Jake's Mythology

*This story is told from the perspective of a tiger.* All personal thoughts of the tiger are in italics. Darkness quickly gives way to light as I open my eyes. Where am I? I look around, soon remembering what had happened. I had been prowling through the jungle in search of a meal. Though I did not have much personal hunger, another animal did: my young cub. The cub had not eaten in several days and was in desperate need of a meal. I remembered seeing something flash behind several trees, and in the midst of pursuing, I lost consciousness. Looking around, I realize what had caused this: a trap. Its jaws had quickly surrounded me as I initiated the trigger, and I found myself unable to escape. I need to feed my cub . I look at the edges of the cage and try to pry it open with my paws. No luck. Beginning to despair, I slump down, when suddenly, a figure enters my periphery. He appears to be a Brahman. I quickly perk up. "Sir, sir - please...

Image Information: A tiger prowling through some trees. Link:  Pexels I enjoyed this collection of stories quite a bit. However, I think that my favorite was that of the tiger, the brahman, and the jackal: the trickster story ! Not only was the topic interesting, but I appreciated the style of the story and development of the characters as well. My first thought was that developing my own "trickster tale" would be challenging. I think it requires some proper planning and critical thinking to devise a story that can be twisted in such a way. This story began simply but grew in complexity as additional characters were added. Thinking of a plot in this matter makes storytelling more interesting. Something else that grabbed my attention was the simplicity of the story. Many times in storytelling, the audience is bogged down in unnecessary details. The author attempts to add too much description, or uses extra details with no ultimate purpose in mind. However, t...

I enjoyed scanning the different types of literature for this semester! I was extremely impressed by the wide variety of categories and topics, and I love that we get to choose our readings each week. Here are some that interest me! Image Information: Person holding a book and a cup of coffee. Link:  Pexels Unit: Bible Women I find this topic interesting because I love to explore the literature in the Bible, and women compose a frequently overlooked topic. Because of the cultures in which the books of the Bible were written, the women mentioned held special significance. I am particularly to read again the stories of Eve and Sarah, as well as the stories of lesser known characters. Unit: King Arthur Another topic that grabbed my attention was that of King Arthur. I remember loving the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table as a child, so I am interested to revisit it. Hopefully these stories will still be exciting, especially the ones about the ad...

Image Information: An object on fire, containing the word "time." Link:  Pexels The above image creatively displays the problem of time and the necessity of time management.  Time is perhaps our most valuable resource, and once it is gone, it cannot be retrieved. Thus, people are always researching and exploring new methods for how to best use the time that we are allotted. I would like to briefly address several interesting articles on this topic, as well as some of my own personal methods for time management! The Important Habit of Just Starting Among other time management and productivity strategies, this article discusses why simply starting is a huge step in managing time. When many people find themselves in a "must finish" mode, the pure amount of work causes a reverse psychological effect. Instead of starting, people find themselves intimidated and unable to find a starting point. In stark contrast, setting the mind in a "just start"...

Image Information: Desk with numerous forms of technology. Link:  Pexels The above picture shows a fairly common scene in modern society: a workspace saturated with technology. With laptops, cell phones, tablets, and various other devices, our culture continues to root itself in technology. Knowledge of these devices, their software, and other online tools, therefore, provides an advantage. These advantages apply everywhere from personal organization to professional productivity. In an online class like this one, knowledge of technological features allows for increased creativity and efficiency. Fortunately, I have had class experience with a blog before. While I studied in Italy several summers ago, one class requirement was to maintain a blog of our experiences. The blog did not include much in terms of links and extensive website publishing, but it did provide practice with a blogging interface. I learned how to post images, see other blogs, and increase the crea...

As I continue to prepare for this course, one common theme prevails... Image Information: A street sign depicting the word "independence." Link:  Wikimedia Commons While the seemingly overwhelming amount of assignments and weekly workload may have been initially intimidating, I am instead beginning to discover some deeper structure within the course. Though this is not related to the content itself, this course may be rewarding in that it emphasizes personal scheduling and independence . I love this approach and look forward to choosing the assignments that work best with my educational curiosity as well as with my schedule. I am interested in the stories that we will be reading, if only because I have no idea what they will include. Though I have had brief exposure to mythology, I imagine that I will read about characters and themes in this class that I have not yet encountered. Not only am I excited to discover these topics, but I also look forward to creating ...

Image Information: Growth mindset compared to fixed mindset. Link:  Flickr The above image sends a very distinct message about the "growth mindset," especially as discussed by Dr. Carol Dweck. The picture provides two halves of the brain. One half of the brain, cultivated by the "growth mindset," displays the colors of the rainbow in a representation of freedom, creativity, and ingenuity. The other half of the brain, however, represents the "fixed mindset." The tones of grey and lack of color depict a brain void of excitement and growth. Dweck's describes the growth mindset as praising the process of learning, as opposed to intelligence itself. In one example she provides, students that failed in an academic exercise were greeted with the phrase "not yet." This refers to frame of thought in which the results are not as emphasized as the means. Instead of teaching students a fixed mindset, where simply the outcome is judged, the learn...

Hello, everybody! Image Information: A picture of my family! From left to right: Will, Jennifer, Alan, Jake (me), and Cole; personal photo from October 2016. Current Education My name is Jake Bardell, and I am in my last semester of undergrad at OU. My major is Religious Studies, but I am also on the pre-medical track. This may seem an unlikely combination, but it has actually worked out incredibly well! This focus on studying religions has afforded me a variety of benefits, including a firmer foundation for my belief in Jesus, a greater understanding of world religions, and also the ability to more effectively understand future patients. I have enjoyed my time at OU and in Norman, not only because of what I have studied but particularly because of the relationships I have formed throughout college. Future Education After I complete my degree, I hope to attend medical school! I am still completing secondary applications, but I have several schools in mind. I think my...

Here are several storybooks from this class in the past that I found interesting! Something about each of these appealed to me, whether that includes the title, the graphics, or the content itself. I look forward to these posts aiding my own creativity! Storybook 1: The Stolen Princess Link:  The Stolen Princess Immediately, this storybook presents a captivating image. The image shown below greets the visitor of the blog, sending simultaneous message of beauty and mystery. The impressive images continue throughout the entire storybook. Though I found myself interested in the story, the graphics captured my attention and developed my imagination more than any other component. These images are displayed at the top of each section of the storybook, inviting the reader to continue. I think this is a valuable technique to use in my own storybook for several reasons. First, appropriate use of images can make potential viewers more interested in the story. Should the initial desig...

Riomaggiore (in Cinque Terre, Italy) One of my favorite places is Riomaggiore, a small village on the coast of Italy. During the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college, I had the opportunity to take a class in Arezzo, which is in the heart of Tuscany. With a free weekend to travel, we decided to visit this beautiful village! I will never forget sitting on the rocks at the edge of the coast, watching the sun set over the Mediterranean. Image Information: The beautiful coastline and colorful buildings of Riomaggiore, Italy. Source:  Wikipedia Commons Crested Butte, Colorado Another of my favorite places resides in Colorado. Since I was young, I have loved going to the mountains. Snowboarding is one of my favorite things! Several close friends own a condo in Crested Butte, so I have been able to travel there in recent years. The snow and mountains are breathtaking in the winter and just as beautiful in the summer! Image Informa...

Hey, everyone! Just checking out the new blog.