Feedback Focus

"A New Secret Weapon - Planet Oven" by DocChewbacca

Everyone uses a timer to cook, right? I use a timer all the time, especially when I'm cooking... When I'm baking... definitely when I'm exercising.... When I'm bathing my son... When I'm winding him down for bedtime..... So, WHY WOULDN'T I USE A TIMER FOR SCHOOLWORK?! I have no idea. I've occasionally used a timer to force myself to read for chunks of an hour at a time, whenever I am struggling to get through some material, but I have never really used a timer when I've been writing things. However, soon we will be reading closely and giving feedback to our peers, so a timer seems like the perfect solution! My introduction to the Google "Set A Timer" is a game-changer for computer-related work!

Feedback Focus Techniques

1.) Reading Out Loud

        

       I read The Wax Crocodile out loud as a reading technique. I found that I was able to focus on some details better, but lost other details altogether. For instance, I assumed that the Pharaoh had created the Wax Crocodile, when in fact the scribe had done so. I found that my mind wandered as I was reading so slowly, and therefore I had to go back and check this fact to clarify. 

       Overall Take-Away: Somewhat helpful, somewhat distracting.

        *Note: "The Wax Crocodile" and an Egyptian tale taken as an excerpt from Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie. 

2.) Copy-And-Delete

      For this method, I read and re-wrote notes after each paragraph, deleting the paragraph I had just read after I had written a note about it. I chose "Chonguita" from Filipino Popular Tales by Dean S. Fansler. 

     I've added the notes that I took on the story. I found it to be incredibly effective in doing a close reading of the material, and a good exercise in general, however, I struggled with parsing the story down to just the essential details, as you can see below.

       Overall Take-Away: This method was more time consuming, but more effective.

      

Chonguita

Narrated by Pilar Ejercito, a Tagalog from Pagsanjan, Laguna. She heard the story from her aunt, who had heard it when she was still a little girl.

-Brothers Pedro, Diego & Juan must set out to find their fortunes in different directions, they agree to meet back up at a certain place in the forest

-Don Juan met an old man who gave him bread and told him to go to the palace, but he must divide the bread among the guard monkeys.

-The Big Monkey offered to marry his daughter, Chonguita, to Don Juan, because he knows Don Juan's purpose in coming to the palace. Married immediately.

-Don Juan needed to go meet his brothers, but was ashamed to take his monkey wife. His mother-in-law insisted that he take her.

-The brothers meet, and Don Pedro and Don Diego both have beautiful wives. Don Juan is ashamed to show his wife, and his brothers exclaim at the sight of her "Have you lost your head?!" "Let's go home to our father, he must be waiting!" says Don Juan. The brothers and their wives begin the journey. Chonguita walked by Don Juan.

-When the 3 brothers returned to their father's palace, the king fainted when he heard about a monkey wife for his youngest son. He determined to bear it, and gave each couple a house. However, he was disgraced, and asked each wife to embroider a coat within 3 days and the one who fails to do this will DIE.

-Chonguita's coat was the prettiest of all the coats, thwarting the father's death to kill her.

-All 3 wives must embroider a cap in 2 days, or they DIE. 

-All 3 wives must draw a picture on the chamber walls of their father-in-law,and the prettiest picture, her husband will be crowned successor king. 

-Chonguita's picture was prettiest = Don Juan crowned king.

-A Celebratory feast was held, and Chonguita wanted to dance with Don Juan. He was angry that she insisted to dance, and he hurled her against a wall. The hall became dark, but when it became light, Chonguita had been turned into a beautiful woman.

3.) Use A Timer

      I opened up a Google Timer (First Time using it!) and set it for 10 minutes. I then proceeded to read "Midterm Madness", a Portfolio Blog post by Savannah Jung.

