Reading Diary Week 12: King Arthur

To reminisce over when I read The Once and Future King in high school, I chose the King Arthur Unit for this week.

The Drawing of the Sword: I like the dramatic irony that emerges when Arthur pulls out a sword that he never expected to be a trial to remove. I wonder if Arthur's naiveté is a part of his kingliness. To be honest, I cannot blame the barons' feeling angry that a child was chosen to be king by the sword.

The Sword Excalibur: I love how the relationship between Merlin and Arthur is developed into one of a father and son. For example, Merlin ends up teaching Arthur a lesson over the importance of his new gift.

The Passing of Merlin: Merlin's desire for Niume is one of the most humanizing aspects of his character. If not for that, I would say that a strong rapport could not be developed between he and Arthur.

The Quest of the Holy Graal: This introduction regarding the Holy Graal seems to be a cautionary tale of chasing what cannot be obtained. In this case, the Holy Graal is what cannot be obtained by human beings, but it also acts as a metaphor for the danger of one's dreams.

The Coming of the Holy Graal: In this story, it seems that Arthur has taken on the role of Merlin because he is the one who advises against the pursuit of the Holy Graal. I suppose his has gained enough wisdom to realize that the Holy Graal can be the wedge the drives the Knights of the Round Table apart. I think one of the most important lines in this story is the last one: "...and every Knight took the way he best liked." In my opinion, this seems like the perfect representation of how the core of Arthur's Round Table is dispersed in pursuit of something that cannot be obtained.  

Sir Lancelot's Vision: It seems that King Arthur saw this coming. I find it interesting that the Holy Graal only came in the presence of Lancelot once he was defenseless for the most part. My favorite line in this story is "I marvel greatly at this sleeping Knight...that he had no power to wake when the Holy Vessel was brought hither."

Sir Lancelot and the Five Hundred Knights: I think it's easy for many people to identify with Lancelot. He seems to be the personification of resistant guilt. I get the feeling from him that he doesn't see a way to redeem himself for what he had done. However, the story hints that Galahad will be his salvation in some way or another.

The Adventure of Sir Bors: There's a trend that I am starting to notice in these stories, and it seems to be one in which divine intervention exists without a direct reference to God. To be honest, it reminds me of the description of the "Force" in Star Wars. But in this case, no reference is made to the cause behind what allows one to approach the Holy Graal.

Sir Lancelot and Sir Galahad: I am almost shocked to see a reference to God in this story. As far as I know, it's the first reference of the sort that I have seen. I feel bad for Lancelot since he has to return to Camelot where he discovers so many of his friends to be dead. However, it seems that spending time with his son has renewed him in a way.  

Famous Last Words Week 11: Read, Study, Rinse and Repeat

With last week’s arrival of the surprising news regarding the Rhodes Scholarship, I have been putting my nose to the grindstone. The final interview is known for being notoriously difficult. The judges, most of who are Rhodes Scholars themselves, try to make your head spin. They will ask questions that come out of left field just to test how well you react to not knowing a topic. Therefore, most of my free time now consists of preparing for the mental hurtle.

Anytime I drive in Norman, I play NPR through an app on my phone. When I have the time, I try to wrap my head around the complex law that is the Affordable Care Act. The same thing applies to the study of linguistics and philology because I proposed to pursue a Masters in those subjects at Oxford. Overall, it’s a humbling experience. It has been a great reminder of how little I actually know. It has strengthened my desire to be a life-long learner. I feel a renewed appetite to bite into the subjects and topics that have always interested me. At the same time, I must say that I’m a little disappointed in myself that it took the possibility of a scholarship to encourage me to do something I should have been doing all along.

A screenshot of a comic I've read that does a through job of explaining the ACA. Found at boingboing.net.

When it comes to the interview, I have been lucky enough to receive some perspective. My scholarship coordinator, Melanie Wright, sent me ‘debriefings’ of people who had interviewed in the past. One in particular helped me to calm down. She mentioned that she had said “I don’t know” at least four times in her interview, and when everything was said and done, she still got the scholarship. The way I see it, the purpose of the interview is to confirm who I am based on what I submitted in my application. I do not want to go in there feeling I have to prove myself further or impress people. I think my best chance comes from focusing on communicating who I am.

Reading Diary Week 11: Canterbury Tales

Since I've studied Giovanni Boccaccio, who is considered an influence of Chaucer's, I have decided to read the Canterbury Tales Unit this week. 

