Essay Week 2: Review of Cupid and Psyche

Review of Cupid and Psyche

The classical and biblical unit started out great!  I enjoyed reading Cupid and Psyche as my choice for the first week of readings.  I am glad that the stories were excerpts from the novel, The Golden Ass.  I have read the novel before but I enjoy how the novel itself incorporates the love story of Cupid and Psyche.

There were several stories that I enjoyed more than others.  I loved the introduction stories, “The Captive Woman” and “Her Dream.”  These two stories engaged me as a reader by helping me have empathy for the kidnapped girl.  I also really enjoyed “The Oracle of Apollo”.  This story was a very unexpected twist in the Cupid and Psyche story.  Most of the time the beautiful characters are wanted by all people but in this story, Psyche is portrayed as the most beautiful being but no one wants to wed her.

The stories about the task that Venus asks Psyche to perform were my least favorite of the reading.  “Psyche’s Task” and “The Third Task” were not as eventful as the other readings.  I lost interest and was ready for something more exciting to happen.  I was overwhelmed with the descriptions the gods were giving Psyche to accomplish the task and there was also no exciting reaction from Venus when Psyche accomplished the tasks.

 I thought that the reading picked up perfectly with “The Captive Woman.”  If there was more background information of The Golden Ass then they may be of some help to those who have never read the novel.  However, even though I have read the novel I felt that the stories flowed nicely from beginning to end. I think this story is easy to follow for the most part.  The only aspect of Cupid and Psyche that I tend to get lost in is the different gods and goddesses that are mentioned throughout the stories. It would be helpful if notes were provided on which god is speaking and also what they are worshiped for.  I do not think that more information needs to be provided on things to consider when choosing this unit.  It was recommended to not read Cupid and Psyche if you were on a time crunch, which I agree with.

I have always loved reading Greek mythology readings.  However, I have not read many since I have been in college.  I look forward to the options of more Greek readings in order to refresh my knowledge of the powerful and beautifully written myths. 

(Google: Cupid and Psyche)

Storytelling for Week 2: True Love

From a young age, when I walked in a room people took notice.  I never knew how beautiful I was until I got older and more and more stares were directed towards me.  They were never stares of astonishment; it was more of a mesmerized gaze upon stranger’s faces.  I truly did not want the attention.  I was known for my beauty but no one had ever wanted to speak to me or get to know me underneath the surface.  I was the younger of two older sisters who were not known for their looks but seemed to have life going for them.  We came from a prestigious family where we were expected to marry some one of great potential.  My two sisters had married, one to a lawyer and the other to a doctor.  Our parents were proud of them but concerned with me. 

My father became so worried that he took it upon himself to see a Palm Reader.  On the evening of this day, my father returned home with a saddened look on his face.  He told our family that the Palm Reader had a terrible vision.  Because of my beauty, no man would be brave enough to approach me or feel worthy enough to marry me.  I was destined to be a lone for the rest of my life.  As my parents and sisters mourned for weeks over my predicament, I turned to a higher being, God.  I did not know much about God but decided to invest my time in something since I would be alone forever.  I studied the bible and learned how to pray and through that process I developed a relationship with God, my heavenly father. 

My parents concern remained constant for months.  They were especially concerned about how calm I was during this revealing of my future.  I told them about my newfound faith in God and how I had learned that it’s okay to be alone and that you are never really alone when you have God.  I also had developed an understanding that I am a precious child of god, a beautiful creation made specifically from his hands out of love and care.  What earthly being would ever love me the way God does?  A mere mortal would never know my heart the way God did and be able to pursue a relationship with me.

When I became set in my faith and accepted that it would be just God and me for the rest of my life, I had a peace within me.  I knew that no matter what God would take care of me and provide for me.  Soon after this revelation, a local farmer approached me on my way to the towns market.  He began to talk to me about his produce he was selling at the market and was genuinely interested in getting to know me.  He never once commented on my looks or seemed afraid to speak with me.  I had never experienced an encounter like this and was not sure what to think.

