Reading Notes: Folklore of Laos, Part A

The interesting thing about this collection of stories is that ita only shows humans in a negative light. It shows the greed of humans, as well as their selfishness and heartlessness. For example, one stort tells of a woman gping to live with the beasts in the jungle because she does not want to live with man anymore. I understand this sentiment, and I do appreciate that she finally found some good in the people, but ultimately she chose to go back to living with yhe beaats. Another story told of young girls being disowned and taken in again, just to find out the "kind" woman who had tamen them in was a cannibal! It would be refreshing tk have a story where good men prevail. I did not like the stories that showed the negative side of man because I like to believe that there is good in all people. These stories though did not encourage that belief of mine. In reality, the love stories are where the goodness of mankind really presented itself. This was interesting to me because it shows the power of love. A very enchanting story to me was the one of the enchanted lake, ironically enough. I found it interesting that there was no proof of the wonderful place because the enchantment only existed there; it was nonexistent outside of the realm of its enchantment. I was thinking while reading the story how interesting it would be if once man found it, they could not leave. Of course, it is a utopian place, so that would not necessarily be a bad thing. Because I would like to see a story focusing on the positive aspects of human beings, I think it would be nice to see humans rewarded for good behavior. Perhaps only the good people could make their way into the enchanted place, living in paradise for the rest of their days in a place where bad people could not even gain access to.

Enchanted Lake, online source

Bibliography: Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India by Katherine Neville Fleeson, link to online source

Week 6 Storytelling: Why the North Star Lives in the Sky

There once was a star who shone brighter than any other, but she did not know this. See,there was one problem; she was living down on the ground with the people. Don't get me wrong; she loved the people! They would always come to her when they needed her bright light, and they made her feel special. They would compliment her and thank her, but no matter how hard they tried to make her feel like she belonged, she knew this was just not the case. She would look up into the night sky and see the other stars up above, knowing that's where she truly belonged. She just could not bring herself to leave the people who needed her. She felt she owed it to them to remain on the ground for them.

Well, one day some of the villagers were planning a long journey. The journey was going to last several days, and they knew that it would be best if they could travel at night as well as during the day to make the trip faster. However, there was a problem. During the day, directions were easy. They could use the sun's position in the sky to guide their way. The Sun was the Great star; the Ground star admired her so greatly. At night though, there was no such star. There were many stars that illuminated the sky but none bright enough nor consistent enough for them to count on to guide their way. That's when the Ground star had a brilliant idea. She could be like the Sun. She could not only help the villagers but all of mankind each night, as the Sun does each day.

"I will guide you!" She told the villagers, excitedly. "Come nightfall, look for me in the sky. I will shine brighter than any other. When you see me up above, I will be in the north, always there to guide you." The Ground star was not completely sure if her plan would work, but she had to try. She knew there was something special about her, so she decided to follow her instincts. The villagers were sad to see her go but grateful for her offer. Just before nightfall, the ground star ascended toward the sky, excited about what this new life had for her. She passed many stars on her way to her post, and they all complimented her on how bright she was and how they'd been waiting for her to come join them so they could meet her. They had been admiring her from the sky! They immediately treated her like family, and finally, she belonged.

The North Star, online source

When darkness settled, the villagers looked for their star friend, afraid that they would not be able to point her out from all the others. Once they saw her though, there was no mistaking which one she was. They all smiled as they saw her shining down brightly on them. "The North Star," one of the villagers proudly proclaimed, and they set off on their journey.

Bibliography: Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky from Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria, West Africa by Elphinstone Dayrell, link to online source

Author's Note: The original story is an origin story explaining why the sun and the moon live in the sky. This particular collection of stories had many origin stories, but most of them were explaining things about animals. I liked the personification of the moon and sun more, though, especially because the sun and moon were husband and wife in the original story. The waters kept getting higher and higher, eventually forcing the sun and moon out of their own home and into the sky. I liked the idea of them having feelings, which is why I gave the North star feelings and emotions, but one thing I did not like about these origin stories were that they mostly had a negative undertone. Let's face it; getting forced out of one's home isn't exactly a happy ending. I wanted the North star to be happy about her outcome in life, which is why I wrote the story the way that I did.

