Week 14 Storytelling: A Lesson About Death

One night, a mother named Clara was trying to put her two children to bed in their room. They were boisterous and bouncy, and they wouldn't hold still long enough for them to fall asleep.

"That's it! I've had it!" Clara cried. "So long as you don't keep your father and I awake, I don't care whether you sleep or not."

She shut their door and went into her bedroom next door. She she was getting ready for bed, she told her husband about her day with the children. Clara was homeschooling her children, and had spent all day teaching them lessons about how different baby animals are born. She had taught them that birds lay eggs, and mammals have live young.

"Tomorrow," she said, "I'm going to teach the children a lesson about death."

What Clara didn't know was that her children were listening on the other side of the wall.

The little girl, Hannah, looked at her brother, Jacob, very seriously.

"Mom's going to kill us for not going to bed on time!" Hannah said.

"Surely not," Jacob said. "Maybe we misheard her."

"She said she was going to teach us a lesson about death!" Hannah cried. "We had better run away or she's going to kill us!"

Jacob wasn't all that convinced, but Hannah's panic was catching, and soon, Jacob was worried too. The two children packed up a few belongings and quietly sneaked out of the house.

Outside in the cold night air, Hannah and Jacob glanced around. They decided left was as good a direction as any, and they started walking.

Suddenly, the heard a dog barking and snarling. They looked over their shoulders to see a great Saint Bernard was chasing them down the street.

(Image Information: "Female Saint Bernard Dog" by ZaGerald, 2008.)

"Run!" Jacob yelled. The siblings took off running down the street. Jacob was sure they wouldn't be fast enough, but just as the dog started gaining on them a car came out of no where. It swerved to avoid hitting the children and the dog. It squealed to a stop in the middle of the road, putting a barrier between the kids and the dog.

The driver of the car got out and ran toward the dog.

"Oh thank goodness you're alright, Muffin," the woman said, patting the dog's ears.

"Be careful!" Hannah said. "That dog tried to kill us!"

"He wasn't trying to kill you. He was just trying to catch you," the woman said. "When I saw two children walking down the middle of the road at night, I got so nervous. So I sent Muffin to bring you back. I'm sorry if he scared you. But why are you out so late at night?"

"Our mother said she was going to teach us a lesson about death tomorrow!" Hannah cried.

"That's an odd thing to say. What did she teach you today?" the woman asked.

"About how animals are born," Jacob said.

"Well, that's life! Tomorrow's lesson will probably be about how animals die," the woman said.

"Ohhhh," Hannah and Jacob said together.

"Now, children, let me take you home to your parents. They must be so worried," the woman said.

The next day, the mother was so thankful to have her children back home that they took the day off from lessons entirely and played board games instead.

The moral of the story is two-fold. Don't listen in on people's conversations, and once you think you see your future, it changes because you now will have a different idea of how to reach it or hide from it.

Author's Note: This story was inspired by "The Monks and the Butcher," from the Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre, translated by Walter K. Kelly, 1855. In the original story, two monks stay the night at a butcher's house. There is a mix up over the difference between the word for monks and pigs, and the monks fear for their lives. One climbs out the window and runs away, but when the second one jumps from the window, he hurts his leg. He hides in the butcher's barn, and when the butcher comes the next morning to slaughter a pig, the monk absolutely freaks out. Eventually, the whole thing turns into a funny story about a misunderstanding.

Week 14 Reading Diary: Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre

This week I chose to read the Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre unit.

In the story of the Boatwoman and the Monks, I was glad that the young lady was smart enough to save herself from being raped by the two monks. But even though this story is from the 1500s, I don't like the emphasis it places on how it is women's responsibility to protect their purity. It is always men's responsibility not to rape.

In The Lady From Milan and Her Lover, it seems crazy to me that the man would pursue her for three years with no reply. Like geez, take a hint. But the woman's test of his valor was pretty impressive.

The story of The Virgin with Child was a strange one. I was glad that the church realized that the girl couldn't have been pregnant without having sex because that would pretty much signify the second coming of Christ, and he isn't supposed to come as a baby again. I also liked the analysis that covering up a crime with religion was twice as bad. But the whole idea of a priest getting his thirteen year old sister pregnant and then lying about it was very strange.

The Monks and the Butcher has definitely been my favorite story so far because it had nothing at all to do with a woman's purity. This story is about two men who think they hear their future, and once they learn it, it changes. In the process of trying to outrun their future, one of them accidentally almost fulfills it.

I didn't much like The President of Grenoble's Revenge. There was one particularly sexist line: "The doctors say that such a sin is more pardonable because a man is not master of such emotions, and, consequently, the sin he commits in that state may be forgiven." And as usual, the man that the wife cheated with wasn't punished.

In the Brother and Brother-in-Law, the brother certainly acts foolishly. Even after his sister tells him that she is married to the man he is sleeping with, the brother still has him killed, and then he sends his sister off to cover up the mistake. It reminds me of the story of David and Bathsheba. 

At the end of The Woman and the Chanter, it definitely seemed like the storyteller was blaming the husband for not keeping a better eye on his wife. While I'm glad that the blame wasn't placed on the wife for being adulterous, it is certainly not the husband's responsibility to keep his wife from leaving him either.

Secrets Revealed is a 1500s example of rape culture. When the wife is retelling the story of her rape, the listener basically says that the wife enjoyed it.

Week 13 Essay: Children's Stories

Because so many of these fairy tales were already familiar to me, they definitely reminded me of my childhood. The Cinder-Maid was a retelling of Cinderella. The Language of Animals seemed like a version of Snow White with a male main character. Johnnie and Grizzle was a clever version of Hansel and Gretel. Even the stories that I was reading for the first time seemed like good children's stories because they had a clear moral and dealt with silly concepts.

I think that children especially enjoy stories about characters that they can relate to. Often, these are stories about other children like Johnnie and Grizzle or Thumbkin. As a child, I definitely enjoyed fantastical stories where I got to use my imagination like The Cinder-Maid and Beauty and the Beast. I think just about any story can be good for children to read so long as the content is appropriate for their ages.

Cinderella was my favorite princess growing up. I loved how she had a relationship with the adorable mice. In The Cinder-Maid, she had a relationship with the little bird that granted her wishes. I also loved the idea of a prince seeking me out specifically to become his wife, and that is exactly what happens to Cinder-Maid.

Growing up, I loved the imagery in Hansel and Gretel. The idea of living in a gingerbread house highly appealed to me. The story of Johnnie and Grizzle definitely stayed true to that. "The door was made of butterscotch, the windows of sugar candy, the bricks were all chocolate creams, the pillars of lollypops, and the roof of gingerbread."

Another story aspect that I enjoyed as a child was the idea that anything is possible. This is portrayed in Beauty and the Beast when Beauty has the courage and faith to believe in the Beast, and she gets rewarded when the Beast transforms into a handsome young man.

 

(Image information: "Beauty and the Beast" by John Batten 1916.)

Week 13 Storytelling: Harold and the Unthankful Snake

Once upon a time, a young man named Harold was walking through a forest. He had a messy shock of blonde hair and square shoulders. His momma had raised him to be kind and generous. So when he spotted something trapped and wiggling under a huge rock, he rushed over to be of assistance.

