Famous Last Words: Getting the Hang of Things

Week two of this semester presented a unique set of challenges for me from the first week. I finally felt like I was getting the hang of writing again and able to whip out many of my assignments in record time (for me, at least), but my struggle was instead finding time to complete the work that was due. I felt a little stressed with a major paper deadline, several small assignments, readings, and this class. However, the assignments in this class continually felt like a breath of fresh air and allowed me to get back into the swing of being a writer.

I haven't written very many things that aren't scientific reports since high school and this class is really helping me channel my inner writer again. I felt like my best writing was my Week 2 story about Cupid and Psyche. Once I stopped overthinking the assignment and understood what I needed to do, the story came to me very naturally and easily, with the whole assignment taking me about 30 minutes. I also found myself having more fun as I watched my fingers type my thoughts faster than I realized what I was even thinking sometimes. This familiar feeling also allowed me to write my Humanities paper about the Catholic and Baroque period influences on painting, something which I know essentially nothing about. I am very happy that this class is helping me reignite a passion for writing that I haven't experienced in years and is even helping me with my other classes- who knew!

My goal for this week is to be proactive and stay ahead. I am currently several days ahead with assignments in most of my classes, but I would like to create even more buffer room for when the semester gets hectic. Checking in on other people's blogs from this class also helps me stay motivated as I see the great work they are creating, so I hope this well help me stay on top of my goal this week!

(Reminded of my passion for writing this week! Image from Flickr User Anthony Easton)

Wikipedia Trails: From Cyclops to the Concorde

I started my Wikipedia Trail with inspiration from one of my group member's Week 2 Storytelling that included a funny picture of a Cyclops in his original story. As I read about Cyclopes (which I did not previously know the plural name for) in Greek and Roman mythology, I learned that three cyclopes in particular created Zeus' lightning bolt weapons, adding brightness, lightning, and thunder to each. I then learned about thunder depending on increases in pressure, temperature, and expansion of air to create a sonic boom that can be a loud clap or a low rumble. Thunder is described as a moving pulse that is similar to the shock wave at the front of a supersonic aircraft in flight. On the supersonic speed page, I read about the rate of travel that is faster than the speed of sound, meaning any sound at this frequency is outside the range of human hearing. The most famous supersonic passenger aircraft named the Concorde, which is a British-French turbojet supersonic airliner that was operating until 2003. I have never heard of this jet before so it was cool to read about its maximum speed being over twice the speed of sound. It was really interesting to see where the Wikipedia Trail brought me from something classical and mythological to a jet airliner I had never heard of before!

(This picture of a friendly cyclops made me laugh!)

Feedback Thoughts

Receiving feedback is something that I have always struggled with and taken too way personally, so I was excited to read these articles and see what nuggets of truth and advice they provided. I found interesting suggestions and tips in each one!

Getting Feedback...
The first article I read called Silence the Critical Voices in Your Head was one that greatly resonated with me and was extremely relatable in my life. I often have trouble listening to any positive feedback because I focus so obssessively on the negative, no matter how much the positive may outweigh the negative. I even obsess over negative comments from over 10 years ago. I often dismiss positive compliments as "luck" or "nothing big" instead of accepting them as the form of encouragement they are meant to be. I really liked the idea in this article to practice a five-to-one ratio of positive and negative comments because I would say that right now, that ratio is completely reversed for me,  often leaving me anxious and uncomfortable with how I believe others perceive me. This is certainly not a healthy or maintaible mindset and I would very much like to change it for my own well-being and also that of others.  Certainly something for me to keep in mind!

