Essay for Week 14: Analyzing La Fontaine's Fables

La Fontaine's Fables

(La Fontaine's Fables)

This week's unit caught my eye because they are originally French stories! I love French stories! Because I love France and all things French. It was fun to see that a lot of French stories are similar to American stories that I grew up with. I've heard so many of those stories before, it was great! I don't think I had heard them in poem form, though. That was different and nice! I especially loved the Tortoise and the Hare story along with the Dogs story. Those two have really good distinct morals. I didn't have any that I disliked!

These stories are really good for little kids because of the simplicity and the rhyming. I don't know why, but kids seem to really love rhyming. I think I'm going to read these to my kids at the church sometime soon! This is wonderful. It contributed to my goals in this class because I wanted to find things to read that were similar to my interests. France is an interest and so this unit matched perfectly! I know I said last week that I did not like how much the British Units paralleled with my background. And here is La Fontaine's Fables matching a lot of things I've read and I loved it. Sounds a little hypocritical, but I think I just have a bias against America and Britain. What can I say? We're bullies to the rest of the world.

I didn't need to know any additional information before I read this unit. Everything was wonderful and I followed along very easily! It is very safe to say that this half of the last two week's of the class and the Native American Units were my absolute favorite! Yay! Definitely don't change this part of the British Unit. Keep the French!

Storytelling for Week 14: Morals Every 20-Something Should Live By

Morals Every 20-Something Should Live By

(A Picture of 20-Somethings!)

Have Empathy

Everywhere you go,
Everyone you meet,
Might be putting on a show,
Almost a performance in the street.
That is why,
We must try,
To counter their denial
With a loving smile.
Everyone is made
In their own special grade,
Of flesh and blood
And not one of us is a dud.

Have Humor

Life is hilarious
If not a bit precarious
And we must live
In order to give
A smile to
People that are going through
Crap.

Change is Consistent

Nothing remains the same
This does not require shame.
In anything we go through
And no matter what we do,
It will change again.
Change is the reason for growth
We as humans must endure both.
No need to fear the alternations
For it happens to even the greatest nations.
We must keep our chins up,
Buttercups,
And never let anything dull our sparkle.

Food is Good

Never diet.
Don't even try it.
Food is a gift to the planet
You want healthy? Do a pomegranate.
Don't worry about your weight
God made you great
It's our fate
To live beyond ourselves
So stop looking at your pantry shelves
Deciding what has fat
You have better things to do than that.

Author's Note: I decided to not base my Storytelling on any of the poems from this week's unit. They were all too short and simple. They all had morals at the end and I loved that. I also found this article, The 9 Morals Every 20-Something Should Live By by Lilliana De Ciantis  and I love it. I decided to use four of those morals in my version of La Fontaine's Fables. I rhymed everything and I feel like we, as 20-somethings can easily relate!

Week 14 Reading Diary: Fables of La Fontaine

Fables of La Fontaine

Foolish Animals

Hehe. I always love the tortoise and the hare race story. It's a wonderful reminder to tame one's ego! I especially loved that it rhymed. I love rhyming things.

Foxes

Hahaha this one's cute! Poor fox though...grapes are supposed to be so sweet! I can just see him hopping up to reach them in my brain!

Insects

Aw...that makes me so sad. He brought joy to the people around him all summer..the ant should give him food...

Foxes and Wolves

Wow. That was a good one. Poor wolf though..the fox was dumb to begin with though...going in the bucket of a wall would never cross my mind as a good idea.

Dogs

Aw! Humans don't treat dogs that badly...at least I don't. That wolf valued his freedom more than food. Wow.

Mice

I like the moral of this story. Looks can be deceitful. I'm glad that mouse escaped the cat though.

The Tortoise; The Bat

Dawh, the turtle died! This is like another unit but it was a frog that spoke while holding the bar between his teeth. The bat story was cool too.

The Astrologer; The Dairy Woman

Aww poor astrologer! I feel so bad for him...he was just doing his work! The Dairy Woman was kinda a sad moral.

Essay for Week 13: The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre Analysis

The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre Analysis

(Queen Navarre)

This was not my favorite unit. The past two weeks have not been my favorite units. I think I am more of an international person. The French/British/North American stuff does not interest me. I think I was born in the wrong country! Or race. Or both. The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre  Unit is what I am referring to.

I think what I originally did not like about it was the dialogue before and after the stories. It seemed pointless and redundant. A lot of the conversation just reiterated what the story had told, which was too repetitive for my taste. The stories themselves were okay. They were a bit dark and brooding. They also touched on topics that were uncomfortable to me. The Virgin With Child was disturbing. Incest is a very taboo topic to society. It's taboo in the story too, so it's not like a difference in culture thing. I think my favorite story was The Lady From Milan and Her Lover. This was so because it was the least weird and most romantic. Even though the guy stalked her for three years...that's also disturbing. It was the best out of them all though.

