Week 6 Storytelling: The Woman and the Farmer

In present day Chicago, Anna went about her daily routine. While out and about she was constantly approached by men because she was a rare kind of beauty. Knowing how beautiful she was made her into a selfish person and she immediately shot down anyone who approached. This was all in spite of her dear parents pleads for her to find a nice boy and settle down. Anna ignored her parents because she felt she deserved the most attractive man the city had to offer.

After some time she decided to create an online dating account. This way she could comb through pictures in search of the most handsome man available. In a small rural town a few hours away a lonely farmer joined the same website. The only dilemma he had was choosing a profile picture. He was so ugly he tried not to look at himself in the mirror as much as possible. So, the farmer searched the internet for a suitable picture. He choose one of the best in hopes that whoever he met would fall in love with him and not the pretty face. In his preliminary searches on the dating website he came across the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Instantly he became consumed with reaching out to this woman…

It wasn’t surprising the amount of men who contacted her so quickly on the website. Just as she did with those who approached her in person she shot them all down. That is until one profile picture grabbed her attention. He was so handsome and exactly the kind of man she always pictured herself with. His request was the only one she responded to.

Back on the farm the farmer couldn’t contain his excitement when he heard back from Anna. He knew he needed to be charming and win her over now before she saw him in person. The two messaged one another constantly and they both fell head over heels for one another for all of the wrong reasons. When the time came for Anna to venture out to his home and meet him her parents begged her not to go. Like always she disregarded the wishes of her parents.

When the woman arrived at her destination she was shocked to see a small rural town surrounded by farmland. How could someone so handsome live in a place such as this? Hopeful she walked from the bus stop to the diner they were going to meet at. She walked in and sat down not seeing her man already there. Ten minutes passed before a hideous farmer approached her. He confessed to misleading her but promised he intentions were pure. Anna was stunned and angered but she had no choice but to go home with him because the next bus would not be there for two days.

Upon arriving to the farmhouse Anna was introduced to the farmer’s frail old mother that lived with him. While he plowed the fields she was tasked with taking care of the old woman. In their short time together the old woman grew very fond of Anna and before the next bus came she gave her some money to take a cab and get out of the small town. Anna left and returned home to her parents to tell them all about her weekend of misery. She went on to find her happy ending but from this point on she was less picky on the appearance of the men she spoke to.

Author’s Note: The story that I based this off of was The Disobedient Daughter Who Married a Skull from the Nigeria Unit. In the story there is a beautiful young woman who turns down all suitors because she wants to be married to the most handsome man in the land. A skull from the spiritland admires her from afar and collects the best looking body parts from other beings. He builds himself into a perfect specimen and goes to the woman. She falls in love because of how handsome he is and despite her parents’ concerns she marries him and goes off to the spiritland. Once there the skull returns the body parts and she sees him for who he truly is. She is in charge of taking care of his old mother so she does so because she is trapped in this marriage and new land. The old woman grows fond of her and tells her the people of the spiritland are cannibals and she must leave to save herself. It is definitely a really odd story but when I read it I immediately knew how I could retell it in a modern sense. With internet dating someone can easily become someone they aren’t to lure others in. It’s actually a pretty scary thing!

Risky Business

Reading Diary B: Nigeria Unit

The second half of the Nigeria unit was very similar to the first in that the stories all attempt to explain the world around us. Within this unit it described why there are land and water turtles, why the birds live in the trees, and why the moon wanes and waxes. There were several stories that were told for the simple premise of storytelling in this half unlike the first. My favorite story within this unit was Of The Fat Woman Who Melted Away. It was a very odd story but quite interesting. The woman within this story is made of oil therefore she has to stay out of the sunlight and is unable to work. She marries a man who promises he will keep her shaded and comfortable her whole life because she was so beautiful and precious. His first wife was so jealous of her because she never had to pull her own weight around the home. She verbally abused the fat woman to the point she finally went to work in the field. Once there she worked from the shade until she was chastised so much she stepped into the sun. She melted on the spot with only her toe being left behind. When her husband discovered the brutal treatment his beloved wife endured at the hands of his first one he had her sent away and sold as a slave. After three months of keeping the toe within a pot the fat woman sprung forth as her former self. This was definitely an incredibly strange story and it didn’t quite have a moral. The whole point was to illustrate that if a wife displeased her husband she could be sold into slavery and the man would receive back the amount he paid for the dowry. This was an odd story but kept me intrigued until the very end!

Sunny Days

Week 6 Reading Diary A: Nigeria

I chose to do my reading this week over the Nigeria unit. Many of the stories offered explanations as to why certain things were the way they are.  I always enjoy stories like this because it shows the curiosity that the people of these older times had in wanting to learn about the world around them. In this unit the Nigerian people explained why the elephant has such small eyes, why the sun and moon take residence in the sky, and why cats eat mice; amongst other things. My favorite was probably The Disobedient Daughter Who Married a Skull. This is probably the most bizarre story I have read so far in this class. The story starts off with a very beautiful woman who felt she was too good for all of the suitors that approached her despite her parents’ wishes.  She felt she deserved the most handsome man in all the land and nothing less because of how beautiful she was. A Skull from a far off spiritland fell in love with the woman from afar and concocted a plan to win her over. He borrowed the best looking body parts from the different people in his land and went on a journey to meet the woman. With all the best looking body parts he was easily the most attractive man in all of the land and ended up marrying the woman. He took her back to the spiritland then had to give the body parts back to the others. The woman realized what a terrible mistake she had made but was stuck with him. She was tasked with taking care of the skulls frail old mother. The old woman grew very fond of her and told her that all of the people of the spiritland were cannibals and sent her back home to protect. The woman went on to find a new husband and live a long and happy life. Sound strange? It certainly did to me but it gave me a pretty good storytelling idea for later on in the week!

