Epics of India

After completing the backups and checkups, I scrolled through the announcements page and found one image and video which I found interesting. For the image, I chose one of Hunter's scuba diving photos , specifically the one with the giant turtle. Although I have been in the ocean many times, the idea of scuba diving that deep is interesting although terrifying to me. The idea of descending that far into the unknown is quite daunting, although I can relate it though to another image in the announcements page about following your own natural curiosity. Although I would be scared, I think I'd make myself do it just for the experience. For the video, I chose the Chaiyya Chaiyya/Don't Stop Mash-Up . This idea of doing mash-ups is quite fascinating to me as I'm very passionate about music, although I can imagine that the musical and editing skills needed to create a mash-up like this would be fairly elevated. It was very enjoyable to listen to, and the constant back and...

Th e first article I c hose to read was titled Preschoolers and Praise: What Kinds of Messages Help Kids Grow? by Deborah Farmer Kris. I found this article interesting because it talked about providing feedback to children, which is generally the area most people disagree on how it should be handled. There's the argument between coddling kids versus being honest with them, and having real success versus giving participation awards. One idea that was mentioned which I found fairly insightful is why it's so important we manage the feedback kids get. The reason for that is that they are just beginning to understand their self-concept, i.e. how they fit into the world and how the world views them. The feedback they receive starting at a very young age goes a long way into shaping this, and should thus be handled with care. This article also once again brought up the topic of a growth mindset, which is quite important for kids, and how we can instill that type of mindset in them f...

After looking over my storybook notes, I've decided to do pick Dasharatha as my topic to do more research on. The first story I'd like to focus on is Dasharatha's killing of Shravana . Dasharatha was evidently a prolific hunter, and used mainly sound to determine the type of animal, direction, and distance. Using these senses, he somehow mistook Shravana for an elephant and killed him. Shravana was getting his blind parents water, and upon hearing the news curse Dasharatha, which is what he believed killed him shortly thereafter. The second story I'd like to focus on is Dasharatha granting Kaikeyi two boons . Dasharatha was in a war against the Asuras, and upon being injured severely in his chariot, Kaikeyi saved his life. Dasharatha granted her two boons then, although Kaikeyi originally just said she was just happy to save his life, although we know she called in those favors later. This short story about him being in was, her saving his life, and then her calling...

Link to updated story in my portfolio. "See ya later Percy!" Perseus had just gotten off the bus, a sophomore at Westlake High, and was walking towards his house. His friend shouted at him from the bus window, but Perseus had other things on his mind. His father was a believer in polygamous relationships, and his third wife had recently moved into their home. Perseus wasn't very fond of her, though he did like her son, Jason, who had moved in with her and was about the same age as Perseus. He got to the door and hesitated, not knowing what he should expect on the other side. Finally he opened the door and found his father looking rather distressed on the couch.  "What's wrong dad?", Perseus asked.  "Son, we need to talk." "What is it?" "Well, a long time ago, Jason's mother did something very kind for me, so I in turn gave her an IOU...." Perseus was confused at his dad's struggle to get to th...

Reading B: Public Domain Edition of the Ramayana For my reading notes over part B, I chose to focus again on character development. Almost all of part B took place somewhere in the woods, which I've learned are extremely vast and full of rakshashas. Each encounter Rama has with creatures in the woods has seemed to teach him and maybe us a lesson about either loyalty, courage, or keeping one's word. It's also interesting that almost all of the people Rama encounters have been aware of his coming for quite a long time. Another interesting comment I noticed was the brief mentioning of atheism by one of the Brahmins when speaking to Rama. Rama immediately disregarded this with arguments of moralty and faithfulness and the story continues, but it was of interest that it was brought up at all. The ruse that Ravana uses to steal Sita away was odd, and I'm sure I'm thinking too logically about it but I'm not quite sure how that would work. Surely Rama would immedi...

Reading A: Public Domain Edition of the Ramayana For my reading notes over Part A this week, I chose to focus on the character development. First and foremost, there are a ridiculous amount of names. I'm sure it's much more difficult for me just because most of the names sound so foreign, and that I'll get used to it as the semester goes on, but it's certainly making the reading more difficult right now. It was also interesting how the stories switched back and forth from a narrative tone to a poetic tone. This didn't necessarily make the stories easier to follow, but it was interesting nonetheless. The development of Rama over the first part of the reading reminded me of some of the stories of ancient Greek heroes. What was unique though was that Rama didn't go through any serious hardships in his upbringing, which is unlike those stories of Ancient Greece. It was fascinating as well to see the role rituals, sacrifices, and other traditions played in the up...