Indian Epics: A Blog by Trace Youngman

Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita in Exile:  Wikipedia Plot Ravana was made invulnerable against Gods and Demons, and because of that, he began making gods his slaves Yama, god of death and the sun and moon gods became under his rule This is the most important part of the plot because it sets up all of the reasoning as to why Vishnu was sent down into human form  King Dasharatha did not have any sons, so he performed a horse ritual and was gifted four sons Vishnu was born in human form as Rama, son of Dasharatha  This is the beginning of the story to defeat Ravana As a young man, he was sent to fight against two Rakshasas who were disturbing rituals of a hermit named Vishvamitra  Rama beat one of the Rakshasas named Thataka and was gifted celestial weapons He used these celestial weapons later when fighting off Rakshasas and demons trying to disturb Vishvamitra  This is an incredibly important part of the plot because it begins Rama's climb t...

Dealing with Rejection:  Wikimedia Commons      Rejection is a common theme all throughout college. For me, rejection has most often come in the form of internships. For the past four months, I have been applying to internship after internship oftentimes either not hearing back from my application, or getting rejected after the first round of interviews. The article  Why Rejection Hurts so Much  is an interesting read because it gives scientific reasoning as to why rejection hurts so much. It makes me reflect on how rejection has shaped me as a student, and how I have learned to deal with rejection more constructively over the past two and a half years. College is a difficult time. Oftentimes I am overwhelmed with classes, and under prepared for upcoming exams and quizzes. The article  6 Bad Mental Habits that Sabotage Your Success  is very insightful when it comes to mental preparation for tests, quizzes, or upcoming meetings. If I go into ...

Depiction of Hindu Cosmology:  Wikimedia Commons      My first potential topic is about the Hindu God Ganesha. Ganesha interests me because of his importance in the Hindu religion and India in general. While I know very little about Ganesha, I have heard of him before taking this class and I knew he is very important in the Hindu religion. If I chose this God as my project topic, I would most likely create a Storybook. Ganesha has a rich history full of information that I can use for my stories and it will make sense to write from his perspective about his creation and from the stories I will read. The book  Ganesha Goes to Lunch  is a source I will use because of the breadth of epics that are in the book.      My second potential topic is the Vahanas of the Gods. This topics is interesting to me because of the potential options for the stories I will tell. I only know about the fact that the Gods rode on Vahanas, but I have almost no ...

The Cranes:  Wikimedia Commons     The Cranes were starving. After months of raising their young, the Cranes’ offspring finally flew away from home to live their own lives, but left their parents hungry and tired. They were flying around for days unable to find food until the Cranes happened upon a pond. It was the height of summer, and the pond and the animals in it were heating up. Seeing this, the Cranes came up with a plan. They would gain the animals’ trust to allow the Cranes to bring them to a bigger lake and a better life. However, the Cranes were not going to bring them to the lake. They would stop short only to kill and eat them. Despite the pond being full of the life, the Cranes knew they would likely become hungry quickly if they ate all the animals too fast. To keep themselves fed longer, the Cranes planned to make the nearby lake sound like a couple hour trip. After devising the plan, the Cranes descended on the lake to speak with the animals a...

The Crane and the Crab:  Archive    Plot: The Crane had the foresight to let one of the Fish out of the hole to see the lake to gain the trust of the other fish Despite the Fish being released into the lake, it chose to come back to the Crane to prove to the other fish the Crane wasn't lying This is the most important part of the plot in my opinion. If the fish had not chosen to come back with the Crane, the Crane would have had no other way to gain the trust of the other fish This is also one of the weak points of the plot The fish was in the big lake, so it should have had no intention of traveling back to the hot pond After the Crane took the other fish away, only the crab was left. The Crane convinced the crab to go with him, but the crab only went if he could put his claws around the Crane's neck This proves the Crab is wise because he still knows that the Crane eats fish, and did not trust him even though the Crane still tried to prove he was onl...

      Birth of Dasaratha's sons:  Wikimedia      One of the things that attracts me to the free version of  Ramayana  for the week 2 and week 3 reading is the notes that are attached to each page. I am brand new with learning about Indian Epics, so having a guide to help me along with learning about it will make it a lot easier and more worthwhile. For the week 5 reading, I am thinking about using the free online book  The Divine Archer . Not only is it free and I can read it anywhere, it also has notes attached to it, so I can see what the pages are roughly about if I get confused. I also like this book because it is different than the first book for weeks 2 and 3. Ramayana is written in a single page format, so the language differs depending on the page.The Divine Archer is written by a single author, so there is a lot more consistency in the language used. While I like being able to do my reading online, I can see myself gettin...

