Week 6 Story Lab: Ted Talks

Sources:

Copyright is Brain Damage by Nina Paley

A New Theory of Human Intelligence by Scott Barry Kaufman

I really found the first one by Nina Paley to be very interesting. At first, the title seems to make no sense. I had never thought of copyright as this terrible thing, but she made some very good points. For example, I never knew that copyrights could be permanently withheld from someone else. I had always assumed that it meant you had to pay royalties to use someone else's intellectual properties, not that they could reject your attempts to use their media, even if you pay. I feel similar to her in that this is a stifling of creativity in a way, and can only hurt the exposure your idea may receive otherwise, as nobody else could use it and bring attention to it. I also found the permission culture comments she made to be an interesting take on the world currently. Because of laws surrounding things such as copyright, we immediately begin to self-censor ourselves in a way, as we know we are unable to use certain ideas or forms of media due to their protections. She mentioned early on that she has comics from earlier in her career that not only are not producing additional money due to their copyrights, but it also prevents them from gaining the exposure that could boost her career as a comic artist. These types of things I had never thought about before.

The other Ted Talk by Scott Barry Kaufman intrigued me. The opening story of Blaine, a child who was diagnosed with many disorders, such as ADHD, General Anxiety Disorder, and more at the age of 8, turning into someone who excelled in school and simply learned in different ways was astonishing. Many times in our educational system, kids who learn a slightly different way or who struggle to grasp the concepts the traditional way are treated as incapable of learning, when they simply have different strengths when it comes to retention strategies. I highly disliked art class as a child, and to this day struggle with creativity because of these types of things in those classes, such as a struggle to focus and constantly needing small breaks to regain my focus and attention. I also found his discussion about IQ tests to be very interesting as well. When he talked about it, I went and looked at some online examples (short attention span, constantly shifting and getting off track, I know), and on some of the questions, such as language, it marks you incorrectly for having a different definition of a word than the one they assign to it, which affects trying to decide what you believe is the best antonym to said word. I can understand where they are coming from with their choices for the correct answers, but some can be subjective based on the interpreter. I was also amazed by Dr. Kaufman's personal story. He was a student who was listed as special education in elementary school, which for many children can be a death sentence, but he was able to get out of the classes with the help of a teacher, went to college, completed a doctorate at Yale, and is not a staff member for UPenn, one of the most prestigious schools in the United States. I absolutely loved his story and his speech, as I can relate to many of the things that he spoke about and found the material to be phenomenal.

Almost everyone has seen these "If you see it, you're a genius" posts on the internet

Source: YouTube

Reading Notes: Arabian Nights, Part B

The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H.J. Ford (1898)

Genie from Disney's Aladdin 

Source: Flickr

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp Pt. 1
Aladdin, the son of Mustapha, is a carefree boy who spends his days playing in the street, which saddens his father until his death. A magician then comes by claiming to be Aladdin's uncle, and shows care for him, pleasing Aladdin's mother. He then takes Aladdin to a valley, and with the promise of treasure, convinces him to travel through a cave to retrieve a lamp, giving him a ring for the journey. When Aladdin refuses to give him the lamp before they leave the cave, he traps Aladdin in the cave, but forgets to retrieve his ring from Aladdin. Aladdin rubs the ring in the cave, and a genie appears, who is the Slave of the Ring, and will obey Aladdin's commands.

Aladdin Discovering the Lamp

Source: Wikipedia

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp Pt. 2
Aladdin returns home with the genie's help, and tells his mother the story before asking for food. She responds that she has none, and although she says she will sell her cotton, Aladdin says he will sell the lamp instead. His mother rubs it to try and clean it, and out pops another genie, which Aladdin asks for and receives food from. His mother later begs him to sell the lamp, but Aladdin refuses to dispose of the lamp or the ring. After selling the plates the food came on, which were made of silver, he and his mother live for many years comfortably. Later, he ventures out to see the Sultan's daughter, and becomes smitten with love for her, and declares he wishes to marry her. His mother eventually asks the Sultan to allow it, and he consents, but that she must wait 3 months so that his vizir may have an opportunity for his son. She agrees, but after 2 months, the vizir's son and the Sultan's daughter are to be married. Angered, Aladdin tells the genie to force the bridegroom to sleep outside in the cold while he sleeps by the bride, scaring her and making her night miserable.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp Pt. 3
Terrified, the bride and bridegroom wish to be separated, and this is allowed due to their miserable nights. Aladdin's mother, after the 3 months, returns to remind the Sultan of Aladdin's desire, and he allows it based on a very rich offering. Aladdin wishes for these things, and receives them, sending them to the Sultan. He then asked for an extremely ornate palace for him and his bride, and after the ceremony, took her back home. The Sultan arrives, and asks why one window is incomplete, which Aladdin says is so that he may lay the finishing touch, although he is unable to complete it to the same standard as the rest of the palace. Due to this, Aladdin uses the genie to finish the window, and returns the gems and materials that belong to the Sultan to him, pleasing him.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp Pt. 4
The magician hears of Aladdin's success and becomes enraged that he had not perished in the cave. He travels to the city, and hearing that Aladdin's palace is the most magnificent place in the world, gets the princess to trade the old lamp, which is magic, for a new one, as she did not know of its power. He uses the genie from the lamp to transport the palace and the princess to the desert far away, unbeknownst to Aladdin, who is out hunting. When he returns, the Sultan orders him executed, although the people of the city prevent this due to their love of Aladdin. The Sultan grants Aladdin 40 days to find the princess, or else he will be executed. The genie in his ring cannot bring the palace back, but takes him to the palace, where he crashes out of exhaustion.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp Pt. 5
The princess is furious with the magician, and he does not stand to stay with her overnight. She is overcome with joy when she discovers Aladdin is still alive, and she tells him that she gave the magician the lamp unknowingly. He comes up with a plan, and has her convince the magician that she has forgotten about Aladdin, and will marry him now. Aladdin gives her a powder to place in his cup, and she does so, and after receiving the wine she requested, she feigns drinking hers while he drinks all of his, causing him to fall back, dead.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp Pt. 6
Aladdin returns the palace to China, fulfilling his promise to the Sultan to bring his daughter back, which pleases him and saves Aladdin's life. However, the magician's brother seeks to avenge his death, and disguises himself as Fatima, the holy woman after killing her. He enters the palace and tells the princess that only a Roc's egg can make it even better, and the princess asks Aladdin for this. When he asks the genie, the genie is appalled, and realizes only the magician's brother could have caused them to ask for such a thing. Aladdin feigns illness to draw close to the false Fatima, and kills him, which angers the people of the city until he reveals the ruse. He then lives happily ever after with the princess, eventually taking over the Sultan's position, leading for many years.

