Storytelling: Week 6: The three boys, Marley, Eddie, and Jaxon

One day Marley, Eddie, and Jaxon decided they wanted to go on an adventure. Now the three had never been in the woods by themselves before, but Eddie was confident that he could find his way back home.

They decided they should pack a lunch in case they got hunger or did not make it back in time for dinner. Even at the age of five they knew that their parents would be worried so they wrote them a note to let them know where they had went. After the note was placed on the kitchen counter of Eddie’s house the three boys grabbed their lunches and headed towards the backyard.

They decided they were going to look for treasure. Of course all little boys want to find something hidden in the woods. They had heard from their friends that if they found a circle of stones in the middle of the forest, in which there were no trees, only the stones and grass that there would be a treasure underneath. They found a trail to follow on the nice fall morning. It wasn’t long before Jaxon was hungry. He decided he would hang back and eat his peanut butter sandwich while the others went on ahead.

 Marley and Eddie continued on the trail. They finally came to a spot that was very wooden and the trail was getting smaller. Marley started to get nervous looking at the dark and narrow path. Eddie turned around to say “Come on Marley!” Quickly Marley thought of an excuse to not go in to the dark woods. “Eddie I think I will sit here and eat my lunch and wait for Jaxon to catch up.” Eddie was fine with Marley’s excuse and went on about his marry way.

Soon Eddie noticed it was getting dark and the woods were starting to look scarier. He heard a noise coming from behind him. He thought maybe it was his friends but he heard a growling noise. Eddie started to run through the woods. Soon he heard a snap and WAM! Fell to the ground.

 He then discovered he had fallen in a hole and was trapped. He was so scared he did not know what to do but cry. Then an old woman appeared over him. She was the lady of the woods from the legends Eddie had heard. She raised Eddie from the trap and said she was looking for that old Buñgisñgis that killed her friend, the dog, and lamed the carabao, and spared that witty monkey. 

Image I thought this image was fitting from the original story.

Author's Note:

I wanted to take a different approach to this story. I found it a little difficult to connect to the story I chose by using the same plot or characters. Instead I used what the story made me think of, which was one of my children that I work with. He always wants me to tell him a story, generally about an adventure, In the original story, The Three Friends: the monkey, the dog, and the carabao the animals went to the country to hunt because they were tired of the city. Each day one animal would stay behind and cook. During that time the Buñgisñgis would come and bully them out of their food. One day they trapped him but then he was able to escape. That is when he killed the dog, harmed the carabao, and the monkey was able to get away. He met up with the monkey again but was outwitted.

Reading Diary A: Filipino Popular Tales

The Three Friends: the Monkey, the Dog, and the Carabao

Characters

·         Monkey

·         Dog

·         Carabao

·         Buñgisñgis

Setting: The jungle and the city

Plot: The three friends wanted to leave the city and go on an adventure. They soon learned there were monsters in the forest as well as the city. Some of them lost their life to the adventure.

My favorite character was the monkey because he was able to outsmart his enemy more than once and save his own life.

Three Brothers of Fortune

Characters:

·         Suan

·          Iloy

·         Ambo

·         The young woman

Setting: Neighboring town, island

Plot: The three brothers did not learn much at school but they went on an adventure to neighboring towns. They all found useful charms and used them to capture a girl, but they could not settle on who would take her hand in marriage. When asking the king he split her evenly among them, which was not satisfying to all of them. When the other two brothers tossed her aside Suan made her whole again and they lived happily together.

I thought this story was a little strange. It was very different from the other ones I have read. I like that Suan was able to put the woman back together and keep her as his.

The Clever Husband and Wife

Characters

·         Wife

·         Pedro

·         Doctor

·         Doctor’s sister

·         Servant

Plot:  The two tricked the doctor, who had brought them together, that they were out of money several times. They also pretended each other had died several times to gain more money.

I thought this story was more realistic because it showed two greedy people taking advantage of someone. I thought it was written in a language easy to understand and more modern. 

