Reading Diary B:Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)

I chose the Brothers’ Grimm Unit for my reading this week. I thought it might help me figure out who my next villain in my storybook should be because I am having a hard time choosing.

The Fox and the Cat

Characters:

The Fox

The cat

The dogs

Setting: In the woods

The cat seems to have looked up to the fox until she meets him and figures out his true colors. I think we can apply that scenario to people in today’s world. The cat was able to be smarter than the fox and get away from the enemy. I think that the moral of this story is something several people have witnessed before; someone that is over confident and ends up crashing and burning.

The Little Lamb and the Little Fish

Characters:

Stepmother

Brother

Sister

Cook

Peasant woman

The stepmother did not agree with the children’s happiness. After all they had been through at least they had each other. Once they were separated they were no longer happy. In this story the evil villain was clear to see, the stepmother. The cook saved the life of the brother and sister by listening to them when they would speak. I was happy to see that the brother and sister were turned back into human form and lived happy afterward.

One thing I noticed is that these stories were more like the ones at the beginning of the semester. They showed a moral and were not just entertainment. That is something I liked to replicate in my own stories.

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Reading Diary A: Nursery Rhymes

I chose to read Nursery Rhymes this week.

A few things I noticed while reading these Nursery Rhymes: The alliteration used and the rhyming scheme. I always liked nursery rhymes as a child and I enjoyed the first reading of this unit.

A few of my favorites of the nursery rhyme tales

The Lion and the Unicorn

There was a Crooked Man – in this one the word “crooked” is repeated several times. It was used to describe his behaviors and objects he came in contact with.

I found the one about Simple Simon to be very strange. This rhyme did not have a significant ending to me.

In the proverbs I liked the rhyme If Wishes Were Horses.

I also liked the line about how laziness and wickedness take more hours of sleep. I think this is true because it is easier to be nice to someone then to work at being mean or making their life difficult.

My favorite from the Proverbs would be Monday’s Child. I think the rhyme sums how society feels about days of the week. I think it is strange that even from an old nursery rhyme we can see that Monday is not the best day of the week. We can also see how the rest of the world is perceived. 

Nursery Rhymes

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Extra Reading Diary: Celtic Fairy Tales

The Field of Boliauns

Characters:

·         Tom Fitzpatrick

·         Leprechaun

Setting: The hedge

When reading this story I could picture the leprechaun being a tiny guy that was trying to get away from the human. I think the leprechaun was probably scare of that was going to happen to him. That is probably what sparked the lie of telling Tom about the gold. I could picture Tom looking over the hedge to see something so small and how the leprechaun must have felt.

The Horned Women

Characters:

·         The witches

·         The mistress

Setting: The mistress’s house

I thought this story was very peculiar. It was weird to think that every time the woman answered the door there was a witch there. I thought it was fitting that the witches had horns because it reminded me of how witches are usually perceived. Most of the time they have warts or strange skin color when an image is provided. I sympathized with the mistress thinking how scared she must have been. 

When I think of a witch, the witch from the wizard of Oz comes to mind.

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Reading Diary A: Robin Hood unit

I chose to read about Robin Hood in the British unit. I was interested to read about Robin Hood because I enjoyed the fable as a child.

The first story/ ballad Robin Hood’s Progress to Nottingham was so different from what I was used to. It created a new image of Hood that I had not seen. I understand now why he stayed in the forest after seeing that he slayed many others. The language in this tale was very different from what I was used to reading. Some of the ballads were rhyming and entertaining. 

The other stories I read created several different views of how Robin Hood was perceived. It was always known that he stole from the rich to give to the poor. However, the stories made him seem more of a thug of the forest and that he was not always the giving person he was thought to be. He often wanted to battle others because he was very good at shooting his bow. This is a difference from the Robin Hood I knew because he was thought to be so modest.

I enjoyed this unit because I felt like I learned a lot about the legend of Robin Hood.

Robin Hood Unit

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Extra Reading: Native American Hero Tales

 My extra reading was the Hero Tales of the Native American Unit.

I found the stories of the “Jealous Uncle” to be strange and terrifying for a child. I feel like most of these tales are passed down and told to generations of tribe members. I cannot imagine hearing a story about my uncle killing my siblings. In this story the young boy was the hero because he finally got rid of the mean uncle, but he also used all the resources he had to survive the obstacles that uncle put him through. I found the last of the story to be strange. I understood the significance of the eagle, but not how the child seemed to put on a suit and become one. I found this part very far-fetched and had a hard time wrapping my mind around it to create a mental image. The story did keep my attention because I was constantly worrying if the boy was going to survive or not. I do not know that I could use this story as a retelling because I don’t think I can create a scenario with an uncle that kills children. 

Hero Tales

Image from the story

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Reading Diary B: The Great Plains

 This week I read the Great Plains Unit.

The Ghost and the Traveler

I thought this story was really short. It differs from other stories because it does not refer to a God but instead the “Thunder Beings.” I found it a bit amusing that the man’s response to seeing the woman with no legs was that she might choke him.

The Man Who Shot a Ghost

I thought this story was very interesting because the ghost he had wounded turned out to be a person that had been shot in the head.