Another thing that bothered me was the language. It was difficult to smoothly read. I got through everything alright, but I was easily stuck on a few sentences and phrases that just would not register for me.

One more thing I found troubling about this week and last week's readings is that they're all too familiar to me. I've heard all of these stories growing up and they are a part of my ancestry. I chose this unit because I had never heard of this Queen or any of her stories, so at least it was new information. If I have to read one more Alice in Wonderland story, I'm going to croak.

This unit helped my goal in life and for this class by just reconfirming that I am not a fan of Western culture. Including stories. That's good to know! I can avoid it. Haha :)

Storytelling for Week 13: Pester Hrynne

Pester Hrynne

(Pester Hrynne [Hester Prynne from the Scarlet Letter] before her and her brother's exile)

Charles knew he had a problem. His younger sister was always rather attractive to him. More attractive than she should have been considering the hereditary relationship. He was a priest as well, so this was an especially immoral situation to be in. He fought his urge to act on his feelings for his sister for many years. As she continued to grow into a young woman, though, resistance became futile.

One day Charles broke. I will spare you the details of the horrendous act he committed on his sister. I will tell you, however, that Charles and his sisters' lives were changed forever on that day.

Time went on and neither brother nor sister spoke a word of what had occurred. If words were to slip, both of their reputations would be tainted, if not destroyed, in a heartbeat and they would be sent into exile. Because of their silence, Charles relaxed as time went on and no longer worried about the ramifications of his actions. That is until two months after the act had been committed.

Charles' younger sister was with child. He panicked. His sister was distraught but slightly excited at the idea of having a child. Just not with her brother. Charles, not sharing in any of his sibling's excitement, sat down to create a plan.

He decided that the two of them were going to play the second Virgin Mary card. His little sister would claim to be a virgin in front of the entire congregation of the church during Charles' next service. Being the mastermind of this plan, he would not blaspheme the Lord because he would use a book instead of a Bible and use regular water during the ceremony than Holy water. This would make the ritual of his sister's testimony seem true to the congregation, she would be hailed the new mother of Christ, and Charles' would be the honored priest that officiated the ceremony. It was a perfect plan.

The day of the ceremony came and the little sister knelt at the alter with her large belly in front of her brother. He asked her to swear on the "Bible" (book) that she was a virgin and no one had touched her. She swore to this statement with "No man has touched me more than my brother would" and was washed with the "Holy water" (drinking water). The congregation, not considering incest to be an option, were instantly in awe of the pregnant woman and her belly.

There was one bishop in the sanctuary that held a spot of suspicion, however. The bishop could not get over the young girl's phrase of "No man has touched me more than my brother would". He had a gut feeling that the brother had indeed touched her in the way needed for a baby to be conceived. He acted on his suspicion and listened in on the pastor's conversation with his sister that night. What he overheard were the plans of the two siblings to keep their baby a secret.

"I will be our baby's father by assuming the position of adoptive father in front of the congregation. That way I can sincerely fulfill my paternal duties without guilt and under the approval of the congregation. All will be well."

The bishop with his newly acquired knowledge ran to inform the congregation of what he had heard. The next day during Charles' sermon, the congregation interrupted him and began the confrontation. Everything came crashing down and Charles was denounced as the church's pastor and the brother and sister were sent into exile with their incestuous child.

Author's Note: Yeah, I know this is a weird story...it's based off of The Virgin With Child in the Queen's Stories Unit. This was a very unsettling story to when I read it. I decided to switch it up a bit and let the audience know the entire time what was going on. The original story does not let the reader know that there is incest until the very end. I did not like that surprise, so I changed it! And the ending is different, too. In the original, the pastor just openly admits to his fraud when asked, which is dumb since he went through so much to cover the secret to begin with. I invented the bishop to eavesdrop in order to make the story more interesting.

Week 13 Reading Diary: The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre

The Heptameron of Margaret, Queen of Navarre

The Lady of Milan and Her Lover

Awe! I loved this story! The guy is kind of a stalker though. Good thing the woman loved him back the whole time or she should have called the police. I'm surprised that she didn't actually...he literally followed her everywhere she went. She played a good trick on him though, I wish I were that clever! And she was so strong willed to ignore him even though she loved him for three years! I have got to learn to guard my heart like she does. The second half of the story was good too.

The Virgin With Child

Wow. Incest. Covered up by the claim of the next Virgin Mary? That's horrible. I hate that people use religion to cover their horrendous actions. Religion is something that is Holy, not a scapegoat. Oh that makes me irritated. The second half was similar.

