Week 9 Essay Option 3: Future of Written Media

Future of Written Media

 For this week's essay, I am going to write about the future of writing and my thoughts on what that future might look like.
      Personally, I am a bit more old school and I like reading things on paper.  While that might be destroying the rainforests or whatever, I cannot sit down and read something on a screen for a long period of time, it just doesn't feel right.  Of course, I am slightly biased because I have only used a tablet not really designed for specifically reading and I have never read anything at length on a Kindle or anything similar.  Also, it's not where my eyes hurt, I have spent many hours playing video games staring directly into a computer screen, I just think that paper is the perfect medium for reading.  The best comparison I could make would be comparing a steak grilled outside on a grill compared to inside on a George Foreman grill.  Both do the same job and the George Foreman grill is more efficient, but there is something about a steak cooked over flames.

 Stone Tablets.  Web Source:  New Scientist

   However, I cannot discredit the movement of written media from paper to screen.  Its just another step in the evolution of communication.  I could almost image someone griping about getting rid of oral tradition and writing things down on paper.  There are still oral stories, they didn't disappear with the times.  I believe that its just another way to read, communicate, learn, etc.  In fact, I believe that news is the one media source that will benefit the most from the addition of digital technology.  News spreads so much farther and quicker now that we have this form of communication, and we don't waste nearly as much paper since there is less need for daily papers.
   Lastly, I believe that the conversion of books to digital data is a necessary movement.  The amount of data, media, and literature humanity has been compiling in the past century is staggering.  While I can't remember the source, I remember hearing a factoid that human knowledge is exponentially growing at an insane pace.  Therefore, to stay relevant and informed, it is so much easier to carry a laptop that can access thousands of libraries of information just like that.  If I had to carry the equivalent amount of literature that a Kindle can hold in the form of books, it would be at least 12,000 lbs. based on an average hardcover book weight of two pounds.
    In conclusion, while I prefer to read on paper and I believe that many other people do, written media's transference to a digital platform is extremely convenient.  I believe that books will not be eliminated but instead they will be supplemented by digital writing.

Week 9 Reading Diary: Native American Hero Tales

Myth-Folkore Unit:  Native American Hero Tales

1. The Jealous Uncle-  I like how instead of addressing the problem that the uncle was a murderer and getting rid of him, they decide to let him continue being around. 

2. The Jealous Uncle (cont.)-  The story reminds me of one of the readings I did for the African section, where the baby continuously outwitted the mother and troll.  The child also reminds me a bit of Jesus in the gospels, when he comes back to find his disciples asleep.

3. The Jealous Uncle (end)-  A fitting conclusion to the story since the boy gave the uncle the same chance at life that he had.  I thought it was funny when he said he put on his eagle skin and hardened his eagle heart, for some reason the wording of that is amusing.

4. Bluejay and His Companions-  The name choices are a little confusing since usually animals are called by their name in the story but in this one men are named after animals. This is an interesting story because usually heroes are likeable characters but I do not like Bluejay at all.  I also find its funny that the other companion isn't name, almost like the token character that is killed off immediately at the beginning of a horror movie.

5. Bluejay and His Companions (cont.)-  Having taken a course that goes in depth over Native American traditions and culture, it is interesting to see different aspects of their culture, such as the sweat lodge, being used in this tale.

6. Dug-From-Ground- Why would the grandmother tell the granddaughter not to dig the root with two stalks?  From what I could tell Dug-From-Ground was very helpful.

7. Dug-From-Ground (cont.)- I've actually played shinny before and it is pretty fun, albeit it is definitely very tiring.

8. The Attack on the Giant Elk and the Great Eagle- This is a very interesting origin tale and reminds me more of something from Norse mythology than it does any Native American.

9. The Attack on the Giant Elk and the Great Eagle (cont.)- A very odd way to end the story, having bat lose all the feathers.  I kind of wished it concluded a bit better but it was definitely one of the most interesting origin stories I have heard.

Week 8: Reading Diary Self-Assessment

I definitely like how the reading diaries work in the context of this class.  While I have no experience with the previous set up of quizzes, the reading diary lets me work at my own pace and allows for me to choose what interests me.  The only downside I have seen to this setup is that while some stories work out really well for commenting on your reactions from reading the stories, it sometimes gets very monotonous for stories that may be short or have a repetitive scheme.  After reading a couple stories such as Sindbad or the ghosts section from the Odyssey, I had a difficult time responding.  I know you put that we didn't have to comment if we didn't get anything from the story, but it still was frustrating leaving sections blank or just saying "ditto to the previous chapters."