Image : Pangasinan, Philippines

Filipino Popular tales

Thoughts about Comments

The comments I have received on my blog have been very helpful! I like reading the ones left on my introduction to see what stood out to people. It is like meeting someone for the first time and having a conversation so I like to see what people find interesting. I think the best comments on my storybooks I have received are critical ones that have let me know if something is not clear. I know this may be difficult for some people because they do not like to leave “negative” comments for peers I think a little constructive criticism goes a long way. Sometimes I struggle with leaving comments on others’ blog because I do not know how they will take my comment. If I have to leave a comment about how something is unclear I try to address the negative and finish the comment with a positive outlook on the story.

Comment Wall

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Stroytelling Week 5: The Old Oak

It stood tall above the street right in front of the Palmer’s old green house, providing shade to the pedestrians on the sidewalk and a home to the creatures around it. It was almost time for the leaves to turn, the best time of the year.  It was time for the tree to shine beautiful colors of orange and red, just in time too, since there was a big debate in the town over the tree’s existence. Eufaula used to be a growing community. The town had several ups and downs throughout the years and local businesses were hard to come by anymore. However, there was a rumor that the town would be getting several businesses in the near future with the removal of the big oak tree.

 To some folks this was okay. They had not lived in Eufaula long and thought the tree did not show any significance. To others and older folks the tree had really made the town. It was a place where several generations of families had watched town parades in the shade of the tree.

Now the town mayor thought the business was a good idea, it would bring more people to Eufaula and it would help the town grow. He planned to promote the issue and make the townspeople see that it was necessary to cut the tree down and bulldoze the old green house.

The people of Eufaula had a different idea. Mrs. Matthews had heard from Mrs. Smith, the mayor’s mother, about the dismissal of the old oak. Mrs. Mathews soon spread the word to Mrs. Callaway, who was the town gossip. Soon there was a march of upset townspeople in front of city hall. The mayor, Mr. Smith, finally made an appearance to address the angry mob. “It has come to my attention that many of you disagree with the decision to remove the old oak and bulldoze the green house; since the councilmen and I have already voted for the new business the only way to reverse the decision is to have three hundred and thirty people sign a petition against the Palmer residence and save the old oak. You have one week before termination of the property.”

Now most people would think three hundred and thirty signatures would be easy to come by. However, most of those people have never been to Eufaula. There was one woman who was very enthusiastic about saving the tree, Mrs. Daniels. She spent her Sunday afternoons sweeping the streets of Eufaula and making sure the flowers around the town had water in a drought.  

Mrs. Daniel set up a committee of volunteers of which section of Eufaula they would cover each day. Soon the group had three hundred and twenty nine signatures of the good people in Eufaula. It was Friday afternoon and if they did not find one more citizen’s signature they were going to lose and the oak would be gone forever. One of the young volunteers in the group, Hannah said she knew the one place they had not covered but it was on Twin Mountain.

 There was a reason of course; ole hateful Mrs. Maragret Schmit lived on that mountain. Her dad used to own most of the town of Eufaula before the lake was built. People say she’d been bitter about it since 1964 when the government took her father’s businesses and most of their wealth. Hannah thought maybe she could talk some sense into Margaret and she would help the town keep the tree.

 Hannah and her committee were soon outside Margaret’s old mansion. They knocked on the door and were let in by a butler. Hannah was soon face to face with Mrs. Schmit. “Ma’am we really need your help! We only need one more signature to complete this petition and it will save the old oak tree,” begged Hannah. “When I was your age I had all I ever wanted, and then the lake was put in and it hurt my daddy’s businesses, why would I help people that wanted that lake. It destroyed farmer’s homes and crops, and here we are, a poor community fighting over saving a tree.” Hannah soon turned for the door knowing that Margret wanted to make the people of Eufaula suffer like she had many years ago. “Thank you for your time Mrs. Schmit, I guess take a good look at the Palmer house before Monday,” Hannah said hatefully. “Wait! You just wait right there child. You say it’s the big oak in front of the ole Palmers’ green house? Give me that paper!” Margaret shouted. Hannah quickly ran the paper over to Mrs. Schmit before she changed her mind. Hannah had forgotten that Margaret and Mary Palmer had been best friends in high school. That is why when you drive through Eufaula today, you can see the tall branches of the old oak tree.

