Feedback Thoughts

I am a very self-critical person, so I continue to work on assignments until I think its perfect. This makes it very hard for me to accept criticism and feedback because if I think its perfect then a lot of times I disregard input from other people. However, as I'm gotten older, I have realized that its less about perfection and more about getting ideas, opinions, and corrections from others about my writing. So reading the article "5 Tips for Taking Feedback Like a Champ" was really helpful to me. The main tip that I will be reminding myself of when receiving feedback is "state-vs-trait." I have a big problem with this, as many times when I get feedback, I take it personally. I now need to realize that they are not critiquing me a person, but they are critiquing my grammar, or the way something is worded. When I am on the other end of feedback, I need to make sure to correct my wording, so that way I am not critiquing a individual person but rather their writing, so that they do not take it personally.

(Receiving feedback, Flickr)

Story: Cupid and Psyche

A little back story first...

Venus was the goddess of love. While looking down upon her subjects, she realized that they were no longer worshipping her, they were worshipping a beautiful mortal named Psyche. So she sent her son Cupid to make her fall in love with the most wretched, vile thing on earth. However Cupid soon fell in love with her himself. Cupid flees after Psyche finds out he is a god, and the rest is the tale of her trying to find her love. 

(Cupid and Psyche, Boston Public Library)

I am the leader of the Gods, King of the skies, Ruler of thunder and lightening, but can you guess my name? You may know me as Zeus, however in this story I am known as Jupiter. My role in this love story began when Cupid approached me after fleeing from Psyche. He explained that he had fallen in love with a mortal, a mortal whom his mother hated and wanted punished. So he was seeking solace from not only his mother Venus, but also his love Psyche until he was sure his mother would leave her alone. He asked me to keep watch over Psyche and make sure she was safe, while he went away for a while. I agreed (because he was always my favorite, and I'm a sucker for love). After he left, I began looking down on earth quite frequently. At first Psyche was in no danger; she was only searching to find her love, Cupid. However, she soon got desperate and as I watched she approached Venus. Venus, determined to find her son told Psyche that if she completed three tasks, he would come back to her. 

(Juno and Jupiter, Wikimedia)

The first task was easy, all Psyche had to do was take a pile of grains, beans, seeds, and lentis and separate them into individual piles. After watching for a few hours, I felt bad for the poor girl so I sent along some birds to help her sort faster. She was done in no time, and when Venus came back another task was given to her. 

This time she was instructed to obtain precious golden wool from the sheep in the meadow. I saw that these sheep were crazed from the heat of the sun, and would likely injury Psyche, so I sent a warning to her through the wind. It whispered to her as it blew past her ear telling her "wait until the sun sets, and the sheep calm down, then go to the woods and grab the golden wool hanging from the branches." 

After giving the wool to Venus, Psyche's final task was assigned. She was to fill a vial of water from the Styx. As I was even afraid of these waters I sent my trusty Eagle to obtain the water for her. All three tasks completed, Psyche walked back, hoping her love Cupid would be awaiting her return. When she arrived, Venus told her one more thing needed to be done. A jar of beauty needed to be delivered to Tartarus. But as I watched, Venus filled the jar, not with beauty, but with sleep. Psyche opened the jar, thinking some beauty would help bring Cupid back to her and fell into a deep sleep. Not to worry however, as I had warned Cupid of his mothers transgressions, and he came back just in time to wake her of the sleep. 

(Ganymede with Jupiter's Eagle, Wikimedia)

They flew straight here, where I gave Psyche ambrosia, making her immortal. This brings us to today where I am writing this tale in a book, to give as a gift to Cupid and Psyche... on their wedding day. 

Authors Note: 

This is just a small part of the original story of Cupid and Psyche. This part was taken from the second half of the story. The background in the beginning of the story tells the main points from the first part of the story but a lot of the details are missing. The plot remains the same in this part as in the original however instead of a unknown narrator, I changed it to where Jupiter is the narrator. 

Bibliography: Cupid and Psyche from Apuleius's Golden Ass translated by Tony Kline link to the reading online

Reading Notes, Cupid and Psyche, Part B

I found the second part of Cupid and Psyche to be more interesting than the first. Psyche gives herself up to Venus in hope that she will get to see Cupid again, however Venus wants Psyche to prove herself first so she assigns three tasks to complete. The first task is to separate grains, chickpeas, lentils, and beans. In Cinderella, she has birds come help pick up spilled beans, however ants come to help Psyche separate the above. The second task is to obtain some wool from sheep with golden fleece. A reed warns Psyche to wait until the heat dies down, and grab the wool from the branches in the woods nearby. The third task is to capture water from the Styx and Cocytus. After completing all the tasks Psyche was sent to the Underworld to obtain beauty for Venus from Proserpine. On the way back, she opened the vial and was sent into a slumber only to be awakened by Cupid himself. This part reminds me of the story of Sleeping Beauty. After receiving permission from the gods, Psyche was made immortal and a wedding occurred.

(Wedding of Cupid and Psyche)

Bibliography: "Cupid and Psyche" from The Golden Ass written by Apuleius and translated by Tony Kline

Reading Notes, Cupid and Psyche, Part A

What I find really interesting about the first part of Cupid and Psyche is Venus, Cupids mother tells her son to "let the girl be seized by violent, burning passion for the most wretched of men, one to whom Fortune has denied rank, wealth, even health, one so insignificant there is none on earth equal to him in misery." Yet, even after his mother gave him those orders, Cupid went and married Psyche. I was really surprised when after Psyche revealed her husband was Cupid, to her sisters, they both went and jumped off a cliff, trying to marry him themselves. This story is upon which Beauty and the Beast is based however, I think there is a little bit of Cinderella in it as well, because both sisters are jealous of what the younger one has. I am curious why Cupid did not want Psyche to know who we was; why he wanted his identity kept a secret. I could write a story where Psyche knowingly marries Cupid however, since that is the main plot of the story I feel like I would be ruining the story. Maybe instead one of the sisters won't jump off the cliff and will instead marry Cupid. I also don't like how Cupid sneaks into Psyches bedroom every night, and she lets him regardless of the fact she has no clue of what he looks like.

(Cupid and Psyche, by Stanhope)

Bibliography: "Cupid and Psyche" in the novel The Golden Ass, written by Apuleius and translated by Tony Kline 

Link to Cupid and Psyche