Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales Part A

The Guilty Dogs: Source

The royal dogs chew on the leather straps of the king's chariot. The King commands that all of the dogs in the city be killed as a result. The king of the dogs goes to the king of the city and asks how his decision can possibly be fair. The king implies that because he does not know who ruined his chariot, all dogs must suffer. The king of the dogs reveals who actually ruined the chariot; it was the royal dogs.
The lesson to take away: do not punish the many for the actions of the few.


The Fairy and the Hare: Source

A hare and hist three animal friends search for food everyday. One day, they feel the urge to help others. They decide that any food they find with be given to others so they may eat as well. The hare's three friends each find/steal food to give to others. The hare decides he will offer himself as food. A fairy disguises herself as an old starving man. She turns down the food offered by the hare's friends. The hare offers up himself as food. The fairy makes a fire. The hare leaps in, but doesn't cook. It's a magical fire! The fairy thanks the hare for his kindness.
The lesson: Self-sacrifice is the greatest form of sacrifice.


The Golden Feathers: Source

A man sets out on a quest to find riches for his family. Wandering the forest, he finds a fairy who asks what he is doing. He explains he is looking for riches for his family. The fairy turns the man into a golden goose! He flies back to his family, gives them a single feather for them to sell, and he flies away. The mother sells the feather. She tells her daughters that they have to trap the golden goose if he returns that so that might stay wealthy. The goose returns and is trapped. Yet, his feathers, forcefully taken from him, are white rather than golden. The goose is now useless. They release the goose, and his feathers become golden again. He lives out his days in the forest with the other birds.
The lesson: Don't be selfish when offered something out of kindness.


The Swan Kingdom: Source

Sixty thousand swans live in the world's most gorgeous lake, ruled by the king swan. A human king wants to meet the swan king but does not know where to find him. The humans build the most gorgeous lake in the world, even more beautiful than the swans' lake. Each day they cry out that all swans are welcome at this lake. Eventually, two swans of the swan kingdom visit the lake. They return home to tell the others of this lake. The king swan, overwhelmed by the will of his people, decrees that they should go to the new lake. While there, the king swan is trapped. All of the swans abandon their king except one loyal swan. The swan's loyalty inspires the human king. He treats the swans as a guest and eventually sets them free.
The lesson: Loyalty is one of the world's most desirable qualities.

Two inseparable swans, like in the story

Source

The Master's Test: Source

An old teacher is teaching his younger students. He tells them that they need to get money so that he may continue living. He tells the students to find a place where no one is watching and steal from the rich. One pupil questions the teacher as the other students leave. He says he cannot steal, as even if "no one" is watching, he is still watching himself. The other students are ashamed that they did not understand this message, but they learn from their mistakes.

Week 9 Story: The Downfall of the Undefeated

It was January 18th, 2015 in Seattle, Washington.

The score was 19-14.

Only 2 minutes and 9 seconds separated us from the Super Bowl.

A single fluke of a play ripped that dream from us.

What happened? Two words.


Brandon. Bostick.


Those who know this name know the pain- that gut-wrenching, soul-crushing, hope-devouring pain that sticks with you for years after the fact- that this man inflicted on loyal fans of the Green Bay Packers. Even now, many still shudder at the name. Many have never forgiven him. Brandon Bostick will forever live in infamy among Packers fans, as all of us were left to ask the age-old question "what if...?"

Contextualization is vital to understanding the impact of Brandon Bostick's actions that day.
Both the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers ended the regular season with a 12-4 record. This caused the teams to be the first and second seeded teams in the NFC, respectively. Not only did this give the Packers a first round bye in the playoffs, but Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay's quarterback, was having a historic season that secured him the MVP. While the Packers were not unbeatable, there is no doubt that they were one of the best teams in the league that season.
Each team glided through their first playoff game with ease. This set up the matchup between the Seahawks and the Packers in the NFC Championship game. The winner would take a trip to the Super Bowl.

In one of the grindiest playoff games in history, the Packers took a 16-0 lead into halftime. On four scoring drives, the Packers had been held to only a single touchdown; the Seahawks technically still had life. This was despite astounding offensive and defensive dominance by the Packers.
The Packers' lead evaporated in the second half. The score was 19-7 with three minutes left in the game. With 2:09 left, the Seahawks scored again, making the score 19-14.

That's when Brandon Bostick happened.

He handed the Seattle Seahawks the miracle they so desperately needed. Rather, he couldn't hold onto the victory.

The Seahawks lined up for an onside kick. The Packers knew what was coming. They lined up accordingly. The ball was kicked. Players on both teams took off at a sprint. The ball flew the necessary ten yards through the air... directly to Brandon Bostick.

He leapt into the air to catch the ball.

It. Bounced. Off. His. Helmet.