Reading Notes: Nigerian Folk Stories, Part A

I really love stories about animals that give an explanation for why they are the way they are. They have always fascinated me, and these did not disappoint. These stories make the explanation seem so straightforward and simple. The earthworm story, for example, was very short, which I think helped add to the appeal. Since the world is so complex, it is refreshing to have a simple explanation for why something is the way it is. One of the only things that I did not like about these explanation stories was that they were somewhat negative. Looking at the earthworms again, for example, they were forced to live underground and be blind, but the stories behind these things are not due to the earthworm's choice, which is what does not settle with me. If I were to write an explanation story, I would let the animals have some say in why they are the way they are. After all, they are just stories. Why not make them a little more positive? I was not a fan pf the story of why the hawk eats the chicken either. It was so morbid that the king made the decision to let the hawk eat the chicken children since they could not repay the dowry. I did like how the story was very straightforward again. Its short length and simplicity were still appealing, but I can't get passed the negativity. I did think that the story about the sun and moon was very cute. It was interesting because if I were to give those two things genders, I would have seen the sun as a female and the moon as a male, so it was cool to see the opposite. Although, the sun and moon were driven out of their home to the sky, they got to remain together, and there was something sort of romantic about it.

Sun and Moon, online source

Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria, West Africa by Elphinstone Dayrell, link to online source

                                            

Storytelling: Happiness

Once upon a time, there was a man who lived by himself. One day, he was walking along the sidewalk when he heard the little girl next door exclaim, "I'm so happy!" The man had never known happiness. He grew up in the orphanage all his life where all the children teased him. He was a smart boy, and he grew up to be an esteemed mathematician. This brought him public recognition and wealth, but these things did not bring him happiness as he had expected. His life goal was to find happiness, but he did not even know where to start.

                                                         Happy Little Girl, online source

He called to the little girl, "Little girl?"

"Yes?" She responded sweetly.

"What does that feel like?" He asked.

"What does what feel like?" She responded, confused.

"Happiness," he replied.

"Oh! Well, it's when you feel... happy!" She stated proudly before bouncing back into her home.

It was at this moment that the man realized he would not put off his quest anymore. He would find happiness. He had heard people finding great beauty in watching the sunset on the beach. So, he headed to the beach. He found a secluded area where he could enjoy the sunset by himself. He watched the beautiful colors as they spread across the sky. There was no denying that the sunset was magnificent, but when night finally fell and darkness filled the sky, the man still felt empty inside. No happiness.

As he sat on the beach disappointed, he heard a loud engine behind him. Parking next to his car was an old man in a fancy sports car, a Lamborghini. "Excuse me?" The man said to the older man as he approached the beach.

"Yes?" He replied.

"Are you happy?"

The old man looked confused, but he replied. "Well, yes. I am. Did you see that car I stepped out of? How could I not be happy?"

"Oh yes, of course," the man said, pondering what he had just heard. Well, maybe I should get a Lamborghini. It made him happy. The man thought to himself. So, the next day, he visited a car dealership. He bought a Lamborghini with excitement. Maybe he would finally find happiness. As he drove off, he came to a sad realization. This fancy car had not brought him happiness.

He drove to the park where he spent many afternoons longing for this happiness. As he was sitting on the bench, a little boy ran up to him. He looked frightened. "I lost my mommy!" He cried. The man put his hand on the little boy's shoulder and assured him that they would find her.

"What is your mommy wearing?" The man asked the little boy.

"I don't know!" He cried again, this time with a little more panic behind his voice.


"It's okay, it's okay!" The man assured him again. While he was comforting the little boy, he heard a woman yelling.

"Jackson! Jackson!" She was yelling as she frantically searched.

"Mommy!" The little boy exclaimed as the two reunited. The two embraced before the woman addressed the man.

"Thank you so much!" The woman said to the man, relieved and with true appreciation.

                                             Little Boy Hugging His Mom, online source

The man watched the two reuniting and was touched. A smile spread across his face as he watched the two together. Then it hit him. Happiness. I am happy. This makes me happy.

Bibliography: Fourty-four Turkish Fairy Tales, link to online source

Author's Note: The original story is a boy's search for fear. The typical things that would scare people do not scare him, but he ends up being scared when a bird flies out of pot that he thought was filled with soup. His fear was found unexpectedly as the man's happiness was in my story. I liked the idea of a search for an emotion because when I thought about describing emotions, I realized that it was nearly impossible. One must experience the emotion to truly understand it. I chose happiness because I think this is something for which all people search.

