Week 7, Reading Diary B, Tibetan Folk Tales,Reading Diary

  Squash found on huffingtonpost.com
Tibetan Folk Tales: The Golden Squash

• One day the first old man found in his garden a little, crippled bird. He took it and cared for it, felt sorry for it, healed it and fed it every day.
• He soon returned bearing a seed in his mouth which he gave to the old man, saying, "You plant this seed--it's a very fine squash seed, the very finest in the world, and be sure you tend it well."
• here grew on the vine just one squash, but it was monstrous big. 
• His old neighbor, went home, very envious, and thought he would think up a plan so that he would be rich too. He got his bow and arrow and slipped out into the garden and waited until he saw a little bird light on a tree. Then he deliberately shot, breaking its leg.
• It sprouted and grew and grew until finally when winter came he had to have five or six men help him carry his squash into the house
• He could hardly wait until he could get his knife and cut the skin, but he had no more than broken it when it popped wide open and out jumped a fierce old man, who said he was sent by the king of the lower regions to weigh him. He grabbed him by the back of the neck and set him on the scale which he carried and said, "You are far too light and no use at all," and at once took him out and cut off his head.
  
  So much for the sin of covetousness.  
  I found this story intriguing because it is short, simple but very vivid with relatable objects such as birds and food (squash). But also because it seems to bring up the idea from reading diary a that I chose to work with for writing/retelling a story of covetousness. The first guy acts from kindness and gets a reward he did not expect, the second guy acts from greed and get killed. I think that Nathan in my stories will be having his wife be a person who warns him of doom with parables but it will be his wife to whom is ultimately the evil one that is greedy and pushes Nathan to do the dirty work for her. I would like for Melusina to be an immortal somehow, the River Deity reincarnate or something. Nathan is merely a means to an end for her. Nathan really is a seeker and is a good person, but blindly does not see what is in front of him. His doom.

Week 7, Reading Diary A,Tibetan Folk Tales, Reading Diary

Tibetan Folk Tales

Tibet, Plateau of: yaks grazing in desert area of the Plateau of Tibet
 www.britannica.com

I chose to read the Tibetan unit because I do not know much about their folklore. I would like to work my character Nathan into more stories. I think I may be able to bring him in to retell the story Covetousness. In Nathan's first story he is on his way to find his treasure, the emerald tablets, but this story of Covetousness could come before or after Nathan being at the Vatican. I could use his wife Melusina to tell the parable as a warning to his greed.

Tibetan Folk Tales: Covetousness

Now the moral is, "First, people shouldn't be greedy when there is plenty for all (the fox wanted all the meat to eat for a year and tried to ruin the bow and got killed). Second, you mustn't do what you aren't fitted for (the elephant tried to do what the rabbit was doing and got killed). Then the four men begrudged the three and the three begrudged the four, so they all died.

Week 6, Storytelling, Myth-Folklore Unit: Brer Rabbit, The Story of the Deluge

(illustration by A. B. Frost)

Brer Rabbit: Plantation Proverbs

Mole don't see w'at his naber doin'.

I loved this Proverb, especially because in their neck of the woods, all the Brer animals knows what everybody else is doing.

Brer Rabbit: The Story of the Deluge

Brer Owl, the oldest and wisest of owls in a long line of wizen old owls in the Brer, decided to tell the story that was always  told to the new hatchlings while their parents left the nest for the dinner hunt. It is good to know where you come from, knowing your roots help make you a wise old owl.

"ONE time —one time, way back yander, way back yander 'fo' enny un us wuz bomed, de animils en de creeturs sorter 'lecshuneer roun' 'mong deyselves, twel at las' dey 'greed fer ter have a 'sembly..."

The syncopation in the ancient owls raspsy southern drawl had an effect that was perfect at putting
baby owls to sleep. But while their tiny little eyes, all eight of them, were open and focused, their grandpa told the most amazing stories of the animals before the flood came and changed it all.

And of course the most important animal at the town gathering around was the owl. They are most wise and help to hear the other animals quarrels and complaints. Being the most observant and saying very little, they always were in the know. The animals had all congregated together in a town meeting to take care of their gripes and concerns when an elephant stepped on a crawfish. There was a Lion who was a mighty king, and camels too. Someday they would get to see such  amazing creatures when the circus comes to town, like it does every spring. Except the unicorns, they don't get to come and  play anymore.

"What are you lil goobers doin' up?" scolded the Mother Owl playfully.