He grunted and groaned as he tried to pick up the boulder. After a few minutes of maneuvering, he succeeded and found that he had rescued a long, black snake.

"Why hello there, ssssson," the snake said. "Than you for resssssscuing me. But I'm afraid that now, I'll have to eat you for supper."

(Image Information: "The Snake" by John Batten, 1916.)

"And what kind of a thanks would that be?" Harold asked.

"The very yummy kind," the snake replied.

"No, I don't think that's fair at all. I saved you. You should show me true gratitude by letting me continue on my way though the forest," Harold said.

"No, what's mosssssssst important in life is sssssself-preservation. I can't let you go because I have no idea when my next meal will come along," the snake reasoned.

"Well, if I won't let you eat me, and you won't let me leave, then what are we to do?" Harold asked.

"Let'sssss ask the next passsssser-by of their opinion," the snake suggested.

That seemed agreeable to Harold. And so they waited, and waited.

While they were waiting, a troubling thought crossed Harold's mind. What if the next passer-by agreed with the snake?!

"Say, snake. What if we poll the next three passers-by? That way it will truly be a fair outcome," Harold suggested.

"Well, alright. If it will make you feel better about me eating you," the snake said.

Along came a old horse, and Harold and the snake both explained their sides.

"I don't see why the snake shouldn't eat you for supper," the horse said. "Just today, I found out that my master plans to sell me for my hoofs and my hide. Some gratitude that is."

"Why thank you very much for that opinion," the snake said.

Next, and old dog walked by, and Harold and the snake explained their situation.

"Go ahead and eat him. See if that teaches him that gratitude isn't worth anything. I was a hunting dog my whole life, and  I served my master well. But today he made me leave because I wasn't catching as many birds anymore. He kicked me out of his house with not a second thought! Humph. Gratitude," the dog said.

"That's two votessss!" the snake said. "Why sssssshould we bother hearing from another passsssssser-by? If he agreesssss with me, I'll eat you, and if he doessssn't, I'll ssssstill have more votesssss."

"No, no. The deal was that we would hear from three voters. Let's keep waiting," Harold said.

The whole time they waited, Harold worried.

Then along came a sly fox.

Once Harold and the snake made the fox aware of the situation, he fox quickly realized the version of events that would be best for him.

"What will you give me to eat if I help you get out of this?" the fox whispered to Harold.

"As many chickens as you want," Harold said.

The fox nodded.

"So let me see if I understand this predicament correctly. Harold was trapped under a rock, and the snake-"

The snake interrupted the fox.

"No, I was trapped under a rock. Not Harold," he said.

"Excuse me," the fox said. "The snake was trapped under a rock, and Harold wanted to eat him."

"No, no, no," the snake said. 'I want to eat Harold."

"Oh, yes. I see it quite clearly now," the snake said.

"The snake was trapped under the rock, he wanted to eat Harold, but Harold couldn't remove the rock," the fox said.

"Oh for heavenssss ssssake," the snake said. 'Let me ssssshow you."

The snake wiggled and wiggled until he was once again trapped under the rock.

"Now, I was ssssstuck like this, when along came Harold," the snake said.

"That's right. And that's just where you'll stay," the fox announced.

With the snake trapped once more, Harold let the fox back to his farm and gave him as many chickens as he could eat in gratitude.

Author's Note: This week, I retold "Inside Again" from Europa's Fairy Tale Book by Joseph Jacobs, 1916. I kept most of the story the same except that I changed the ending. In the original, the man takes the fox back to his house to get the chickens. But the man's wife doesn't want to give the fox any chickens. So she puts their old dog in a bag, and the fox takes the bag back to his den. When he opens it, the dog eats him up. This was supposed to be further proof that gratitude isn't good for much. But I think gratitude is very important, so I changed around the story to reflect that moral.

Week 13 Reading Diary: Europa's Fairy Tale Book

This week I chose to read Europa's Fairy Tale Book. I chose this unit because when  Joseph Jacobs compiled these stories, he mixed and matched elements to make them his own. That is what I am doing for my storybook project. So I wanted to see how someone else had done it.

In the story of The Cinder-Maid, I loved the incorporation of the bird and the little nuts with Cinder's dress and the carriage. It was clever of prince to put honey on the stairs to make Cinder's shoes stick.

I didn't see too many changes in Beauty and The Beast except that the story omitted the dying rose.

The beginning of the Language of Animals is clearly a version of Snow White with a male main character. I'm glad that Jack got to rub the future in his father's face without killing him. It was a just way to handle the situation.

The story of A Dozen at a Blow is pretty funny. This tailor kills twelve flies at once and convinces himself that this means he should go out and conquer the world. He does do pretty well for himself though. So maybe those flies were a good sign.

I liked the Earl of Cattenborough story very much. But I was confused as to how Miss Puss knew so much about pretending to be an earl.

In the story of The Swan Maiden, it is interesting to me that they lived happily together once they were married because the hunter essentially forced the swan maiden to marry him.

In A Visitor From Paradise, the husband starts off so smart and then loses all of that. "He who minds the door, minds the house. So we'll take the door with us, and then they can't get in." Close enough. At the end of the story, it said "It was and it was not." I'm not really sure what this means.

In the story, Inside Again, the part where the fox tries to confuse everyone about what truly happened reminded me of the humor in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The twist at the end was funny too.

I liked the ending of Johnnie and Grizzle where the witch tries to drink up the stream and bursts. That was creative.

I really wasn't familiar with the traditional story of Thumbkin, but this one was quite unusual. Thumbkin is doing so well and then he gets tricked so many times.

Week 12 Essay: Crime, Justice, and Revenge in England

This week I chose to read the English Fairy Tales unit. Within these stories, I found many story elements that had to do with crime and justice.This unit in particular seemed much more gruesome and much more obsessed with death than the previous units I have read. Revenge is also a common motif in these stories.

In The Rose Tree, the little girl tried three times to buy her step-mother a pound of candles and failed each time. This could seem like a crime, but to me, the step-mother cutting of the little girl's head off seems like a much more significant crime. Once the little girl turns into a bird, she drops a millstone on her step-mother's head. This is certainly an act of justice and also one of revenge.

In Binnorie, the themes of crime and justice continue. The story starts with two sisters who are in love with the same man. First he was with the older sister, but then he left her for the younger sister. The older sister was so jealous that she pushed the younger sister into the river. That was definitely the crime. Once she drowned, a creepy man made a harp from her bones and hair.

 

(Image information: "Binnorie" by John D. Batten, 1890.) 

He took the harp to her parent's castle, and the harp sang about how the older sister killed her. This act of justice was very similar to the one in Rose Tree because in both stories the criminal is called out at a banquet.

In The Story of the Three Little Pigs, the wolf eats up the first two little pigs. This is clearly a criminal thing to do. Then when the wolf tries to eat up the third little pig, the pig completely outsmarts him. For revenge, he boiled him up and ate him for supper.

