[Week 2] Essay - Superficiality in the Story of Cupid & Psyche

Link to Cupid & Psyche

(Cupid and Psyche by Alphonse Legros: Wikimedia Commons)

            There are many cultural and generational differences illustrated in the story of Cupid & Psyche, but the one that popped out to me the most was what many would perceive today as superficiality. While my opinion on this is rather neutral given the context of the story, I find it interesting how different love was portrayed in stories back then as compared to today.

            There are, of course, novels written today which contain characters who fall in love with each other mainly because of physical beauty or money. But even then, it seems that there is usually some insight given into the character’s personality. It could be the method of storytelling that made details difficult, or that the story was shortened in the written version, or even that they truly did not care for such things. Either way, the romance in Cupid & Psyche was cute but it did not seem believable. They barely know each other and they have to be together for all eternity. What if Psyche takes too long putting on her makeup in the morning? What if Cupid snores loudly and has to sleep on the couch every night? These things are not exactly relevant to the story, but they were on my mind the whole time.

(You are Beautiful: Wikimedia Commons)

We live in a society where you can walk into a public bathroom and see “smile, you’re beautiful!” written on a mirror. Emphasis is put heavily on the beauty that is “skin deep,” and even soap commercials exist that attempt to empower women of all types for who they are on the inside. These things are more blatantly aimed at women, but I think most in our society would take a man’s personality into consideration before marrying him for all eternity as well.

So, I’m curious as to where the difference lies. Arranged marriages were, of course, “the thing” back then, but from the way the story was told it seemed that Psyche and Cupid were deeply in love. Did Psyche fall in love with Cupid because she knows she was lucky enough to be in an incredible situation? Was there truly so little emphasis on this “inner beauty” idea that we see today that people could tolerate each other without needing to really like each other first? Or is it just a matter of how the story was told, and they really did love each other for reasons beyond physical beauty and wealth?

The story of Cupid & Psyche may be a bad example for this since Cupid is known for shooting people with arrows to make them fall in love, and at one point even regrets doing so to himself and Psyche in the story. But this same kind of “superficial” love is seen in many older stories, like those that have been turned into Disney movies. I know very little about relationships (especially arranged marriages) in the past, so I would love to know more about the mindset of the people in these kinds of situations.

[week 2] Storytelling: The Man Behind the Mask

Author’s note: The following is loosely based on the story of Cupid and Psyche. I’ve never written anything even vaguely romantic before but I wanted to get out of my comfort zone a bit. I decided to go modern and also trade Psyche’s psychical beauty for a beautiful personality and Cupid’s godliness for musical talent. The fantasy elements have been taken out since I wanted to touch on how their meeting might have occurred under more “ideal” and modern circumstances, while keeping the whole, “I don’t really know you but I love you!” thing. It was definitely a challenge for me to fit everything I want in to write into less than 1000 words, but I hope my main point gets across!

(Cupid and Psyche: Wikimedia Commons)

The Man Behind the Mask

                She had never heard the voice of a god, but she knew if she did it would sound like this. The lilt of Cupid’s baritone voice drifted through the speakers, putting Psyche into a trance while she prepared for work. She had been obsessed with the musician from the moment he made his debut. The mask concealing his identity did nothing to muffle the sweet siren song from escaping his lips, and she knew right away that she had fallen for him with a strength not usually found in silly celebrity crushes. True to his pseudonym, Cupid had struck Psyche with his arrow.

                Psyche — who preferred this nickname to her real name Penelope — devoted her life to helping others. As a nurse, she played an important role in giving aid and saving lives. From women bringing life into the world to men taking their last breathes, Psyche had experienced every facet of joy and sorrow that came along with her job, and she wouldn't trade it for anything. She was praised for her passion and selflessness. Friends, family, and strangers constantly came to her for advice. While she loved helping them, her work and her frequent unofficial counselling sessions left Psyche with little time for herself. She told herself her life was great and she had what she wanted, she was useful. But nobody ever took the time out to get to know the real Psyche or help her when she needed advice. Deep down inside of her lived a nagging loneliness, one that only lifted when she heard a certain masked musician’s voice.

                It was a particularly slow night at work, so Psyche made herself busy attending to a young man who was recovering from surgery. His parents had stayed with him for the whole week. They were fortunate to have flexible jobs in the music industry that allowed them to decide their own schedules.  The parents would ask Psyche about her life every time she walked in to check on her patient. She had told them nearly everything: her hopes and dreams, her favorite book, and even hinted at her love for Cupid. That night, instead of asking more questions, the parents had a surprise for her. To thank her for taking care of their son, the couple presented Psyche with a concert ticket to see Cupid. She was floored. And she almost passed out when she heard the words “backstage pass.”

