Week 2 Story: The Four Brothers

Once upon a time there were 4 brothers that lived in an ancient kingdom. The brothers were simple farmers who lived quiet lives. Every year their was a festival where the people would present gifts to the king.

Before the festival the brothers pondered what they could offer to the king.

The first brother was a cattle farmer. He looked over his animals and decided he would offer the king the best of his herd. However, he reconsidered and decided he wanted those to himself. He was going to offer his next best instead.

The second brother had a flock of sheep. He made the decision to present the king with wool, but he did not know how much. After he thought about it he decided he had to save some of the wool to sell at the market, but he still set aside a great offering off his finest wool for the king.

The third brother worked in the fields. He had much respect for the king so he decided he would present him with the best harvest of his crops. He gathered what he needed and was ready to go before the king the next day.

The final brother helped his brothers with their animals and crops, but he himself did not specialize in anything. He could not figure out what gift he could bring that would be fit for a king. After much reflection the brother decided that he would offer his own life to the king, the ultimate sacrifice.

The day of the festival arrived, and all the brothers lined up to present their gifts to the king. The first brother approached the king, but the king declined the gift because he knew the man had not given his best.

The second brother presented the king with the fine wool, but once again the king declined the gift. He said he had no use for the wool, and that his stores were already full.

The third brother approached the king and offered up his finest crops. The king turned down the gift because he had no need for them. He told the farmer to go and feed his family with it.

Finally, the last brother went up to the king empty-handed. The king asked where his gift was, and the brother told the king all he had to offer was his life. This made the king curious. He asked the brother if he was serious, and the brother assured the king he was. The king called for his executioner to come take the man up on his offer.

The brother closed his eyes and was waiting for the sword to come down, but the executioner just stood there. After time had passed the brother asked the king what was wrong. The king replied that he did not want to take his life, he just wanted to test him.

The king recognized his conviction and made him an advisor and gave him a position in his palace. The brother lived there the rest of his life and maintained a close relationship to the king.

The brother waiting to be executed. Source

This story was a retelling of The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die. I changed the animals to brothers and Sakka to a King.

Bibliography
Marie L. Shedlock, The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die from Eastern Stories and Legends (1920) https://sites.google.com/view/mythfolkloreanthology/origins?authuser=0

Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

Well the first reading is in the books. One down fifteen to go.

My favorite of the readings was The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die. I am a fan of stories about clever animals.

The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die started out like a lot of other fairy tales and stories I have heard. The next day is a fast day and the rabbit instructs the other animals to give food to any beggars that ask them for food. The animals go out to find food to offer up. The otter searches for food and comes across some fish. He can't find who the fish belong to so he takes them for himself. The jackal searches and comes across a lizard and milk curd in a house. He also can't find who the food belongs to so he takes it for himself. The monkey goes out and forages some mangoes.

The rabbit contemplates what food he could forage and give to anyone in need. After some reflecting he decides no one would want any of the grass that he could collect, so he makes the decision to offer his flesh to anyone in need.

The King of the Gods, Sakka heard this and decides to put the rabbit to the test. Sakka goes up to the otter, the jackal, and the monkey and asks for food. They all offer to feed him, but he says he will take them up on their offer the next day. Finally he goes up to the rabbit and the rabbit tells him the food he has to offer him is his flesh.

Sakka put the hare to the test and summoned a fire of hot coals. Immediately the rabbit jumps into the fire to show his conviction. This reminded me of the biblical story of Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego. When the rabbit is in the fire he does not burn. He tells Sakka that the fire is cold and he isn't cooking. Sakka says that he was testing the rabbit and the rabbit responds, "No god or man could find in me an unwillingness to die."

Sakka rewards the rabbit by putting his sign on the moon. The rabbit and his friends continued to live on after that and kept the moral law.


The moon rabbit. Source

Bibliography
Marie L. Shedlock, The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die from Eastern Stories and Legends (1920) https://sites.google.com/view/mythfolkloreanthology/origins?authuser=0

Week 2 Reading Overview

Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4.

Week 3:Homer's Iliad

Week 4:Cupid and Psyche

Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6.

Week 5: Ancient Egypt

Week 6: Life of the Buddha:

Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.]

Week 7: Japanese Mythology

Week 9: The Monkey King

Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11.

Week 10: Apache

Week 11: Cherokee

Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13.

Week 12: King Arthur

Week 13: Looking-Glass

Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15.

Week 14: Inferno

Week 15: Russian


Where to begin? If I had to pick I think I am most looking forward to learning about Japanese mythology. I find Japanese art and culture captivating, and I would love to learn some of the background stories that shaped Japanese culture.


I think learning about the origins of the world from various tribes and cultures will be fascinating. Our origin is something humanity has always pondered. It will be fun to here some of the wackier ideas people had.

Painting from the album, Untold Stories in Japanese Mythology

Source

Time Strategies.

I think having set days to work on the class will be the most helpful time strategy. I enjoy the freedom that online classes offer, but I will admit that sometimes I will put them off or not give them as much effort as I would in my classes on campus.

I like what Jory Mackay had to say in The Important Habit of Just Starting. I like the formula Mackay gives for motivation. It is nice to have things broken down and contextualized in a way I had not thought about before. The concrete definition makes it plain and simple what you have to do.

I try to be pretty meticulous with my planning. I feel like I need planning and structure to di my best work. I have found calendars and checklists incredibly helpful in setting up my days, weeks, and months. Lauren Marchese offered some great insight into checklists in The Psychology of Checklists.

