Week 2 Story - The Beginning of The Pan

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The Beginning of The Pan
 I sent out an ad, describing my desire to meet someone who could explain to me the beginnings of the legend of Peter Pan as the literature is not clear on the subject. The following conversation comes from an interview with a man who reached out to me, claiming he knew the legend well and could answer any questions I had.  


"Sir, are you ready to begin the interview", I said.

The older man, whose eyes had been lost in thought, looked up.
"Absolutely! My apologies, my memory isn't what it used to be but I will do my best," he said.

"That's alright, whatever information you can give me will be better than nothing I imagine."

The man took a few more minutes to gather his thoughts, looked me in the eyes with confidence and said, "I'm sure you're quite familiar with the classic Peter Pan story but I'm here to tell you how the legend of the Pan came to be."

I leaned forward eagerly, with pen in hand. This is what I'm here for, I thought to myself.

And so, the man began.
"The beginning of Peter's life was not as spectacular as one may have thought. There was a reason he arrived at Neverland one day. Peter was born to what most would consider a middle class family a long, long time ago in a suburb of London. They had the necessities of life but no one would claim that they were well-off. Peter's mother, Diana, was an absolute saint. She cared for him everyday, read to him, showed him the beauty that could be found in the world and always told him to appreciate his youth. While she was a great mother to Peter, unfortunately the same could not be said about his father. Peter's father was a sad, angry man. Nothing could ever satisfy him. Not his work, not his pay, not the booze, not even his family. And so, often nights Peter would be forced to witness his mother falling victim to the abuse of his father who was angry at his own short-comings and forever unhappy with the world.
Sadly the medicine of this time period was not very reliable, nor was it very capable. Peter's mother fell seriously ill when he reached the age of ten. Peter tried his best to provide the best medicine he could through whatever methods he could. This usually meant some form of trickery or theft seeing as Peter had no money himself. Diana knew Peter was breaking the law to provide her medicine so when they day came she knew that she would pass, she called Peter in to speak with him.

"Peter, come here please", she whispered as loud as she could.

"I'm here mother", Peter responded promptly.

"I've decided that it's time for me to move on Peter, I can feel something calling me to a better place. Promise me that you will find a place away from here Peter, a place where you will be safe with friends, a place where you will never have to face the evils of adults, a place where you will never have to grow up."

And with that Peter's mother passed away, leaving him with a mission to fulfill her last request and find a place he could escape the wrath of his father and the world of adults.

Not long after this I found Peter living on the streets of London. He had certainly honed his skills of being a master thief, a trickster, and a bit of an escape artist. So far he had fulfilled all of his mother's wish save for one thing: to find a place where he could be with friends, where he would never grow up. After hearing his story, I knew there was only one thing to do.
That night I took Peter to Neverland. Second star to the right, straight on til morning. I began teaching him the ways of the fairies, how to navigate the island, and the power of the imagination. And that, friend, is the beginning of the legend of Peter Pan."

I sat there for a minute, stunned. Finally I regained the ability to speak: "Wait a second, you took Peter Pan to Neverland?".

The old man chuckled, "Of course I did! I was the first Lost Boy after all."

"The first Lost Boy?" I thought out loud. "Well if I may ask, what's your name sir?"

The old man sat back in his chair, put his hands behind his head, smiled and said:
 "Well...the name my mother gave me was Rufus. But for many hundreds of years when I was a boy, I was known as Rufio."

A poster promotion for the movie Hook. The character on the bottom right is Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys. Found on flickr.

Author's Note
This story was inspired by the original Peter Pan story as well as the motion picture Hook starring Robin Williams. This story was also influenced by the story book of a previous student titled Peter Pan: Revisited. In the original story there was no mention of a Lost Boy named Rufio, and I believe that Peter Pan was the original Lost Boy. The character "Rufio" used in this story comes from the movie Hook. This story was meant to act as a prequel to the Peter Pan story, giving some background behind Peter's motivation and how he was able to find Neverland.

Bibliography
Peter Pan:Revisited by Jake's Storybook

Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J.M Barrie. Web Source.

Hook by James V. Hart and Malia Scotch Marmo. Web Source.

Reading Notes - Peter Pan: Revisited

Peter Pan: Revisited

Peter Pan playing the flute. Found on flickr.

