You have read several myths, presented your myths to the class, and listened to the presentation of others. So how was the experience of listening and presenting? Did you dig the myths?
I would like two strong, reflective posts.
Post 1
Describe for me the experience of reading and retelling the myth. How did you feel about passing on these ancient stories? Did presenting give you any insights into the nature of myth itself?
Post 2
What was your experience in listening to the various presentations of your peers? Please do not use this opportunity to disparage your classmates by name, rather refer to why some of them were less engaging than others. Please do use this posting to say what you did enjoy about the myths. Did listening provide you with any real realizations or aha moments about why mythology is so enduring?
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Reading the myth was interesting and enlightening. It is similar to reading a novel that is hard to put down, and feeling dissapointed after the usually overly-short falling action and resolution. Retelling the myth, however, was slightly unnerving, since rephrasing such complex stories in front of an audience is quite difficult. Passing on of the myths keeps them alive, and prevents them from being destroyed in the tides of time. Presenting gave few insights unobtained through reading, though it did clarify our ideas on the imparitives.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the group that presented today did not incorporate the bizarre creativity used by the other groups, it had, by far, the best storytelling. This group's reading was engaging and kept my and possibly others' interests. The story of Orpheus was especially exquisite. Other groups that told the stories did a good job at retelling the stories as well, but the group that presented today was the best. It is this seemingly magical storytelling that keeps myths alive. The only way a myth can stay alive is for it to be told and listened to. The only way to force others to listen to a myth is to provide an incentive. This incentive is the awe that comes from listening to a skilled recollection of a myth by a very skilled storyteller. Thus, it is the awe that comes from a good myth told by a skilled storyteller that keeps mythology alive.
ReplyDeleteI loved the myths! I felt like a kid all over again listening and retelling old fairytales. I wasn't really fasncinated with greek myths until we started working on them. They really caught my attention and I just want to read more and more of the myths. Presenting our myths was very interesting considering my group always had crazy ideas to incoporate into it, but overall, I did understand the stories better as we presented it. You filled in for anything that we didn't understand and it helped me out a lot.
ReplyDeleteI really liked being a kid again in class and lsitening to the stories. Reading directly from the story wouldn't have entertained me as much and I really liked how each group actually explained it much better to the rest of us. If they didn't, I think I would be bored out of my mind. I thought everyone did a really great job on their stories, just I wished some people spoke more clearly. Mythology taught me that life isn't perfect, but we always try to make it perfect to us. Take Apollo for example, he's perfect in every way, yet he's got no game. It made me realize if life was perfect, it would be completely boring.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading and presenting our myths. I wasn't really nervous; the atmosphere of the class is really like easy-going and makes it comfortable to present. Telling the myths gave me a better understanding of the ones I read, especially when the person told it in their own words. It makes the stories seem more real. I think the insight I gained was that wow, yes, these stories are all present in our society today and all the pedagogical aspects are things that we see in our society and are what the Greeks saw in theirs. I felt even a bit like I was back in their times, and listening to someone tell the story that I in turn am going to pass on! I think I also felt the importance of knowing what I was talking about and getting the myths right. I guess that is the true purpose of myth; to tell stories that bring people together, which I think was really illustrated in this exercise.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing how other groups chose to present their myths and the different approaches. I liked the presentations by groups that told it in a really engaging way and connected it and made it like they were talking about everyday topics. I think that made it more enjoyable for them and for the class. I think you can really tell when the person speaking or acting is into what they are doing and enjoying it (which makes the audience enjoy it) and when the person is like I'm just going to say what is on here and not really into it. I would have liked to see the people speaking to really put themselves into whatever they were doing; whether that be acting, speaking, reading, whatever. I enjoyed the myths! I like how each group has such a different characteristic about the same topic. You could really tell with the love myths what theme each group had. My favorite would have to be the myth of Baucis and Philemon, and how true love is everlasting. Mythology is so enduring because the stories and themes are still so relevant to daily life, no matter what century you are in. People are drawn to them because no matter who you are, there is some story that you can identify and relate with; in myths there are so many different archetypes. I am enjoying english!
ReplyDeleteReading the myths definetly gave me an inside to the greeks perspectives. I enjoyed how we were able to understand the gods and share it with my class mates. It was easy to explain our myths so it was not hard or uncomfortable sharing in front of the class. Since we were in groups it was easy to discuss and come to a conclusion with the moral or thesis of a story.