The President of Grenoble's Revenge

Ah the cheating wife and the husband finding out. Very original. But why did the husband pretend he didn't find them? That was weird to me. Very weird. Okay, now I read the second part. It's all about image! Wow. What an obsession he has with the image of his household. Good grief. Well at least it worked out for him!

The Spanish Widow

This is a weird story. 99 for a cat and 1 for a horse? So strange. I wonder how much a ducat is…

Secrets Revealed

Um. This one is about rape. And how the woman was the one that sinned in the end. And it was her fault and they were laughing? That is not okay. I did not like this tory.

Woman On Her Death-Bed

Wow. This gives men a wonderful reputation. I'm not actually surprised at the husbands actions…that's sad. Poor wife…I am so glad she 

Essay for Week 12: Nursery Rhyme Analysis

Nursery Rhyme Analysis

(My brain's image of Nursery Rhymes which did not match the reality of this unit)

I was going to do a story analysis this week for the Nursery Rhymes Unit, but there was really no similar theme or moral running through all of the poems other than morbidity. I have written on the theme of morbidity before so I did not want to be redundant. In this case, however, it would be worth it to say that the rhyming of morbid topics makes them less morbid and therefore seems like a defense mechanism in a way.

I did not really enjoy this week’s readings. A lot of them made no sense and had no point. Some of the stories I have read before are like this, but they were longer and I could use my imagination to create a point. These were so short that my imagination has nothing to go off of. I think I read for purpose and functionality. I do not read for fun…that is what I have discovered about myself this semester. I like to feel productive while I read and I feel frustrated through these shorter, nonsensical readings.

I think the Paradoxes and the Songs were my least Favorite parts of the Nursery Rhymes. They were weird. My favorite stories would have to be the Riddles. Those are functional. There is brain involvement in reading those. Kept me on my toes! There was not really any information that these rhymes lacked, I appreciated you providing the Wikipedia links for explanations. I think people really need to pay attention to the fact that each of the parts of the unit consist many different rhymes. They just have to remember that for their reading adventures!

This unit did not fit my expectations or goals for this class. I cannot really put my finger on why I did not enjoy this unit other than its lack in productivity and purpose. In comparison to the Native American stories which were my favorite, the nursery Rhymes fell short. The Native American stories had purpose and I learned a lot from reading them. I like being productive. But I did not learn anything from this unit aside from a final confirmation that I do not read for fun. I must have substance in what I am reading. My imagination is not as active as others I guess!

Storytelling for Week 12: Girls Scout Nursery Rhyme Collections

Girl Scout Camp Nursery Rhymes:

(Picture of Girl Scouts!)

Miss Suzy had a steamboat

The steamboat had a bell

DING DING

Miss Suzy went to heaven

The steamboat went to—

Hello operator

Please give me number nine

And if you disconnect me

I’ll kick you from behind—

The refrigerator

There lies a piece of glass

Miss Suzy sat upon it and broke her little—

Ask me no more Questions

Tell me no more lies

The boys are in the bathroom zipping up their—

Flies are in the meadow

Bees are in the park

Miss Suzy and her boyfriend

Are kissing in the D-A-R-K, D-A-R-K

Dark, Dark, Dark—

Darker than the ocean

Darker than the sea

Darker than the underwear my mommy puts on me

Now I know I know my ma, and I know I know my pa

And I know I know my sister with the forty acre bra!

                               ~~~ 

Oh I wish I were a little juicy orange (juicy orange)

Oh I wish I were a little juicy orange (juicy orange)

I'd go squirty, squirty, squirty over everybody's shirty

Oh I wish I were a little juicy orange (juicy orange)

Oh I wish I were a little girly scouty (girly scouty)

Oh I wish I were a little girly scouty (girly scouty)

I'd go tramp, tramp, tramp through the boyscout camp
Oh I wish I were a little girly scouty (girly scouty)

                               ~~~

Out of my tent flap looking in the night
I can see my counselors, OOO what a sight
Cold cream on their face
And rollers in their hair
I can even smell their dirty underwear

Counselors, I would like to kick you out
I would like to kick you out, out, out
Counselors, take a swim out in the lake
You might get eaten by a polka-dotted snake

                               ~~~

(Circle of girls is formed and there is one person in the center. She skips around the inside of the circle while everyone sings the following song. When the song gets to "she stopped in front of me", the person in the center stops at a girl and does a jig. Then the girl in the circle switches with the center girl and does the dance. This is the new center person.)

Little Sally Walker, walking down the street
She didn't know what to do so she stopped in front of me
She said: Hey girl do yo thank, do yo thang and switch
Hey girl do yo thang do yo thang and switch!

                              ~~~

Grasping the neck,

I keep your finger in check

Holding so tight,

I make your hand gleam bright

(Answer: a ring)

                              ~~~

Beautiful sounds I can provide

The only catch is I must go inside

Keep me on low

Or your hearing will go!