The Disobedient Daughter and Her Husband

Famous Last Words

This past week I had a lot to accomplish! I had three exams so it was a very stressful time! On Tuesday I had Principles of Physiology, Thursday- Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, and on Friday I had Organic Chemistry. I studied like crazy and did well on all three! As proud of myself as I am for my exam scores the best thing I did this past week was the time I spent volunteering at Second Chance Animal Shelter. I have never been there before but I went this weekend with my honors fraternity Gamma Beta Phi. While there I did a lot of general housekeeping tasks such as sweeping, mopping, et cetera. My favorite part was giving the puppies baths! I’m a huge animal lover so giving the dogs some love made my whole week. I was able to learn a lot about the establishment as well. The workers rescue abused animals, those deemed unadoptable, and others who are about to be euthanized at other shelters. Hence giving these animals a second chance at life. This is a really wonderful organization that pairs up with local veterinarians to provide these dogs and cats with healthcare and surgeries they may be in need of. This is one of the things that can deem an animal unadoptable and sentence them to death. I had a great time with the other members of my group and I plan on becoming more involved with Second Chance.  I really encourage others to do the same! Whether it is volunteering, donating needed items, or giving a furry friend a forever home we can all make a huge impact on these animals’ lives! There are a lot of really sweet animals there that just want a family! I would take them all home if I could… Thanks no pet policy at OU Traditions! :)

Second Chance

 

Thoughts and Comments

Overall when looking through the comments people have made on my posts everyone is really friendly. I enjoy reading comments on my storytelling posts the most. I like seeing others feedback it makes me feel like I have done a good job in being creative with my retellings. I haven't received much criticism so I feel receiving a little bit more critical feedback would help me in developing my storytelling. When I comment on other peoples storytelling posts I try to be encouraging but also point out anything I feel could help the author for future posts.  Personally, I feel we sometimes "fluff up" our comments. We do it simply because it is an assignment. I think it would help all of us if we all became a bit more critical with our comments. This will only help us to become better writers if the reader points out errors, styles that just don't work, or other things. Right now the bulk of us just say good job and what we liked best. This helps the author some if the reader enjoyed a writing style the author employed but it doesn't do much more than that. I would like it if I received a little bit more criticism from others in the class. I know this would only help me to achieve my potential as a writer by learning more from my readers!

Essay: Scheherazade the Trickster

Within the Arabian Nights unit there are many stories that are actually stories within other stories originally told by a woman named Scheherazade. Her own personal story is the first one within the unit. In her story there is a Sultan who weds a different woman every single day then kills them off the following morning. He does this because he once had a wife that he loved dearly but she betrayed him. The Sultan had her executed and from that point on felt that all women were truly evil deep down inside. In marrying so many women he felt he could rid the world of their evil.

This is where Scheherazade came into play. Her father was the executioner for the Sultan and he was the one in charge of bringing him a new woman every day. She was a very intelligent woman and she pleaded with her father to marry the Sultan for she had a plan to end the slaughter of the innocent girls. Reluctantly her father obliged and brought her to the Sultan. She married him then carried out her plan so that she may keep her life and he could not marry others. Every morning she would tell the Sultan a story. Within these stories the characters would then tell a subsequent story. This would go on and on day in and day out.

We don’t often see a trickster as the hero or heroine of a story but Scheherazade certainly was. We don’t learn much about her but we do know she was able to save many people with her cleverness. The Sultan was quite foolish and never caught on to what she was doing. Every day he simply listened to and enjoyed her stories with the promise of it continuing the next day. She is a pretty clever trickster, but I wonder what she would do when she ran out of stories!

Scheherazade

Week 5 Storytelling: The Story of the Fisherman

There was once an old fisherman who was down on his luck. The lake from which he fished used to be full of many different kinds of fish but now it was relatively empty. He had a large family but was no longer able to provide for them. The old fisherman never gave up though because he had more faith than a hundred men put together. His only rule when fishing was that he would not throw his net more than four times in a single. He did this to limit how much he could possibly catch and prevent the fish populations from dwindling even further.

One morning the old man rowed out onto the water just before sunrise as he did every day. On his first haul he felt a tremendous weight and grew excited. When he finally pulled it in it was just a dead donkey someone had dumped. Begrudgingly he tossed his net back into the water. Again he felt a heavy weight but as he pulled it back in he discovered it was full of junk. Once again he threw the net back into the water.  He prayed that he would just once be blessed with a bountiful catch so he could provide for his family. When pulling in his net for a third time there was another great weight, but it was just stones and shells. He threw the net in one last time with high hopes. When he pulled his net for the fourth time he had caught a tremendous golden pot that had been sealed shut. It was very heavy so he knew there must be something inside of great value.

He opened the great pot and out burst a tremendous mass of black smoke. The fisherman terrified of what he had just unleashed hid from the beast that had formed.

“Come forward little human,” the smoke beast bellowed. “I have been trapped in that pot for far too long. So long in fact that I once vowed to make the man who set me free the wealthiest in all the lands. This was over a century ago so I made a new vow to kill the man who set me free for waiting so long to do so. Since I have been given my freedom I will allow to choose the manner in which you wish to die.”

The fisherman pleaded for mercy. He asked the great beast to allow him to live since he himself was now free.

“I made a vow human. Hurry up and make your choice so that I may be on my way.”

