one million monkeys extra credit

I just recently completed the one million monkey story.  I started mine in a relation to my current life at Eckerd.  I described the setting and the people and left off as to where I would go after college.  I wanted to see where people would take me, given my background and my story.  I think this would be cool for other people because I learned that my outcomes could be different than what I expect and other people may come to the same conclusions I have.

NPR extra credit

I listened to a program by Mark Bittman about how eating healthier, can save the planet.  When you eat a steak you must consider the path of the cow before it reaches your plate.  A farmer has to raise the cow, feed the cow, maintain the cow, ship the cow, the cow has to then be produced into your patty and then sent to be cooked and eaten by you.  On the contrary and healthier side, corn comes from the earth and takes the simple process of growing naturally grown organics and then cooking them to your specification. I learned that my carbon footprint even traces back to the dinner table.  Other people should read this article, or listen rather, because it shows one more way we can make a difference in helping our country evolve, healthier. 

Smith-Mag extra credit

From this I learned a little more about myself.  My words were Intelligent, goofy, large, carefree, gangster, and faithful.  I thought these represented myself on many levels beyond their definition.  I think other people should do this because it makes you think about yourself on a healthy level.  You should be looking for good ways to describe yourself, it's just another chance to make your day that much better.

Free Rice extra credit

So I just completed the Free rice, 1000 word extra credit.  It was actually really fun and made me feel pretty good as I was hitting 30-40 word sprees.  I learned a few words through this and definitely sharpened my skills.  I like how the website is structured, in the sense that you can choose the answer quickly and it will bring it back a few questions later to test your memory in case you couldn't find the answer the first time.

Strengths and Weaknesses

I would have to say that the strength in my writing derives from my thought process throughout the story.  I told the story as if you were watching it all happen right in front of you.  Although in my case, this visual representation is about my literal thought process.  My other strength would have to be my conventions, or grammar and such.  I believe that my word choice was paramount in my storytelling.

All things considered, I would say my weakness in writing this story was stringing thoughts.  My mind is never on a set path between thoughts and this is seen in my writing.  I don't always try to follow the yellow brick road to the end of my story.  I often like to write as I think and let the story come together.  This may not be best for conveying a purpose or direction in a story however.  That is where I believe my second weakness lies.  I do not string one process together but rather collect my thoughts in groups and assemble them at random.  

The definition of a hero

The Archetypes are described in our reading as "indispensable tools for understanding the purpose of function of characters in a story."  The archetypes are then described as functions in the sense that they are flexible characters that can liberate your storytelling.  We then looked into the facets of the hero's personality and this included emanations such as higher self, trickster, and herald.  There are eight archetypes that Vogler describes in the reading.  The eight archetypes are not necessarily a concrete definition of the types of influential figures in storytelling but rather, they are simply variations of what we perceive to be the influential figures. 

I thought that when Vogler was describing the Hero through psychological functions of the ego and through the dramatic functions such as growth and sacrifice.  I believe that all the qualities Vogler describes of the hero are dead on.  Everything that encompasses the hero according to vogler, including character flaws such as a love-lust relationship or an unwilling hero that needs that push by his mentor, make perfect sense in establishing what a hero should be.  Vogler also goes on to describe the Mentor which, as described, can be a wise old man or woman who is there mainly "to protect and to serve," a quote that has now become a motto of certain police departments.  

I thought that Vogler hit the nail on the head for defining a hero.  The eight archetypes clearly label the hero as an individual with which we can all relate through our everyday struggles.  Also the role of the mentor to develop the hero into a victorious man or woman over whatever struggle they may face, be it interpersonal or some sort of outside conflict.  There are also many types of mentors that can both help or hurt the hero throughout his journey.  Although the idea of a mentor is someone who helps, negative criticism and things of that nature can also be ways to define a hero.  I thought that all in all, vogler described the archetypes flawlessly.