Reading Notes, Homer's Odyssey, Part B

The Odyssey: Ghosts of Erebus

• Upon reaching the shore, Odysseus sacrificed all the rams that he had won from the Cyclops and upon doing so ghosts of the dead rushed out of Erebus.  Fearful, he called upon his men and drew his sword. 

The Ghosts of Elpenor and Teriesias

•  Odysseus was shocked to see the ghost of Elpenor.  He explained how he had become drunk with wine and when he woke, he fell from the roof and died.  
• Elepnor and Odysseus talked for quite some time before Anticleia, the ghost of Odysseus's dead mother appeared and he wept. 

The Ghost of Teiresias

• The ghost of Teiresias appeared next and advised Odysseus to draw back his sword and he did. He warned him that the god of the dead was angered with him for blinding his son and that he probably would not make it home alive.  

The Spirit of Anticleia 

• Odysseus explained to his mother how he came to be at the House of Hades and asked her the same.  She told him she died from sadness of yearning his return.  His father lived alone in the fields yearning for him as well, as well as his wife.  He tried to hug his mother,  but couldn't because the dead and living cannot touch. 

The Ghosts of Famous Women

• This chapter consisted of various stories about famous women and why they had died.
• After the many stories Odysseus went to sleep. 

The Ghost of Agamemnon

• Agamemnon explained to Odysseus that Aegisthus had tricked him during a feast with the help of his deranged wife and murdered him and his companions.  
•  He then warned Odysseus not to trust women anymore for they are treacherous and to return home in secret and not share too much information with his wife.  Odysseus asked if he knew if his son was still alive, but he didn't. 

The Spirit of Achilles

• Achilles asked why Odysseus had come.  He explained that he came to find Teiresias and to see if he could help him find his way to Ithaca.  He also told him that about his son, and Achilles happily went on his way rejoicing.  

The Ghost of Ajax 

• Unlike the other ghosts, Ajax was angered by Odysseus's victory because his weapons had been given Odysseus for winning the battle.  
• He would not forget his anger and went on his way despite Odysseus asking him to forget it. 
• After being visited by ghost after ghost and gripped with fear, he finally set sail with his men and departed. 

The Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis 

• They neared the island of the Sirens as Odysseus plugged everyone's ears with beeswax and his men tied him hand and foot to the mast of the ship. 
• As they passed the Sirens begged them to stop and he wanted to give into the temptation but they were able to bypass the island by not listening and once they had passed they untied him. 
• However as they carried on, Scylla grabbed 6 of his strongest men from the ship, smashed them into the rock and devoured them. 

Scylla and Charybdis.  Web Source. 

Bibliography: Homer's The Odyssey, translated by Tony Kline. Web Source. 

Reading Notes: Homer and The Odyssey, Part A

Odyssey: The Land of Cylcopes

• Cyclops have no code of law but instead lay to the law of their wives and children.  Outside the  clyclopes land lies a wooded area filled with goats. 
• They have no way of visiting other places and can carry any crop during its season. 
• Odysseus traveled through a cave and slept there overnight.  When dawn arose the explored the island marveling at what they saw.  
• They began to hunt the goats and the next day decided to figure out who the island belonged to.   The chapter ends with them coming across a giant that they described as a monster 

Prisoners of the Cyclops

• Odysseus and his twelve best men approached the giant, and with him he brought dark sweet wine. When they approached his cave the giant was momentarily gone tending to his sheep so they explored his cave and found many great things.  
• The men partook in the giants great foods and when the giant returned the men hid while the giant milked all his goats.  The giant finally saw them and asked why they were there. 
• Odysseus explained that they had come back from war and wanted hospitality but the giant did not give in and called them foreigners and fools. Odysseus told the giant that his ship had been destroyed by Poseidon and the giant, angered, took and smashed two men to the ground killing them and eating them.  The Cylcops laid down to sleep and the remaining men waited for the next day. 

Offering the Cyclops Wine

• The next day the Cyclops ate two more men, and then two more. 
• Odysseus went up to him and offered him the dark wine he had brought and the Cyclops drank it and wanted more.  The cyclops fell asleep in drunkenness.  
• Odysseus and his men took wooden stakes that they had made, stuck them in the fire until they were burning hot and gathered around and stabbed him in the eye and he screamed. He woke up and called fellow cylops to come. 