Author's Note: 

My writing was influenced by the story of the Spirit that lived in a tree. The tree was supposed to be cut down in order to make room for the King’s Palace. The people of the community loved the tree and would worship it. It had stood for sixty thousand years. The tree spirit convinced the king that he wanted to be cut one branch at a time. When the king heard this remark he decided the tree could stay and it would be the only thing he would build his castle around. This story relates because even after everything the town had been through it had always been there. It was based on actual facts of Eufaula because not long ago there was a debate over the tree being cut down. Thankfully the tree is still standing.

All are personal photos from my sister Caleigh Montgomery who was willing to go take pictures of the Oak tree for this assignment!

Reading Diary A: Jakata Tales (Shedlock)

The Spirit that Lived in a Tree

Characters:

·         Tree Spirit (Budda)

·         King

·         Woodmen

Setting: The woods and the Kings palace

Plot: The tree was supposed to be cut down in order to make room for the King’s Palace. The people of the community loved the tree and would worship it. It had stood for sixty thousand years. The tree spirit convinced the king that he wanted to be cut one branch at a time. When the king heard this remark he decided the tree could stay and it would be the only thing he would build his castle around.

My favorite character was the woodmen because they did not cut the tree down at once. I felt like they were waiting and hoping the King would change his mind because they were so passionate about the tree spirit.

The Spirit that Lived in a Tree

The Parrot that Fed His Parents

Characters:

·         Parrot

·         Brahmin

·         Watchman

Setting:

Rice field

Plot: Buddha was reborn was a parrot that was quick and strong. He led the other parrots to a rice field to eat each day. The watchman wanted to trap the parrot and stop him from stealing rice. He captured him and none of the other parrots would come help him. The watchman brought him to Brahmin who heard his story and was very touched. He then decided to free him and let him have as much rice as he needed.

I like this story the best from this unit. I thought it was very human of the other parrots to leave their king parrot behind and save their own life.

The Parrot that fed his Parents

Image from The Parrot That Fed his Parents

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Jakata Tales (Shedlock)

Reading Diary B: Jakata Tales

How the Antelope Was Caught

Characters

·         King of Bernares

·         Sanjaya

·         Antelope

Setting: Garden and the King’s Castle

Plot: The gardener is to try and get rid of the antelope for the king. He tells the king he can capture the antelope with the use of honey. Once the antelope is captured the king describes how lust can drive a person to do crazy things. I thought the moral of this story was very true.

The Pupil Who Taught His Teacher

Characters

·         Dhamapala

·         Brahmin

·         Son

Plot: The pupil was testing his teacher to see if he would hold true to his beliefs. The teacher passed the test because he had faith that his son was not dead because they lived life with the right values. This story reminded me of biblical stories and how the moral of the story related back to having beliefs in something greater.

The Crow that Thought It Knew

Characters:

·         Brahmadatta

·         Viraka

·         Savitthaka

Plot:  The crow, Viraka, was very skilled at catching prey. The crows lived in a time when food was hard to come by. Savitthaka watched Viraka every day and how he was able to catch more food than he needed. He made an offering to be a servant to the master crow for food for him and his wife. Savitthaka’s pride eventually ended him because he thought he could do as well as his peer and catch the same amount of fish. I thought this story was very relatable to common actions we see today in humans.

