Famous Last Words: "I Edited My Writing"

Editing Your Own Writing

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How many times have you finished writing an essay, short story, Facebook post, or even a text and thought to yourself that your words were well thought out, only to discover it does not even read as  English? The answer is all the time. My brain and my hands do not function with the same speed and capacity, which often results in gibberish. I am certain that this happens to everyone, despite our efforts to prevent such mistakes. When I have a writing assignment I always upload my paper to Paperrater.com. It is an online tool intended to catch mistakes within a writing sample that Word may have overlooked. Despite the fact that I read my paper, check Word for errors, put my paper through Paperrater.com. a variety of errors still get through the cracks. Reading your paper out loud is always a good way to catch grammatical errors, but when you have read something several times error tendencies may increase. The brain has the capability to read material as it is intended to be written rather than what is actually written. This is why it is helpful to do peer review among students. Someone who is readying your writing for the first time does not know what to expect, therefore their brain is depending on the actual writing to tell them what they are reading about. They are more likely to catch the grammatical errors your brain overlooked. I am looking forward to the storybook project feedback from peer review next week. This will allow us all to work out the problem areas of our writing. I will continue to check for writing errors through Word, Paperrater.com, and reading out loud. If anyone comes across a mistake or two among my writing just remember my famous last words "I edited my writing."

Review: Class Announcments

To learn more about A World of Languages  take a look back at this weeks class announcements .

 

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As this infographic explains, "There are at least 7,102 known languages alive in the world today. Twenty-three of these languages are a mother tongue for more than 50 million people. The 23 languages make up the native tongue of 4.1 billion people. We represent each language within black borders and then provide the number of native speakers (in millions) by country. The color of those countries shows how languages have taken root in many different regions."You can see a Full Size Image Here

Learninng Challenge: Reading

The LSAT has two logical reasoning sections, one logic games section, and one reading comprehension section. I have excelled in the logical reasoning and do well in the logic games section, but I have struggled with the reading comprehension section. As I was searching for information on how to become a better reader I came across a great YouTube video. They give ten ways to improve your reading comprehension. I thought they had some good ideas, many of which are recommended by LSAT prep companies.

Growth Minset: Will Smith

Will Smith's words are very inspirational. He discusses the difference between talent and skill. Talent is natural and skill is crafted through a strong work ethic. It is developed over time and it is not dependent on race, gender, or social class. Skill is only dependent on the amount of effort you invest and your capacity to believe you can bring about change in your life. Even talented people will fail if they do not craft their skill.

More Reading: Persian Romance

Persian Fairies

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This story is a conflict between the light and dark; good and evil. Between these rival powers ceaseless warfare prevails; but at the end the prince of darkness will be subdued, and peace and happiness prevail beneath the righteous sway of Ormuzd. From this sublime system of religion probably arose the Peri or Fairy-system of modern Persia. The Deevs and Peries wage incessant war with each other. Like mankind, they are subject to death, but after a much longer period of existence; and, though far superior to man in power, they partake of his sentiments and passions.We are told that when the Deevs in their wars make, prisoners of the Peries, they shut them up in iron cages, and hang them from the tops of the highest trees, exposed to every gaze and to every chilling blast. Here their companions visit them, and bring them the choicest odours to feed on; for the ethereal Peri lives on perfume, which has moreover the property of repelling the cruel Deevs, whose malignant nature is impatient of fragrance. When the Peries are unable to withstand their foes, they solicit the aid of some mortal hero. Enchanted arms and talismans enable him to cope with the gigantic Deevs, and he is conveyed to Jinnestan on the back of some strange and wonderful animal.

My Thoughts:
This story provides information about fairies, which the Imperial Pixies are in opposition with in my storybook project.

Bibliography:
Oriental Romance: Persian Romance Persian Romance

Wikipedia Trail: from "Devon" to "Roman Empire"

Devon is a county of England. Fairytales often portray pixies to have lived within Devon. I discovered Devon as a origin of pixies as I was researching information for my storybook project. Devon is also referred to as Devonshire. I have not decided which form of the word I will use within my storybook. Devonshire seems somewhat more formal to me. The origin of the word Devon is British. This plays fits nicely with my storybook, which takes place in Great Britain, under the Roman Empire.

Roman Britain was the area of the island of Great Britain that was governed by Roman Empire, from AD 43 to 410. Roman Britain was governed by emperors. The Roman Empire usually refers to the post-republican, autocratic government period of Roman civilization, centered on Rome and its successor capitals on the Italian peninsula, from 27 BC to 395 AD. Great Britain is a large island in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest island in Europe.

I think intertwining Roman Britain's history with mystical fairytales is going to make my storybook very intriguing. The whole experience of writing a storybook is a fun adventure.

Tech Tip: Introduction link; Google Sites

I am enjoying creating my storybook project. My cover page and introduction are now published on Google Sites. There is a link on my cover page to the introduction. They will continually be edited as the stories take shape, but I have added some beautiful pictures to each chapter. Follow the link below to follow my storybook progress.

