Week 7 Reading Diary: Stories from Congo

Stories From Congo

How the Wives Restored Their Husband to Life

This is why polygamy is illegal in America. Plain and simple. With these three wives in constant competition with each other to get their husband and his food, there is always drama, even in the face of their husbands temporary death! The wives are selfish. I do agree that the best gift was the gift from Fulla Fulla who gave her husband life back, the other two's tasks would have been pointless if it weren't for Fulla Fulla.

How Gazelle Got Married

Aw this one was sweet! Guessing the name in order to have them...hmmm. I might start doing that. Guess my name and I'll date you. There. That'll keep em at bay! The dog and Nsassi are really slow though if they forgot the girls' names each time they drank water...odd. But happy ending-ish! War with an antelope? That was so random. At least he was eaten.

Another Vanishing Wife

I really enjoyed this story and the previous one, the first vanishing wife. Always listen to the wife. That is what I get from this story! Haha men are foolish and the women will stay around until the man has disobeyed so many times, then she's gone. As is the case in these stories!

The Wicked Husband

Um. No thank you. I severely did not like this story at all. He cut off her arms and legs? How could he do that to his wife? That is so horrible. I really appreciated the warning in the notes. So much.

The Younger Brother Who Knew More than the Elder

What? I thought the younger brother knew more? But the elder brother just saved the younger brother from losing his wife in the trap. I'm confused by the title. It was a good trick on the owner of the town though! They have him right where they want him!

How the Spider Won and Lost Nzambi's Daughter

What is with these animals and bugs wanting to marry human girls? This emphasizes the fact that parents can marry their daughters off to literally any one. There's so much bickering between all these creatures that are supposed o be working together, it's so weird to me.

The Turtle and the Man

Oh mah gaw why can't any of these stories make any sense? The turtle is always the good character, not the evil one or trickster one...I'm saddened by the turtle's actions. The leopard is very sneaky though, I love it! Haha the ending with the man coming into the turtle's house was weird though.

The Rabbit and the Antelope

Hahahaha what the literal heck!? There is so much trickery and killing in these stories! Guess I know what I'm writing my essay on this week! That rabbit is so rude. Starving the antelope was uncalled for. And lying to name his children? Seriously?

The Fetish of Chilunga

I always thought a fetish was something that people were obsessed with like feet or butts. This story was weird to me too, like a poltergeist or something.

Why the Crocodile Does Not Eat the Hen

That's also a trick...chickens don't lay eggs in water..sooo this unit literally is focused on trickery and lies. At least the crocodile is mature enough to not want to make a meal out of his sister.

Essay Week 6: Fear Factor

Fear Factor

(Image of fear! Source)

This week’s unit on the Chinese Fairy Tales played on a lot of fears. A lot of people, especially me, are drawn to scary stories for their thrill and capability to take the mind to places only reachable through nightmares. I personally love scary stories and movies because it makes me feel better about where I am in my life; I am in no situation comparable to these people in the stories. I especially loved this week’s unit for its play on the mind with fear. In my favorite stories of The Panther, The Girl with the Horse’s Head or the Silkworm Goddess, and The Night on the Battle Field, these Chinese Fairy Tales leave a lasting impression by playing on people’s fears.

In The Panther, the fear that is used is the fear of losing a parent, especially a mother. The two daughters are left to be by themselves and their mother is killed by a panther. This leads to the second fear played upon in the story: fear of wild animals. The fears that lie in these two things are abandonment and death. The girls are all alone, they have no one anymore and the panther is likely going to kill them if they do not out smart him. It’s a huge fear. The girls just cried and cried in their sorrow and fear and did not know what to do. The merchants that helped the girls out were really good and saved them though because their fear was inhibiting.

The Girl with the Horse’s Head or the Silkworm Goddess was especially scary to because it used the idea of bestiality. That is so scary in my opinion. I don’t even want to think about that idea. The girl in the story didn’t either, that’s why her and her father killed the horse that wanted to marry her. That is how they overcame their fear; killing the source of it. Another fear that I don’t even know is a universal fear, was that the horse skin came back to life and suffocated the girl. Maybe the idea of zombies is what that refers to. I haven’t figured it out yet.