Reading Notes: Arabian Nights, Part A

The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H.J. Ford (1898)

Scheherazade
The Sultan is very distrustful of women because of his first wife's impropriety. He marries a new woman each day, and has her killed the next by the Grand-Vizir. Eventually, the Grand-Vizir's own daughter volunteers to become the Sultan's wife in an attempt to stop him, and he reluctantly agrees. Her sister joins her, and asks her to tell a story, which the Sultan allows, and she tells The Story of the Merchant and the Genius.

Scheherazade and the Sultan by Sani ol Molk

Source: Wikipedia

The Merchant and the Genius
A merchant is traveling and, after completing his journey and leaving for home, stops under a tree to rest and eat, drinking from the nearby fountain. The genius comes to him in rage claiming the merchant had killed his son, for which the merchant is sorry. He convinces the genius to spare him for a year so that he may see his family, to which he agrees. After making amends at home, the merchant returns, and is met by dogs and old men, who decide to stay and see what happens. When the genius arrives, one of the old men begins to tell the genius The Story of the First Old Man.

The Hind
The old man travels with a hind, which is his wife. His wife disliked the man's son and his son's mother, so when the man went on a journey, she transformed the mother into a cow, and the son into a calf. The man returned, and requested a cow for a feast, which was the mother, who was killed. He then asked for a calf, which was his son, but he could not kill his son due to the emotion it showed. He then finds out it is his son, and has him transformed, but his wife becomes a hind in return. After this story, the second old man begins to tell The Story of the Second Old Man.

The Two Black Dogs
The two black dogs are the second old man's brothers, who grew jealous of him. They both left on voyages only to return a beggar, though he helped them by giving them some money to replace what they lost. They convinced the old man to travel with them, and he reluctantly agreed. He meets a beautiful wife, and the brothers throw them overboard out of jealousy. His wife was a fairy, who curses them to be dogs for 10 years, which are nearly up. Scheherazade then says the third old man's story is even more magnificent, saving the merchant's life, but she does not know it. In its place, she tells  The Story of the Fisherman.

The Fisherman
A fisherman heads out for the day, and his first three casts are unsuccessful. On his fourth and final cast, he happens to capture a lamp with a genius inside. The genius says the fisherman must die for freeing him due to frustration at his length of entrapment. The fisherman asks how such a large genius fit into the lamp, so the genius enters the lamp again, only to be trapped again, and is told The Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban.

The Greek King and the Physician Douban
A Greek King is a leper who no doctor has been able to cure. A cunning physician offers to help the king, and does so with a polo club by having the king play a game of polo, then bathing and resting for the night. The King's grand-vizir grows jealous of the physician, and attempts to cause the King to distrust the physician, which he sees right through, and tells the grand-vizir a story of King Sindbad's Grand-Vizir: The Story of the Parrot.

The Parrot and the Ogress
A man loved his wife very much, and bought a parrot that would tell all it saw, and had it placed in the room. The parrot told of the wife's actions, who had the parrot distracted by slaves so it would not tell her actions to her husband, who killed the parrot for these apparent lies caused by the distractions. The Vizir hears the story, and tells of a king's son who enjoyed hunting. The son was separated from his Vizir in excitement for a stag, and finds a woman crying. The woman takes him home in a plan to eat him, and he runs away, gets directions from an ogress, and arrives home, where his father has the Vizir killed for abandoning his son.

The Physician's Revenge
The Vizir convinces the King that the physician is there to kill him, and sets up the execution for after the physician prepares for his death. The physician gives the king a book, which is laced with poison, and after his head is cut off, tells the king to read the book, transferring the deadly toxin to him. Thus the king died due to his choice to kill the physician. We return to the fisherman, who lets the genius out on the promise the genius will make him rich in return.

The Sultan and the Fish
The fisherman is taken to a lake, and has great success catching fish, and is told to sell them to the Sultan for massive wealth. However, he can only throw a net once a day. The Sultan is intrigued by the fish, and orders the fisherman to show him this lake, and the Sultan goes off exploring by himself. He discovers a palace covered in black marble, which appears empty. He enters and stumbles on a sad young man who is made partially of black marble, and is therefore unable to leave this building. He proceeds to tell the Sultan his story.