• Classic story with a character twist
• Hook is the hero of Neverland while Pan and the fairies are corrupt
• The introduction describes the way in which the story is presented and what role the author plays in relaying that story
• author is the audience for this example

Style

• written in a novel-like style
• the dialogue between the author and Hook is formatted like a conversation
• written as a story within a story
• story begins with the author interviewing Hook
• Hook begins to tell a story during his interview
• story ends with Pan arriving to Neverland with a new batch of kids, different than the Darlings from the story Hook was sharing in the interview
• similar to a movie where the main character visits a memory of the past and that memory lasts the whole movie til the very end when it shows the character in present time 
• point of view switches back and forth between Hook and Pan, sharing some of their thoughts while they perform different actions even though Hook is recounting the story

Setting

• especially in the introduction, the author took the time to put in some very descriptive words about the scenery
• the images that the author chose helped set the scene in my mind 
• descriptive portions about the scenery are used sparingly but when they are written they serve a purpose and fit well with the context

Plot

• Hook and Pan both equally fascinating to me
• Hook and Pan's character traits and roles are swapped in this version of the story
• Pan's charisma and child-like behavior is feigned and he possesses a darker quality to his character
• instead of the free-willed character of the cartoon, he acts with a hidden agenda
• does not demonstrate a pureness of heart
• tries to use the Lost Boys instead of taking care of them
• Hook takes on more of an empathetic and parental tone
• he suffers injuries from Pan in the hopes that it frees him from his corruption
• he acts in the interest of preserving each aspect of what it means to be a child
• includes imagination
• care-free attitude
• postponing the despair of the adult world and responsibilities
• he is the caretaker of Neverland  

Bibliography

Author - Jake's Storybook

Title and Link - Peter Pan: Revisited

Reading Options (A)

Well, after looking through the overview of the UnTextbook I've come across quite a few interesting stories! There are a good many different stories to choose from with each of them coming from different parts of the world which I feel is very convenient to have them categorized in that manner. Being able to see the way some stories were told in different parts of the world was something I found fascinating! After browsing around I was able to come up with a few different genres/stories I felt I'd enjoy reading into further:

1. The Voyages of Sindbad - I had always heard a lot about the book The Arabian Nights but never had the chance to look into it myself. I picked this story out in particular because it seemed to provide a good opportunity to experience The Arabian Nights and it was interesting and easy to understand the writer's manner of writing.

2. Dante's Inferno - Similarly to the previous example, I have heard a lot about the  poem the "Divine Comedy" but never had the chance to spend the time to read through bits of it, although I have played the video game. From the bits and pieces I've skimmed so far, this version seems easy to follow and I think I'll enjoy being able to delve deeper into a story I've known of for a long time.

3. More Celtic Fairy Tales - Unlike the previous two examples, I have never knowingly heard any kind of Celtic myth or fairy tale before. I wanted to see what the Celtic section had to offer because I've been able to travel to Ireland so I felt like I had a good idea of the scenery that may have been portrayed in some of these stories.

Depiction of what I imagine Sindbad would look like. Found on wikimedia.

Time Strategies

My daily thought process. Found on flikr.

Time management and organization are probably my least favorite subjects, possibly due to the fact that they are a couple of my biggest weaknesses. I consider myself a professional procrastinator, spending a lot of time refining that skill in high school and paying for it in college. I wouldn't say I was messy, but I don't organize my things in a way that would help set myself up for an easier day or for an easier time completing a project. I think one of the hardest parts about breaking the habit of being a procrastinator is convincing yourself that a more organized method is better even though, because you're used to procrastination, you can still complete a lot of assignments and do fairly well on exams while procrastinating. I think a big plus for me, once I become a better planner, will be having the ability to reap the benefits of experiencing less stress on a daily basis because I am better able to manage my future time.

I read a handful of the time management strategies that were linked on the assignment page but here were a couple that really struck me:

The Important Habit of Just Starting by Jory Mackay

• I thoroughly enjoyed this article. Like you may have guessed, it discusses the importance of getting the ball rolling. Instead of telling yourself you're going to do something later it encourages you to just go ahead in do it in that moment and you'll realize that it was worth the time to begin that work early. The author talks about how a lot of procrastinators have trouble envisioning themselves in the future enjoying the rewards that come from completing the task they are putting off, and that was something I could identify with. A good step for me to take is to work on envisioning myself enjoying the benefits of completing whatever I was procrastinating on instead of reminding myself of those benefits.