Trying to buy some time the old fisherman questioned the smoke beast on how he came to be entrapped within the pot. Surely some enchantment must have been placed upon him to allow for such a mighty beast to fit within the pot.

“Foolish human. I am nothing yet I am everything,” he said as he slid within the pot to show him that he could fit.

The fisherman trapped the beast by shutting the lid once again.

“Release me!” he bellowed. “Let me free and I shall let you live and prosper.”

“How can I trust you when just a moment ago you were decided upon ending my life?” the fisherman questioned. “You are truly wicked in wanting to kill the man who gave you freedom. I shall take you to the Sultan and let him decide what to do with you.”

The old man rowed back to shore and carried the golden pot to the Sultan. He was paid handsomely for turning over the demon to his ruler. The smoke beast was used in the building of a new church so that concrete could entrap the pot within the walls so he may never escape again. The fisherman went home to his family was able to finally provide them with a wonderful life.

The Fisherman and Smoke Beast

Author’s Note: This original piece is called The Story of the Fisherman and was within the Arabian Nights unit. I changed nothing from the original other than the ending. Within this unit every story is a story within the previous one. If I didn’t change the ending it would have led into a story, which led into another, and so on. In the original the fisherman does let the beast, called a genius, loose once again and is then taken to a lake full of wonderful fish to present to the Sultan. This ultimately leads to the discovery of an enchanted city and the fisherman being provided with a great deal of wealth for his help in first uncovering the city. A great deal of events transpire before he receives his reward so I just cut it down and prevented the beast from being free.

Bibliography: "The Story of the Fisherman" by Andrew Lang, from The Arabian Night's Entertainments (1898). Web Source: Myth and Folklore Untextbook

Reading Diary B: Arabian Nights

The second half of the Arabian Nights unit was entirely devoted to the story of Aladdin. My only background before this story was the Disney movie. There were some similarities between this story and the movie I grew up with but for the most part it was very different! And there was definitely no Robin Williams in the original… I really enjoyed this story and seeing it in its “original” form. I do have two questions though. Why is it that when the princess sees Aladdin right before they are to be married she doesn’t recognize him as being the creepy guy that would have her bed brought to him at night? She consented to the marriage and fell in love on the spot but didn’t make that connection. I just found that really odd. You would think you would remember something like that and it would scar you. Secondly, Aladdin always left the room when he was going to ask the genie for something. Did the princess never know about him? I guess she just assumed the magician took her to Africa and his death reversed the spell and sent her and the palace back to China. There weren't any magic carpets, tiger and monkey companions, or musical breakaways that touched my heart but I really enjoyed the story. Overall it was very interesting and definitely left me wanting to know what was going to happen next. This just might have been my favorite read so far in the course! Now I really want to go and watch Aladdin…

Aladdin and His Princess

Reading Diary A: Arabian Nights

I chose to read the Arabian Nights unit this week. This was without a doubt the most interesting unit I have read thus far in the class because of the way in which the stories are told. The whole premise is that a woman is telling a story to save her life by never letting the story end. In doing this every story is actually within another story. At one point in the unit during The Husband and the Parrot, this represents a story within a story within a story within a story within a story within a story. Sound confusing? Because it definitely is! If you don’t keep straight who is telling the story from the previous story it is easy to get lost especially when it cuts back to a previous storyteller. All of the stories were really intriguing I just find myself getting a little lost story hopping as much as the unit does. Ultimately the way these stories are told is really unique. This unit could be related to the movie Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio, although this reading contains more levels than the movie did! This was a pretty cool unit with some really good stories. Now I’m looking forward to reading the next half of the unit that has the story of Aladdin!

Indian Skyline

Tech Tips: New Website

After much difficulty I was finally able to create my new website for the Storybook Project. I choose to do it with Google Sites and I found that my web browser of choice doesn't like this site! I'm looking forward to working on this project throughout the semester and seeing what stories I will come across! Below is the link to my new website.
https://sites.google.com/site/mermaidtalesoftheworld/introduction

Essay: A Mother's Love

There is no love comparable to that of a mother’s love for her child. We see this in everyday life that most mothers go to the ends of the earth to protect and do what is best for their children. In the Leap of Ka Likai a family is torn apart when the father is killed. The widowed woman clings to her only child even more closely because she is all that she has left. She goes on to marry another man begrudgingly because she knows that she alone cannot provide for her little girl. The man she married was a cruel and terrible one and made her do all the work. While she was away one day her husband killed her baby, cooked her in a stew, and then fed it to his unsuspecting wife. When she discovered what he did she flung herself off the side of cliff over a waterfall to kill herself.

In this story we see three acts of the mother putting her child over herself. First is when she marries the second man. She loved her first husband very much and had no desire to take another. She knew however, that she alone could not work and care for the baby and give her a life she felt she deserved. So she married. The second act was when she went to work in place of her husband. The woman still clung to the notion that being married provided her child with a better future so she did as she was told and went to work. Lastly was when she discovered the demise of her child and flung herself off a cliff because she couldn’t bear the grief. This was the mother’s ultimate sacrifice for her child because she couldn’t stand the thought of living in a world without her precious child. 

The mother n this story perfectly embodies any good mother who loves her children. A true mother puts her children above all else and will do anything and everything for them. This story unfortunately had a really sad ending but it showed the strength of a mothers love knows no bounds.