King of the Black Isles
The young man is King of the Black Isles, and married his cousin, an enchantress, who he loved, but who did not love him back. He punished a slave for terrible crimes, and she cried for him for 2 years, turning against the king. She turned him into half black marble in her anger. She also flooded the kingdom, leaving the fish as the colors of the former citizens of the kingdom. The Sultan kills the slave, who is still barely alive, and takes his place when the enchantress enters, and has her free the young man, who runs away happy to be free. He then gets her to unflood the palace and city of the young man's kingdom, and then kills her, freeing them from her. The Sultan is thanked by the young man, and makes the young man his heir when he returns home. The Sultan then makes the fisherman very wealthy for all he did for him.

Week 5 Story: The Mutiny Against Sindbad

"We're not going!"

The captain stands there, shocked. He's never had an entire crew threaten a mutiny, let alone threaten one before they have even embarked on their journey.

"Why must you say these things? Let us embark on our journey as planned," replies the captain.

"Not as long as that Sindbad is traveling on the ship. That man is bad luck," retorts the crew, "Every single voyage he embarks on, nearly the entire crew ends up perishing!"

"I can understand your trepidation, but fear not. This voyage is not a dangerous one, you are the most experienced and talented crew that I have been around, and I promise that we will make it out alive," assured the captain. After all, they did have a vast amount of experience traveling the seas with him. But he could see in their eyes that they did not expect to return alive.

Dejected, Sindbad rose from his seated position. He could not bear to see the hatred that these sailors had for him, some of whom even traveled with him on his previous voyages, rescuing him when they found him stranded. Hearing them say they wished he did not travel with them, he felt compelled to finally speak up.

"Fellow sailors," said Sindbad, "I am pained to know that you do not wish for me to join you on your journey. It is not my fault that I have been through these experiences. In many cases, it was the others with me who caused such chaos that led to my adventures."

One of the sailors scoffs at Sindbad and exclaims, "So because of that, you expect us to be ready to die and become just another chapter in your book? What kind of man has every other crew he's sailed with perish on their journey? If I hazard a guess, I would say that you were responsible for all of their deaths!"

"I handpicked him for his experience and expertise on the waters and I believe he is a capable mariner. Why would I risk my own life by bringing him aboard if I did not believe we would survive?" questions the captain.

"The Caliph demanded you bring him along! That's what happened on his seventh voyage, and I assume it's the same story this time around. I doubt a man with your experience would be so asinine as to bring along someone as reckless and cursed as Sindbad," cries the crew.

"One way or another, there will be a crew on that ship within the hour. If you do not board with myself and Sindbad, I will make sure you never set foot on any vessel again. I do not have time to waste with you and your trivial fears," remarks the captain.

Sindbad looks towards the ground, noticing how weathered his feet have become from all of his adventures. Escaping along the river, flying with the Roc, surviving the Old Man of the Sea. Defeated, he whispers, "I must stay so as not to threaten the ship and its survival. If the crew does not wish for me to join them, I shall stay and tend to my home. All I wanted was one voyage that did not result in disaster."

Sindbad leading a caravan on one of his voyages

Source: Wikipedia

The captain looks towards Sindbad, then back at the crew. "We're not leaving this man behind. We will be the voyage that breaks the spell of luck that Sindbad has experienced on the sea. We don't sail without all of you, nor without Sindbad. Anyone who does not want to give this man his one wish in life is less of a man than anyone."

The crew looks at each other, contemplating their next move. After a few moments, their decision has been made. "We shall sail with Sindbad, just this one voyage. However, if it does threaten the same ending as his previous seven, all we ask is that Sindbad ensures we survive in exchange for volunteering for this mission."

Sindbad quickly agrees, excited that he is able to make one last voyage. The crew piles onto the ship, and sails off into the horizon.

Author's Note: Each of Sindbad's seven voyages are stories of near peril for Sindbad, and on many of these voyages, Sindbad found himself as the only sailor to survive, having watched many die in front of him, leaving him as the only one who can recount their deaths. I wanted to write a story looking at how the crew might react to the possibility of sailing with Sindbad, having read about his perils and the threat of imminent harm they might face when sailing with him. While the stories might have been exaggerated, the sailors still would likely want no part of his presence.

The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H.J. Ford (1898)

Reading Notes: Sindbad, Part B

The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H.J. Ford (1898)

Fifth Voyage
This time, Sindbad travels on his adventure on a ship that was his own, although he did bring fellow merchants with him. They stopped on an island, where they found a Roc egg similar to the one that Sindbad saw earlier, although this one was in the process of hatching. The other sailors with him hacked through the shell and killed the baby bird, eating the bird in the process. This angered the parent birds, who caught up to the sailors and their ship, sinking it with large rocks. Sindbad washed ashore on an island yet again, and met an old man who appeared frail, so he helped the man out. However, the man enslaved him, forcing him to carry him on his back. Sindbad managed to hollow out a gourd and fill it with grapes, turning it into wine, and the old man drank it, at which time Sindbad threw him off his shoulders. He then escaped with merchants, who were amazed that he had escaped from the Old Man of the Sea, took him to their land, where he gathered coconuts in order to obtain the money to pay to travel back home.