The Rest in Summary: 

• Odysseus and his men escaped by tying themselves to the bottoms to the sheep's when the sheep were released outside the cave. 
• At the next stop Odysseus's men were enslaved and turned into pigs by the goddess, however when she realized that he was Odysseus, she freed his men and turned them back into men and they feasted and drank with her for a whole year. 
• Odysseus asked the goddess if they could leave and she said yes but that they must visit the house of Hades.  

Angered Cyclops at Odysseus's escape. Web Source. 

Bibliography: The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Tony Kline. Web Source. 

Wikipedia Trail: Mermaids to Mel Gibson

I chose the topic of Mermaid's for my Wikipedia trail because it was a storybook topic that I came across that interested me, but I didn't ever look into it so I wanted to for this assignment. 

I started off at a basic "Mermaid" Wikipedia page that had a ton of links from there leading to mermaids in music, books, movies, history and so on.  The next link I clicked on was "Mermaids Cave". Mermaids Cave is an undercut sandstone cave located in Australia.  The link didn't say much more about it except that it was used in a scene from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, so I followed that link to learn more about it.

It turns out Mad Max Beyond Thunderstorm (also referred to as Mad Max 3) is an Australian action film made by Warner Brothers in 1985.  A sequel to Mad Max 2, Max is played by Mel Gibson and is exiled to the desert were he encounters an isolated cargo cult.  I should probably know more about Mel Gibson considering his name is a big one in Hollywood, but I don't so I decided to click on his name to learn more about what other acting roles he has played. 

Born on January 3rd, 1956 Mel Gibson is an American actor most known for his role as Mad Max.  Fun Fact: our birthdays are 6 days apart! His net worth is $425 million and he has 9 children.  He also starred in Braveheart, where he won a Golden Globe.  He not only acts in  movies, he also produces them. Some of his successful movies include Hacksaw Ridge, and The Passion of the Christ.

Young Mel. Web Source. 

Growth Mindset: Cats

"Effort is the Path to Mastery".  I like this growth mindset cat one because I think what its saying is very valid and important, and I also think the picture of the cat is so funny!  When I think of what effort is the path to mastery means I think about the phrase "you never know if you don't try".  In other words, you will never get any better without trying to be better and putting in the work you need to get where you want to be! 

Web Source. 

"Errors are portals of discovery".  I absolutely love this quote! Failure is scary.  But, in order to be successful you must learn from your mistakes, which means that you need to make them! No one is perfect and are all going to make errors, and what's important is that we learn from them and discover ourselves and always continue learning. 

Web Source. 

"Stay Creative: Have Fun".  This is so important.  Especially in college it is so easy to lose sight of the big picture and begin to stress and not enjoy what you are doing.  I feel it is so important to remember that college should be fun! Life should be fun! Just because you get stressed and have things you have to do that you don't always want to do doesn't mean that you should completely lose sight of the important things. If you aren't enjoying what you are doing, make a change! It's as simple as that. 

Have Fun. Web Source. 

Tech Tip, Weather Gadget

Hi! Just wanted to let you all know that I  added a weather gadget to my blog! Here's a link on how to do it if you want to add one to yours as well! Let's not be those people that walk around campus in shorts and a t-shirt when its 30 degrees outside :)

Be Prepared.  Check the Weather.  Web Source. 

How to Add a Weather Gadget 

Feedback Thoughts

The two articles I read for this assignment were 14 Signs Your Perfectionism has Gotten Out of Control by Carolyn Gregoire, and The Psychology of Comparison and How to Stop by Ellen Jackson.  I picked these two articles to read because both of them had titles that hit the nail on the head for me.  From 14 Signs your Perfectionism has Gotten Out of Control, I was going to pick a few that resentated with me the most, but to be honest almost all of them did! I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing...haha....

Anyway, as I was reading through all the different signs, I was realizing things about myself that I'd never noticed before and how certain traits that I have could be due to my nature to be perfect.  One in particular that really stood out to me was "You know there's no use in crying over spilt milk, but you do anyways".  I am a very big planner. I have a strict schedule, down to when I should leave to get someplace on time, how much time I should spend there etc.  In other words I like things to go as planned and be well...perfect.  And when things don't go as planned (which when do they ever?) it usually has a pretty big effect on me.  I become flustered, unable to think correctly/formulate a back up plan.  Over the years I have gotten much better at being able to take what life throws at me but it is still a struggle.  