"Pappy wus tellin us da story mudder. He telled da story bout how'd the waters got biggun deep nah washed up da lands and animilis gone. On counts a da elephants caint watch they steppin' so good." chirped the little baby owl with sleepy little eyes. Then his little eyes shut tight and he fell fast asleep dreaming of all the animals that his grandpa brought to life in his vivid imagination. 

The tired and satiated proud Father Owl looks lovingly upon his tiny Brer Owl brood and closes his eyes, knowing that soon he too will be the grandpa owl passing on the family stories, keeping the past alive.

Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit  leahstps.wordpress.com

Author's Note: I have several reasons why I chose this unit this week. First of which is because I loved the Disney movie Song of the South when I was very young. Of course due to some it's offensive content, it has not been popular available in a long time.  So I thought as an educated  adult I would like to re-examine the story and view it not from the eyes of an innocent child that loved everything Disney animated. 
I had to add the Brer Owl as my character to tell my story. It is extremely hard to write in the style chosen by the original author.

 I find that I am intrigued at the ability to write words as they would sound in broken English with a distinctly thick Southern Plantation era accent. It is not often as a student that we get the opportunity to use such creative license to butcher up our language and things work out okay. That being said, I would like to try this,  and smiled as I watched my spell check do backflips. I always found it cool to read an author who had a style that they used that would set them apart in their writings, but my teachers always said I needed to know the rules before I could break them, become famous and then I could do it my way. This is cool though, because it captures a historical time in our country. The words used here bring such a visual, of course helped along if you have ever been to the south, or watched the Disney version, or read the books etc. 

Bibliography: This story is part of the Brer Rabbit unit. Story source: Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings by Joel Chandler Harris (1881).

Week 6, Reading Diary A,Week 6, Storytelling, Myth-Folklore Unit: Brer Rabbit,Reading Diary

Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit  leahstps.wordpress.com

Myth-Folklore Unit: Brer Rabbit

I have several reasons why I chose this unit this week. First of which is because I loved the Disney movie Song of the South when I was very young. Of course due to it's unflattering content, it has not been popular available in a long time.  So I thought as an educated  adult I would like to re-examine the story and view it not from the eyes of an innocent child that loved everything Disney animated. Also because I am not familiar with much of the Asian and African stuff. So I tried to do the Anansi stuff, which I recognized as something from my childhood also, but it was when it was a children's theatre who acted a lot of this stuff out with animals and props. I tried to read it and found that I might still need thee props to understand it. The words were too hard for me to really grasp. I found this unit easier to understand. I still had to read it out loud to get the effects, and it makes me chuckle...

The Calamus Root

This link will take you to the story I just sampled and pasted here...

Bimeby, one day, atter Brer Fox bin doin' all dat he could fer ter ketch Brer Rabbit, en Brer Rabbit bein' doin' all he could fer ter keep 'im fum it, Brer Fox say to hisse'f dat he'd put up a game on Brer Rabbit, en he ain't mo'n got de wuds out'n his mouf twel Brer Rabbit came a lopin' up de big road, lookin' des ez plump, en ez fat, en ez sassy ez a Moggin hoss in a barley-patch.

Wow, I am so amazed at the ability to write words as they would sound in broken English with a distinctly  thick Southern Plantation era accent. It is not often as a student that we get the opportunity to use such creative license to butcher up our language and things work out okay. That being said, I would like to try this,  and I will smile and watch my spell check do backflips. I always found it cool to read an author who had a style that they used that would set them apart in their writings, but my teachers always said I needed to know the rules before I could break them, become famous and then I could do it my way. This is cool though, because it captures a historical time in our country. The words used here bring such a visual, of course helped along if you have ever been to the south, or watched the Disney version, or read the books etc. 
All prior knowledge aside, the anthropomorphic characters remind me of the old cat and mouse routine aka Tom and Jerry. Another of my childhood favorites. The inner child in me still does, but the adult me is humored by the adult male friendship that is actually happening. These cartoons and stories share with us the  inner workings, psychologically speaking, of two grown men. 
This reminds me of my own personal experience when I was in my twenties. I worked at the Center for the New Age in Sedona at the time. Best job ever, for many reasons. One of which was the people I worked with. All women, they were so kind and brought donuts and were uplifting etc. One day I was leaving work and had stopped by to pick up my ex-husband from his place of work. He worked at a yummy  joint called Moondog's Pizza where the staff was all male. I sat like a fly on the wall waiting for Mick to be done and ride home with me. Watching the most appalling display of men smacking each other, calling each other names, just brutal. They were best friends. If my ladies acted like that to me, things would quickly end badly. If his guys had acted like my lady friends it would also take a strange turn. 
This story strikes me as such powerful imagery and subtle psychology of the times. The struggle for the alpha-male position in a group of animals. They are all part of the local community that enjoys the banter that men enjoy. If something actually did happen to one of the characters it would be sad, they would miss them, the sheer sport of the bantering. The counter psychology of telling Brer Fox not to throw him in the sticker bush, roast him or other horrible things instead is another example of using reverse psychology.