(Keane in concert: Geograph)

                Four months passed, and it was now the night that Psyche had been waiting for with a nearly debilitating mix of excitement and anxiety. She thought her emotions would settle after the concert, but standing in the room meant to entertain her favorite musician and his band was overwhelming. And when he walked into the room her emotions swelled to such heights that she was sure this was a sign of her impending death. But she didn't die. Rather, she stood with her mouth open, gaping at the confused masked man who hadn't been told of this visitor. Collecting himself, Cupid invited the girl to sit with him. They talked for hours and he was instantly attracted to her beautiful personality. He knew he needed her in his life.

                Cellphone numbers were traded and Cupid and Psyche’s relationship began to bloom. They chatted primarily through text and phone calls, and although she had yet to see his face, Psyche learned more about Cupid than anyone else would ever know. His real name was Christopher, but he had taken on his childhood nickname as his musical persona since it sounded catchier. He grew up in a strict household where he was molded into a child prodigy. His musical training stuck with him through the years, and that’s how he got into the entertainment business. He decided to use a mask to conceal his identity in attempt to keep some semblance of privacy in his life. Cupid told Psyche about his beautiful but often irrational mother whose love life, he thought, should have a novel dedicated to it. He worried that upon meeting, she would put Psyche to impossible tests to prove her love for him since his mom had a habit of trying to bring down other women who she thought were getting more attention than she was.

                Psyche asked for permission to tell her two best friends that they were dating. They were like sisters to her, and she hated to keep such important secrets from them. Cupid reluctantly gave her permission, but asked her not to indulge too much if they asked for details about his life and appearance. She agreed and enthusiastically told her friends the story of how she met one of the world’s most famous musicians. When asked for details, she made up a story about his life and the girls believed her. But they were extremely jealous that their friend managed to catch such a rich and famous man while they were stuck dating men who couldn’t even find a proper job. After much prying, Psyche admitted that she didn’t know what her boyfriend looked like. It had never bothered her before, but she began to feel uneasy when her friends started coming up with stories of how disfigured he must be.

It was his voice that originally attracted Psyche to Cupid. She liked to think that any disfigurement wouldn't be a problem, but now she needed to know. She discussed the issue with Cupid and he decided he trusted her enough to confide in her his identity. They met at his place and when Cupid took off his mask to reveal the handsome young man underneath, Psyche thought nothing could ever get in the way of their love. But then his mother arrived at the door.

The End.

Apuleius's Golden Ass translated by Tony Kline (2013).

[Week 2] Reading Diary - Cupid and Psyche

Because I always worry about retaining details, I've decided to do my diary in short summaries of each chapter. I don't know if I'll keep doing this for other units, but I think it work well for me now. I'll probably write too much this unit, then too little the next, and eventually find a happy medium. :) In this case, every time something I found important popped up, I wrote it down. I didn't find that it took away from reading that way.

Cupid and Psyche Part 1:

(Psyche and Cupid by Rubens: Wikimedia Commons)

1. The Captive Woman:
A donkey (once Lucius) observes a young girl who was taken captive being brought to an encampment. An old woman tries to console her, but the girl misses the comforts of home and can't stop crying. In the middle of the night, she goes a bit crazy and starts to look for something to (presumably) kill herself with. The old woman gets mad and threatens the girl.

2. Her Dream:
The girl asks the woman to show her kindness and tells her that she was stolen away by the thieves on her wedding day, which she and the whole house were excited about. She talks about her dream in which her would-be husband is killed by the thieves. The old woman takes pity on the girl and says she'll tell her an old wives' tale.

3. Psyche's Beauty and the Anger of Venus:
The woman tells of a king and queen whose youngest daughter, Psyche, was said to be as beautiful as Venus herself. People came from all over just to see her and began to neglect visiting the actual shrines of Venus. Venus becomes angry at the attention the mortal is getting and summons her son Cupid. She leads him to the city, shows him Psyche, and explains her frustrations. Venus asks him to make Psyche fall in love with "the most wretched of men." She then goes back into the sea.

4. The Oracle of the Apollo:
While people loved Psyche's beauty, she found herself despising it. Because she was so unattainable she was not married and was left alone and depressed. Her father goes to pray to Apollo and is in return sent the message of a dark prophecy in which Psyche will be wed. He is told not to expect a child of hers to be born of a mortal, but of a winged, serpent-like creature. The "wedding" is held and the whole city grieves as if it were a funeral. Psyche has come to terms with her fate and goes to the mountain crag. She is left on the crag crying and scared, when a wind carries her down the mountain and softly lands her on a bed of flowers.