(Answer: headphones)

Author's Note: I read Nursery Rhymes for this week's reading unit! A few of the first stories I told for the storytellings were completely in rhyme because I enjoy writing like that so much, so this unit was an obvious choice for me. All of these rhymes were from the British Isles so I decided to make my storytelling this week on the rhymes I grew up with in Girl Scouts! I can't believe I still remember all of these...guess it just goes to show you how much repetition can really engrave something into your brain!

Week 12 Reading Diary: Nursery Rhymes

Nursery Rhymes

Nursery Tales

Some of these are really weird and pointless and short! Little Jack Horner sounds like an old nursery rhyme I knew...it might have been this one but worded differently. There aren't really morals or points to these stories. There is a lot of vengeance though. Death is prevalent through the tales and they're a bit morbid in general! Maybe this is to bring a lighter mood to serious topics?

Nursery Proverbs 

I knew the proverb: "See a pin and pick it up, All the day you'll have good luck"! But it's always been "penny" and not "pin". Maybe that changed with the times? The sneezing one was cute! Gives a bit of a folklore to sneezes since no one really knows their total significance (other than expelling germs) and are kind of like yawns. Same with the wind proverb. These rhymes seem to be providing rules of thumb? Like how to think of things and how to interpret situations. Motifs to live by, these are cute and I like them ;)

Nursery Rhyme Songs 1 and 2:

Yeah I didn't enjoy these two sections...There isn't much point at all to these "songs" and the language is a bit difficult. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had known the tunes of each of the songs. So I could sing a long, ya know?

Nursery Riddles 

I love riddles! I love reading the rhymes of them and also trying to solve them! These were really difficult though. Partially because of the language but also because the objects that were chosen to be described were weird and really random. Nothing I would think of. I didn't even know what a couple of the objects were..

Nursery Games

I loved the nursery rhyme games growing up! I wish I knew these one in the unit..there's just so many! Kids love to have rhyming games and chants, it's so cute and fun!

Nursery Love and Matrimony

Yeah I thought I was going to like these better. They weren't the romantic gestures I had hoped for or imagined. They weren't bad though! I hadn't realized that Jack and Jill was a love and marriage story..I thought they were brother and sister!

Nursery Accumulative Stories 

Oh mah gawwww I really don't like these types of stories. I get so bored. It just repeats over and over and over again. So redundant my brains melt.

Essay for Week 11: Canterbury Tale Analysis

Canterbury Tale Analysis

(The Canterbury Tales: Source)

This week I read the Canterbury Tales! I absolutely loved this unit! Probably even more so than the Native American Units the past two weeks. The idea of medieval times is fascinating to me and I love the morals that were present throughout all the stories I read! Everyone that deserved to be punished was justly reprimanded to the degree of their offense. For example, in The Story of the Summoner and The Revelers the evil summoner gets his just deserts by giving himself to the devil and the revelers are found by death because of their immense material greed!  These were really good stories. I didn’t have least favorite stories! I think I got a little agitated with the length of a few of them because of the tangents that some of them took. I don’t quite understand the purpose for all the tangents. They made sense in The Cock, The Hen, and The Fox, but not in others. The notes were perfect for the introduction to these stories, no additional information is needed! I really just wanted to enjoy all the readings for this class, and this unit definitely contributed to that! I think a lot of Americans are really exposed to British tales throughout their childhood so this unit was kind of a flashback for me. It’s just the tradition of American culture to see into the history of the state that birthed this one. I didn’t necessarily learn new things in this unit, I just saw the reinforcement of morals that I already have. Examples include, don’t disrespect women, do not let material wealth get the best of you, don’t think you can overcome death, etc. I just loved every story I read this week! By far my favorite unit, please don’t change anything with this one!

Storytelling for Week 11: What Women Really Want

What Women Really Want

(The Favored Knight of the Kingdom: Source)

Once upon a time in a land far far away from here, there lived a King and Queen and their most favored knight. This knight was the royal couple's favorite because of his ability to uphold every knightly responsibility without fail until the fateful day when he disrespected one of the kingdom's fair maidens.

As the law told at this time, the knight who disrespected a maiden was immediately sentenced to death and no one would speak of his existence again. This punishment proved to be a problem for the King and Queen because of the accused knight's favored status in the kingdom.

The King was reluctantly ready to end the life pf his favorite knight, but the Queen begged and begged for her husband to spare him. The king fell to his wife's request and gave her the power to decide whether the knight lived or died, leaving the King out of the equation.

The knight gratefully visited the Queen and knelt before her as she spoke to him in a strictly disappointed tone, "Sir knight, you have not escaped the grasp of death just yet. I will allow you to live if, upon one year's time, you return and tell me the truest desire of all women." The knight, reveling in his life's span of an additional year eagerly accepted the task and set off immediately to fulfill his Queen's request.