Finally, in The Night on the Battle Field, the fear of life from beyond the grave is utilized. Ghosts will always be a fear for human kind. They can’t be officially proven or falsified. The merchant in this story is literally seeing a scene from the past as if it were real life. That is absolutely terrifying. What if that is happening to us every day and we don’t realize it? He deals with his fear by running, which is a good release of extra energy if you ask me. I would have run the heck away too!

The fear factor of these stories really kept me hooked this week and I hope there are more units like this in the future. Using fear to catch attention leaves a lasting impact on everyone. The parts of life we remember are the parts that scare us the most. 

Storytelling Week 6: Cross-Dimensioned

Cross-Dimensioned

(The Alamo in San Antonio. Source)

Once there was a business man returning home to Virginia from California on a business trip. While in flight from Los Angeles, a terrible storm brewed and the flight had to make an unscheduled landing in San Antonio, Texas to wait for the gruesome weather to subside. It was late when the plane landed and the businessman did not want to sleep in the airport for the night, so went out into the city to find a hotel.

The man came across a Holiday Inn not too far from the airport and went inside out of the storm to see if there was a vacancy for him. There was a lot of resistance from the guests of the inn to allow the man to stay, but an elderly woman took pity on him and said that there was a little room available down the hall for him to spend the night. She had just finished preparing a meal for a troop of soldiers that had returned from a battle and she would not be able to feed the business man. The man, as exhausted as he was, accepted the offer and followed the woman to his room, not worrying about his empty stomach just yet.

The night went on and the man's stomach grew louder and hungrier. He tried to sleep it off, but the hunger was too intense, the storm outside was still in full effect, and there was an abnormally large amount of ruckus going on out in the hotel lobby. This trifecta was what brought the man from his bed and to the door to peek out into the hallway.

Through the crack in the door, the man was able to see that the brightly lit lobby was packed with soldiers eating food and drinking wine and discussing the war efforts that they had just completed, none of which the man had heard of.

After a while of watching and listening to the men, there grew shouts from the soldiers that the general was coming. The business man thought this odd because generals don't usually visit directly with the infantry. He watched as a parade of uniformed men marched through the automatic doors with flags and lanterns and the soldiers grew silent. The lanterns stumped him for no one used those anymore, he assumed they were for traditional effect and let his eyes fall on the general who was sporting a very long beard. This the business man could not get past for facial hair was not allowed in the military these days. In fact, as he thought about this, he saw that many of the soldiers around the room had beards. His curiosity and bewilderment allowed him to open the door a little wider.

The general's guards were at attention at the door while the leader feasted with his men and conversed quietly with his officers. Celebratory singing and intoxicated, slurred songs reverberated across the marble floor. The business man grew slightly irritated at the blatant lack of respect the troop was having for the guests of the hotel, but it was him against the possible 100 soldiers present and he knew he'd lose that battle.

Upon the completion of his feasting, the general stood up and the room silenced immediately. He looked at his officers and told them to return to their rooms for some well deserved rest and that he himself was going to lie down a while they waited for further instructions on advancement from President Jackson. This name drop astounded the business man. Barack Obama was president...Jackson had been president almost 200 years ago.

This discovery made the man slip completely out of his room and follow discretely behind the general to his room down the hall. The general's guards neglected to close the door entirely which gave the business man the opportunity to gaze inside.

 By the light of just the lanterns, the man watched as the general's guards helped remove his head and place it on the empty bed before him. The arms and legs came next, then finally the torso was laid to rest in the middle of all the appendages. A guard turned and looked directly at the business man in the door and the lantern blew out.

Terrified to death, the man fell back into the wall and scurried back to his room where he slammed the door and locked it tight. The fear that overtook him made him suffer in shakes and sweat all night. At last he saw the streaks of light that signal daybreak and sat up. After the adjustment of his eyes to the light, he saw that he was in the middle of a park. No hotel, no people, just trees and grass.