The Wakanda, or Water God

This story actually does use a God to show power. It was interesting to see some of the Native American customs that were shown in the story, such as painting their bodies. Many of them would use paint for war, or hunting. In this case they were trying to get their child back. I also thought it was another reference to culture about the white dog that the water god wanted.

The Spirit Land

This story was probably my favorite from this unit. I thought it showed the significance of the term “crow” to the Native American people. Their leader showed no fear and a solution to a problem.

I enjoyed reading this unit. I noticed how it was written in a different language compared to what we are used to reading, which shows the culture of the text.

I thought this image was fitting for this unit. 

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Reading Diary B: West African Tales

West African Tales

Why the Moon and the Stars Receive Their Light from the Sun

Characters:

·         Anansi

·          Kweku Tsin

·         Dragon

·         Prisoners

·         Cock

Plot: Anansi and his son were looking for food. They had harvested a deer and Anansi left to find materials to carry it. Kweku Tsin was to stay with the deer but he became worried and started to call out for his father. His call brought the evil dragon to his location. He hid the first time but his father insisted on seeing the creature. The evil monster captured them and kept them in prison in his castle. Kweku Tsin made an escape plan that worked. The Gods were pleased and that is how he became the sun, his father the moon, and the prisoners the stars.

I liked this story. I thought it was suspenseful and enjoyed the ending about how he became the sun. My favorite character was Kweku Tsin because he never gave up and led the people to safety. He also put the safety of others first instead of himself.

How the Tortoise got its Shell

Characters:

·         Chief Mauri

·         Koklovi

·         Klo (turtle)

Plot: Chief Mauri wanted to send Klo to pick up some wine for his yam party. Klo picked up the wine but he had a few drinks, which slowed down his usually fast travel time. Once he got back to the castle they were having the party without him and it was raining. It rained for two months before anyone came out of the castle. When they finally did they found Klo dead underneath the weight of all that Mauri had asked Klo to bear. He had formed a shell from all of the earth and weight that had surrounded him. That is how he got his shell. He was later restored to life.

I enjoyed this story as well. I liked that the stories I read had meanings about life. This one stuck out to me because it could be related to a scenario in life so easily. This section might have been one of my favorites, which is why I chose two to really emphasize because it was hard to choose.  

I liked this picture of the tortoise. 

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Reading Diary A: West African Tales

How We Got the Name "Spider Tales"

Characters:

·         Nyankupon

·         Anansi

·         Tiger

·         Bees

·         Boa

Plot: To bring Nyankupon what he wanted to prove that the tales should be named after Anansi. The spider used his wit to capture everything Nyankupon wanted and sent it back to him. I thought the spider was very clever. I can think of someone people and children that are like the spider that are clever to get what they want. I was shocked at how the spider was able to convince the tiger to sew up his eyes. I was also surprised that the spider lived through those encounters.

How Wisdom Became the Property of the Human Race

Characters:

·         Father Anansi

·         Kweku Tsin

Plot: Father Anansi wanted to keep all of his knowledge from the country’s men because they usually came to him for guidance. He planned to hide his knowledge so he put all of it in a pot and set out to find the tallest tree so that no one could reach it. He was followed by his son who turned out to contain more knowledge than father Anansi.

I thought this story was extremely short, but it had a good moral.

Anansi and Nothing

Characters:

·         Anansi

·         Nothing

·         Nothing’s wife

Plot: Anansi and Nothing wanted to find a wife. Anansi did not have money like Nothing so he convinced Nothing to switch him clothes. All of the women were attracted to Anansi because they thought he had money.  They were tricked. Nothing was then killed by Anansi and his wife was so distraught that she fed all of the children yams so that they could cry with her.

This was my favorite tale I read because of the lesson at the end of the story. That the children were “crying for nothing.” 

West African Tales

A child crying for nothing.

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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

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

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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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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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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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.

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 

Reading Diary A Classical Aesop Fables (winter)

I enjoyed the Aesop Winter Fables. One of the things brought to my attention very quickly is how they all have a meaning and a lesson that can be applied to real life. One of my favorite characters was the kid in The Wolf and the Kid. I also noticed how different the language was in the stories. The plot in The Eagle and the Jackdaw is something I would like to mimic in my own stories. I like the lesson taught by The Monkey and the Cat. While reading it I was thinking about how I felt like the cat in life, always getting burned for the benefit of other people. The Wolf and the Shepherd had a very meaningful plot to me that stood out. I tend to find myself in the shepherd’s position occasionally. I can be too trusting of people and end up suffering a great loss when I turn my back for too long. Another fable that got my attention was The Peacock and the Crane. I know several people that think if they have materialistic things it will make them seem more attractive or better than others. When in reality if you do not know how to work well with what you were given, you will not succeed. The best quote I found was from a villager in The Astrologer, “This may teach you to pay more attention to what is right in front of you, and let the future take care of itself!” I cannot say that I read a fable I did not like in this unit. My favorites were the ones that I could relate back to my own life or reality.

(From The Astrologer)I liked this image because I think it shows how people can be fixed on things they do not know instead of what they actually have.

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