Brer Rabbit: Mr. Wolf Makes a Failure

Bimeby, one day wiles he wuz gwine 'long de road, old Brer Wolf come up wid 'im. W'en dey done howdyin' en axin' atter one nudder's fambly connexshun, Brer Wolf, he 'low, he did, dat der wuz sump'n wrong wid Brer Fox, en Brer Fox, he 'low'd der wern't, en he went on en laugh en make great terdo kaze Brer Wolf look like he spishun sump'n.
The animals who would otherwise be natural predators like a rabbit, bear, fox, buzzard,turtle and a wolf are exchanging pleasantries and inquiring on each others families. Quaint. I think this is a clever use of the pack to have a pecking order, yet familial ties. The little country community comes complete. Except the part where the rabbit cooks the wolf.

Week 6, Extra Reading Diary,Stories from Congo

www.e-architect.co.uk

Congo School

Myth-Folklore Unit: Stories from Congo

I read this half unit as my extra reading stories this week, reading list a. I was reluctant at first because I am not really into stories about animals or tribal thing often. I was pleasantly surprised by reading this unit how much I found that I related to these stories. I like this unit, except how much I am tired of reading names of things that are strange.  I am so over it. It is hard for me to visualize a person or animal or whatever when it bears a name that is so unusual, and then it's a disaster when all the names are unusual. I cannot keep the characters straight. It took me a really long time to read through the Brer Rabbit stuff, and I was super thankful to read these stories that I did not have to read, then read outloud and then re-read in a strange accent. I am very over that too. I tried to write in the thick accent and it was too hard for me to do. I lost patience, but I will use the skill in the future in small tidbits to accentuate a verbal exchange in a story. Probably more of an accent I am accustomed to, like Spanish, or west coast surfer, or new age hippy. Yes that just happened.

I am seeing a pattern throughout the whole unit that was all about marriage. Some were told from the male perspective and some from the female point of view. The villains were also inverse of each other. The stories were a lot like the actual fairytales with real fairies that play tricks. Maybe they share common origin or they could just be a result of rural folklore. Best yet, it could be based on the actual truth in the stories, magic. This is by far the best answer.

Week 6, Reading Diary B,Week 6, Storytelling, Myth-Folklore Unit: Brer Rabbit,Reading Diary

Brer Rabbit: Plantation Proverbs

Mole don't see w'at his naber doin'.
I loved this Proverb, especially because in their neck of the woods, all the Brer animals knows what everybody is doing.

Hog dunner w'ich part un 'im'll season de turnip salad.

No truer words.

Brer Rabbit: The Story of the Deluge

Dey bo'd inter de groun' en kep' on bo'in twel dey onloost de fountains er de yeth; en de waters squirt out, en riz higher en higher twel de hills wuz kivvered, en de creeturs wuz all drownded; en all bekaze dey let on 'mong deyselves dat dey wuz bigger dan de Crawfishes.

How cute is it that the elephants caused the deluge on accounts that they drowned everyone because they stepped on the crawfish when the little community was gathered around for a town meeting to hear the complaints of all the creatures.  It is cute that they mention a lot of African animals that are not found in America as a part of the carry over from their homeland. Interesting to me though that they mention the unicorn. Makes me wonder if this they heard in stories from the Catholic/Christians.

Week 5, Thoughts about Comments

I am excited by such great comments left by my classmates. I value their opinions greatly because they are my audience, and because they are also working on the same assignments so they are aware of the objectives and focus, and are probably interesting in the same types of things that I am. I see the evidence of this in reading other people's introductions and storytelling blogs. Some of us are non-traditional students that are doing our best to keep the ships sailing, and others are just amazing young people that are going to be changing the world we live in. I am glad to get a chance to rub elbows with all of them!

The most impact I have gotten from the comments are the ones that I overlook in editing. It's a bittersweet feeling because I am horrible at punctuation, so I am glad that someone points out my flaws, as well as a tad embarrassed for lacking the skill that is vital in life and college level writing. I am also truly awful at technology. I am young enough that I have had access to computers since high school, but old enough that I learned to type on a typewriter. So technology advice like, using commas to separate the labels was super helpful! (Thank you Whitney for that many weeks ago, as it had already become unmanageable)

I will do my best to help others with good helpful feedback.