Week 13 Storytelling: The Two Friends Who Had a Drink

The sound of the young man's steps echoed through the deserted cemetery as the crisp breeze whistled through the trees. Flashes of dim light from the full moon peered through the branches and illuminated the gravestones so that he could see the names on each. He hastened to the newest tombstone where his very best friend in the world lay. He stared at the name carved in the stone and fought back tears as he knelt in the grass.

"Hi... I miss you... I know we promised we would never miss each other's birthdays so here I am... all by myself in this graveyard at night..." the young man spoke aloud as he looked around the cemetery in anxious curiosity and fear. He did not like being in such a place at night and he wished more than anything that his friend could join him.

(The graveyard at night while the young man was visiting)

As soon as he had finished speaking, he felt the ground rumble beside him and separate as the lid to a coffin flung open. Grass and dirt flew as the earth re-settled with the coffin now lying wide open and a corpse slowly rose into an upright seated position. The young man could hardly speak or turn his eyes away from the sight of his dead best friend rising from the grave. The two stared at each other for what seemed an eternity before the corpse erupted into laughter and tackled the young man with a giant hug. Their embrace wore away the shock and the two excitedly began talking and catching up on all that had occurred since the death. After several minutes of conversation, the corpse reached into his coffin and removed a bottle of liquor and two gauntlets for them to drink and reminisce. The corpse poured mighty portions for each and the earth seemed to spin around them while they drank. The young man wondered what sort of liquor he was consuming but he knew his friend would never lead him astray so it must be safe. They both quickly finished their first cups without hesitation.

"Quaff another cup, dear friend!" the dead man exclaimed as he refilled each cup and returned one to the young man.

Accompanied by good conversation, they finished the second cups of liquor and looked around them. The world looked eerily different and the graveyard appeared to be in much greater degradation. It did not fully process for the young man what was occurring so he agreed to a third glass of the mysterious liquor. The young man and dead man enjoyed themselves so heartily that at the end of the third glass they drank, they both drifted off into a deep sleep.

The young man jolted awake several hours later by the bright light of the day and the chirping of birds. He slowly sat up and looked to the gravestone where his friend had been, only to see the ground undisturbed and the gravestone intact. He wondered by what magic he had been able to see his dear friend seemingly alive and in person and regretfully realized that he had not had the chance to say goodbye after such a fun night of merriment. He rose to his feet, feeling a pounding in his temples, and wandered to the entrance of the graveyard. He again noticed that it was in significantly poorer repair and grass and vines had grown up over many of the gravestones. He exited the gate and looked to his left and right, met with giant creatures made of some sort of metal and four round legs sitting in the grass. He shook his head in confusion and carried on to return home.

As he walked, he saw a giant, winding black object pass through the grassy field and when he stepped on it, he realized it was not a snake as he had initially thought but a hard, flat surface. He heard a rushing sound and looked behind himself just in time to leap out of the way as another metal creature rolled by at a high speed. He threw himself to the ground and hid, thinking it was coming for him, but it simply passed along and disappeared into the distance. The young man was absolutely bewildered at this point so he ran in the direction he remembered his town being in. 

When he reached his hometown, he stopped in his tracks and stood still next to a statue of a man as hundreds of the motorized creatures spun around him on the black surface and blaring horns filled his ears. He saw multitudes of people walking along streets carrying small tablets with bright screens and chattering at fast paces. He whirled around trying to keep up but only become more disoriented. Finally, the young man grabbed the attention of a young woman who seemed pleasant and willing to help.

(The statue where the young man stood looking at all the people pass by)

"Excuse me, miss, can you tell me where I am? And... what year it is?" he hesitantly asked, embarrassed by his apparent lack of knowledge.

"Well, it's the year 2017 and you're at the University of Oklahoma! How did you not know that?" she quizzically asked with a puzzled look on her face. The young man stood still for a second, wondering how to even begin telling her that his dead friend had risen from the grave and given him a drink that had somehow made thousands of years pass without his realizing. So he decided to skip that part and, since he did not know anything about the town or year he was currently in, to see if this beautiful young woman would assist him.

"It's... a long story. But I'm here now and I can't seem to go back so do you mind showing me around this... university? Is that what you called it?" he said with a hopeful smile.

The pretty young lady smiled at him, clearly interested in his offer and handsome looks, and agreed before turning to walk down the street and begin her tour of the greatest university on earth.


Bibliography: Russian Fairy Tales , a collection of Muscovite folklore by Ralston

Author's Note: To be completely honest, this story did not quite turn out how I wanted but I decided to follow through with it. I liked the premise of the original source story with two friends drinking the night away and many years passing by because everyone can relate to that, can't they? Only one of the friends was dead and had risen from the grave for such a fun night. I decided to make many thousands of years pass instead of only three hundred so that the young man could end up in modern times. While I was thinking of that and picturing the only cemetery I've ever been to being in Norman, I decided to place him on OU's campus. The thought of him stumbling upon the business of the south oval made me laugh and fit the idea I was searching for perfectly. While I didn't this because I liked the mystery of it, I formulated the idea of the dead man caring enough for the young man that he sent him into the future because he knew he would have a better future there and would find the woman of his dreams. Similarly, the original story had the young man traveling to find his bride when he found the grave but I wanted to remove that portion so that the beginning could simply focus on their deep friendship.

Reading Notes: Russian Folktales, Part B

The Witch Girl

• Every night, a witch girl passes through houses and kills the entire household but one man stays awake and catches her so she does not kill the house
• It would be interesting to make it a romance story where the witch has the chance to kill them all but she thinks the man is handsome

The Headless Princess

• The princess was a witch and a young boy saw her remove her own head and had to read psalms over her for three nights while she conjured up horrors to scare him
• Could elaborate from his point of view on the horrors experienced by the young boy and the sort of demons and terrors that tried to attack him

The Fox Physician

• A man's wife died and a fox told him he could cure her with a bath of oatmeal and butter, but instead he ate all of the bones clean
• It would be funny to make the items that the fox needs to cure her ridiculously long and absurd

The Two Friends

• Two friends had a pact that they would invite each other to their weddings, even if the other was dead, so one friend stopped his search for his bride to go to the graveyard and invite him
• Could fast forward more than three hundred years from the cup's drink so that he is now in modern times and does not understand what all the technology and advances are

(The graveyard at night where all the corpses come alive)

The Coffin-Lid

• A corpse rises from his coffin at night and goes into the village to kill young lads
• Would be interesting to tell the story from the point of view of the corpse because he is jealous and angry that he died so early while other young men live

The Two Corpses

• A man is chased at night by a corpse into a chapel where there was another corpse and they fight over who gets to eat the man before they fall down at sunrise
• Could expand upon telling the dramatic story of their fight over the man 

The Soldier and the Vampire

• A terrible warlock was haunting the town and killed the bride and groom at a wedding, so everyone wanted their revenge
• A soldier discovered they had to burn him and kill all of the reptiles and insects that would come out from inside him 
• Could change the story so that the healing the bride and groom did not work and the people all turned on the soldier, thinking he was the warlock

 Bibliography: Russian Fairy Tales , a collection of Muscovite folklore by Ralston

