Friday, October 31, 2014
Essay Week 11 Positive and Negative Assignment
Each week we have a reading assignment for this class and each week the entire class reads the same story. We post notes on our blog pages and then we follow it with a storytelling assignment. This week however, we were allowed to choose which story we wanted to read. This method of allowing the students to choose the story they wanted to read allowed for greater freedom, not just in exploring our interest, but in our storytelling ideas as well. This of course does present positive and negative issues in regards to the student and the assignment.
The positive of course is that this method does break up the monotony of the class. Each week because the entire class reads the same story there is little in the way of surprise and discovery when doing the storytelling response posts. This is because each student is basically rereading the story that they have just read. There are of course surprises in that each student has a different perspective on the story and that does come through in the storytelling posts, but still there is very little in the way of discovering something new about the story. This method is good because it allows each student to read a different story and then post a storytelling post based on that the new story. Which in turn allows another student to discover a new story and become interested in that new story.
One of the negatives about this assignment is the lack of direction due to the amount of options. The assignment page is like a buffet of topics, so simply choosing a story to read becomes an issue in itself. This may not seem like it could cause a problem, but when looking at the topics to choose from then opening the assignment link the student is then left with even more choices to choose from, so trying to simply narrow down what to read can be time consuming. Once this is figured out by the student then the issue becomes the length of each story. Because the stories are short, when it comes time to choose a topic for a storytelling post the student must narrow down their topic so that they can retell one of the stories. A student may enjoy having a set reading and storytelling topic and sometimes too much choice can be a bad thing.
Still the positives of this assignment do outweigh the negatives. Though the assignment does break from the format by allowing the student to choose the assignment topic, it also allows the reader to remain in the structure of the class by offering the option to do an assigned reading on the current class topic. By adding this element of choice, the class is injected with new creative subjects that work toward opening the other students up to different stories and possibly peaking there interests to literature outside of the class. So while there are possible negatives with this assignment, there are definite positives with this assignment that add to the strength of the class.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Story Telling Week 11
Sita and the Boy in Blue
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| http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/05.RamSitaGods.png |
Sita sat in the garden near the palace of Lanka when she smelled smoke. She looked up in horror to find that the beautiful cit was burning to the ground. She thought to herself "What could have caused this?" when suddenly a monkey named Hunaman appeared before her. "What have you done?"
"Your husband is here to save you my lady. He and his army is across the waters and soon he will be here to rescue you."
"OH NO!"
"Ok. That is not the response I expected from you Sita."
"Do I look like I need rescuing?"
"Well yes you do."
"Well No I don't. I am happy here. I have known Ravana for years. We went to highschool together and well look at him. All those heads and arms and muscles. I am not a prisoner."
"But my lady you are married to Rama?"
"Is that what he told you? Gosh he just won't listen. I was never with Rama. He is not my husband he is my stalker."
"Stalker?"
"Yes. He has been obsessed with me since he came to see my father. I have been trying to get away from him ever since. I went to the forest to live as a hermit and told him I needed some time to think. He turned down his crown and told everyone we were going into exile and followed me. I needed to escape and so I sent him after a golden deer and hit up Ravana on Facebook to come get me. When Ravana showed up we left."
"But my lady, then why did you leave a trail of jewelry to lead us to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well you threw this ring down to me."
"Yes I threw it. I was getting rid of it. Why would I want to wear that ugly wedding ring."
"What should I tell my master Rama?"
"Tell him that if every man in the world was gone and he was the last man on earth I would choose to be single rather than be with him. Now be off and do not return."
Hunaman returned to Rama and told him what Sita had said and Rama responded by saying, "Oh pay her no mind little monkey, she is playing what we rich folk call 'Playing Hard to Get'. Let's go forward with the plans to rescue my love."
Hunaman began to realize that this was more of a kidnapping rather than a rescue but still did as his master ordered. The battle of Lanka began. It raged on for quite a while, like for eight pages. Which in those days meant like twenty thousand years or something like that, and when it was over Rama went to Sita.
"I am here my love."
"You again. Come on man take a hint. I am not into you."
"You are so funny. That is one of the things I love about you Sita is that you have a really great sense of humor."
"You are crazy Rama. You burned this city to the ground. Killed everyone in it. Why?"
"Because I had to save you."
"I didn't need to be saved. Look we can't ever be together. I am with child"
"A magical baby! My Sita the pure carries my child. This is wonderful news."
"Yeah.......it's a magical baby alright. I spent the last year here with Ravana and now I am pregnant and oh wow it is a miracle....Yep that is what it is...because he never touched me." She couldn't help but laugh under her breath.
"I bet the child will have my eyes. We should call for a celebration."
"Yeah it will most certainly have your eyes. Look you are not hearing what I am telling you. You are a great guy. I mean who wouldn't want a man that constantly doesn't listen to her and makes her live in poverty and slaughters countless people in her name, but at this point in my life I need to focus on me. It's just that I am
not in a good place to be in a relationship. It is not you. It is me."
"You are perfect."
Frustrated by Rama Sita jumped into the fire. Unfortunately it began to rain and she was unharmed. She screamed in frustration. Rama took this as a sign of her proving her purity to him and took her back to his kingdom. When they got there Sita wrote Rama a Dear John letter and left it for him. After reading the letter Rama gathered his people together to tell them the news.
"So guys our queen is gone. I told her,'hey babe you're great and all but you are smothering me. I need some me time. It is not you it is me.' so I dumped that chick guys. I am rolling solo. Just me the king. Single. You know what I am saying. No ball and chain to hold me back. I am going to be at the bar tonight tossin back shots and mingling with the ladies if you know what I mean."
Because Rama was the king, Hunaman and others let him save face with his lie.
Author's Notes
I have always felt like Rama treated Sita like a piece of property, or like he was just some rich entitled spoiled prince. I wanted to change this story and make a story about "What if Rama was a creepy dude that couldn't take no for an answer." All the details of the story are there but I changed the perspective of the characters. I thought of this after watching Sita Sings the Blues
Bibliography
Sita sings the Blues/ Youtube/ Nina Paley
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Reading Diary: Sita Sings the Blues Part B Week 11
There is one of the Characters that commends Ravana for not touching Sita
Still even though he would not force himself on Sita he is looked at as being evil
Rama denies Sita
Monkeys standing on the heads of Ravana
I don’t recognize the gods in the animation
I think they are supposed to represent Sita praying to the gods in the trial by fire
The husband is again ignoring his wife she is headed to New York
I guess this could be a play on the exile of Sita
The return of Rama and Sita from Lanka at the end of the 14 years
Everyone is walking in the rain except Rama I think this is playing on how silly Rama actually is as a character
Looking at it from this movie’s point of view I can totally see Rama as a spoiled entitled brat
Old time movie intermission
Intermission is over this animation is humerous
Back to the States
Ok dave is telling Nina not to come back in an email now I know this the story of Rama and Sita
The animation and music has changed I think it is Sita dancing in the fire
Ok this song is the song of Sita in exile from Rama
They are making fun of how Sita got pregnant
Shows man beating a woman and saying that he is not like Rama
One of the characters thinks that Rama doubts that Sita is pure and that is a possibility to why he banished her
If that was true then it would raise all kind of other questions
This could be a Disney movie
Dave and Nina are back together?