Reading Notes: Turkish Fairy Tales, Part A

I was so captivated by the first story in this group of fairy tales. The main theme of the story was so unique and interesting. The story made me consider something I had never considered before. What if one did not know what fear was? How could someone describe it to that person? This story had me thinking about how feelings really are difficult to describe. For a person to truly understand a feeling, they have to experience it for themselves. Of course, not everyone reacts to certain situations in the same way. There were many things that happened to the boy in the story that would have scared me, but he was not phased. I loved the fact that the thing that scared him in the end was really quite trivial compared to the other things that scared him, but it was the element of such quick surprise, I believe, that did him in. I think it would be interesting to explore this concept with different emotions and feelings; happiness would be a fun one. One of my favorite aspects of these stories were that they were very easy to read. This is, of course, important for fairy tales, which are meant for children, but as a young adult, I still appreciate the simplicity behind them. It is part of what makes the story so entertaining, and it keeps me reading. When the language is difficult, it deters me from wanting to read more. Another fun thing about these stories I that although they are fairy tales, the characters are still relatable. They don't seem like people in a faraway land, but I feel like I can identify with them on a certain level. This is another very important aspect of stories for me because I find myself much more interested in what I'm reading if I can relate to the characters.

                                     The boy watching his coffin be made, online source

Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales, link to online source

Feedback Focus

I liked the copy and delete technique the most, followed by the reading aloud technique and then the timer technique. I think that combining the first two- copy and delete and reading aloud- is the best strategy for me. I already practice the reading aloud strategy, but the copy and delete strategy was surprisingly helpful. I thought the timer strategy would work better then it actually did. The best part about the reading aloud strategy is that it helps you notice more details, but it is more time consuming than just reading in your head. The copy and delete strategy allows you to catch more information for notes, but it can also be time consuming. The timer strategy ensures that you don't spend too much time on a story, but you also don't get as much information or details for notes. 

Focus, Online Source

Storytelling: The Story of the Third Old Man and of the Cat

O, prince of the Genii! I tell you that my story is the most marvelous of them all, for I, in fact, am a cat. I was a loner. I would spend my days perched on a windowsill of whichever place I chose that day. I would watch the passersby, longing for companionship. I would often get shooed away; no one wanted me for a pet. It was a sad life to live, but I had learned to make the best of it. One day though, my boring, lonesome life took an exciting turn.

I was perched in the window of my favorite place, the home of a beautiful, young woman. She lived alone, although I do not know how she had not come upon a suitor. She was always smiling, at her neighbors, strangers, and even me. Although she never took me in, she never shooed me away like the others. She would smile, give a little pat, and continue with her day. Well, this day was different. Shortly after she had entered her home, a man I had never seen before approached her doorstep. I watched him carefully because I had a bad feeling about this one. He gave me a nasty look as he waited for her to answer the door. I hoped she would not hear his knock. He knocked louder this time, and still, I hoped she would not answer. As I heard her footsteps finally drawing nearer to her door, I watched the stranger pull a blade out of his boot. I panicked.

Whatever this man’s business was, it was not good. I only had seconds to act. Everything seemed to happen at once. My beautiful friend opened her door as the man lifted his blade in an attack motion as I leaped from the windowsill toward her assailant. Those next few seconds remained a blur. I landed with precision on the man’s face, causing him to drop his blade as he tried to free his skin from my sharp claws. I would not let any harm befall this woman. While I wrestled with the man, that gave the woman enough time to retrieve his blade. He rushed toward her, my body still obstructing his vision as I held on for dear life- her dear life. She was ready though. She bravely shoved the blade toward him, leading him to be the cause of his own demise as he ran straight into his own blade.

Cat sitting on windowsill, Art by Danielle

By this time, her neighbors and passersby had gathered around her home. Some checked on the woman while others removed the body of her attacker. “Are you hurt?” One woman asked my dear friend.

“No, I am just fine. Thank you,” she replied.

“How did you manage to fight him? He is sucha large man, and you are so small.”