Generally, I don't use what I read for the diary for the main project in here, the storybook, so I don't feel like I've been required to go back and look at my reading diary.  The one difficulty I've had so far is having no cohesion between my storybooks and my reading diary.  I like how the reading diary weeks are divided into groups, but that makes it a tad bit difficult if my storybook is mainly used from later weeks.  For example, I've mainly used or are planning to use stories primarily from British and European units for my storybook.  Unfortunately, By the time the un-textbook reading module rolls around for those, the introduction, 1st, and second stories will have all been added to the storybook with the third story being due quickly after.  I understand the need for structure of the class but if you aren't doing something from those first couple weeks you have to do a lot of outside reading to find what you want.  So while Aesop and Classical storybooks might have plenty of time to do their submissions, people who might want to do stories about Native American tricksters or European knights have to not only read the week they are in but also go ahead and find stories for their storybook.  The only way I could think of doing that would be have those grouped together, but you pick which ones you do each week.  For example, for weeks 2-3, I might go ahead and do Europe if I plan on doing a storybook from there, then 3-4 do British Isles, then weeks 5-6 maybe change the pace with Middle East and Asia, etc.  Essentially have those six reading modules we have to do, but align it how we plan on doing our storybooks.  I understand this might not work since you have to grade things and it would be annoying and hectic to have to look at hundreds and thousands of entries at random.

Since there were a lot of questions that can be addressed in step three, I'll try to answer the ones that I feel are applicable to me sentence by sentence and not make a whole question and response paragraph.  In regards to the coming second half of the semester, my main goal is to try and read the stories over the previous weekend.  While it is definitely enjoyable reading, it takes up a decent portion of time and is hard to complete within a short amount of time.  I usually stick to the same routine when doing the diary posts; I read through a section and then write about what stood out or my overall thoughts about the section.  My diary posts vary, but I usually write much shorter responses if the story is part of a larger section that has "cont." or "end."  Those stories are usually divided into very small parts and its hard to write on something that has 800 words or less.  I try to choose stories that I've heard of but never read, or something that is similar to something I like.  For example, I chose Son Wu Kung a couple weeks ago because Dragon Ball was based on it.  Also, I chose The Odyssey because while I've heard some of the stories from it, I've never looked at it all in one sitting. 

Week 7 Famous Last Words

After a long and busy week with projects, essays, tests, and quizzes, I decided to do the famous last words project since I have a free evening.  This week, I felt like I wrote my best work in the storybook based on your (Laura's) comments and looking back it again on my first submission.  I'm glad I have a break from writing in the storybook though because I feel like anything I would write now would be from a tired, weary me.  The main thing I picked up from this week was that I need to be aware of my word choices in the entire scheme of my writing because I use words pretty repetitively. 

In other classes, I have been busier than a one-armed clothes hanger having two group projects, two exams, and a quiz all within this last week.  The one connection I have noticed between this class and my others is that for my class Wellness in Native Communities, we have to use an old story used by Native Americans for a specific food.  The readings I did in there reminded me a lot of how we read through different myths and folk tales for this class.

(Image Information: personal photo of Skippy excited to be home for the weekend;

photo from October 2014.)

Outside of school, I managed to finally go home for the weekend after a month or two.  It was good for me to go home and see my family because I normally see them all the time and this long spree of staying in Norman was wearing me out.  I went out and ate with my family and went to the casino with my dad.  My sister and I watched Saturday Night Live and caught up, albeit we did butt heads because she is greedy with the remote and won't let me watch anything.  For the most part however, I just lazed around the house, recuperating from the madness of last week. 

Week 7 Essay Option 3, Essay About Reading, Writing, Learning

For this week's essay, I decided to do the third option and write an essay that does not involve my weekly reading.  I did this because I only read half of the unit due to a exam I had Monday.  Specifically, I wanted to touch on the subject of the first memories of reading.

My grandma was a school librarian while she still worked so when I finally came around, she had a vast collection of books and stories for kids.  I used to love it when she would read The Bernstein Bears or any of the fantastic stories by Dr. Seuss.  She put so much emotion and life into her storytelling that my sister and I would be completely enthralled by her tales.  I remember specifically her telling a story called Wiley and the Hairy Man and she would read all of the characters in different voices.  My sister and I would be scared out of our wits when she would tell her that story.

I don't really remember when I learned how to read, but my parents attribute my playing video games to a lot of it.  I guess somewhere along the lines of reading the dialogue in Pokemon and Mario games I picked up reading.  When I took my foreign languages here at OU, I actually set Pokemon to German and played along to help solidify my reading skills.  I could still remember most of the dialogue from the countless hours that I played.

 

Professor Oak.  Web source: Pokemon

A big problem of mine however was I burned myself out of reading for a very long time.  In grade school and early middle school, Accelerated Reading was a big competition.  During those years, I would churn out book after book, reading anything that the library had.  At one point, I had literally read our entire school library and had to read little magazines to keep getting points.  As you could easily imagine, I had little desire to read after that and even now I disdain reading for extended periods of time.  I haven't quit reading; I am just very choosy in my selection and I have to be really drawn to read.