Reading Notes: Russian Folktales, Part A

The Dead Mother

• A dead mother visits her baby at night and when the caretaker woman and father waited up to see why it stopped crying, the baby died at dawn
• Could expand on how the house became so scary right when the ghost mother visited

The Bad Wife

• It would be fun to change the story to a modern setting for all of the things that the wife would not do 
• Could tell the story from the imp's point of view as it went around to the houses making people ill and being very sly and cunning

The Miser

• A miser borrowed a copeck from a poor man and pretended to be dead when the miser came by to get his copeck back
• Could actually have Marko be killed by the robbers and have him be stuck following the poor man around as a ghost and seeing how happy he is, even though he's poor

Friday

• The woman did not pay due reverence to Mother Friday so it would be funny to have her enter in the night and play all sorts of pranks on the woman (like kids did at camp)

The Leshy

• A girl wandered far into a forest and was taken into a hut by the Leshy and put under its spell so that she did not remember he mother or father or how she got there
• Could tell the story of a typical day in the life in their hut while the Leshy provided for her

Emilian the Fool

• The fool caught a magical pike in his pail one day and when he threw it back in, it granted him magical powers to do whatever he pleases
• It would be interesting to rewrite this in a modern day setting with him finding some critter that isn't a fish but has the same magical powers

 (Magical Pike)

Bibliography: Russian Fairy Tales , a collection of Muscovite folklore by Ralston

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

I can't believe that the semester is over and I am just now downloading the Canvas mobile app! It is so cool and I wish I would have heard about it before now. I really like how the courses page is the homepage because it is so easy to navigate, especially with the bright colors to differentiate each class. The "To Do" tab is my favorite because it helps you stay organized and aware of what's coming up in the following week! I also like the push notifications option because sometimes I don't think to check and I miss important details. This way I can be reminded without having to think of checking myself. Hopefully, this will help me stay motivated for the last few weeks of school so that I don't get behind in any of my classes... Very cool app that I recommend to everyone!

Week 12 Storytelling: The Three Little Pigs' New Houses

Once upon a time there was an evil and vicious wolf who made rounds prowling the lands once a month looking for little pigs to swallow whole. Every pig was so afraid of him that they each made a house out of what they thought would be the strongest material to keep them safe when the wolf came by looking for his next meal. No one ever knew when he would be coming next so they always had to make sure they were prepared. When each pig was old enough to move out of their parent's homes, it was exciting and ceremonious for all of the other pigs to see what material they chose. On their eighteenth birthday, each pig entered the magical woods and whatever material they first laid eyes on was theirs for the taking. Some hoped for wood, some for stone, others for twigs and tall blades of grass. Each was different and the community of pigs eagerly awaited at the edge of the forest to see what the pigs chose.

However, in some ways, it was a competition to see who chose most wisely and those who felt certain of their choices knew that their houses would withstand the big bad wolf and thus did not fear his return. Growing up, every little pig dreamed of what they would one day build their house out of and the three little pigs, Ted, Stan, and Glen, who were all best friends, were no exception. All three of their birthdays were on the same day and they spent all night thinking of what material would become available to each of them when they entered the woods. When the sun rose on the morning of Ted, Stan, and Glen's birthdays, each shot up in their beds and eagerly rushed to the forest with a satchel where a crowd was gathered to cheer them on. Each took a deep breath, excitedly smiled at each other, and set off into the forest. The crowd hushed into a silence to await each pig's return.

 (Left to Right: Ted, Stan, and Glen on their birthdays)

Ted ran as fast as he could to separate himself from his friends and acquire what he believed would be the best material for his home. He searched and searched and suddenly beheld in front of him a pile of colorful and dirty plastic. The light reflected off of the material, beckoning Ted closer. He had never seen such an amazing matter in his life and knew that he would surely have the sturdiest house of them all if he chose the plastic. He scooped the plastic into his satchel and with an enormous grin on his face, walked back to the crowd at the edge of the forest. He passed Stan and Glen still running around frantically searching for their predestined material source. Stan looked under bushes and inside of hollowed trees before a glistening reflection of light momentarily blinded him. He stepped closer to investigate and realized it was a large heap of aluminum, just waiting for him to claim in his satchel. He shouted for joy at his excellent find and ran back to the edge of the forest to share in his excitement. with his friends.

Only Glen remained and he was quickly becoming frantic that he was the only one out of the three who had not yet found his future home materials. As soon as he had begun to lose all hope for his safety against the wolf, he stepped into a suspiciously malleable substance. He looked down to see orange putty sticking to his feet and he sighed in relief. It was the perfect material for him and he could build his house however he wanted. He scooped up all of the putty he could manage and flung it into his satchel before running back to the edge of the forest. Since he was the final pig to return, he was greeted with cheers and hugs from his fellow pig friends. They were all mesmerized by the colorful and beautiful finds each pig returned with and they all knew that the neighborhood of homes would be much brighter with the new homes of Ted, Stan, and Glen.

All of the pigs worked tirelessly over the next week to build the sturdiest, safest, and best-looking houses all in a row for Ted, Stan, and Glen to move into just in time for when they saw the wolf slowly approaching their neighborhood one day.  Each pig rushed into their own home and the three friends were eager, though afraid, to see if their houses would withstand the wolf. The wolf huffed and puffed and blew the first house made of sticks that he encountered down, sending the pig squealing away in fright. He then blew the second house may of hay down and snatched the pig up before it could escape. This continued until the wolf had blown down all of the houses in the village because they were not as sturdy as the three young pigs'.

(Photo of Ted's house made of plastic)

When the big, bad wolf reached Ted's house made of plastic, he huffed and puffed and tried to blow the house down but it did not budge. He quickly rushed to the next house, made of aluminum, to hide his embarrassment from his inability to blow Ted's house down, but alas, he was not able to blow down Stan's house either. So he rushed to Glen's, took one look at the mysterious putty molded into a little townhouse, and ran far away in an attempt to preserve his dignity. The pigs reluctantly exited their houses to survey the damage and were surprised to see that their houses were the only ones that had withstood the wolf. As sad as they were about the houses that had been lost, they smiled at each other with pride and rushed to the forest where they searched for more plastic, aluminum, or putty to rebuild the other pigs' houses and protect them from the wolf if he ever dared return.

Bibliography: English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, published in 1890, about folktales and fairy tales that are considered native to England and the lowlands of Scotland

Author's Note: I had fun this week taking a story that everyone is familiar with and putting my own twist on it! Originally, the houses that the three pigs made were of sticks, straws, and brick and the wolf was unable to blow the last one down. So I took the liberty of changing the materials that the three pigs used for their houses by making it a contest to see who had the best houses as well as having them use ridiculous, manufactured goods that are basically trash and would never withstand the wolf. It was funny to imagine them building houses out of plastic, aluminum, and putty and so I decided to make them actually take the wolf's huffs and puffs. I also gave the pigs generic and silly names as well as made them three young pigs who were friends. I liked the idea of a pig community that they lived in, so I expanded on that so there could be traditions and customs they have for coming of age.