 A simple checklist. Source

Technology

So far I think I will really enjoy and get a lot out of this course. I've always found mythological stories to be incredibly captivating. I think the structure of the class will suit me well. I like the free structure that an online course offers, but I also enjoy having the days which I will dedicate to it predetermined.

I am familiar with most of the technology that will be used in the course. I am looking forward to having writings of mine complied into one place. Writing is one of my favorite parts of college and I particularly like the idea of writing stories instead of the typical essay structure I am so accustomed to. I am a fan of the commenting on others posts aspect as well. I like hearing what others have to say and hearing their take on things.

A brain on a motherboard. 

This is your brain on quantum computers. Source

Assignments

I think the assignments that I am most looking forward to are the readings. I used to love mythology when I was a kid and I think it will be fun to get back into it. I am also looking forward to the extra credits. I like how you provide us a litany of options. I enjoy the variety of things we can learn about while having the opportunity to raise my grade. 

This is unlike my other classes because I get to decide my own schedule. I really like how you let ourselves control our own destiny. I do not even know which extra credits I would like to do the most. The only one I do not really care for are the extra comments, but you give us so many opportunities that I'll be fine. 

A really nice view.

Photo taken by Francesco Ungaro.

Growth Mindset

I have never heard of Carol Dweck before, but I thought the growth mindset she describes is fascinating and thought-provoking. I had not considered this before. I agree with what she has to say; being challenged might stress me out and frustrate me, but it is a great motivator. I feel like I have not been challenging myself lately, and thanks to this video I am going to try and change that.

During my time I have spent at OU I have learned that if I can coast by I will. My biggest challenge about learning new things is getting started. Once I get going I enjoy a little challenge, but before I begin something I dread the challenge. I would much rather take the easy way out if that is an option. I will absolutely enjoy learning more about the growth mindset this semester.

I am starting to get deeper into my major classes so my workload is increasing. I was not looking forward to having to do more, but after learning about the growth mindset I feel a little more motivated. I do not have any goals this semester other than trying to get a 4.0, but I have been trying to read more this year and so far I have given it a pretty miserable attempt. I used to love reading as a kid, and I want to get that love back.

What happens to your brain when you utilize

the growth mindset. Source: Flickr

Introduction

Hello! My name is Conner Holt and I am a Junior. I am a student in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Media. I am majoring in advertising. The coolest thing about my major is that advertising is everywhere. It is completely unavoidable.

I am also minoring in sociology. The coolest class I took last semester was criminology. It was my favorite class because I find crime incredibly fascinating to study. It was cool to learn about what goes into the thought process behind committing a crime.

My biggest accomplishment last semester was making the Dean's List and getting a 4.0 for my first semester since freshman year.

I did not really do much this summer besides work and take summer classes. However, right before school started I did go to Las Vegas with my dad. I had never been before and it was a really cool experience. Unfortunately I lost all the money I brought, but it was fun while it lasted. Being in Vegas was complete sensory overload. It was wild to be able to walk into a bar, grab a drink and walk back onto the strip.

My favorite movie of all time is The Prestige. I am a total sucker for Christopher Nolan films. I will watch any movie with Christian Bale. The best movie I have seen in the past year was Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse. I know it is a movie for kids, but I found the story incredibly compelling. It also had some of the best animation I have ever seen.

My favorite band is Car Seat Headrest. They make modern rock and roll. They kinda sound like if The Strokes had made their debut 15 years later. They have high energy songs with thoughtful lyrics. I have seen them twice in concert. I drove to Kansas City and Dallas to see them, and I cannot wait until they tour again. Will, if your reading this please come to Oklahoma to save me the trip.

Will Toledo, lead singer of Car Seat Headrest. 

Photo was taken by Paul Hudson at a London show in 2016. Source

Storybook Favorites

The Others in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland was one of my favorite movies growing up. It never failed to mesmerize me. I would love to get the backstory on the other characters. Even though Alice is the star of the show, she would be nothing without her amazing supporting cast. I think an examination into the lives of the side characters would be very fascinating. I enjoy how the author of this piece sets up the story from all of the angles. We know how Alice ended up in Wonderland, now we get a bit of knowledge of the world she stepped into.

Tale of the Traveling Cat
From the first sentence of the introduction I knew I would like this one. I'm a huge fan of bicycle riding cats. I want to know more about this alternate world where cats indulge in fine art and drink white wine. Then it just jumps right into it and introduces the concept of time travel to their world. I like the author's writing style and his take on a "cool cat." I think the minimalist layout that was chosen is very tasteful. The image of the cat wearing the giant sunglasses-goggles hybrid is initially what caught my eye and made me click the story.

A cat on a motorcycle sans sunglasses. Source: Pixabay

The Cat Gods & The Tales of Heraclaws
Once again I initially clicked on this one because of cats. I am familiar with Greek mythology thanks to Rick Riordan, but I do not know the actual story. I watched the Disney version countless times as a kid, but I have my doubts as to how true to the source material it is. The title did a great job of conveying what the story is going to be about. I am a sucker for puns. The introduction does a great job of setting the scene, and it piqued my interest and made me want to keep reading.I think the overall layout and design of the site is nothing special, but I really respect the author's commitment to feline based puns.

My Favorite Places - Myrtle Beach, Capitol Reef and Aspen

Photo of the Myrtle Beach Ferris Wheel;
picture from October 2016. Source: Wikimedia

Capitol Reef National Park captured by 

Wolfgang Staudt in July 2006.

 

The Maroon Bells in Colorado reflecting into Maroon Lake at sunrise.

Taken by Lorie Shaull in June 2017.

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