“I had some help,” my love answered as she sent a smile my way. Her neighbors helped her into her home to rest and then returned to their homes. I returned to my spot on her windowsill, now taking on my new role as her protector. I heard a lovely voice call to me from inside. “Cat?” I did not hesitate; I jumped down from the window as I had done so many time, but this time I jumped to the floor inside. I bounded toward her and jumped into her lap. She rubbed my fur affectionately. “You have saved my life,” she said to me. “I can never repay you for this act of service you have done for me.” I nuzzled her hand as she went on. “I would like to do my best to try, though.” And then it happened.

In an instant, I was a human being. My fur had disappeared, leaving only skin. I was standing upright on sturdy legs. I outstretched my arms, staring at them in amazement. I no longer had paws, but I had hands and feet. And fingers and toes! No more claws but nails! As I examined this new form of mine, the magical woman before me brought her lips to mine. “We can now be together, never having to be alone for the rest of our lives,” she said to me, staring into my eyes before she kissed me.

Arabian Nights from The Arabian Nights' Entertainment by Andrew Lang, online source

Author's Note: The original story is actually a collection of stories. Scheherazade must tell these stories to her husband, the evil Sultan, to literally keep herself alive. It is necessary to keep he stories captivating, so the Sultan will spare her life for at least one more day until the next story. She tells one series of stories about three old men, but once she gets to the part about the third old man, she says she cannot remember that one and moves on to a different one. I decided to give that third old man a story. The first two old men told stories of humans turning into animals, so I decided to twist that and tell a story of an animal turning into a human.

Reading Notes: Arabian Nights, Part A

                                                Scheherazade telling her stories, online source

While reading the Arabian Nights stories, I realized that shockingly morbid details are quite captivating. I am a huge fan of happy stories, but a story doesn’t have to start peachy keen to end that way! Nor does it have to have a happy ending- I know- but they are much more fun when they do. I was curious when reading these stories why everyone was seeming to take others’ words for face value. It was as if deceit was not something to be expected from people in this culture. At first, I felt these stories flowed too easily to the point of being unrealistic, but then I realized… They are stories! They don’t have to be realistic. For my storytelling this week, I want to fill in the third story that she could not remember. Instead of a story of humans turning to animals, I think it would be awesome to make the third old man an animal that turned to a human. I want to make it easily understood and straightforward as these stories were. That made them more captivating because I did not have to use my brain too much, and I was onto the next story before I even knew it. I do want my story to include a lesson for the sultan who is being told the stories. I noticed that the phrase, “O, (insert name here)” was used a lot, alluding to her saying “O, Sultan,” so I would like to use that element as well in my own story. Another appealing aspect to these stories is that they do not have much dialogue. They have some, but the story does not rely too heavily on it. I find myself including a lot of dialogue because that is easiest to write for me, but this is not always a good thing. I will try to adapt my writing this time to rely more on the storyteller than the dialogue as these stories do.

Arabian Nights from The Arabian Nights' Entertainment by Andrew Lang, online source

Week 3 Storytelling: Blessing in Disguise

"That is a mighty fine woman there, Pete."

Pete was too busy gawking at the beautiful woman walking by the pool below to answer his co-worker.
"Pete!" John tried again to gain his attention. This time Pete turned his head to John, a confused expression on his face.
"What?"
"Are you staring hard enough as Mrs. Rhodes?"
"My staring at her is making me hard enough, if you know what I mean," Pete answered with a perverted wink.
"Come on, man. That's our boss's wife! Plus, that's just plain distasteful," John responded as he shook his head.
"I'd like to taste her," Pete stated, completely disregarding his co-worker.
"Yeah well, you can't. So you better just get over it. Come on, let's finish trimming these bushes so we can go home."

"John, we are going to have her tomorrow," Pete said to John from the passenger seat of the truck on their way home.
"What are you talking about, man?"
"We are going to have her. Plain and simple."
"First of all," John started, "there is no 'we' here. She is a married woman, and she is not just a piece of meat to take as you please."
"Oh, shut up Johnny! Please!" Pete said with an exasperated sigh. "You'll see."
"Don't do anything stupid, Peter. Number one, she is married. Number two, she doesn't like you. Just grow up," John said sternly. He had had enough of Pete's disrespect and insensitivity.
As John pulled up to Pete's house, Pete simply said, "you'll see," before hopping out of the car and walking to his door. John worried the whole way home. He knew his co-worker was bad news, but surely he wouldn't hurt anybody.