It was just a dream
The cold outside and the inside of the apartment mirror the circumstances of Sita’s exile
All the animals seem to be in love while Sita is sad and crying and alone
The colors of the animation go along with the song title because they are blue
Sita have twins in the forest
The sons are taught songs of praise by Lanki
Nina calls Dave
The characters discuss the silliness of unconditional love because Sita is somewhat abused and should not be praying and begging for Rama back
Nina is reading the Ramayana
The movie ends
Still even though he would not force himself on Sita he is looked at as being evil
Rama denies Sita
Monkeys standing on the heads of Ravana
I don’t recognize the gods in the animation
I think they are supposed to represent Sita praying to the gods in the trial by fire
The husband is again ignoring his wife she is headed to New York
I guess this could be a play on the exile of Sita
The return of Rama and Sita from Lanka at the end of the 14 years
Everyone is walking in the rain except Rama I think this is playing on how silly Rama actually is as a character
Looking at it from this movie’s point of view I can totally see Rama as a spoiled entitled brat
Old time movie intermission
Intermission is over this animation is humerous
Back to the States
Ok dave is telling Nina not to come back in an email now I know this the story of Rama and Sita
The animation and music has changed I think it is Sita dancing in the fire
Ok this song is the song of Sita in exile from Rama
They are making fun of how Sita got pregnant
Shows man beating a woman and saying that he is not like Rama
One of the characters thinks that Rama doubts that Sita is pure and that is a possibility to why he banished her
If that was true then it would raise all kind of other questions
This could be a Disney movie
Dave and Nina are back together?
It was just a dream
The cold outside and the inside of the apartment mirror the circumstances of Sita’s exile
All the animals seem to be in love while Sita is sad and crying and alone
The colors of the animation go along with the song title because they are blue
Sita have twins in the forest
The sons are taught songs of praise by Lanki
Nina calls Dave
The characters discuss the silliness of unconditional love because Sita is somewhat abused and should not be praying and begging for Rama back
Nina is reading the Ramayana
The movie ends
Reading Diary: Sita Sings the Blues Part A Week 11
The animation is simple but it works
The music seems extremely old
Title screen is a bit cheesy
Based on Valmiki’s Ramayana
Images of the god’s and there is rama on the bed of milk and serpents
Ok so these are all the gods and the characters from the story
Ok the mucis is much better now
SanFransico scene
Not sure what this has to do with the Ramayana
Three god figures discussing the Rama
Ayodhya
The characters compare the story to the bible as it being true
Laxman is Lakshmana????
Discussing the different names of sita
Explaining the story of Rama’s exile
This is a humerous approach
Animation of Rama being crowned
This seems like a very accurate albeit loose retelling of the Ramayana
Ok this is funny because they are telling the Ramayana but finding a way to incorporate the different versions that have been told over time. You know how each story puts it’s own spin on it.
Back to this old song
Ok they have taken a song and found a way to use it to tell the story of Sita following Rama into exile… So creative
Not sure what the Eyeball bats represent
Oh it is the story of Rama killing the rakshasa army in the forest
This is funny she is just singing and this plays out like a romantic dance
Ok the man is leaving for India
The story of Ravana
So Ravana is not evil but actually devoted to Shiva
He is a good king
Kink of sri lanka
Nasa images of the bridges
The movie is making fun of the lotus and how it is so big in the culture
Who is all this music from?
Using the song to confess Sita’s love and Loyalty to Rama
The background music fits well with the capturing of Sita by Ravana
They are kind of making fun of the fact that Sita left for exile without any jewelry and yet she is able to drop some for Rama to find her
The hunaman origin
Ok hunaman is incarnation of shiva….
How many incarnations of Shiva are in this story
Back to the couple in San Francisco
I think this is poking fun at the relationship between Rama and Sita and how they are never really together
Sita in Lanka
Surprised faced Ravana
This animation is so simple and cheesy yet it fits in with the story so perfectly
This song is being used to display sita missing Rama in Lanka and the animation works perfectly to tell the story
Hunaman is burning down Lanka
The characters poke fun at how easy it would have been to leave Lanka with Hanuman
Blood thirsty woman lol
The explanation of the difference between actual monkeys and the monkey army is good
Now the army is marching to Lanka the animation shows them walking on water and Rama knocking on the door
Where is this music from because it fits so perfectly with the sory
Old time batman tv series and comic book animation
Ravana’s heads flying over Sita as she sings
The couple reuniting is much like the reuniting of Rama and Sita
It’s cold and he wont come near her like Rama did to Sita
The music seems extremely old
Title screen is a bit cheesy
Based on Valmiki’s Ramayana
Images of the god’s and there is rama on the bed of milk and serpents
Ok so these are all the gods and the characters from the story
Ok the mucis is much better now
SanFransico scene
Not sure what this has to do with the Ramayana
Three god figures discussing the Rama
Ayodhya
The characters compare the story to the bible as it being true
Laxman is Lakshmana????
Discussing the different names of sita
Explaining the story of Rama’s exile
This is a humerous approach
Animation of Rama being crowned
This seems like a very accurate albeit loose retelling of the Ramayana
Ok this is funny because they are telling the Ramayana but finding a way to incorporate the different versions that have been told over time. You know how each story puts it’s own spin on it.
Back to this old song
Ok they have taken a song and found a way to use it to tell the story of Sita following Rama into exile… So creative
Not sure what the Eyeball bats represent
Oh it is the story of Rama killing the rakshasa army in the forest
This is funny she is just singing and this plays out like a romantic dance
Ok the man is leaving for India
The story of Ravana
So Ravana is not evil but actually devoted to Shiva
He is a good king
Kink of sri lanka
Nasa images of the bridges
The movie is making fun of the lotus and how it is so big in the culture
Who is all this music from?
Using the song to confess Sita’s love and Loyalty to Rama
The background music fits well with the capturing of Sita by Ravana
They are kind of making fun of the fact that Sita left for exile without any jewelry and yet she is able to drop some for Rama to find her
The hunaman origin
Ok hunaman is incarnation of shiva….