(A Mother's Love)

Storytelling Week 4: The Leap

In a small village there lived a man and his wife and they were very deeply in love. The couple had been blessed with a beautiful and healthy baby girl. She was their pride and joy and nothing made them happier. While away on a hunt with the other men of the village they encountered a mighty tiger. The beast killed two men before the husband was able to attack. He was able to thrust his spear in the tiger as it leapt on top of him. The man killed the tiger but sustained great injuries to himself in the process.

The other men made a makeshift hammock of large leaves to carry him home in. They wrapped him in the pelt of the tiger in hopes this would give him the strength he needed to make it back to the village. They carried their injured friend as fast as they could in hopes the healer could save him. He was brought immediately to his tent and the medicine man began his work. The wife was then informed of her husband’s condition. However, he passed before she was able to make it to the tent. The wife was inconsolable over the loss of her husband, but what really made her heart ache was knowing her sweet child would grow up without a father.

A great funeral feast was held to honor the husband and the other two men who were killed by the mighty tiger. The pelt of the beast was offered to the wife since he was the one who slayed it and prevented further loss of life. A customary time of grieving was allowed for the woman before suitors began approaching her.

She was definitely the most beautiful of the women in the village and the available men sought after her greatly. All though she could never love another man as she had her husband she knew she could not provide a good life for her daughter without a strong man who could work far better than she. For this reason alone the woman accepted the proposal of the strongest man in the village.

The man she married was a brutal and selfish man. He had few friends because most were scared of him. He wished to marry the woman because he felt only she was worthy of him. He felt this way because she was the most beautiful and he deserved nothing less than the best. Though she was the only one worthy of him, he quickly became bored with her. All she could do was talk about and play with her baby. He grew to resent his wife and her child because she didn’t love him as much as she did her baby. He soon grew very abusive towards his wife and the little girl.  He quit working and demanded his wife start working to earn her keep. The woman had no choice but to obey her husband so she would leave her child with him when she went to work the fields.

The anger had built up so much within the man that he killed the baby in a fit of rage when it wouldn’t stop crying. The man felt no remorse over this act but still thought to hide it from his wife. In his eyes now that the baby was gone his wife might finally love him. He proceeded to chop up the baby and cook her in a stew.

When the wife came home from a hard day of labor she was quite surprised to see her husband seemed to be in a cheerful mood and had even cooked her dinner. She questioned where her daughter was but the man dismissed her and told her to eat. The two sat down and together they ate they stew made from her baby. For once they actually enjoyed their time together and the husband grew hopeful thinking about their future. When the wife went to get the desert she discovered the hand of her child hidden in a basket. Her husband quickly confessed and claimed it was only out of love for her. The grief over took her for she loved nothing as much as her sweet baby girl. She kept calm though because she needed to take care of her wicked husband.

She acknowledged her husband’s love for her and verified he had truly done her a good service. She asked that they could go watch the sunset from the nearby waterfall in honor of their first night truly together as man and wife. The husband obliged and together they went to the waterfall hand in hand. Once there the woman wrapped her arms around her husband, looked him in the eyes, and said, “Die”. With that she used all her might to fling the both of them off the side of the cliff.  

The husband did not deserve the wonderful life he had on Earth and the wife could not bear to live a day without her sweet baby. To this day the woman’s wails are the reason the waterfalls bellow so loudly. They grieve for the loss of the baby and the mother who loved her so dearly.

Author’s Note: This story is based on The Leap of Ka Likai. I chose to detail the death of the original husband to illustrate the love the two shared. I found it odd that the original didn't even mention how he died. Another difference between my telling and the original is the behavior of the second husband. I chose to make him actually love the wife instead of entirely hating her. Lastly I changed the very end when only the woman flung herself off the side of the cliff. I didn’t think the husband deserved to live after killing the baby so I had the woman kill him as well.

(The Waterfall)

Reading Diary B: Khasi Folktales

For the second half of the Khasi Folktales unit it primarily contained stories that attempted to describe natural phenomena. During older times people would create myths to describe what they see around them; why thunder occurs, why the waterfalls are so loud, or how the dog came to be at the service of man. These three were exemplified in the stories within this unit amongst several others. The second half of the unit had several stories that really grabbed my attention. In particular I really liked What Caused the Shadows on the Moon. The story detailed the lives of a mother and her four children; Water, Fire, Moon, and Sun. Moon and Sun were equally beautiful and bright but Moon disregarded the advice of his mother. He did what he wanted and when he wanted. At one point he left home and did not return for a great deal of time (this explains why there are lunar eclipses). When he finally returned home he had forgotten that the Sun was his sister. He was so blown away by her beauty that he asked their mother for permission to marry her. The mother was so disgusted she sent the Moon away, once the Sun heard about this she burned the face of Moon out of anger. This is why the moon is so pale and has dark crevices according to the Khasi. In today’s society stories like this don’t hold up due to the scientific advances we have made. However, I personally love reading stories like this because it shows the thirst for knowledge the people of past generations had.

(The Moon's Disfigured Face)

Reading Diary A: Khasi Folktales

 

Of all the readings in the Khasi Folktales unit my favorite was definitely the story of The Stag and the Snail. It seemed to me like a variation of the Tortoise and the Hare story I grew up hearing as a child. Within this story the stag is bragging about being the swiftest of all the animals and this angers the snail because there is more to life than just being quick. The snail challenges the stag to a race through the jungle which all the animals laugh at the idea of. The stag accepts the challenge so the snail calls a meeting amongst all of the snails. They formulate a plan to fool the stag and win the race. All of the snails form a line through the path of the race so the stag can hear their voices call out to him to think the snail is keeping up. The last snail in the line proceeds to make it to the final mark so the stag thinks he lost the race. This story teaches the importance of cunning and wit over smugness and athletic ability. The ending is a bit bizarre because the stag proceeds to throw up his gall bladder. They explained this as the reasoning for why stags anatomically lack gall bladders. During these old times people often used mythology to explain natural phenomena because they didn’t have real reasons as to why something occurred the way it did. Over all it was an intriguing story and was my favorite of the unit!