Week 12 Storytelling: Iris and Duke Cleaver

Once upon a time, there was a young lady named Iris. She was newly eighteen years old and only then allowed to date. For years, Iris's father had scared off the advances of many boys because Iris was too young. But now, all of those young men came back out of the woodwork to pursue her.

On Monday night, Iris went for ice cream with Damon. He was tall and his long brown hair flopped in his eyes. He was going to school to become a scientist.

On Tuesday afternoon, Henry took Iris for a walk in the woods. Henry was short and stocky. He wore his blonde hair buzzed short. Henry planned to join the military.

On Wednesday night, Duke Cleaver picked Iris up for a steak dinner. Duke Cleaver had ice blue eyes and pale skin. He told Iris of his wonderful castle where he could provide for her anything she desired. Iris liked him the best.

Iris saw plenty of other suitors on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but during those outings she was always thinking about Duke Cleaver.

Her father told her that this was a sign. If she couldn't stop thinking about one man while she was with another, then she should marry the former.

Iris and Duke Cleaver agreed that they would get married, and he continued to tell her about his extravagant castle. But Iris thought it strange that he never invited her to visit the grand facade.

But Iris was a smart young lady, and so one day when Duke Cleaver was away on business, she decided she would simply go visit his castle alone.

The great building was constructed of gray stone. It had a draw bridge that ran over a moat, and several turrets came to sharp points in the distance.

Iris crossed the draw bridge and as she was entering through the archway, she found a phrase carved into the stone. It read, Be bold, be bold.

Hmmm, that is a funny thing to carve into an archway, she thought.

She continued on into a grassy green courtyard.

Over the doorway into the castle, it read, Be bold, be bold, but not too bold.

Iris opened the great wooden doors and found herself in a long dining room. On a golden plaque above the fireplace at the back of the room, it said, Be bold, be bold, but not too bold. Lest that your heart's blood should run cold.

Next to the fireplace was yet another door. Iris opened it and inside she found a most gruesome scene. The dead bodies of beautiful ladies were strewn about the room. They were covered in their own blood, and missing limbs lay abandoned on the floor.

Just as Iris was turning to leave, she heard footsteps and whistling. She quickly hid behind a table in the corner.

Not a second too soon, Duke Cleaver entered the room, dragging the body of an unconscious woman. He spread her out on the table that Iris hid behind and chopped of the woman's find to retrieve a diamond ring.

Iris had to cover her mouth to keep from shrieking. The dismembered finger flew off the table and landed in Iris's lap. Duke Cleaver searched around for it for a few moments before giving up.

Once Duke Cleaver had finished his murder of the woman, he left the blood room. Iris quickly snatched up the finger and ran out of the castle.

The very next day was supposed to be her wedding day. So at a feast that evening to celebrate the upcoming nuptials, Iris confronted Duke Cleaver in front of all of their guests.

 

(Image information: "Mr. Fox" by John D. Batten, 1890.)

"My dear," Iris said. "Last night I had the most curious dream. I dreamed that I visited your castle and found the words 'Be bold, be bold, but not too bold. Lest that your heart's blood should run cold.' carved by a doorway near a fireplace."

"But that can't be true," Duke Cleaver said.

"Inside the room were the dead bodies of many women. I hid behind a table, and in you walked, carrying an unconscious woman. You hacked her up right in front of me because you didn't know I was there," Iris continued.

"Oh, no. That can't  be true," Duke Cleaver said.

"You even cut off the woman's finger to take her diamond ring. One that looked very much like this finger and this diamond ring," Iris said. She triumphantly held up the severed finger.

"Guards!" Iris's father called. "Take this wretched man away!"

And Iris continued her time of courting with the many other suitors until she found a truly good man to mary.

Author's Note: This story is inspired by "Mr. Fox", from the English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, with illustrations by John D. Batten, 1890. I kept most of the story the same, but I changed Mary's name to Iris, and I added in some details about her other suitors. I also changed Mr. Fox's name to Duke Cleaver because I couldn't figure out whether Mr. Fox was an actual fox or not. I sped up Iris's retelling of Duke Cleaver's crimes toward the end.

Week 12 Reading Diary: English Fairy Tales Unit

This week I chose to read the English Fairy Tales unit.

In the story of Tom Tit Tot, it made me wonder what would be a normal amount of skeins to spin in one day. Because spinning five skeins, really doesn't sound like that big of a feat.

I thought it was interesting how the girl gets to guess the imps name three times each night for the whole month. In the version I'm used to, I'm pretty sure she only gets three guesses.

Also, why is the king so obsessed with these skeins? What does he even need them for? In the version I'm used to, the girl says she can spin gold. That seems like it would be way more of an asset than just yarn.

The Rose Tree is an awfully gruesome story! The poor little girl loses her head for making a silly mistake! And then the step-mother tries to feed the family the little girl's organs! I can't imagine telling this story to my children.

It also seems funny to run outside to see the thunder. Maybe the author meant that they wanted to see the lightning, but you can't see thunder. I'm glad that the little girl got her revenge on the horrible step-mother.

The story of The Old Woman and Her Pig reminds me of The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Spider. While I understand that the woman wants the water to punish the fire for not burning the stick, if her end goal is to have a hot stick to hit the dog with, then pouring water on it doesn't seem like a very good idea.

I'm glad the cow finally cooperated or who knows how long the story would have been!

In Binnorie, my favorite line is both morbid and amusing: "'Sink on,' cried the cruel princess, 'no hand or glove of mine you'll touch. Sweet William will be all mine when you are sunk beneath the bonny millstream of Binnorie.'"

People do the strangest things in these stories. If you found a woman beautiful and were grieved at her death, why on earth would you make a harp from her bones and hair?! That seems very demented. 

I did like how the harp called the murderous sister out on her crimes in front of everyone. That was a good ending.

In The Mouse and the Mouser, the way the characters repeated "good body, good body" and "dear lady, dear lady" reminded me of "There's a Hole in My Bucket, dear Liza, Dear Liza."

They certainly have a lot of dances back to back in the Cap o' Rushes story.

I actually liked this version of Cinderella better than the original. The master's son and Cap o' Rushes actually get to know each other over a couple of days. The ring in the porridge makes way more sense than carrying a shoe around the kingdom to have every girl try it on because not everyone has a unique shoe size. And Cap o' Rushes is reunited with her father in the end instead of having him die. I also liked the way the idea of meat and salt was brought up again at the end.

In the story of The Three Little Pigs, I don't understand why the third little pig had the sense not to let the wolf in, but then he risked his safety by leaving his house to pick turnips and apples. It's funny how the pig becomes the predator at the end of the story by making the wolf his prey. That's an interesting twist.

I remember the Disney movie version of The Master and His Pupil. Mickey was making the water go all over the place in great waves.

In the Henny-Penny story, it's funny how the story is moving right along with the hen, the rooster, the duck, the goose, and the turkey, but none of those birds find the fox's interest strange. 

In the Molly Whuppie story, it seems like the king is getting the better bargain. He gets swords and riches and his sons get wives. But Molly has to risk her life every single time she goes to the giant's house. I felt bad for the giant in this story. He looses his possessions and he accidentally kills his wife.