Sindbad carrying the Old Man of the Sea

Source: Wikipedia

Sixth Voyage
Instead of leaving from Bagdad for his sixth voyage, we see Sindbad travel to India, where he leaves on a new expedition. Their boat becomes caught in a storm, and they crash into an island where it is said that no one ever returns home. All of the other sailors perish on this island, but Sindbad noticed a fresh water river, which instead of emptying into the sea, turned and went into a cavern. He built a raft and gathered up many gems that he found on the island and in the cavern, and rode the raft through the cavern and into a new, strange land called Serendib. After some time, Sindbad requests to return home, and is allowed to return, taking with him gifts for his own king, which he does graciously. The Caliph in his home of Bagdad is initially skeptical of the gifts, which came from the Sultan of the Indies, but after Sindbad tells of this man's kingdom, the Caliph believes him, and gives Sindbad many gifts before he returns home.

Seventh Voyage
Sindbad sets off on one last voyage, after the Caliph requests he transport gifts to the king of Serendib, which he agrees to do after the Caliph says it must be him who does it. He was successful in delivering these gifts, and after being asked to stay for a time by the King of Serendib, leaves with many gifts for the Caliph. Unfortunately, during their journey, his ship is attacked by pirates, who sell them into slavery. He is bought by a rich merchant, who has him hunt elephants for their ivory tusks. After a time, the elephants uprooted the tree that Sindbad hunted them from. However, instead of killing him, they took him to their graveyard, which contained many of the ivory tusks that his master was after. He escaped to his master's home, and told him of this sight with much more ivory than he could ever imagine. As thanks for showing him all this ivory, the master allows Sindbad to leave, as he was the only slave not to be killed by the elephants. He gives him many treasures to take home with him, and he returns home, paying respects to the Caliph before having his story written for all to read, and thus ending his seventh and final voyage.

Reading Notes: Sindbad, Part A

The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H.J. Ford (1898)

First Voyage
Sindbad and some other sailors traveled across Persia, selling and trading their merchandise. Often they would stop and take breaks on various islands. One fateful day, however, the island they stopped on was a sleeping whale, which awoke at the starting of a fire by the sailors. Sindbad was not able to re-board the ship, and washed onto an island, which he would call home after being welcomed by the king. After some time, a ship stops at the island where Sindbad now resides, and he finds that this is the same ship from which he had disappeared some time before. Despite the captain believing he is lying, Sindbad eventually gets the captain to recognize him and welcome him back, glad to find out that he had not perished as they had believed.

Second Voyage
Once again, we see Sindbad lost and alone without a ship. This time, he is left behind after he falls asleep on an island while they are stopped, and awakens after the ship has already sailed away. Climbing into a tree, he sees a large white object, and is stunned to discover that it is a bird's egg, a bird known as the Roc, with legs as large as tree trunks. He takes advantage and ties himself to the bird, escaping the island, but also becoming stuck in a valley filled with massive serpents and many diamonds. He had heard tales of this bird and this valley, but did not believe they were true until now. After seeing merchants throw large pieces of meat into the valley in hopes that a bird will pick it up, and the meat be filled with diamonds, he gathers as many diamonds as he can, and clings to the piece of meat, being carried out by an eagle. The merchants were distraught initially that he had come with the meat instead of diamonds, but after telling his tale, he offered them some of his diamonds, and traveled with these merchants, eventually making his way back home once again.

The Valley of Diamonds by Maxfield Parrish

Source: Wikipedia

Third Voyage
Because two voyages ending in an adventure was not enough, Sindbad left on yet another voyage. This time, the entire crew is forced off of the ship, on what the captain said was the worst island for them to have landed on. Searching, they find a castle, but it is inhabited by a massive giant with one eye, who would select one of the crew each night, roast them, and eat them. After a few nights of fear, Sindbad and the other sailors set off to make rafts for escape during the day, and attacked the giant that night, blinding him by stabbing his eye with multiple spits. The giant, however, returns the next day with many more giants, who sink all but one raft as the sailors try to escape, which Sindbad is fortunately on. On their next island, the two remaining sailors with Sindbad are eaten by a snake on consecutive nights. He builds a crude shelter, successfully hiding from the snake who could not break through to Sindbad. That next day, Sindbad spots a ship in the distance, and is brought aboard the ship. While purchasing some items that belong to a perished sailor, he discovers that it is the same boat captain from his second voyage, and that these items were his from that trip. The captain is elated, and takes Sindbad back to Bagdad, thus completing his third voyage.

Fourth Voyage
For the fourth time, Sindbad heads out on a voyage, this one rocked by a hurricane that destroys the ship and kills most of the sailors. Sindbad and the remaining sailors wash ashore on an island, where they find huts, and are captured by the inhabitants. The inhabitants offer copious amounts of food to the sailors, all of whom except Sindbad eat with great fervor, before being killed and eaten once they have been fattened up. Sindbad, on the other hand, ate very little, and was left alone by his captors, who he manages to escape from. He runs into people who are amazed that he was not eaten as his fellow sailors were, and take him to their homeland. He impresses the king of this land, as well as many high-ranking officials with the gifts of saddles for their horses, and is offered a beautiful wife as part of his repayment. However, Sindbad is distraught when he learns that this island has a custom where if your spouse dies, you must be buried along with them. Alas, his wife passes, and he is buried with her, barely surviving. He kills someone else who is buried with their spouse to gain their rations, surviving long enough on these to discover another entrance to the cave they are buried in. He manages to escape, being found by another boat, who fortunately takes him back to Bagdad to complete his fourth voyage.

Comment Wall

Tales of the Phoenix

Phoenix Rising

Source: DeviantArt

Week 4 Story: The Wrath of Jove

I dislike being questioned.