A few days passed and I had not given the event that had happened previously much thought.  One evening, the young farmer came to my house.  Shocked, I invited him in and immediately questioned his behavior.  He wanted to get to know me, he wanted to pursue something deeper with me, and he saw something different with me.  Never once did he mention my beauty.  He truly wanted to get to know my heart and was willing to be patient and loving through the process.  As I shared the news with my family, my heart filled with joy.  I turned to my loving God in a dark time and he showed me what true love was.  I was content with who I was and had learned how to live by myself.  Through that, God provided me a man who was not prestigious but was loving and true and that is what is really important in life.

(Google Images: The Love of Jesus)

Authors Note: I based this story off of Cupid and Psyche's love story.  I wrote it in first person because I found it easier to tell the story as if this was something that I was going through.  Although I am not the worlds most beautiful woman, I find it important that men and women should see beauty below the surface.  I am also a christian and so it was easier for me to write a story of things that I have learned based off my believes like Psyche's belief in the greek gods.  I wanted a love story that showed we do not need a significant other in our lives but if we become confident in who we are we can be confident with someone else also.  I chose the reading section of Cupid and Psyche, The Oracle of Apollo to coincide my story with.  In this part of Cupid and Psyche, Psyche's dad is told by the Gods that Psyche will have to die to mortality in order to have a husband.  They must send her away to the Gods for her to be married.

Week 2 Reading Diary: Cupid and Psyche

Cupid and Psyche: Homepage

The Captive Woman
My heart aches for both Lucius and the captive girl.  She has been taken from her wealthy family and protective home.  I would be hysterical like she is if I were stolen by thieves!  It is also detrimental that they have no food or goods to make the environment a little better.

Her Dream
To add even more heartbreak, the girl tells the old woman that she was kidnapped on her wedding day!  I can not imagine sharing a precious moment with my mother before I walk down the aisle only to be taken a back by robbers bursting into my room and taking me against my will.  The dream she has definitely does not help the situation.

Psyche's Beauty
I've heard this story a couple of times but it still astonishes me that Venus would be so envious of Psyche's beauty because Psyche did not choose her looks.  She is the way she was made and it really is out of her control.  I also do know the feeling of jealousy and since Venus is the Goddess of Beauty I'm sure it is difficult for people to be worshipping some other girl.

The Oracle of Apollo
I think this is such an interesting twist in the story that Psyche may be the most beautiful of all but she has no potential husband.  It also compares her to her "plain" sisters who have things going for them in their lives.

The Magical Palace
Oh to be Psyche right now! How glorious would it be to just be given such a glorious home?  I was as astonished as she was at the detailed description of the beautiful home and also that the place was not locked up...  Another thing that would make me raise a red flag is that all the servants and voices she heard were from invisible bodies.

The Mysterious Husband
It is crazy to think how in love Psyche is with her mysterious husband.  At first I was scared for her because of the threats Cupid was sending her way if she told anyone about her being alive.  I became relieved once he agrees to let her see her sisters but I am also expecting it to not go over well.

The Jealousy of Psyche's Sisters
At first, I am in complete agreement with Psyche's sisters.  They have every right to question her and all the wonderful gifts she has received.  If I had a sister I would want to know who she was dating let alone married to!  Unfortunately, the sisters then fall in to the trap and begin to reject Psyche.  They team up and bully her saying she is undeserving of a wonderful life.

Psyche's Husband Warns Her
I would have to say that Cupid really did give Psyche a fair warning.  There is so much pressure on her also now that their future child is depending on her actions.  This was an exciting part of the story because it showed that Cupid may be revealing himself to his wife soon!

Fears and Doubts
The story has definitely taken a turn for the worse.  The sisters have convinced Psyche that she must kill her husband to become free again.  After all the warning from her husband, Psyche's naivety takes the best of her as she listens to her sisters lies.  However, I do not blame Psyche for being easily convinced.  She knows her sisters but she has never even seen the face of her husband.