Reading Notes: English Fairy Tales, Part A

Tom Tit Tot

• A wife had to spin five skeins a day or else her husband would kill her so a black little impet did the work for her every day in exchange for her guessing his name
• She spent every day guessing so it would be funny to guess the most ridiculous and extravagant names imaginable and for none of them to be right

The Rose Tree

• An evil stepmother did not like her beautiful, blonde-headed daughter so she cut off her head with an ax and stewed her liver and heart for her husband and son to eat
• She was buried under a rose tree and it would be interesting to write the aftermath and the husband and son's sorrow that she can see from inside the rose tree

The Old Woman and Her Pig

• Her pig wouldn't cross the stile so she asked many objects and animals to help her get it home
• Would be interesting to expand on the number of objects and animals she asked (dog, stick, ox, fire, etc.) so that it becomes ridiculously long and intricate

Binnorie

• A jealous princess had her sister drowned because her former lover loved the sister instead but a famous harpist found her chest bones and made a harp that sang about her death
• It would be cool if creatures in the water and even the water itself all cooperated to help bring the sister back to safety at the shore of Binnorie and catch the evil princess

Cap O' Rushes

• A father asked his daughters how much they loved him and it would be funny to use the most ridiculous analogies for each
• He turned one away whose response he didn't like and she came back disguised as a maid

The Story of the Three Little Pigs

• The wolf who wanted to blow down the pig's brick house kept asking the pig to go to various events to get him out of the house and allow him to eat him
• Could change the effects to funny modern day things like going bowling or to get ice cream

 (Picture of the wolf trying to enter the pig's brick house)

Bibliography: English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, published in 1890, about folktales and fairy tales that are considered native to England and the lowlands of Scotland

Famous Last Words: Not Ready to Graduate!

Well, to be honest, I did not really enjoy my reading for this week nor did I like how my story turned out! The source stories were fine but I had trouble imaging plot twists or ways to make the story my own. I had fun actually writing it but it definitely did not seem like my best work nor do I think the readers enjoyed it. I also had great difficulty finding images to use this week, so it was an overall trying week 11 for my story. However, I am having so much fun writing my Storybook and really appreciated the feedback I got this past week on my latest story! I have enjoyed getting to know and expand on Don Quixote's craziness and the modern day news anchors are so much fun to write about. I love that everyone is just silly and incompetent in my Storybook so I have the liberty to add all the funny little thoughts I have while brainstorming. It has been a source of enjoyment for me so far!

I also really enjoyed the Storybooks that I chose to read this week! I had already read one that I was assigned so I read one about the use of Twitter and Tindr to retell the story of Little Red Riding Hood as well as Cupid and Psyche. I loved the images and screenshots that were incorporated and found myself laughing throughout the entire story. It was such a creative idea and I look forward to checking back in later this semester. Another one I enjoyed was a combination of medical stories that made up Grey's Anatomy, which is my favorite show. While writing my feedback, I mentioned several tips for the correct uses of several anatomical and medical terms and how to make them seem more realistic... which made me realize the level of nerd I have reached. But hey, it was fun to write about and share my nerdy knowledge!

I am also currently in denial that the semester is almost over and the fact that I am about to graduate from the greatest university ever... Every time I go to an event, I think about how it is my last time experiencing such fun college things and I get pretty emotional. I'm not really a crier but I've been crying a lot lately at the thought of never seeing so many of my friends again! I like to think that I will keep in touch with many of them, but life happens and things get crazy. So I'm trying to cherish these last few weeks (which is hard with the stress of my capstone quickly approaching) while I can and appreciate all of the wonderful little things that make up OU!

 

(A picture of how I imagine graduation will be... From Indian Intern)

Tech Tip: Canvas Notifications

For this week's Tech Tip, I learned how to adjust the notification settings in Canvas! For the entire semester, I have been receiving far too many emails from Canvas and I figured it was time to change that. After watching the video on Notification Preferences, I went to my profile and adjusted what alerts I would receive and when. Most of them I actually ended up unselecting so that I would not receive summaries, but grades and conversations I changed to immediately and weekly summaries. I also found a cool option to include the newly recorded grades in the emails because let's be honest, that moment of panic trying to get the internet to load a score after seeing the notification is the living worst. Now I can see it instantly! I am excited about this Tech Tip and think it is very helpful!

Week 11 Storytelling: The Summoner and the Fiend

Hi, my name is Steve and I am who they call the Fiend. My dwelling place is in hell and I walk around on earth to collect what is mine each day. I bring those whose time has come back to hell with me at the end of the day. Some people have long been awaiting their day of departure while others are ripped from their lives before they are ready. I bring them home with me nonetheless. I receive a list each day of who and what are to become mine and I ensure that I get them. I also look like a normal human man so many do not even notice what I do and I would like to keep it that way.

However, today is different than other days however because I have stumbled across a summoner, an official of the court, who has decided to befriend me. He did not know at first that I am the Fiend so for some reason, he instantly swore to be friends with me forever and offer our houses to each other should we ever need them in the future. I have never had a friend before so I wasn't sure how to turn him down, but I greatly regret it now. He's very enthusiastic. He has been following me around on my mission since noon and asking many questions about my trade of bringing people and belongings to hell. He said he thought I was a yeoman at first so he desires to see what I actually do instead and learn from the great Fiend himself. How does he even know who the Fiend is? I thought I had been quite discrete over the years but perhaps my name has spread.

My list today is not long so it unfortunately leaves much room for conversation. As we walk to the nearby village where I will take an old lady and her twelve pence, the summoner and I come across a man yelling at his two donkeys and cursing them, wishing the Fiend to take them from him. I force myself to turn my eyes away so that I am not tempted to get off schedule and take the donkeys before it is time. The summoner looks excitedly at me, neither subtle nor inconspicuous in the slightest, to see if I plan to take the donkeys from the man. He does not seem to understand that I have a strict checklist that I adhere to each day and I would never take a life before it is time. I ignore him and continue walking, in hopes that he will settle down and the man will not think anything of my presence.

We enter the town gates and head straight to the house of the old woman whose time has come. The summoner's excitement grows with each step and he energetically quizzes me about how I plan to persuade the lady to come to hell with me. I try to satiate him with half-hearted answers so that he will shut his mouth, but he is seemingly unaware of the dryness in my voice. My annoyance at him grows by the minute and I look forward to getting the old woman and her money so I can be on my way.

I decide to let the summoner help me so that he will bother me no more. I tell him to knock on the woman's gate and tell her to come outside. He does so but she resists and stays inside, so I tell him to threaten her with a bill requiring her presence at the archdeacon's court tomorrow to answer to charges against her. She resists again on the account of her sickness, which I am highly skeptical of, and requests for someone to appear in her place, even though she does not know what the charges against her are for. The summoner, who is clearly enjoying this exchange far too much, turns to me in eager anticipation of my approval. I roll my eyes and nod my head yes, allowing him to accept this proposal. He offers to appear in court for her for the price of twelve pence and she agrees, saying she will be right out to give the money to him in person. The summoner and I wait in silence until she steps outside with a small purse of coins. I whisper that I'll show him how it's done and step forward to accept the money from the woman. The second my hand touches hers, she instantly vanishes and is transported to hell where I will shortly join her.

The summoner stands in such awe of the task I just performed that he can't help but have the largest grin on his face. So I figure that I owe him at least a firm handshake, to which he is delighted. I then wave and with coin purse in hand, I step over to the same spot in which the old woman disappeared and do the same myself. Thankfully, I never saw the summoner again after this moment but I hope that he went about the rest of his day and life normally and does not still search for me from time to time.