All over the world the knight searched for the next year. He never found a definitive answer though. Some women said riches while other said security or happiness. Not one answer held true for more than any of the others. In sadness, the knight was forced to return to the kingdom with his head lowered as he thought about the noose that was awaiting him.

Upon reaching the outskirts of the kingdom's walls, the knight came across an old hunchbacked women sitting along the tree line. "Old maiden," cooed the knight, "May I trouble you with the burdens of my heart and mind?" The old woman nodded in agreement for she was of a kind hearted nature and wanted to help the knight. "I am on my way to my death for I have failed to uncover the desire of all women at the request of my Queen." The old woman pondered the knight's statement for a moment and with her ages of wisdom decided that she knew exactly how to help him. "I will tell you the desire of any women's heart to save your life as long as you do the very first thing that I ask of you." The knight, of course, agreed for his life was on the line and the old woman whispered the secret in his ear and he was off to the Queen's court.

After the Queen received the knight into her throne room, the knight proudly told her of the discovery he had made, "Dear Queen, the utmost desire of any woman on this earth is to have complete power over their husband." The Queen sat back in her throne with a smirk on her face, not able to deny this fact, and allowed the knight to keep his life.

The knight was overjoyed that the wisdom of the old lady had saved his life and just as he was turning to enjoy his freedom, he saw the old maiden in the doorway. "Dear Mother," the knight exclaimed, "You have saved me from the noose! Please tell me what it is that you desire of me. The very first thing." The old woman's mouth gave way to a toothless smile as she said, "Take me as your wife."

The knight stopped in his foot steps as he realized he had to keep his word to this old woman. "Please madame, do not do this. Choose another request, take all my riches, my house! But please do not take my freedom."

"You must marry this elder woman, sir knight," declared the Queen from her perch, "If you made a promise to her, you must keep your word, lest I decide to take your life once and for all for, yet again, disrespecting a maiden of this kingdom."

(The Queen that held power over her husband and the favored knight: Source)

At this, the knight reluctantly took the old woman to be his wife and was respectful to her for the rest of their years together.

Author's Note: This story is from the Canterbury Tales Unit and is based off of The Unknown Bride Tale. I really like this story because of the king and queen aspect, those always get to me! In the original story, the old woman turns out to be a beautiful maiden that had taught the knight a lesson before she revealed her true self after their marriage. I liked it that way in the original, but I really didn't like the fact that the knight had disrespected a woman in the kingdom in the first place, managed to have his life spared twice by the King and Queen, and still didn't mention being sorry for whatever it was he had done to the woman. I felt that he needed to be punished for a while longer by just marrying the old woman against his will. The old woman got to live with his fortune for the rest of her days, so it worked out for her!

Bibliography: Tappan, Eva, The Chaucer Storybook: The Unknown Bride, 1908.

Week 11 Reading Diary: Canterbury Tales

Canterbury Tales

The Wife of the Bath's Tale: The Unknown Bride

Aw! What a cute ending! So weird that the knight had to marry the really old woman, but then so happy when she turned out to be one of the young and beautiful women that had been dancing in the forest! I wonder what it was that the knight had done to disrespect a woman...that makes me curious still. Here is the link to the other half of the story.

The Friar's Tale: The Story of the Summoner

Wow. The summoner was more evil and terrible than the Satan himself! That's so detrimental to my faith in humanity...torturing that old woman was so cruel. Serves the summoner right to go to hell! Here's the other part of the story.

The Pardoner's Tale: The Revelers

Ha! Good story. I love these. Even more so than the Native American ones. These horrible people in the stories all get what they deserve. The riches of the world will turn a man to a greedy heathen "before anyone can walk a mile". Here are the last two parts of the story: 2 and 3.

The Cock, the Hen, and the Fox

Yay! The cock survived! That fox was really smart. But the cock was smarter. I think the only reason the cock survived was because he wanted to believe the dream he had had and he also was not cocky...haha punny! He wasn't full of himself, other people were describing his greatness, not he. This was a good story. I don't know why there needed to be such an introduction to the old woman that owned him, but that's okay! That was just a tangent. Dreams do mean things and I've always thought that, this story just backs up my beliefs! Here are the links to the other 3 parts of the story: 2, 3, 4.

Essay for Week 10: Bestiality

Bestiality

(The product of a human and animal reproduction. Source)

This week's reading unit that I chose was Native American Marriage Tales. This unit proved to be very interesting and far-fetched in the ways of comprehending the origins of their creation. I did not enjoy this week's reading as much as I did last weeks. I do love Native American stories, but only the ones that have some tangible base in explaining something like why Loons have red eyes.

