Reading Diary Week 7, continued:

Continued reading from Filipino Popular Tales by Dean S. Fansler . 

Why Mosquitos Hum and Try to get into the Holes of our Ears really confused me. I understand that the story was an attempt to explain why mosquitos buzz around peoples ears. However, the story did not make it very clear which type of being each character was, which made it hard to follow. I was also confused how the rain, carrying the house, and the fire all tied in. It just seemed very random and hard to follow. In my storytelling, I want to make it very clear what is happening and who each character is so that people do not get frustrated and confused. 

The Hummingbird and the Carabao made me laugh. I liked how the relationship between the two animals was very relatable. Oftentimes, my friends will also joke with each other that they can do one thing better than the other and a competition ensues. I also liked the large amounts of diction in the story. It allowed the relationship to develop between the two characters and showed more emotion than a 3rd party re-telling of the event. In my storytelling, I would also like to incorporate more diction so that the personalities of the characters and their thoughts can be more developed.

Why the Sun Shines more Brightly than the Moon was a very interesting story to me because, as I've mentioned before, I like when folktales attempt to explain natural phenomenons. In this case, I thought it was interesting that the girls had knowledge of what their god was doing and could have enough contact with them to steal. This is such a contrast to the Christian beliefs that I grew up with where God is this mystical being who we cannot see or visit until after death. I'm curious if the Filipinos believe that they're god is living among them? This is something I would like to look more into. 

The sun versus the moon
Photo by: Remus Withe 

The Story of our Fingers definitely makes me look at my hand a little differently! It always makes me laugh the stories that humans can come up with when left to their imagination. I'm curious why the tale came about that a thumb was trying to steal? Then that would cause people to look negatively upon one part of their body. I think this story does a good job embodying the culture of the Filipino people. It was apparent after reading this that they do not approve of stealing and that, should one steal, it is possible that they would be shunned from society. I'm curious whether this is still a value that exists in their culture today?

I really enjoyed Why the Ocean is Salty because it makes sense to me. Something I have learned through this unit is that the Filipino people are very creative. They like to employ magic/mythical beings into their stories as well as give natural objects, such as the ocean, a personality. I really enjoyed reading this unit because it was a previously unknown culture to me and my first experience with it. 

Reading Diary Week 7: Filipino Popular Tales

This week, I am reading the Filipino Popular Tales by Dean S. Fansler. I've really enjoyed this unit because I am not familiar with Filipino culture.

In the story Three Brothers of Fortune, I liked how each had a magical object that could perform a different power. Throughout the story, I was curious how the charms would work. In the past folklore stories, the results of the charm did not turn out how the one who possesses it would have thought. However, in the case of this story, the charms worked as expected. Then, I was curious how the story would end. I liked the turn of events where the other two brothers received "useless" parts of the woman, but the brother with the stones could put her back together to have all of her. This was not something I expected in the story, and I was really happy to read that that's how it turned out. I do feel bad for the woman, though! I know I wouldn't want to be cut up into three pieces! I wish the story had elaborated more on what exactly this meant. Was her body actually split up into three?

I was really surprised by the ending of The Clever Husband and the Wife. I was guessing that the doctor would be extremely angry at the husband and his wife for lying. However, his response was one of joy because they were both alive. 

The story of Chonguita struck me as very absurd; however, I was also very drawn in to the story and wanted to know what happened. After each trial, I was curious to know who would win and was concerned about the well-being of Chonguita, especially when she was hurled against the wall. I also felt badly for the couple from the beginning since Don Juan had to marry a monkey and Chonguita had no say in the matter. In my storytelling, especially for my storybook, I would like to establish this kind of emotional connection so that my readers feel for the characters. I think it helps people stay engaged in the story and care about what is happening.

How I Imagine Chonguita
Photo source: Wikipedia (2007)

The story The Enchanted Prince made me really happy! I was so pleased that each of them found an answer to their needs and essentially saved each other. For my storytelling, I would really like to write a love story. An idea I have for this is to pick out one character I like from the stories and develop a love story with a match that I think they would get along well. I think this would be a really good way to expand my creativity and write a completely original piece. 

Storytelling Week 6: Anansi's Change of Heart

Anansi, his family, and his village were struggling due to a long famine that had been plaguing the land. They hadn't eaten in forever and were so hungry. One day, while he was desperately searching for food, Anansi saw an island far away with a palm tree on it. Seeing it as his last resort, he decided that he would sail out to the island in hopes of finding food. 

When the day arrived to set sail, all Anansi could find was an old broken down boat. He decided he would have to take it because he had to get to the island. He climbed in and tried to set sail, but the waves knocked him back everytime. After SEVEN attempts to put off from shore and a lot of spent energy, Anansi finally found his chance to sail into the water. After a bumpy trip, he finally made it to the island.