I was glad that Lady Mary was smart enough to save herself from a murderous husband. I was worried for a little while that Mr. Fox was going to kill her.

In The Ass, The Table, and The Stick, I was really rooting for Jack until he beat up all those women and stole their money. That seemed really uncalled for because he already had as much money as he could spend.

Week 11 Storytelling: Alice and The Chessmen

Once upon a time, there was a very bored little girl. Her golden hair twisted in boring curls, and the petticoats of her blue dress wrinkled in boring ruffles.

It was a hot summer day, Alice had absolutely nothing to entertain herself in her stuffy old living room. She had nothing, except her imagination, which is the greatest tool, you know.

Alice stared at the boring old chess set on the coffee table, and she squinted her eyes and concentrated very hard.

Suddenly, the black king's head popped out of the stone piece and became fleshy. That was quickly followed by his body, arms, and legs. He glanced around in confusion and noticed Alice.

"You there!" the Black King exclaimed. "What business have you going around and making perfectly good stone chess pieces turn into flesh?" He waved his fist indignantly.

"How am I supposed to command my army if I can no longer speak with them? I demand that you turn me back this instant!" he continued.

Alice was taken-aback. If she were stone, she reasoned, she would enjoy being made human. She didn't understand why the Black King had become all hot and bothered over the issue. Besides, she was bored, and she wanted someone to play with.

"No, I'm sorry, dear king. I shan't turn you back," Alice said matter-of-factually.

"Well, if you won't restore me to my regular state of being, then I absolutely insist that you bring all the rest of my comrades along with me!" the Black King declared. He straightened himself up to his full height.

Alice thought for a minute. She had turned the Black King into flesh and blood relatively easily. And having more chess pieces to play with did sound appealing.

"Alright," Alice agreed. "I'll try my best."

For the next hour, Alice glared and squinted and glowered and scowled. She looked cross-eyed and cock-eyed. She concentrated and fixated and meditated and pondered. Alice ruminated and scrutinized and contemplated. Until finally, every last chess piece on the board was running around and calling out to its friends.

 

(Image information: "Chessmen" by  John Tenniel, 1871.)

Alice was quite delighted with herself, and now that all of the chess pieces were reunited together again, they were quite pleased as well. They whiled away the afternoon together in pleasurable companionship.

Alice and the chess pieces grew quite close throughout the afternoon, and Alice grew sad when darkness came and her little friends became stone again.

"Well, at least for once," Alice said, "my life wasn't quite so boring."


Author's Note: This story is inspired by the Chess Pieces part of Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carrol, 1871. With this retelling, I really wanted to play around with Carrol's writing style because I think it's so enchanting. His word choice really makes for enjoyable stories. So I tried my best to emulate that.

Week 11 Reading Diary: Through the Looking-Glass

This week I chose to read the Through the Looking-Glass unit, which is taken from the Lewis Carrol novel Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. I've already read Alice in Wonderland. So I'm excited to read the sequel.

I like how this story starts out in a real house with a little girl who is pretending and slowly reality mixes with imagination.

There's a wonderful contrast between Alice's curiosity about the chess pieces and they way the chess pieces rationalize the things that happen to them because of Alice.

 

(Image Information "Hold White King" by John Tenniel, from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carrol,  1871).

I wonder if something happened in the omitted chapters that allowed the Looking-Glass characters to begin seeing Alice.

I was homeschooled. And when I was in highschool, my mom and I read the Jaberwocky poem. I enjoyed it as much today as I had back then. It reminds me of Dr. Seuss in that there are a lot of made up words, but I can still understand the story. Writing like that takes a real talent.

When Alice meets Tweedledee and Tweedledum, I like how she thinks about needing to shake both of their hands at once as to not hurt their feelings. It shows how mature she is.

In the movie Harriet the Spy, Harriet and her nanny recite part of the Walrus and the Carpenter poem to each other, and I always loved that part of the movie. So this is my favorite part of the poem:

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —
Of cabbages — and kings —
And why the sea is boiling hot —
And whether pigs have wings."

It's funny how despite Alice's maturity and thoughtfulness, Tweedledee and Tweedledum talk so much nonsense about her not being real that they make her cry. I think this is very illustrative of many people. We get ourselves so worked up over something that's not even a big deal that we forget that we're worried about something that might not even be worth worrying about.

This is such a funny visual: "All this time Tweedledee was trying his best to fold up the umbrella, with himself in it: which was such an extraordinary thing to do that it quite took off Alice's attention from the angry brother."

I find this part pretty funny because so many people do use words like this. "'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'" But what is the point of having a common language, if the words mean different things to different people?

Something I've thought about a lot during this semester's reading units is whether or not the nonsense in the stories is justified. Usually, I don't like it when characters do things for no reason. But I don't find myself upset by it in Through the Looking Glass. I'm wondering if that's because I'm familiar with Lewis Carrol as an author, and so, I knew to expect the nonsense.

I like what the White Knight says here, "My mind goes on working all the same. In fact, the more head downwards I am, the more I keep inventing new things." It's very true. I always have the best ideas when I'm driving or in the shower and can't write them down. Sometimes I think minds work best when they're occupied with something simple.

I like how the riddles in this books almost seem to make sense, but they don't quite. It's very entertaining to try to figure them out and then realize that they can't be understood.

Alice goes through the same thing I think. "Alice sighed and gave it up. 'It's exactly like a riddle with no answer!' she thought."

Even though Alice wakes up from this story and believes it to be a dream, I wonder if that is simply her way of dealing with such strange events. I wonder if it could have really happened to her.

Week 10 Essay: The Oral Storytelling Style of Inuit Folktales

Because the originally oral stories in the Eskimo Folk Tales unit were recorded by Rasmussen, the explorer, they had a very distincitive style of speech. Some of the stories, like "The Coming of Men, A Long, Long While Ago," have a very clear perspective. The oral style of storytelling was important to the folk tales because it made them sound more realistic and truthful. As part of this, the characters' names are quite different

The storyteller's perspective in "The Coming of Men, A Long, Long While Ago" makes it obvious that the storyteller is explaining the details he/she knows, and then he/she is upfront with the listener about not knowing some parts. "When did they find each other, and when had they grown up?" the storyteller asks. "I do not know," he/she finishes.

This oral storytelling style brings the readers into the lives of the Inuits and helps them to understand the culture. In the story of "Isigâligârssik," the storyteller explains one of the wizard's customs, saying, "When the wizard was about to call upon his spirits, it was his custom to call in through the window: 'Only the married men may come and hear.'" Also in this story, Rasmussen explains that the Inuits believed that the first dress worn by a small child would heal that child from physical harm when he/she grows up. The style is inclusive and it draws the readers in. In the story of "Nukúnguasik, who Escaped from the Tupilak,"Rasmussen teaches us that a Tupilak is a monster made from the bones of animals. The Tupilak is magical and is used to punish one's enemies. In a manner similar to a daughter telling her mother about her day, this style makes the stories easy to relate to.