This realization resulting in yet more panic, the man sprinted down a street to another hotel where he burst in and clamped onto the receptionist's desk. The woman standing there asked if he was alright and what brought him to the hotel so early in the morning. The business man told the woman of his experiences of the night and inquired into what sort of place he had encountered. The woman looked at the man with a knowing face and said, "Sir, this is San Antonio! The battles for Texas independence came to a point here. Many of the Texan ghosts reside here and come out to play at night. They got you good." And the man's face turned as white as the ghosts themselves.
   
Author's Note: This story is based off of the Chinese Fairy Tale Unit's story of The Night on the Battlefield. I love ghost stories and therefore loved this fairy tale! I decided to change the time period from when it was told in older China and also change the setting to Texas since that's my home land! Ghost stories happen in the past and the present, so it works really well in both time periods I believe. I hope you enjoyed it!

Bibliography: R. Wilhelm, Frederick H. Martens, The Chinese Fairy Book, 1921.

Week 6 Reading Diary: Chinese Fairy Tales

Chinese Fairy Tales

The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck

Wow what a sad story. The poor princess just never caught a break. I wonder what happened to her during those 18 years of her husband's absence that caused her ill luck. She was a good, faithful person who had bad things happen to her. The fates just weren't on her side.

The Panther

Oh boy, this one was weird. How did the panther actually look like a mother. That didn't make any sense to me. Those poor girls. I wonder why they went to bed when the panther showed up? I would panic, not sleep.

Yang Oerlang

This one isn't bad! I liked it a lot actually. I love stories that explain the phenomena of the earth. Learning about why there are pearls on the bottom of the plant that saved the sun, why there is only one sun, and why the earthworms can't stand the sun. It was good!
 

The Girl with the Horse's Head or the Silkworm Goddess

Okay what? Do people just make up these stories off the top of their head? This one was odd. It hinted at bestiality, which I have not yet read in any of the units so that was new! The horses's skin wrapped itself around the girl, she died, and turned into a silk worm? Hahaha what the heck.

The King of Ants

I loved this story so so much!! It was so different and I could see the scenes playing in my head the whole time, it was awesome. I felt like the scholar watching all of this! I really want to write my storytelling for this week on this one. I haven't heard a story like this before. Awesome!

The Little Hunting Dog

This one is very similar to the last one! The Chinese Fairy Tales have a weird reoccurring motif of mini soldiers/warriors. I still like the The King of Ants better. These little warriors are very friendly though, and helpful. I'm really sad the dog died though...

The Talking Silver Foxes

Yeah this story is really confusing. There's a talking fox that people want to hurt when it's not even doing anything? And then there's a woman that is possessed by a spirit and the fox is the one that they try and kill? I am so confused. And then they killed it! But it could speak to them! So dumb.

The Night on the Battle Field

Whoa wait. I want to tell my storytelling on this one actually. I LOVE ghost stories. So much. I can do so much with this one. Being involved in an old battle field victory is so cool, I love this story. It was weird that the general's body was taken a part though.

The Sorcerer of the White Lotus Lodge

Um what? How did the sorcerer trick the soldiers? He was eaten by a giant. The only thing I can think of is that the giant was a friend or illusion created by the sorcerer. He had his wife and son eaten first so that they too would be saved and then himself. But the story seems to just kind of end...it doesn't explain how he tricked the soldiers.

How the River God's Wedding Was Broken Off

Ooo this is a good story. Killing off the people that most supported and enforced the custom. They were not eligible to be a bride but the sorcerers sure found pleasure in killing these young girls. I like when undeserving people get a taste of their own medicine. Way to go governor of the Yellow River!

