Myth and Folklore

The Dog-Husband The beginning of this story seems like any other story between a girl and her dog, that is until he turns into a man during the night and sleeps next to her. I am just imagining this in real life. I wonder why the dog turns into the human? Was he cursed to live his life as a dog when it is daylight? Okay she just got pregnant from the dog man. This is strange. Her parents were not happy with this and essentially left her for dead. The girl gave birth to dog pups. The dog man is dead because the father of the girl killed him. It is sad that not only did the parents leave the girl for dead, but they killed her love. Turns out the dog pups can also turn into humans. I am very curious as to how the dogs turn into humans and why they do. Is there something that must happen before they can transform? Maybe I could write a story on this and it could explain how this happens to a lot of people/dogs. This story has many twists and it ends up that the boys become the chiefs of t...

First I started at Native Americans in the United States . I have learned a lot about Native Americans through some classes at OU. I never knew that there were over 500 federally recognized within the US. There are so many that I never knew about. The next page I went to is Native American Disease and Epidemics . The treatment that the Native Americans received is so appalling and sad to think about. They did not deserve the diseases that they received. The number of disease that Europeans brought over is extensive. I never knew that some tribes lost 25-50% of their population due to disease. Next I went to Biological Warfare . I think that this concept is incredibly interesting but sad that it is used. There are many ways that biological warfare can be achieved. I never knew that biological agents in armed conflict is a war crime. Finally I ended up at Black Death . It was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. I never knew that 75 to 200 million people died fro...

Bear-Woman and Deer-Woman Wow this story is brutal from the beginning. The bear tricks the doe into thinking that she has lice in her hair. It was actually sand, but when she went to "clean" it out she killed the doe and then cooked her head! The doe's children knew this and played a trick on the bear. Eventually the doe children ran away to go tell on the bear but the bear chased them but did not succeed in catching them. This story was a little confusing because it just took a random turn. I think that a story that I could tell from this story would be the bear children and the doe children talking after the doe children think that the bear woman is cooking the doe woman. This would be an interesting conversation because it would be the different children accusing each others mothers of being mean and killing one another. deer  before she was killed The Fox-Woman This story was very interesting. A woman lived in a fox's skin and was cleaning a random man'...

I decided to look into learning about growth mindset from other students. I think that other students really have great opinions and thoughts about growth mindset. One of my favorite things I've learned in this assignment was "'We can change the future, we can't change the past.' This is so true. The entire purpose of feedback/feedforward is to better a person as they move forward." I feel as if this is something that I can really relate to. This idea is something that I have always known, but I do not execute in all channels of my life, such as school, personal life, or work. I feel as if sometimes I don't do things and regret not doing them. Feedback is great because it shows that a person can move forward from things they have done in the past. I really think that this quote was great. Another favorite quote from this assignment was "L.I.F.E. Live It Fearlessly Every single day". This is great. I feel as if sometimes I hold myself back. I ...

I think that it is cool how these legend stories are essentially origin stories for many beliefs or customs that the Alaskan Native American people have. The Chilkat blanket was interesting to read about. I enjoyed reading the story about the land of the dead. All of the different shades are fascinating. It shows that what you do in life affects your afterlife as well. The idea that the last person you think of when you die helping you out in the afterlife is a sweet idea. It is very nice. Maybe I could write a story about this. Take my own spin on the initial and original story. The Boy in the Moon made me wonder what it would be like to climb up into the sky. This is a cool concept. In the story it isn't the greatest thing, but it would be cool if humans could do that. It is nice that the boy followed her up into the sky. He was kind of pressured because of the girls brothers, but he still went after her. The girl turned into the sun and the boy turned into the moon. It is sa...

I decide to subscribe to getting emails for this course. I think that it'll be nice to be further in the loop for this class. These announcements are really helpful. They are so detailed and provide great information. I don't know why it has taken me so long to subscribe to these emails!

This week I decided to start with Alaska because I read Alaskan Native American stories. I have been fortunate enough to visit Alaska and I loved it! I never knew that there were at least 20 Alaskan native languages that existed. Next I went to Denali National Park and Preserve . I have always wanted to go to Denali. It is absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. I never knew that 642,809 people visited in 2017. That is so many people! Next I went to Dog Sled . Dog sledding is so interesting and seems like a fun activity to be a part of. I always thought that the dogs just worked together, but there is actually a lead dog that needs to be taken care of in a special way compared to the others. Different dogs have different roles in the dog sled, it makes sense but I never truly thought about it. Dogs at rest Finally I ended up at Husky . Huskies are absolutely beautiful. I think that they are such a special breed of dogs. I think that it is neat that husky have a thick double co...