The Wife of Bath's Tale: The Unknown Bride: I love the challenge put on by the Queen! I know I would be under pressure if I were to have to discover what women wish for most. I find it interesting that the narrator makes the claim that "we women cannot conceal things." That almost seems to be the view of a man. I doubt she sincerely means that. The example she gives of Midas' wife also seems ridiculous. I get the feeling that this story focuses on how the sexes view each other. This story argues for the respect of women.

The Friar's Tale: The Story of the Summoner: I'm surprised to see that the fiend "plays fair" in a sense. He values the true meaning of what people say. It seems that the fiend plays a neutral role in this story because he needed the old woman to make the call to take the summoner into hell.

The Franklin's Tale: The Promise of Dorigen: Hmm, I wonder if this suitor will manage to find a way to deal with the black rocks that worry Dorigen so intensely. With the description of what the magician is showing Aurelius and his brother, I'm pretty sure the magician is using the aforementioned magical book. Yep, that was not too difficult to predict. Wow, I'm surprised at how much importance is placed into keeping one's word in these stories. Again, this story seems to end well for most everyone involved. I really enjoy the question at the end, as well.

The Prioress's Tale: Little Hugh: Goodness, this story certainly starts off with some morbid ideas. What a chilling thought to imagine a dead body singing a hymn. It's clear that this story is meant to incite anger thanks to the use of a innocent martyr.

Nun's Priest's Tale: The Cock, the Hen and the Fox: As I begin to read, I wonder if this story will concern itself mainly with the role of man. This is interesting; we have another story within a story here. I stand corrected. I wonder what roles dreams played in the lives of people who lived during the time of the story's writing. I like the lesson here regarding the vulnerable role one puts oneself in when he speaks.

Famous Last Words Week 10: Eventful Weekend to Say the Least

While I know my title makes this post seem dramatic, I just have a lot of good news to share. I certainly hope you all will not think I am bragging either!

On Friday, much to my surprise, I found out that I am a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship for my district, which covers Oklahoma and Texas. Each district chooses fourteen finalists, and from those fourteen, they select two Rhodes Scholars. When you crunch the numbers, that means I have a one in seven chance of becoming a Rhodes Scholar. I cannot believe it. It is difficult to imagine the opportunity of having the chance to study in Oxford for two years, and in my case, I would plan to pursue a Master degree in General Linguistics and Philology. The interview is a little less than a month from now, so I'm preparing myself with a ton of reading. It will be an interesting experience to say the least!

A clip from the email that I could barely believe. (Personal photo)

Yesterday, I had my first interview for medical school at OU's College of Medicine. While I felt the interview went fine, the more important aspect I gleaned from the experience was how impressed I was by the campus. The medical students who showed us around were so well-rounded, and I felt comfortable around them. Most importantly, I decided that I could be happy studying at OU's College of Medicine. I still have more interviews to go, but it is reassuring to know that I do not necessarily have to leave the state in order to find a good fit for medical school.

I guess for now I just have to concern myself with preparing for the next challenges in the upcoming months. It's exciting, and the best part about this is that I never would have seen myself doing any of these things four years ago.

Storytelling Week 10: Back to Basics

I went to bed as a man and woke up as an infant. The resilient, slender legs I had as a marathon runner are now pudgy, fleshy sausages that cannot even support my own weight. I try to avert my gaze away from the aseptic hospital lighting that strains my eyes, but the muscles in my neck fail to move a head that seems too big for my body.

I cannot explain how I came to inhabit this form, and despite the transformation, I find myself at ease as if I haven't learned what it means to be angry or afraid. Is this what reincarnation is like? Is this what it is to be born again? In a way, I am a pioneer. I'm becoming a witness of the event we all experience but never remember.

A representation of the bodily prison I am trapped in. Wikipedia Commons.

Luckily, I'm able to shift my gaze around to get a sense of my surroundings. I get the feeling that I am not alone. It must be a nursery. I seem to be in somewhat of a crib, and as I look toward my minuscule, albeit adorable, toes, I make out two blurred figures. One, dressed in white, stands still enough to where I can almost make out distinct features. The other seems to be an amorphous blur. I think he or she is motioning wildly to the doctor as if trying to explain that the impossible had happened. A nurse walks in the door, and my fresh ears catch a few syllables of the conversation.

I recognize the voice immediately. It's my wife.

If only I could yell out to her--let her know that I'm here! Only the babble that all infants share emerges from my untrained tongue. Yet, how could she know? I can only guess at what she is telling the physician.

Forget all of that. I need a plan of action. I am faced with challenge of setting myself apart from so many other bundles of joy. What if I tried to kick with my leg?

