Feedback Strategies

A hilarious and classic meme I found with a twist and focus on the idea of feedback

The two articles I read this week were really eye-opening and after some pondering, I realized they had a lot of truth to them! In the article How to Give Feedback Without Sounding Like a Jerk, the biggest takeaway for me was that, sadly, a lot of positive praise and gratefulness falls on deaf ears, which I realize is true of me because I am often quick to hear negative words more loudly and clearly than I am positive news. To me, that really seems to be an issue with era of social media, that we are always on display and trying to win approval, whether we acknowledge it or not. Some strategies for feedback from the article include asking if they WANT feedback, taking yourself off a pedestal, and explain why you are giving that feedback. In 5 Reasons to Stop Saying "Good Job," the biggest takeaway for me was realizing how too much unnecessary praise (note UNNECESSARY) can create praise-junkies that constantly need validation to exist, and saying good job takes away an incentive to work hard and improve, since they feel they've done an adequate job. 

Topic Research

An illustration from Dante's Inferno, part of The Divine Comedy.

At this point in the semester, I am fairly certain that I would like to focus my semester-long project on Dante's Inferno, though I am still very interested in The Man in the Moon and Homer's Odyssey. The Divine Comedy really appeals to me as a result of my faith in Christianity, as well as the interesting moral ideas that come up specifically in Inferno. Are there levels of morality or sin, or is all sin the same in God's eyes? Why do we punish humans for crimes for severely for others? These are all such interesting concepts that people have very different ideas about, and I enjoy discussing my faith with others because the strongest believers tend to have challenged their beliefs the most, at least in my experience. The Man in the Moon is still interesting to me because I am from Oklahoma and native culture is around us constantly, and even OU is on former native land. I am also interested in the Odyssey still because of its classic status and perseverance through time. Additionally, Greek mythology is what got me into reading regularly and even taking this class!

Week 3 Story: Odysseus' Dilemma

A visual of the Greek hero Odysseus attacking the suitors who are trying to seduce his wife

Now Odysseus, having been in disguise as a strange wanderer, had found in his way into Eumaeus' hut. Eumaeus, being the hospitable man and servant of a fine person such as Odysseus, has given this fine stranger a place to stay and eat in warmth and comfort. Eumaeus has explained to the stranger the story of his master, the great hero Odysseus and his strange disappearance after the Fall of Troy, as well as the situation that his illustrious wife, Penelope, has been approached by a horde of suitors who refuse to leave their palace until she has chosen one of them to be her new husband. After all of this, Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, enters the hut of Eumaeus and greets the stranger kindly, much like how Odysseus had hoped he had been raised. After going outside to get some air, Athena reveals Odysseus' true appearance to Telemachus, a tender moment for the two. They hatch a plan to rid their palace of suitors and return Ithaca to greatness and glory. The very next morning, at the begging and persistence of the suitors, Penelope states that anyone that can string Odysseus' bow and fire a bolt through 12 axe heads can be her husband and rule Ithaca with her. They all try and inevitably fail. Simultaneously, Eumaeus and Telemachus have taken the wandering stranger to the palace to carry out their vengeful plot. As all of the men have failed, they decide to wait until tomorrow to sacrifice to Apollo, the God of Archery, in order to stand a chance of stringing it. The stranger approaches the bow and easily strings and breaks all 12 axe heads in a single motion; however, the plan has stopped there. Odysseus' true form has been revealed by Athena for all to see and the suitors are terrified. Odysseus takes a look around and realizes that violence is not the answer, and that his absence has been a great strain on his family unit, and his kingdom as a whole. Odysseus puts down the bow and says the following: "I am very sorry for what I have almost done to you. You all are just here to find love and restore Ithaca to its former glory, while I have abandoned it for 10 long years. Please do better than me, and make good on my longing promises." And with that, Odysseus literally walks away from Ithaca and sails away for the final time. 

Author's Note: I am a huge fan of Greek mythology in general, so I wanted to be able to pay homage to the original story, but then I had a funny idea that I couldn't stop chuckling about, so this story was really the result of that ridiculous idea! I hope it wasn't too horrible to read!

Bibliography: The Odyssey by Homer (translated by Tony Kline in 2000). http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-homers-odyssey.html

Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey, Part B

A sculpture of the great Greek hero, Odysseus, from the legendary mythos.

The story picks up right where it left off in Part A of the anthology, as Odysseus and his crew have fled from the sorceress Circe and left her island intact, but sailing toward the realm of Hades, which is a very dangerous task. After sailing to the Land of the Cimmerians, Odysseus prepares sacrifices, as instructed by Circe to attract the souls of the dead to him in order to speak with Tiresias, a blind prophet that will lead him home. They encounter and speak with ghosts, including the recently deceased Elpenor, who passed away after getting drunk and falling, which broke his neck. Tiresias tells Odysseus that Poseidon is punishing him and reveals the situation with the suitors to him that is occurring back at his palace. After he speaks with Tiresias, the spirits of his mother, Agamemnon, Ajax, and many famous women, and is quickly overtaken by many spirits, causing his men to have to sail away to escape the spirits. Odysseus, at the instruction of Circe, is tied to the mast of his ship and his and his crew mates ears are to be filled with beeswax in order to down out the song of the sirens, an iconic moment in Greek mythology. He and his men hold fast to the path told to him by Circe, and the ship survives at the expense of 6 of his men being eaten. 

Bibliography: The Odyssey by Homer (translated by Tony Kline in 2000). http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-homers-odyssey.html

Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey Part A

An illustration of Odysseus' ship from Homer's Odyssey

The Odyssey is an incredible story that has survived generations and generations through verbal storytelling and, eventually, the written form. The portion of the story begins with the great Greek hero Odysseus trying to return home to his kingdom of Ithaca ten years after the events of the Fall of Troy. He is trapped on Calypso's island and escapes with the help of the gods of Mount Olympus and builds a ship and forms a crew, while his wife, Penelope, is being treated by suitors who do not know that Odysseus is still alive. After happening upon the land of the Cyclops and the son of the god of the sea Poseidon, who is named Polyphemus, Odysseus does battle with the Cyclops to escape being eaten and killed by him, though this is very difficult because Poseidon holds a grudge against Odysseus for blinding one of his sons, and Poseidon later sends an incredible storm to wreck his ship. Later, Odysseus and his crew must escape the magic of Circe, who attempts to enchant him with a drug in his tea and seduce Odysseus in order for his crew and himself to leave safely. Following the death of Elpenor, Odysseus and his crew are able to escape the wrath of Circe and leave Circe's island. This piece of the story is one of my favorites, and I am so happy to be able to read and enjoy part of it once again. 

Bibliography: The Odyssey by Homer (translated by Tony Kline in 2000). http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-homers-odyssey.html