Psyche's Husband Revealed
At last Cupid is revealed to Psyche! I've been waiting for this moment from the beginning of the story.  Although it does not exactly end happy, it's almost a relief that she finally knows who she's been married to and who she is having a child with.

Psyche's Despair
Those poor sisters.  It is almost karma because they tricked Psyche into killing her husband out of pure jealousy.  However, I think this is the point in the story where Psyche finally realizes the intentions of her sisters.

Venus and the Goddess
Venus learns that her son Cupid is in love with Psyche.  She is not happy about this event taking place and sets out to do some more damage.

Psyche's Prayer
Psyche approaches Ceres and Juno in hopes that will help her in the predicament she is in.  Both God's are unwilling to help because of their relationship with Venus.

Venus and Mercury
Venus has Mercury search for Psyche.  He offers a reward of kisses from Venus in hopes that all the mortal men will help look and turn in Psyche.

Venus and Psyche
Psyche is captured and brought to Venus.  After her servants punish Psyche, Venus herself beats and tortures Psyche.  Astonished by everything that is happening, Psyche is helpless and confused at Venus' reactions.

Psyche's Task
It is so heart wrenching that Psyche and Cupid are locked away under the same roof but separated from each other.  Venus sends Psyche on a dangerous mission to retrieve golden sheep wool and a  deity helps Psyche accomplish the task.

 The Third Task
Psyche is helped again by a God in order to complete another dangerous task.

The Jar of Beauty
Given the task to deliver the jar to Tartarus, by Venus.  Psyche is given very specific task on how to deliver this jar  in a successful manner.  She is also warned by a helpful deity to fight her curiosity or she will surely fail.  Psyche's curiosity gets the best of her once again as she opens the jar.

The Sleep of the Dead
Psyche opens the jar and immediately is over come by sleep.  Cupid however comes to her rescue encouraging her to finish the task asked by Venus.  He also tells Psyche that he will take care of everything else and he goes to Jupiter for help.

The Wedding Feast
With the help of Jupiter, Cupid and Psyche are allowed marriage.  Psyche then becomes immortal and gives birth to a daughter.  The robbers from the Golden Ass return as the old woman finishes the story.

The Escape
Lucius has the courage to escape from the old woman as the robbers are away again.  He fights her and is able to escape and save the young girl also.

Week 1: Introduction

I am starting my senior year (Round 1) this year! I will be taking an extra year next year before I graduate but I am excited about what is in store for me as a fifth year senior.  I am a Health and Exercise Science major and also a Pre- Physician Assistant student.  I love going to class and learning new things but I am ready to be done with school!

I am a very active and outdoorsy person.  I love to play sports and work out during my free time.  I am not a girly girl at all and my favorite place to be is my grandparents farm out on the dock fishing!  I grew up with all boys so I am use to playing catch in the yard or shooting things for fun.  I come from a very small town in Texas and I'm still more fond of small towns rather than big cities but I do love being at OU and living in Norman while I'm in college.

I am very involved at my home church here in Norman.  I serve as a small group leader for college girls on the leadership team of our college group.  It has been a blast and I have met so many great people through church!  I also work as the student athletic trainer for the OU baseball team.  I have been with them for a year and will be with them again this year.  I love my job and I love being able to learn all the things an athletic trainer does.

A side from all of the outdoor and sports activities that I am usually participating in, I love to be crafty and use my creative side of my brain.  On rainy or cold days I could sit inside and read, scrapbook, or do some sort of art project ALL day!

(Personal photo: Taken at L.Dale Mitchell Park, the OU baseball field)

Week 1: Storybook Favorites

The first storybook I chose is the Storybook of Horror.  I'm not a dark person but I absolutely love to watch scary movies.  I enjoy the thrill of being scared and having my adrenaline rush!  The title of this storybook caught my attention because of the word "Horror".  I instantly clicked on it and was even more intrigued by the pictures as the graphically but with taste depicted a horror story.  At first I thought this storybook would be cheesy horror stories such as the "Scary Movie" collection.  However, after reading the titles of the stories and a couple of sentences of each they seem to be actual horror stories.  Some of my favorite fictional books to read are murder mysteries so I am looking forward to reading from this storybook!