Despite the fact that maneuvering this body is much more complicated that driving a shift stick, I manage to move my leg in what barely passes as a kick. However, it seems to catch Rachel's attention. She motions to the doctor, but does not seem convinced. Perhaps I can catch her attention if I wiggle these petite toes of mine. My ten dancing digits catch the eye of my wife, but the doctor still remains as motionless as before.

I'm running out of options here. I lift my right hand as high as a can as if I were trying to ask a question of my spectators. Rachel jumps back and grabs the doctor to make him look at what I am doing. I might just be able to pull this off!

As my coup de grace, I begin to squirm as if my life depended on it. I'm certain that this will do the trick. In my newfound confidence, I look to my left. My hope dissipates as quickly as it appeared. My performance seems to have caught the attention of other newborns in the room, and they begin to mimic my last chance dance. Only a few hours old, I have already gone viral.

I look toward the window, and the blurred figure that represents my wife seems confused. She has lost me, and in turn, she has lost the attention of the physician. I see him turn away to attend to more pressing affairs.

Rachel gives me one more look, and I can only guess she is saying goodbye.

Author's Note: I decided to take my own spin on The Piqued Buffalo-Wife story from the Native American Marriage Tales unit.  While I didn't discuss marriage in my retelling, I focused on the part where the transformed son tries his best to help his father identify him among other buffalo calves. In this case, the transformation is of a man into an infant rather than a boy into a calf.

Bibliography
Stith Thompson
Tales of the North American Indians
1929

Reading Diary Week 10: Native American Marriage Tales

For this week, I chose the Native American Marriage Tales unit. 

The Piqued Buffalo-Wife: I'm surprised that this story starts with a situation of bestiality right out of the gate, but perhaps it's wrong of me to label it in such a way. I like how the situation has flipped when the father has to pick out his child out of the rest of the buffalo calves. I'm also surprised that the story ended relatively well for the family despite the father's mistake.

Splinter-Foot Girl: I love the variety of ways in which life is created in these stories. It reminds me a bit of some of the origin stories I read in the Ovid units. Also,  the intervention of animals in this story as messengers strikes me as fascinating. It's as if trust is put into them to carry on the correct message. The image of buffalo bulls burrowing through the ground is quite impressive! I get the feeling that this was a story to set the order of nature--that is, set who holds dominion over whom.

The Fox-Woman: There seems to be a similarity to this story and the stories told in the Eskimo unit, because an animal's skin is considered a fundamental part of its form. Although, it seems that smell remains with the life-form no matter what shape it takes.

The Rolling Head: There's quite a bit of gore in this story, and I'm not used to seeing stories that involve a man killing his wife. And I just read that the children were fed the meat of their mother! I wonder what it would be like to be followed by the head of my deceased mother. Well, I guess a rolling head gathers no moss.

The Bear-Woman: It seems to be a consistent pattern that any marriage to an animals in these stories involves the mention of sexual acts between the human and animal lovers. The action in these stories seems to change without a moment's notice. The Bear-Woman could have been a little more direct by stating the touching of her kidneys would have dire consequences. 

Essay Week 9: The Shaping Force of Narrative

Having progressed this far into the semester, I have started to reflect on the purpose of storytelling. How did storytelling evolve to take root in culture? What do stories provide to those that hear them? What about those who tell the stories?

A year ago, I took my honors colloquium, Literature and Medicine, and the central question of the course was this: What can literature learn from medicine, and what can medicine learn from literature? We explored how narrative genre can frame the stories that patients bring with them into the examination room. We discussed the role of empathy and how abduction, a type of hypothesis-forming logic, fuels what doctors do on a daily basis.

The cover of one of the books written by my professors for Literature and Medicine. Image found at Project MUSE.

I bring this up because I believe storytelling has a way of molding both the people who hear tales and those who recount them, and if that is the case, then storytelling fulfills a cultural function. Research done by scientists at Emory University found that reading fiction changes the physical structure of the brain. As the lead author stated, narrative has a way of putting someone in the protagonist's shoes. Another study by David Kidd and Emanuele Castano found that literary fiction predisposes people to develop a stronger theory of mind and subsequently improve their ability to empathize with others.

Such findings imply that the stories we absorb have a way of shaping the way we think and the way we view the experience of other people. Perhaps reading is the portal that allows us to delve into experiences we might never come to know. I can attest to the fact that I now try to see what I can learn from the fiction I read. I tend to ask myself: How can I apply what I've read to my ability to better relate to others? What does this tell me about the human experience? When I view reading in that way, it gives the time I spend delving into stories more purpose.