Ansani's boat on the island

Once he was there, he climbed the palm tree and found nuts. He couldn't help but rejoice. He was so hungry that even the few nuts felt like they would be a feast fit for a king. The only challenge now was to get the nuts into the boat. 

That'll be easy! I'll just climb up and drop them in!

Anansi climbed the tree and proceeded to drop the nuts in. However, to his complete dismay, each and every nut missed the boat and fell to the bottom of the ocean. All of his hopes for food were gone. The idea was so devastating to him that he decided to throw his body into the water and proceeded to do just that. He closed his eyes and let go of the tree, allowing his body to fall. However, when he hit the water, he was amazed because he was not drowning. Rather, he found himself standing underwater next to a cottage.

What on Earth is going on??

Shortly, a man named Thunder walked out and asked Anansi what he was doing at his cottage. Anansi explained his situation and Thunder took pity on him. He welcomed him into his underwater home and presented Anansi with a gold cooking pot. With the pot, he gave him a promise that he would never be hungry again. Anansi could not believe it.

Never be hungry again? How could this be?

Anansi could only wait until he was back on his rickety old boat to try the pot. All he had to do was ask and a huge meal appeared right before his eyes. He ate to his heart's content and felt such relief that he was finally full. 

When he arrived back at the mainland, he started to feel scared. What if the magic of the pot wore off? What if it could only provide a certain number of meals? His first instinct was to hide the pot so that he would be ensured meals forever. He was so afraid of being hungry again. However, upon second thought, he realized that he needed to take care of his family and maybe even the village as well. He had learned his lesson through his past experiences that greed would get him no where. So, he ran home to his family and provided them with a wonderful meal that filled not only their stomachs but also their hearts, restoring hope that the famine would one day be over. 

Black and white photo of the magical pot 

After his family had been fed, Anansi went out into the village and the pot provided them with a meal as well. To Anansi's surprise, the pot actually produced more food this time due to its pleasure at Anansi's good deeds.

Because of his generosity and selflessness, the pot produced larger and larger meals each time it was asked. The village remained healthy and fed until the famine was over and they could start producing their own food again. While the pot resting now, the village will always think of Anansi fondly and will remember the time he came home with the golden pot that saved them all.

Author's Note:
The original story is Thunder and Anansi from the West African Folktales storybook. In the original story, Anansi does travel to the island in desperate hopes to find food. He does find nuts but accidentally drops them into the water and decides to throw himself in as well. However, when he meets Thunder and receives the pot, he decides to hide it for himself. As he gets plumper and his family grows thinner, his son, Kweku Tsin, became suspicious and transformed himself into a tiny fly and followed his father until he discovered the secret of the pot. Then, while his father was out, he took it from it's hiding place and provided the family with a good meal. Then, they decided to feed the village as well; however, the pot overheated and melted. When Anansi returned to the missing pot, he snuck out back to Thunder's cottage in hopes of another gift. This time, though, Thunder presented him with a stick. When Anansi asked a favor of the stick, it proceeded to beat him repeatedly which forced him to jump out of the boat and swim to shore. The story ended with a very bruised Anansi regretting his decision to not act more wisely from the start.

I decided to change the ending of the story because Anansi's selfishness really bothered me. In almost every story, he was actions proved that he only cared about himself. Selfish people really get under my skin, so I decided to change the ending to the opposite of the original. In my version, Anansi is tempted to act selfishly, but then remembers the lessons he had learned from the past and decided to share. In the end, instead of regretting his actions, he actually was proud of them because he was so blessed by his gifts.

Bibliography: 
Thunder and Anansi from West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair (1917). 

Reading Diary Week 6, continued: West African Folktales

I am continuing to read the West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair. 

The first story of the reading that I enjoyed is How the Tortoise Got It's Shell. I thought this story was interesting because it tells the story of a tortoise before it had a shell, which I thought was an interesting aspect of West African culture. I have mentioned this in my reading diaries before, but I really enjoy stories that give insight as to how different cultures explain the natural occurrences around us. This story is a prime example of that. While I was reading it, I was wondering what the tortoise's thought process was while he was stuck outside the gate. Why didn't he try another way to get inside? A storytelling idea would be to write this from the tortoise's perspective and add in his inner dialogue.

