Feedback Thoughts

(Fixed Mindset link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-26/fixed-vs-growth-mindset-at-work-and-in-life/9897782)
(Rejection link: https://ideas.ted.com/why-rejection-hurts-so-much-and-what-to-do-about-it/)

Growth Mindset tips vs Fixed Mindset

The first article I read offered good advice on avoiding the fixed mindset as it can stall or even stunt one's intellectual growth. So often today I see that people see challenges as intense hurdles rather than an opportunity to reach out of their comfort zone. The second article I read covered why rejection causes so much pain for people and had multiple ways to deal with it when it happens. I really liked the point of keeping or "reviving" your own self-worth as it is a great way to bounce back from a rejection. The most productive feedback I have ever received was when I was a junior in high school and unsure of what I should do after graduation, my Physics teacher at the time told me after class that ".. I had a really good sense and should stick with it," in regards to Physics and later my major Mechanical Engineering. As for the most negative I can't think of any specific time outside of being told I didn't have a future in Spanish in my Spanish 3 class in high school. Lastly, a good anecdote of a time I received good feedback was after my freshman year at my internship, when after completing a motor test fast to try and get it to my boss before lunch, an older intern read through it and helped me find an error and told me that "it's better to take your time and meticulously get it right than rush out something to make someone happy." While this sounds harsh it is paramount in the engineering world as the safety of many rely on what we work on.

Topic Brainstorm

The first topic that I am interested in is the legend of Robin Hood as I always loved the Disney movie growing up, even dressing as Robin Hood for Halloween as a third grader, and always was interested in the story. I do not have much knowledge of the formal legend, but am familiar with a good amount of the plot and most characters. I would like to learn more about the original Robin Hood myth as it's a story that I have only heard a retelling of so many times. As for stories for stories I would like to tell is potentially a retelling of the original Robin Hood story using the characters from Disney's adaptation. I have heard anecdotally that the Disney adaption was not necessarily accurate so I think that would be a unique way to retell this story. '
(Link: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-ballads-of-robin-hood.html)

The second topic that I am interested in for this project is Dante's Inferno as I had heard about it towards the end of my time at private elementary school before switching over to public schools where we did not have an assigned Religion class. The only knowledge I have of this tale was that there were multiple levels to hell, where each level was represented by a deadly sin. I would like to learn more about what all of the levels specifically entail and what the protagonist experiences at each level as I know all of the "deadly sins," from my days in Religion class. I think an interesting way to retell this story would be to set it in a different era. Despite seeing in the UN-Textbook that there was previously done I first thought when I saw the topic to set it rather sometime in the 20th century, but I am undecided as there are many routes to go from there.
(Link: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2017/07/project-idea-dante.html)

The third topic I find interesting is Blackbeard as it is again a character that I have heard about, yet never known what all they were actually famous or in his case infamous for doing. I only know of the character of Blackbeard as a mythical pirate from the days of pirates in Gulf of Mexico. I would like to learn about what all of Blackbeard's supposed exploits were when he terrorized the seas. Despite his terrifying status I think it would be a unique way to retell his story with Blackbeard being a current era captain of a ship either commercially or a fisherman for example. His exploits could then be adjusted to fit the theme for a fun take on his bloodthirsty legend.
(Link: http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2017/07/project-idea-blackbeard-pirate.html)

The last topic that I think would research for this project potentially is an urban legend/Native American legend from my hometown of Alton, IL. The story of the Piasa Bird was prominent growing up as every time we would drive into town we would pass by the cliff drawing by the Mississippi River. I know that the general premise of the story is that the Bird was attacking villages until it was slain by the Ouatoga tribe. As for stories I could tell, I would have a hard time adapting the legend to a different era/setting, but I think a good idea would be to make the legend more in-depth by adding characters and more of a plot line on top of the current legend.
(Link: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Piasa-bird)

The Native American Drawing of the Piasa Bird

Week 2 Story: Pygmalion's Last Statue

On the island of Cyprus in an ancient Greek city there was a young sculptor by the name of Pygmalion. He was extremely talented, but spent most of his time working on his projects that he found himself often lonely. Pygmalion had been working on a full-scale ivory statue of a gorgeous woman for some time and began to slowly fall in love. From clothing to caressing the statue, Pygmalion began to go above and beyond for this inanimate shape that he became immersed in. Some nights, Pygmalion couldn't even sleep as his mind was so fixed on his ivory statue. This infatuation soon became an obsession, where Pygmalion needed time with the statue nearly all of his waking hours. People of the city began to view Pygmalion as an outsider and some even went as far as to call him a "madman." As the seasons changed, so came Venus' festival where Pygmalion eagerly attended as he had concocted a plan on how to get his ivory statue to love him. He gave an offering to the ceremonial fire and noticed a large puff of smoke instantly rise from the flames. Pygmalion rushed home to see if he could finally be with his statue girl, but Venus had other plans as she had been watching Pygmalion's obsession with some statue. Pygmalion entered his home only to feel a cold sensation go through his body as his skin and bones began to turn to ivory. Pygmalion's whole body hardened almost instantly leaving him a near identical ivory statue nearly a yard away from his beloved statue. Venus hoped this new statue would serve the people of Pygmalion's city a lesson that one should never succumb to their obsessions especially when they are as unorthodox and end up as desperate as Pygmalion. 

Pygmalion and his Ivory Girl both as statues

Author's Note: For this retelling of the Pygmalion legend, I altered the story by making Pygmalion become slightly more obsessed with his ivory statue as well as having Venus punish Pygmalion and make him a statue rather than making the statue human.

Bibliography: "Metamorphosis: Pygmalion" from Roman lore by Ovid (Kline, 2000)

Week 2 Reading Anthology: Reading Notes (Metamorphisis)

Pygmalion and the Statue by the Roman Poet Ovid (https://sites.google.com/view/mythfolkloreanthology/metamorphosis)

This legend takes place in the city of Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, which is also where the goddess Venus is rumored to be at following her birth at sea. In this legend Pygmalion is a talented, but lonely sculptor who has no wife for he feels women in his town are "wicked." Pygmalion begins to treat one of his ivory statues as if it his wife, and going as far as creating clothing and a bed for this statue due to how infatuated he became with his creation. Pygmalion even became affectionate with his statue due to how in love he became with it as he even began to kiss and caress the statue due to whatever connection it was that he felt with this ivory statue. When the festival of Venus arrives on the island, Pygmalion went to the ceremonial fire and after giving an offering wished for a woman "like his ivory girl," despite knowing the statue was what he truly desired. Because Venus favored Pygmalion, the fired flared up thrice and with that Venus granted Pygmalion his wish. When Pygmalion went home he gave his statue a kiss and noticed that the statue felt alive, he began to check her vitals and confirmed his theory that his statue had come to life as a real woman. Pygmalion could not believe it as his prayer had been answered, for he now had his perfect girl that he had made of ivory, Pygmalion gave thanks to the goddess Venus and she attended the eventual wedding of Pygmalion and his girl of ivory. Lastly, the two had a son following this, who was named Paphos "from whom the island takes its name."

Pygmalion and his eventual wife Galatea (The Ivory Statue)