Three Steps to Recapture Time by Joynicole Martinez

• While all three of these steps seemed very helpful and interesting to read about, the 3rd step seemed like something I should really focus on. I have a very passive personality and often try to be a team player for a group. This leads to me committing to a lot of different things, and ultimately having a hard time saying "no". I think if I can work on using the power to say "no" I can better limit myself to spontaneous work that appears in the day which will then help me be able to better follow the "success plan" I made in the first minutes of my day.

About Technology

Course Technology:
Similarly to what I said in my First Impressions post I would say the format of technology I will use in this class is pretty new for me. Although the formatting is foreign, using a computer to perform work or find images is not particularly new for me. I have not used any blogging platforms before nor have I dabbled in graphics creation either. Occasionally I will do some image editing but only very minor and low-quality work is done. However, I am really looking forward to broadening my knowledge and being more proficient in using all a computer has to offer to help me create better presentations, images, and various other project designs.

Techonology art. Found on pixabay.

Assignments First Impressions

First Impressions:
So far I've been very interested in this course. I 'll have to admit I definitely did not anticipate having to complete assignments in this fashion, the blogging fashion. I've never been one to use social media or to create posts so this is definitely a new world for me. Despite my lack of experience as a blogger I do spend plenty of time on the computer so I don't feel totally out of my element. Up until now I have enjoyed being able to tell that each assignment has had a purpose and that after completing it I have  found that I learned something new! When I understand that the work I'm doing is serving a greater purpose for myself I find it more enjoyable and tend to perform better. I hope this trend continues with future assignments.

Taking a stroll through space. Found on pixabay.

Growth Mindset Reaction

Initial Response: 
Regarding the Ted Talk video I found her lecture very interesting and informative. I've never heard of the Growth Mindset prior to watching the video but after thinking about the information that was presented I became more interested in hearing what kinds of things a critic might say. I think that it was great that Carol Dweck  was able to provide some sort of statistical evidence to back up the Growth Mindset she was promoting because often times, in my opinion, when someone tries to push theory like this they have no evidence of its success. That being said I can imagine that a critic might look at these statistics and say yeah these are great results but the sample size here is very small and may not be representative of a national community. In short, the results were good but was the sample size large enough to infer statistical significance? I think the Growth Mindset is a great theory to integrate into the school system personally but I can see those criticisms posing a barrier to its acceptance.

Simple trophy. Found on publicdomainpictures.

After watching the second video it made me think of what I like to call the "participation award syndrome" that is plaguing a lot of young individuals today. The "participation award syndrome" I'm referring to is the idea that kids have grown up being told that just because they tried, they won and they succeeded at that task. What Carol Dweck talks about in this video is essentially this: we need to stop rewarding kids for simply completing tasks with ease and instead when they do complete a task easily we must find something more challenging for them to tackle. For too long society has been raising kids in a way that awards them for being able to do things they should have been able to accomplish initially. I'm not saying that we shouldn't use positive language and show support for kids as they accomplish things in life but by doing what we have been doing we are culturing an attitude of complacency. Like she mentions in the first video, this way of raising kids without challenging them causes them to think with a "now" mindset instead of one that yearns for the feeling of overcoming a challenging obstacle.

Introduction To A Traveler

Hello everyone!

My name is Jacob but a lot of people call me JT. So here I will share a little about myself such as where I grew up, some hobbies I pursue, and what a couple of my favorite experiences have been.

Oklahoma City downtown skyline at sunset. Found on wikimedia.

For the entirety of my life I have lived within the same 1 mile radius, only ever moving into once. I've grown up in South Oklahoma City and attended schools in both Norman and OKC.

Growing up my younger brother and I were very competitive and enjoyed playing the same sports. I played both baseball and basketball competitively up until my college career began. These two things were my passion for a majority of my life and when I have time I enjoy playing them to this day. I don't have many hobbies but occasionally I have time to play the drums. I took lessons for over 5 years but once high school began I found myself lacking the free time to dedicate myself to the instrument. 