How many incarnations of Shiva are in this story
Back to the couple in San Francisco
I think this is poking fun at the relationship between Rama and Sita and how they are never really together
Sita in Lanka
Surprised faced Ravana
This animation is so simple and cheesy yet it fits in with the story so perfectly
This song is being used to display sita missing Rama in Lanka and the animation works perfectly to tell the story
Hunaman is burning down Lanka
The characters poke fun at how easy it would have been to leave Lanka with Hanuman
Blood thirsty woman lol
The explanation of the difference between actual monkeys and the monkey army is good
Now the army is marching to Lanka the animation shows them walking on water and Rama knocking on the door
Where is this music from because it fits so perfectly with the sory
Old time batman tv series and comic book animation
Ravana’s heads flying over Sita as she sings
The couple reuniting is much like the reuniting of Rama and Sita
It’s cold and he wont come near her like Rama did to Sita
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Story Telling Week 10
The King, The Stable Boy, and Petrarch
“Woman you make no sense with your request. Tell me to conquer a city and I will, demand a throne and it is yours, request to have me sail the oceans to bring you the finest of silks and I shall harness the winds. This I can do, but what you request is impossible.” the king said.
“Yes my lady. Far be it from a simple man as myself to disagree with you but our dear king does make a good point.”
“I do not sit outside your window requesting your love, nor do I request your conditions upon which I can win your love, neither do I when receiving those conditions request new conditions.” the lady replied.
“But my lady….” the king said.
“Do not stand out side my window in an improper manner and say “My lady” and expect me to simply buckle at the knees like some lustful prize whose hand can be won by some simple currency because that would make me no higher than a common unfortunate. Is that what you would have me be?”
“I would not!”
“Nor I, my lady.” Said the stable boy.
“Then you asked for my heart and those are my demands. Should I ask you to enslave the moon and the sun then you should do it and think it a worthy trade should you not?”
“I should my lady.”
“As should I.”
“Then it is settled. No be gone from my window and do not return until you are able to pay my dower.”
The two men left befuddled. Love is a complex equalizer of men. A king has no more a greater understanding than the poorest of men. Equally confused the two men decided to seek the help of an expert in the matters of winning a woman’s heart.
They traveled day and night for a month until they arrived at the home of the poet Petrarch. In his quarters they found him asleep and when he woke up he saw the popper. The king afraid the stable boy would gain the knowledge of how win the woman’s heart first spoke up.
“Now I am a king and I was here first and being a king it is your duty to offer me the courtesy of receiving me and my request first!”
To this the poet replied, “Ah yes you are a king but we are not in your kingdom and in my house are equal to kings. I am unaware of who was here first but I did see this man first so I will talk to him first. Please good sir what do you require of me?”
The stable boy explain his desire to win the heart of this woman to the poet. When he was done the poet sat in silence for a moment and said, “I will help you both. To one of you I will give you this book of all my poetry to read to her so that you may win her heart. Inside of it is every poem I have ever spoken to win a woman. To the other I will not give you any of my poetry but instead I will teach you how to write poetry. I will leave the choice up to you poor stable boy since you were here first.”
Without hesitation the stable boy said that he would not take the book but instead learn how to write poetry. This made the king happy because what good would writing one poem be against hundreds of poems. He thought he was sure to win and took the book and headed home. On his way out the door the king said, “I shall wait one month for you and then we will go to her window and see who wins her heart.” Then the king left.
After one month had passed the two men met outside her window. The woman looked down on them and said “Tonight one of you shall leave with your heart, and the other shall leave with my heart.”
The king looked up at her and began to read poems from the book. He read poem after poem to her until all the poems in the book had been read. She sat at her window unmoved by his words. Then the stable boy looked up to her and began to speak. With each word she became more captivated. She began to blush and smile and when he was done she tossed him down a rose.
Angered by this he asked the woman, “How could you choose him. I have read you countless poems written for countless women to win countless hearts and yet you choose this stable boys words over mine.”
“Yes king I do choose this stable boy to give my heat to because he wrote one poem meant to win one woman’s heart,” and with this the king stormed off. “You good sir what is your name?”
“Westley, my lady.”
“Come up to my chambers.”
“As you wish my buttercup.”
Author's Notes
At first read this may seem like it did not have anything to do with the Mahabharata but it does. This is my twist on the scene when Duryodhana and Arjuna went to see Krishna. The king in this story is Duryodhana, the stable boy is Arjuna, Petrarch is Krishna, and the woman is the kingdom they both want. I put this twist on it to make it a little more fun, and though it seems completely different it is still in keeping with the spirit of the scene in the book. Plus anytime you can get a Princess Bride story into the class the better I say lol. Enjoy.
Picture Attribution
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
Reading Diary Part B Week 10
Yudhistira begins to regret having to goto war and knows he will win
He wishes he was not born in a castle
Krishna offers to goto the kings court and try to work out something peaceful
Bhima tells him not to provoke them
Krishna laughs at him
Others in the family scream for war though and Draupadi says they should all die also
Dhritarashatra is excited to hear that Krishna is coming
He readys gifts for his arrival
Vidura says that Krishna deserves all the gifts but says that the gifts will not win his favor instead the king should give him what he wants
Duryodhana says they should keep Krishna as their prisoner
Duryodhana offers Krishna dinner and Krishna refuses
In court Duryodhana says he has done nothing wrong and that Yudhistira is to blame for losing the bet
He storms out of the court
Duryodhana makes plans to seize Krishna in the court
Krishna says it is ok if they try to take him by force he will allow them to try
Krishna tries to get Karna to give up his support for Duryodhana but Karna stays loyal even though he knows they will lose
Krishna returns to Yudhistira and reports that no compromise could be made
Before the battle Duryodhana sees bad omens
Earthquakes, jackals howel, and meteors fall
Arjuna tells Krishna that he can not fight in this war
Krishna tells him to pay no mind to the enemy they do not deserve his sorrow
Krishna shows Arjuna his true form and Arjuna is no longer worried about killing his kinsmen
Yudhistira goes across the battlefield to honor Drona and Bhishma
Arjuna attacks Bhisma
Drona almost kills Dhrishtadyumnna but Bhima saves him
Krishna jumps off Arjuna’s chariot and says he will kill Bhishma because Arjuna will not do it
Arjuna reminds him of his promise not to fight
Arjuna kills Bhishma
Duryodhana decides to capture Yudhistira in order to end the war
Arjuna’s son is killed
Karna kills Ghatotkacha with a spear given to him by Indra
Drona is killing a lot of the enemy so Krishna suggests that they tell him his son is dead to dishearten him
Everyone refuses to lie to Drona
Finally Yudhistira agrees to lie to Drona
Upon hearing this Drona loses the will to fight
He takes off his armor and sits down
Dhrishtadyumna take advantage and kills Drona
Arjuna kills Karna
Yudhistira kills Sayla
Bhima defeats Duryodhana in single combat and crushes his thigh then dances on his body
Gandhari curses Krishna
Yudhistira feels sad about his victory
An explanation as to why Karna died it given
Bhima chastises Yudhistira for not wanting to be king
Krishna tells Yudhistira to stop whinning basically
Yudhistira lights a fire and declares that Dhritarashtra is still the king and that if the people want to honor him they will follow the king and all his commands
He wishes he was not born in a castle
Krishna offers to goto the kings court and try to work out something peaceful
Bhima tells him not to provoke them
Krishna laughs at him