Friends: The One With All The Stories originally caught my attention by the title.  I assumed it was a storybook about one person in a group a friends that constantly told stories.  This reminds me of myself because out of my friend group I am the one who is always telling a story about something!  When I clicked on the link it had a picture and storyline based off the TV show Friends.  This made me even more excited because I love that TV series.  I also liked the yellow and gray colors of the website because it made reading the story easy to see.  This storybook seems like a fun and energetic storybook which is completely different from the previous storybook I chose, Storybook of Horror.

I also chose Tales of Beauty and The Beast as another storybook of interest.  I loved that story growing up as a child.  The movie was also one of my favorites as a little girl.  I always thought I was Belle out of all the Disney Princess' because she had brown hair like I do.  The pictures on this website were very pretty and detailed.  I also liked that there was an authors note after every section of the story.  This is very helpful on seeing the authors point of view.  I am interested in seeing how the author creates a new story about a very well known children's story.

Week 1: Un-Textbook

I chose to outline my readings for the semester.  There were so many good ones to choose from but I tried to mix up the readings based off my interest, things I wanted to read again, and stories I had no knowledge of.

Week 2: This past spring semester I had to read The Golden Ass for one of my classes.  This book was about the egyptian God Isis and also wove in the story of Cupid and Psyche.  I remember the beauty of this almost tragic love story and as a fan of Greek Mythology I would love to read it!

Week 3:  As a Christian I am very interested in biblical readings.  The Gospels are some of my favorite books of the bible so I will choose to read the Gospel of Mark for my reading this week.  I never get tired of reading the Gospels, I learn something new each time.

Week 4: For week 4 I choose Ancient Egypt.  I love to learn about new Gods and Goddess because the Greek ones are the only ones I am familiar with.  I did read about Isis in The Golden Ass and I would like to learn more about the cultures other Gods and Goddess.

Week 5: I have heard of the Arabian Nights but am not very familiar with that reading.  I chose this one because it included full notes with it and I am curious as to why it's such a famous reading.

Week 6: I am planning on going on a medical mission trip this December to Ghana so I chose the West African Folktales.  It mentioned Ghana in the description and I would love to learn a little bit about their culture before I travel there!

Week 7: I chose Lang: African Tales for the same reason I chose African Folktales.  This one also includes all parts of African culture into the ready so I think that will help me to learn about the stories from other parts of Africa as well.

Week 9:  My great-grandmother was Cherokee so I chose Cherokee stories as my reading this week.  My great-grandmother passed away before I was born and my grandpa told me some of the tales, such as the one about the snake-monster when I was a child.  I do not remember a lot of them so I'm looking forward to hearing about them again!

Week 10: I chose the Tejas stories because I was born and raised in East Texas.  I do not know anything about the Tejas Caddoan people but I do want to read about their stories to learn more.

Week 11: Nursery Rhymes were a favorite of mine growing up.  I remember having a book full of them and my mom would read them to me all the time.  I also would read them to my baby dolls!  I chose Nursery Rhymes because I love the reminder of being a kid again.

Week 12: I chose English Fairy Tales because these stories also remind me of my childhood.  I also wanted notes with them so I could learn more in depth about the readings.

Week 13:  I read Dante's Inferno my senior year of High School and was absolutely fascinated with it.  I always told myself I would read that book again on my own time so I could enjoy it more.  I never got the chance but I would love to use this opportunity to read about it again.

Week 14: I chose Margaret's Heptameron because I know nothing about it.  I have never heard of it and I really do not have any knowledge of the Renaissance Era.  I also chose it because who doesn't love a little gossip, especially told by a queen?