(Hell, where Steve is from as well as where he takes people)

Bibliography: Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in a modern adaptation called Chaucer's Story Book by Eva March Tappan (1908).

Author's Note: In the original source story, the summoner encounters a man who he thinks is a yeoman but discovers he is the Fiend that roams the earth and takes people and things to hell when it is their time. He is curious about this and so he follows the Fiend as he goes to the town village to take twelve pence from an old widow and the Fiend even lets him be a part of it by talking to the old lady and convincing her to give up her money. I wanted to rewrite this story from the point of view of the Fiend himself, who I gave the harmless name of Steve, and share the perspective I imagined him having while I read the original story, which was that the summoner was very annoying to the Fiend and that he was frustrated with having him tag along and try to learn from him. I chose not to include any direct dialogue so that it could convey how disinterested the Fiend was in the scenarios before him since it is merely an everyday task he is completing. I felt sort of mean making him ignore the summoner but it was necessary for the mood I was trying to create. I hope it was an enjoyable read!

Reading Notes: Canterbury Tales, Part B

The Prioress's Tales: Little Hugh

• A young boy in the Jewish quarter sang a song so loudly that the evil Jews plotted to have him killed but instead of dying he lived long enough to fill the whole town with his song
• Instead of dying and since he called out to Christ's mother, perhaps he doesn't die in the end and the whole town is gifted with music

 Nun's Priest's Tale: The Cock, the Hen, and the Fox

• The cock had a dream that the Fox was chasing him and the Hen said she didn't like his cowardice, but the Fox could actually steal the Hen away or even woo her
• Could talk about the man who had 3 identical dreams that his friend was being murdered but since he didn't believe his dreams, they came true. Could even change it to modern day.
• The Fox steals the Cock away while he is distracted by singing and they could run off together and become best friends in some far away country

(The sneaky Fox waiting to steal the Cock away)

The Canon's Yeoman's Tales: The Priest who Learned to be a Philosopher

• A Canon told a Priest that he could teach him how to be a philosopher by teaching him to pour coal in a crucible, but he sneaked a coal with silver fillings into the crucible
• Could expand on the trickery of the Canon and make them go on ridiculous errands to satisfy the "recipe" and the Priest is none the wiser

Bibliography: Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in a modern adaptation called Chaucer's Story Book by Eva March Tappan (1908).

Reading Notes: Canterbury Tales, Part A

The Unknown Bride

• A knight is punished with the threat of death if he cannot travel the land and discover what it is women want. Could make up absolutely ridiculous things that women tell him when he asks.
• Could also make him turn into an old man at the end rather than the old lady turning into a beautiful young woman once they are married
• Could change the setting to modern times searching on a college campus or in a big city

The Story of the Summoner

• The fiend, Satan himself, has to wait for people to curse things to his name before he can take them to hell with him. Could tell his story in first person or dialogue format as he travels completing his duties for the day and taking things from people.

The Promise of Dorigen

• Dorigen waited faithfully for her husband to return but was so fearful that he wouldn't that she promised Aurelius she would marry him if he could make all of the stones at the lake disappear
• She didn't expect Dorigen to complete the task with the help of a wizard so she was devastated when she had to leave her husband, but Aurelius wouldn't have her since she was sad 
• This would be an interesting story to set in present day with an impossible task 

The Pardoner's Tale: The Revelers Who Went Out to Meet Death

• Three drunk men set out to find Death who had killed their friend but they found an enormous pile of gold instead and claimed it for their own
• They all ended up plotting to kill each other and succeeding
• Could expand on their bumbling drunkenness and make them have ridiculous conversations while searching for Death and before they even found the gold

(The three drunk men trying to avenge their friend who was killed by Death)

Bibliography: Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in a modern adaptation called Chaucer's Story Book by Eva March Tappan (1908).

Tech Tip: Weather Widget

In this week's tech tip, I learned how to add a weather gadget to the sidebar of the homepage of my blog! It took me a few minutes to get the hang of it, especially because I accidentally added it to the header first instead of the sidebar, but I quickly figured out it wasn't so hard. All I had to do was paste the HTML link and add it as a gadget- simple enough! I even experimented with color schemes that I like best! I decided on a neutral tan gadget to complement the bright colors of my blog, but I'm not sure if I like it or how long I'll keep it. Regardless, I am excited I learned how to do it because I've seen the weather gadget on other people's blogs and thought it was cool! I recommend trying this out!

Week 10 Storytelling: How Fire Was Stolen from the Pine Trees

I feel so guilty. It's so cold outside and here I am safe and warm by the fire. There are animals out there who are freezing and even dying because they don't have the secret of fire. No one has the secret of fire except for us. We won't even share it with other trees who aren't Pine Trees. My father, leader of the Pine Trees and the tallest of them all, had just called a council of all the trees to discuss our secret. Some of the other Pine Trees wanted to help the other animals since this is the coldest winter we've ever had, but my father says no. He wants to remind everyone in our community that sharing our secret is not an option because it has been ours for many generations and our ancestors entrusted us to guard the secret with our lives. They wanted us to live on in history as the only ones who ever knew how to make fire.

 (The council of the great Pine Trees in the dreadful winter)

So I feel guilty. I have been sitting near this fire for two hours now, listening to the conversation of all the Pine Trees in our great council and trying not think of the miserable animals that we are selfishly hurting with our secret. As I look across the meeting of all the tall Pines stretching to the sky as they listen, a small flash of color catches my eye at the edge of the circle of trees near the bank. I squint and peer closer to tell what the strange object is when I realize it's a small, furry animal hiding underneath a log and staring at the fire. There are guards stationed all around our encampment so I don't know how such a creature managed to hide from all of the trees and I am certain I'm the only one who's noticed it. The glow from the fire glimmers in its eyes and I can see that it is hurting, cold, and starving, staring desperately at the fire.

 (The fire that the Pine Trees gathered around and kept secret)

Upon closer inspection, I realize it it's a beaver lying in wait and before I can do anything, it pounces toward the fire. It grabs one of the small coals from the fire and runs off, quickly weaving between the Pines who stare in astonishment at what is occurring before their eyes. No one moves for a minute and then I jump to my feet to run after the beaver so that I can direct it out of our encampment and help it return home safely. Being the smallest of the Pine Trees, I am also the fastest as I chase after the beaver and I quickly create distance between the other Pines and myself. I quickly catch up to it and gesture for it to follow me. I lead it through the winding trail through our encampment, veering sharply left and right every few feet, until we reach the edge of the forest and the beginning of the flat plains of land where I can no longer lead.

(The brave Beaver who stole the fire from the Pine Trees)

It continues running but looks back at me with a grateful look in its eyes and the coal still wedged firmly in its large teeth. I sigh with relief and smile that it made it safely away until I hear the pounding of the pursuit of the angry Pines behind me before they swiftly pass me. They follow the beaver but it is much farther ahead of them and I know it will escape. But my smile quickly fades as I feel a tap on my shoulder and I turn around to see my father disapprovingly shaking his head at me. He turns and motions to me to follow him back to the fire of the council where he will certainly discipline and chastise me. I can handle whatever my father says as long as I made a difference by helping, though I know he'll remind me of our ancestors and our many years of tradition that I just ruined. I don't care. I look back one time at the beaver far off in the distance and smile, knowing that I truly helped make a difference and that the secret of fire will soon help many others.