The Tortoise

The Hunter and the Tortoise was a story that really brought things full circle. From the beginning, the tune of the tortoise was that man forces himself on things rather than the other way around. This prophecy came true in that the man tried to force the tortoise to sing and she refused. Had he just let it be, he could have enjoyed the music. I wold like to use this method in my storytelling of a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

I have noticed that a lot of the stories in this storybook come full circle. Just as in The Hunter and the Tortoise, The Ungrateful Man also experienced what he deserved after he was killed as a traitor. Since this is included in so many of their tales, I have to wonder if honesty and loyalty are of high value in their culture. Also, many of the stories include they influence of animals. Was it believed that animals and humans used to be able to communicate in ancient times? I wonder only because this is included in so many different tales from different cultures. Or is it just a convenient method of storytelling?

An idea for story telling from this unit would be to replace some of the animal characters with humans and vice versa. Would humans be personified differently than the animals would?

I also loved the story Why Tigers Never Attack Unless Provoked. I thought it was so cool that the man and the tiger were such good friends. I would like to use this in my storytelling to bring two characters together. They had such a connection that the man was actually very upset at the thought of the tiger dying and watched over his cub. This kind of emotional appeal is something I would definitely like to include in my stories as well since it does a great job of grabbing the audience's attention and keeping them engaged. 

The Tiger

Reading Diary Week 6: West African Folktales

This week, I am reading the West African Folktales story by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair. The first story of the unit is called How We Got the Name "Spider Tales". I really enjoyed this story because of how clever the spider is. He tricked such large, ferocious animals into submitting to him. Thinking about it logically, a lion and boa would probably either eat, squish, or not even notice the spider. However, through these stories he was cunning enough into tricking them into defeat. It reminds me of the stories with the fox from the previous unit, The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs. 

The second story that grabbed my attention was the story of Anansi and Nothing. I liked how in the end, the story concluded with the assertion that children are often said to be "crying for nothing" because of Nothing in the story. It also struck me as comical that someone would be named "Nothing". Lastly, I think there is a good lesson in this story that not everything is what it seems. It is imperative that one have the patience to wait different situations out so that they can be revealed for what they really are. In the case of Anansi and Nothing, it became clear that the real rich man was Nothing. However, this was not apparent to the wives at the beginning. I think this is valuable lesson that everyone should consider. A lot of times, a situation will evolved and result in something that you never would have thought.

A modern depiction of Anansi jealously staring after Nothing
Photo by: Gabriel S. Delgado C. (2010)

After reading Why the Lizard Moves His Head Up and Down and Thunder and Anansi, I have decided that I do not like Anansi one bit! He is so selfish and deceiving. It is very clear that he only cares about himself, especially in Thunder and Anansi since his entire family was starving and he still hid the pot from them. I would hate to have known him, much less have him in my family. Also, let's not forget that his poor starving wife didn't even know what she was getting herself into since she believed she was marrying a rich man at the time due to the fact that he was wearing Nothing's clothing. I really hope that something happens to him in the near future so that he is not a character in the stories anymore!

Finally, Anansi's evil ways were revealed in Tit for Tat! I also enjoyed how some of the West African beliefs were incorporated into the story. Since the image shaking meant that the Gods were angry, I am assuming that the West Africans believed that a shaking image meant the god was angry. I am curious how exactly these images manifested in real life for them to see. Maybe it was like a spirit standing before them?

Lastly, the story of Anansi turning into a spider made me laugh because he got what he deserved. I can't believe he was still up to his tricks and was so determined to steal food from his family. Especially since it sounded like they had plenty to go around. Also, this story really resonated with me because my boyfriend is terrified of spiders and always has me sweep the webs down from the corners to make sure that they do not have a place to take refuge in his room. I told him this story as a way to explain to him that the spiders in the corner are not harmful. In fact, they are actually trying to hide and avoid being noticed! 

Thoughts about Comments

I really enjoyed taking time to read all of the comments on my post today! Admittedly, I do not go back and read these as much as I should. While I was reading over them, there were two things that really stood out to me.

The first, was when people quoted back part of my story to give an example as to what they were referring to. To me, this proved that they actually read the story and could site the parts that interested them or made them think. I think it shows a certain level of attention when someone can do this.

Also, I liked when people asked good questions about something I had written. This also showed me that they were thinking while they read my post and were interested in the material enough to follow up. This made me feel like they actually enjoyed reading what I had written and wanted to know more! I think this is a good way to compliment someone subtly in a more meaningful way than saying "good story!". 

When writing my comments, I would like to start doing both of the things I mentioned above. I write people a lot of compliments about what they have posted. However, I think I could give more meaningful feedback by asking questions, siting what I was talking about when complimenting or critiquing, and just seeming more interested in general. Also, I would have liked more constructive criticism on my blog as well. While its not always fun to read, I do believe it helps me develop into a better writer and I am interested on what people like or don't like. Lastly, I would like it if some people posted some storytelling ideas that they might have used for the story. I struggle to think of creative ways to write sometimes when I am trying to do the assignment, so I think it might help me to read other people's interpretations of how they would have done it and have more styles in mind to use. I want to add both of these methods into my comment writing, but in a nice way so that people don't think I'm hating on their story! 

