Reading Diary A: Bible Women

Reading through the first half of the unit Bible Women there were several stories I knew or vaguely remembered and a couple that were new to me. One common theme that ties all of these stories together is the role of women during these times. Women were expected to be submissive to men in every aspect and to this day certain religions and denominations of the Christian faith still hold this idea at the center of their belief system.

Of all the readings two quotes in particular stood out to me the most. The first was from the story of Rebekah when she asks God why her children were struggling within her womb. God's response was that "two nations [were in her] womb, and two peoples from within [her] shall be divided, the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger". That is a pretty powerful message to be receiving about your unborn children and creates strong imagery.

Secondly, a quote from the story of Rachel grabbed my attention. She was sharing a husband with her older sister but she was the one the husband favored. Although she was loved by her husband she could not conceive a child while her sister who was not loved bore many sons. Rachel became so desperate to finally have a child and provide a son for her husband that she demanded "give me children or else I die". This is a powerful statement, but one that I feel is easily relatable. The ability to have children is very important to most women, especially back in these times when a woman's sole purpose was to have sons.

The women of the Bible are important solely due to the sons they produced, other than Delilah who was simply a trickster and nothing more. Although far different from the heroines we have in our present society this was a much different time so the fact that they have mention at all is surprising. In most cases though their stories were used to show the power of God and his helpfulness to those who worship him and his contempt to those who disobey him.

(Where it all Began)



Week One: Famous Last Words

Looking back on the week I guess you could say it was a successful one! Now that I’m taking all upper division classes the bulk of my classes are actually over things I am interested in… other than OCHEM. I think this will be a difficult semester but overall I am excited for what it has to offer. School wise there wasn’t much to accomplish this week, it being Syllabus Week and all.  

I did move up a lot later than most people. I’m from San Antonio and I didn’t move up here until Friday the 21^st. It’s about an eight hour drive to get up here and my parents and I started unpacking right as we got here. My biggest accomplishment this week was definitely cleaning the apartment, unpacking, organizing, and decorating as quickly as I did. Now my goal is to keep everything as clean and organized throughout the semester! I’m typically a very messy person so this won’t be the easiest thing for me!

I’ve lived the bulk of my life outside of Oklahoma so I never got to see my grandparents much who live in Mustang (which is about 30 minutes from Norman). Being up here allows me to see my grandparents all the time. Last weekend they helped me move in and this weekend I spent a night out at their place. They’ve got a pup named Princess so I get my puppy fix since my babies are back home. It’s nice to go out there get home cooked meals, play with Princess, and go to church on Sunday morning!

Since there wasn’t much to do this week school wise I used this weekend to get somewhat ahead in some of my classes. Hopefully it pays off as everything starts ramping up! I can’t wait to see what this semester has to offer!

Syllabus Week

Week One Curation

This assignment was pretty easy even for a non technological person like myself! I went through and set bookmarks for my blog, D2L, and so on. I honestly don't know why I wouldn't have done this much sooner it makes navigating the internet even easier.

As for the other websites used for sharing ideas I am a huge fan of Pinterest! My favorite things have always been the DIY and recipe pages. I've never thought about it being used for academic purposes but I easily see how it could be useful. It provides a forum for all sorts of people to come together and post stories, artwork, and news. With this being an online course I would like to use Pinterest as a mode for sharing information.

(Pinterest)

Growth Mindset

 

After watching Carol Dweck's "The Power of Believing That You Can Improve", there is nothing that I can say I can agree with. A HUGE problem with our society now a days is the "need" to coddle those who don't perform as well as others. It starts at an early age when everyone gets participation trophies and there are no losers in a game. Everyone is told that they are a winner. This is completely asinine. As a child, when my brother or I had a sporting event and the coaches told us that we all won my parents quickly set us straight and told us how it was. They didn't sugar coat anything, they didn't feel the need to coddle us. My parents would keep track of the score themselves so they could tell my brother and I what really happened. Not everyone is a winner, not everyone is going to be smart, and not everyone is going to be successful. That is the way of life and people need to accept it.

When kids have everything sugar coated for them they don't develop a good work ethic and they certainly won’t have what it takes to make it in the real world. If you take a child and tell them they are always a winner, they didn't fail they just don't have what it takes "yet", and that there is always going to be a reward for effort they will be set up for failure. The whole point of school is to educate our youth to one day become functioning members of this society. If they don't know what it's like to fail at least once, to lose at least once, then they will not become a functioning member of society. How is that child going to react the first time his boss later on in life rips him a new one for not completing a task. When you're an adult you don't get rewarded for showing up. You don't get rewarded for putting forth effort. You don't even get rewarded for doing a job correctly in a timely manner. You simply do it because it is expected of you and it is your job.

