Online Education Review

This is my second, I think, fully online class that I have taken. My first online class was when I took General Chemistry II online one summer and it even included an online lab. I think I lucked out a little bit on that. So that makes this my second fully online class I have ever taken. I have really enjoyed online classes. It gives you a chance to choose when you will do the learning instead of having to be at a designated classroom at a designated time each week. It also gives you a chance to work at your own pace a little bit. In both my experiences you could work ahead if you wanted. In this class you had the freedom to work way ahead where in my Chemistry class it was mostly you could finish the week early if you wanted.
I think I would have taken more online classes if given the chance. I have had lots of lecture classes where these "lectures" were just the teacher essentially reading a slideshow that had been uploaded online already. It would have done me just as well to just stay at home and go through the slideshow myself. Obviously, some classes need a setting where the instructor can go over material and then have students ask questions or have discussions. It might be of benefit for some classes such as this to have an online portion and an in-person portion of the class as well. The teacher could upload material and homework each week or month and have a designated time slot each week for students to come by and ask detailed and prepared questions over the material. Overall, I've enjoyed my online course experience.

Typical setup for Mythology & Folklore work (Pixabay).

Extra Reading Diary: Lang's Fairy Tales II

I decided to do an extra reading this week. I chose Lang's Fairy Tales (II) unit because all the stories seemed to be a little lengthier. I liked them because the detail in the story was greater than just a one page fairy tale. I kept some notes over my favorite stories as always and they are found below:

Half-Chick

I found this story to be very amusing. At first, I found myself thinking this is a story where I will end up rooting for Half-Chick to break away from his mom and family to become a great chicken despite only have one leg, wing, ear, etc. After he spurned all those asking for help on his way to Madrid and the King, I found it funny that they all ended up spelling his demise in the end. It would have been interesting to see what Half-Chick would have done had he been spared and if he would have changed his ways.

Medio Pollito atop the tallest church in Madrid, illustrated by H.J. Ford (1982).

Seven-Headed Serpent

In fairy tales such as this its always the must unsuspecting source that gives the answer needed to slay an evil beast. The old nun gave a very intricate plan to slay the seven-headed serpent. I thought the fact that the only sword that could slay the beast was hanging above his bed was also a sword that regenerated itsself. Seven times it would regenerate to cut off all seven heads. The plan to kill the serpent sounded like it was the last level of some intricate and difficult video game.

Storytelling Week 14-The King's New Catch

There once was a great king who loved to fish for giant and rare fish. He traveled all over the world and many seas to fish and catch his beloved trophies. No man in his kingdom could catch a fish better than he. Not that any would dare claim it if they did.

On one fishing trip, the king brought with him a few of his closest confidants to enjoy the trip with him. The king usually did not invite people with him on his trips, except a few select servants to answer his every need. If they were lucky enough to be invited it was just to keep the king company. Never did they actually cast a reel.

On this trip, however, the king was feeling extremely generous this trip and let his confidants enjoy the actual fishing with him. They set out early one morning in the pursuit of rare and exotic fish. The hours dwindled by without so much as a nibble on a line. The king grew impatient quickly, as you can imagine, and was nearing the point of quitting when there came quite a commotion from the other side of the boat they resided in.

A confidant of the king's had caught the most beautiful and large fish that anyone had ever seen or even dreamed of. The king couldn't believe it. Here he sat all day and not one nibble on his line. It was all for nothing as someone below him on the power scale had caught the fish. Who did he think he was? With that, the king had an idea.

As everyone was cheering on the other side of the boat, the king quickly ran and picked up his reel and started pulling with all his might. Or so it seemed.

"Look at the size of this one! And the colors too!" exclaimed the emperor as he fell back on his seat.

He rose up his hands above his head acting as if he held the largest fish that had ever been caught. He wore the biggest smile as he marveled at the size and appearance of his "fish". His companions sat staring at him with looks of confusion on their faces.

"Can you not see it? If not, you must be unfit to see a creature of this size and beauty," reasoned the king.

With that, one by one, the king's confidants started to cheer and exclaim how great his catch was and how much better it was then the other fisher's catch. Later on that day, back at the kingdom, the "fish" was paraded through the streets for all to see. It was eventually hung in the king's chambers, above his throne, where he would proudly tell the story of his mighty catch to all that would listen.

A sunfish caught in 1910 weighing almost 3,500 lbs (Wikipedia).