Bibliography:
Pacific Northwest Unit is an anthology (by Judson) of stories from a variety of tribes such as the Klamath, Kwakiutl, Shasta, and Nez Perce. 

Author's Note: 
In the original source story, it tells of how the beaver stole the fire from the Pine Trees at their great council meeting and ran far to bring it back to the animals, all the while the Pine Trees were chasing after it. The trees followed in pursuit and stopped at random places across the river when they were tired, thus there are trees along the Big Snake River. I wanted to tell the story from the point of view of one of the Pine Trees because it drove me crazy that they were so selfish to keep the secret of fire from everyone else during the coldest winter. So I created a character, the narrator, that felt bad and wanted to help in some way and told of its interaction with and assistance to the beaver. I imagined these trees as moving around like Ents from Lord of the Rings but I could not find any images of them to include in this story. However, that it how I hope the Pines are perceived by readers as they were roaming the earth before there were humans. This was difficult for me to write in the present tense but I wanted to challenge myself and had fun writing it. 

Reading Notes: Pacific Northwest, Part A

How Silver-Fox Created the World

• Silver-Fox stretched the world out each night in all directions until it was the size it is today so could expand on just how he did that and talk about any complications he had with making it
• Coyote could be really jealous of Silver-Fox's ability to create so much

How Old Man Above Created the World

• Chareya, Old Man Above, created all of nature and the animals but feared the powerful Grizzly he created so could write from the Grizzly's perspective as a bully of Chareya
• Could also expand on all of the nature and animals he created and write about the process

How Beaver Stole Fire

• The Pine Trees were the only trees that knew how to make fire and they hid their gift from all of the animals who were freezing, could talk about their culture and selfishness
• Brave Beaver stole a coal and ran away from them so it would be exciting to go into more detail on the chase and how he narrowly escaped
• Could also write diary entries of a young Pine Tree who feels guilty keeping all of the fire secret while all of the animals are miserable

(The Beaver lying in wait during the Pine Trees' Council Meeting) 

 As-Ai-Yahal

• Could tell the story of how the god travelled the land and when he did not like something, he drastically changed it or cast it away which could make the people very angry at him

Woodrat and Rabbits

• Young woodrat was a gossip and started all sorts of rumors about and fights with the rabbits
• His lodge caught on fire one day as karma and he and his rude mother died 

Why There Are No Snakes on Takhoma

• Tyhee Sahale was angry with the people and the bad animals so he shot arrows into the sky and climbed up with his children and the good animals, cutting the arrow trails when the bad animals tried to follow
• Could have the bad animals revolt and start a furious battle when he tries to cut the trails

Bibliography:
Pacific Northwest Unit is an anthology (by Judson) of stories from a variety of tribes such as the Klamath, Kwakiutl, Shasta, and Nez Perce. 

Google Timer Tech Tip

I saw this Tech Tip when I was doing extra comments and thought it was such a fantastic idea to try! I am often guilty of either extreme when I study: I either study for 12 hours straight with no break or my short break turns into several hours of Netflix...oops! I tried this timer and found it to be not only helpful for staying on track with breaks but also motivating to focus and get assignments and studying done within a time constraint as well. It works for both! I did not know Google had this option prior to this Tech Tip so I am very glad I found out about it and I know that I will be using it in the future!

(Pocket Watch Timer)

Week 9 Storytelling: Atdlarneq Eats Himself Sick

One fine day, the fine and handsome young man, Atdlarneq, was venturing through the dense forest hunting for his dinner when he stumbled across a little house in an open field just beyond the trees. He peered at it for some time, debating whether or not to try his luck and enter. He was feeling quite hungry since he had not yet caught any game for his meal that night after several hours of hunting and he supposed he ought to try. He cautiously approached the door and seeing that it was slightly cracked open, entered the small house. He was met by a small old man, grouchily sitting in a cushioned chair and glaring into the fireplace. His eyes slid to the side to meet Atdlarneq's curious gaze and he gritted his teeth before speaking.

(Grumpy Old Man)

"Who goes there?" the old man grumpily implored. Atdlarneq was taken aback by his curtness and stood still for a moment before speaking.

"Um...it is Atdlarneq, kind sir. I have been hunting for my dinner for several hours now and have not found anything... but I am very, very hungry, sir. Do you have any food you could spare before I make the dreaded walk back to my village? Please, sir, I am begging you. I am worried that my hunger will make the journey back very difficult. Please help me," Atdlarneq explained.

"Well...sure, I suppose. I was just about to eat. Tungujuluka! Prepare a hearty meal for my new friend Atdlarneq and me....Bring the food at once!" the old man grunted as he hobbled with his cane to an old and beaten wooden table. Atdlarneq cautiously followed suit and joined his new acquaintance at the table, unsure of what he had gotten himself into.

Tungujuluka. the old man's maid, quickly rushed two overflowing plates of fish and blubber to the table for her master and Atdlarneq. Both of the men's mouths watered before they gobbled the food down as quickly as they could. Between bites, they drank great amounts of water from the pitcher on the table and were very full after eating. The old man leaned back in his chair and eyed Atdlarneqwith with an intimidating and confusing look.

"Another round for my friend, Tungujuluka!" he yelled far too loudly as Atdlarneq was filled with excitement at the prospect of another plate of delicious food. His hunger had faded away into a distant memory and he was grateful to the old man for his generosity.

The next plate of food Tungujuluka brought was overflowing with Halibut, Salmon, Cod, and even more blubber, which Atdlarneq scarfed down immediately. He sat there satisfied, finishing with a large glass of water, while the old many peered at him even harder with his small beady eyes.

"Give him some more to eat." Tungujuluka rushed back to the kitchen and returned with another packed plate, only this one was stacked with ten pancakes, seven scrambled eggs, fifteen pieces of bacon, and fifteen pieces of sausage. Atdlarneq's eyes widened and he excitedly devoured his third plate of food before he began to feel overly stuffed.

The old man called his maid yet again and when she brought a fourth plate to Atdlarneq, he challenged him saying "Eat that up too". Atdlarneq hesitated for a moment because he had eaten so much in such a short period of time, but he did not want to disappoint the old man who had graciously shared his food with him. So he guzzled down six steaks, eight baked potatoes, seven corns on the cob, and twenty rolls. He began to feel ill at this point but the old man called for a fifth plate to be brought out to him full of a spaghetti with meatballs and five loaves of Italian bread.

(Overflowing Plates of Delicious Food)

This manner continued for several more hours until Atdlarneq had eaten ten plates of food. He could not longer eat anymore, yet the old man was still calling another over. When he denied the eleventh plate, the old man flew into a fit of rage at Atdlarneq's ungratefulness and cast him from his home, sending him hobbling down the sidewalk sick to his stomach with all of the food he had consumed. The old man stared from the porch and laughed at Atdlarneq's terrified expression and hurriedness to get away before sitting back down in his cushioned chair, comfortably full from the one plate of food he had eaten. He had had enough entertainment for the day with Atdlarneq's tenacity and desperation and Atdlarneq learned his lesson that day to never wish for something so badly from a stranger.