Week 7 Storytelling: Honey Do's

Once upon a time in suburban America, a man lived with his wife.  They had achieved the American dream and a two-story house with a white-picket fence.  One day, the man's wife became sick and wouldn't take any of the medicine which they had in their house.  He kept offering her pain pills, fever-reducing pills, and decongestant pills, but she kept refusing to take the medicine.  She kept getting sicker and sicker yet there was nothing the man could do.

"Well if you won't take anything we have here, what would you like?"  The man said trying every option he could.

"Um, go to Walgreens," she said, "and get me Motrin."  Off the husband went to the drug store to get the medicine which they inconveniently did not have at home.

When he returned with the Motrin, he brought it to his wife. 

Upon seeing the medicine, she said, "I can't take that, it's normal strength Motrin! I need maximum strength!"  The husband grabbed the receipt and medicine and went back to the drug store to exchange the pills.  When he came home he handed her the new pills.

"I can't take that, its Motrin maximum strength AM, I need Motrin maximum strength PM!" She said indignantly.  The man again grabbed the receipt and medicine then went back to the store.  Finally, after returning again, he gave her the pills she wanted and she eventually got better.

The next day however, the husband succumbed to the same illness that his wife had.

Medicine Aisle. Web source: Pollard Press

"Honey, I don't feel good, could you go get me a movie to watch?" He said in a raspy voice.  Off the wife went to the movie store to get him a movie.  When she returned, the husband was dismayed to see she had brought home a chick flick, "The Fault in Our Stars."

"You know I wouldn't like those types of movies, could you go get me something that is funny?" The husband said.  Off his wife went to find a funny movie.  When she returned, however, the husband realized much to his dismay that she brought home "Grown-Ups 2."

"Honey, you know that Adam Sandler movies are terrible anymore and he's just spewing them out for the money,"  the husband said in a sad tone, reflecting his broken soul which missed the days when Adam Sandler made genuinely funny movies.  "Could you just go rent "The LEGO Movie?"'

Off his wife went again to find the husband a movie.  However, foul luck befell the wife.  While inside the movie store, she forgot to lock her car door.  A serial killer was on the loose and decided the wife would be his next victim.  The killer hopped into the back of the unlocked car and waited for the wife.  After she returned to her car and began back home, the killer pulled out a gun and told the woman she was going to die.  Pleading, she asked the serial killer to spare her life and instead take her husband's.  After much consideration, the serial killer agreed and they continued back to the couple's house.  The husband greeted his wife expecting a surprisingly funny movie that all ages could enjoy with a well rounded cast; instead, he met with his own demise.

The End.

Author's Note:  Sorry about the terrible conclusion, but the story that I used, Motikatika, had a similar situation.  Motikatika is about an African couple where the wife gets sick and the husband goes and gets things for her to make her feel better.  After several outings where the husband doesn't bring the wife what she wants, he finally makes her feel better but in the process he becomes sick.  The same thing repeats where the wife goes out, however, on the last trip, my story diverges from the original.  The wife comes across an ogre and offers her magical baby to be eaten in exchange for her own life.  After the magician baby pulls several fast ones on the wife and ogre who attempt to catch him, the husband is eaten in the process and the story ends.  The frustration I felt after reading the original story will hopefully match your reaction at my terrible ending.  I omitted a version of the magical baby because I couldn't figure out how on earth to make a similar character for mine.

Bibliography:  The Crimson Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, 1903.

Week 7 Reading Diary: African Stories (Lang)

Unit: Africa (Lang)

1.  Motikatika:  This is a pretty ridiculous story, at first I was laughing since the husband copied what his wife did to him and had her keep getting more water, but then it took a weird turn when she came across the ogre and offered her own baby's life to spare hers.  I thought that was a crappy move but then the story took an even weirder turn when the baby was a magician.
2.  Motikatika (cont.):  The moral to this story is so weird.  Motikatika's father was the one eaten and the baby magician seemed to think the whole situation was the father's fault, not the mother's for this problem.
3.  Jackal and Spring:  I like how they chose animals that would easily be eaten by the jackal to guard the well.
4.  Adventures of a Jackal:  How long is leather supposed to dry?  I wouldn't blame panther for getting mad if Jackal told him to put them on right off the bat but a couple hours could mean 2 or more.
5.  Adventures of a Jackal (cont.):  Are jackals like lizards where their tail will come right off?
6.  Adventures of a Jackal (end):  These stories have the weirdest endings, I guess the Jackal had it coming but it was odd nonetheless.
7.  Adventures of Jackal's Eldest Son:  I wouldn't want to have a friend if I lived in these stories, they seem to get betrayed as much as a Game of Thrones character.
8.  Adventures of Jackal's Eldest Son (cont.):  These stories are getting comical.  They almost have a Looney Tunes feel to them.
9.  Adventures of Younger Son of Jackal:  This had a much more sensible conclusion to it, where one of the characters weren't crushed, eaten, or killed.  It also had a punishment more fitting of the crime as well, instead of the others.