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Author's Note: This story's inspiration came from The Emperor's New Suit found in Fairy Tales and Stories by Hans Christian Andersen and translated by H.P. Paul (1872). In the original story, an emperor is obsessed with expensive and fancy clothes. Two con artists come to his city and claimed to make the most marvelous clothes that money can buy. They told the emperor that the cloth they spun would be invisible to anyone unfit for the emperor's office. Of course, the emperor paid them both large sums of gold and no one could see the cloth because there was none. Everyone, including the emperor, faked being able to see it because they did not want to be seen as unfit for his office. I wanted to follow something very similar which is how I came up with the fake fish caught story. I removed the swindlers and just made it where the king himself knowingly was faking it to make everyone still think high and mighty of him. 

Reading Diary A: Andersen Fairy Tales

I decided to read the Andersen Fairy Tales unit this week for my reading diary posts. I found all the stories to be very entertaining. They provided a nice relaxing read in the middle of a crazy week! I took notes over a couple of my favorite stories I found in the first half of the reading. They are found below:

The Princess and the Pea

I really liked this story because I remember reading this story or book sometime in grade school. I remember being very amused at the fact the princess could tell she slept on something as small as a pea even under 20 mattresses! It was also amusing to think the prince had his pick of all the princesses in the land but chose one that came to the castle in the middle of the nigh looking anything but a real princess. 

The Emperor's New Suit

This story was actually pretty funny to read. I liked how all the people pretended to see "the beautiful cloth" to save their dignity in case they were actually just unfit to see it. It was even funnier that the emperor walked the streets wearing nothing thinking he was wearing the greatest clothes that gold could buy. I have to wonder what I would do in that situation. One would not want to the only person to not be able to see the emperor's grand suit! It was very fitting that an innocent child would be the one to point out what everyone else was actually seeing. Hopefully the weavers were long gone by then!

The Emperor admiring his new "clothes" (Wikipedia).

Extra Reading: Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)

I decided to do an extra reading this week in addition to my earlier reading. I chose to read the Brothers Grim (Ashliman) unit because I saw tales I am familiar with such as Little Red Riding Hood and Rumpelstiltskin. I kept notes on which stories I had the best time reading and these are found below.

The Cat and Mouse in Partnership

I have read a story similar to this in an earlier unit that follows the same plot (I even wrote a storytelling post about it). The difference was that the characters were supposed to build a shelter together and one kept running off and eating the spoils that were supposed to await them when they were finished. My favorite part about that story and this one was the names the cat came up with for all its godchildren when it would run off. I found it amusing that they correlated with how much fat was left in the pot!

Cat and Mouse in Partnership by Walter Crane (Wikipedia)

The Singing Bone

I liked this story as it reminded me somewhat of Cain and Abel. The younger brother killed the wild boar on his own because he was honest and pure in heart. The brother tricked him into walking ahead where he struck him dead. The older brother then took the boar to the king and acted as if he had killed it himself. It was refreshing to find out that the act was figured out in the end and I thought using one of the younger brother's bone as a horn that sang its own song was a very interesting way to solve the "mystery".

Storytelling Week 13-Riding on Geryon

Hadn't I already been through enough? As if having to travel through Hell wasn't excruciating enough, now Virgil is making us ride down to the eight circle of this evil place on the back of the most monstrous creature I've ever laid eyes upon. To describe him does not do it justice but I will anyways.

The first thing you notice is the gigantic wings that spread out from the monster's back. They looked as if they belonged to a bat, but instead sprouted from Geryon. The next thing you notice is the arms. Huge, muscled arms that have knotted hair up and down them from years of disregarding hygiene. Although this is terrible, the worst may be what is attached to the ends of these disgusting arms. Claws like that of a hawk and sharp as swords lay at the end of each arm waiting to swoop down and grab anything Geryon's heart desires.

The body. Geryon posseses all the features mentioned before and then some. His body is like that of a great dragon. Scales that glimmer in the glow of the boiling crimson. Glimmer because they are covered in a thin sheer coat of slime or some substance equal to it. As if this did not make the beast hideous enough, there is one thing that makes him scarier than all. His face is that of a man. Not just any man. His face is that of an honest man making him seem harmless except for the monster's body he was attached to.

Dante and Virgil riding the monster Geryon (Wikipedia Commons).

Virgil talked me on to Geryon's back as he turned to the beast asking for him to travel slowly so as to not throw his passengers off. We took off slowly from the edge and descended deeper into hell as Geryon flew in slow, wide circles. Part of me wished the beast would hurry and get us to our destination. The other part of me knew if he used just a tiny bit of his strength we may no longer be attached to his back.

