Reading Notes: Indian Heroes Part B

The Year of Disguise:

Plot: The Pandava Princes are on their last year of the 12 years of exile. They decide to live in disguise in Viratnagar to hide from Prince Duryodhan. Prince Yudhisthira disguised himself as a gambler, Prince bhima as a skilled cook, Prince Arjuna as a dancer and singer, Prince Nakula as a horse groomer, Prince Sahadev as a cowherd, and Princess Draupadi as a waiting maid. They hid their weapons before entering the palace and asked for an audience with King Virata. After 12 months, Prince Kichaka returns and asks Queen Sudeshna to send Draupadi to his room with food but he embraced Draupadi as soon as she entered his room and then threw a bunch at her when she ran away. Draupadi begged the king for help but he turned her away so she went to Bhima who took revenge on Kichaka for her.

Setting: King Virata's Palace

Draupadi humiliated in front of King Virata: Wikipedia

Bibliography. "The Year of Disguise" from The Indian Heroes:Mahabharata - The Princes of Elephant City by C.A. Kincaid: web source

Reading Notes: The Indian Heroes Part A

The Winning of Draupadi:

Plot: The Pandavas went to Panchala to win Draupadi's hand in marriage. The goal was to shoot an arrow through a ring high above the ground without looking directly at the ring. The problem was that the bow given to the suitors to use was stiff because of the wood used. Suitor after suitor failed to even bend the bow until Karna stepped up and held the bow with dexterity. However, Draupadi refused to take Karna as her husband and stopped him from even trying. Prince Arjuna then proceeded and was dressed as a Brahman beggar. He successfully accomplished the task but the crowd was outraged that a Brahman from a different caste would be marrying Draupadi so they rushed to swarm him but his brothers protected him and then duels started between the princes. In the end, Arjuna won Draupadi's heart and the Pandavas went home. Their mom didn't know what the prize was so she told Arjuna to share with his brothers so they all married Draupadi one after the other.

Setting: King Drupada's palace in Panchala

Arjuna winning Draupadi's hand in marriage: Indian Myth

Bibliography. "Winning of Draupadi" from The Indian Heroes:Mahabharata - The Princes of Elephant City by C.A. Kincaid: web source

Review: Passive Aggressive Voice

My favorite video was The Biology of Positive Habits because I do find myself naturally focusing on the negative whenever something bad happens and it's a downhill spiral for me but I will now try to practice focusing on the positive things! 

This was my favorite graphic from Wednesday's announcements. 

Active vs Passive Voice: Writing with Aesop

Growth Mindset: What is a Genius?

Genius is:

15% Courage

8% Devotion

12% Drive

10% Optimism

5% Persuasion

15% Patience

15% Versatility

10% Adaptability

10% Curiosity 

10% Imagination 

Definition of a Genius: Canva

Week 8 Progress

I am happy with my progress. I was a lot more productive during the first few weeks and then I slowed down quite a bit but I am still making my way through. I just do the assignments whenever I can. I am making my way through all of the extra credit. My favorite extra credit assignments are the growth mindset and tech tips. I also really enjoy the readings. I want to try new writing styles rather than the same ones I have been doing because they're the safe option. I want to avoid doing things last minute and having them build up.

Motivational Quote: Shutterstock

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

The feedback is really helpful! The best kinds of comments are the ones that point out exactly what I can add at certain places or where I need more detail at rather than really vague overall generalized comments. I have gotten better at giving feedback and I like the WWW strategy. It helps me think more out of the box when I read others' writing. I feel like I have gotten to know people through reading their blogs because I imagine their voice and personality while I read not only their stories but posts on their blogs as well. I did the extra credit commenting so I got to meet everyone in the class. My introduction and posts show more of me than I normally show people in person. I usually go pretty deep when I put up posts on my blog that I wouldn't have said out loud. I need to read others' stories in their projects out loud to give even better feedback that I hadn't noticed before. I chose the feedback cat below because I believe that if you don't find the source of the problem in the first place, you're going to keep making the same mistake over and over again.

Feedback Cat: Cheezburger

Week 8 Reading and Writing

The reading and writing assignments are really fun and a good way for me to step away from my other science courses. My favorite reading was the Ramayana aside from some moments where Sita and Rama were not together. My reading notes are helpful and I use them in my author's note too. I am really happy with my portfolio! I might change it to a storybook soon because I realized that I was following a trend with the kinds of stories I write. My biggest accomplishment was getting ahead the first week of class so that I had leeway during certain weeks. I chose the photo below because it depicts the happy ending I really wanted for Rama and Sita. I could start reading out loud to get the full experience in the future readings.

Sita with her children: Ram