The next day John arrived at Pete's house at 8am sharp. Pete got in the truck, grinning. "You're awfully perky today," John said.
"That's because today is the day, Johnny boy." John shook his head and turned up the radio, oblivious to the ideas brewing in Pete's head. They arrived to the Rhodes residence right on time, as Mr. Rhodes was walking out the door, giving Susanna a goodbye kiss before he left.
"The pool needs a good cleaning, boys. And I need you to replace the lightbulbs in the master bathroom. Ah yes, and tend to anything my sweet Susanna should request!" Mr. Rhodes exclaimed as he entered his vehicle.
"Yes sir," the men said in unison, Pete looking a bit too happy. The two men began fulfilling their daily duties. They started with the pool since that was Mr. Rhodes' first request. Susanna was sitting poolside as she did every morning. They begin clearing the pool of leaves, one man on each side. Pete grinned at Susanna from across the pool; she smiled back innocently. John walked by Susanna, and she asked him if he could get her a glass of orange juice. Of course he agreed since Mr. Rhodes instructions were to tend to Susanna, but he did not want to leave her alone with Pete. The kitchen was all the way on the opposite side of the mansion, but what could he do? It will be fine, he told himself.

Rhodes Mansion, link to online source

Pete watched as John walked to the house. Once he saw the door closed he approached Mrs. Rhodes. She smiled at Pete as he got closer. "How is your day today, Peter?"
"It's about to get way better Mrs. Rhodes," he said as he rushed toward her. He threw himself on top of her, going in for a kiss. Susanna started to scream, but Peter covered her mouth before she could do so. While keeping his hand over her mouth, Peter told Susanna to remain quiet or he would tell Mr. Rhodes that this was her idea. He began undressing Susanna, which did not take long enough, as she was in a swimsuit. Suddenly they heard a car engine. Pete looked up to see Mr. Rhodes pulling in the driveway. He bolted as Mr. Rhodes got out of his car and headed towards the pool. Susanna was in shock and did not know what to do. Simultaneously John returned with the orange juice as Mr. Rhodes walked on the scene. John was just as shocked as Mr. Rhodes, but before anyone could speak Pete suddenly reappeared.
"John how could you!" Pete cried, pretending to be shocked. Mr. Rhodes was furious.
"Somebody tell me what is going on right now!" Pete began explaining to Mr. Rhodes the situation, completely twisting it. He led Mr. Rhodes to believe that John and Susanna were having an affair. Because Mr. Rhodes is away a lot and arrogant, he believed this story. "Get off my property-the both of you! You'll be hearing from my lawyer, Susanna!" Susanna walked away in tears, not knowing where to go, as John followed her in disbelief. John hurried to his car, but before he got in, he turned back to look at Susanna. She looked hopeless, and she had no clothes to wear. John quickly grabbed his sweatshirt from the back seat and ran to Susanna. She was crying when he approached her, but she gladly took the sweatshirt. John nervously asked, "Mrs. Rhodes, would you like a ride somewhere?"
"Just call me Susannah," she said, wiping away the tears. "I'm not Mrs. Rhodes anymore. But yes, that would be lovely." The two got in the car as Mr. Rhodes and Pete watched from the pool. Mr. Rhodes was already on the phone with his lawyer.

two years later:
Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes got a divorce.
Mr. Rhodes remarried... But she left him and took almost everything in the divorce.
Pete ended up incarcerated for rape-serving 20 years.
John and Susanna are dating, and John plans on popping the question soon!

Author's Note: I changed this story a whole bunch, but I had a lot of fun with it. The story was developing even as I wrote it. I used the story in the Bible as my inspiration. Susanna is falsely accused of being unfaithful by her attackers who attempted to rape her. She is almost sentenced to death, but Daniel finds a way to prove her innocence. There was a lot of betrayal in that story, so I used that as a recurring theme in my story as well. In addition to using the same idea from the story to have Susanna have a happy ending while her attacker have a just one.

Bibliography: The story of Susanna from the Book of Daniel in the Bible, link to online source