Essay for Week 5: Insanity

Insanity

(Shah Abbas in Persia, Source: Wikipedia)

I am actually really stumped for what to write about for this week's essay. The stories in the Persian Tales unit are very odd. Very hard to follow. They are very entertaining, don't get me wrong, but they did not have any point or logic. It was almost as if the point of the stories got lost in translation from Persian to English. I feel like these stories were meant for children, to an extent. The death aspect of the tales are what prevent me from fully thinking they're for kids.

For example, The Wolf and the Goat, was a good story for kids. It told them to not give up on what they want. It also shows kids that moms are determined to keep them safe. The goat kills the wolf by means of over drinking water in order to get her kids back. She was so determined and not afraid of the big bad wolf because her kids were in harm's way. This was an odd story, but the ideas given are positive ones.

The City of Nothing in the World was ESPECIALLY weird and hard to follow for me. There was absolutely no point! There also was no death, which made this the most kid friendly story of them all! Kids are really good at weaving crazy stories at the drop of a hat and this seemed like a tale straight from the mouth of babes! Eggs magically turning into chickens, making poles out of needles, gigantic watermelons being fallen into, and cities inside fruits. I never would have come up with this.

The one story that made any sense was Shah Abbas and the Poor Mother. This ine was a story for kids on how to be good to others no matter the circumstances. The weird part of this one was that when the Shah was nice to the mother, it backfired and she was arrested for stealing something she didn't steal. He was nice and honorable a second time around and everything turned out really well for the mother and the kids! The bad guys were arrested and everyone lived happily ever after. This one probably made sense because bringing a bad name to the King of Iran would have been punishable by death. Either they think very highly of their king or they made a nice story about him to keep their lives. It makes sense! Raising children on the idea that they should love their rulers. It's very good.

Storytelling for Week 5- Inception: Persian Style

Inception: Persian Style

There once was a time where only God existed.

But there also was a young girl that was very accident prone and who lived in Norman, Oklahoma. One day she fell from her tree-house and cut her arm pretty badly. After a few days of healing, she went to her grandmother's house to use some antibiotic ointment.

The girl skipped her way to grandma's house only to be told that her grandma was all out of ointment! "Here my child," said Gran as she handed the girl two balloons, "Take these to the CVS on Asp and see if the pharmacist doesn't have any ointment you can trade him for."

(The Two Balloons Source: Balloons)

When the girl returned to her grandmother's house, this is the tale she told:

"I went to CVS, and on the way there I lost the two balloons. I was so upset, but I put my hands in my pocket and I found a penny. I wanted to get my balloons back, so I gave the penny to the pharmacist and he made a crow's nest out of a string.

"I climbed all the way up to the top of that crow's nest and looked all around Campus Corner to see if I couldn't spot the balloons. I saw one of my balloons had turned into one of the red telephone booths in front of Cafe Plaid, and the other was making donuts way far over in Hurts.

"So I told myself: "First, I'll go and get the donut worker balloon," and I went over to Hurts and said to the owner, "Give me back my balloon and his salary too, because he's been working unfairly for you." We discussed the situation at length and the owner agreed for me to have 200 donuts. I had no bag to hold my donuts, so I borrowed a cup from Chimey's and rode my balloon to Boyd Street because I wanted to sell my donuts.

(Hurts Donuts! Source: Om Nom Nom)

"Half way there, the balloon grew tired and I asked the people there what I should do to fix him. One of the men told me to rub grass on him and let him sleep a night. When I woke up I saw that a grass patch had grown on the balloon and that there was a huge apple also growing from the grass.

"I took my knife and cut the apple in half, only to have it fall into its enormous depths. Naturally, I put on my bathing suit and climbed into the apple to retrieve my knife. I was completely submerged in the apple and saw that there was an entire city there! I decided to grab a bite to eat from the local Pita Pitt and when I was done, I saw a piece of lettuce on my wrapper and I tried to pick it up.

"Upon picking up the lettuce, an entire train of schooner wagons came filling out! There were at least 8, but I didn't see any of the rest for I found my knife in my sun hat!"

And now my story has come to its end, but the chicken never crossed the road.