 (Image information: "Tupilak" from Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen, with illustrations by native Eskimo artists, 1921).

The unusual names in this unit are ones like Nukúnguasik, Qalagánguasê, and Isigâligârssik. Upholding the true names of the people that these stories are about, shows the integrity of the storyteller and further emphasizes the fact that the events in the folktales really happened.

Week 10 Storytelling: Minerva and her Polar Bear Son

Once upon a time, there was an old woman named Minerva, who had never married. She had no family left to support her, and so often, she went hungry.

But sometimes, the young hunters in the community would bring her meat to eat, and they would tell her about their great adventures.

One day, when the hunters brought the regular meat and stories, they brought something new along with them.

When the short woman with completely gray hair opened her front door, three young men stood on the snow-covered steps holding a polar bear cub!

 

(Image information: "Polar Bear" by Alan D. Wilson, 2007.)

"Awwe, what a dear little thing," Minerva said. "Where is his mother?"

The hunters brought the cub into Minerva's house, and she brewed tea for everyone. She found some old blankets to wrap around the cub and the little bear quickly fell asleep.

"Unfortunately, Ms. Minerva, we shot and killed the cub's mother. We didn't know it was a mother bear when she shot it, and we've very sorry. We thought that maybe you would want some company. So we brought the bear here," one of the hunters said.

"Well, that's a very strange form of company, but I'll give it a try," she said.

The hunters left the cub with Minerva, and over the years, the cub grew up. It spent so much time playing with Minerva and the village children that the cub developed the brain of a human.

Neither Minerva nor the cub wanted for anything because the village folk were so taken with the cub that they often brought food and clothes and toys for him.

The bear grew stronger and stronger, and Minerva would have to remind her bear cub to be gentle with the village children.

Once Minerva and the hunters thought the bear was ready, the hunters took the cub out to hunt with them one day. It took a little practice, but once the bear got the hang of sniffing out the prey, he was a very useful helper.

But a scary thing happened that day. Another group of hunters who didn't know about the pet polar bear tried to shoot at the cub with their bows and arrows. All of the village hunters were very upset, and they yelled at the other group of hunters. Thankfully, the cub wasn't hurt.

The hunters asked Minerva to fashion a special collar for the polar bear so that everyone near and far would know that he was special. She wove together several sinews and placed the collar around his neck.

From then on, when ever he went hunting, the bear received many compliments from the people he encountered, and he was very happy with his life as a hunting helper and as a companion to Minerva.

Author's Note: This story was inspired by "The Woman Who Had A Bear As A Foster-Son," from the Eskimo Folk-Tales book by Knud Rasmussen, 1921. I kept this story very close to the original, except that I gave the old woman a name, and I changed the ending. In the ending of the original story, the old woman tells the polar bear that she is worried that if he stays with her, he will be killed. So she urges him to find somewhere else. The bear leaves, and Minerva never sees him again. I thought this was a very sad ending, and I also found it kind of pointless because the old woman made him a special collar to protect him.

Week 10 Reading Diary: Eskimo Folk Tales

I chose to read half of the Eskimo Folk Tales unit this week.

In The Coming of Men a Long, Long While Ago, I enjoyed the imagery of the Earth falling from the sky. But the thought of a woman finding children in the woods, dressing them, and bringing them home is sort of creepy.

I think it's interesting how many parallels are present between this creation story and the Christian creation stories. The creation of man and woman from the Earth and the flood.

It's cool that the Inuits believe that people become stars when they die.

I really didn't understand the story of Nukúnguasik, who Escaped from the Tupilak.

I love the idea of adopting a bear cub! That sounds like so much fun. I think it's really cool how the bear develops the mind of a human in the story of The Woman Who Had A Bear As A Foster-Son. I think this one would be fun to retell for my storytelling assignment.

In the story of Qalagánguasê, Who Passed to the Land of Ghosts, it's cool to think of the ghosts being able to give the boy back his strength. This story reminds of Pinocchio in the way that the boy's lies have physical ramifications.

In the story of Isigâligârssik, I didn't understand why the wizard took away the man's wife. So the rest of the story was very confusing.

Similarly, I didn't understand The Insects that Wooed a Wifeless Man. Why did insects offering to marry him change anything?

I was totally following the story of Makíte until he threatened to kill the lone-dweller over not knowing what the things that looked like candles were. That escalated quickly.

I understand that anything is possible in folk tales and myths, but I still think that the characters need to have believable motivations, and I just don't see those in this unit.

Week 9 Essay: Believable Atmospheres

Because the stories in the American Indian Fairy Tales unit were about early Native Americans, all of them were set in the great outdoors. I loved the different atmospheres that Iagoo created through is storytelling. These natural environments were so believable that they made the story events seem more realistic even when they had to do with magic. The seasons were also a key factor in the stories. The storyteller used the undesirable elements of the current season to bolster his story about the season everyone was wishing for.

In the first story, an unknown narrator introduces Iagoo as the future narrator for the other stories. Iagoo's stories are often motivated by the weather. So when it is a cold and blustery winter, he tells stories about balmy summers. In Iagoo, the Storyteller, the author does a wonderful job of incorporating the body's senses into the mix. "The snow lay deep on the ground" brings in imagery for the audience, and "the North Wind came howling from its home in the Land of Ice," gives the environment sound. "Iagoo sat by the fire of blazing logs" helps the reader feel the heat of the fire.

 

(Image information: "The North Wind" from American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, with illustrations by John Rae 1921.)

The scene that is set in the story of how Shin-ge-bis Fooled the North Wind is also very encompassing. "When he breathed upon the land, violets appeared in the woods, the wild rose bloomed on the yellow prairie, and the cooing dove called musically to his mate." This description gives enough details for the reader's imagination to take off without bogging down the plot with over-description.

I liked the atmosphere in The Fairy Bride the best. So much of this story depended on the reader coming to understand Neen-i-zu's fascination with the fairies. The description of the environment was important here, but I think the imagery of the fairies was even more key. "It was just the place for leap-frog and all-hands-'round; in the twilight of summer days they were said to gather here in little bands, playing all manner of pranks." This characterization of the fairies made me want to meet them as much as Neen-i-zu did.

Storytelling for Week 9: Rose Fairy

Once upon a time, there was a Native American girl named Rose. She was only two months shy of turning eighteen, and then she would have to get married.

Her mother and father loved her dearly and only wanted the best for her. They had spoken with the parents of Running Bull about an impending wedding. Running Bull was nineteen and a hunter. All he cared about was tracking animals, killing animals, and eating animals. Rose got tired of hearing about it.

Their tribe lived in a field that brushed up against the woods. Tepees and fire pits dotted the area, and the tribe members worked merrily at gardening, crafting, and preparing food.

But when Rose wasn't supposed to be helping her mother weave baskets, Rose sneaked off into the forest to look for the tiny fairies. She had heard stories about the miniscule species growing up. They left little footprints in the soft sand by the brook in the forest. They wove ropes from grasses and coaxed lightning bugs to land on them to make garlands of twinkling lights.

Rose was entranced by the evidence that the fairies left, but she had never seen any.

