Feedback Strategies: Praise

The two articles I read were Presence, Not Praise and The Difference Between Praise and Feedback. I think that both of the articles offered some interesting insight into the mindset of giving out praise. I have never really put much thought into the actual effects that giving praise to a child can have on their development. I thought it was interesting that both articles noted the debate over giving out praise. I think there is a happy medium in giving out praise and not giving out praise. For me, I enjoyed praise from my parents when I accomplished something important to me. However, I could see how constant praise could really dull a kid to the sensation of feeling appreciated. I think if you can balance praise and feedback as a parent, your kid will be better in the long run. I am confident, because of my upbringing, in giving people useful feedback. I know how to avoid sugar coating and overdoing praise. I can recommend the strategy of being open to other people's advice, but also sticking to what is most comfortable for you as a person. I think I would like to try the feedback strategy of Process Praise. I am not sure how I will be able to apply it consistently during this semester. However, I think it will be something that I look at in the future.

(A photo of a father reading with his two sons. Source: Wikipedia Commons)

Topic Research: Werewolves

This week I began doing some research about werewolves and the possible story lines that I can create. When looking at different sources, it seems that Wikipedia offers the most about the background and origin of werewolves. I want to have that solid origin foundation for my story. While I am going to create made up story lines, I want to avoid getting too ridiculous with my stories. I want to stay somewhat true to the regular nature of werewolves for accuracy. I also want to incorporate the stories I found at http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/werewolf.html#bartsch182.

The first storyline that I am interested in creating involves a man and his escape from a werewolf. I am drawing some inspiration from the old folklore and modern horror movies. I could also tell it in the style of “The Most Dangerous Game” book.

The second storyline that I want to create involves a high school student and his transformation into a werewolf. It would document the life of the student as he deals with the struggles of finding out how to balance his new second life. I am drawing some inspiration from the Michael J. Fox film. I think I would use the first person narrative style. Teen Wolf Wikipedia

The third story that I want to create draws inspiration from two different sources. The first source is a folktale from http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/werewolf.html#bartsch182. The story involves a woman in an impoverished area that always somehow has a plentiful supply of meat. I want to combine this with the classic tale of Robin Hood and create a story about a werewolf that provides for the impoverished in his village. I think this could be really unique and fun.

I am certainly open to any and all suggestions and feedback. I think there are multiple ways that I could take any of these stories. I am looking forward to modifying them and solidifying what kind of story I actually want to tell. It could be something serious, funny, or both. I think this topic will be fun to work on during the semester.

(A photo of a cartoon werewolf character. Source: Wikipedia Commons)

Week 3 Story: The Unfortunate Escape

The updated version of the story can be found in my portfolio. Link: Portfolio

We sat in misery trying to plan our escape. The giant yeti had been gone for some time. The cave reeked of half eaten corpses and my men were in a state of mental paralysis. The yeti had already eaten 6 of my men and only 4 of us remained. I had to figure a way out, and my options were limited. The only thing at our disposal was a giant ice shard that had fallen from the cave ceiling and almost taken out my leg in the process. I ordered my men to distract the yeti as he came back from his afternoon hunt. We dug, to the best of out abilities, a small hole in the ice to trip the yeti upon his return. My job was to plow the ice shard through his head with all of my strength. The hope was that it would mortally wound the yeti, or give us enough time to escape as he recovered. After the trap had been set and everyone was in position, we waited. The time went by agonizingly slow. We had no water, no food, and our bodies had been pushed to the limit. We had not slept in two days. We feared for our lives every waking moment that we were stuck inside the cave. My legs were dead weight, and I could barely muster the strength to walk. We heard the yeti approach the cave, and I muttered a prayer as a last attempt to save myself. As the yeti pushed back the stone to his entrance and stammered into the cave, we all braced ourselves. He stumbled upon the hole and fell to the ground. My men jumped on his back to try and hold him into place. I leaped into the air and rammed the shard into the back of his head. Success! Or so I had thought. The ice shard deflected off his rock hard skull and I fell to the ground. I watched as the yeti began to rip my men into shreds. He was in an enraged trance and my men were on the receiving end of his wrath. My men were gone. I seized the moment and ran towards the entrance of the cave. I made it a few steps outside of the cave and raced towards freedom. However, the yeti was too quick and took hold of my leg. He smashed me against the side of the cave and my body splattered against the rock. Now, here I sit inside the realm of Hades for eternity.