Author's Note: This week's Storytelling is based off of The City of Nothing In The World form the Persian Tales Unit. I found this story to be so extremely odd that I couldn't pass it up! You think my version is weird? Take the time to read the original!

Bibliography: D.L.R. Lorimer, E.O. Lorimer. Persian Tales: The City of Nothing in the World, 1919.

Week 5 Reading Diary: Persian Tales

Persian Tales

The Wolf and the Goat

What an odd story. The little goat was not scared of the wolf at all and she just out smarted him in a snap! Wolves always seem to be out smarted in the end, though, no mater the culture. Funny the goats means of killing him was to make him drink a lot of water, that was different. Never mess with a mom of any creature, that's for sure. Mom's will kill for their babies.

The City of Nothing In The World

All of these stories start with, "Once upon a time there was a time when there was no one but God." But then these stories all have creatures in them other than God...
Also, what? This story makes no sense. Her eggs turned into a chicken and a rooster? How did she know they were hers? ....there was a town in the watermelon? And traffic? And what's with this sparrow that never goes home?

Susku and Mushu

Again, what the actual heck? These stories are so weird. And there is no point to any of them. A mouse and a beetle get married? And then every creature up to the humans are suicidal over the beetle's death... Odd.

The Boy Who Became A Bulbul

OH MY GAWH WHAT THE HECK IS THIS STORY EVEN SUPPOSED TO TEACH?! Killing children? Revenge? No remorse? No.

The Praying Baker

This tale isn't so bad! It makes sense and shows the importance of continuous prayer. I liked this one the most because it made sense.

The Sad Tale of the Mouse's Tail

Wow. I don't like this one either. Yet again. What the heck. Shouldn't the mouse be dead now since it lost its tail? And didn't the mouse lose her tail because of karma because she was stealing? Seriously? Weird.

The Story of the Wolf-Bride

Yeah...this made no sense. All I'm getting out of this is that one should not marry their cousin. Or try to change fate I guess? SO strange.

Tortoise Bowl on the Back and Fox

I agree that everyone who is greedy should be put to shame, but the turtles cheated. Hard core. That isn't fair either. I don't get these morals at all.

The Shepard Who Found a Treasure

This one was weird too. Dreams are so awesomely wonderful though so I'm not weirded out about this one as much as the others. Yay for the shepard finding the jewels and not having to work ever again!

Shah Abbas and the Poor Mother

Wow the Shah is a wonderful man! This story shows just how people perceived him while he reigned over Iran. I'm learning about him in my Modern Iran class, so it's really cool to hear a story about him not related to a history textbook.

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Essay for Week 4: The Bond of Brothers

The Bond of Brothers

(A Silouhette of a Family! Source: Wikipedia)

This week's reading had a lot of familial ties in it. I feel like every mythological story has a ton of familial relationships, but I noticed this week's especially. From Isis and Osiris and their family, and Nu being the father of everyone, to The Tale of King Rhampsinitus, there are encouraged and discouraged practices a plenty. 

First of all, the parental aspect of all of this was very odd to me. They encouraged revenge a ton. and even the means of revenge was horrible, mothers and fathers were encouraging murder! Especially in Ra and Hathor, Hathor killed a ton of humans and swam in their blood in pleasure! What the heck? Also, the parents encourage the drinking of beer a lot too. In celebration and in tricking others into doing what they want them to do, beer was mentioned a ton. The parents only seem to care about riches and have their family come second, especially the fathers. Like The Book of Thoth, Nefer-ka-ptah just uproots his family and moves them for his own selfish reasons. Also, while he is away searching for the book, he leaves his wife to worry and starve on the beach! The worst part is that because of the father's actions, his wife and son both die. All of these are horrible examples to set for children. On a more positive note, in doing all of these things, the children learn that they can and should stand up for themselves. That is a very good thing in life to do, but there are limits.