Others in the family scream for war though and Draupadi says they should all die also
Dhritarashatra is excited to hear that Krishna is coming
He readys gifts for his arrival
Vidura says that Krishna deserves all the gifts but says that the gifts will not win his favor instead the king should give him what he wants
Duryodhana says they should keep Krishna as their prisoner
Duryodhana offers Krishna dinner and Krishna refuses
In court Duryodhana says he has done nothing wrong and that Yudhistira is to blame for losing the bet
He storms out of the court
Duryodhana makes plans to seize Krishna in the court
Krishna says it is ok if they try to take him by force he will allow them to try
Krishna tries to get Karna to give up his support for Duryodhana but Karna stays loyal even though he knows they will lose
Krishna returns to Yudhistira and reports that no compromise could be made
Before the battle Duryodhana sees bad omens
Earthquakes, jackals howel, and meteors fall
Arjuna tells Krishna that he can not fight in this war
Krishna tells him to pay no mind to the enemy they do not deserve his sorrow
Krishna shows Arjuna his true form and Arjuna is no longer worried about killing his kinsmen
Yudhistira goes across the battlefield to honor Drona and Bhishma
Arjuna attacks Bhisma
Drona almost kills Dhrishtadyumnna but Bhima saves him
Krishna jumps off Arjuna’s chariot and says he will kill Bhishma because Arjuna will not do it
Arjuna reminds him of his promise not to fight
Arjuna kills Bhishma
Duryodhana decides to capture Yudhistira in order to end the war
Arjuna’s son is killed
Karna kills Ghatotkacha with a spear given to him by Indra
Drona is killing a lot of the enemy so Krishna suggests that they tell him his son is dead to dishearten him
Everyone refuses to lie to Drona
Finally Yudhistira agrees to lie to Drona
Upon hearing this Drona loses the will to fight
He takes off his armor and sits down
Dhrishtadyumna take advantage and kills Drona
Arjuna kills Karna
Yudhistira kills Sayla
Bhima defeats Duryodhana in single combat and crushes his thigh then dances on his body
Gandhari curses Krishna
Yudhistira feels sad about his victory
An explanation as to why Karna died it given
Bhima chastises Yudhistira for not wanting to be king
Krishna tells Yudhistira to stop whinning basically
Yudhistira lights a fire and declares that Dhritarashtra is still the king and that if the people want to honor him they will follow the king and all his commands
Reading Diary Part A Week 10
Duryohana goes to make camp next to the Kamyaka in hopes of making his cousins jealous
When they don’t show up to his camp he sends a messanger to find them and have them come to his camp
The messenger is denied access to his cousins
A huge battle breaks out and Duryohana is captured
Yudhistara sends Bhima and Arjuna to save Duryohana
After Bhima and Arjuna rescure Duryohana he thanks them and leaves for home
He has learned a lesson
The pandavas are lured into the forest and to a pond by a deer
A crane will not let them drink the water until they answer questions
Nakula drinks without answering a question and falls dead or so it appears
Sahadeva did the same thing
Ajuna shoots arrows at the crane then drinks and falls dead
Bhima also fell dead
The crane is a Yashka andYuhistara has to answer a bunch of questions
At the end of the questions Yudhistara is told to choose which brother to revive and he chooses Nakula
The Yashka revives all his brothers
The Yashka was really Yama
Yama gives Yuhistara the power to go anywhere without being recognized
Their 12 yrs are up and then all decide to get jobs in the kings palace
Duryodhana sent his spies to find out where the pandavas were and they were unable to find them
Duryodhana learns of Kichaka’s death and begins to make plans to invade Virats’s kingdom
Virata is captured and Bhima saves him
Ajurna and Drona fight
Ajurna corners Duryodhana
Three days after the battle was over Vitara saw the padavas as who they really were
A Wedding takes place
Krishna is at the wedding
Krishna announces that it is time for Yudhistara to regain his kingdom
He tells everyone to think about what to do
A debate begins about whether or not to take back the kingdom peacefully or through war
Krishna says one more time to try to get the kingdom back peacefully but if that is not possible then call him and he will support war
Duryodhana becomes aware of all this through spies
Duryodhana goes to Krishna
Arjuna also goes to Krishna
Krishna says that one of them will get an army of one million men and the other will get him
Krishna will not fight but stand at the side of the man who chooses him
Arjuna chooses Krishna and Duryodhana gets the million men
Duryodhana gets Salya to lead his army
Yudhistara gets Salaya to utter discouraging words to Karna
The priest tells the court that the Pandava’s are not wanting war they just want their share of the kingdom
Though they take this as a threat they send Sanjaya with a message
Sanjaya says that they also want peace
Yudhistara agrees to peace if Duryodhana will return his land
Sanjaya suggests a compromise
Yudhistara says he will take five villages instead of half the kingdom
Dhritarashtra seeks the advice of Vidura upon hearing what Sanjaya had to say
Dhritarashtra wants to concede to the demands of Yudhistara but his son’s convince him otherwise
When they don’t show up to his camp he sends a messanger to find them and have them come to his camp
The messenger is denied access to his cousins
A huge battle breaks out and Duryohana is captured
Yudhistara sends Bhima and Arjuna to save Duryohana
After Bhima and Arjuna rescure Duryohana he thanks them and leaves for home
He has learned a lesson
The pandavas are lured into the forest and to a pond by a deer
A crane will not let them drink the water until they answer questions
Nakula drinks without answering a question and falls dead or so it appears
Sahadeva did the same thing
Ajuna shoots arrows at the crane then drinks and falls dead
Bhima also fell dead
The crane is a Yashka andYuhistara has to answer a bunch of questions
At the end of the questions Yudhistara is told to choose which brother to revive and he chooses Nakula
The Yashka revives all his brothers
The Yashka was really Yama
Yama gives Yuhistara the power to go anywhere without being recognized
Their 12 yrs are up and then all decide to get jobs in the kings palace
Duryodhana sent his spies to find out where the pandavas were and they were unable to find them
Duryodhana learns of Kichaka’s death and begins to make plans to invade Virats’s kingdom
Virata is captured and Bhima saves him
Ajurna and Drona fight
Ajurna corners Duryodhana
Three days after the battle was over Vitara saw the padavas as who they really were
A Wedding takes place
Krishna is at the wedding
Krishna announces that it is time for Yudhistara to regain his kingdom
He tells everyone to think about what to do
A debate begins about whether or not to take back the kingdom peacefully or through war
Krishna says one more time to try to get the kingdom back peacefully but if that is not possible then call him and he will support war
Duryodhana becomes aware of all this through spies
Duryodhana goes to Krishna
Arjuna also goes to Krishna
Krishna says that one of them will get an army of one million men and the other will get him
Krishna will not fight but stand at the side of the man who chooses him
Arjuna chooses Krishna and Duryodhana gets the million men
Duryodhana gets Salya to lead his army
Yudhistara gets Salaya to utter discouraging words to Karna
The priest tells the court that the Pandava’s are not wanting war they just want their share of the kingdom
Though they take this as a threat they send Sanjaya with a message
Sanjaya says that they also want peace
Yudhistara agrees to peace if Duryodhana will return his land
Sanjaya suggests a compromise
Yudhistara says he will take five villages instead of half the kingdom
Dhritarashtra seeks the advice of Vidura upon hearing what Sanjaya had to say
Dhritarashtra wants to concede to the demands of Yudhistara but his son’s convince him otherwise
Monday, October 20, 2014
Famous Last Words Week 9
Answering the Phone
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| "Friendship love and truth". Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Friendship_love_and_truth.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Friendship_love_and_truth.jpg |
I really don't have much in common with people my age. I am 38, I am a server, I've never been married and I am a college student. Before you say "Plenty of older people are college students" please understand most of those people work there and I have literally been the oldest person in all of my classes since I started attending OU. Not to mention that I am in the English department and I am a man so I am a pretty small percentage of the pie.