The issue I had with this week's Native American stories was the reoccurring motif of bestiality. This practice was woven into every story I read. I do not understand why some of the stories accepted bestiality like The Piqued-Buffalo Wife while others denied the practice like The Dog-Husband. The tribesman married a buffalo and it was accepted but the dog had children with a tribe daughter and the girl was left for dead.

Last week's reading was fun and had a connection to explaining certain phenomenon throughout the land. It seemed as though this was the way that Native Americans comforted themselves in knowing the ways of the world. It was innocent. The bestiality of this week's readings though, were unsettling and weird.

I cannot for the life of me figure out what phenomenon reproduction with an animal explains in the real world of Native Americans. The fact that these ideas occurred through the stories makes me wonder if Native Americans practiced bestiality at any point in history. That might explain the acceptance of the act in some stories but not in others. Maybe it was a progression of the culture that accepted bestiality in earlier times. Upon European culture being introduced to the land, maybe the evolution of this acceptance turned to disdain which would explain the inconsistency in the stories.

Another explanation could simply be that accepted practices of other things, not just bestiality, might have varied from tribe to tribe. Just as cannibalism was not seen really outside of the Karankawas. Each tribe believes differently. The interesting thing about this though, is the fact that reproduction with an animal was a concept in every tribe whether they condoned it or not.I just don't think bestiality is a good thing...like many other people of the U.S. I'm sure.

Whatever the reason for this motif, it made for very interesting stories to read this week! I can't say it was my favorite, but I can say it was definitely a page-turner unit. Everyone has to step outside their comfort zone at some point!

Storytelling for Week 10: Canine Kids

Canine Kids

(The Five Puppies! Source)

I used to live in a village with my family and our tribe. We had a sufficient little tent that kept us warm in the winter and cool in the summer. There weren't children of my own age that lived in my tribe for my parents were older in age upon conceiving me. So my sole companion was my dog best friend.

We did everything together, day in and day out. He would always sleep at the foot of my bed to keep me company and my feet warm. I never should have allowed him to sleep in the bed with me for he ruined my future. Little did I know until the day my belly grew out that my dog best friend turned into a human at night and lied with me with I slept. I was pregnant with my canine's children.

Father, in a rage, killed my dog while mother held me back. My family was ashamed of me and hated me because of my condition. They told the entire tribe and decided to leave me to die in the embers of my people's old village.

Hearing my sobs of sadness, Crow happened to stop by to see what the trouble was. I told her all that had happened and she took pity on me and nursed me until I had my children: four boy pups and one female. Crow took her leave to tend to her family once the kids were born and I was left to raise my five non-human offspring.

I learned to take very good care of them and they grew so quickly to the point where I needed to leave the house to search for food everyday to keep up with their hungry stomachs. One day as I left the house, I heard giggling and playing from behind the door I had just closed. I opened it as quickly as possible only to see my offspring huddled by the fire. I closed the door again. More giggling. I knew something was a miss.

I decided to put my shawl over the handle of a shovel to make my figure appear to be digging for clams. I snuck around to the back door and peeked inside at my children whom, to my shock, were all human! Four little boys and one little girl! I flew the door open and scolded them for hiding this form from their mother. Raising human children is a lot more practical than raising canine kids.

From that day on, my children remained in their human form and I taught my boys how to hunt everything under the sun and sea. My daughter learned in the ways of the house and helping me and I did not allow her a dog as a friend. I learned that lesson the hard way.

My sons became so skilled at hunting that soon the beaches were covered with the whales they had harpooned and we were never hungry. Crow stopped by one night to see why there were so many carcases on the beach and I told her of my now human children and their capabilities. We fed Crow to her stomach's content and I told her to not tell my tribe of our prosperity for their abandonment was still freshly pained in my mind.

Crow agreed and flew home to her family which was also where my tribe had moved to. I came to learn that Crow disobeyed me and told my tribe of what she had found. I know this because my entire tribe came from across the bay the very next day to move back.

I had grown an independent woman in the strife and hard times caused by the dog and my family and tribe. I did not want them moving back here. I did not want their fake apologies now that they knew we were prospering. So I denied them. I told them to leave back to where they came from and never to speak with me again.

All I need is my children. We have everything we need and all the love we could ever want.

Author's Note: This story was based off of the Native American Marriage Unit with the story of The Dog-Husband. In the original version, the story is told from the third person view of a narrator. I chose to change the perspective to that of the young girl going through all this trouble! That only made sense to me to include her thoughts on this story. Also, at the end of the story the tribe returns and the woman accepts them back. I hated that. The tribe was just using her at this point! Not okay. So I had her deny their return in my version, serves them right!

Bibliography: Stith, Thompson, The Dog-Husband, Tales of the North American Indians, 1929.