A picture of the crow in the Crow that Thought He Knew

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Jakata Tales

Tech Tip Website

I chose the storybook for my project. Here is the link to my website!

storybook

Extra Reading Diary: Khasi Foltales

I chose the Khasi Folktales unit for extra reading. I found the story of The Tiger and the Monkeys to be fairly unusual. It was not like others I have read because the tiger represented the king of the jungle, but he was arrogant. I can relate this action of the animals back to humans choosing to play on the weaknesses of others. They knew the tiger for his strength, which brought them protection; however they could manipulate him for what they wanted. Normally I would have chosen the tiger in the story as king of the jungle because he is smart, brave and strong. I also thought it was unique that the monkeys are who outsmarted the tiger. This characteristic of the story relates to Indian tales I have read such as the Crocodile and the Monkey. They followed a similar plot. I also found that the stories in this unit are significantly longer than Indian tales, but they follow the same principals of animal characters and containing animal storytellers.

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Week 4 Storytelling: Billy and Mr. Nutty Nut

 He crouched down as he prepared to take off as soon as the squirrel turned his back. The weather is so lovely today, he felt like he could run for miles. The squirrel had almost picked the perfect pecan, wait there he goes making a run for it. Bentley took off at that instant to try and beat the thieving squirrel to the tree. WAM! Bentley hit the tree almost as fast as the squirrel. “You come down here, Mr. Nutty Nut!” Bentley ferociously barked at the squirrel. “That’s Mr. Squirrel to you, Billy.”

Bentley had been after Mr. Nutty Nut since he was a pup. Now that he was a mature four year old dog, he felt that it was his duty to protect all of the pecans on the orchid. He had watched his master and his family take such pride in the orchid to let a pesky squirrel carry off the precious pecans. “Just you wait; my master will come out with that fire rod and light up that fluffy tail of yours!” Bentley howled at the squirrel.

Since it was fall and the pecans were just right for the picking he was sure someone would notice his barking soon. Bentley barked and he barked, he thought surely someone would come out of the house. He then realized his master’s truck was missing. I bet he is at work Bentley thought to himself. He then decided that he needed to keep the squirrel where he could see him in the tree until his master got home.

He started asking the squirrel questions. “Why do you take my master’s pecans? I know they taste good but I only eat them when my master gives them to me.” The squirrel snickered back “well Bentley, this just proves that I am smarter than you. I do not wait for a human to give me food.” Bentley was outraged and he showed his teeth to the squirrel. He let out a growl of “My master is the best human there is. She gives me food, water, buys me cool toys, oh have you seen my duck?” As soon as Bentley realized that he did not know where his neon duck was he took off to find him and show him to Mr. Nutty Nut.

 Bentley looked around the shed, underneath the deck, and finally he spotted his duck in the hole he had dug in the flowerbed. Now I can show that nutty nut what humans are capable of he thought. He started toward the tree with his duck and he stopped, he heard his master’s truck coming down the driveway. Quickly Bentley ran towards the tree the squirrel was in and he started to bark to let his master know there was an enemy in the tree. Bentley looked and looked, but he did not see the squirrel in the tree. Soon he saw his master was behind him look up the tree. “Silly Bentley, there isn’t anything in that tree. Nice try though,” his master turned to walk towards the house. Bentley looked at the tree in disbelief, from the very top on the highest limb, he saw the squirrel clinging for dear life with a smirk on his face. Bentley had fell victim to the squirrel’s tricks once again.

Author's Note: 

I tried to mimic the plot of the Monkey and the Crocodile. The first thing that came to my mind was my dog and his obsession with chasing squirrels. I thought I would tell this story form a dog's perspective because I feel like if he could talk this is what his day would consist of, which is entertaining to me. In the story of The Monkey and the Crocodile, the crocodile is trying to catch the monkey because his mother wants the monkey’s heart. The crocodile tries to outsmart the monkey and has his chance to capture him, but the monkey quickly realizes how to fool the young predator. Once the monkey uses the crocodile to get across to the island with the ripe fruit he tells him that his heart is in the tree in which he lives. The crocodile returns the monkey home and is unable to bring the heart to his mother because the monkey was safe in the tree. Bentley relates to the crocodile because he is easily tricked. The squirrel represents the monkey because he can often get away from Bentley and sometimes a squirrel will sit on a high branch and snicker down to him on the ground.