Bibliography:
The Eskimo Folk Tales are Canadian Inuit stories recorded by the explorer Knud Radmussen in the 20th century.

Author's Note:
The original story about Atdlarneq tells of his hunt for seals and how he stumbles upon the small house and when he enters, he meets three lovely ladies waiting for their master. When the master returns, he insists that Atdlarneq eat many plates full of fish and blubber as well as an entire frozen seal until he is absolutely stuffed, although he does not feel sick (because he swallowed a small stalk of grass beforehand) and he never ventures southward again, having learned his lesson. This story made me giggle picturing him devouring so much food that he does not want, so I decided to expand on that and make it even more ridiculous just how much he ate. I added modern day foods such as pancakes, steak, and pasta that also gave a more tangible feel for just how much he consumed. I felt sick just thinking about it! I also wanted to give the old man more of a role in that he was senile and honestly crazy, just seeking entertainment and simply curious at how much Atdlarneq would actually eat or just how far he would go to seem grateful to the old man. His character is pretty crazy and I wanted him to be confusing and even scary to Atdlarneq.

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk-Tales, Part B

Papik, Who Killed His Wife's Brother

• Could rewrite the story from the monster's point of view as he is chasing the villagers
• Papik could befriend the monster instead of being killed by it

The Wife Who Lied

• The wife was shocked to go to a culture where they did not eat humans so it would be interesting to expand on that and write about her first experience transitioning to that
• Could change the war to a modern day setting and make the fighting pettier

The Eagle and the Whale

• Could write about an ordinary day in the life of the woman and the whale and how he kept her captive yet adored her. Perhaps she adored him back and didn't want to leave?

Atdlarneq, The Great Glutton

• It would be fun to add to the number of foods that Atdlarneq was forced to eat, making it extremely ridiculous, and he is unable to eat the last food because he is too full
• The master could take him captive because he did not fulfill the demands

Átârssuaq

• Could rewrite the story so that Átârssuaq gains superhuman powers after his father forces him to swim underwater at an early age
• Would tell the story from the perspective of the citizens watching him defend their village

Tungujuluk and Saunikoq

• The two shapeshifters, into a bear and walrus, could be very good friends and could play pranks on each other by morphing and hiding out to scare the other
• One could take a joke too far and make the other truly angry

(Walrus Shapeshifter) 

Bibliography:
The Eskimo Folk Tales are Canadian Inuit stories recorded by the explorer Knud Radmussen in the 20th century.

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk Tales, Part A

The Coming of Men, A Long, Long While Ago

• Men did not have light or know how to die until a woman wished for both, but perhaps they never discovered how to die
• Could tell the story of an old man who was supposed to die but didn't know how

The Woman Who Had a Bear as a Foster-Son

• Could write about the daily life of the old woman and the bear from the bear's perspective and how it would help her with chores around the house and play with the other kids 
• Could write from the neighbor's perspective disapproving of the woman and bear

Qalagánguasê, Who Passed to the Land of Ghosts

• The ghosts ventured into his house and kept him company at night and could expand on those nights as if they were fun sleepovers between the ghosts and Qalagánguasê
• Perhaps when his parents see him all alone, instead of passing to the ghost world, they rejoin him on earth and take care of him since he is lame

The Insects that Wooed a Wifeless Man

• When the man's wife left him after his failure to bring home meat and skins, all of the insects of the tree offered their hand in marriage and could change the story so that he was interested
• The woman could return and become jealous that the man had married an insect

Makíte

• When the man stumbles upon the small inn with the skins and candles, he and the lone-dweller could strike up a friendship and journey together to find the candles at the top of the hill
• Could have Makíte create a candle-selling business from the candles on the hill he found

Atungait, Who Went A-Wandering

• Could expand on the test that Atungait had the strong woman try and make it a whole village ordeal where they are eagerly awaiting to see if she can complete the task
• Could add to the dangers of their sled ride through the ice and snow

The Giant Dog

• It would be fun to tell the story of being terrorized by the giant dog from the point of view of some of the inland dwellers who were arrogant and selfish brutes
• Could also tell the story from the giant dog's perspective and how he feels so excluded and mistreated by the rest of society

(Giant Dog That Terrorized Inland Dwellers)

 

Bibliography:
The Eskimo Folk Tales are Canadian Inuit stories recorded by the explorer Knud Radmussen in the 20th century.

Week 8 Growth Mindset

There are several dimensions to the growth that I have seen in this class, this semester, and in life recently, with some being good and some being bad. I really liked the list provided of the comparisons and contrasting dimensions of growth provided for me to gauge myself and my progress.

I would say that in this class and during this semester, I have pushed myself further and found motivation in working hard simply because that is what you do. I have tried new things, such as writing styles, topics, and even classes this semester, and been excited to learn what each has to offer. I would say that I have taken risks by doing so, but I have been rewarded thus far and discovered that choosing what may be harder but teaches you more is generally the best route. I have felt excited and ready for change, especially knowing that this is my last semester at the best university in the world, and fueled my work ethic with such energy. But it is a bittersweet emotion, so I have also felt very sentimental about all of the "lasts" that are sprinkled throughout the semester (like my last choir concert ever yesterday). I would say that overall my attitude towards working hard, being motivated, and being excited about the future have grown throughout this semester and class so far.

However, I have had trouble with being a perfectionist, feeling defensive about any mistakes made in my writings and schoolwork, and been very hard on myself for any shortcomings, whether academic, social, or emotional. I am usually anxious each time I post a story and it is difficult for me to willingly allow other students to read my work because I feel like theirs are always much better. This is an area that this class has challenged and pushed me in, though I still feel some of the anxiety if I try a new method for a story. I have also had to let go of being a perfectionist with so many stories and assignments this semester because then I would never truly be finished with any of them and the editing would never end! Since I have written so many essays and stories, I have gotten better about obsessing less and allowing my writing to naturally flow without forcing it.

Retraining my mind to follow this growth mindset has been a process and I still have much to go, but I am enjoying it and think it is really beneficial to my mental health. Especially when the stress of the semester hits and I can't do or participate in everything. To further these strengths and work on my weaknesses, I want to try even more storytelling styles and take bigger risks with my writing over the next few weeks. There are many methods I have not tried yet and I want to explore all that creative writing has to offer! 

(Retrain Your Mind from Pixabay)

Week 8 Reflections

As I read through my Reading Notes again as well as reviewing the instructions, I think my note-taking posts could use some work. I often get caught up in trying to remember the plot of the story and some of my notes simply seem like synopses, rather than ideas to write my own story. I always include pieces that I could see myself writing about and having fun changing, but I think I need to shift my focus so that those are the primary pieces of my notes. I can tell that I am trying to read like a writer by noticing small details and honing in on characters that I like, but I could definitely do it more. I have also found that I enjoy reading stories with many short tales and fables the most because I have an easier time adapting the story somehow when I don't have to trim length off as well. For future readings (that I will hopefully take better notes with), I am excited to read about specific Native American tribes, Celtic Tales, and Fairy Tales told by specific countries such as Italy or Russia. I am looking forward to these readings and hopefully unique stories to tell!