Storytelling Week 5: Calm down, Set.

Kor- The therapist

Set- brother of Osiris

Kor: Ok, Set, why don't you come in and sit down?

Set: Don't tell me what to do. I am the next ruler of the great land of Egypt.

Kor: Ok, we can talk about that, but not until you sit down. 

*Set sits down in a huff. Crosses his arms and leans back in the chair.*

How Set might look pouting about the therapy session
Photo by: Paul Cezanne (1839-1906)

Set: Ok, fine. Are you happy now?

Kor: Yes, now lets get started. I'm sensing a lot of anger. Do you want to talk about it?

Set: Um, yea I'm angry. Of course I am. I was supposed to be the next ruler of Egypt and my brother stole it out from under me. Now he rules and everyone worships him because he's sooo nice and such a good leader. He's not nice! He's just weak. 

Kor: That's interesting you say that. What do you think about the fact that he's led Egypt so well? Think about everything he's done. He's led Egypt in the right direction by directing them to be holy and righteous people. There are so many beautiful temples everywhere and the country has been without war for many years since he is so focused on peaceful negotiations. 

Set: Yes, but the country could be so much larger. So much stronger! I know that my way is the right way and he refuses to see it. 

Kor: Maybe you could try to bring it up to him? Have you calmly and clearly asked him if he would ever consider your ways and possibly handle a conflict according to the way you would? 

Set: NO! I'm not going to sit down with him! I can barely stand in the same room as him. I can't stand him!

Kor: Ok, you seem to be getting angry again. Let's try some deep breathing exercises.

*Set breathes in and out. The tone of his voice does relax some, but he continues.

Kor: Ok, would you like to continue? The first step to dealing with this conflict is for you to get it all off your chest. Then, I can help you try to move on.

Set: I doubt I'll ever just move on but we'll give it a try. I feel like you'll never let me go if I don't and I just want this to be over.

Kor: That is probably true. The officials are very nervous about your high level of anger. They don't want you to make any rash decisions. 

An illustration of Set
Created by Jeff Dahl

*Set rolls his eyes*

Set: Ok, well next I want to talk about his wife. She is stronger than me. That is weird.

Kor: Why do you think that bothers you?

Set: Because! She's a woman! She shouldn't be stronger than me. She's also way too smart. She must have spies everywhere or magical powers where she can see my every move. Every plan I have to try and usurp Osiris, she intercepts! I have strong number of followers, you know, and I could totally do it. But they're losing faith in me because none of my plans go through. Its just so annoying.

Kor: Yes, I could understand how that would be frustrating. I think a lot of time, men do have problems with women being stronger and outsmarting them. It threatens their sense of manliness. However, if you can overcome this, you will start to feel secure in yourself and will have more faith in yourself. This will help you lead your followers in a confident manner and not seem like you are flailing around for ideas. However, I must warn you that I cannot support you trying to recruit a rebellious army to overthrow Osiris. 

Set: Aren't you supposed to just listen to my problems? I don't care to hear your advice.

Kor: That may be the case and it's time for this session to be over anyways. For now, my advice to you would be to let go of your jealousy. I hope you can realize that its actually holding you back. You could be a great official, the right hand to your brother if you wanted, but you are so jealous that you are only focused on overthrowing him. Now, you're scrambling to lead a rebellious army when you could lead so much more. For now though, I think this is great progress. Same time next week?

Kor: I don't think I have a choice. 

Author's Note:

This week, I decided to write my story using the "therapy session" storytelling style. I chose this style because I thought it would be a good way to talk about the jealousy and anger that Set holds against his brother, Osiris. I wrote this story based off of Osiris in the Ancient Egypt unit. The story is focused on Osiris and how he led Egypt during the time he was the ruler. He ruled after Ra, and was known for leading Egypt using a very peaceful and calm style. He encouraged the people to be very faithful to the gods, build temples, and to deal very calmly with other nations. He was known of as "Osiris the Good." Isis, his wife, stood by him and was his faithful companion. While Osiris, was traveling, he trusted his wife to rule the empire in his place. His brother, however, was extremely jealous of him and angry that Osiris was the one to rule Egypt. He believed in war and his heart was full of evil. Later in the unit, it tells the story of how Osiris is killed and Set takes over his position to be the tyrannous ruler of Egypt. 

Bibliography: 

Osiris from Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).