The second article Using Harsh Feeback to Fuel Your Career was also engaging to me because of the premise of using harsh and negative feedback to further and better your goals and overall self. As the author writes, we have all experienced some sort of failure or embarrassment that pushed us to overcome and be better than we were before. For me, that was during my college musical theatre auditions all over the country where some of them went very well and some of them were absolutely abysmal. Because not everyone felt defeated after each audition, I often found that I couldn't express how I was feeling because I was embarrassed, but the article's first step of embracing emotions really stood out to me because of this. It's okay to feel a certain way after failure, but it must not become consuming or a definition of oneself. I learned instead to treat myself to a single-dip cone of Cappucino Chunky Chocolate ice cream after each audition so that I would have something to look forward to while allowing myself to feel the emotions. I really enjoyed reading this article!

(Feedback from Pixabay)

Giving Feedback...
In Presence, Not Praise: How To Cultivate a Healthy Relationship with Achievement, I really appreciated the stance that the author takes (even referencing Carol Dweck) in the harm the praising children for things they ought to be able to do. I agree that it can teach a mindset of complacency and laziness, only doing the bare minimum to get by, when a child is praising for average completion of tasks other children do as well. I liked the idea of praising hard work, dedication, and eagerness to learn are qualities that set a child apart and when praised, will motivate one to work even harder.  I also liked the author's reference to Charlotte Mueller's interaction with a four-year-old boy who was drawing and she was simply present with him, listening and observing, while he painted. She commented on how much blue there was in the picture, rather than saying it was wonderful, and it spurred him to tell her about the inspiration for the painting being his grandmother's house. These type of interactions and feedback seem truly productive and inspiring, rather than complimenting people on things that everyone is expected to do. This article brought up really good points!

The final article that I read, Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset,  made several excellent points about the growth mindset and how it is encouraged by "being a mirror": reflecting exactly what is present instead of focusing on what could be there or what could be done to improve. Something that really sparked my eye was the idea of taking "myself", the critique, out of the statement because it often implies that the work was done to please the reader, viewer, or teacher. I often find myself mentioning things that I enjoyed or that I related to in comments, when in reality, I should never be mentioning myself in the feedback if it is truly about the work presented. While it is sometimes relevant to add "I loved it!" or "My favorite part was when...", my new goal for feedback this semester after reading this article is to entirely focus on the creator and the work presented and leave myself out of it for the most part. This really spoke to me and was an excellent read!

Tech Tip: Blog Profile

For this week's tech tip, I chose to remove the "About Me" portion from my blog because I couldn't think of a clever way to summarize myself into a few sentences and I didn't want to distract any viewers from the blog post options in the labels section. I think it looks cleaner on my blog page without me rambling about myself. :) Though, I love seeing what other people write on theirs (I'm just not quite as creative) and getting to know people a little bit better through their blogs!

Week 2 Storytelling: How Psyche Found Her Lost Love Cupid

There once was a beautiful princess- in fact, the most radiant in all the land- named Psyche who was married to the handsome god Cupid. However, Psyche did not know who her mysterious husband was because he was sworn by his mother to keep his identity a secret and thus visited her only in the pitch black night, always gone by morning. Cupid longed for Psyche to know who he was, but he could not disobey his mother Venus's divine orders for she did not approve of his marriage to the mortal princess Psyche. Psyche also yearned to know who her husband was, so one night, while he was asleep, she snatched a candle she had hidden under her bed and lit it with a match she had found.

Unbeknownst to Psyche, Venus had placed a spell on her son Cupid so that if Psyche ever discovered his true identity, the god Zephuros would send a mighty wind to snatch Cupid up and bring him back to her divine palace. While she loved her son very much and wanted him to be happy, she did not trust her mortal daughter-in-law, so she devised this spell in case her son were ever in danger. The second the light from the candle graced her husband's face, a fierce wind threw open the balcony doors to their room, untangled the sleeping Cupid from the sheets, and swept him into the sky. Psyche could hear Cupid crying out her name as he was taken from her and she knew she must follow him.

Without hesistation, she flung herself off the balcony and caught the tail of the mighty wind that had carried Cupid. As she passed through layers of clouds and saw the brilliant beautiful stars, Psyche was gently lowered from the stream of wind to a soft cloudlike surface. She looked around in amazement to realize that she stood at the gate to a divine neighborhood, beautifully lavish and fit for the gods and demigods. She knew that Venus must live here, for she was far too social to miss out on this type of neighborhood, and rushed through the gate in hopes of finding her dear Cupid.