Story source 

Bibliography: 

“The Monkey and the Crocodile” by Ellen C. Babbitt from Jataka Tales (1912).

Personal Photo of Bentley. How I would picture his facial expression to be after he lost a squirrel.

Reading Diary A

One story that stuck out to me was the Monkey and the Crocodile. I found the monkey to be one of my favorite characters. I thought it was unique to the Indian Tales that the crocodile was after the monkey’s heart instead of being after the monkey just for prey. He was also trying to make his mother happy. I enjoyed this story because the monkey always outwitted the crocodile. The next story I read, How the Turtle Saved His Own Life, contained the same moral as the Monkey and the Crocodile. The turtle outsmarted his enemies by telling them how he did not want to be thrown into the river. Compared to the Aesop fables the Indian Tales changed storytellers to animals that were focused on getting out of a bad situation.  The story of the Turtle that talked reminded me of an Aesop Fable that was based along the same lines. I think the storytelling for this unit should mimic an animal storyteller to keep the same Indian Tale tradition. 

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Brainstorming Topics: Styles Week 2

Stories in Black Magic: Styles Brainstorm

Topic:

My storybook will be about witches/ evil villain in the Grimm fairy tales. My goal is to identify witches in the Grimm fairy tales and how they use their evil magic on their victim. One story that I enjoy and is something I would want to include is Hansel and Grethel. Another story I would like to share is Rumpelstiltskin. I think people can relate to these two stories because they have been passed down for generations. I think it would be interesting to retell them with a twist using a different style.

Bibliography:

Hansel and Grethel translated by Margaret Hunt (1884) from Household Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm.source

Rumpelstiltskin translated by D.L. Ashliman from The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales.

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Illustrated by Walter Crane

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Possible Styles:

Villains as Storytellers: Many times stories are told from the victim’s point of view. I think it would be unique to use the villain or witch to tell the story. The audience would get the “other half” of the story in a sense. I think this is a good choice for this topic.

Stories based on social ranking: Most of the time a witch or evil villain attacks someone of a higher ranking, such as the Queen in Rumpelstiltskin. I think it would be creative to use this style to create a witch seeking power. Most of the time a witch or villain is an outcast of the city that uses black magic to make the rich suffer.

Bibliography: a story about how the witch or villain came to result in such an evil character. I think that using the witch to tell about personal conflicts or trials that he or she faced would be entertaining. Showing the life of the enemy may make for a softer and sympathetic tone for the story, which is different when dealing with a villain. I do not see this style used often and I think it would be effective.

Holidays: Most stories have a time frame of importance. For example, on the princess’s eighteenth birthday she would be locked up in a castle. I think using a time frame or holiday could base the story around the whole purpose. Birthdays and Christmas are usually big settings for an awful scene to happen. Another importance factor, which I would put in this category, is the victim’s age. Most of the time the young are the targets or witch’s black magic.

Extra Reading Diary:Ovid's Metamorphoses Books 1-4

I chose the extra reading on the classical unit and the Ovid's Metamorphoses: Deucalion and Pyrrha. The first one I read The Flood reminded me of a mix between classical and biblical. Characters were used to signify Gods and they unleashed their power on the Earth. I thought it was a unique style, using Greek Gods names and referring to events that were like that in the bible, but it was a classical style. I also found it to be very unique that the unit had a story of Jupiter’s rape of lo.Link It was not something I expected to see in a classical fable unit. I was not fond of Jupiter and his games that he played on women. I have read only classical units and I found this one to be very different from the Aesop winter and Jacobs fables I read. They were based more for children and bed time stories that had moral lesson at the end. 

Story Link

This picture represents the great flood.