Looking back over my stories from the past semester, I am mostly satisfied with the works I have written. I can, of course, tell which stories I was less inspired by and which ones I had the most fun writing, though I am not certain what the readers can tell. I have had the most fun though when I try new styles such as the diary format or the script style, which are ways of writing that I do not usually use. Another challenge has been letting people read my writing- something I do not normally do- because I am usually embarrassed and shy about what I write. This class has allowed me to open up and be less fearful of people reading my pieces, which I appreciate. I am happy with my Storybook choice so far and I am excited for it to come to life when I write the stories to follow. I enjoy writing in the script format so I am glad I chose that, as well as a humorous topic, for my project. I have read through and outline which adventure I want each story to follow so I have a fairly good idea of how it will turn out and I am excited for my classmates to follow Don Quixote's journeys, especially since many are unfamiliar with him and some comments after reading wanted more details about him. The only part I am truly worried about is including images because I do not know how to create what I envision, but I am hoping it will be easier than I am anticipating.

I have enjoyed reading my classmate's stories so far this semester and I am often inspired by their creativity and unique approaches to stories that I never would have thought of! Sometimes, I am intimidated by reading them because I feel like my stories are far inferior, but it it still enjoyable and inspiring for me. The habits and tendencies I have noticed are primarily grammatical and spelling errors that make the story difficult to follow or even confusing. I think that is a result of hurrying and not taking the time to spellcheck and proofread, which is something I always try to do. I am never sure if I should give critiques about those elements in my feedback, so I have been giving substantial comments about the material and ideas itself as well as the presentation of the page. Perhaps I should talk about grammar errors, though.

Overall, as I am reflecting on the past two months in this class, I am pleased with the progress I have made as well as the stories and pieces I have written. I am really looking forward to my Storybook coming together and I can't wait until my blog is completely full of fun stories and posts!

(Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza)

Week 7 Storytelling: The Story of the Playground Bully

There once was a mean young Jackal who bullied all the animals in the land on the playground at school. He always pushed them into the mud when it rained, popped out of corners to scare them, and stole all their food at lunch. The teachers never saw it happen, so they always let Jackal get away with everything- especially because Mr. and Mrs. Jackal were very prominent and wealthy in the community. Jackal was a notorious bully and some of his classmates- Lion, Baboon, Leopard, Hyena, Hare, and Mountain Tortoise- were simply tired of it.

(The playground of the animals)

One day, at recess, Hare, Leopard, and Hyena discovered delicious berries from a bush near the swing set on the playground. They quickly called the rest of their friends over to gather them up and take them to the giant blue slide where they always liked to meet during recess. As soon as they had set the berries down and begun to snack on them, Jackal swooped in from the top of the slide where he had been hiding and snatched all the berries up into his mouth in one smooth motion. He laughed as he ate and even dangled several berries in front of the animals to taunt them. The animals cried out in horror that Jackal had gotten to benefit from all of their hard work and eat the berries himself.

Hare, Leopard, Hyena, Lion, Baboon, and Mountain Tortoise huddle around each other, each furious and fuming, to decide what must be done to punish Jackal. He couldn't get away with his trickery and bullying any longer- they had had enough. Lion was the strongest, so he offered to eat Jackal up with his sharp, enormous teeth. Leopard was the stealthiest, so he proposed sneaking up behind Jackal and pushing him off the slide. Hyena was the ugliest, so he offered to jump in front of Jackal and make the most hideous face to scare him. Baboon suggested screaming in Jackal's face to deafen him and Hare recommended kicking Jackal with his powerful hind legs. Only Mountain Tortoise remained silent during their discussion for he knew none of those ideas would work. Jackal was too quick to be caught by any of those ideas, so he stepped forward to offer to snatch the Jackal himself and show him off. The other animals laughed until they realized Mountain Tortoise was serious and then they gathered close as he whispered his plan.

  (Jackal looking for animals to bully)

The next day, Jackal arrogantly pranced around the playground pushing aside and taunting all of the animals in his class as he usually did. As soon as he reached the top of the slide, he saw Mountain Tortoise sitting at the bottom, seemingly asking for Jackal to prance on him. With a smirk, he hurried down the slide at top speed and jumped high in the air to violently slam his paws onto Tortoise's back and push him into the ground. Much to his surprise, the second his paws touched Tortoise's back, they were instantly stuck to a dark, sticky, glue-like substance. He soon realized Tortoise had borrowed "shell shine" from his father the night before and smeared it across his shell to play this trick. Jackal strained and fought to remove his paws from Mountain Tortoise's back, but they were firmly stuck without budging. He heard snickering off to the side and looking to see Lion, Leopard, Hyena, and Baboon eagerly watching and giggling to themselves at Jackal's plight.

 (Moutain Tortoise waiting at the foot of the slide)

Suddenly, Hare and three of the animals' favorite teachers appeared standing over Jackal during his distress.  Hare had summoned the teachers as part of the plan to help them catch Jackal in the act. Mountain Tortoise recounted the whole ordeal and they were surprised and quite disappointed in Jackal for treating Mountain Tortoise so poorly. Another dismayed teacher soon arrived with adhesive remover to free Jackal from the shell and take him to detention, where he would be scolded and punished for bullying his classmates. Lion, Baboon, Leopard, Hyena, and Mountain Tortoise all celebrated and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of recess.

Author's Note:
I wrote this story because I was so frustrated in each of the readings with how often Jackal bullied all of the other animals without ever experiencing any sort of punishment. The original story dealt with water that the animals had worked hard to discover and how Jackal drank it all for himself, upsetting the other animals, so I changed it to berries that they worked hard to pick to give them something they were upset to lose. I decided to alter the ending so that he is punished so I thought it would be funny to place him in detention for all of his horrible bullying. Then I had the idea to place all of the animals in school on the playground so I took the approach of writing a children's story. I wanted Mountain Tortoise to seem like the wise one of the friends so I tried to ensure he had a large role and had the best plan to catch Jackal, which made it fun to imagine the ridiculous plans of the other animals. Overall, I had fun writing this short story and I hope it was fun to read!

Bibliography:
South African Folktales by the nomadic and San people (bushmen) of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe

Reading Notes: South African Folktales, Part B

The Dance for Water

• The Rabbit did not help the other animals get water, yet he still drank from it, so they decided to catch him on the tortoise's shell with sticky pitch
• As punishment, they swung him by the tail to dash his head against stone, but he escaped

Jackal and Monkey

• Jackal stole lamb from Boer at night and was caught in a trap that he set until Monkey came by and he convinced him he was only swinging and that it was fun
• Could rewrite the story so Jackal doesn't convince Monkey to try to swing and Jackal is caught

The Story of Hare

• Could expand on one of the stories of the inkalimeva tricking the animals to steal all the fat

Elephant and Tortoise

• Elephant argued with Rain and Rain left, so he made the tortoise keep watch over the one lagoon of water left and deny all other animals (except the lion who beat the tortoise)
• Could rewrite the story from Rain's point of view watching Elephant suffer after arguing

The Judgment of Baboon

• Baboon assembled all the animals who denied tearing the clothes of the tailor and made them punish each other when they pleaded their innocence

When Lion Could Fly

• Lion used to be able to fly until Frog came and broke all of the bones of his spoils of hunting
• Great Frog said that he must find him at his home to return and there the played a game of Frog jumping around and Lion sneaking up on it, which Lion still does today
• Could add to the story that the lion caught the great frog and the power of flight was restored