Perhaps my favorite thing that I've been fortunate to be able to experience in my life has been the opportunity I've had to travel around the world. I'm lucky to have a grandpa with the means to travel and the desire to bring his grand kids along for the ride. I've been able to go on 7+ cruises and 2 or 3 land tours through Australia and the England-Ireland-Scotland areas.

Stonehenge overcast. Found on Flikr.

Picture above is a photo of Stonehenge. Unfortunately I was too young at the time of this trip to truly appreciate what I was looking at but it was definitely a sight to see. I'm glad I can mark that off of my list of landmarks to visit.

Irish countryside. Found on publicdomainpictures.

Here is a photo of the Irish countryside which was just incredible. For one of my trips we took a bus tour throughout England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. They say that Ireland is comprised of "30 shades of green" when you visit. Normally I take these sayings with a grain of salt but this one held true! There were a good handful of days when we were traveling between towns that all you could see was farmland with different vivid shades of green and frankly I never got tired of the sight.

Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, Spain. Found on wikipedia.

Lastly, here is a picture of one of the most incredible Roman Catholic cathedrals in the world, the Sagrada Familia. One of the cruises I was able to go on began its trip in the port of Barcelona so my family went early to be able to tour the city and fortunately we were able to visit inside the cathedral. I remember the line to get in was incredibly long, and the temperature outside being absurdly hot, but it was worth the wait. The stonework, artwork, sculptures, paintings...Everything was extremely detailed and perfected. If you are interested in architecture or visiting religious monuments I highly recommend the Sagrada Familia.

Storybook Favorites

After looking through several unique storybooks from the list provided I was able to narrow it down to three different stories that I enjoyed reading. They are all written differently and their content comes from very different myths but each one was written very well and truly pulled me in as a reader and I hope you will enjoy them too...

Albert Bierstadt painting on Coeur d'Alene  

In The Seven Woods  is a story which caught my attention because it is influenced by Irish myth which I find particularly interesting. Normally I would not really care about a myth that focuses on testing young love but since it involved my favorite kind of mythological figure, the trickster, I knew I had to look into it further. I think this character type interests me the most because while I read I'm constantly searching for the key to breaking the spell/illusion that is hidden within the world that the trickster creates. I really appreciated some of the images that the author used to give the reader an image of the world the characters had been placed in. Overall I think this storybook did a fine job of giving the readers a good background to the tale and was formatted in a way that made it easy to follow along.

A bust of the poet Virgil

The second storybook I took interest in was Hell On Earth. When you initially visit the storybook page it is quite gripping because the first thing you notice in large letters is "Welcome To Hell". As soon as I read the brief paragraph on the homepage I had a feeling this story would be somewhat related to Dante's Inferno which I find fascinating. I really enjoyed how the story was written in a manner that felt like the author was speaking directly to you. Another reason why I felt drawn in to reading this storybook would probably be because it does a good job of using modern language to tell a story as old as Dante's Inferno in a way that gets the message across and is easy to follow. The author also does an excellent job of breaking down his thought process at the end of each section.

Peter Pan image found on Wikimedia

The third and final storybook that peaked my interest was Peter Pan: Revisited. Being a huge fan of the cartoon Disney version of Peter Pan growing up and then thoroughly enjoying Hook starring Robin Williams, I knew I would have to read this storybook and that I would be interested in the information it would provide. This author provides a very unique take on the classic Peter Pan story by elaborating on the perspective of Captain Hook. Reading through this storybook felt like I was reading through a novel which was really enjoyable. I like the interview style story-telling that goes on in addition to the theories about Neverland and Peter that are proposed by the author. For me, the introduction did a great job of pulling me into the story and made me want to read each of the following sections. In summary, this storybook could've been poorly written and I still would have wanted to read it but thankfully it was extremely well written and very intriguing.

Favorite Place..Snowmass, Colorado

Snowmass, Colorado - Buttermilk Mountain: This is an image taken from a video I recorded a couple of years ago while snowboarding with some friends. I really love this area of Colorado, especially in the winter, because of how incredible the landscape is. On the mountain you get an awesome view in any direction you look. I have family that lives in this area so I'm fortunate to be able to visit it frequently enough to get the chance to enjoy the outdoor activities of each season.

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