I have taken a couple classes at OU that revolve around Native American history and culture. They have all been very fascinating and good to learn about. I think that taking classes like these should be a requirement as Oklahoma has many tribes and a large Native American population. I am looking forward to reading some stories from Native American culture. The description of everything in this reading list is fantastic. I am able to visualize everything that is happening. It can be easy for older stories to be difficult to visualize because of the use of different language, but this is not the case. I am able to see what it happening and I really enjoy that. Raven Raven's Feast was a story that I got inspiration from. It was really the interesting the reason why the raven had a feast in the first place. I think that if I were to write a story from this story, I would write about the feast itself. I would include who was there, what they talked about, what each person left w...

AutoMotivator I created this AutoMotivator. Sometimes it is easy to think of all the negatives, but remembering that anything is possible is important. I used the random image on the website and was able to create this.

I decided to start this trail at Tibet . I read Tibetan Folk Tales this week, so it made me curious. I never knew that Tibet was the highest region on earth. Mt. Everest is also in Tibet. I think that it is really cool and brave that people climb Mt. Everest. Learning about Tibet made me want to learn more about Mount Everest . There is so much knowledge and personal stories about Mt. Everest. I never knew that it was 29, 029 ft. tall. That is insane! Nearly 300 people have died on Mt. Everest. It is pretty crazy to think about. I know that I could never do it. Mount Everest Next I learned about Yuichiro Miura . He has climbed Mt. Everest multiple times and has broken the record for oldest person to climb the mountain multiple times. His latest climb was in 2013 and he was 80 years old! I could never imagine doing that, especially at 80. He is also known for skiing down Everest. Finally, I ended up at Guinness World Records . This is a book that comes out annually that lists w...

How the Rabbit Killed the Lion This story title intrigued me because how does a rabbit kill a lion. It seems as if many of these folk tales revolve around an unlikely animal doing something to an animal that is much more powerful. It is interesting because small animals like rabbits are usually underdogs, but this is not the case. This sounds a lot like the elephant story. The rabbit didn't want to get up to serve the king, just like the wolf, and the lion came to confront the rabbit, just like the elephant did. The rabbit must think of ways to save themselves. Ultimately the lion was drowned, just like the elephant. I think that it is interesting that there are such similar stories in folk tales. I think with either of these stories I could write a story from the dying animals last moments. It would be interesting to know if they knew that they were tricked right before they died or if they truly fought until death. The Two Little Cats I think that it is so cute that the cats...

This week I decided to read the Tibetan Folk Tales I like the approach of reading all of the stories, but specifically looking at my favorites. This way I can read more in depth about what I like and then write about it too! The Tiger and the Frog It seems as if the frog has tricked the tiger. I see what the frog is doing here. An interesting part of the story is at the very beginning. It talks about how this story was when animals all understood each others languages. This would be a cool concept to write about. I could take this small line and write about how animals began to create their own language. It would show an evolution as to why they are needing separate languages and I could be very creative in my writing. I like this idea! The tiger is just scared of everything. This story turned out differently than I had originally imagined. I hope that the frog is only intimidating and not truly mean. How the Fox Fell Victim to His Own Deceit The title of this story drew me in....

For this Tech Tip, I decided to edit my canvas profile. I already had a picture on there. I chose a picture that was from my Senior pictures back in high school. I know those pictures are from a long time ago, but I really like the way that they look! So that is why I chose that picture. I also decided to include a bio for my canvas profile. I just put that I am a senior Human Relations major. I feel as if this is all that is needed on a canvas profile.

I think that I have made a lot of really great progress this semester. Overall, I am proud of all of my posts and stories that I have written. I would have to say that I am the most proud of my Storybook. Reading the comments makes me happy because a lot of people really like the direction that I am going. People also say that they are looking forward to reading more! It is always nice to hear nice things about your school work. My weekly routine shifts every now and then. I usually get the readings done on Monday and Tuesday, then I complete the story on Thursday. Over the weekend I try to space out the other school work but that doesn't always happen. My favorite class assignments are commenting on people's blogs. I think that it is really fun and interesting to see how other people take a story and transform it into something of their own. Every week I do extra credit. I think that the Wikipedia Trails are really fun! My website is set up just the way I like it! It is easy t...

I feel like I have been getting a lot of great feedback on my stories. For me, I like when I get comments that recommend better ways to tell the story. It is always nice to hear what I am doing right, but hearing what I need to fix or what is wrong is extremely helpful. This will help me throughout the rest of the semester to write the greatest story possible. Telling exactly what's wrong can be hard to write as a commentator, but not beating around the bush and flat out saying your thoughts is helpful for me, the writer! I appreciate when I get comments like that. I also like when people quote right from the story to show exactly where the issue is. I feel as if I leave pretty good comments. I like to start by telling everything that I like about the story, then ask questions and suggest ways to fix the story. The TAG approach is definitely the way I like to give feedback. As I read and analyze stories, I am able to see what I like and don't like as a reader. This is especia...