In the article about comparison, I also found a lot of things that applied to me and tips to help combat these thoughts. Tips included "being a racehorse" meaning focus on yourself and no one else, knowing your motives, aiming for personal bests, and not comparing your beginning to someone else middle.  All of these tips apply focusing more on yourself rather and others and I think are very useful! 

When it comes to feedback and constructive criticism, all of these thoughts and tips can come in handy.  However, growing up in the dance world, feedback or corrections are always something that I wanted. One reason being so that I can improve, but another reason is because usually when someone corrects you or gives advice it is because they see potential.  When someone doesn't take the time to help you be better, its because they don't care. So moral of the story is...feedback is a good thing! It means they care! So let's all get our hearts off of our sleeves and help each other grow! 

Don't be afraid of "Many Edits" Web Source. 

Topic Brainstorm

Topic Idea #1: Dogs

I picked this topic because I really love dogs! I have a dog at my parents house,  but I don't have one in Norman with me so anytime I see someone else's dog I have to  pet it! I also have a lot of experience with dogs as I've always had one in the house growing up.  There are lots folklore stories that involve dogs including Aesop's Fables, as well as long lists of mythological dogs.   Some mythological dogs that interest me are the idea of the "black dog".  A symbol that can be used for many things, usually the image of a black dog is seen as eerie or as a bad omen, but I think it would be fun to tell a story about a misunderstood black dog who is the complete opposite of that and told from his perspective.  I also enjoyed the idea of the Chinese zodiac calendar that cycles through different animals every 12 years.  So, every 12 years there is the year of the dog, and I think this could be a good idea for a story plot!

Not so mean after-all: A misunderstood black dog. 

Links: The zodiac Dog
Black Dogs 
Aesop's Fables 



Topic Idea #2: The nutcracker

I had a difficult time finding sources about The Nutcracker in our sites that were provided but with a little extra researching, I was able to find some good stuff! Going to see the Nutcracker is a yearly tradition for me around Christmas time, as well as when I was younger I danced in Tulsa Ballet's version for 6 years as a soldier and a party scene girl, and in high school I danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in a children's ballet company.  Needless to say, it is near and dear to my heart. Everything about it, the story line, the magical settings, the music, all brings me goose bumps.  I think it would be really fun to retell the story of the Nutcracker, maybe from the perspective of the evil mouse king.  Everyone has their side to the story right? Or simply tell the back story of one of the main characters.  This idea of retelling this famous story with a twist is very exciting!

The Nutcracker. Web Source. 

Links: The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
No Sugar Plums: The Dark roots of the Nutcracker
Nutcracker and Mouse King



Topic Idea #3: The Wizard of Oz

I know this topic has been done a lot in the past but I can't help but be interested in doing it myself! When I was browsing though past projects in a previous assignment, projects done with the inspiration of The Wizard of Oz really peaked my interest and were ones that I enjoyed the most.  Not only is the whimsical story line, characters, and setting just fun- it also has an unlimited potential in how the story can be retold.  Some ideas that came to me while I was researching were telling the back stories of certain characters.  I also found that the original book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is not the only book in the series! There are books about the scarecrow, tin man, Glinda and many more! I think with these resources I would be able to create an entirely new story while still including the original story line. 

The original book- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  

Links: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 
The Road to Oz
The Scarecrow of Oz
The Tin Woodman of Oz
Glinda of Oz


Topic Idea 4: Witches

The idea of witches intrigues me because there are so many kinds! Good witches, bad witches, witches from fairy tales, real "witches throughout history such as the Salem witch trials and so on.  I am not 100% sure what route I would want to take with this topic however some ideas would be to tell the stories of multiple witches, retell the history of the Salem witch trials (possibly one real witch making everyone believe that innocent women are witches), or a "good witch" disguised as a "bad witch" and vise versa. 

Links: Myths and Legends of Our Own Land- 4: Tales of Puritan Land
The Witches who Were Mice at Night