Now for the children, they had some bad tendencies too. Granted, the children have bad tendencies because they see their parents have given them wrongful guidance, but it's still bad. In The Tale of King Rhampsinitus, the brother kills his other brother! In an instant, without hesitating or argument! And then he was totally cool with carrying his brother's head out of the room. Then, he was calm, cool, and collected when he had to take his brother's body off of the wall. I just can't even imagine doing that to my sister. The vengeance that these children portrayed throughout this unit was very unsettling.

I cannot imagine any stories being written like this for contemporary stories. I feel like mythology was a very sadistic place and time for everyone. I wonder if real life was this way for the people that lived when these stories were created. Stories often reflect real things; it just makes a girl wonder!  

Storytelling for Week 4: Rhampsinitus Rhymes

Rhampsinitus Rhymes

Over Egypt, King Rhampsinitus once did reign,
He had so many riches, that anything he wanted, he could fain.
Next to his castle, the king built a room for all his treasure;
He needed to protect the things that brought him the most pleasure.

However, little did the king know that the people he hired,
Would construct a trick that would make his brain quite tired.
Secretly, one of the constructors made a wall nook,
So that he could come in and steal without the king knowing what he took.

After the building was complete and done,
The two sons of the constructor went out to have some fun!
Their father had fallen ill,
And told the boys about the nook so that they make take everything they willed.

So into the vault the brothers went,
Thinking of all the ways their new riches could be spent!
This went on for several nights,
Each time leaving the guards and king stumped by morning's light.

The king never could discover
Why his treasures were disappearing under night's cover.
To solve the problem, he decided to lay a trap
In order to give these robbers one good whap!

The next night, the robbers came in looking for the night's dealings,
But all of a sudden one brother was in a net at the ceiling!
"Brother!" he frantically bellowed,
"There's no way out for me,  you'll have to kill me, please don't be mellow."

The plan was for the free brother to slice off his kin's head,
Then run back out the nook, leaving the body unmarked and dead.
The free brother did as he was told
And ran away with his dead brothers head and three bags of gold.

The king awoke to the body swinging in the air
He was enraged that the other robber had gotten away, it just wasn't fair!
He had the corpse hung on the wall
To see if anyone would pass by to mourn at all.

Meanwhile, the mother of the corpse
Demanded her remaining son to retrieve the body in her remorse.
The son again did as he was told,
Went to the castle, tricked the guards with wine, and carried the corpse away, which was very bold.

Again the king was outraged that he had been fooled,
So he sent his daughter out to find this man and show him who really ruled.
The daughter found the robber and he confessed to her under false pretenses.
He managed to get away and the king almost lost his senses!

One final attempt to catch this thief,
He would hold a grand ball and if this failed he would forever angrily seethe.
The robber came and managed to schmooze them all,
So much so that the king's daughter married the robber the very next fall!

(Egyptian Bust. Source: Wikipedia)

Author's Note: This story is based off of the Egyptian Myth of the The Tale of King Rhampsinitus. This story was very ironic to me, it showed how the less fortunate are significantly more clever than the wealthy and that the wealthy can be fooled quite easily. I felt that this motif was simple that it needed to be in nursery rhyme form! And I also love to rhyme things, so that too.

Bibliography: Egyptian Myth and Legend, Donald Mackenzie, 1907.

Week 4 Reading Diary: Ancient Egyptian Myth and Stories

Ancient Egyptian Myths and Stories

Creation

This is very different from the Christian Creation story I read last week. It's almost opposite in a way...The beginning was the center of the earth from the depths of water, so it worked inside out! It grew outward, not inward as the Christian story tells.

The Secret Name of Ra

Woooooow. Isis is horrible in this story and in real life.. (pun) Tricking the highest god? That is not normal. Nor anything like the Christian story. It was a very interesting read though! Isis is freaking sneaky!

Ra and Hathor

I'm confused with this story. Did Ra die? And come back to life? Or did he just abdicate his throne to fight his enemies? These humans are so bold in thinking that they can take on a god! Hathor has no problem killing man kind, she's a bit sadistic.