 

(Royal Palace inspired by The Hall of Mirrors)

The first palace she approached was ornately decorated with beautiful flowerbeds, a small stream, and gold statues of legendary feats and fights of the gods. Psyche knocked on the enormous french doors of the mansion and was greeted by a young servant. She asked to speak to the god or goddess of the palace and was brought to the beautiful goddess whom she recognized as Juno draped in the finest silks and being fed a platter of grapes. Psyche fell to her knees and pleaded for assistance in finding her husband.

"Venus is a dear friend of mine, sweet princess, and I could not betray that friendship by helping the very woman she is simply trying to protect her son from. I am sorry. I cannot help you and I must ask you to be on your way," whispered Juno as she dismissed Psyche from her presence.

Discouraged, Psyche left the palace to repeat her request to the next god or goddess she met. After knocking at the next palace and being greeted by a servant, she was led to a royal chamber where the goddess Ceres was having her luscious locks of flowing hair braided into an elegant updo. Without even looking Psyche, Ceres briskly asked what she needed and why she was bothering her.

"Listen, child, Venus and I have been friends for many years and she would be extremely angry with me if she knew I was even speaking to you. She told me all about your relationship with Cupid and I must say that I agree with her. Now leave me so I can finish readying myself for a lunch party with Venus herself this afternoon," said Ceres after hearing Psyche's story and still arrogantly staring at herself in the mirror, never even bothering to look at Psyche as she was escorted outside.

Psyche sat on the sidewalk outside of Cere's palace and sobbed in dismay that no one would help he find her one true love. Then just when she thought she would never see him again, the goddess Aphrodite paused while on a stroll and asked why she was crying. Psyche, through many tears, explained her plight and requested the goddess's assistance.

"Oh honey, Venus has been driving me absolutely crazy for the last million years and I would love nothing more than to bother her in any way possible, especially if that means reuinting you with your one true love. Come with me. I'll sneak you into Venus's house through the back entrance and help you find Cupid!" Aphrodite excitedly offered while grabbing Psyche's hand and running to the most beautiful palace in the whole neighborhood.

Aphrodite led Psyche through the back gate, inside a back door, through a closet and secret hallway, finally approaching a bedroom. Aphrodite swiftly opened the door to reveal Cupid staring longingly out the window while his mother Venus tried to convince him to forget Psyche. Upon hearing the door fling open, Cupid cried out in joy and ran to his beloved wife, smothering her in hugs and kisses. As Venus screamed to the guards to take a laughing Aphrodite away, Cupid and Psyche saw their chance to escape the divine neighborhood and return home. They lived happily ever after and even moved to a new house so that Venus could never find them and interrupt their love story again.

(Cupid and Psyche reunited. Painted by Jean-Pierre Saint-Ours)

Author's Note:
For the most part, I followed the premise of the story when Psyche is searching for her Cupid and runs into Juno and Ceres. However, I thought it would be fun to create a heavenly neighborhood and explore the relationships between the other goddesses and Venus. It was fun to imagine her running around lost through a neighborhood of beautiful mansions. I also wanted to expand on the relationships of Juno, Ceres, and Venus and even added another character, Aphrodite, who didn't side with Venus after all. I thought this was funny that she would be the only one who did not want to help her, insteading helping Psyche. The final change I made was that Cupid was unwillingly whisked away by Venus, rather than him running away from her as in the original story. I wanted them to both be yearning for each other and to be reuinted so that there was a happy ending when they did.