"Rose, darling, if you spent more time with Running Bull and less time wandering around in the woods, you might like Running Bull more," Rose's mother said.

Rose just rolled her eyes. No matter how much time she spent with Running Bull, she would never like him.

"Mother, do you believe in the fairies?" Rose asked to change the subject.

"I heard the stories about them when I was a girl, but it's hard for me to believe in something I cannot see, Rose," her mother said.

"If I could show you the fairies and how much they mean to me, would you not make me marry Running Bull?" Rose asked.

Rose hoped that her mother would find the deal so farfetched that she would agree to it, and she got her wish.

From then on, she spent even more time in the woods searching for the fairies. She didn't have much time to prove her mother wrong.

On the day of Rose and Running Bull's wedding, Rose stole off into the forest during her last hour before the wedding. The guests were already dressed and waiting for the ceremony to start.

Rose ran through the woods in her flowing white wedding dress. She wore a crown of flowers in her hair. She had to find the fairies.

"Come out! Come out!" she called.

Suddenly, she stopped. As if the fairies had finally understood the urgency of her request, one appeared to her.

(Image information: "Fairies Looking Through a Gothic Arch" by John Anster Fitzgerald 1864.)

He was only about eighteen inches tall. He had raggedy brown hair that hung in his eyes, ivory skin, and deep green eyes. His translucent wings stretched far above his head.

 Rose fell in love with him instantly.

The fairy reached out his hand to Rose, and when she took it, she began to shrink. When she, too, was only eighteen inches tall, the two ran off into the woods together.

And Rose was never seen from again. But every year on her mothers birthday, she wove a rope of grasses and hung miniscule woven baskets.


Author's Note: This story is inspired by "The Fairy Bride" from American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, with illustrations by John Rae 1921.  In the original, Neen-i-zu is supposed to marry a hunter, but she doesn't want to and spends most of her time daydreaming about the fairies. In the end, she does become a fairy. But the rest of the story seemed very slow and passive to me. So in my story, I gave the main girl a more active goal in trying to prove the existence of the fairies in order to get out of an arranged marriage. I chose to retell this story because I really liked the imagery of the fairies.

Reading Diary Week 9: American Indian Fairy Tales

For this week, I chose to read the American Indian Fairy Tales unit.

In the story about Iagoo, the Storyteller I really liked the atmosphere that is set by describing the snow, the wind, and the moon. It made me want to get comfortable and enjoy the stories much like I'm sure the children did.

The king in the story about how Shin-ge-bis Fooled the North Wind reminded me of the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe in the way that we wanted the whole earth to be covered in snow year-round.

This story continues to use the settings that draw the reader in. "When he breathed upon the land, violets appeared in the woods, the wild rose bloomed on the yellow prairie, and the cooing dove called musically to his mate."

It makes since that Iagoo would tell this story about longing for lighthearted summertime during the winter. The children would probably be tired of the cold and snow and would be able to understand winter personified as the antagonist. 

It's interesting to me that the people knew that the South Wind was magic and that he could turn himself into a duck, but they didn't believe that he was powerful enough to beat the North Wind. They must have been very scared of the North Wind.

I like the inclusion of the song about the North Wind. Songs are something that children pick up very quickly, and I think it would make the story more fun for them.

At the end, I thought it was interesting how the South Wind was strong enough to conquer the North Wind in his own cold environment. It shows who truly was the most powerful.

I liked this story a lot. It might be a good one to use for my storytelling assignment.

In the story about The Child of the Evening Star, I thought it was interesting why her sisters didn't like her. "They could not understand her; so they ended by despising her as a silly and unreasonable girl." This is unfortunately many people's reactions to things they don't understand.

In the story about The Boy who Snared the Sun, Iagoo talks about how there used to be only one fire source guarded by two witches. This makes me wonder where the fire came from. Did the witches create it for their own personal use?

I have a real problem with the gender roles in this story. The brother thinks himself high and mighty for shooting the birds, but his sister made the coat. And then he just orders her around, telling her to weave a rope together. You can't act all strong and independent when really it's a team effort.

I know that this story is a myth and that it doesn't have to be super factual. But there is no way for the brother to wait at the hill where the sun would come up because the sun always appears far away on the horizon. I think that if the story is going to boast about a bot snaring the sun, then there should be something a little more exciting to it. And then ending didn't make too much more sense either. I wasn't a fan of this story.

In the story about How the Summer Came, the father knows that he doesn't have to worry about dying because the son can hunt for game. "If some accident should prevent O-jeeg from supplying the family with the game upon which they lived, his son felt sure that he himself could shoot as many squirrels and turkeys as they needed to keep them from starving." This is very illustrative of what it might be like to constantly be in search of your next meal.

I really like this description: "Some wise old men had somewhere heard that the sky was not only the roof of our own world, but also was the floor of a beautiful world beyond, a land where birds with bright feathers sang sweetly through a pleasant, warm season called Summer." I wonder if this could be a version of Heaven. 

In the story of The Fairy Bride, I really liked this description of the girl's eyes. "Her eyes had the look of one who has dwelt in secret places, and seen things strange and mysterious."

The fairies in this story are so mischievous that they remind of the brownies in The Spiderwick Chronicles. 

 

(Image information: "Tam Turtledove, a common house brownie" from Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide, restored by Holly Black and Toni DiTerlizzi, 2005.) 

I think I've decided to retell this story this week. But I'm going to make it much more active. Neen-i-zu and her mother are going to strike up a deal that if Neen-i-zu can prove that the fairies exist, then she doesn't have to marry the hunter.

Week 8 Reading Diary: Assessment

In re-reading the reading diary instructions, I noticed that it said that reading diary posts would differ in length each week depending on how much I liked the reading unit and my reactions to it. I found this really reassuring because some weeks I don't have very much to say, and other weeks I have comments on almost every story.

Typically, when I'm writing, I write about the most positive things like endearing characters, exciting plots, or clever prose. I also focus on negative things like confusing story elements and characters I dislike. In this way, I think I can quickly form opinions about the individual stories.

As far as reading diary tips, I would say that having the reading and your blog post open at the same time is the most effective use of your time. That way when you have comments, you can write them down then instead of trying to remember everything after you finish reading.

While I'm writing my reading diary, I keep notes on which stories I might want to write my storytelling post from. This way, I don't have to skim through all the stories on Wednesdays to remember which ones were my favorites. It also gets me thinking a day or two in advance about how I want to retell the story.

I do like to include quotes when the writer has said something better than I can. Sometimes the descriptions or dialogue really stand out to me.

Often times, a story from the Chinese or Japanese units will remind me of what I consider an American fairytale. I've saw versions of Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel last week.

Compared to my other classes, I would say I remember the readings better than I remember more academic readings. I think this is normal because humans think in the form of stories. We remember stories much better than we remember obscure facts.