The Death of Osiris

 This is a very interesting story. I like it very much. I'm sad the King died, but the way he died was very creative. I think I will probably do my Storytelling this week on this story! Kind of reminds me of the Trojan Horse, being inside a wooden compartment. I'm seeing a lot of similarities between Egyptian and Greek/Roman Mythology.

King of the Dead

I love this reoccurring theme of rebirth. Death is not the end at all. There is so much revitalizing throughout this story, it maybe hints at life after death as well. I love that Osiris is able to be the Judge and King of the Dead after he is resurrected.

The Green Jewel

This reminds me of Moses parting the Red Sea while Pharaoh's Army was chasing him and the Jews. There are plenty of overlaps between cultural stories that lead me to further believe that a lot of these stories are based on some truth of occurrence and are not just fables.

The Two Brothers: Part One (Through Four)

This sounds like John Steinbeck's East of Eden, with Cal and Adam. Which means it also sounds like Cain and Able from the Bible. Again, women are portrayed as extremely manipulative.This story is also weird. Bata turned into a bull? But only after dying. I don't follow.

The Book of Thoth: Part One (Through Three)

This story is slightly extreme. This guy is going through a ton of tasks just to get to a book. A book. I don't think I value books as much as this guy. It's not worth the struggle. Dang this story ends badly. They all literally die. In an instant. It was a bit too blunt.

Essay Week 3: Adam and Eve Assessment

Adam and Eve Assessment 

(Adam and Eve after eating the Forbidden Fruit, Source: Wikipedia)

Growing up in a Presbyterian Christian Church, the creation story and Adam and Eve is nothing foreign to me. I really enjoyed how I already knew a background to this unit; I knew what to expect. The stories from the King James Bible Translation were the stories that were most familiar, word for word familiar. I enjoyed them, but I also really loved the versions of Ginzberg like The Fall of Satan and Lilith, these two were really different! I had never heard the version of Eve naming herself Lilith and disobeying what God wanted, I used this story a bit in my storytelling this week. I liked that he made Eve have an actual personality and not just be a push over. 

I don't think there was any other background information that should have been provided for me, at least. Maybe for someone that is not familiar with the Genesis story or the Bible a bit of a prelude to what they were about to read would have been good, but not for me! I think the fact that I knew the story helped me get through this unit because of the language; some of the old English makes it difficult to get through in a good pace. I know I get frustrated tripping over "thou", "shalt", and "doth" all the time! 

What if there was a different translation of the Bible used? Instead of  the King James, maybe a more contemporary version, so the words are better to comprehend. Also, in They Die a First Time, I had no idea that Adam and Eve came close to death so many times! God revitalized Adam at least five times in this unit. That was news to me. Very interesting news none the less! It made me feel their agony that much more. 

I'm not yet sure what my overall goals are for this class, so I'm not sure how this unit fits in with them, but I definitely learned a lot and a universal goal I have is to learn. I also learned that there are so many different ways to look at a story and to alternate its contents. Even with a story as famous as the creation story. 

I loved the collaboration of parts so much! Gives me hope that I can achieve really awesome storytellings with everything I read this semester! 

Storytelling for Week 3: Eve's Eyes

Eve's Eyes

(God, Adam, and Eve after the fall from the Garden, Source: Wikipedia)

I was born into bright light and lots of noise. There was a figure standing near me, one I had never seen before. I had never seen anyone before. Let alone anything. I felt this weird sense of overwhelming awe at my surroundings and looked down to see that I had hands. I knew not where this knowledge came from, nor could I comprehend any thought that was going through my head. The figure was remaining by my side touched my shoulder and I flinched, for never had I experienced touch.