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Storytelling: week 3 How the Crane Found the Wolf

It was a cold winter night when the wolf met up with the Crane. The wolf had been walking around for days looking for food but the snow had made it difficult to find any prey. Finally the Wolf caught a whiff of a deer that a hunter must have lost because it smelt a few days old. Luckily the cold weather had preserved the deer and it was just right for eating to the wolf, so he began his feast. Being a few days without food made the wolf eat so fast he was practically inhaling the meat. He noticed that there was something caught deep down his throat. He tried to cough but it would not budge. He looked at the feast and realized he must have swallowed a deer rib. He decided he needed help getting the bone out so he started his journey up the cold mountain side seeking help. He came across a pack of coyotes. “Brothers!” the wolf cried. He made motions to the bone stuck in his throat. “Is there something we can do for you?” asked the leader of the pack. The wolf managed to say “Yes! Please help me with this bone,” as he opened his mouth. The coyote laughed and said “Remember that time you told us about the farmer’s calf and how he never checks on them at night? Well you were wrong. We lost one of our strongest pack members to the farmer’s buckshot. Why would we help you when you only want to help yourself?” The wolf hung his head and went on to look for more help. He soon came across a shepherd guarding his sheep. The shepherd ran towards the wolf with his staff and wacked him on the head. The wolf again pleaded for help. The shepherd responded with a laugh, “Why on earth would I help you, think of how many sheep you have stolen from me.” The wolf couldn’t help but understand why his enemies would not help him. He went away from the shepherd to lie down and prepare to die with the deer rib in his throat. Suddenly he heard a noise; it was a crane that had landed right beside him.  “Are you the wolf with the bone stuck in your throat?” asked the crane. He had heard all the animals telling of how the wolf was in desperate need of assistance. The wolf nodded. “Well I think I could be of some help to you, but you must make me a promise? You must never eat a single crane.” The wolf agreed on the terms of the crane and soon the crane had pulled the bone out with his large beak. “Thank you!” the wolf exclaimed. “Now as for that promise, I do not see any one else with you, therefore I did not eat a single crane,” with that the wolf turned and ran up the mountain side to find the deer he had left and finish his meal. 

Author's Note:
I chose the story The Wolf and the Crane because I thought it was entertaining the first time I read it. I thought it would be a good idea to take a different approach, which was that the wolf did not have any friends because he was so greedy. I wanted to show that he was not concerned about others well-being. I decided to show the wolf's journey to finding help from the crane to remove the bone in his throat. I tried to make my retelling of the story very descriptive to give the reader a good mental image. In the original story, the wolf tried to get anyone he met to take out the bone from his throat. The wolf came across a crane that said if the wolf would make a promise then he would take the bone out. He had the wolf lay on his side and he stuck his head inside the wolf’s mouth to get the bone. The wolf had said he would do anything to have the bone out and after it was out the crane asked for his reward. The wolf responded with how the crane was lucky he stuck his head into his mouth without the wolf ending his life.

Bibliography
"The Wolf and the Crane." by Joseph Jacobs from The Fables of Aesop (1894).
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I think this picture does a good job of indicating the Wolf's character.

Reading Diary A: Classical Aesop (Jacobs) Fables

I read the Aesop Fables (Jacobs) reading A. One of my favorite characters was the crane in the story about the Fox and the crane. I liked the plot in how the fox was outsmarted. I liked how the Aesop (Jacobs) Fables used the fox in fox’s part 1 to show many different sides of him. It made me realize I could use a character different in several stories but change from that character being a trickster to being caught. The story The Wolf and the Crane had an interesting plot. The Wolf portrayed his usual character in being greedy and threatening to someone that offered help. One of my favorites was The Dog and the Wolf because the Dog was still loyal to his master. The wolf again showed his true personality by being rebellious. I think the wolf can be relate to people who are always wanting something handed to them. For instance in the Nurse and the Wolf he waited for food to be given to him instead of seeking a meal on his own. In the Aesop fables (Jacobs) the fox is out smarted by a cat. I think the difference between the Jacobs fables and the winter fables is that the fox appears to be a master of trickery in the winter fables and not in the Jacobs. My favorite character throughout these fables was the fox and I plan to use a character like the fox in my own stories. 