I think that I have been doing a pretty good job at both the readings and the writings so far this semester. Something that really helped me was the fact that I took Epics of India a couple semesters ago so I know how the system works. Overall, I am happy with my blog and my website. I ended up changing the design of the blog. It looks a lot better now, at least to me. My writing is going well this semester. I feel as if sometimes I have really good ideas that are executed well, but then other times I lack in creating a good, well-rounded story. Sometimes I think that I have a really good idea, then I go to write it and it does not end up the way that I think it will. This all stems back to the way that I read the readings each week. I feel as if I should look more in depth to the stories every week. Instead of taking the stories at face value, I should make better attempts at going further and finding different meanings. With this, I could write stories that are different but still ...

Oh boy! Today is my day! The Creator has called upon me to deliver his message! This is the first time that I have been able to do this. I feel so honored to serve my Creator. He came to me and said "Go to everyone and tell them that I say to never leave dead people alone, but rather throw wood ashes on top of them. When this is complete, wait 24 hours and they will come back to life." After I received my message, I began to race to the nearest town. I realize that I am just a dog, so anything that I can do for my Creator will be from the bottom of my heart. I have been traveling for over a day. I am exhausted, but lucky for me I passed someone's house with food! I peaked inside the window to find my favorite meal of all time. It was a bone with meat left over on it! It must be my lucky week because I am getting everything that I want. First the Creator, now yummy food, the next thing I want is a nap. Having a full stomach does help with sleeping. I don't think ...

This week I started with Nigeria . I read folk stories that came from Nigeria. I really enjoyed the stories! I was surprised to find out that the official language of Nigeria is English! I also never knew that Nigeria is the world's 20th largest economy. Next up I went the the British Empire . The British Empire is something that I have learned a lot about in history classes throughout my education. I never knew that after the Revolution and after they lost the colonies, they turned their focus onto Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. It makes sense that they would turn their efforts into another area, but I never knew where it was. the flag of the United Kingdom Next I went to Roanoke Colony . I find Roanoke fascinating. I have learned about it in classes before and I also watched American Horror Stories' fiction retelling of Roanoke. I know that one day, all of the colonists vanished. It is scary to think about. I never knew that it took Raleigh 12 years to look into and fi...

Bookmarks are a really useful part of a computer. I just started using them recently. I usually bookmark the website that I use the most common, but more specifically those that are school related. These bookmarks are on my tool bar. That way it is just one click away. I have a couple bookmark for other items. For instance, I have a whole bookmark for recipes. I am not a huge cook, but if I find an easy recipe that I think would be good, then I bookmark it! I also have another bookmark for stories that I want to read in this class. Lucky for me, I have been able to as they fit with the specific weeks that we have done so far! I am really happy with the way that my bookmarks are set up. It drives me crazy when bookmarks go all the way across the browser, so the bookmarks on my toolbar are the most important sites for me.

I plan to take notes the same way that I did yesterday. I really enjoyed reading these folk stories so I look forward to reading the rest of them.  The Story of the Lightning and the Thunder I like how creative this story is. It is something that I never would have thought of on my own. It is interesting that the King made the son lightning. The ram was in trouble for constantly lighting the forest of fire, yet he turned him into something that can still light stuff on fire. Lightning is dangerous and can damage people and other things! I like the idea though that the sheep/mother is scolding the son/ram to calm down and rebuking what he is doing.  lightning Why Dead People are Buried Dead people were supposed to be able to come back alive by putting wood ashes on them. This is the message that the dog was supposed to send but he got distracted. Eventually the King sent the sheep out to deliver the message but he too got distracted. Soon after the sheep made u...

I think that learning about folk stories from different places and different cultures is really interesting and intriguing. The Nigerian Folk Stories drew me in immediately because it mentioned that animals are used a lot in their stories. I absolutely love animals so I look forward to reading how they are involved. For anthology stories like these, I will choose some of my favorites and write my thoughts on them. Why the Bat Flies at Night The Bat in this story was conniving and mean to the bush rat. The bush rat honestly wanted to make some good soup for his wife, and the bat seemed to take advantage of that. Due to the trust that the bush rat put into the rat, he ended up cooking himself in the boiling water until he was dead. I believe that the bat was in the water when it wasn't too hot, but told the bush rat something different. The bat knew what he did was wrong because he knew to hide so no one could find him. Bats coming around at night due to not being caught is an int...