Week 1 Storytelling: Rosie the Rabbit

BYE, baby bunting,

Daddy's gone a hunting,

To get a little hare's skin

To wrap a baby bunting in.

(traditional nursery rhyme)

(Rosie the Rabbit)

.....

Rosie the Rabbit was snuggled in her hole as she felt the morning sun shine through on her fur.  She stretched out her sleepy limbs and then crawled out of the hole to explore the chilly fall day.  As Rosie hoped through the forest, she made her way to The Walton's house. The Walton's house held sad memories for Rosie.  Rosie had two brothers that were shot by Mr. Walton and she had seen his kids wrapped as tiny babies in her own brothers furs! She sat aside a tree as she watched the little Walton kids run and play while Mr. and Mrs. Walton sat on the porch drinking warm coffee.  Near them was a small basket that was holding something wiggly and loud.  Rosie perked up her ears and determined that inside that basket was a crying baby! The Walton's must have added a new addition to their family. "Oh no!" thought Rosie.  "If The Walton's have another baby during this chilly weather then they will be looking for new rabbit fur!"  Rosie's mind raced as she came up with a plan to watch Mr. Walton's every move until he would leave to hunt.  Rosie hoped closer to the house and hid near a bush where she could hear The Walton's voices more clearly.  As The Walton's moved in and out of the house throughout the day, Rosie laid still so The Walton's could not see her.  As the sun went down, the baby began to cry.  Mrs. Walton was trying to soothe the baby but nothing seemed to be working.  She then called for her husband.  "It's getting chilly.  I think it's time for a new rabbit fur to soothe the baby."  Rosie became frightened knowing she would soon be running for her life.  She had no where to go, this forest was her home.  All of her animal friends were living in this forest and she did not want to leave them.  As Mr. Walton loaded up his shot gun, Mrs. Walton placed the baby on the front porch hoping the fresh air would help soothe it.  Rosie peeked in the basket at the sweet chubby baby that was inside.  Rosie's heart broke for the baby and she wanted to help it stop crying but she did not want to get shot either!  Rosie began to think of ways to help this baby but also save her own life.  "That's it!", thought Rosie as soon as Mr. Walton's boots hit the floor.  "I can provide warmth to the baby and stay alive if I snuggle up real close!"  Rosie hoped out of her hiding place quickly up the steps and into the baby's basket before Mr. Walton could shoot her.  She snuggled up real close to the crying baby and slowly began to feel its skin warm up.  Mr. and Mrs. Walton were in disbelief but realized their baby had quit crying.  They peeked under the blanket and saw Rosie warming up the now quiet baby.  Once the baby was asleep Rosie hoped out and ran as fast as she could to her hole.  Mr. Walton never followed her, he simply stood on his porch watching Rosie the Rabbit run away.  Rosie continued to come back every night and snuggle the baby to sleep and then return safely to her hole.

.....

Authors Note: This story is based on the nursery rhyme "Bye Baby Bunting" from The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang (1897).  The nursery rhyme is told by the mother of the baby but I wanted to write a story from the rabbit's point of view.  As an animal lover I decided to let the rabbit live while still allowing it to use its fur to warm the baby.  This story has a happy ending for everyone unlike the in the original nursery rhyme wear the rabbit is killed for its fur.

Blogger Templates Tech Tip

I chose a Watermark template.  I love the colors of this back ground and the flowers that are on it.  I kept the lay out the same as the original blog layout because it is simple and easy to use.  I have never blogged before so I did not want to change things around to much to make it more difficult.

Week 1: My Favorite Place-Cabo San Lucas

My Favorite place is Cabo San Lucas.  I went on a family vacation there the summer of 2012.  There was a lot of activities to do such as paddle boarding, zip lining, hiking, and fishing.  It was beautiful there but the best part of the trip was the food.  The mexican food in Cabo was the best mexican food I have ever had.  It was so fresh and tasty!

The Arch in Cabo San Lucas: Google 

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