5. The Magical Palace:
Psyche falls asleep in the bed of flowers. Upon waking, she sees a beautiful, glowing palace fit for a god or demigod. As she approaches the house, a voice (claiming to be her servant) tells Psyche that the house is hers and she should take advantage of the bed and bath before taking part in a feast. She does just that. Food and drink magically appear and entertainment is provided by invisible musicians.

6. The Mysterious Husband:
While Psyche slept, her now husband got into bed with her and consummated their marriage. He left her before she was able to see him, but returned often to repeat his actions. One night, he tells her that her sisters think she is dead and will go to the cliff to look for her. He warns against looking at them. If she does, she'll upset him and bring "utter ruin" upon herself. But Psyche can't help herself from becoming depressed at the thought of her sisters being upset and about her luxurious imprisonment. Eventually, her husband agrees to allow her to see her sisters but warns her not to give in to their inquiries about his appearance. It amuses me that Psyche says even Cupid himself could not compare to her husband (Cupid).

7. The Jealousy of Psyche's Sisters:
Psyche meets her grieving sisters at the mountain crag. She takes the girls to the palace and lets them take advantage of it. They become deeply envious and question Psyche about her marriage and the owner of the house. Psyche lies about her husband's appearance and sends her sisters away with arms full of gold, but they have already gone crazy with envy. The sisters decide not to tell their parents that Psyche is alive and start devising a punishment for her.

8. Psyche's Husband Warns Her:
At first, Psyche's husband warns her once again against giving her sisters any information about his appearance. He tells her that if she does, their baby will be born mortal. Otherwise, it will be a divine child. When the sisters began to go after Psyche, her husband warns her again that they are dangerous and ready to attack her, and that for their sake and the sake of their baby, she shouldn't listen to them. Psyche becomes distraught and asks her husband once again to allow her to see her sisters. And again, he gives in.

9. Fears and Doubts:
The sisters return to the palace and greet Psyche with false affection and congratulations on her pregnancy. The ask more about Psyche's husband and are given another fake story and sent away with gifts. But this time, the sisters can tell she's lying. The next day they go back to the palace and remind Psyche of Apollo's oracle. They say her husband is a beast who will eventually devour her. Psyche is scared and forgets the promise she made. She admits that she has never seen him before and asks her sisters to save her. Psyche is told that she needs to kill her husband in order to escape him. Although she was torn between the love she felt for her husband and the fear she felt toward the beast he might be, that night Psyche prepared her weapon to kill him.

10. Psyche's Husband Revealed:
Psyche picked up the lamp and blade to strike her husband but when she did, she saw that he was actually Cupid. She examined him and his weapons. While holding an arrow, Psyche accidentally cut her thumb on the tip, which made her fall deeper in love with Cupid. As she held the lamp over him, a drop of hot oil fell from it and onto his shoulder and he was jolted awake. Psyche tried to stop Cupid from leaving but he managed to fly away. He talked about how foolish he was for going against his mother's words and trying to conceal his identity to make her believe that she had married a monster. In punishment, he left her.

11. Psyche's Despair:
Psyche met the god Pan while watching Cupid fly away. Pan tells her not to kill herself and instead to pray to Cupid. Afterwards, she walked until she ended up in her sister's husband's kingdom and asked to see her. Psyche tells her who her husband really is, and then lies and says he got mad and said he would marry her sister instead. The sister believed her. She lied to her husband by saying her parents died and then went to the mountain crag where she thought Zephyr would catch her when she walked off the edge. But he didn't and she died. Psyche then told the same story to her other sister, who met the same fate.

YouTube Tech Tip

Just testing out the YouTube video feature. Here's one of my favorite short films about a sad Chinese man who moves to Ireland to start a new life but doesn't realize they mostly speak English now instead of Irish.

[Week 1] Introduction - Who am I?

Hello, classmates! Welcome to my blog!

My name is Lily Oliver. I'm a linguistics major and a Japanese minor. I'm a senior now and I was supposed to be graduating in December, but things didn't quite work out. It's a little bit disappointing since I'm ready to figure out what I want to do with my life, but I really enjoy learning and being in an academic setting, so in a way I'm happy to still be at OU.

As you can see in my Favorite Places post, I studied abroad in Yamaguchi, Japan in the Spring of 2013. I was required to take 7 classes so I took 6 intensive Japanese language classes and one Korean class. It was pretty intense but I wouldn't trade my time there for anything. While I was abroad, I also got to go to different places in Japan: Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Fukuoka, etc.. But my favorite of all of those was my new home Yamaguchi. 