I dislike being belittled.

More than anything, I dislike people marginalizing me and insulting me, as if I had made a mistake. Gods are not prone to mistakes.

My name is Jove. If this name is unfamiliar to you, don't be alarmed. I am the almighty being, ruler of both man and beast. Perhaps the name Jupiter rings a bell. I shall tell you the story of a group of frogs who had the audacity to treat me as an idiot who did not give them a sufficient leader. I can assure you that they wish they'd accepted their initial ruler.

Jupiter and Thetis by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Source: Wikipedia

It all began a few short weeks ago. Frogs, in my opinion, do not require an outside leader ruling over them. I feel that they do a well enough job of it themselves. But for whatever unknown, asinine, reason, this one group of frogs decided that they didn't like the freedom, the independence, the ability to enjoy life as they had it. They thought they needed a ruler, a King if you will. I thought their request trivial; as I said, frogs do not require a ruler. But, to appease them, I gifted them a wise ruler, one that has been around for hundred of years: a mighty log.

Initially, they were afraid of their new king. It was much larger than them, it was broad and heavy, and so I believed that it would suffice. However, they proceeded to make a fool of me, mocking me by dancing on the log, treating my gift as a source of amusement. They chose to ignore the log and continued their lives as if the log had never been placed there. Had it been left as such, it would have pleased me, as they had their ruler, and I could focus on more important matters.

However, the gift was for naught. Shortly thereafter, they shunned my gift, and had the GALL TO ASK ME FOR ANOTHER LEADER, claiming that the log was not quite to their liking. What king of creature has the audacity to tell the almighty being that they have failed? This infuriated me, because gods are not prone to mistakes. They were going to feel my wrath, as that log was the best ruler they were ever going to get.

So what exactly did the frogs receive as their second ruler? Being the generous and fair Jove that I am, I rewarded them with a beautiful creature. That creature would be a stork. A stork filled with hunger, ready to gobble up as many frogs as he could fit in his stomach. I sat back and laughed, watching the frogs attempt to flee from the stork. After a few short days, the stork had eliminated the entire colony of frogs. Perhaps the next colony will not be so brazen to ask for a ruler. They may receive a visit from the same stork.

Frogs enjoying their stork king

Source: FablesOfAesop

Author's Note:
The story of The Frogs Desiring a King focuses on a group of frogs who desired a king, and received a log from Jove. The frogs were dissatisfied by this gift, and demanded a new king that would actually rule them and keep them in line. This story is retold from Jove's point of view, and teaches the lesson "Better No Rule Than Cruel Rule" as the frogs learned.

Source: The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs

Reading Notes: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs), Part B

The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs

Birds
The Crow and the Pitcher
A crow, nearing death from thirst, comes across a pitcher filled with water. However, when the crow goes to take a drink, he discovers that the water is so low in said pitcher that he is unable to reach it with his beak, no matter how much he tries. He thinks, and proceeds to fill the pitcher with pebbles, stone by stone, until the water is high enough that he can reach it and quench his thirst.

The Bat, the Birds, and the Beasts
A bat is caught in the middle of a potential quarrel between the birds and the beasts, and is asked by both sides to join them in the fight. He declines both of them, claiming to be a beast to the birds, and a bird to the beasts, as he did not want to choose a side. However, the fight did not occur, and when the bat went to each faction to celebrate, he was shunned by both, as he had spurned both of them, meaning they did not want him to suddenly align with them.

Insects, Snakes, Crabs
The Man and the Snake
A man is walking through the snow, and comes across a snake that appears to be dead. He still takes it home and places it near the fire in an attempt to help it survive. The snake warms and does come back to life, but when one of the man's children tries to stroke the snake, the snake attempts to bite the child. The man reacts by taking an axe and slicing the snake into two pieces, effectively killing it for attempting to kill his child.

Frogs and Fish
The Frogs Desiring a King
A group of frogs were living alone in a swamp, and became discontent with a lack of leadership. They began wishing for a king to rule over them to keep them managed and in order. They asked Jove to give them a leader, and Jove responded by placing a log into the swamp with the frogs. The frogs, initially fearful of the log, began to realize that the log was not moving, and danced on the log, and continued on with their ways from before the log's presence. After some time, they went back to Jove and asked for a new leader that would actually rule over them. Jove responded by sending a stork, who would eat all of the frogs instead of ruling them, which was worse than the lack of leadership from the log.

The frogs hiding from their stork king

Source: Flickr

Nature and Inanimate Objects
The Man and the Wood
A man enters a forest full of trees with an axe head in his hand, and asks the trees for a branch, as he needed it for a specific reason. The trees were kind, giving him the branch that he desired and asked for. To repay the trees, the man attached the branch to his axe head, turning it into a handle, and proceeded to chop all of the trees down, which he could not have done if the trees had not given him his handle.

Humans and Gods
Hercules and the Wagoner
A man is driving a horse-driven cart carrying a heavy load. As he approaches a fork in the road, one side of the wagon begins sinking into the sand, only becoming more and more stuck as he tries to escape. Desperate to finish his journey, he calls out to Hercules for help. Hercules appears, and says he will not help someone who will not try and help himself get the cart unstuck.

Family and Friends
The Man and his Mother
A man was caught stealing, and was sentenced to death for his crimes. He asks to see his mother one last time, and says he must whisper something to her. When she leans her ear near him, he proceeds to bite it in an attempt to rip it off, mortifying the people around. He says he did so to teach her a lesson for never scolding him when he stole as a child, and instead ended up encouraging him to steal instead of living a life without such actions.