ReplyDeleteListening to the other myths for our class was very entertaining. The story tellers gave the audience a mental picture and a perspective on the Greek myths. I thought that the presentations helped us to visualize rather than read each myth ourselves. I personally enjoyed connecting with my group and discussing the themes and perspectives of our stories.
ReplyDeleteThe subject of love was quite common for the Greeks and to read some of their most famous stories gave me further insight to their philosophies. Sharing the myths with the class did not feel nerve-racking or pressured. It felt like we were just explaining a story to our friends. Knowing that these stories have been passed on for years and years is just another fact that ties all of us together. I felt as if we were just another link on the chain to pass down these myths. Myths itself bring the past and present together. Presenting them really showed how history is present in modern times.
ReplyDeleteListening to the myths in class was entertaining, and I was engaged in most of the stories being told. The group that told the story about the two trees linked together really touched me. That story was about the purest love, and the group did a beautiful job in presenting it with simplicity and enthusiasm. It became obvious to me why these myths are so enduring throughout time. They are incredibly interesting and are useful to explain the creation of emotions, life, nature, etc. These presentations showed me why people want to tell and listen to Greek myths.
ReplyDeleteDeni Danny Shabegovic:
ReplyDeleteI feel as if my sensiblities for Greek myths have been renewed and replenshined once again. I used to be cold about Greek myths because I thought it was more about how the gods were greater than us, but it really wasn't. I always have been one to love listening to stories and telling them, but to be able to have a connection between both is simply glorious. Greek myths give both sides of a story. I always believed in passing stories from one genereration to another, as a way to keep stories of an old age alive. For Greek stories to be remembered after thousands of years while other stories are forgotten in the sands of time is truly remarkable feat in itself. Now I can truly see what myths represent - a fantastic way to show and tell stories that connect with ourselves. Myths connect each of us by our own emotions, our own actions, our own fates. It's the web of gems.
I was actually suprised at how much input my fellow peers gave into making these Greek myth presentations feel fascinating. I'm glad that English Honors actually cares for Greek myths, because when I was in regular English, I was sick and tired of seeing people complain about how "boring" these myths supposedly were, especially since they didn't even pay any actual attention to it. Greek myths are powerful enough when given the chance to listen and understand it. It's nice to see that my dear fellow peers were engaged by the true power of these myths. I love myths because of their captivating power to tell a story and connect us with the web of gems. From what I saw in the presentations, my classmates were just as intrigued with myths as I was, which shows just how powerful myths really are.
ReplyDeleteI really loved the experience of listening to the myths and re-telling them. I love telling stories so it was fun for me to tell everyone an interesting myth. I also loved hearing all the different myths. Passing on the stories made me feel like I was part of a cycle. What I mean by that is now that I told someone a story, they might go and tell it to somebody else. I felt connected and it is kind of like the web of gems. Presenting did give me an insight to the nature of myth. It showed me how the myths portray reality, yet still show fiction. Myths can show the truths of life and how people want life to be. In a way, some myths show how they can act as a false conscience. I really enjoyed presenting and hearing about the different myths.
ReplyDeleteListening to the various presentations of my peers was extremely interesting. I felt that every group presented their myths well in one way or another. I also enjoyed how some of the groups did a short skit to incorporate into their story telling. I have never really thought about the true meaning of the myths, but doing the imperatives helped me understand the myths much more. Listening to the presentations did show me how intriguing the myths are if they are told in an enjoyable way. The love myths showed me that mythology is enduring because of the different aesthetic perspectives of the myths. I could also connect to the story in some sort of way. This happened with the web of gems. I really enjoyed this activity.
ReplyDeleteI loved the experience of telling myths. I've always been fascinated with the Greek Myths, so it was nice having them told in a simpler way that was easier to listen to and understand. I now understand that myths are entertaining because we can all relate to at least one thing in them. I enjoyed presenting because my group likes to present in a slightly goofier way, making it fun and a bit more accessible while still being informative and accurate.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think any of the groups were boring. I enjoyed listening to every myth that was told. However, some groups were more creative than others. Listening to the imperatives made me realize that the Greeks were trying to express something deeper than just entertainment with the myths.
ReplyDeletePresenting and retelling the myth felt natural to me. I felt as though I were reading a child a bedtime story, which is sort of magical in its own way. After reading the myth by myself, I understood and knew it would not be difficult to convey to my audience. I wanted the audience to understand the characters feelings and visualize it and relate to the story in their own way. Presenting gave me a new perspective on ancient myths. Although they are archaic and traditional, we can still relate to them in some way in this new day and age.