Most of the friends I used to have are drug dealers, alcoholics, prisoners, or married people with careers so I really don't have any friends my own age that I have anything in common.I looked at my Facebook page and thought to myself "I literally haven't seen or talked to any of these people in years" I actually deactivated it. It just seemed so impersonal by nature. The only people I do have anything in common with are my professors and fellow students which presents itself with all kinds of issues.
The professors and I share our age and love of Literature, but they are my mentors so by nature a friendship with them is a bit inappropriate. The male students and I have a barrier because of age. And the female students, well that is a crazy issue in itself. No one wants to look like the "Creepy Old Dude." Even though everything is completely honorable the appearance is inappropriate, so it's not a good look and best to be avoided.
Now don't get me wrong. I love my life. I really do, I have an amazing son and though I am a 38 year old college student I have had a ton of fun along the way. All I am saying is that the hardest part for me about going to college is the social issue. I hunger for friendship. I am a social person, I love meeting people and going to dinner with friends. I love chatting with em on the phone throughout the day, and I love having fun. So this college experience for me has been something that I would not change, but with all the stress that we as students face with grades, one thing we may not ever look at is the friendship aspect of it.
Life truly is about sacrifice. It is amazing how many people I have had to leave in my past so that I can have a future. Right now I am in this kind of Friendship Limbo. Though I would love to make friends with people and begin to build real meaningful bonds that will last the rest of my life, it is one more thing that I have had to put on hold until I graduate from law school.
If I could pass along one piece of advice it would be to answer the phone. Life is hard enough without having people there to share in the misery of failure, the frustration of the struggle, and the elation of success. People will disappoint you, trust me I have made one friend at college, though I have had a few temporary friendships, but you can't allow the let down keep you from putting yourself out there with people. A connection to one another is required to get through all this craziness. As I said earlier, life is about sacrifice but you should never sacrifice the bonds that connect us to this life, so when one of those connections call, answer the phone.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Story Telling Week 9
Candy From a Baby
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| By Gaz at en.wikipedia (Transferred from en.wikipedia) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons |
John and his brother Ralph were always competitive with one another. When they were younger they would compete for girls, grade, and athletic acclaim. Though they were competitive, neither one of them wished the other ill. John had ten kids and his brother had five, and John loved his nephews like they were his own children. Their father was retiring and one of them would be chosen to take over the business. John wanted the job, but than that, John’s sons, wanted their father to get the job. John’s sons were jealous of their cousins. There was never any reason for this, but still his sons always envied everything that their cousins had, even though their cousins had worked hard for everything.
It was time for Ralph and John’s father to announce who would take over the company. John was heartbroken when his father chose Ralph instead of him, still
John was happy for his brother. John’s sons on the other hand grew even more jealous of their cousins because now that their uncle was the head boss, their cousins would be promoted ahead of them. John’s sons began to plot against their uncle.
Ralph planned a party for the entire family to come celebrate his new promotion. There would be food, music, and games. It was here that his nephews would execute their plot. In his younger years Ralph had a gambling problem and his new this, so they came up with a plan to cheat Ralph out of all his wealth.
John’s sons took Ralph into a private room. They lit cigars and drank Brandy from warmed sniffers. They toasted their uncle and showered him with compliments about how smart he was and how he was the right man for the job. Ralph loved hearing this because he loved his nephews and was about to tell them that he was going to invite them to join the company and share in the profits so that they could all live in comfort. Before he could tell his nephews the news one of them pulled out a set of dice.
“How bout we roll some dice for old time’s sake,” Steven, his most clever nephew said.
“Oh I don’t know kids, it has been a long time and your aunt would not appreciate me falling back into old habits.”
“C’mon Uncle Ralph. It will be a friendly game of dice. We will do penny bets, besides there is no way we can beat you,” Steven told him.
“A friendly game?”
“Nothing serious. Just a friendly game between family.”
“Well I guess it couldn’t hurt. You roll first Steven.”
Steven rolled. “I win.” He said, “Pay up Uncle.”
Steven continued to roll and continued to win. After losing ten times Steven offered to raise the bet a little more to make the odds a little more interesting.
“I don’t know this was supposed to be a friendly game,” Ralph said.
"Well if you’re afraid?”
“I’m not afraid in the least, here give me the dice.” Steven handed Ralph the dice. “Let’s up the stakes then boys. Let me show you how a real man gambles.” Ralph pulled a hundred dollar bill out of his pocket and placed it on the ground.
“I don’t know Uncle. You may be too rich for my blood.”
“Now who’s scared?” Ralph replied.
“Well when you put it like that.” Steven matched his uncles bet. Ralph rolled, “I win again,” Steven said.
“Double or nothing” Ralph said as he rolled the dice again and again. Each time he would lose.
Steven and his brothers decided to up the stakes even further. “Uncle why don’t we stop? You just can’t beat me. It is ok, you can’t always win, you may be too old to roll the dice properly.”
“I’ll show you old!” Ralph became visibly angered by his nephew’s taunting.
“Well let’s make it interesting then. How bout you throw your car keys into the pot.”
Ralph loved his car, not as much as his house, or his job but he loved his car, still this was a challenge he had to accept. He couldn’t let his nephews beat him in his own house. “Sure. Let’s do it.” Ralph rolled the dice.
“I win again Uncle.”
Ralph’s face turned red. He knew he should quit playing, but once a gambler always a gambler. Besides when he won everything back he was planning to take everything they had to teach them a lesson. “Here is the key to my house.”
“Oh, Uncle you sure about that? I don’t think you can win.”
“This time though you roll the dice.” Ralph felt that maybe the dice were just cursed in his hands.
“No problem.” Steven rolled the dice. “I win.” Steven and his brothers began to laugh and give each other high fives. “Well Uncle looks like the game is over. There is nothing else you have to bet.”
“You have to give me one more chance to win everything back,” Ralph said.
“What could you possibly have that would equal that bet?”