People Wise and Foolish
The Buffoon and the Countryman
A man was at the fair, causing people to laugh by imitating the sounds of various animals. After he attempts a pig's squeal, a farmer says that his squeal is not the real thing, and promises the people who laughed that he will do a much better imitation the next day. The farmer shows up the next day, and as promised, performs a squeal that people find horrifying, and they throw things at him so that he will stop. The farmer then reveals that he was not making the sounds, but that they were those of an actual pig making these noises.

The Goose With the Golden Eggs
A man goes to check on his goose, only to find a golden egg laying in the nest. Once he discovers it is real, he goes back each day, finding more golden eggs, and sells them for large amounts of money. The man, greedy for more gold, kills the goose in an attempt to obtain much more gold, but finds none inside of his goose, and now no longer receives the golden eggs.

Reading Notes: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs), Part A

The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs

Lions
The Sick Lion
At the end of the lion's life, other animals began attacking the weak and frail lion as a way to repay all of their frustrations with the lion before it became close to death. The lion was agonized, believing that he was not only dying physically, but also in terms of the power it had, as it was being taken away as he laid on his deathbed.

The Four Oxen and the Lion
Four oxen were under threat of attack from a lion, and were able to fend off the attacks by staying in a circle, tail against each other's tails, which prevented the lion from successfully killing one of the oxen. However, as time wore on, they stopped working together, and were meticulously killed off separately, as there was no one else around to protect each individual oxen.

Foxes
The Fox and the Grapes
A fox saw some grapes hanging in a tree. Desperate for them, he tried to reach the grapes many times, to no avail. Angry at his failure, he says that the grapes must not be very good anyway, although this is due exclusively to his failure to obtain any.

The Fox and the Mosquitoes
A fox becomes trapped in a bush by the tail shortly after crossing a river, and becomes engulfed in mosquitoes, who all begin sucking his blood without fear of being swatted away. Another animal, a hedgehog, offers to help the fox get rid of the mosquitoes, but the fox declines, saying that more mosquitoes would just come along and suck out the rest of his blood until he dies.

Wolves
The Dog and the Wolf
A wolf, who is struggling to find food, comes across a dog who promises a better life with steady food for the wolf if the wolf is willing to perform the same work as he does. The wolf, skeptical, agrees to look and see what this life might entail, and follows the dog back home. The wolf notices the lack of hair around the dog's neck, who replies that this is due to a chain being around his neck at night. The wolf declines to follow the dog any further, saying that it is not worth sacrificing his freedom just to obtain food.

Dogs and Cats
The Fox and the Cat
A fox boasts to a cat about how many different ways it has to escape a predator, while the cat explains that it only has one way to escape. When the predators finally come, the cat escapes by climbing into a tree, while the fox begins to think about which escape to use, and ultimately is unable to escape and is killed by said predators.

The Fox and the Cat by Wenceslas Hollar

Source: Wikipedia

Mice

Belling the Cat

A group of mice are trying to devise a way to avoid the cat, so as to know when it is coming. One mouse suggests that they attach a bell to the cat so that they may hear its ringing when the cat approaches. As ingenious of a plan as it was, no one was willing to be the mouse that attached the bell to the cat, knowing they would be risking their lives.

Asses
The Ass in the Lion's Skin
An ass came across a lion's skin that had been left behind by hunters. The ass proceeded to put the skin on and wander into its home village, terrifying the townspeople. The ass then brayed, alerting the townspeople to the charade, causing them to laugh at the ass for giving up its identity.

Deer
The Hart and the Hunter
A stag is marveling over its antlers, which is believes are majestic and beautiful. However, it is sad that it has such small legs, which it believes is not befitting of the crown its antlers are. It runs from a hunter that shoots an arrow at him, but ends up caught in the trees by his antlers, which were too large to run successfully, and end up being the reason he is killed.

Hares
The Hare With Many Friends
A hare, who everyone says is their friend, is afraid of being hunted by a group of hounds. They plead to each friend one by one, begging for protection from the hounds, but is rebuffed each time by all of the other animals. The hare is fortunately able to escape by their own feet, avoiding being killed by these hounds.

Feedback Strategies

I think I speak for almost everyone when I say that positive feedback is extremely important, as it gives us a way to know what we are already performing well at. But constructive negative feedback is very important as well. During my internship this summer, I really dove into the problem I was after due to going into my manager's office and showing what I had found, and them guiding me. Even a simple "you're in the right direction" went a long way in helping me stay motivated, even when it was hard to stay focused towards the end.

Why Do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise?
I found it interesting that many managers struggle to give positive feedback, mostly relying on negative feedback when they do give feedback. Seeing the statistic that 37% of managers don't give positive feedback was crazy. Positive feedback can be just as big, if not bigger, than negative, as I feel like many employees are motivated by learning what they did well on, and can feel unappreciated if the only feedback they receive is what they did poorly on. These little changes can go a long way in making someone a more successful manager.

The Trouble With Amazing
I will admit, I often fall into the trap of saying good job, awesome, or something similar when reviewing people's work, as I don't want to be the one that critiques it harshly, and I simply don't always know what to change. It used to be a game in high school to see who could critique "you put the wrong date" on someone's English paper so that we could have our one correction out of the way. It's easy to be generic and simple, but you gain a lot more from being specific with feedback. I liked how it mentioned fake praise being an issue, especially when the recipient knows they didn't deserve it. It almost feels like a participation trophy when that happens, at least for me. I definitely will work on being more specific with feedback after reading this, as I know how much I dislike non-specific feedback.