ReplyDeleteI liked listening to my peer's stories. Surprisingly, everyone did a fantastic job with presenting. Nobody was quiet and reserved, everyone seemed to feel inclined to their myth. I could visualize some of the myths better than others, though. I enjoyed the myths because I liked how they united people together with the power of storytelling. My "aha" moment was when I realized why the greeks and many other cultures in more primitive times participated in storytelling- it created a bond between one another and united them as a people.
ReplyDeleteIn class, I heard the myths and although I wouldn't consider myself to be extremely interested in the myths, the stories I heard were intriguing and interesting. I really enjoyed the story, that Kendall and Lynn said about the two people who grew as a tree together, in love. I think that the stories that are shown to us in the myths are beautiful and are ways to link present life to the past. I enjoyed telling myths to the class, because as I told them to the class, I understood their meaning better and could relate to the emotions in them, and I do think that I was connected to the stories.
ReplyDeleteI think that all the presentations given for the myths, were told with passion and meaning. I dont think that any of them were boring, and I don't think that there is anything to improve on. If there was one thing to improve on, it might be to have more time to get the groups together, so they know how to present them better. Overall, all the stories were told well, and the presentations were equally good. Listening to the stories, helped me to think about what was being said more deeply and thoughtfully.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed telling my myth to the class because it did make me feel as if I understood the myth a little bit more. It also made me feel as if I COULD have been the Greek storyteller in the past, despite me not being Greek/ in Greece, getting a bit nervous during the presentation, and most importantly that I'm not in the past at the moment. But in any case it was exciting and I enjoyed being the storyteller of a great myth
ReplyDeleteOn some of the stories, there was a little presentation for the class. I found it very amusing. If this is done well, everybody finds this enjoying and is a definate plus for the whole group. I find that whoever did that did a great job. I realized that many myths, if you look in a bit deeper, have obvious human reactions and interactions, and you can see that the Greeks believed in their Gods immensely and believed that they were "with them" in a sense because many stories have a God testing mortals (for example the myth where Zeus and Hermes are bums in the streets).
ReplyDeleteThe myths were very intresting and hard to put down. The myths I have read were easy to understand too. Presenting the myths was easy since I already understood the myth. Acting out the myths is really fun too. It lets you live the myth in a way. Presenting let me understood the myth from the character played.
ReplyDeleteThe storytelling of most groups is very good. I would rather watch a group act the story out then just present. It is more intresting watching people then listening I think. Listening to the myths was alright though. On some of the myths I was extremely intrested in. It is easy to tell that some of the groups needed more time to prepare.
ReplyDeleteI really like the retelling of the myths because you could almost put the myths into everyday language and tell them like a good story that is fun to tell. It is not just like reading a story of a paper or being told a story. It gets more exciting and pulls you into the story more when it is put into our words. I really like being able to tell the myths to the class because I think it made everyone get the story easier. I really like the myths too.
ReplyDeleteListening to some of the myths were really great. Some of the groups really portrayed the story in a great story telling manner. Others were less engaging for me because I just like to here the storys better than people acting them out or making a game show. I just like the story teller standing up there and getting into their story as they portray it to the class. Hearing the myths did help me to comprehend them more because it is easier to here someone tell a myth with emotion and energy rather than just reading words off of a peice of paper. I think it worked really well.
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ReplyDeleteI personally believe that reading and retelling the myths were great. Reading the myths allowed me to gain knowledge about the concept of the myths itself. Retelling the myths was even the better part. I got to tell the myth in how I looked at it. Not changing the story, just putting my own little spin on it. I believe that passing on these ancient stories was really interesting. I like the way you, Ms. Gerber, let us do so. I believe that letting the students of our class tell the stories worked effectively. I say this because most of us students relate to some of the stories the in the same way. We would probably find a certain part in the myth amusing and would focus on that certain part. Presenting indeed did give me insight into the nature of myth itself. I am not going to lie, when first reading myths, I believed them to be just long boring stories. Now, they are much more amusing to me because I now know that I can relate to each story.
ReplyDeleteMy experience in listening to the various presentations of my peers was great as well. I believe that the groups that incorporated more interesting aspects in their stories were also more interesting and will probably stick in my head longer. However, I believe that everyone, I mean everyone, had great story telling. To me it seemed like everyone was into the stories, which means we dug them. The myths did cause me to have some realization moments. It made me think, and still I think, how did these myths come about so that they all relate to each other, and how they all can connect to people in someway.