It's a stereotype that linguists and linguistics students study tons of languages. In most cases, that's not necessarily true. The "studying" that is done is looking at how languages work. But in the case of some of my classmates and I, we are total nerds who will try to learn any language that comes our way. I've taken Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Korean classes and I'll start a Chinese class soon. On my own and with friends, I've studied Irish (my favorite language!), Welsh, Swedish, Esperanto, and a few more that I can't remember at the moment. So as you can see, I like me some languages.

(a picture of library stairs taken by greenmonsterz7 at deviantart)

My future plans are pretty unclear to me but I'll most likely be applying for the JET Programme so that I can teach English in Japan. I'm not sure if that's the direction I want to go in but I think it's a good place to start. Random tidbit: If I could have any job in the world it would be living in the Gaeltacht helping to come up with a proper revitalization plan for Irish that would be more effective. Oh also, I'd totally be living in a thatched cabin. But for now I'm trying to be more realistic. So I'll go back to Japan, make some money, and maybe go to grad school somewhere for language acquisition or applied linguistics. 

My hobbies other than learning languages include: 
-starting craft projects I'm never going to finish 
-reading books until the last chapter and then stopping
-scrolling through netflix trying to find something to watch until I give up and bug my friends on facebook instead
-listening to my favorite albums over and over again until I'm sick of them

I also like video games, but I haven't played many lately for some reason. 

I love to socialize so if any of you read this and have any questions or comments or just want to talk about something, please let me know! It's nice to have friends in every class. :)

[Week 1] Storybook Favorites

Thanks to today's announcement on D2L, the first storybook to that caught my attention was Mermaids: An Eternal World of Waters. I've loved stories about mermaids ever since I was little. But oddly enough, I was never a huge fan of Disney's The Little Mermaid. I've always preferred stories in which a mermaid keeps her tail. I've been wanting to read more about mermaids but any novels I come across are usually for children or teenagers and I'd prefer to read something a bit more "mature." So I'm really excited to know that there are mermaid stories available in this class and in this storybook! Out of the stories listed, I've only heard of The Little Mermaid. Melusina and The Mermaid's Vengeance are totally new to me, so that's exciting!

Next, Celtic Creature Criminal Court Clerk: Fairy Vice Division sounded super fun to me. I love the yellow lined paper layout and the titles for everything. And the introduction being about the fairy laws is really clever. I love how the stories are written, like transcriptions from an actual court session. Like mermaids, I've always had a soft spot for all things fairies. So combining that with all the stylistic choices made for this storybook is really appealing to me!

Lastly, there are quite a few that have really popped out but I think I'll have to go with The Sanitarium of H.P. Lovecraft. I'm a sucker for creepy stories and I've been meaning to get into Lovecraftian horror. I like the way the stories are written out. The first is like an interview, the second is a collection of diary entries, and the third is a patient's file. I love that kind of almost realistic story telling that can really creep you out. The design is a little bland, I think, but I'm glad the author didn't go to far in making everything dark and spooky. Maybe it's just me, but a "normal" appearance with scary stories is much more terrifying to me than having a theme that screams "this is supposed to be scary!"

There are so many others that I want to check out, but for now these are the top contenders for "most inspirational storybook." 

[Week 1] Digging Through the Un-Textbook

I'm not entirely sure how to format this post, but I'll try my best. I don't think 

First of all, because I'm a nerd for all things Celtic, I'm SUPER excited for the British readings! I'll probably end up reading a lot more than one per each week when it comes to weeks 11 and 12. Right now, these sound like the most fun:

-The Maginogion: I've read Kilwich and Olwen (aka Culhwch and Olwen) already and I really enjoyed it, so I think I'd like to read the other stories. 
-Celtic Tales: I'm a sucker for mythological creatures and this sounds like it'll have quite a few of those. 
-Faerie Queene: Britomart: Honestly I haven't even looked into this one much. I'm just instantly drawn to anything with "faerie" in the title. The little girl in me lives on!

I haven't read much Japanese mythology so I'm thinking I'd like to do that in this class. I've read some easy stories in my classes (Momotaro, Kaguyahime, etc.) but I'd like to read something more "serious" sounding. So I'm thinking about these:

-Japanese Mythology: I saw the names "Izanagi" and "Izanami" and immediately wanted to read this. Mostly because I'm silly and immediately think of the game Persona 4. But hey, motivation is motivation, right?
-Japanese Fairy Tales (Lang): This sounds like a lot of fun from the description. Tanuki are the strangest looking animals so I could totally imagine them shape-shifting. 