Motivation to become better with feedback

Source: MaxPixel

Topic Research: Phoenix

I have always been intrigued by the phoenix, especially the way a phoenix is "reborn" in a cloud of fire and ash. I view this is a form of new beginnings, trying to become better than what you were before you were reborn, regain some of the magic you may have had before.

For the first story, I gained a little bit of inspiration from The Longest Yard. If you have not seen the movie before, it's about a former NFL Quarterback who was accused of point shaving (purposely playing poorly to affect the margin of victory), and then leads a team of prison inmates to victory after gaining their trust that he wasn't going to purposely lose a game against the prison guards. I feel like a story of a great gladiator in Ancient Rome who was purposely losing matches to gain favor, only to come back and redeem themselves would be a great story.

Colosseum in Rome, home to many gladiator battles

Source: Wikipedia

The second story idea I came up with is a world where the Greek people, annoyed with some of the Gods' actions, declare that Zeus is no longer fit to be King of the Gods, and leave him as an outcast, no longer welcome in Greece. Zeus then leaves on a journey, saving multiple people along the way and later rescuing Mount Olympus from destruction when the other gods are unable to prevent the Titans from reclaiming their previous glory without him, leading to him being given his title of King back.

The final story idea is a phoenix who appears in King Leonidas' dreams every night after he loses the trust of Greece for abandoning his men at the Battle of Thermopylae during the Greco-Persian War. The army rejects him, leaving him to fend for himself, and he begins having the dreams of the phoenix. He eventually comes and saves them from annihilation, showing that he is not a coward, and helps them fend off and defeat the Persians.

Battle of Thermopylae

Source: Wikipedia

Week 3 Story: Letters to Zebedee

Dear Father,

It has been a while since I left you on that boat to follow Jesus as one of his disciples. You would not believe the places I have gone and the things that I have seen! I have seen men who were unable to walk able to rise to their feet, I have seen more men fed than should have been possible, he truly can perform miracles!

This past week, we visited the home of a family filled with sorrow, as their little girl had passed away. They were convinced that they would never see her again. Yet Jesus knew that she was not dead, and sure enough, he was able to bring her back to life. It was miraculous to see, she was lying there and looked so lifeless, as if there was no chance she was still alive. I wish I was able to show you the power this man possesses, the power God has given him. I am blessed that I was offered the chance to follow him and learn from him.

However, he worries me sometimes, father. He speaks of how he will be killed by his fellow man and resurrected a few days later. What will this mean for him, for me, for the others who follow him as I do? He has been correct so many times, his parables have been miraculous, his miracles incredible to witness. I simply do not know why he would tell us that these things are going to happen to him. I try my best to believe him, as his word is powerful, but my faith is tested by some of the events we have experienced. We went out to sea not too long ago in the middle of a massive storm, and we were afraid that the boat might sink. The way the winds and the rain rocked the boat led me to believe that we were about to perish. We were able to have him calm the winds and the rain fortunately, albeit followed by him questioning if we had faith in him, but it was still a harrowing and terrifying experience. I wish he would have kept the storms from hitting us in the first place as he has so much power.

The miracles he has performed keep me believing, father, no matter how many times my faith has been tested. I witnessed him feed 5,000 men with only five loaves of bread and two fish. It would be a miracle to feed 10 people with that amount of food, but we managed to feed 5,000! I also saw us collect many baskets full of breadcrumbs that were left behind by the crowd, many times more than we handed out. It is amazing to see what he can do when he sees his calling.

Hopefully you can meet this wonderful man sometime in the future. I would enjoy sharing with you the other stories he has given, the many parables he has shared with us, everything we have been taught. We should return near the Sea of Galilee soon, and I will try to introduce you to him then.

Your son,

James

Saint James the Greater (James, Son of Zebedee) by Guido Reni

Source: Wikipedia

Author's Note: From reading the Gospel of Mark, we know that James and his brother John left their father Zebedee to follow Jesus as two of his 12 disciples, witnessing many of the miracles he performed. After reading the passage, I felt that a letter from James to Zebedee describing many of the things that James has experienced and saw would be a fun recap of the readings.

Reading Notes: The Gospel of Mark, Part B

The Gospel of Mark, King James Version (1611)

We begin to see the prophecy from Jesus about how he will be killed and resurrected, which is met by confusion from his followers. It is a little weird when somebody tells you that they're going to be killed by somebody else. It is even weirder when it is someone with the ability to perform the miracles he has, as we see him heal a man who had lost his sight similarly to how he brought the young girl to life and cured a leper.

We also are told another parable, which appears to reference receiving the kingdom of heaven. In the parable, it directly refers to how the word of God has been received, with people believing that they shall inherit the kingdom by killing the heir to said kingdom instead of nurturing the land and giving what they were asked to give. Frustrated by this parable, knowing that it was shaming them, they proceeded to ask if they may pay tribute to others, specifically Caesar. Jesus proceeds to tell them that we should separate God and Caesar, not mixing their possessions or items with each other.