(Smarts Wins Again)

Week 3: Famous Last Words

In this past week probably the best thing I did in all my classes was my essay for my History of Science class. So far that class has been really interesting and I’m really enjoying it. We have been covering Greek philosophers thus far and each week we get a new outside source we are supposed to read. This week we were supposed to read Plato’s Republic, Book VII. This particular book detailed the allegory of the cave and Plato’s views on teaching and education. I have been introduced to the allegory of the cave before in high school but this time I was really able to dive into it and analyze it piece by piece. The purpose of the essay was to be a brief summarization of the reading and then to analyze it in any way we saw fit.

Overall I feel really confident about the paper I wrote and I was actually enthusiastic about writing it! I chose to tie in a previous lecture we had in which we talked about Plato’s idea of knowledge being possessed within a person’s soul. He felt that people didn’t ever learn new information. This information was already within them they just had to bring it out through numbness of the soul. This essentially means a person moves past all opinions and previous notions about what they think they know to truly open themselves up. This allows them to bring out that knowledge that they already possessed. This means that teachers aren’t truly teachers. They are more of guides that help lead someone to this level of enlightenment. All of this is exemplified metaphorically in his allegory of the cave. This was a really interesting read and brought up some pretty unique ideas. This was definitely the most interesting and the best thing I did this week!

The Allegory of the Cave

 

Mermaid Tales (No Pun Intended): Styles Brainstorm

Topic: My storybook will be about different mermaid stories. I would like to try to get stories from different regions of the world to get some different perspectives on these myth that so many cultures posses stories for. I shouldn't have any difficulty in coming across stories to use within the Untextbook and the Sacred Texts archive. One story I would interested in using is The Fisherman of Shetland. I read some of it when trying to find interesting topics. It details the cooperative fishing effort between man and merman until the merman has his magical belt stolen by a witch! I would also like to use The Little Mermaid because it forms the basis of one of my favorite Disney movies. I am well aware it won't be full of Disney magic like the movie is!

Bibliography: The Fisherman of Shetland, from the Welsh Fairy-Tales and Other Stories, by Peter H. Emerson (1894).
The Little Mermaid, from the Fairy Tales and Stories from Hans Christian Andersen, by translated by H. P. Paull (1872).

Possible Styles:

Mermaids as the Storytellers: I think in most stories that I will come across a human or an uninvolved 3rd party will be the storyteller. I think it would be interesting to detail the mermaids point of view in the interactions they have with humans. People view mermaids as beautiful and mystical creatures but I'm sure the mermaids themselves would have much different opinions of us!

Using Modern News/Stories: I'm not sure that this would be an option but I think it would be really cool to take historical events that occurred on the sea or detail the pollution in them from the stand point of a mermaid. I don't think I would find stories like this but I feel it would give an interesting twist to current issues and past events.

Storyteller: I used this style on this weeks storytelling assignment and I really liked it. I retold the story of Odysseus and the Cyclops from the point of view of a grandmother telling her grandchildren a bedtime story. The topic of mermaids would fit really well with this style because mermaids are magical creatures that kids love hearing stories about.

Dialogue: Focusing on dialogue would be a good option for stories that have a good deal of interaction between mermaids and other creatures. Rather than focusing on the story at hand I could focus on the interactions to really illustrate emotions that the characters possess. This isn't something that is usually focused on in old stories so I think it would give stories deeper meaning.

(Not Andersen's Little Mermaid)

Essay: The "Hero" Odysseus

Odysseus was deemed by his men and his people as a hero. He was the brave soul who defeated or tricked mighty beasts and gods in order to save the lives of his crew on their long and perilous journey home. When particularly looking at his encounter with the cyclops though, can he truly be called a hero?

Odysseus and his men came across an island entirely inhabited by cyclops and beached on its shore. They ventured into a cave owned by one of the beasts and ate his food while he was gone. Furious over this the cyclops eats the men one by one until he is blinded by Odysseus and they escape. Did his cunning save the rest of the men from death? Yes, however the deaths of the others could have easily been prevented if Odysseus hadn’t of been so foolish. His men asked if they could steal what they could carry and leave before the cyclops returned but their fearless leader wanted to meet the Cyclops.

If I was that cyclops I would have been infuriated as well coming home and seeing strangers eating my food. The cyclops owed the men nothing but Odysseus felt he owed them hospitality and would be a gracious host. Odysseus didn’t like his reaction but I really don’t know how he could be so blind as to not think the Cyclops would react with anger. All in all Odysseus stole food from the Cyclops, blinded him, and then stole his sheep! He saved the lives of the remaining men but he was the one who put them in danger in the first place! What true hero endangers the lives of his men for foolish pride? He may be a hero to the Greeks but in the eyes of other beings he is the one who is a monster.

(What Odysseus Thinks About Himself)

Week Three Storytelling: The Prince and The Giant

The children gathered around their Grandmother to receive their bedtime story. She told the best stories of heroes, princes, and princesses so the children didn’t mind so much that they had to go to bed right after.