Seattle recovered the ball.

The hearts of devoted Packers fans across the nation shattered.

The worst part? Brandon Bostick was not supposed to have ever touched the ball. His job on the play was to block, allowing Jordy Nelson to catch the ball.

Brandon Bostick's infamous onside kick recovery

Source

As the game went on, the Seahawks drove down the field. They took the lead with 1:25 left on the clock. 19-22.

Aaron Rodgers led a miraculous drive that ended with the field goal necessary to tie the game and force overtime. Yet, it was for nothing.

Seattle won the coin toss, immediately drove down the field, and scored before the great Aaron Rodgers had a chance to take the field.

The game was over.

Brandon Bostick had lost the Packers the game and a trip to the Super Bowl because he couldn't do his job. Just like that, an amazing Packers team was felled by a single mistake. A historic Packers season ended on a fluke, a mistake, an accident.

Nothing could change the fact that the season was over. The Packers were never the same afterwards.



Author's Note: I based this story on that of Bhisma. It was my understanding that he was arguably the greatest warrior in this story. Yet, he was defeated in battle. Why? He could not bring himself to fight a woman. The concept of someone who is so utterly astounding in one discipline- strength, intelligence, etc- yet has some sort of glaring weakness that turns their ability on its head spoke to me while reading the Mahabharata. This reminded me of the 2014 Packers. Like the Packers, Bhisma should never have been defeated in battle. He couldn't bring himself to fight anyone born as a woman. In that moment where Bhisma paused, he was shot full of arrows and eventually died. This was the inspiration for my story. The historic 2014 Packers, complete with MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, were defeated by something so absurd that it was unbelievable. Onside kicks NEVER work. In fact, the kickoff rules have changed since this event, making onside kicks even less likely. Yet, the impossible happened. As a die-hard Packers fan, I knew I couldn't make it through the whole semester without writing a story about them, but it genuinely made me sad to write this story. My own memories of the game came back, and the overwhelming feeling of disbelief still sticks with me today every time I think of this game.


Bibliography: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu by Richard Wilson

Reading Notes: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu Part B

Again, the source of all of the readings is found here: Source

Section 7:
Selfishness overwhelms Duryodhana. Always jealous of the Pandavas, he cannot bear the thought of the Pandavas finding happiness or success, even after they have served their 13 year exile! He takes action to begin war against the Pandavas to reclaim Yudhishthira's portion of the kingdom for himself. Krishna is sent to reason with Duryodhana. Krishna appears to have convinced both Dhritarashtra and Drona that war is unnecessary. However, Duryodhana cannot be swayed. He wants war.

Section 9:
Bhisma is killed. He says he can't fight someone who was born as a woman. Well, the warrior Shikhandin was evidently born as a woman. Bhisma effectively gives us. He's shot with a ton of arrows that cause him to die a long painful death. If I remember correctly, he doesn't even die until the entire battle is over.
This concept of a great warrior being defeated by some absurd rule is mind boggling. This guy couldn't fight a woman. Hercules was invulnerable except for his ankle. I want to write about a guy who is invulnerable to everything but something silly like deodorant.

Bhisma was killed because of his weakness; I want to write a similar story

Source

Sections 10 & 11:
Arjuna and Karna battle. They end up tying in battle on two consecutive days. In battle on the third day, Arjuna's bow breaks. By the rules of combat, Karna should let him retrieve a new weapon. He doesn't. So when Karna's chariot gets stuck, Arjuna returns the favor. He kills Karna when the rules of combat say he shouldn't. This is ultimately not immoral because he was just doing to Karna what Karna had done to him.

Section 12:
Duryodhana escapes the battle. He waged war even after his great warriors died. He hides in the forest near a lake. The Pandavas find Bhima who defeats Duryodhana in battle. At this point, the Pandavas learn that all of their sons were killed! The Pandavas learn Karna was their brother, and they mourn for everyone who died in battle.

Reading Notes: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu Part A

All of the following comments can be found here: Source

Section 1:
I struggled to remember how Duryodhana was related to the Pandavas. This very succinctly reminds us that they are cousins. The matchup between Karna and Arjuna was a great focus in the first rendition of the story, and it is still present in this condensed version. I think it important to note that Karna was mocked for his humble upbringing as though he is somehow less than Arjuna because he was not the son of a king. The difference in social structure is quite evident in this point.

Section 2:
It is made evident that the task to win Draupadi's hand in marriage was so difficult that only Arjuna was to be able to do it. Interestingly, Draupadi becomes the husband of only the oldest brother Yudhishthira because of a different wording in the statement of the Pandavas' mother. Again, Karna's low-born upbringing screws him over.