Ralph loved his job. He knew that he could quit playing the game and in a year regain everything he lost. Still he couldn’t walk away a loser and he knew his nephews would jump at the chance to own the company, plus his luck had to change. There is no way that he could lose every time. “I’ll bet the company. Is that rich enough for you?”
“Ok. We have a deal.” Steven rolled the dice. “I win again…..we have everything you own Uncle.”
The sons announced that they were the new owners of the company. They immediately fired their cousins and told their Uncle to leave the house. Later they laughed at how easy it was to steal everything from their Uncle. Steven held up the dice to his brothers and said, “I can’t believe he never realized these were trick dice. It was like taking candy from a baby.
Author's Notes
This is an updated version of the game that Yudhistira and his nephews played. Instead of using family members and a kingdom as the prize I used what would be considered part of a modern day kingdom, or rather things someone may envy about someone else. Also in the book the nephews use Yudhistira's own pride against him so I wanted that to be a part of the story as well. I ended it with the nephews taking over everything because I wanted the readers to create the rest of the story in their mind.
Works Cited
ision, 1987. Print.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Story Telling Ramayana Continued
The Blue, The Red, The Rat, and The Lightning
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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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| By flydime (http://www.flickr.com/photos/flydime/4671890969/) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
I hadn’t noticed yet but we were surrounded. Littered as far as my new eyes could see we were surround by feral rats. They were talking to us; I know this because I could understand them.
My arms moved into an odd position as if they were holding something. This felt like an out of body experience. My right arm was extended straight in front of me and my left hand was by my face. What was I holding, and better yet why did I feel like I was aiming at something? The wind was hot as it touched my skin. It began to swirl around me kicking up ash and dirt, painting my face and body with both. My eyes noticed a bluish white light in my right hand. I was holding lightning. I could feel the erratic vibration of its energy pulse through the palm of my hand and through the rest of my body, only it did not move towards the ground but up through my chest and head till it entered my other hand that rest against the side of my face. It exited the fingertips on my left hand and moved in a straight line until it reached my right hand. It was a bow. A bow made of pure lightning.
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By Florent Chouffot (Own work)
[CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia
Commons
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I could see now that I was aiming toward the center of the rat army at the largest feral beast in sight. It was their general. It had to be. He was the one shouting orders and when he shouted all the other rats seemed to move in the direction he wanted them too. A loud humming passed my ear and there was a flash of light. All the rats dropped to the ground dead.
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Gustave Doré [Public domain], via
Wikimedia Commons
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It was me, I mean it wasn’t, but it was, I had released the arrow without knowing I had done so. It just sort of happened. The lighting moved from rat to rat connecting each of them in a light storm of death until it finally entered the heart of the Rat General. The smell of the burnt flesh was almost as bad as the smell of the burnt hair that now filled my nasal cavity.
The ground began to shake, and beneath where the Rat General lay dead the earth opened up and lava erupted from the ground.
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By J.D. Griggs edit by User:Mbz1
(Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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Again we were surrounded only now it seemed as if Mother Earth was our enemy. I looked at my brother but he stood solid in his resolve, showing no sign of fear. The lava began to move on the ground as if it was alive, towards the hole it erupted out of. It continued to build upon itself until it had arms and legs, then a head and a mouth. It looked like Brian’s brother Phil. Again I looked at Lance; still he had that same look of fury in his eyes.
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“You have offended my sister, injured her honor, and hurt her physically. No one, especially so stupid green pea human is going to get away with…..”
Once again my body moved without my consent and I let another arrow fly towards him. I could feel the air scream in agony as the arrow popped and boomed through the sound barrier. My cheeks felt the air's rage as more ash and dirt pelted my face. It was instant. There was not even time for Phil to adjust the look of anger to a look of surprise when the arrow pierced his chest and separated his head from his body. It felt natural to me, like I was meant to kill him, yet my chest became heavy with sorrow and guilt. I had just killed a person. Not a rat, or some animal for food but a real living breathing human being. I fell to my knees and pierced the ground with my fingers. Gripped the dirt within the palms of my hands.
"Yes this was real."
I could feel the dirt, "this was real."
I could taste the ash on my tongue and feel the hot air fill my lungs. This was not a dream at all, this was real. I closed my eyes and begged for this nightmare to be a nightmare. I could feel the tears carve streams as they made their way down my face before falling off my chin. The tears cooled my face as they washed away the ash. My body began to get cold again.
“Are you listening to me? JOE! HELLO! Anyone home?” I opened my eyes and I was sitting at my desk in front of Sara. I could still smell the rats.
Author's Notes
This is just another in the series I am writing of the Ramayana, if you have read the previous stories then this one should be pretty easy to pick up on.
Reading Diary Part B Week 9
this version has a geneology tree
Duryodhana thinks about bribing Drupada to isolate or kill the Pandavas
Dhritarashtra has trouble making a decision because he is at odds with his sons
Drona Says he saw krishna in Drupada and his sons camp
Vidura goes to Panchala with gifts for the king
The king invites the Pandavas to return to Hastinapura
Duryodhana thinks that he and his family are doomed
Arjuna has the bow Gandiva so Sakuni thinks that they should be left alone and not challenged to war
The bow is a gift from Agni
Though they are treated with respect and kindness Duryodhana beleives they are being taunted...He is jealous
Sakimi tells him to give up on challenging them to war again
Dhritarashtra builds a marble Hall
Dhritarashtra invites everyone to the Hall the Cyrstal palace to gamble
Yudhistira tells everyone not to cheat
Sakuni tells him that it is not deceit to play and win if you are competent
Sakuni says if Yudhistira does not feel up to playing then they should not play at all
Yudhistira accepts this challenge
Yudhistira is being tricked
He was giving warning about this in the past
He agrees to play even though he says that Sukini can not play by proxy
Sakuni wins over and over again in the dice game
Sakuni taunts Yudhistira and this angers Yudhistira
Yudhistira loses almost everything
Yudhisitra demands the game be stopped
The howling Jackal is Duryodhana and he is called evil by Yudhistira
Vidura warns that if this continues Dhritarashtra's family will be destroyed
He orders Dhritarashatra to have Dhananjaya to kill Duryodhana in order to save his race
Vidura knows that Sakuni is using deciet to win he is cheating
Duryodhana becomes annoyed and says that Vidura is a friend of their enemies and owes the sons of Dhritarashatra a debt
Yudhistira bets his youngest Brother Nakula and loses
Yudhistira nexts bets Sahadeva and loses
Sakuni wins Arjuna
Then Yudhistira bets himself and all that he has
Sakuni wins
Yudhistira bets Panchali and loses
Duryohana orders Vidura to get Panchali
Vidura is angered
The plan to create inner fighting in Yudhistira is working because the people are begining to ask who was lost first
Karna Dussasana and Sakuni laugh and Panchali and call her a slave