(A photo of Odysseus driving his stake into the eye of the cyclops. Source: Wikipedia Commons)

Author's Note: The story that I told was based on "The Cyclops Defeated" section of Homer's Odyssey. Homer's Odyssey is a story based on Greek mythology. It follows the adventure of Odysseus and his men as they make their way back home after the Trojan War. In "The Cyclops Defeated", Odysseus and some of his men are trapped inside the cave of the cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus had let his curiosity get the best of him as he wanted to explore and take the riches of the cyclops in the cave. Once the cyclops had found them out, he ate some of the men each day and trapped the rest like pigs for slaughter. Odysseus had devised a plan to escape. He got the cyclops drunk on his wine and struck the cyclops in they eye with a hot stake. He blinded the cyclops and was able to plot his escape within the coming days. Each day Polyphemus led his sheep to the fields and Odysseus saw this is an opportunity. Odysseus and his men tied themselves to the cyclops's sheep and escaped as Polyphemus could not see what they were doing. In my rendition of the story, I created a different scenario where the men do not escape. I thought it would be funny to change the ending and have the hero and his men unexpectedly perish inside the cave. I also changed the cyclops to a yeti because I wanted to create a different scenario with new characters.

Bibliography: Homer's Odyssey translated by Tony Kline. Source: UnTextbook

Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey, Part B

I read the second part of Homer's Odyssey and came away with a few new ideas for this week. I think that I want to focus my storytelling on events that took place during part A of the reading. However, I did note a few things that I liked about part B. The second part of the story introduced the elements of death, and I thought that was very interesting. I think the topic of death can always be a bit eerie and the story does a terrific job of keeping it grounded. There was a certain element of creepiness to it, but I thought it was pretty neat. The conversations with the dead were also informative. I really liked the dialogue that is exchanged. There is an element of foreshadowing that is being played here. This is something that I would like to incorporate into future writing. It has a very powerful effect on the reader's mind. The other thing that I noted was the incorporation of real emotions. Odysseus wept for his friend Agamemnon. It was a sad moment. I appreciated the realness of the moment, as we would all weep for those that we care for. I would like to somehow manage to incorporate these elements into my story tomorrow or in future stories. I still believe that I will focus on the earlier events during my retelling. However, I plan on making some interesting changes for the story.

(A statue of Hades and his Cerberus. Source: Wikipedia Commons)

Bibliography: Homer's Odyssey translated by Tony Kline.

Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey, Part A

I read Homer's Odyssey for this week. I am slightly familiar with this story from the past, but I wanted to read it again because I remember enjoying it very much. I love the way the story goes into descriptive detail from the start. The cyclops are pictured as mean and nasty people, and the writing provides great imagery. I was thinking that I could maybe change the cyclops to something more comical in my own retelling of the story. I love the fact that the imagery is constant throughout each section of the reading. There is never a time where I cannot close my eyes and imagine what the events taking place look like. I love the creativity that the story offers in tricking the cyclops. Odysseus is a very cunning man and a likable character. I think a hero that is very keen on outwitting his enemies is very entertaining. This provides another level of depth to the story, and it is something that I would like to emulate in the future. I have not been able to create something like this before, and I think that it would be really neat to use this story as a base for doing something similar. I really enjoyed the back and forth banter that the story utilizes. Odysseus and Polyphemus both exchange words meant to slight the other. Even after Odysseus escapes, he cannot refrain from keeping his words to himself and fleeing in peace. He antagonizes his captor. I would consider this to be a large character flaw. I like the fact that Odysseus is also grounded as a hero and not as someone who is flawless. It keeps the story more relatable in a sense. The story also provides lots of highs and lows and avoids having periods of dullness. I think this is a special feature and something that not many people are able to replicate. Overall, I would like to stick to the elements that I have discussed. I think there is a lot to work with.

(A statue of Odysseus from the 1st century. Source: Wikipedia Commons)

Bibliography: Homer's Odyssey translated by Tony Kline.