Week 7 Essay: Crime and Punishment

In The Chinese Fairy Tales unit, I saw recurring themes of crime and justice. Typically, characters would commit wrongdoings and then receive punishment for them. For example, in the story about The Cave of Beasts, the daughters ate eggs that didn't belong to them, and they were lead into the deathly forest as a result. Another example of justice happens in The Maiden Who Was Stolen Away. The ogre traps the maiden in an attempt to make her marry him, and in the end, he is beaten for his wicked ways. A third example from this unit is in the story about The Panther. Because the panther ate the mother and her son, he endures a lot of pain and eventually death.

 

(Image information: "Black Panther"  by Bruce McAdam 2008.)

To go into detail about the daughters in The Cave of Beasts, I would say their crimes seem the most harmless of the three examples above, especially because their mother gave them the eggs to eat. But regardless, the father saw this as a crime and abandoned them in dangerous forest. However, this might be considered the real crime in the story because the father soon missed his daughters and went back to find them, and it seemed like he had seen the error of his ways. He definitely changed his mind about punishing his daughters when he found out about all of the gems they had discovered!

In the story about the maiden who was stolen away, the ogre could have taken a very different direction. When the maiden was blown on top of the pagoda, he could have helped her down and won her over that way instead of trapping her up there until she agreed to marry him. Once he had done that, I felt like his defeat at the hand of the maiden's brother at the end of the story was completely deserved.

Finally, in the story about the panther, it is clear to the reader that eating a mother and her son is a crime. And so the daughters worked up a whole series of punishments for the panther. He sat on a cushion of needles, was stung by a scorpion, had hot egg yolk sprayed in his eyes, and was bitten by a turtle, and finally, he was beaten to death by wooden clubs. If that isn't justice, I don't know what is.

Week 7 Storytelling: Fuxia and The Ogre

Once upon a time, an old run-down pagoda barely remained standing in the outskirts of a small town in China. It was once a beautiful red, but now the paint was peeling from five stories.

Closer to the center of that small town, there lived a beautiful young girl named Fuxia. One day, she met a handsome young man who was strolling by her home. He was tall, dark, and handsome - as every good fairytale hero should be.

"Dear girl," he called out to Fuxia. "I've never seen a woman as beautiful as you are in my whole life! Would you come on an adventure with me?"

Because it was hot and Fuxia was bored, she agreed to go exploring with the man. Soon after, they arrived at the foot of the pagoda.

 

(Image information: "Kaijusen-ji's Five-storied Pagoda" by 633highland 2006.)

"Wouldn't it be adventurous to climb up to the very top?" he asked.

Fuxia was a little nervous about climbing that many steps, but she had nothing better to do. So the young man and Fuxia went inside the pagoda and climbed. Fuxia huffed and puffed. Her calves ached, and her back grew weary. At long last, they reached the top. From so far up, they could see miles in every direction. The Chinese countryside was beautiful and lush and captivated Fuxia's attention.

While Fuxia was distracted, the man began to climb down without her! And as he did so, he took the steps with him until she was trapped on top of the old pagoda.

"Stop! Come back!" Fuxia called. But as she watched the man leave, he changed into a hideous ogre! He gnashed yellow teeth and glared with red eyes. He had terrible green horns that protruded from his bald yellow head. Fuxia was terrified.

She was trapped on that pagoda for weeks. Each day the ogre would bring her food to eat, and she would have to endure the sight of his true form.

But one day, another young man walked by the pagoda. She called down to him frantically, and when he saw her stuck up there, he vowed to save her. This man was very fit and very brave, and he knew he could rescue her.

Just then, the ogre came tromping through the trees. The rescuer hid and surprised the ogre. He bravely fought the ogre and cut off his head with his sword. 

Then the brave man went to find a very tall ladder, and propping the ladder up against the pagoda, he climbed up to rescue Fuxia.

She was so pleased to be free, and the young man was so pleased to have helped her that he proposed on the spot, and she said yes.

Author's Note: This story was inspired by "The Maiden Who Was Stolen Away" from The Chinese Fairy Book, which was edited by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921). In the original, she is blown away by a cyclone and blown into the path of the ogre, who traps her on the pagoda because she won't marry him. And the rescuer is the girl's brother in the original. I changed it because I wanted this to be a love story after all.

Week 7 Reading Diary: Chinese Fairy Tales

I chose to read the Chinese Fairy Tales unit this week.

In the story about The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck, it is so cool to me that the daughter saw dragons crawling out of the ears of a boy and that that meant he had good luck. I love cultural symbols like dragons in your ears!

I can't imagine my husband leaving and me not hearing anything from him for 18 years! I don't think I would be able to stay faithful to him that whole time. What if he had died or remarried? But I'm glad the princess was able to because it worked out well for her for a whole 18 days before she died. This was a funny story because it was so matter of fact.

In the story about The Cave of Beasts, its funny to me that the father's reaction to his daughters eating his eggs was to lead them to their death in the woods. He must get really angry when he's hungry. But once the daughters find precious jewels, then the father is all too happy for them to come home.

The Panther story definitely reminds me of The Three Little Pigs.

I like stories that explain everyday things that we don't think about unless prompted. In the story about Why Dog and Car Are Enemies, we learn the backstory of their relationship.

The picture of the nine-tailed fox in The Foxfire story reminds me of Pokemon.

The lifestyle and cultural that is described in The Talking Silver Foxes sounds so traditional and communal. I really like the images of the sacrifices and gatherings.

I think it's cool that the boy is homeschooled in The Retribution because I was homeschooled!

In The Night of the Battlefield, I really didn't understand why the man's body came apart. Come to think of it, I really didn't understand the story at all. Besides the dismemberment, nothing really happened.

In The Maiden Who Was Stolen Away, I liked that it reminded me of Rapunzel. I also liked that the villain was an ogre instead of a witch. This would be a fun story to retell for my storytelling assignment.

The Sorcerer of the White Lotus Lodge  really confused be because I didn't understand how the sorcerer had tricked them, which was the entire ending.

Week 6 Essay: The Seductress vs. The Housewife

In the Labors of Yamato, women played two very different and contrasting roles. On the one hand, Benzen, the sea goddess, is mysterious, seductive, and not trustworthy. But on the other hand, Tacibana, Yamato's wife, is obedient, loves him unconditionally, and would sacrifice herself for him.
These roles paint two negative pictures for the roles that were available to women in Japan in the early nineteen hundreds. Women  could either be promiscuous temptresses or kowtowing, opinionless housewives. Speaking as a women and gender studies minor, I think it is infinitely sad that these are the ways that the authors chose to portray the women in this story.

One good point for the roles of women is that at least Benzen was independent and pursued what she wanted. I don't condone lying or stealing, but she did achieve her desires in the end. But what really irked me was that Tacibana knew her husband was off gallivanting around when he was looking for that golden apple, and she didn't seem upset by it. She never confronted or accused him of the poor treatment he was doling out.

Tacibana's strategy seemed to be that if she was meek and didn't whine, her husband would stop his infidelity and come back to her. So she minded her own business in the home, trying to be the perfect housewife.

 

(Image information: "Good House Keeping," an American magazine 1908) 

And then when she saved him from the fiery forest, she seemed sure that she had proved her devoted love to him. But he didn't leave Benzen until she stole his mighty sword. So it wasn't even his choice in the first place to leave his lover.