Draupadi calls them cheaters and says this game was not fair because the other side took advantage of Yudhistira and that they did not offer up an equal bet
Bhima tells Yudihistira that he was a fool and that he will burn his hands
Bhima and Arjuna blame Yudhistira
Karna says that the game was legit because Yudhistira knew what he was doing and did so of his own free will
Dhristarashtra summons Draupadi and offers her boons
She asks for Yudhistira to be freed from slavery, his brothers to also be freed and she does not use the third wish
Yudhistira is sentenced to wander in exile and others follow him
Yudhistira feels guilty for involving his family in his mistake
Vidura comes to Yudhistira while in exile and Yudhistira wonders if he being summoned to another dice game
Dhritarashtra feels guilty for banishing the a Pandavas to exile
Vyasa tells Dhritarashtra to makes peace because his brothers son's are only 5 and he has hundreds and there is no reason to envy them
Krishna tells Yudhistira that he had to be away on another mission otherwise he would have stopped the game of dice
After Krishna leaves Draupadi and Yudhistira argue because Yudhistira is too forgiving and not angry at his brother
Yudhitira tells her that anger is destructive
Yudhitira also tells her that her language is slanderous to God
She tells him that is not her intent
Yudhitira admits that he participated in the Dice game in the hopes of winning the entire kingdom from his brother
Duryodhana thinks about bribing Drupada to isolate or kill the Pandavas
Dhritarashtra has trouble making a decision because he is at odds with his sons
Drona Says he saw krishna in Drupada and his sons camp
Vidura goes to Panchala with gifts for the king
The king invites the Pandavas to return to Hastinapura
Duryodhana thinks that he and his family are doomed
Arjuna has the bow Gandiva so Sakuni thinks that they should be left alone and not challenged to war
The bow is a gift from Agni
Though they are treated with respect and kindness Duryodhana beleives they are being taunted...He is jealous
Sakimi tells him to give up on challenging them to war again
Dhritarashtra builds a marble Hall
Dhritarashtra invites everyone to the Hall the Cyrstal palace to gamble
Yudhistira tells everyone not to cheat
Sakuni tells him that it is not deceit to play and win if you are competent
Sakuni says if Yudhistira does not feel up to playing then they should not play at all
Yudhistira accepts this challenge
Yudhistira is being tricked
He was giving warning about this in the past
He agrees to play even though he says that Sukini can not play by proxy
Sakuni wins over and over again in the dice game
Sakuni taunts Yudhistira and this angers Yudhistira
Yudhistira loses almost everything
Yudhisitra demands the game be stopped
The howling Jackal is Duryodhana and he is called evil by Yudhistira
Vidura warns that if this continues Dhritarashtra's family will be destroyed
He orders Dhritarashatra to have Dhananjaya to kill Duryodhana in order to save his race
Vidura knows that Sakuni is using deciet to win he is cheating
Duryodhana becomes annoyed and says that Vidura is a friend of their enemies and owes the sons of Dhritarashatra a debt
Yudhistira bets his youngest Brother Nakula and loses
Yudhistira nexts bets Sahadeva and loses
Sakuni wins Arjuna
Then Yudhistira bets himself and all that he has
Sakuni wins
Yudhistira bets Panchali and loses
Duryohana orders Vidura to get Panchali
Vidura is angered
The plan to create inner fighting in Yudhistira is working because the people are begining to ask who was lost first
Karna Dussasana and Sakuni laugh and Panchali and call her a slave
Draupadi calls them cheaters and says this game was not fair because the other side took advantage of Yudhistira and that they did not offer up an equal bet
Bhima tells Yudihistira that he was a fool and that he will burn his hands
Bhima and Arjuna blame Yudhistira
Karna says that the game was legit because Yudhistira knew what he was doing and did so of his own free will
Dhristarashtra summons Draupadi and offers her boons
She asks for Yudhistira to be freed from slavery, his brothers to also be freed and she does not use the third wish
Yudhistira is sentenced to wander in exile and others follow him
Yudhistira feels guilty for involving his family in his mistake
Vidura comes to Yudhistira while in exile and Yudhistira wonders if he being summoned to another dice game
Dhritarashtra feels guilty for banishing the a Pandavas to exile
Vyasa tells Dhritarashtra to makes peace because his brothers son's are only 5 and he has hundreds and there is no reason to envy them
Krishna tells Yudhistira that he had to be away on another mission otherwise he would have stopped the game of dice
After Krishna leaves Draupadi and Yudhistira argue because Yudhistira is too forgiving and not angry at his brother
Yudhitira tells her that anger is destructive
Yudhitira also tells her that her language is slanderous to God
She tells him that is not her intent
Yudhitira admits that he participated in the Dice game in the hopes of winning the entire kingdom from his brother
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Reading Diary Part A Week 9
The story of Shiva’s son being beheaded and his head being thrown to the Himalayas
His head is replaced by and elephant head
This seems like an odd thing to have lying around the house an elephant head but ok
This story is narrated by one person telling the story to another person that is writing the story down on leaves.
Dharma in the first part, the king kills a snake and is cursed to be killed by a snake
The king tries to trick the serpent god but in the end the king is tricked by the god and is bitten and killed.
The genealogy in this book is hard to follow
So many names this is like a maze or puzzle to try to sort out
A family tree would be helpful
There really seems to be no structure to this story, it seems like a collection of events that have nothing to do with one another.
The beginning appears to be a creation story somewhat
Then it is followed by the king being killed by the snake
Then the son of the king promises a boon for the capture of the snake
I think this is a story of humans and gods but I am not sure this could be the story of god’s at war with one another because when the serpent is captured and held over the flame the serpent is called a god and Indra is also called there and defeated by they humans or rather left powerless to stop them because they were casting mantras?
Is this saying that the god’s are not more powerful than humans and that in some way the humans are somewhat equal to the god’s
The story also seems extremely obsessed with sex
The young girl is able to call upon any god she wants and that god will come down and have sex with her and she is guaranteed a child.
Children of the god’s are born in one day
She places the child in a basket and sends it down river and this seems a lot like the biblical story
The child is taken in by a couple that could not have children
100 babies taking two years to be born
Once they are born they are just a ball of flesh
The ball is separated into 101 pieces and placed in jars of butter
Two years later they are born.
100 boys and 1 girl
They girl that can call upon god’s to mate with her marries a king
That king kills two deer having sex and he is cursed to never again be able to have sex without dying
He has two wives and rather than leave him they live with him
He wants son’s and has his wife call upon the god’s to mate with her
She does and the other wife wants a child so she also calls upon the gods to do the same
The king sees her bathing and can’t resist her and as soon as he begins having sex with her he dies
She dies with him in her arms from a broken heart
Drona is turned away by the king because of his class
Drona teaches his children to be archers and warriors and they capture the king
Drona tells the king that he will be released for half his land and that Drona will become king of that land so that he and the king could be friends or enemies without regard to class
I don’t understand what the not eating in the dark thing was
The sons of Drona seem to be involved in some sort of competition
This story really needs to narrow in on a few characters and focus on their journeys as it is the story really bounces around making it hard to engage.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Famous Last Words Week 8
How I was Healed in this World
I fell asleep from a nightmare of,
Kool 100 menthol smoke filled lungs,
Dim lights,
Jazz music,
a Crown Royal filled rocks glass splashing the tongue
that’s garnished with lust to cloud decisions, ushering a seed into this world.