Week 10 Reading Diary: Native American Marriage Tales

Native American Marriage Tales

The Piqued-Buffalo Wife

I've definitely read this story before...but I don't remember where or why. Maybe it was when I was first looking through the Un-textbook at the beginning of the semester! I liked this story then, too. It tells of how the creation of the Matoki occurred.

Splinter-Foot-Girl

There is already a theme of bestiality in these stories and it makes me uncomfortable. I wonder why this is a common and normal thing for Native Americans. I hope they didn't practice this back then..Also, she was born from a calf by thorns? And married a buffalo then a deer?
The rest of the story is weird too, on the next link: Splinter-Foot-Girl (Con't), and the next: Splinter-Foot-Girl (End).

The Eagle and Whale's Husband

This is so weird. The girls both said they wanted to marry an eagle and a whale, so why are they trying to escape them if they wished this? These stories are funnily unrealistic!

The Woman Stolen by Killer Whales

Welp. This explains why Killer-Whales are afraid of sharks! So weird that they live under the water and are demanding water to be fetched. And fire. It's like Spongebob.

The Bear Woman

Yeah...what? I have no idea how people come up with these stories! I definitely liked last week's stories better. They made more sense and didn't have bestiality. Here is the link for the other part of this story too: The Bear Woman (Con't)

The Youth Who Joined the Deer

Excuse me? Bestiality AND cannibalism? Why is this okay? I'm so confused with this entire story. And the human left his original family. That was rude and dishonorable. And I don't understand what phenomena this story explains...the boy turns into a deer...? The Youth Who Joined the Deer (Con't).

The Girl and the Turkeys

Talking turkeys. Yep, that's a new one! I don't really like this story much. This was my least favorite. I like it when the stories end well! This Cinderella-esque tale did not go as I hoped it would. The turkeys seem kinda like the dwarfs in Snow White too. That's why I noted it in here. Here is the last link: The Girl and the Turkeys (Cont).

Essay for Week 9: Assessing the British North American Unit

Assessing the British North America Unit

(Me and my friend Taylor posing with a local Native American tribe during Commencement 2013)

I just had to asses this week’s reading unit on British North America Native American stories! I love Native American stories so much. You’ll see that throughout all my comments on this week and next week’s readings. They are so full of life and have points or morals to every story they tell. Each character in these stories has a personified spirit where as they usually would not exist. They all have a personality and the stories generally explain a phenomenon of the world! Like why the Loon has red eyes or how the moon was created. My favorite stories were the creation stories in the beginning of the unit (Creation of the World, How the Earth Was Formed, and Creation of the Earth). I know my understanding of the creation of the world is a combination of evolution and Genesis, but I admire so much the imagination of the Native Americans. I didn’t have any least favorite stories. They all were so good! I did not need any extra background information. I had just enough knowledge and already knew a fair amount about Native American culture to read this week. I think I chose this unit because British North America seemed like a combination of American ideas and Native American ideas. I was wrong, it was just Native American, but that’s why I chose it! My goals in this class are to enjoy the readings and so this unit fit in perfectly! I had no complaints. I learned so much about how Native Americans explain things. There is a spiritual reason with a story behind literally everything in their surroundings. It was incredible to me. I also learned that they did not just interact with their surroundings, but also use it to explain their lives. Such a symbiotic relationship. This was my favorite reading week so far and I can’t say enough about its wonderfulness!

Storytelling for Week 9: The Mandrill and His Bum

The Mandrill and His Bum

(Mandrill)

ONCE Mandrill reigned as the ruler of all the land. Many times a day animals would come to him for his seemingly infinite wisdom and ruling thumb. What the animals did not know, however, is that Mandrill was very selfish and misguided everyone that came to see him just so he could get a laugh for himself. Mandrill loved the power that came with his title of ruler. He abused it in every way he could. He spent his days perched on his bum in his golden throne and making life hard for everyone else.

Monkey came to Mandrill and asked why his stomach hurt after he ingested anything with milk. Mandrill knew that it was just a simple case of lactose intolerance, but he told Monkey that his stomach was hurting because all he could ingest were bananas. Monkey believed Mandrill and vowed to never eat anything but bananas for the rest of eternity. Mandrill cackled.

Giraffe came to Mandrill and told him of the difficulty he had in reaching the leaves of the trees for nourishment. Mandrill knew that Giraffe simply needed to just eat grass for that was within his reach. Instead, Mandrill told Giraffe to keep stretching and stretching his neck until the leaves were in his reach. Giraffe vowed to stretch his neck until he could not stretch anymore. Mandrill cackled.

Alligator came to Mandrill and asked why he was so cold all the time. Mandrill knew Alligator was always cold because he was a cold blooded reptile and that was just how he worked. Mandrill told Alligator, however, that if he wanted to get warm he just had to lay in the sun with his mouth wide open. Alligator took his advice and is still determined to this day to get warm by holding his mouth agape. Mandrill cackled.