 Bibliography: This story is based on Cupid and Psyche by Apulieus and translated by Tony Kline

Reading Notes: Cupid and Psyche, Part B

• Venus is absolutely furious with Cupid and scolds him for falling for the very girl she meant to punish. Her friends, Juno and Ceres, defend Cupid and tell her that he is not a child anymore and can make decisions for himself.
• I could add Mars, Cupid's stepfather, in as a character in the scene rather than simply a reference.
• I could also change the story so that Venus snatched Cupid away from Psyche and is holding him hostage to keep him from her. 
•  Psyche desperately searches for Cupid, knowing that Venus is on the hunt for her,  and encounters Juno and Ceres, each at their own palace. But she is turned away when asked for their help and refuge because of their friendship with Venus. 
• I imagine her approaching each palace as if they were lined up on a street in the heavenly neighborhood of gods and demigods, which would be fun to write. 
•  Venus enlists the help of her brother Mercury, the messenger god, to proclaim the pursuit and ransom for Psyche with the reward of seven kisses. Venus's mistress found Psyche and brought her forward as a hostage.
• Venus tortured and beat Psyche and assigned her several impossible tasks, including sorting a pile of lentils and wheat, obtaining golden wool, and a phial of freezing liquid from a swamp.
•  I could change the Eagle that helps Psyche complete the task to Cupid's best friend and pet, who knows that they are lovers being kept from each other.
•  Venus is helped by a turret through the traps of the underworld and the steps necessary to obtain Persepone's beauty in the jar. 
• Instead of a turret, there could be a kind old man (who had been a mentor to Cupid and knows who Psyche is) explain all of the traps and help Psyche.
• Cupid finally escapes and discovers Psyche, who opened the jar and fell asleep, but frees her and asks Jupiter for his support.
• I could change Jupiter from being a father figure to Cupid's absolute best friend growing up, who could also list many negative and awful things that Cupid has done or they have done together.
• There is an assembly of all the deities and Jupiter officially pronounces the wedding of Cupid and Psyche. She drinks the ambrosia and becomes immortal.
• I could change it so that Psyche is actually allergic to ambrosia, causing her to be unable to drink it and become immortal, so Cupid resigns himself to mortal life on earth.  

(Wedding Banquet of Cupid and Psyche by Rafaello)

 Bibliography: Cupid and Psyche by Apulieus and translated by Tony Kline

Reading Notes: Cupid and Psyche, Part A

Psyche:

• She was the most beautiful of the three daughters and people flocked to see her
• People began to say that she was the goddess Venus herself on earth as a mortal
• Venus was infuriated that people were worshiping Psyche instead of her 
• She was so perfect that men did not wish to marry her, only admiring from afar
• Could write about a terrible curse or spell that Venus casts on Psyche to punish her

Cupid:

• Venus's son who is wicked and with bow and torch in hand, ruins marriages and is shameful
• Venus asks him to punish her by causing her to passionately love an insignificant man 
• He brings Psyche to his palace, visiting her only at night to keep his identity a secret

Psyche's father sought out the oracle of Apollo and learned of the ritual and fatal marriage that would be Pysche's end. They left her on the precipice to die, but she was lifted by the wind and carried down the cliff where she stumbled upon a god or demigod's palace.

• Could change so that Psyche sneaked away from the ceremony (or even did die) and ran until she came upon the beautiful palace.

Her mysterious husband, who is actually Cupid, warns her not to see her sisters, but after she pleaded with him, he allowed her to visit them, but not to investigate who Cupid is. She seduces Cupid into bringing the sisters to the palace, but they were jealous when they see Psyche's new life.

•  I could expand on this idea of sisterly jealousy and even add influences of Cinderella with her two evil step-sisters. They could devise a scheme, possibly dressing up as Psyche and switching places.

Cupid warns her that she will bear a divine child if she speaks no word of Cupid, but her terrible sisters convinced her that Cupid was an evil beast and told her to kill him. But when she saw who it was, she woke him up, and he flew away. She fled to her sisters and when she told them what happened, they hurried to take her place in Cupid's palace but died trying.

 (Psyche discovering Cupid's identity by Giuseppe Maria Crespi)

Bibliography: Cupid and Psyche by Apulieus and translated by Tony Kline