Source
I chose this picture because I think it was a good representation of the Aesop (Jacobs) fables.

Topics: Brainstorming

Topic: Heroes and Heroines

Comments:

One of the topics I chose was heroes and heroines. I like movies and stories that have a hero. A couple of my favorite movies as a child were Spiderman and batman.  I think I could relate to this topic fairly easy. I like stories that have someone that comes in to save the day.

Possible stories: In Greek Mythology there is usually always a hero, and if not there is a villain that has taught a lesson. I found several resources for Greek Mythology. Wikipedia shows several results for Greek Mythology.

Sample story: The story of Odysseaus and his long journey home is a story I am familiar with and one I enjoyed.

Bibliography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odysseus

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 Topic: fairy tales and nursery rhymes

Comments:  I loved nursery rhymes when I was younger. I also enjoyed fairy tale books. The Grimm readings interested me in the readings so I think I would like telling stories like this. Hansel and Gretel was one of my favorite stories as a child, which is why this topic interest me.

Sample story:  Jack and his Comrades

Bibliography: “Jack and his Comrades” by Joesph Jacobs from http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/jacobs/celtic/jackcomrades.html

Topic: Historical Legends

Comments:

I really have an interest in history, especially American history. There is so much to learn here and so much to tell and use your imagination with to create a unique story.  I think a good topic for telling a story with this topic would be a war story or using Columbus and his finding of the new world.

Sample Story: George Washington and his Hatchet

This story is something that we hear often when learning about the leaders of the country. I think we are taught that even great leaders have imperfections because we are all human.

Bibliography: “George Washington and his Hatchet” retold by James Baldwin. From Fifty Famous Stories. Link

Topic: Ballads.

Comments: I think it is something I would be interested in writing about after reading others post and seeing how people interpret the ballads differently.  I believe there are several different ways to look at a ballad, which is where the creativity comes from when writing about ballads.

Sample Story: The wife of the Usher’s Well

The ballads can be dark, which makes them different from other topics. For instance in this ballad the mother did not want to believe her sons were gone and they would never be on Earth again.

Bib: “The wife of the Usher’s Well” By Francis James Child from English and Scottish Popular Ballads. Link

Essay: Parents of the Aesop Fables

I chose to write about the family relationships in the Aesop (Winter) Fables. An example is the Mother in The Boy and the Filberts. The mother tried to teach her son he had more than what he needed. If he would only take what he needed, then he would not feel the punishment of his hurting hand. I find this to be one of those fables I myself was taught from as a child. Often our parents tell us to “be thankful for what you have.” Another story I thought I could relate to this topic is The Boys and the Frogs, they were endangering a family of frogs and the oldest and bravest is the one that spoke up. Most people look to their father for protection and guidance. The moral of the story was to watch your actions because even though they may be fun for you, it might not be for others. I think this is another lesson we are often taught as children, to play nice with each other and be considerate of others. Another message taught by a mother was in The Boy and the Nettles. The mother did not feel sorry for her son when he was stung, which showed that he was growing up, even though the moral of the story was to do something with all of your potential. While reading the fables that had to do with parental roles I found it was often the mother that was doing the disciplinary action and the father was not in the picture. I think this is because the father was always at work during the time that the fables were written and the woman was left to maintain household duties and take care of the children. I thought it was interesting to see how things used to be perceived in family roles and how they are not the same way today. 