ReplyDeleteReading these different myths is extremely interesting. I never knew how much these myths connected to our lives even though they were created so many years ago. Most of them are very entertaining, and keep the reader interested and wanting to read more. I think that passing on the stories to our classmates keeps everything interesting because we do not have to read all of the myths on our own. Presenting the myths in class gives me an insight to how these myths actually relate to my life. Now that I know that I can relate to these myths I look forward to presenting them in class, and listening to others present their myths.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed listening to my classmates present their myths. I find it more entertaining when their is some type of acting or a skit involved when the groups tell their stories. I think that the shorter stories are more interesting because they do not feel like they go on forever. I also think it is harder to tell the longer myths because it is harder to keep the whole classes attention for a longer time period. The presentations turn out better when the groups are given more time to put them together. It is also better when the groups get more time to present their myth because then they have more time to really think about their myth and how it connects to the four imperatives. I really enjoy it when groups act out their myth, especially when they try to make it funny.
ReplyDeleteReading, studying, analyzing, and retelling the stories was enjoyable and fun. It gave me a sense of awe and power being able to tell the myths to others. Preseting these myths did give me insights as to thes myths ad the nature of myths. Fom reading and presenting myths I realized how similar they are to the stories of today and how they represent, and are models for, society.
ReplyDeleteIn listening to my peers tell myths I experienced many different feeligs towards myths. Some groups would make me more interested in myths, whereas some groups would make myths seem simply mundane. Yes, listening to these myths has provided me with many realizations about why mytholgy is so enduring. I have noticed how myths, though said hundreds and even thousands of years ago, have many of the same values of our society today.
ReplyDeletePresenting the myths to others made me really pay attention to what I was reading and make sure I fully understood what was going on. It made me feel like I had a responsibility to tell the myths well and accurately so that I passed on information that was correct. Presenting also helped me remember that stories themselves, otherwise, if I was just to read and not recite them, I would have forgotten all of the stories. Presenting and hearing from other groups let me get a better idea of what Greek society was based on. I was also to see a lot more ways humans are connected than just the typical emotions and feelings we see everyday.
ReplyDeleteSome groups I enjoyed listening to a lot more than others. Some seemed like they would just read off and summarize a myth instead of adding their own touch and words to it. I was really interested in the groups that acted their myths. For example, the group that went on Friday I think it was, didn't act out their first two myths, but the last myth they did act, was hilarious. It made me want to hear more. I really enjoyed the creating myths because every time I would be so amazed how the Greeks created stories that explained why something is here on Earth.
ReplyDeletePresenting the myths helped me to better understand and visualize the myth itself. Explaining the myth to others helps to better understand the myth. Presenting the myth helped me visualize so that I could see the myth by attempting to explain it. Some myths are difficult to understand and being able to see and explain them made it much easier to understand the myths.
ReplyDeleteSome groups were a little more enthusiastic about presenting the myths than other, but all of them still got the story down. Listening to the myths was entertaining and sometimes I felt like I was into it which made me pay attention a bit more. Listening to the myths made me realize how entertaining and important story telling can be depending on who tells it. Information can be passed on in a non-boring way, which can help people to better understand and retell the stories.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was acting out the story of Pandora and telling the story of Hyacinthus to the class, I felt so alive. I felt as if I was part of the story itself. I think this is because the stories felt so real. It is as if I was talking about my best friends or neighbors. That is what made the Greek myths so unique and interesting. The fact that the Greek Gods had such human-like qualities and did the same any human-being would do if they were in that position. Passing on these stories actually felt really good because when I explaining what happened in the myth to the students, they looked so awed. They were so astounded by the outcomes of each of the stories. That made me feel good because I knew that they enjoyed how I presented.
ReplyDeleteThe stories were definitely fun to listen to. But, some more than others… I think that some of storytellers could have added more enthusiasm when telling his/her stories. Doing that engaged the readers to the true meanings behind the myths. Some people just made it too wordy. The myths could be told without making it seem like a college term paper. The storytellers needed to understand that their audiences were us, their peers and classmates. Not deans and professors. However, I liked how some people got so into their presentations. That is what made their stories so interesting. It made it seem as if they were part of the story, itself. The myths show me that although everybody is different, it is the web of gems that brings us all together. Somehow, we connect through every hardship and times of joy.