The five Pandavas and Draupadi

Source

Section 4:
The entire kingdom is split between Duryodhana and Yudhishthira. Each rule their own part, but Duryodhana wants to rule everything. He cheats to win the kingdom from Yudhishthira. In fact, he wins all of the Pandavas and Draupati. They become slaves. However, Draupati asks for a favor from Dhritarashtra, and they all go into exile rather than become slaves.


Sections 5 & 6:
The Pandavas, disguised, help fight to regain stolen cattle. Draupadi has to convince the prince that Arjuna, disguised as a dance instructor, is capable of driving a chariot. Eventually the Pandavas reveal their identities to the prince and re-take the cattle. Their exile is then over.

Week 8: Progress Review

Looking back:

I'm happy with my progress so far- I've completed every assignment so far, and I'm on track for the grade I want to end the course with. I have a decent weekly routine. That routine seems to change every week based on the demands of my other classes. I've taken those demands in stride and managed to make it work. I haven't needed to do any of the extra credit assignments just yet, but I am comfortable with that fact.

Looking forward:

I want to take advantage of spring break. If I can get two or three weeks ahead in this class, the rest of my semester will be so much easier. After that week, I want to avoid completing any of the assignments the same day they're due- I want them done well in advance.

My inspirational picture:

Success isn't something that you're owed. Greatness is taking success and claiming it as your own.

Apply this to your GPA, a really hard class, or the semester as a whole.

Source

Week 8: Comments and Feedback

Feedback in:
I feel that feedback I've received is too polite. I don't know if people are trying to avoid hurting my feelings or if my writing legitimately has few errors. Looking at my comment wall, almost everything is focused on what I'm doing well. Then there are multiple comments that cover the same topic- I had a weird * sentence at the end of my introduction for a while, and once I fixed it, I had re-written one sentence terribly. Numerous people focused on these two elements, said polite things, and moved on. However, this tends to be better than the story feedback I receive. Almost all of those comments are about liking the story and the creativity. I wish more of my classmates gave feedback that focuses on what they don't like or what I'm not doing well.

I want feedback to tell me where I failed. Why? For this reason.

Source

Feedback out:
I'd like to believe that I'm giving good feedback to others. I know that I want feedback that tells me where I need to improve- that's what I try to give others, especially on their projects. I've found that my feedback comments are often much longer than the word requirement; I don't bother counting the words. I try to give specific areas in which the person can improve- grammar, run-on sentences, undeveloped ideas, or things that I don't understand.

Blog Comments:
Commenting on different blogs has given me an idea of who I'm talking to. I like when I can am assigned a story to comment on and I can go "Oh! This is the person who said xyz." I especially enjoy reading responses people have to my introduction.

Looking Forward:
I think I need to correct some of my obvious mistakes more quickly to ensure that I only receive a few comments about the same issue. If I make corrections quickly, then others may have to look a little harder at my writing in order to give me decent feedback.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

My current thoughts on my position in the class-

• I enjoy the reading and writing assignments. I started off the semester almost two weeks ahead of schedule in this class. Shortly after classes started, I was only one week ahead. Now I'm doing things the day they're due. That's not to say that I'm irresponsible or struggling. I'm simply having to put more effort into my ChE classes than I originally thought I needed to- I am SO glad I had given myself that buffer of almost two full weeks of work.
• I plan to get a bunch of work done for this class over spring break. With five weeks of this class (according to the class calendar) after spring break, I think I can work very hard during that time to make the rest of the school year much easier on myself.
• I'm happy with my blog. I've enjoyed blogging more than I thought I would. I actually improved the layout of my blog specifically for this assignment! I changed the color scheme and picked a better background. 

I had not reviewed the design/layout of my blog since I created it almost two months ago. This image pertains to Magic, a hobby I enjoy. I wanted to make it my blog's background image, but I really disliked the appearance of the tiled background, so I chose to not use it.

Source

• I have found that my reading notes are somewhat useful when writing my stories. They provide a starting point and little else. I certainly go back through and look at them for inspiration, but once an idea comes to me, I just write about that idea without any further inspiration.
• I enjoyed the Ramayana more than the Mahabharata. I believe this is because there was one main character in the Ramayana whereas two families and all of their children were the main characters in the Mahabharata. There were so many characters to try to keep straight!
• I've found that I like to read multiple sections of the reading at once and then decide what the vital details/events are that I want to write about. I think this process has worked well so far.

• Moving forward, I want to give myself more time to complete the readings. I can do this by completing them early! Spring break should give me that chance to get ahead. When I read the readings the day they're due, I find myself missing important details or not fully understanding what occurred during the reading.
• I have tailored my reading notes to focus on my project, seemingly forgetting that they can also be used to write the weekly stories. I want to broaden my view and include interesting things in my reading notes, even if they don't directly apply to my project.