As I turned to look behind me, I noticed something I had not before. His tail. It looked like a giant scorpion's tail had been attached to this beast and it swung wildly in the air as he continued his path to the bottom. I could no longer take the thought of what was now occurring. I grabbed with all my might onto Virgil's back and vowed to never let go until this journey was over.

As I had my eyes closed for the rest of the trip, I was suprised when we finally reached our destination. When I saw where we had landed, however, I greatly wished I had just kept my eyes closed for the rest of eternity.

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Author's Note: This story came from the stories The Old Man of Crete and Geryon and Descending on Geryon's Back found in Dante's Divine Comedy translated by Tony Kline with illustrations by Gustave Dore (2002). I was really intrigued by the monster Geryon when I did my reading for the week. In the original story, Geryon transports Virgil, the guide, and Dante down to the eighth circle of Hell called the Malebolge, or "evil trenches". I did not change the story really as it was just a short bit of the story. I just felt like I could really tell a story about how scared and miserable Dante was riding on such a monstrous creature's back down to an even scarier place. I got a majority of the description of Geryon from the first story I listed and then the actual journey on his back came from the second story listed.

Reading Diary B: Dante's Inferno

I finished up the reading for Dante's Inferno for this reading diary. I felt like I had a better understanding while reading this half of the unit than I did when I first began reading. Maybe it was the break I took between the two but whatever it was I comprehended what was occurring a little easier. I once again took notes on my favorite stories or what peaked my interest and these are found below.

The Harpies and Capaneus

I felt like this chapter of the story gave rise to the familiar scene of hell seen in movies and such. The "crimson boiling" is what I pictured to be fiery lava or something similar. Dante describes how there are people are submerged in this in varying degrees: some up to their necks and others just with their feet completely in the boiling. This is what I would expect to see in a movie scene of hell. Dante learns that these people are guilty of extreme violence against others.

Descending of Geryon's Back

This scene seemed a little crazy not only to me but apparently also to Dante. He has to climb onto the back of Geryon, a monster with wings, paws, a man's face, and a dragon's body. Virgil and Dante ride him down to the eighth circle of hell. The way Dante describes his fear while riding the monstrous beast is very detailed and I don't blame him!

Jason and the Demons

In the first chasm, pimps and seducers were tormented. Within this story, the tale of Jason was told where he abandons Hypsipyle, who he impregnated. He is tormented by his overwhelming guilt for leaving her with child after he seduced her with his charm and gifts. This seems like it would be a good story on its own regardless of being mentioned within Dante's Inferno.

Dante's Inferno theatrical poster for the 1924 film (Wikipedia).

Reading Diary A: Dante's Inferno

I chose to read Dante's Inferno for the reading of Week 13. I was really interested in this unit just from the description given at the beginning of the Un-Textbook. As I read, I realized that I had chosen a unit that was hard for me to understand if I didn't read carefully and thoughtfully. Many times I had to go back and reread a paragraph or two to fully understand what was going on or what had happened. I took some notes while I read and they are shown below. The image I included really helped me understand each level and what was going on throughout the story.

Paolo and Francesca

I liked this story because it was the first story where Dante actually had a conversation with one of the souls in hell. I'm glad for the description of the story beforehand or I would have been really confused on what occurred here in this story. Francesca tells Dante how love is what led her to her current state and Dante is initially and rightfully confused. After speaking with Virgil, he then turns back to Francesca to explain how love put her in the place she now resides. She then tells her story of her affair and Dante then fully understands.

Cerebus and Plutus

I found it very interesting that no one knows the exact meaning of "'Papé Satàn, papé Satàn aleppe" which comes from the mouth of Plutus. It really makes me want to research possible meanings. I find it interesting that for a story that has been around this long that there isn't an exact interpretation.

Fortune and Phlegyas

The scene that really stood out to me here was the scene of the souls that were sentenced to, what I assume, a lifetime of anger. I can see where anger can ruin lives and I thought that was a good image of it. Having people have looks of pure anger on their face and biting and clawing each other to near death was a very powerful image.




Levels of Hell within Datne's Inferno (Wikidpedia Commons)

Famous Last Words-Week 12

This is my first time posting a Famous Last Words blog post. I decided to write one this week because it is getting close to the end of the semester and things are getting a little hectic. I thought it would be nice to sit back and think about all the things I have done this week and not the things I was supposed to do and did not get to.