I’m very lucky to have the parents that I do. The way I was raised shaped me into the person I am today. I owe everything to my parents; my work ethic, my competitive drive, and my desire to always do and be better. A lot of my friends growing up didn’t have parents like me. They had parents that always told them they were winners and if they didn’t do well on something it wasn’t their fault. It was their teachers or coaches’ fault and all that matters is all the hard work they put into whatever they did. To this day as juniors in college mommy and daddy still baby them, and I can tell you that all those kids are going nowhere in life. In life you don’t get a trophy just for showing up. If you want to be successful you have to work your butt off for it, and even then you don’t always get what you want.

(Life Lessons)

Storybook Favorites

Searching through the storybooks it didn't take me long to find three that caught my eye.

The first one that got me was at the top of the list. The Never-Ending Love Story grabbed my attention because I'm a complete sucker for sappy love stories. Scrolling through the Introduction we learn that its written from the point of view of Death and he details that not even he can tear apart true love. It follows the lives of two lovers through time and space. No matter what obstacles they may face their love always finds a way.

The second one was Gossip Greeks. I have always had a huge problem with gossiping with my friends. I always get sucked in to whatever drama is going on in literally everyone's lives. The author put an interesting twist on some stories from Greek myth by gossiping about them with other women. She tells them stories of other women in a way that entices the gossipers and leaves them wanting more. Which is what any good piece of gossip does to a person.

Lastly, I stumbled upon Tales of Beauty and the Beast. This was a no brainer for me to stop and survey because Beauty and the Beast is my absolute favorite Disney movie. When I was a little girl I always hoped I would one day grow up to be Belle, or at least a princess just like her. Don't you just love the imagination of a child?  The author told the story in a completely new perspective unlike any I have seen before. She told it as if she herself was the book in which the story was printed on. This of course made me reminisce about the beloved Disney cartoon in which all the servants of Beast's castle were transformed into household objects that could talk. The author broke the story into three different pieces and in each one it was a different version from the original.

All three pieces were very creative and provided intriguing reading!

(Beast's Rose)

Exploring the UnTextbook

Briefly scrolling through the UnTextbook there were a few units that caught my eye.

First off, the Adam and Eve story grabbed my attention. I already know this story like the back of my hand because that’s pretty much the first story every kid learns in Sunday school. I think it would be interesting though to take this story and compare it to Creation stories associated with other cultures. The picture below depicts Adam and Eve being banished from the Garden of Eden after from the Tree of Knowledge. I chose this image because of the way the snake was depicted. I was intrigued because it is a half snake half woman creature. The fact that the snake is depicted as a woman shows the views of women at the time this painting was created. Women were seen as inferior to men and if a man betrayed his morals or values it was seen as the woman's fault, always. This portrays the story of Adam and Eve but also the culture during the time Michelangelo made it.

(The Fall, by Michelangelo)

I’ve read some of Dante’s Inferno but not very much. This is one of those things I have always meant to get around to and just haven’t. Plus, I already have a copy of it on my bookshelf!

When I was a little kid I always loved reading about Greek and Egyptian myth so the unit over Egyptian myth caught my eye. I was able to tell you all of the Gods and Goddesses and some of their stories. It would be pretty cool to review all of that because to this day it still interests’ me.

The Grimm tales would be really interesting to read this semester. My whole childhood I grew up listening to the fairytales that were originally written by the Grimm brothers. I am familiar with the recreated versions of all of these stories but have never actually heard the originals. I’m interested to see just how disturbing the original stories are compared to the fluff we hear now.

Lastly, Homer’s Odyssey was something I was required to read I believe my sophomore year of high school. Unfortunately, my younger self didn’t want to take the time to read it so what little I remember I received from Spark Notes. It’s a classic book and I would like to finally read it.

There are so many possibilities and a lot of interesting stories in the UnTextbook. I can't wait to see what this semester has to offer!