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Storytelling week 2: Katrina the Cat

There once was a girl named Katrina. Everyone in the neighborhood called her “Kat” for short. Kat had few friends and was socially awkward. She was a freshman in high school and had never had a boyfriend, or a boy who was even a friend. Walking home from school one day Kat was contemplating how to make more friends. She was very intelligent; she had never received less than an A in any class. She decided she was going to put her brain to good use and offer tutoring to her peers to gain friends. Kat made flyers that read “Free Tutoring,’ she knew that several people were struggling in her chemistry class and thought she would ask the teacher if she could advertise the flyer for the students that needed help. The next day before class Mrs. Ridge, the chemistry teacher, stood in front of the class and informed them that Katrina was giving free tutoring and everyone who was having difficulties should seek her for guidance. Katrina waited in the library after school for three hours and not a soul showed up to study with her. She told herself that since it was the first day people probably needed time to rearrange their schedules. There was a certain boy Katrina had hoped would show up, which was Jeremy. Jeremy was the captain of the football team, student body president, and the cutest boy in school. Every day they passed each other in the hallway, but they never spoke. After three days of waiting for people to show up for tutoring, Kat was ready to give up. The library closed at six o’clock so at 5:45 she started to pack up her things for another unsuccessful day, when she heard “excuse me, Miss?” Katrina froze because she had heard that voice so many times but it was never directed to her. She turned around to see Jeremy staring back at her. “Do you think I could get some help on my chem homework?” Jeremy asked. Katrina managed to utter a “surrre” out. Jeremy exchanged his schedule with Katrina and made plans to meet her the next day to go over a study guide for the next test and do his homework. They continued the tutoring into the next week. After a week other football players started to show up and Katrina found herself almost too busy to do her own homework. Katrina thought she would talk to Jeremy about feeling stressed because she thought he would understand she needed to focus on her own grades too. “Hey Jeremy I think it would be best if we only studied a couple nights a week, instead of every day because I have homework too,” Katrina casually mentioned during their study session. Jeremy responded with “Well actually Katrina, I really need you to study with me every day because if I don’t pass this class I won’t go to a Division 1 school to play football and then I will never have a shot at the pros!” Katrina then felt obligated to keep studying with him. Weeks went by and Jeremy was passing chemistry with flying colors. Prom was coming up and Katrina was sure that Jeremy was going to ask her because he had been asking if anyone was taking her. Katrina passed by Jeremy in the hallway with Tiffany, captain of the cheerleader squad. She heard Jeremy ask Tiffany to go to prom with him. Katrina was devastated. She could not believe that she had given up so much for him and he could not even see it. She was constantly there for him when he needed something. Right then and there Katrina realized she was not helping Jeremy any longer. She also lost all of her love she had once felt for him because of his personality.

Author’s Note: I read the Aesop (Winter) Fables and enjoyed the lessons from them. I feel like this was a lesson taught by many fables. In The Cat and the Monkey, the cat was being played by the monkey to get him roasted nuts out of the fire. Katrina was the cat in this story because her feelings were being hurt, much like the cats paw. Another lesson taught here is that popularity is not everything. I used this fable because I thought it was something everyone has experienced and can relate to. source

 

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Bibliography 

"The Cat and the Monkey." Joseph Jacobs. From The Aesop for Children (1919). 

Reading Diary B Aesop Winter Fables

I started my second reading on the Aesop (Winter) Fables because I was very entertained with the first ones I read. The first story that grabbed my attention was Mercury and the Woodman. I found that it even related to biblical stories. My favorite character was the honest woodman because I feel like honesty is something we do not see often.  The next story to gain extra attention was The serpent and the Eagle. I liked that it used a human as the hero that saved the eagle. The short fable The Wolf and the Shepherd had a very significant meaning to me. I think people often condemn others for things that they have done before or they have done worse. I liked the advice given by the Fox in The QuackToad. “If you can cure yourself of that blotchy skin and that rheumatic gait, someone might believe you. Otherwise, I should advise you to try some other profession.” I have found that fables can be easily related to a real life scenario.  I liked the message taught in The Boy and the Nettles. By the mother not feeling sorry for her son, it showed that he was growing up, even though the moral of the story was to do something with all of your potential.  I liked the ant character in The ant and the Dove because something so small was able to make a big difference. I enjoyed the second reading of the Aesop fables just as much as the first.

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from The Ant and the Dove