     I found this quite difficult to stay focused for the entire length of time allotted, as I was already familiar with the original story that was being retold. I did enjoy the story-telling technique of modernizing the tale and setting it on OU's campus -- I might have to try that one out for myself sometime soon. With the additional time left over, I zoomed back in on the final paragraph where Sita abandons Rama, switches classes and finds a new study group, leaving Rama all alone to finish out the semester... alone with his distrust of everyone. On the first read-through, I found this paragraph to be a quick, easy way to finish out the story, but on the second-read through I actually found it to be quite in line with the original story of Sita leaving Rama alone in his kingdom, and so had a better appreciation for how true to the story the author stayed. 

       Overall Take-Away: I will use this technique again! 

      

Newly Created - Tech Tip: Google Website!

"The Kuran also looks good to me, my knowledge of the Gita Law,

Rain on Me A Lot, Maherbaniya,

For Allah (God) is Mine and Bhagvan (God), too, is mine."

Kabir quote translated into Hindi
from Anmol Vachan, via Manohar Vare

I created a website, and it was quite easy! This excites me greatly, as I am notorious for being technically challenged, so this Tech Tip is quick!

1. Log Into Google
2. Go to Google Sites
3. Name your website, pick a template, and Hit the Big Red Button that says "CREATE"
4. DONE!

This week I created a website about Visionary Poets from the Non-Western World. I am very interested in Rumi, Sufi, Kabir, Rabindranath Tagore and Surdas, so this is my Storybook Website dedicated to them. I shall be working on it all Fall! 

Visit my new website here ----> Kabir.Tagore.Surdas

Narayan Dreaming, Vishnu Awakening

Wengenn in Wonderland
by Queenie Liao
from boredpanda

And when Narayan had first come into being, he briefly looked around, and then he slept.

Like all brand new children, unused to their new environment, planet Earth, he began his wake/sleep cycles as any infant would: short bursts of awake time with somewhat longer stretches of sleeping time. Awake, sleep, awake, sleep, with no regard for regularity. 

Unlike other child deities, however, when Narayan slept, he was the god Narayan and the whole world ceased to be in existence when his eyes were closed. When he awoke, he was the god Vishnu, and the whole world started the cycle of life, and of being, anew again. So it was, that the whole world and the birth/rebirth cycle was dependent on the sleeping patterns of Narayan/Vishnu.

This was troublesome, for as young gods grow, their sleeping patterns change, as all young children's sleeping patterns do. For the first few thousand years of Narayan's life, most of the world was left in darkness and the lifespans of all other living creatures was frequently cut short. (It is why today we have barely any recollection of the dinosaurs and those prehistoric men that roamed with the woolly beasts.) But soon, Narayan entered the phase of his Terrible Two-Thousand's -- that great, dreadful time when deity children refuse naps, refuse to go to bed, and refuse to sleep. 

This upset the normal rhythm of the world, and her inhabitants, and Kings and other living creatures soon began to live for hundreds, sometimes even a thousand years, before Narayan would finally sleep and reset the world again. During these awake phases, the Kings were able to  build great cities, pyramids, and monuments,  one that is even remembered to this day: Babylon. It was through the long period of time where human beings could erect for themselves something of greatness to honor their abilities and show off their intellect. The other gods watched on lazily and without worry, as these humans attempted to reach the heavens with their greatness, for they knew that soon, Narayan would enter into his teenage years, and a great long sleep would come, shutting the world into darkness for a time. 

As sure as even today the night sky comes faithfully to give us rest, Narayan entered into his Teenage years and slumbered. He slept long, he slept heavy, and for seemingly impossible lengths of time Narayan continued to snooze on as his body grew and he adjusted into his adult form. The world, today, briefly remembers this time period as the Dark Ages, that time which was lost to us and collective knowledge slipped away. 

It was during one of these Teenage years' awake periods that Vishnu, in his awake form, became somewhat self aware, and thus, aware that the world's birth/rebirth cycles seemed to be in sync with his own sleep patterns. He sought ought his best friend, who was ever by his side, Brahma, to seek confirmation in the observation. "Yeah, man, like, everything on the Earth ceases to exist when you sleep, Man... It's a little weird. You're just now realizing this?" Brahma confirmed to his friend, incredulously. 