“Alright my little doves, who is ready for tonight’s story?” which was followed by the squeals of delight from her grandchildren. “Tonight I am going to tell you the story of the Prince and the Giant.” And so began the old woman’s story…

Once upon a time in a land far from here there was a great prince who had left his home. He had been on many adventures but none more daunting than his time spent on the Island of the Giants. He and his crew beached their large ship on the island, although they didn’t know who inhabited it at the time. They left their ship and began walking in land in search of food and water for it had been a very long journey and they had run out of food! After wandering they stumbled upon a cave so large they stood in awe at its magnificent size. However, what was within the cave was far more amazing to the hungry men. The men were so ravenous that they begin to devour the food that belonged to the owner of the cave. One of the men suggested taking their fill and leaving before the owner returned. “Nonsense!” the Prince spat. “We shall wait and meet our host and he shall receive us with open arms”. And so the men waited.

Night fell before the owner returned to his cave, although he was no man as they had suspected. Instead he was a terrible giant!

The children gasped! “Now now my darlings I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet” and she continued.

He stood a good 30 feet tall and was so overweight his legs bowed beneath him. The Giant ushered in his sheep that he had been grazing then slid a massive boulder in front of the mouth of the cave. He noticed something was not right and bellowed, “Who is there lurking behind the shadows?” The brave Prince stepped forward, “my men and I my good sir. We shipwrecked and sought refuge here” the Prince lied. “Won’t you be so kind as to welcome us in your home and break bread with us?”

“Break bread with thieves?” the Giant questioned. His anger was boiling up within him that these tiny humans had the nerve to come into his home and eat his food without his permission. In a bout of rage he grabbed two men in one hand and bit their heads off with ease!

Screams escaped the children! “I don’t like this story Grandma,” cried the youngest. “Stop being a baby!” his older siblings insisted.

“It has been to long since I have been able to eat human flesh! I forgot how delicious it tasted!” Trying to save the lives of the rest of his men the Prince was quick on his feet and devised a plan. “Oh mighty Giant. Might I offer you some of our wine to wash down your meal? It is all that we have to offer.”

“Bring it here human!” And so the Prince filled a great bowl with all of their wine and the Giant drunk his fill. “This wine is wondrous! I shall give you a gift for your kindness little man, what is your name?” the Giant questioned. Being cunning the Prince replied with, “Nobody, my name is Nobody”.

“Well Nobody, my gift to you is that I shall eat you last!” With that, the mighty giant fell to the floor laughing and quickly succumbed to a drunken slumber. The men quickly got to work plotting their escape while the Giant slept. Instructed by their prince the men all made sharp spears from branches throughout the cave floor. They also tied the fluffy sheep together in groups of threes.

“I don’t understand Grandma” one of the children stated. “You shall see. Just be patient”, and so she went on with her story.

When everything was set in place the men climbed atop the face of the Giant. “On the count of three”, the Prince demanded. “One, two, three!” On the final count the men thrust their spears into the Giant’s eyes to blind him.

“AHHHH” he screamed in agony. “HELP, HELP!” Soon enough some of his neighbors came bounding to his cave. They knocked on the massive boulder blocking the way. “What is going on? Is someone attacking you?” the fellow giants questioned. “Brothers! Nobody is attacking me! Nobody is attacking me!”

“That fool. Why do you wake us up in the dead of night if no one is attacking you?” And so just as soon as they came the other giants left.

That following morning the Giant opened the cave to let out his sheep to graze but he blocked the doorway so the Prince and his men could not escape. This is when the men hung beneath the sheep they had tied together the night before. They crawled beneath the middle sheep in each bundle and clung to its long wool. The Giant had no idea that the men were slipping right by him! They safely made it out of the cave and returned to the ship taking the sheep with them. The Prince cursed the Giant as they began to sail away and all he could do was sit on the beach cursing back.

“And so is the story of the Prince and the Giant. Alright, off to bed you go.” The grandmother gave each child a kiss on the forehead and tucked them in.  

(The Prince and the Giant)

Authors Note: I retold the story of Odysseus and the Cyclops from Homer’s Odyssey. I chose to tell it from the point of view of a grandmother telling a story to her grandchildren. I felt this gave it a bit more depth in showing others reactions to it.

Reading Diary B: Homer's Odyssey

The second half of the unit primarily focuses on Odysseus’s journey to the House of Hades. This is where he was instructed go in the first half of the unit by Circe. He was told to seek out the guidance of Teiresias who was a Theban seer.  Teiresias was only one of many departed souls that Odysseus actually came across. He first saw his comrade Elpenor who had recently died the day they left Cicre’s home. His friend begged him to not forget him and Odysseus gave his word that he wouldn’t. Next he saw Teiresias who prophesized what would come of Odysseus and his men. Ultimately they would make it back home and he would live out his days prosperously until he would finally pass due to old age.

The next person he saw and definitely the saddest was his own mother. He asked what life was like back home and how everyone else in the family was. She detailed their lives and how much everyone missed him. She even goes on to say that missing him is what lead to her death. Odysseus longed to reach out and touch or hold his mother but he simply could not. This made seeing her that much worse. After his mother he visited with a slew of famous men, women, and Greek heroes. Once he felt he had received all the information he needed he and his crew were off again.

The final segment of the unit detailed the crews encounter with the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis. Honestly, I felt this section was far more interesting but it seemed like it kind of got snuffed so the interactions with the dead could be detailed. I might go read the original just to have a better image in my mind of the daunting obstacles Odysseus and his men had to overcome.