Pixie Tales: The Imperial Pixies by Heather Sizemore

The Imperial Pixies

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Story: "Show Her Favor Once More I Pray"

Once upon a time, there was a maiden whose beauty was beyond compare. Her eyes were as blue as a summer sky with hints of emerald green. Her beauty was pure inside and out. The gods looked upon her with favor. The townsmen adored her and many suitors called upon her, but she refused them all. Some began to think she thought herself to good for any one of them but that was not the case. The young maiden was simply so pure of heart that she could not chose but one, only to hurt the others. Each night before she took to sleep, she prayed to the gods to help her chose.

The next day when the maiden's decision was due the suitors, she stood before them faint of heart. Each of the three suitors were handsome, hardworking, and would be an honorable husband. As her heart raced she became dizzy and fell to the ground. The men gasped and fell to her side to pray the gods would heal her and bless their union, but the gods did not reply. The suitors watched with tearful eyes as she faded from this life.

In their grief the suitors each went their separate ways. The first suitor traveled far from the place where the maiden fell. He tried to keep his mind busy so it would not entertain thoughts of joining his sweet maiden in the afterlife. The second suitor stayed near the maidens memorial and made sure it was allows covered in fresh flowers. The third suitor spent day and night praying to the gods to show the beautiful maiden favor once more. If she cannot yet again walk among men , let her walk among the gods, he prayed.

The Beautiful Maiden Favored By The gods

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On the rise of the seventh sun the second suitor found the beautiful maiden laying among the flowers he had placed on her memorial. He was amazed that she took breathe once more. When the other suitors heard of this miracle they came to honor her and to claim their bride. The first suitor claimed that the gods favored his travels and returned her to him. The second suitor announced that the gods had honored his loyalty to his grief and returned her to him. The third suitor was pleased that the maiden would once again walk among men and he thanked the gods for showing her favor.

The air that was once filled by the suitor's disagreement now stood silence as the goddess of love shined bright before them. The goddess told the first suitor that he mourned the beautiful maiden as a father would mourn his only daughter. She went on to tell the second suitor that he mourned the beautiful maiden the way a son mourns his mother. Then she turned to third suitor and spoke of his selfless prayers to see the maiden restored to life in this world or the next. She told him that he was the only suitor to mourn the beautiful maiden as a wife and therefore the gods would favor their union.

The beautiful maiden was pleased to find someone who would lover her so much that he wished for her life and happiness above his own. They joined hands and walked as husband and wife, and they lived happily ever after.......the end.

Author's Notes: My story was inspired by the Goblins: The Three Lovers, but I changed the story to include the gods, specifically the goddess of love. She would chose the maidens true love. "Goblins: The Three Lovers" is a paradox of a beautiful young women who cannot decide which of three suitors to marry. The young women becomes ill and dies before the three men's eyes. Each one mourns her death differently, but one of the men found a spell that could return her to life. Once the beautiful girl was among the living once again the men argued as to whose wife she should be. The man who found the spell acted as a father, the man who set her bones in the river acted as a son, but the man who slept with her ashes acted as a lover. He would be the young women's husband and she is wife.

Bibliography:
"Goblins: The Three Lovers" translated by Arthur W. Ryder, with illustrations by Perham W. Nahl (1917).
""Goblins: The Three Lovers"

Reading Notes: "Goblins: The Three Lovers"

Her Husband Slept on a Bed of Ashes
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"Goblins:The Three Lovers" is a paradox of a beautiful young women who cannot decide which of three suitors to marry. The young women becomes ill and dies before the three mens eyes. Each one mourns her death differently, but one of the men found a spell that could return her to life. Once the beautiful girl was among the living once again the men argued as to whose wife she should be. The man who found the spell acted as a father, the man who set her bones in the river acted as a son, but the man who slept with her ashes acted as a lover. He would be the young womens husband and she is wife.

The Three Lovers  translated by Arthur W. Ryder, with illustrations by Perham W. Nahl (1917).

Reading Notes: Myth-Folklore Unit: Tutinameh, or Tales of a Parrot

   To read more Tales of a Parrot follow the link.


The first story that caught my interest was the  Four Rich Persons Who Became Poor. The tittle peeked my interest. This story is being told to the parrot's heartbroken mistress.


Four poor friends sought out a philosopher who gave them a miraculous ball. He told them to place the ball on their heads and where the ball falls to the ground dig. The first time the ball feel they pulled cooper from the ground. The second man found silver. each offering their findings to their friends if they would stay there but each time they refused. Third man found gold which he offered to share with the fourth if he would stay there with him, but they were not satisfied and refused.  The forth man continued only to find an iron mined. He regretted that he did not listen to his friend.  The parrot finished his story by telling his mistress the moral of the story.


The parrot, having finished this discourse, said to Khojisteh, "Whosoever will not listen to the advice of friends will suffer like this unhappy man. Now arise and go to your lover, for this is a lucky hour."


Khojisteh and the Parrot  by Ziya'al-Din Nakhshabi

Khojisteh and the Parrot  

Miemun said to Khojisteh that he was going to go on a great journey. The mistress was brokenhearted and barely slept or ate until a young prince caught her attention. She would visit him for four house and he would give her a ring. She denied his proposal initially but she was in love with him. She discussed the matter with her sharuk who told her she should not marry him. Khojisteh was enraged with the  sharuk words and she grabbed her and hit her head against the ground, killing the her. She then asked the parrot, but the parrot was scared he would be killed as well. He blamed the sharuk's words on the fact that she was female and promised the mistress that her secrets would be safe with her and that he would support any inclination she might have.