       Procrastination Joke:  Flickr Scheduling is one of the most important things to have a successful semester. The article  11 ways unsuccessful people mismanage their time  is interesting because one of the most important points that is made is to make a schedule and to follow it. Whether that be scheduling to study for an exam, or scheduling day off, in order to be more successful a schedule needs to be made and followed. This is highlighted by the idea of making time to relax. If there is no time set aside to relax, then burning out quickly is much more likely. The other article that is interesting highlights something completely different: procrastination.  How to Beat Procrastination  shows why people procrastinate and how to beat procrastination. A schedule can be made and followed, but if an important task just keeps getting put off, then it's more difficult to succeed. Procrastination is difficult to overcome, but startin...

Blogger webpage:  Wikimedia       These technology tools are almost all brand new to me. While I have used google docs and I have done research at some support sites, I have never used any other websites as my primary class website other than Canvas. The new class setup is a also a lot different because of the amount of writing that I am doing. I typically attend lectures and only do homework and tests, but being only online makes it much more about my responses to what I'm reading. I'm excited to get to know a different class structure than what it is typical for me, and I would like to get better at my research skills.

      Krishna and Balarama:  Wikimedia      This class is unlike almost any I have taken while in college. The grading is set up very differently because assignments can be optional and made up with extra credit assignments. The class is also set up, so we can learn and write without having to stress about our grades. This is a big relief to me because the other classes I am in are very focused on our grades and completing every assignment. The extra credit assignments cover a multitude of topics, and I am particularly interested in the Growth Mindset and Wikipedia Trails options. I can use the knowledge and skills from these two topics and apply them to other classes. I am excited to learn and write more without having to stress as much.

Growth Mindset Chart:  Laura Gibbs' Blog      I have never heard of The Growth Mindset nor Carol Dweck. I am familiar with the idea that growth only comes if there is a struggle, but I never knew that there was a name or extensive research about the topic. While I see myself leaning towards a growth mindset, I am still very fixed. I still tend to give on a problem or a situation when it seems too difficult for me to solve or deal with. School work is a good example of this in my life. When I first came to college, I would almost immediately give up on a complicated problem if I felt like I didn't have the tools to complete it. As I continued through my education, I began to realize that problem solving is not a trait. Problem solving is a skill that has to be developed and worked on continuously. When I realized this, I began to work harder because most problems encountered in work or life are not able to be solved with an internet search or solution manual. T...

     I am a third year chemical engineering major at OU, and despite that being the most important part of my life right now for me, I try to focus some of my time on hobbies. I am an avid traveler. Being abroad in Italy studying chemical engineering sparked my love of travel, and while I don't think I will have the time nor money to go back to Europe soon, I have continued traveling domestically using the skills I learned abroad. I also love music. I haven't been to a lot of concerts, but I am a big fan of folk and bluegrass music, and I am trying to get to a couple of concerts before the end of the semester. Music is easy for me to get more into because I don't have to pay too much attention to it. If I had more time, I would try to get more into cooking. However, with school and my other hobbies, I typically cook like a college student. While I try to spend as much time as I can on hobbies and hanging out with my friends, studying at OU is very important to me. ...

     Honestly I have very little knowledge in Indian Epics. While I have heard of some of the gods, I know almost no specifics about them nor their importance in Indian culture. With this in mind, all of the stories I read were filled with information I have never seen.         God Yama:  India Divine The first Storybook that interests me is  Justice and Jatakas . This Storybook delves into Yama, the God of Death, and his importance in the Hindu religion. While the topic is not completely clear on what the Storybook is about, the introduction gives a good summary into what the stories will involve and why Yama is important in the Hindu religion. The Storybook is written in the perspective of Yama, so while the Storybook was informational, it was still fun to read. The Storybook is designed simply which makes the main focus the stories. While it is simple, the Storybook is still aesthetically pleasing, and it makes me want to use some o...

    Copenhagen's Port   I knew I loved Copenhagen when I first stepped off the plane in Denmark. The train ride in was pleasant, and everyone I was near seemed happy to be there. The weather was cold and rainy, yet the city was still active. I met up with the person I was traveling with, and while he had been outside all day, he stilled seemed to have been enjoying himself . Copenhagen is small relative to other European capitals and can be crossed entirely by bike in 30 minutes. That may be why I liked it so much. Copenhagen's Skyline      I visited during spring break when I was abroad in Italy for the spring of 2017, and we grabbed dinner soon after I arrived. While we ate dinner and drinks at a market, the cashiers were happy to help us with food choices and other advice on what to do and where to go. When we finally got to our hostel, the receptionist was welcoming and it was easy to have a conversation with him. Copenhagen had less...

Hi all,      This first blog post is about my background and life at the University of Oklahoma . I am originally from Minnesota, but I moved down to Texas when I was young. I grew up in Southlake, Texas playing marching band in high school and participating in a community service organization throughout that time as well. I began at OU in the fall of 2015 with a major in electrical engineering before quickly switching to chemical engineering. I have been a part of multiple different organizations on campus throughout my time here, and I am currently serving as the American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AICHE) social chair. When I'm not studying or in class I like to run, hang out with my friends, and play with my roommate's dog. I look forward to this semester learning about the Epics of India. Trace