Later, we see that his prophecy does end up coming true. Jesus is arrested and sentenced to death. He had told Peter that he would deny him three times that day before the rooster crowed twice, to which Peter was stunned, believing he would never do such a thing. Despite this, we find out that Peter does in fact deny him, just as he had prophesied. Taken aback by this, Peter begins to weep, knowing what he had done was wrong. Jesus is then mocked before they lead him to be crucified. He is spit on, beaten, and made to carry his cross before being crucified next to two others. They laugh at him, as they could not believe he saved so many others, but was unable, or unwilling, to do so for himself. After many hours, Jesus dies, and the temple's veil rips into two pieces at that moment, causing the centurion to realize he was the son of God.

Jesus' body was given to Joseph, who wrapped him in linens and placed his body into a tomb, with a large stone rolled in front to seal it. However, a few short days later, they found that the stone had been moved, and his body was no longer there. Instead, an angel is inside, telling them that his prophecy has come true, that he has risen from the dead and will appear to his disciples. His disciples do not believe that he has risen initially, until he does show himself to them. He instructs them to go out into the world and spread his message, before he goes to heaven to be next to God.

Crucifixion of Jesus

Source: Wikipedia

Reading Notes: The Gospel of Mark, Part A

The Gospel of Mark, King James Version (1611)

Fun little sidenote: Back in 7th grade, I was part of a team where we memorized a book of the bible and competed for trivia, and that year was the Book of Mark! I did not have a good memory, however.

Jesus made sure to preach to the people who needed him the most, the ones who are sinners and have not found God yet. He chose fishermen, not the current church leaders, to be his disciples, to follow him and help him preach the word. He believed they would be a better choice and more worthy of his efforts and his support. One of the other great lessons that the book tells us is that if we are not together in our goals, we will fail. We must be united if we are to stay strong, as even the strongest of us can be tied up and robbed.

The Book of Mark is heavy in the use of parables, which are similar to fables. The one that sticks out the most is the story of a sower spreading seed, some of which ends up on ground covered in stone, some nestled into thorns, and more placed into soil that is good for growing. This parable is used to explain spreading the gospel, as some will be choked out by thorns inside someone's heart, some will be exalted by the person, though not planted as the roots cannot grow, and others still will see the roots take hold within them, and they themselves will eventually have planted many of their own seeds. He continues by talking about the mustard seed, which is unimportant when just a seed, but becomes a major and important plant once planted and grown.

Jesus also was able to raise people from what was believed to be the dead. A young girl, aged 12 years old, was lying with her family believing she was dead. Even though he was laughed at for saying that she was simply sleeping and was not dead, he was still able to go forth and cause her to rise, as if nothing was ever wrong with her.

Eventually, he places power into his disciples so that they could heal others and spread his word without him there. He also was able to feed 5,000 people with only 5 loaves of bread and two fish, which is absolutely incredible. After he does the same for 4,000 people, his disciples still do not believe him, which frustrates him, as they were there for his miracles, yet they still have doubts.

Miracle of the Bread and Fish by Giovanni Lanfranco

Source: Wikipedia

Feedback Thoughts

Why Rejection Hurts So Much
I thought the article was definitely right on the money as far as how rejection feels. After you've dealt with rejection enough times, you eventually get to the point where you say "enough" and would rather not even take the risk just to avoid the possibility of rejection. I liked how it focused on how instead of letting it get you down, focus on what you can do right. It's not an easy task, but it's a skill that is definitely worth learning, and one I will continue to work on.

A Fixed Mindset Could Be Holding You Back
This article was a nice compliment to the Growth Mindset articles we read last week, as it talked more about how to have a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset. I thought it was really interesting how they mentioned fields such as medicine, where it can be difficult to have a growth mindset, as it can be life or death if you go into something you're unsure about, something brand new to you. If it can be applied by doctors successfully, we can apply it as well. It was also a little funny how they brought up the "participation trophy" approach has actually made it worse in some ways, by making it harder for kids to deal with adversity when they never learned how to do so.

When you haven't been applying Growth Mindset principles

Source: CatTime

Topic Brainstorm

Ghost Stories
I have always been fascinated with ghosts to some extent, such as spirits and other forms of paranormal activity. Some of it stems from being a child who spent a lot of time in old homes that always seemed to have that one weird noise that everyone just lived with. I remember being scared as a little kid by the creaking of old copper pipes. The place my family lives now is actually fairly close to a major Civil War battlefield, so that makes it an even more interesting topic to consider.

Aesop's Fables
My first attempt at storytelling involved a sequel to one of Aesop's Fables, so these stories already interest me for my project. I enjoy that many of them are simple stories, as that leaves a lot of room for creativity in expanding on what was already written. I also like how they're not simply stories for the purpose of reading and enjoying, the fact that they're fables means they also take the time to point out morals and try to show us flaws we should try to avoid showing or living with.

The Devil
I have always thought of the devil as a completely evil character, yet reading some of these stories have shown that it is not always the case. In the story The Three Apprentices, while the devil does ultimately end up torturing the three people, he still shows mercy and allows them to live in the end, taking care of them for listening to his instructions, even in the face of death. This different side to the devil would make it a very interesting topic to read and write about, as it opens up so many more possibilities.

Legendary Creatures (Phoenix)
The story of the Phoenix has intrigued me a lot over the years. A bird that is said to die in a ball of fire, only to be reborn from the ashes left behind? It sounds like an amazing topic to me! There are so many different ways that you can go from there, with the vast amount of symbolism that you can use the phoenix as, it might be the most interesting and versatile topic I have on this list.

Depiction of a Phoenix by FJ Bertuch (1747-1822)

Source: Wikipedia