With that, this story might be about how little power men actually have in regards to some women like Benzen. So in order to feel powerful, they exploit the other women in their lives like Tacibana. I have so many possible theories about the situation that I'm not really sure.

To be fair, women haven't always been portrayed well in other stories we've read for this class. But for some reason, probably the cheating, the gender roles stuck out to me like a sore thumb in this story, and I have to say that I wasn't a fan of that.

Storytelling Week 6: The Miniature Mermaid

Once upon a time, a young man loved to spend all of his time at the beach. His name was Ian, and he made sandcastles, collected shells, and took long walks up and down the shore. But most of all, he snorkeled in the shallow waters to look at the sea creatures. Fish darted past colored all the shades of the rainbow. Tiny crabs clicked their claws at him, and pink sea anemones waved in the gentle water.

Ian was obsessed with the placid nature and tiny stature of the sea life he observed, and the only thing he wanted in the world was to become like the sea creatures he watched.

One day, after he had slipped on his mask and snorkel, he was skimming through the shallow water when he saw a new creature, one he had never laid eyes on before. But he knew what he was looking at because he'd heard his grandmother tell stories about them.

 

(Image Information: "Portrait of a Mermaid" by CaperGirl42.)

 The miniature mermaid wore shimmering shells in her iridescent hair, and where her legs should have been, she had a green-scaled tale. She was the most beautiful sea creature Ian had ever laid eyes on.

The mermaid acted as though she wanted to speak to him but was afraid of his giant-like size. And so Ian got an idea. If he could only shrink his body down to her size, then surly they would fall in love and live happily ever after! Ian tried to explain this genius plan to her before waving and swimming off.

Back on shore, he knew who he needed to speak to about his situation. His grandmother's knowledge of mermaids was extensive, but she was also quick to make a potion to heal your ailments.

Ian hurried to his grandmother's house to explain his predicament. His grandmother's white hair was combed into a neat bun, and she listened attentively as he spoke.

Once he had finished his tale of true love, his grandmother said, "My dear Ian, what should happen if I shrink you, and then this mermaid doesn't fall in love with you? Will you be happy in the ocean alone?"

That thought hadn't even crossed Ian's mind. He was young, muscled, and handsome. Why wouldn't she fall in love with him? But to appease his grandmother, he enthusiastically told her yes because he loved to watch the sea creatures before he even met the mermaid.

With that, his grandmother presented him with a shrinking potion and gave him a hug goodbye. Ian hurried back to the white sand beaches and the clear blue waters. He swallowed the vial of blue potion in one gulp, and instantly, he shrunk down to three inches tall.

Gleeful, he hopped in the water and swam to find his mermaid love. Once he spotted her, he waved frantically. She swam up to him, her eyebrows crinkled.

"Why did you become so small?" she asked.

"I became small because I had to tell you I was in love with you," Ian said.

"With me?" she asked.

He nodded vigorously.

"Well, if you're in love with me, then you should fetch me something to eat."

Ian happily went and found her some seaweed to eat. When he returned, she had another task for him. On and on this continued, until the mermaid had entirely changed Ian's conception of what true love was. He now believed that he was put on this earth to serve his mermaid day and night, and he was happy to do so.

In the end, Ian got what he wanted because he became small like the sea creatures he adored, and the mermaid got what she wanted because she was tired of always having to do her chores. But no one was in love with anyone else.

Author's Note: This story is very loosely based on The Labors of Yamato, in which he finds a woman in a sea grotto and falls in love with her. She says he must prove his love by finding the golden apple. This proves very difficult for him, but once he finally accomplishes it, he brings it to her. In return she steals his sword, and never loves him, and Yamato returns to his wife. The Labors of Yamato is part of The Romance of Old Japan, Part 1: Mythology and Legend by E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917).

I chose to tell this story in Ian's awestruck manner about the sea life because the creatures are so beautiful. My main goal was to paint a picture of the ocean in the reader's mind. I chose to keep the way the mermaid tricked the man, but I removed the man's wife as a character because I didn't like that she was cheated on.

Week 6 Reading Diary: Japanese Mythology Unit

For this week, I chose to read the last half of the Japanese Mythology unit.

In the story of The Labors of Yamato, I have absolutely no idea what "Goddess of Deathless Love" means. I wonder if that got translated funny.

I really like these descriptions of food. They sound very ethereal. "Sweet ambrosial sake they poured into cups of frail-stemmed sea-lilies. Heaps of gem-like fruits gleamed on plates of opalescent anemones."

It's so funny to me to think about hearing people speak like they do in this story during the modern day. And the things they ask of each other are so outlandish.

 

(Image information:"Benzaiten" by Fabio.)

 It was really interesting to me to learn that this statue is the goddess Benten because I've been seeing her for years and never knew who she was. It's been cool to learn more about her story.

Once I found out that Yamoto had a wife and was still pursing the goddess anyway, I liked his character a lot less. His wife is pining for him, and he's off looking for golden apples.

But then we find out that Benten is only trying to trick him to get his sword. I sort of feel like he deserves that.

In the story of the Demon Boar is pretty much the best sentence ever: "Valiantly the pack drove upon him, only to be tossed instantly in air and to fall, tusked through the entrails, in pools of gore." I've never heard anyone use tusked as a verb before, but I'm a fan!

The sense of time and place is very confusing in these stories. The characters are in one location, and then in the next sentence, they've moved somewhere entirely new. But we're not given the progression of actions that led them there. So it's hard to know the relationship between the places. 

Week 5 Essay: Rags to Riches

In the Turkish Fairy Tales reading unit, I thought that the two types of settings contrasted nicely against each other. Almost every story first showed the poor youth in a wilderness setting, and then the story was about the youth's progression into nobility and wealth.


I pictured these stories in a world like the Disney movie Aladdin because I've never been to Turkey.

(Image information: "Stock Aladdin Arabian Palace" uploaded by Greyfaerie4.)

At the beginning of the Fear story, the youth is sitting at home with his mother. I pictured a modest three-room home in an area with wildlife. By the end of the story, the youth has become the shah, the king,  and he has a forty-day long marriage feast. It's a strong contrast between a humble lifestyle and the wealth of a king that so many people dream of. It also reminds me of diversity apparent in Mark Twain's The Pauper and The Prince. 

In the story about the Fish-Peri, the youth begins as an orphan, who is poor and hungry. He becomes a fisherman to put food on his table, and he catches a very special fish, a fairy. The fairy puts his home in order, and he wins her hand in marriage by performing amazing tasks for the king. Once he marries her, there is once again a feast that lasts for forty days and nights. This story shows the disparity between those who have too much food and those who don't know where their next meal will come from.

Finally, in the Patience-Stone and Patience-Knife fairy tale, we open with a poor woman and her daughter. The mother takes in the community's washing and the daughter does embroidery to make a meager living. The girl makes her way to a beautiful palace and finds a prince in need of her help. Once she helps him and he hears the story of the struggles she has endured, he marries her and brings her mother to live with them in the palace.

The contrasting settings in these Turkish fairy tales really helped highlight the recurring theme of rags to riches.