Vishnu, armed with this new information, began to regulate his sleeping and wake cycles, for he was close enough to adulthood that he was able to control these things. He cut out caffeine, worked out regularly, got massages at night to help him sleep (thanks to his beautiful masseuse, Lakshmi) and created for himself a routine of waking Vishnu and sleeping Narayan.

And so, in this modern day, we have regularly spaced lifespans, a general understanding of the flow and rhythm of time and the length of days allotted to each of us, and a limit to the time we are allotted to grow, and expand, and share our wealth of knowledge with each other. 

Vishnu and Lakshmi on Shesha Naga,
from Wikimedia Commons

Author's Note: I learned about this fact of Narayan while he was sleeping/ Vishnu while he was awake from 7 Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art by Devdutt Pattanaik via Video Book form on YouTube. (Which is a great series, by the way! The Video Book format really makes it more digestable.)This chapter and episode was called "Narayan's Secret."

In it, it spoke of the world ceasing to exist while Narayan slept, in which he was Narayan, and the world coming to life again when he awoke, in his Vishnu form. I simply overlayed this story to the story of the world, attempting to link up historical markers with wake/sleep cycles as patterns of sleep of a boy who is growing to his adult form. In the traditional image of Narayan, goddess Lakshmi, his consort, is usually rubbing a foot, he rests on a Shesha Naga, and attached to his navel like an umbilical chord is the god Brahma, who sits on a lotus tree. I incorporated these characters into my version of the story as well.

7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art, Reading Notes Chapter 1 / Part A EXTRA READING

7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art

by Devdutt Patanaik

Chapter 1 -- Ganesha's Secret

via Video Book on YouTube

The Divine Family Portrait

Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha and Kartikeya

via Wikimedia Commons

I have seen this classic Divine Family Portrait loads of times -- but it had never really clicked in my head exactly who they all were. This video broke down exactly the family relations, and dove into a bit about who each God or god is as a person.

~

This week I started reading 7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar, by Devdutt Patanaik via Video Book on YouTube -- a much appreciated format! While the Video Book is narrated slowly enough, it still feels like a deluge of information being thrown at you -- and then stirred around with rhetoric questions which challenge the notion that anything at all in this world can be concrete. 

For example, Shiva's sons Ganesha and Kartikeya are challenged as to who might be the better son and win a prized mango by traveling around the world 3 times the quickest. Kartikeya travels around the whole world, and so represent physical might, while Ganesha went around his parents 3 times, who are, to him, his entire world. He embodies intellect and cunning. In supporting his claim, Ganesha tells Kartikeya, 

   

"Myth is an idea churned in my world; mythology is the set of stories, symbols, and rituals that communicate a myth."

Shiva

Most interesting was learning about Shiva. "When Shiva shuts his eyes, the whole world ceases to be, which is why Shiva is called the destroyer, and is considered God." [there are lesser gods and goddesses, spelling in English with lower-case g]

Shiva did not want to be a husband or a father, but when he opened his eyes (and spirit), he married Parvati. Ganesha represents the union of two opposites, the desire of his mother to have a family (Parvati represents material aspiration), and his father, who does not (Shiva represents spiritual aspirations). Ganesha also represents a mortal body and an immortal head. 

 It is important to note that "Brahma is male, and excludes the female form. It is an incomplete form, and thus implies the existence and need of a female, but where is she?" "She is the formless knowledge that is being transmitted.... She is called Saraswati." 

No man can create anything without Woman, not even God. She is the creator of the Vedas, and Brahma merely communicates it. 

4 Heads of Brahma = 4 Expressions of the Veda = 4 Goals of Life:

1. Dharma -Righteous Conduct
2. Artha - Economic Activity 
3. Kama - Pleasurable Pursuits
4. Moksha - Spiritual Practices

Bahuchara Mata - goddess of the Hijras

Hijra is the third gender, hermaphrodites who live on the fringes of society. Bahuchara once turned a woman into a man, allowing her to be a husband to the woman who was given to her as a bride. 

