than other Moon origin story - larger scale than other story (more characters and action) - the end is a reward The Divine The Eight-Forked Serpent of Koshi - important fi...

"Pilgrims leaving Canterbury", source:  Telegraph I was pleasantly surprised by the breadth of readings available on the UnTextbook website for Mythology and Folklore. It is efficient that the stories are divided into their geographic locations. I have included these particular links because of their geographic location or because the content interested me. Having such a wide range of reading possibilities insures that no two posts or projects will be the same throughout the course, and also that the students are available to choose their own reading material in a way that keeps them interested. Alaska I had never considered Alaskan mythology and may refer to this link for my own storytelling later in this course. Canterbury Tales I am sure we are all somewhat familiar with Chaucer’s Canterbury tales. As for myself, this is a link I will definitely be referring back to. My interest was peaked as the tales are something I realized I had heard about many times...