ReplyDeleteI was nervous in presenting the myth because I wanted to make sure that I kept it interesting for the class. However when I told the myth to the class, I believe I had more fun telling the story than the class enjoyed listening. After telling the story I realized that I am probably never going to forget the myth. I love telling and listening to the greek myths and hope we can do this more often.
ReplyDeleteBy jessica rico
It was fun listening to other myths the class told. In fact, the myths that were most fun to listen to were the ones that the story tellers enjoyed getting into their myths. The only problem I had with following some of the myths is keeping up with the crazy long greek names. I realize that has nothing to do with how the story was told but that was the only thing that was hard for me. I am excited to hear more myths because the way these myths are being told are very entertaining!!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed presenting my story to the class. By presenting, i was forced to connect to my story at a deeper level. Although my story was fantastic, it shed light on the nature of man. Because of the complexity of the story and its already hidden message, it was difficult to convey said message with the same meaning given to it in the actual story. By retelling the story i entered its history and helped it stay alive.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed listening to the people who acted out, or presented their myths as a game show. I disliked how my partner in telling my story was very monotonous. I thought most groups did well in conveying their messages. I found it easy to determine which presenters were able to connect to their stories, and which enjoyed them. Those who were into their stories had more interesting presentations
ReplyDeleteThe experience of reading and retelling the myths in class was very educational to me. I felt like these myths told many life lessons that our ancestors try to tell us to learn from instead of make the same mistakes as others did. Presenting these myths did give me insight into the nature of myth itself because it showed me that myth isn't just about storytelling, but about learning life lessons from mythical gods.
ReplyDeleteI think reading and retelling the myths was enjoyable. it gave me a good insight on how myths actually were told. I think telling of myths was very similar... the greeks would hear the myths and interpreted them in the most interesting way they could. I enjoyed telling the myths because we could really put ourselves into our reenactment of our myths. this gave me a pretty good insight on how myths get told over time. the more times you pass down a myth the more exaggerated it gets.
ReplyDeleteThe experience of listening to my fellow peers giving their presentations of the myths was also very educational and helpful in understanding more about Greek mythology. I enjoyed the great storytelling and comic references that other groups made toward their myths. The presentations awed me in showing how mythology is enduring by telling the stories of the gods and how the gods made mistakes to lead to their downfall.
ReplyDeleteI think working with my peers was a good experience because It taught is all how to deal with each others strength and weaknesses. we all came together and did the work when it was needed. everyone in my group pretty much did equal work to contribute. these presentations helped me realize that myths last as long as they do because people still pass them on to more and more people.
ReplyDeleteThe experience of reading and telling myths has been fun and educational at the same time. They are great stories that are fun to read and by telling them in my own words I have learned these myths even better than just reading them once. Passing on these ancient stories has been fun because we used creative presentations to relay the messages and stories these myths offer. No, by presenting I did not get any insight into the nature of myth itself.
ReplyDeleteMy experience of listening to the various presentations of my peers was great. I enjoyed the presentations because I did not have to read a lot of stories; instead I got to listen to my peers present the stories to me. Some presentations were not as great as others because they were not original, all they did was read of a paper and that was boring, I liked the presentations that took it to the next level and made the story interactive and fun to listen to. No, listening to these presentations did not provide me with any realizations or aha moments about why mythology is so enduring.
ReplyDeleteMy expierence with reading and retelling myths has been very intreseting and fun at the same time. In our first presentation, our group was a little bit lost when it came to intresting story telling. When you told us to focus on the four imparitives more than anything else, that is what we did and therefore our presentation was definately lacking. For our second presentation, I believe that we definatley redeemed ourselves with great story-telling and great four imperitives. These presentations helped me realize how these stories were passed on, just by being told. It felt really great to know that I was helping these stories stay alive. Because we had to present these stories to the whole class we were forced to truly know the story so that we could say it in our own words and connect it to our lives.
ReplyDeleteMy experience of listening to the different presentations of my classmates has showed me how to make our presentation better. Some of the other groups' presentations were very entertaining and some where not. Listening provided me with one real realization moment. As I was sitting and listening to all of the different stories, it hit me that the web of gems was in action right that second. I looked around that classroom and was just thinking about how even though everyone in this classroom is listening to the same exact story, being told the same exact way, they are all connecting it to their own lives in different ways. Everyone in our class has a different life and has different experiences but they all can connect to the story in one way or another. How MYSTICAL!!
ReplyDeleteYay Hallie! I love the realization that we all take in stories through our own very unique filter. The Greeks thought about this with great care; hence the focus not just on the stories but the storyteller.
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