 

Introduction/ Tech Tip: Embedded YouTube

Hey everybody! My name is Kristin Murto and I am in my third year here at OU and I’m on track to graduate early. I’m a biology major, not Pre-med like everyone else, with aspirations to one day work for SeaWorld. Ever since I was a little kid I have had a huge passion for animals and knew in some way I wanted to have a career working with them. I’m from San Antonio, Texas but I actually spent a chunk of my childhood here in Oklahoma. My mom went to school here and I was born at Norman Regional Hospital so I truly am “Sooner born and Sooner bred”. Because of my mom I grew up to be the biggest Sooner fan. Football, basketball, and soccer are my favorites but overall I’m a huge sports fanatic. I played them my whole life and even walked on to the rowing team here my freshman year, just to try something new. There is nothing I love more than watching our Sooners stomp the competition. 

My other love would definitely be travelling. As mentioned in my previous post I’ve been fortunate enough to experience many different places and cultures. Hawaii is my favorite place but France would be a close second! I loved everything about France; the culture, rustic buildings, and of course the food! I have never eaten better food in my entire life. For my senior trip my family and I went to Costa Rica and did several excursions like zip lining over the rainforest and white water rafting. As you can see from the picture everyone else had a blast but I was scared to death! I’ve also been on two cruises which have taken me to various places within the Caribbean. Within the states I’ve ventured to a couple for skiing alone and of course I’ve been to Disney World and Disney Land!

I could go on about other things in my life but sports and travelling are probably two of the biggest things in my life. Most of my favorite memories have either been from playing sports or being on vacation with my family, and these are things I will treasure forever.

(Showing My Devotion at a Young Age)

(White Water Rafting in Costa Rica)

(Skiing in Colorado, We Love OU!)

2014 Football Hype Video

Week 1 Storytelling: The Mighty King and his Loyal Subject

Deep within the Serengeti the mighty King of the beasts was taking shelter from the midday sun beneath an Umbrella tree. Feeling adventurous a small mouse ventured too close to the King hoping to gaze upon his glory. Foolishly the mouse woke the mighty King from his slumber. Angered, the King trapped the mouse within his paws and demanded an explanation.

“What is the meaning of this?” the King bellowed. “How dare you wake me from my slumber, I should take your life for this!”

“Please forgive me Your Majesty! Be merciful and allow me to return home to my family. I swear to you that one day I will return the favor,” squeaked the small mouse.

“What could a miniscule mouse as yourself do for me?” the King scoffed. “I suppose you caught me on a good day. I will let you leave with your head but if this happens again you will become my afternoon snack!”

Scurrying away the mouse vowed to never forget the Kings mercy.

Sometime later the King was surveying his lands when he stumbled into a trap set by some poachers. Panicking, the King released mighty roars to alert his subjects. While the other creatures of the Serengeti loved their King the one thing that frightened them more than anything else were the poachers. If the King couldn’t protect himself from the poachers how were they supposed to feel safe in the plains? Of all his loyal subjects’ only one rushed to the Kings side to free him from his entrapment, the small mouse. He had never seen the mighty lion looking so helpless. Knowing they were limited on time the mouse got to work trying to free his King. He chewed as fast as his little jaws would move to cut through the ropes holding him down. In the nick of time the mouse freed his King and the two ran off before the poachers came back to survey their capture.

“I underestimated you little mouse. I owe you my life. For this you can name your price and I will pay it,” the mighty King declared.

 

Authors Note: This was a retelling of Aesop's The Lion and the Mouse which can be found in the Aesop for Children book. This story details the interactions between a lion and a mouse in which they both preserve the livelihood of the other. First the lion releases the mouse that woke him from his nap when he promises to return the favor if his life is spared. Secondly, the mouse comes to the aid of the lion after he becomes trapped in a hunters net. This retelling is essentially the same plot wise but the lion was given a regal status because he is after all the King of the Jungle. This made it seem like an even bigger mistake for the mouse to disturb his King. in addition, this version also elaborated on why none of the other animals came to the aid of the lion. Both the original and the retelling have the same underlying message that an act of good deed will never be forgotten. 

(The Lion and the Mouse)

 

Hawaii, My Favorite Place

Growing up I've been pretty fortunate to travel to as many places as I have. From Europe, to Latin America, and various places within the states there is one spot that stands out above the rest. Hawaii is without a doubt my favorite place. The sun, surf, and easy going lifestyle allow me to relax and enjoy some of the most memorable moments I've ever had. My dad would travel to Oahu for two weeks every month or so and we would tag along with him. The best trip we had was a giant Murto family vacation where all my aunts, uncles, and cousins went out there (and the Murto's are no small family...). Of all the trips out there the coolest thing we ever did was swim with wild dolphins in the ocean. That day was one I definitely will never forget. Aloha for now.

  (Surfing in Waikiki)

Comment Wall

Looking forward to this class!

Brian

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