Within the classical units, I'm interested in reading Greek mythology. I've always been impressed with people who can throw around the names "Persephone" and "Daedalus" and whatnot and have an in depth discussion about them. I want to be one of those people! Plus, they sound really cool. So I may check out:

-Greek Myths: Ovid 1, 2, and/or 3: For the reasons stated above and because I've read most of the other things listed.

I'm really excited about starting the Un-Textbook! I don't think I've ever had so much freedom in a class.

[Week 1] Storytelling: The Ant and the Dove

It was half past noon in Tokyo, and Narita airport was as bustling as ever. A frantic-looking Japanese business man pushed his way through the crowds of fellow countrymen and foreign visitors blocking his way to the exit. His flight had arrived in Japan late and he had exactly fifteen minutes until the bus would arrive and take him to his workplace. The man wanted nothing more than to go home and be with his family, but a very important business meeting would take place at two that afternoon.

"Fifteen minutes until the bus arrives. Then an hour and twenty minutes on the bus. I'm not going to make it. This is bad. This is very bad." He worried to himself.

(Narita Airport: Wikimedia Commons)

Needless to say, the man was stressed. And it didn't help that he had at the bus stop just in time to see an obviously foreign woman struggling to communicate with a taxi driver. The woman seemed to speak a bit of Japanese, but the taxi driver spoke in such a quiet, mumbling voice that it was difficult for even native speakers of the language to understand him. The woman's obvious distress triggered something in the business man. He remembered the times he went abroad and had trouble communicating due to a language barrier. There was nobody there to help him then, and now he was faced with the opportunity to help someone in a way that he had so desperately needed back then.

Just as the business man made his way to the foreign woman to help her, he saw his bus pull in to the station. He was torn between the two. Should he catch the bus and ignore the woman, or help the woman and risk missing his bus? He reckoned that because the bus had just arrived, it would sit at the stop for a few minutes waiting for passengers. In the meantime, he would help the woman.

(Taxi in Tokyo: Wikimedia Commons)

It took five minutes to explain to the taxi driver where the foreign woman needed to go. By the time they were finished the bus had already pulled away and the business man cursed to himself. The woman saw him watch the bus anxiously and put her hand on his shoulder.

"You were very kind and I would like to repay you," she said. "Where are you going? I'll give you money for a taxi."

The business man explained to the foreign woman that he was on his way to a very important business meeting in the heart of Tokyo. They continued to chat and realized they were both going to the same place for the same meeting! They both climbed into the taxi and set off to the city center. The business man was glad that he stopped to help the foreign woman. Not only did he get to help someone in need, but she in turn helped him as well. That day he realized a kindness is never wasted.

Author's Note: This story is based on Aesop's story The Ant and the Dove. I wanted to personify the characters and make the situation seem more realistic (and less life threatening). I haven't had to write stories since middle school so I'm really out of practice! I'm hoping this class will help me figure out how to be more creative with my writing. 

The Ant and the Dove by Aesop (2006). Web Source: Project Gutenberg.

[Week 1] My favorite place: Yamaguchi, Japan

I spent March to August of 2013 studying abroad in Japan. I chose to attend Yamaguchi University which is located, as the name suggests, in Yamaguchi prefecture. Apparently choosing to study abroad Yamaguchi is kind of like choosing to study abroad Oklahoma, since every time I would mention my plans to a Japanese person they would give me a quizzical look and ask, "why not Tokyo?" 

Below is a picture of Yamaguchi City. The people have worked hard to maintain Yamaguchi's rural charm without cutting out any of the modern conveniences of a bigger city. 

(Yamaguchi City: Wikimedia Commons)

Rurikoji is a five story pagoda in Yamaguchi City that was built in 1442. Because of its size and beauty, Rurikoji is considered to be one of the best temples in Japan. The temple is lit up from below at night and makes for a very dramatic scene.

(Personal photo of Rurikoji Temple in Yamaguchi City)

My friend and I were invited to go on a trip with some visitors from Korea to a medieval city called Hagi. While we were there, we hiked to the top of a mountain and found a particularly magical looking area that had a mysterious little salt water pond. Unfortunately, pictures can't do it justice. 

(Personal photo from a mountain Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture)

The mall in Yamaguchi, Youme Town, had an arcade/casino on the top floor that was decked out with games and purikura machines. My friends and I decided to take the obligatory stereotypical Japanese girl pictures together. I still keep the print in my wallet as a memory of my time spent in Japan and the crazy friends I made. 

(Personal photo from a purikura machine)

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