I saw a lot of Hijras when I was in Mumbai, and they would offer blessings to you after begging change off of you. If you met a Hijra, but did not give them something, then they would curse you. They are considered auspicious, and it is lucky if a group of them (or even one) visits your wedding party. I was unaware who their goddess was, precisely, however, until this video. 

A Hijra in 1860's Eastern Bengal,
via Wikimedia Commons

Sita Sings The Blues, Reading Notes Part B

Rama, Sita, Brahma, Agni and Shiva
from Sita Sings The Blues
via Wikimedia Commons

Finishing the second half of the movie, Sita Sings The Blues by Nina Paley, (available for free on YouTube!), one can't help but finish out the movie smiling.

One of the very last images of the film is Lakshmi getting her feet rubbed by Vishnu, as Chandra, the Moon God looks on. Lakshmi gives a little wink, as if to say that women can have the upper hand, if not at least an equal hand. This confirms the way that Sita portrayed her ending, by getting revenge on Rama. She is forced to prove her purity to him again, "Ok," she says, "I'll prove my purity, again, Rama," and she asks Mother Earth to take her back into her womb through a hole in the ground. Her two twin boys and Rama, as well as all of the onlookers are left stunned at what has just happened. I believe that Rama truly did love her, and probably would have taken her back had she survived another purity test, however, Sita decided to end it for herself once and for all, proving her own agency at work even in this ancient story.

Here is a pictoral representation of how we expect the story to go versus the actual ending of one of the stories of the gods, the Ramayana, as told in Sita Sings The Blues.

Parvati rubbing Vishnu's feet, at the beginning of Sita Sings The Blues
From spontaneousderivation.com

VS

Lakshmi getting her feet rubbed by Vishnu, near the end of Sita Sings The Blues
From New-Savana Blog

How the gods were depicted was also of interest to the overall style of the movie, and I enjoyed getting to learn the different physical markers of each that indicated who they were intended to be.

Nina Paley is a creator that I aim to learn more about, as I will seek out and listen to some of her talks, follow her blog, and anticipate the next body of work that she produces. She wins loads of brownie points for allowing her work to be accessible free of copy right restriction, specifically from this college student who struggles to pay for all of the price tags now associated with a modern education.

Sita Sings The Blues Video Notes, Week 4 Reading Notes Part A

Sita Sings The Blues Trailer, via YouTube

This week, I watched Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley. A modern twist on the retelling of the Ramayana, it presented the story as "The Greatest Break Up of All Time." And, it certainly was. In the end: Sita, in her own demure way, gets her revenge.

Most intriguing in this movie were the narrators that popped in and out of the movie to help move the story along. I found it really interesting that instead of just one narrator, as we are usually accustomed to booming over the movie with no physical form, these narrators were three, creating an interesting dynamic in discussion when events were questioned. They were also given simple, black forms stylized to that of an Indian god. I enjoyed hearing their memory of the story as the learned it when they were presumably younger, and how they argued over different aspects of the story, including discussion of modern moralistic values applied to a historical tale:

Ravana giving Sita 2 months to decide to be his wife, from Wikimedia Commons

(paraphrasing) "Why don't we applaud Ravana more for not forcing himself sexually upon Sita? At any point he could have just had his way with her, but no, if she wouldn't come to him willingly, then he wouldn't force her to. As much as we shouldn't have to applaud people for not raping other people, there is something missing from not noticing that he didn't just rape her."

This really helped spark the thought of how to re-interpret ancient tales in a modern way, using a single question applied to one of the characters to create a whole new framework where a story could be born.

I was incredibly pleased to have seen this movie, as Nina Paley's modernization to the Ramayana sparked ideas for my own story crafting, ten-fold. She hearkened Singing Sita to Betty Boop, she likened Rama to Johnny Bravo, she included her own modern day struggles, the narrators were simply having a conversation with each other, and Sita became the star instead of Rama and Lakshmanan. It certainly was a worthy watch for the reminder of how many different ways a story can be told if we allow ourselves to explore our creativity.