The lesser of two, not needed as much, as the first of this pair,
Loved by a knuckle filled heart that left purple stains on this olive skin,
Another generational link in a chain of sorrow, created a man in this world.
Thirty-six wolves chew at self-confidence till only scraps remain on the floor,
Educational vultures feast on those scraps for their owns popularities gain but,
Potential’s value when un-nurtured has no room to stand in this world.
She was a knock up chick, with a bathtub full of depression and razor blades,
The Homecoming queen, only taught that her beauty belonged in a wallet,
A dime piece split ten ways, and spent in this world.
They suffered her love, for lines of ambrosia laid out on a table,
Violent bud light bottles, flicked lit cigarettes, and a headlight to a hip screamed,
They would never be enough for her! In this world.
I fell asleep from a nightmare of,
Kool 100 menthol smoke filled lungs,
Dim lights,
Jazz music,
a Crown Royal filled rocks glass splashing the tongue
that’s garnished with lust to cloud decisions, ushering a seed into this world.
The lesser of two, not needed as much, as the first of this pair,
Loved by a knuckle filled heart that left purple stains on this olive skin,
Another generational link in a chain of sorrow, created a man in this world.
Thirty-six wolves chew at self-confidence till only scraps remain on the floor,
Educational vultures feast on those scraps for their owns popularities gain but,
Potential’s value when un-nurtured has no room to stand in this world.
She was a knock up chick, with a bathtub full of depression and razor blades,
The Homecoming queen, only taught that her beauty belonged in a wallet,
A dime piece split ten ways, and spent in this world.
They suffered her love, for lines of ambrosia laid out on a table,
Violent bud light bottles, flicked lit cigarettes, and a headlight to a hip screamed,
They would never be enough for her! In this world.
Being unwanted again and again, each time enforces the belief,
That the mirrors reflection doesn’t reflect what everyone else seems to see,
So you begin to feel stupid, ugly, pathetic, and worthless to this world,
And now I,
lying crippled, lonely, and scared of passing shadows in this bed,
I,
notice, ten fingers, ten toes, a tiny heart budum dumming against my own
and I know,
I finally know.
That chains can break, I can heal, time to wake up and dream in this world…
That the mirrors reflection doesn’t reflect what everyone else seems to see,
So you begin to feel stupid, ugly, pathetic, and worthless to this world,
And now I,
lying crippled, lonely, and scared of passing shadows in this bed,
I,
notice, ten fingers, ten toes, a tiny heart budum dumming against my own
and I know,
I finally know.
That chains can break, I can heal, time to wake up and dream in this world…
Google Presence Tech Tips Week 8
For Joseph a couple of biblical references came up and I was
not surprised but then something for fashion came up and I couldn’t resist so I
took a look
Apparently my name is extremely stylish in regards to women’s
clothes, and a few menswear aswell.
Then I did my middle name and again there were some biblical
refs and then a website for a resteraunt came up. I wondered if this name of
mine is where my love of food came from so I took a trip to the website.
danielnyc.com/
It looks like a classy joint perfect for wearing those women’s
fashions from my first name. Also here is the link to the menu.
danielnyc.com/menu
My last name I was sure was going to take me to some south American
travel site, though my name is Italian, but then I saw a coffee company name.
Ok all I can say is that my parents had me pegged. Though I
am not sure they would make my size in women’s clothes and I am not really
interested in finding out, I just wanna say I would rock those military style
jackets and high heels should I choose to wear them to the restaurant named
after me and dine on some awesome upscale food, then have an after dinner cup
of “JOE” (Pun intended) from the coffee company named after me. With my love of
clothes, food, and coffee being a constant in my life I am finally able to
understand that it is not my fault. It is because of my name, so I blame my
parents for this.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Famous Last Words Week 7
Tough Young Man
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| "John Wayne portrait" by Howard_Hawks'Rio_Bravo_trailer_(26).jpg: Trailer screenshotderivative work: Liorek (talk) - Howard_Hawks'Rio_Bravo_trailer_(26).jpg. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Wayne_portrait.jpg#mediaviewer/File:John_Wayne_portrait.jpg |
Rough and tumble grass stained jeans,
You play your games,
“I’m the Cowboy, you be the Indian,”
You run, you jump, you fight, and you fall,
Dry those eyes because men don’t cry,
Rub some dirt in it and dust yourself off,
Be a man,
Be a man,
Be the man that we’ve been told to be,
Drink your milk and grow up strong,
Being a man,
Being a man,
Being the man that you are supposed to be is for you to decide,
It’s ok to cry when it hurts,
Some pains hurt in places you create,
And it is ok to cry,
Shhhhhh keep those things to yourself,
Bundle em up and hide them away,
Throw away the key,
I said bottle em up and watch them shake,
Shake, shake, and shake,
Until they explode on whoever wishes to take a drink,
On the woman you love sips your insecurities,
But you don’t care,
All you know is how to be a man,
Be a man,
How to be a man that has never been taught how to care,
What does it mean to be a man?
On your throne with your crown you’re a king,
Your queen subject submitted,
Object objectified walking ten steps behind,
And it’s ok because that is what they advertise,
A sexualized identity you must dominate,
Absent of thoughts, wants, and needs,
You damage them one, then two, then three, and so many more,
A cycle of daughters for generations to destroy,
Is this what it means to be a man?
Of this I am unsure for sure,
I do know I cry,
I think about my son,
Don’t be as insecure as the men they want you to be,
Tell me your thoughts, your hopes, and your dreams,
Leave those tears alone, it’s better to let them fall,
Let me dust you off and give you a hug,
Be a man,
Be a man,
Be a man and tell me what is wrong,
I can help you if you share why you’re feeling this way,
Unravel, unlock, and open up,
Being a man that knows how to be a man,
A man that posseses only himself,
Knowing it’s okay to walk behind,
Falls in love with,
Her heart,
Her mind,
And not his eyes,
Tough young man with your grass stained jeans,
To be strong you must hurt learning to cry leaving others unharmed,
Because this is what it means to be a man.
Author's Notes
I wrote this as the other part of my last poem because I think we have a real problem with how we force young children into gender roles. I think it is ok to be a tough guy as long as that is just one part of who you are, and not your complete identity. I think that as young men we are never taught how to deal with our emotions and that we are shown images of what it means to be a man, along with negative images of those men and the way they treat women. This is terrible thing and I would like to see a more well rounded approach in the way we teach children to handle their gender roles in society because by doing this we will be able to create a society in which people can be equals.
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