(Odysseus and Teiresias)

Reading Diary A: Homer's Odyssey

I chose to read the Odyssey because it is something I was supposed to have read previously but never did. In the first half of the unit it details the adventures of Odysseus as he and his men encounter the Cyclops Polyphemus and Circe. I enjoyed the interactions with the Cyclops the most because it showed Odysseus's cunningness. I must say though, he was quite foolish in not listening to his men and simply stealing from the Cyclops while he was away. His faith in others and his own ignorance prompted him to wait on the mighty beast in hopes that he would receive them well.

The one thing that confused me was that Zeus listened to the cyclops prayers and cursed Odysseus. I wouldn’t think that Zeus would favor the cyclops in this instance because he had denounced the gods. He claimed that Cyclopes were more powerful than the gods and he has no need to fear them. So why would Zeus curse Odysseus when he had always been a firm believer in the Gods?

The storyline involving Circe was not as intriguing to me. It was the stereotypical story of this time period in which the woman is a trickster and seduces men to meet their ultimate demise. All of Odysseus’s men in the one group were foolish enough to fall victim to her tricks, except for one, and they were turned into pigs. In this story Odysseus didn’t have to use his wit to outsmart the goddess. He relied entirely on the guidance from Hermes, one of the Gods.

(Polyphemus)

Topics

Topic: Mermaids
Comments: I have always been fascinated by the concept of mermaids. Actually I'm pretty fascinated with anything to do with the sea in general. I think the idea of mermaids is such an intriguing one because we are continually discovering new species within our oceans. They are so vast and so much of it has yet to be explored so who is to say that mermaids don't exist? Maybe not the half man half fish that we typically associate with mermaids but perhaps a species of highly intelligent beings that have managed to avoid our grasp other than a few glimpses to create stories from.
Possible Stories: One particular story that could be used obviously is Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. Many stories pulled up when mermaids was entered in the search bar of the Untextbook so the possibilities are quite numerous.
Sample Story Comments: One book that came up from the Untextbook search was the Fisherman of Shetland. In this story a fisherman and merman work together so the fisherman can make a successful catch. The merman was given a magical belt to do such things and it goes stolen from him by a witch and her dwarf companion.
Bibliography:
Sample Story: The Fisherman of Shetland
Book Title: Welsh Fairy-Tales and Other Stories
Book Author: Peter H. Emerson

Topic: Fairy Tales
Comments: Who doesn't love all of the fairy tales they grew up listening to? To this day Disney movies are some of my favorites because I love the nostalgia of thinking back to when I was a kid watching these movies.
Possible Stories: The possibilities are endless for fairy tales in the Untextbook. Many I have known for years and even more that I have yet to hear so there are some good selections.
Sample Story Comments: One story that caught my eye was Old Mother Wiggle-Waggle. I have never heard this story before I just thought the name was pretty funny! This story is about a daddy fox who steals a goose from a farmer and his wife and gets away so that he can feed his family.
Bibliography:
Sample Story: Old Mother Wiggle-Waggle
Book Title: More English Fairy Tales
Book Author: Joseph Jacobs

Topic: Dragons
Comments: Dragons are just a fascinating topic. I think people get so caught up in the idea of what if we could actually have these magnificent beasts? I'm really into Game of Thrones and the dragons are definitely one of the coolest things in the show, so I think it would be interesting to read more stories involving them.
Possible Stories: Once again there are many options on the Untextbook for stories of dragons. I really don't know of any stories containing dragons so there should be a lot of interesting ones to choose from!
Sample Story: There was a story in which a little boy and his bull-calf work together to ultimately kill a dragon. This in turn saves the Princess's life so the King gives the boy her hand in marriage.
Bibliography:
Sample Story: The Little Bull-Calf
Book Title: More English Fairy Tales
Book Author: Joseph Jacobs

(The Bull and the Dragon)

 

Topic: Creation Stories

Comment: Creation stories are always so interesting. I love seeing how different cultures describe what they believe was the start of their people and/or land. All stories are so wildly different that you could sit and read for hours and still learn new ideas.

Possible Stories: There are a great deal of creation stories within the Untextbook. Many of the ones that pop up are stories from the various groups in the United States. I would be most interested to read up on the creation stories of the Native Americans!

Sample Story: There is one story that details the creation story believed by Cherokee Indians. It is quite interesting because they believe that initially the Earth was suspended above an ocean of sorts. The end of the world would mean the dropping of the Earth into the ocean and its consequent submersion killing all.

Bibliography:

Sample Story: How The World Was Made

Book Title: Myths of The Cherokee

Book Author: James Mooney

Bible Women Essay

All of the stories within the Bible Women unit exemplify the traditional role of women during these old times. They were expected to be good loyal wives and bear many sons for their husbands. The society was entirely patriarchal and women didn't have much of a say in anything.

Two stories that I felt were perfect examples would be that of Sarah and Hagar. These stories are actually essentially the same story just continued over a span of time. Sarah was the wife of Abraham and unfortunately she was unable to provide him with children. Abraham loved his wife very much and had never been unfaithful to her when most men would have. In her desperation and old age she pleaded with her husband to take on another woman, her handmaiden. She was so desperate to do her duty as a wife and provide a child for her husband that she condoned adultery. Abraham used Hagar and did get her pregnant. She went on to have a son named Ishmael. This caused a huge rift between the women as the grew jealous and spiteful towards one another. A miracle occurred one day and allowed Sarah to finally become pregnant. She gave birth to a son named Isaac in her very advanced age. This was the final straw between the two women. Sarah finally gave her husband a son therefore there was no need for his son Ishmael anymore. She demanded Hagar and her child leave and never return. Hagar was given no choice in the matter even though she loved Abraham and Abraham loved his son.