(Lion that used to be able to fly)

Lion Who Thought Himself Wiser Than His Mother

• Lion and the Only Man fought over water from a rain and even though Lion's mother warned him not to face the man, Lion ambushed him at the water
• The Man's dogs attacked Lion and he was speared by the Man and left to die
• Could make the Lion and Man actually settle the dispute and compromise as friends

Lion Who Took a Woman's Shape

• A Woman and Lion hunted each other until the Lion ate the woman and left her skin whole so that he could take her place and went to her family
• No one knew until the cows refused to be milked so the people of the kraal removed the hut where the lion was sleeping and cast a spell to Fire to remove the heart, which became alive
• Could rewrite the story from the woman's perspective when she came back to life

Bibliography:
South African Folktales by the nomadic and San people (bushmen) of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe

Reading Notes: South African Folktales, Part A

The Lost Message

• The insect-king heard that all the different insects were arguing and could not agree to get along, so he sent a message of Work-together via a beetle who never arrived to stop the war

The Lion, The Jackal, and The Man

• The Lion boasted that he was the strongest in the world so his advisor the Jackal introduced him to man, who shot him and stabbed him while his dogs attacked and the lion retreated
• It would be interesting to change the story so that they encountered a woman instead of a man

The World's Reward

• A dog, bull, ram, donkey, cat, goose, and cock all stood on each other's shoulders to scare robbers out of a house so they could eat all of their food
  Could rewrite the story so that they actually established the residence as a permanent home for themselves and they lived together in harmony growing old

Tiger and Jackal

• Mr. Tiger allowed Mr. Jackal to teach his seven tiger children at his house for the best education possible, but Mr. Jackal ate one each week until there were no more left
• Could write a story that is an excerpt from their time at Mr. Jackal's house "learning"

Tink-Tinkje

• The birds wanted a king and decided it would be whoever flew highest, but the small Tink-tinkje hid in the vulture's feathers and ascended as high as he
• Could write about Tink-Tinkje being so scared in the tree but becoming king after all

The Lion, The Jackal, and The Rope

• The Lion needed help crossing the river and the jackal had to pull him up with rope, but he secretly instructed his wife to get the worst rope each time so that the lion kept falling
• Could add influences of Lion King in with the Jackal wanting to take over the kingdom as if he were Scar and the lion were Mufasa

Story of Lion and Little Jackal

• The Jackal tricked the lion into letting him take the eland meat home to his own family and then he did it again when the caught an ox, only the jackal beat the lion's family with an ox shin

The Lioness and the Ostrich

• The Lioness and Ostrich had rival roars and each hunted eland, but the lion cubs realized the ostrich had no teeth and that she should not be the rival of the lioness
• Could add a girly friendship between the ostrich and lioness so that they don't even care in the end who is stronger

The Story of a Dam

• The Baboon, Leopard, Hyena, Jackal, Hare, and Tortoise all created a large hole for water, but the Jackal drank it all and bathed in it, making it muddy and unusable
• All the animals conspired together to catch him and make him pay, since he didn't help create it, and the tortoise with a sticky honey caught the jackal's feet, but he escaped
• Could rewrite the story to present day and make the jackal the bully of the school or playground, making all the other animals miserable 

(The evil Jackal)

Bibliography:
South African Folktales by the nomadic and San people (bushmen) of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe

Week 6 Storytelling: The Diary of Dschou Tschu

Dear Diary,Today, I got into another fight! And of course, I won. We were drinking beers at the tavern all night and some old man looked at me in an odd way from across the room, which I didn't like one bit, so I through my beer mug at him. It hit him right in the forehead and he came charging at me, throwing punches left and right. I easily picked him up by the collar of his shirt and took one swing at him, which knocked him straight out. Everyone at the bar was really upset that I hit the old guy so they were all crying and yelling, but no one kicked me out or anything. They were probably just overreacting but I knew it wasn't a big deal. I get into fights all the time... and at least I always win! The people in this town just don't appreciate me or my strength.

Dear Diary,
Tonight, as I was walking home from drinking at the tavern, there was a man crying on my doorstep. I was in a good mood so I continued singing loudly and flinging my sword around until I was close enough to him that I could not bear his foolish crying anymore. So I asked him who he was and he told me that he was saddened because of the people's distress. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I laughed in his face and told him of the abundant harvest and how happily people lived in our village. He then told me that the people claimed there were three evils in the land: the dragon (understandably scary), the tiger (which didn't really seem all that scary to me), and me (which is ridiculous). He told me I had to take care of all three evils and then left... I know people here think poorly of me and that I am always causing fights, but I had no idea they considered me the third evil of the land... I must leave tomorrow morning to kill both of these monsters and then I should exile myself to a far away land where I can never bother anyone again.

 (The evil tiger in his cave)

Dear Diary,
I am briefly pausing on my journey to write that I have killed the tiger. I hunted him out of his cave and fought his savage claws and teeth before I threw his neck to the ground with my left hand and beat him with my right. He died before me and I carried him home on my back to show the people that the tiger is no more. Now I am about to embark on the second part of my journey, which is killing the dragon. I am more nervous about this part of my commission.

Dear Diary,
I have slain the dragon. I walked on the long bridge and dived into the water in which I encountered the dragon sleeping peacefully. I grabbed him by the neck with my mighty hands and we wrestled beneath the water for some time, both taking turns with the upper hand. Eventually, the dragon's strength began to fade and he realized he was no match for me and my own supernatural strength. The dragon flapped his wings desperately in a last attempt to get away, which sounded like the hooves of a thousand horses galloping around me. Finally, I cut the dragons head off and rose from the waves out of the water that was turning red with the dragon's blood. I then took the dragon's head, along with the tiger, to the man and told him that I had accomplished what he asked of me. He then told me to travel far from here and leave him to rule the people. This saddened me because I have lived in my village my entire life, but I knew I had to do it.

 (The evil dragon that Dschou Tschu killed)

Dear Diary,
Now I am sitting on a rock, overlooking the ocean at sunset, writing this and deciding where to travel next. I suppose I will wander until I find a country that will allow me to use my strength to fight as a soldier for the people. I will use my talents for good rather than for my own enjoyment now. And perhaps people will like me and I will never be banished again. I will write again when I have enlisted as a soldier and fought my first battle.

Author's Note:
For this story, I kept the entire plot the same but focused on telling the tale from the perspective of Dschou Tschu himself, rather than the mandarin. As I was reading the source story, I imagined Dscou Tschu as a brute who is not very smart and had no idea that the people disliked him so much for his eagerness to start fights and cause trouble. I wanted to highlight how he must have felt hearing the news of the evils and his adventures during the battles he fought and it made me laugh to picture him sitting down to journal the events that unfolded each time. I have never written in this style before and it was fun to try something new. However, it was difficult for me to decide what language style was best since it needed to sound personal because it was a diary entry, but I wanted it to be understandable and still convey the story appropriately. So I settled on a slightly modern take and I am not yet sure if it worked. Another thing I had difficulty with was finding images to illustrate this story because there were none available of the actual fights with the tiger and dragon. Regardless, I liked writing this piece and hope it was enjoyable to read!

Bibliography:
The Chinese Fairy Tales are a selection of stories from Wilhem's Chinese Fairy Book.