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. 

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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.

Source
from The Ant and the Dove