Week 6 Review

I thought this meme was really funny. They are completely opposite so it is definitely important to spell them correctly. I also picked this meme because I am re watching Breaking Bad so it is related to the blue meth! (If you haven't watched Breaking Bad you should!)

Daily Announcements

Wikipedia Trail: From Sun Wukong to He Xiangu

I started off my Wikipedia Trail on Sun Wukong because I read the Monkey King this week. I liked reading this page because it gave a synopsis of what I had just read. It would have helped to check this out before my readings. One of my favorite parts was when he at the Peaches of Immortality so I went to this page next. I did not know that in the Chinese culture peaches are commonly used to display immortality in art. At the end of the page I selected the Eight Immortals as my next Wikipedia page. These people are included in Chinese mythology and are capable of bestowing life and destroying evil. These remind me of the Greek gods. I wanted to learn about them individually so I picked on the first person named He Xiangu. She is actually the only female in these Eight Immortals. She possesses a lotus flower that restores health, mentally and physically. 

Wikipedia: Eight Immortals

Learning Challenge: Happiness

I thought this was great and crucial to being happy. I find that a lot of times people try and stick to one solution instead of trying others. I definitely think the middle pillow is  my favorite one because it is important to try every solution in order to be happy and succeed. I think to be fully happy, you need to follow these three keys. 

H.E.A.R.T. Blog

Growth Mindset

I thought that this Growth Mindset meme really resonated with me this week. In my Capstone course my group had done something wrong during our presentation and we were called out for it. Instead of getting upset, we took the approach to go talk to him after class in order to fix the mistake. I think it is crucial in the learning process to understand why you made that mistake so you will not make it again.

Growth Mindset Blog

Tech Tip: Canvas Calendar

Hey everyone I did not use the Canvas Calendar last semester because a majority of my course were still on D2L. This semester I am trying to be more organized and I feel this will really help me not procrastinate. I will now go between Canvas Calendar and my Google Calendar that I typically use. I really recommend using it!

Zazzle

Week 6 Story Planning

Reading Notes

In the story I read this week, The Monkey King, the stone ape is trying to become civilized in order to learn the how to become immortal. He struggles with his animalistic behavior when learning from multiple people on how to develop the skill to become immortal. One of the major things that he does is he eats the Peaches of Immortality from the Queen Mother of the West. These were supposed to be part of a large feast but he lacks the civilized nature to understand not to eat all of these rules.

My Story/Plot

In my story, I would like to include a modern story where a young dog decides he wants to become human-like in order to have a longer life. He ultimately moves in with a family and starts trying to learn from them in order to become civilized. After a while of learning, he feels he is ready to display his results at a Christmas party that his family is attending. Although he feels he is ready, he actually eats all of the prime rib and buttermilk pie. He feels ashamed for he has failed his family for all the help that they have given him, but he ultimately learned what it takes to become human from the youngest son and gains a longer life.

Characters

Sunny: A Bernese mountain dog that is currently in the pound. He discusses with another dog that if he learns to become civilized when adopted that he will gain the life span of a human (immortality to a dog). He eventually moves in with the Tucker family and starts his journey to become immortal. I will name him Sunny for a nickname for the stone apes name of Sun Wu Kung.

She Knows: Bernese Mountain Dog

Sasha: A black and white border collie that tells Russel all about the potential immortality that can be attainable if he becomes civilized.

Ethan: He is a 14 year old son of the Tucker family, and he helps Ollie become immortal. He has just reached an age that makes him feel that he understands adulthood and ultimately becomes Ollie’s master.

The parents of Ethan will also have small roles in my story. 

The Ape Sun Wu Kung. Written by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens. 1921.

Reading Notes Part B: The Monkey King

Below is a continuation of my reading of The Monkey King:

• I like how the Gods and Sun Wu Kung interact. Kung shows a certain level of arrogance that may cause his downfall. I could potentially write a story where the main character has a similar tragic flaw.
• I like how he thought he was gone for only a few days but in reality he was gone for almost ten years. This could make a story to where the main character visits a place, only to realize he has left behind his friends and family for more than a decade.
• The Monkey King is making progress on the road to immortality, but I think the ultimate point might be that it has a moral cost. He's stealing things from people, which is bad. But, some of these people may be morally objectionable themselves. I would like to incorporate the peaches as a similar tale to Adam and Eve.
• I like how the Buddha was so powerful that he was able to defeat the Monkey King without any violence. It is always nice to read a story where violence isn’t necessarily the main solution.
• I really think chapters 1-4 would be interesting because they are trying to creatively liberate Xuanzang. It would be cool to write a story where it is almost a rescue type mission.

Wikipdeia: Sun Wukong

The Monkey King. Written by R. Wilhelm. 1921.  

Reading Notes Part A: The Monkey King

This week I chose to read the unit The Money King. Below are my reading notes:

Stone Monkey

• I like how the Stone Ape had do to a task in order to show that he is capable of being the King. I would like to incorporate a similar topic similar to the Sword and the Stone.
• It is interesting to have an epic journey such as the Monkey King’s. I am looking forward to writing a similar tale of the monkey going on a different journey.
• It would be interesting to write a story where an animal is trying to become civilized but is have difficulty. I could maybe write about a tiger or a bear trying to fit into to the human world. This ultimately ends with him getting kicked out of the city where the master resides.
• I really like how the Master page was written. This form of repetitive paragraphs does a really good job to emphasize the writers point. I will try and incorporate my own repetitive structure.
• I liked how the monkey was able to fly in the end. This has a certain level of magic that made it more interesting of a story.
• I thought the Devil King was a great antagonist because it was stealing something innocent away. I may try and write about a similar foe to my hero in the story.
• Sun Wu Kung receives a magical weapon from the Dragon-King. I may try and have my main character receive such a present.
• I really enjoyed reading the Nether World. I enjoy the stories where the hero makes an epic long journey to the land of the dead. 

"The Ape Sun Wu Kung" in The Chinese Fairy Book. Written by R. Wilheilm. 1921.