I did not get a chance to write a storytelling post this week because I was so busy in other classes with tests and presentations. I am hoping to get a little ahead later tonight in this class as I have a very busy couple of weeks coming up. I have a capstone presentation in a couple weeks that my group and I are not prepared for. We have lots to do this upcoming week to get ready. We can get it done it is just going to take a few long nights in between to do so! I am very ready to get this project done as it seems like its really the only thing standing between me and graduating. It will be a major relief once April 22nd is over with!

I'm almost to this point! (Meme Guy)

For this class, I am currently writing up my third story for my storybook project. I have really enjoyed writing this storybook and am excited to finish up. I feel like I have finally got a little creative side back that I haven't been able to work on in my classes the last couple of years! I really enjoyed writing and making up stories in high school so I'm glad this class has given me an opportunity to explore that a little bit near the end of my college career. It is probably the most writing I have done since freshman year but I have really enjoyed it.

Extra Reading: Celtic Fairy Tales

I decided to do an extra reading this week and I chose the Celtic Fairy Tales unit to do so. I chose this unit initially because in the description it mentioned leprechauns, fairies, and ghosts. After a long week of studying I wanted something that could entertain me! I kept some notes while I read and these can be seen below. I tried to focus on my favorites throughout while reading.

The Field of Boliauns

Since the mention of leprechauns is what first caught my eye when choosing this unit I should have known a story of a leprechaun would end up being one of my favorites. I felt like the whole time that the leprechaun was taking Tom Fitzpatrick to the place where the pot of gold was supposed to be you almost felt like a trick was coming. Then you knew Tom was about to be tricked when he let the leprechaun go as he went to fetch a shovel to dig for the gold.

Leprechaun (Villafanart)

The Sprightly Tailor

I found this story to be very amusing as it showed courage but also mixed with a little ghost story. I would have liked a little more backstory as to why Macdonald wanted the tailor to sew his garments in the old, haunted church but I guess that isn't to important to the story. I like how at the end there is something that tries to validate the story as it alludes to the handprint still being on the walls of the gate outside the castle.

Reading Diary B: Beowulf

I finished reading the Beowulf unit for this Reading Diary. I was really excited to read about Beowulf and his encounter with the monster Grendel so I was glad to see that the tale would come early on in this reading. As always, I kept some notes about my favorite stories and what I thought could be used in my storytelling post.

The Battle with Grendel

This is what I was excited for since reading the previous half of the unit. Once again, the vivid details used by the writer were inspiration to try and use the same detail in my writing. I felt like the writing gave way to lots of action packed writing and I was really impressed with the author's ability to create so much action with just their words. The part I found most amusing is that when all the people of Heorot awoke and heard a racket they looked up to see Beowulf and his men on the rooftop holding up Grendel's bloody arm. I could just imagine the look on their faces!

The Arrival of the Dragon

I liked this story because I thought it did a great job of setting up future stories. Having a slave, with no name, tell the story about what he saw in the dragon and the many spoils that he slept with was a great way to lure the reader into wondering what was true in his story or if they could even trust what he was saying. This also led to Beowulf being skeptical until the slave pulled out the jeweled cup which he had taken from the dragon's lair.

The stranger stealing the jeweled cup from the dragon (illustrated by A.R. Skelton).

Reading Diary A: Beowulf

I chose to read the Beowulf unit because it mentioned that it was the full story. I wanted to read a story that showed the entirety of the story behind the main characters. I vaguely remember reading Beowulf in high school and I felt like it would be good to revisit this collection of stories.

Beowulf's Resolve

While reading this particular story I really noticed the description and attention to detail used throughout. I first noticed this while the writer described the scene as Beowulf became enraged at the thought of Grendel terrorizing the land. I would really like to try and incorporate this detail in my storytelling post this week. It made the scene extremely easy to visualize in my mind. I think this is very important because the reader can more easily see what you pictured as you wrote the story.

The Word's of Beowulf

I was glad that Beowulf stood up for himself and set the record straight about his race against Breca within in the sea. This story had caught my interest throughout this first half reading but I thought that it was just something used sparingly and would never actually come out. I liked how it was alluded to throughout and finally was told in the overarching story. I still wish there was a complete story about this race as it seems like it could easily be a lengthy story in itself. Maybe I could use this and write about it for my storytelling post.

Beowulf sailing to Daneland (Wikipedia Commons).