Mythology and Folklore

Comparing the story of Adam and Eve in the King James Version and the Ginzberg version shows a difference in presentation of the genesis story. While the King James version was more difficult to read, it did align more with the true content of the story as the Ginzberg version was written through a Jewish perspective. Although the plot is well known and it can be difficult to comment on religious stories, I think it it is interesting to analyze the characters of Adam among the two versions. The King James version is not as "hyperbolic' in the description of Adam as compared to Ginzberg. This may due to Ginzber's story being quite longer than the King James version. Nevertheless, Ginzberg presents Adam as supernatural before his downfall, having a height that reached the heavens. He is also described as having celestial clothing that prevents him from being seen as naked. Additionally, Ginzberg makes use of much personification in his stories, The moon, sun, and Earth are ...

This week's content of mythology and folklore really made me excited for what is to come. Making my schedule for the year exposed me to the wide selection of stories that I will be able to read, and I am more than ready to delve into reading. My favorite story I read while exploring was the one of the The Brahman, tiger, and jackal. I love short stories that have witty endings such as this short story where the jackal outsmarted the tiger. In addition, I was also able to experiment with commenting on my classmates' blogs. I really enjoyed being able to learn about the other students taking this class especially because this is an online class where I cannot really interact with others. Nevertheless, I look forward to being able to communicate with my classmates on our blogs! Also this week I was able to generate some ideas for my storybook. Reading the storybooks of past classes really inspired me to come up with unique ways to present the stories, and I believe I have four sol...

The article " A fixed mindset could be holding you back — here's how to change it " really appealed to me as it examined the fixed concept among physicians, my career aspiration. Physicians are often surrounded by life and death scenarios where an adaptable mind is needed for constantly changing situations. As I have gained experience shadowing physicians and understanding the medical world, I  too have realized the significance of having a growth mindset and using constructive feedback. The most productive feedback I have received involved criticisms that acknowledged the drawbacks of my work, but also gave me a path to learn from my mistakes and evolve my growth mindset. Learning from model examples or demonstrations are two types of feedback that I consider to be effective. On the other hand, feedback with the intention of disparaging the work for any little reason really provides no value or incentive to improve. The other article, "Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt...

Some ideas for my storybook! 1. Olympus Sports League My previous knowledge of Greek mythology comes from my experience reading the Percy Jackson  series in elementary school. I was fascinated by the numerous personalities of the deities, especially how each god had their unique relationship with each other god/goddess. I am interested in exploring the relationships between the numerous gods by establishing an Olympus sports league of some sorts. The ancient Olympics as well as other ancient Greek sports could help me choose what sport to base the league on. Additionally, I could take a modern interpretation and incorporate modern sports into the league. For example, each god could be considered an owner of a team with many demigods/heroes consisting of the team. My research would focus on the relationship, feuds, and stories between the many gods as they vie for the championship at the end of the season. Link: https://www.theoi.com/greek-mythology/olympian-go...

One day a Brahman happened to be walking through the sultry jungles of India. While on his walk through the thick forage, he came upon a tiger stuck in deep hole. The tiger was in much distress and was crying out to the Brahman to help him out. Yet, the tiger's sharp teeth and fierce appearance caused the Brahman to hesitate. The Brahman stood in his tracks and pondered in his thoughts: "Why should I help this tiger? He's only going to attack me when I let him go." However, the tiger started crying, "Oh please please please let me go!". "I'll do anything anything!". The tiger kept on going for a quite a while, and the Brahman began to get annoyed. "Okay tiger, I'll get you out", the Brahman said grudgingly. Using a nearby stick, the Brahman pulled the tiger from its place deep in the Earth. The tiger landed on the ground with a loud thud and immediately grabbed the Brahman onto the ground. "How dumb you are! There is nothing ...

The Tiger, The Brahman, and the Jackal  Reading this Indian fairytale reminded me of the many other short stories that I have read where the cunning animal defeats the powerful adversary ( Hare and tortoise for example).  My immediate imagery from reading this short story was similar to that of The Jungle Book. The collection of animals such as the tiger, monkey, buffalo, and jackal created an image of a hot, Indian jungle. Additionally, the author uses specific examples such as "pipal-tree" to help conjure this image. In regard to the characters, the Brahman was an easy figure to support in the story. My research of a Brahman revealed that they are normally priests or teachers of the Indian caste system which helps explain why the tiger labels the Brahman as being "pious". It is clear that the Brahman's greatest strengths are his virtue and integrity, but in the story, they prove to be his weakness initially. However, despite being held captive by the tiger,...

My plan for the semester! Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4. Week 3: Gospel of Mark Week 4: Jewish Fairy Tales Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6. Week 5: Ramayana Week 6: Indian Fairy Tales Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.] Week 7: West African Folktales Week 9: Filipino Popular Tales Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11. Week 10: British North America Week 11: Tejas Indians Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13. Week 12: Beowulf Week 13: King Arther Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15. Week 14: Dante's Inferno Examining the Un-Textbook made me excited for what is to come in the semester. I am interested in reading a variety of notable stories that I kind of understand or heard of, such as Beowulf and King Arthur, but do not truly know. These are stories I always wanted to read due ...