I looked into the figure's face and felt a feeling of immense affection, love, and gratitude. This was my Adam. I immediately knew his name. He was a tall, dark haired, dark skinned, and dark eyed man. He exhumed empowerment, strength, and a humbleness that could only be granted from God. God. My brain started swirling again. God created me. I knew in that moment that I was of Adam's rib. I was created to support Adam in all his days. He had named every creature on this land with God's guidance. God then spoke to us:

"I have formed both of you from the elements I created. I have great plans for you and all the generations that spring forth from you. You are the parents of the Earth; Father Adam and Mother Eve. Partake from all fruit in this garden, from every tree, but do not eat from the Tree of Knowledge. That is my one request."

We praised the Lord and took heed to His one rule. I ate all the fruit I could possibly stuff in my stomach and then more! We lived like this for days. It was wonderful in the beginning, but I grew rather bored of God's sole affection for my husband. I felt like a nothing. God told me He loved me all the time and I never doubted it, but I did not feel worthy of either of their attention. I let the emotions build up for a long while because I did not know what I was to do with them.

One day I just couldn't take it anymore. While Adam was praying by the tree line one morning, I decided I was going to go sit by myself underneath the Tree of Knowledge where Adam wouldn't think to look for me. As I sat and fumed in my anger, I heard a rustling in the shrubs to my left. As I looked into the shrubbery, one of God's creatures, the snake emerged on his two feet. He was a beautiful creature to behold and definitely a face to trust. Which I found out later, was the snake's hope from the beginning. He struck up a conversation with me about why I was alone and comforted me in my frustration. After a while the snake made me a proposition:

"Say, Eve, with all your anger you must feel the need to seek vengeance, no? You must let Adam and God know that you are worthy of their time and that you have a mind of your own, do not let them walk over you any longer. Why don't you pick a fruit of off this here Tree of Knowledge and take a vengeful bite?"

I looked at the trustworthy face of the snake and felt the urge to rebel. A fire of anger grew up inside my chest and before I knew what I was doing, the fruit was in my hand and headed towards my mouth. I took a bite. It was the most delicious fruit I had ever tasted. I looked to my left to find that the snake had disappeared and I ran back to Adam to show him my discovery.

I convinced my husband to taste the wonderful fruit that I had picked, forgetting that it was against God's rule because of the deliciousness. Adam fell in love with the fruit too and all of a sudden we realized that we were NAKED. Oh how embarrassed I was to be standing in the open like this. I couldn't handle it and neither could Adam, so we hid until the booming voice of God's voice entered the garden:

"My children, where do you hide? Why have you disobeyed me and eaten of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge? Emerge now." Adam and I reluctantly came out of our hiding spaces and God spoke again, "You hide because you disobeyed, you both have sinned. This requires punishment. You are banned from the garden for 5,000 years, fated to walk the land outside and work to live. All of your generations will work as well, and you Eve, child bearing will be difficult. The snake fooled you, and in his treachery I have sentenced him and his generations to slither on his belly for eternity."

(Adam and Eve after the eating of the forbidden fruit, Source: Wikipedia)

At these words, we fell to the ground in grief and a deep sleep came over us. When we woke up, we were in a strange place and the darkness was overwhelming. Adam grieved inconsolably for days; pulling himself to death multiple times, only to have God revitalize him. 

I messed up. I knew that. My husband's agony was my doing. I was so angry with the snake for fooling me, but I was angry with myself for falling for it also. I was determined to get us through this. I comforted Adam as best I could and took care of him in all ways that I could think.

We eventually grew used to the land and learned to work with it. Adam continued to love me even though I made the mistake that ruined our paradise. We were happy. Happy as we could be in this forsaken land. God had mercy on us a lot and saved us from many early fates. He wasn't kidding when he said child bearing was going to be painful, sheesh! I had a time with Cain and Able. God is truly the provider though; He loves us and always will.

Author's Note: This story was based off of Adam and Eve from the Un-Textbook. I wanted to shed some light on the creation story from the eyes of Eve. We don't ever get to hear a woman's side of the story, let alone a woman from the Bible, so I thought this would give a nice change of pace! Eve gets blamed a lot for her mistake of eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, but that snake had a heavy hand in convincing her! It wasn't just her fault.

Bibliography: King James Bible (1611) Genesis.