In both cases the women do everything in their power to please Abraham. Sarah gave her consent but Hagar certainly did not. These women perfectly embody the traditional role of women especially Hagar due to the fact that she never once has a say in anything. Interestingly though, Sarah is fairly in control of her life which is unlike the other women of these stories. The one thing that makes her the same as the other women though is the way the pressures of what is expected of her affect her self and her marriage. She saw such importance in providing a child for her husband that she allowed her husband to sin and break a vow he made in sight of God. It must be truly terrible to feel so worthless that you are willing to allow your husband to do such a terrible thing.

(Hagar Gets Sent Packing)

Week 2: Storytelling

In the middle of nowhere Mangum, Oklahoma a young couple took residence on a small farm. This farm was owned by an older man named Gus. Gus was a very wise and good person but he had a short temper. He allowed the two, Adam and Eve, to live on his property as long as they helped around the farm. He would house them, feed them, and give them a fair wage under one condition. If either of them were to eat the sand plums from the thickets he grew he would not hesitate to kick them out. Old man Gus would take those sand plums and make the sweetest jelly any one had ever tasted. Some say the soil in which it grew was blessed because those plums were better than any others and once people tasted it they could never eat another jelly the same again.

Adam and Eve were young and blissfully unaware of what the real world was like. Their ignorance had always blinded them and they were only beginning to see the role they played in this new place. Adam helped Gus with the animals and in the field. Eve was tasked with maintaining the house and cooking for the men. Although she did not do this alone. Gus had a daughter, Sophia, who remained at home with her father. There was something different about her but Eve couldn’t put her finger on what it was. All she knew for sure was how uneasy she felt around her.

One day while sweeping the porch, Sophia approached Eve with a handful of sand plums. “Here Eve. Don’t you want some?” she asked as she popped another into her mouth.

“We’re not supposed to eat those! Gus made it very clear.”

“That old man doesn’t know what he is taking about! Why would he grow all those thickets in the first place if he didn’t want to share? There are far too many plums there for just one person. Go on and try one,” Sophia said with a devilish smile. “They’re so sweet they’ll knock your socks right off your feet!”

“I guess you’re right. It couldn’t hurt for me to just try a few,” and with that Eve broke the one rule she was given as she fell victim to temptation. She tossed back a few plums into her mouth and her eyes lit up like the Fourth of July. The sweetness exploded in her mouth and overtook every one of her senses. It was as if she was seeing the world for the first time in all of its magnificence.

That evening after a hard day’s work in the fields Adam came back to their small house. He broke through the threshold and noticed Eve was unusually cheerful while setting the table for dinner. “What’s put you into such a good mood today?” he questioned.

“You must promise not to tell anyone! Especially not Gus!” she insisted of him. When given his promise Eve told him about her day and the delicious treat she allowed herself. “I picked some for you!”

“How could you do that Eve? Gus has been nothing but good to us and provided us with everything! That was his only rule and you broke it!” Adam could hardly contain his anger for he knew that his wife had wronged Gus.

Eve quickly persuaded her husband just as Sophia had done to her. “How will he even know if a few plums are missing from all of those thickets?”

Adam did see the logic in her reasoning. Did the old man keep a tally of every plum in those thickets? Surely not, that would take far too much time and effort. So he dove into temptation as well and ate the plums provided by his wife. His reaction was the same as Eve’s. It was as if he had never tasted such sweetness before in his life. Quickly he forgot his anger and instead fell into the same joyous mood that Eve was in. They had a wonderful night together sharing sand plums but the next day would be a different story entirely.

In the fields the following day Adam kept the brim of his hat low over his face. He was ashamed of what he had done in disobeying Gus. Adam avoided the old man and his glance as much as possible. Gus eventually got ahold of him and questioned his odd behavior. Adam quickly bent to the truth because he was no liar.

“I’m so sorry Gus, Eve tricked me into eating them. And she herself was tricked by Sophia!” Adam pleaded.

“I have heard enough! I gave you one rule and you disobeyed. I want you and your wife off my property and never to return!” he cursed. “I assure you that your life will be far more difficult once you’ve left this place.”

And with that, Adam and Eve packed up their few belongings and were forced off the farm that had been so good to them. All because they had to get a taste of Gus’s forbidden fruit.

Authors Note: I tried to be creative and retell the story of Adam and Eve in a more modern sense. Mangum, Oklahoma is a real place, it is where my Great Grandmother and her 13 brothers and sisters are from. As for the sand plums those are quite real as well! As a kid I would go out there with my grandparents to pick the plums from the thickets so that my Grandma could make jelly. And it is without a doubt the best jelly there is! The sand plums were the Forbidden Fruit from the Tree of Knowledge because they provided enlightenment after they were eaten. Adam and Eve questioned what else they had been missing out on after tasting something so wonderful. They were tricked by one of God/Gus’s children into eating that which they should not have and they were forced to suffer the consequences.

(Sand Plum Thicket)

Reading Diary B: Bible Women

In this second reading of Bible Women we read more stories of the important female figures in the Christian faith. My favorite definitely has to be the story of Mary. She is without a doubt the most important woman within the Bible. The story of the virginal conception and the birth of Jesus is the first story kids learn in Sunday school or from their parents. Any child brought up in the church will recreate this story during their Christmas Eve service.

I also really enjoy the story of Martha and Mary who are the sisters of Lazarus. This is another story I have known since I was child. It is one of the miracles that Jesus preformed when he brought Lazarus back to life after he had been dead for four days. The story is one of the many that show the true power of God, "for with God nothing shall be impossible". This is one thing that I hold on to dearly and is very important in my life.

(The Virgin Mary)