One day, traveling Coyote watched the Mandrill sit on his throne and give the horrible advice to all the animals. He thought it peculiar that these animals so willingly do as they were suggested by this Mandrill creature. As he continued to watch, Coyote realized that Mandrill was being a horrid creature and tricking all the animals. He decided to do something about it.

Coyote went to Monkey, Giraffe, and Alligator along with all the other animals and told them of his observations. The animals were outraged and vowed to get revenge on their tyrant ruler.

When Mandrill slept in his tall tree one night, the animals decided to line the throne's seat with blueberries in hopes that Mandrill would sit on them and squish them all come morning. This would stain his bum blue, thus making Mandrill the laughing stock of all the land. Mandrill would not be the one laughing upon sunrise.

The next morning, Mandrill sleepily swung to his throne over the land and plopped right down in the chair without thinking twice. When his bum hit the seat, a gigantic squishing sound erupted and Mandrill froze in his place. His eyes widened as he watched his subjects trickle from the forest line in a booming cloud of laughter. Mandrill leaped into the air and looked at his now completely blue bum in shock.

Mandrill no longer ruled the land after this incident. He now is known for his blue bum and is often the laughing stock of all the animals upon glimpsing his rear end.

Author's Note: This story is based off of the British North America Unit but no single story in particular. I really love the personification of animals in general throughout Native American stories. I also love how each story explains at least one phenomena of the world. So I decided to combine my two favorite aspects of Native American stories into this original tale about the blue bottom of a Mandrill! I hope you enjoyed it :)

Bibliography: Judson, Myth and Legends of British North America, 1917.
 

Week 9 Reading Diary: British North America

British North America

Creation of the Earth

I already know that Native American culture uses spirits to animate nearly everything they refer to. I think that's incredible. This story is no different, I love how spirit-less entities suddenly have this awesome personality within Native American tales. This creation story was definitely my favorite of the unit.

Raven and Moon Woman

I've never actually heard of the sun being created from the moon. I've always heard of the dependency of the moon on the sun, especially for its light. That's really cool that Native Americans see it differently.

Grizzly Bear and Coyote

Haha I couldn't help but think of Russia the whole time it was being the annoying Grizzly Bear...don't tell Putin I said that. Coyotes are usually the bad guys in tales, but I guess they mean something different to Native Americans. It would make sense because they live on the land with them and go after similar prey...maybe they worked together.

Turtle and Thunder

I freaking love these stories. Turtles are my favorite reptiles in the world. That's such a good story of how turtles hide in the water when a thunder storm comes. Native American stories are literally the best thing ever.

Coyote and the Salmon

Hahaha aww! Poor coyote! He wasn't trying cause harm, he just wanted food and a party! Fish get eaten. That's life. Coyote is still a good guy to me! He was badly tricked though, almost starving to death. Those fish deserve to be eaten. I do wonder what phenomena this story is trying to explain though.

Wolverine and the Geese

Lol this one is so silly. It shows how the Native Americans interact with nature. That's awesome, they flowed so well with the story, it didn't make the plot skip a beat to have them there. Wolverines are really bad I guess. I loved that it described why a Loon has red eyes and why Mocking Jays talk so much!

Coyote and Fox 

Ohmahgaw. So much detail for such a simple and random story! This one had to have been for entertainment as well as an explanation of phenomena. Which in this case was the silver in a black fox's coat. Poor coyote again though...

Wolverine and Rock

I don't understand this one, either. I am not that informed on strange phenomena other than the basic stuff! Wolverines have coats so this doesn't explain anything, but Rock is stubborn. As all rocks tend to be. This story could have been describing that?

Week 8 Reading Diary

Reading Diary for Week 8

Wow. It's week 8 already, I really can't believe it. My Reading Diary has gained quite a few entries over the past two months! I have really loved every unit I've chosen thus far in the semester and that love is reflected in my diary posts! Looking back, there are a lot of reactions to the units that are very similar. I found myself being very shocked at a ton of the events and morals, or lack there of, presented in the stories.

After re-reading the Reading Diary instructions, I still have the same understanding of the weekly assignment as I did prior to the re-read. I have followed the instructions very well and I only leaned away from one of the suggestions. I shied away from writing about my favorite stories and just made sure I wrote about half of each reading unit. I don't really have favorites, I think they're all very interesting so it was hard to decide favorites. This also lead to me not commenting on a lot of stories which I felt was not productive. I never summarize what I read, just mention the things that get a rise out of me. I feel the need to comment on these situations. I think I do need to summarize a little bit though, because sometimes the plot slips from my mind completely. I enjoy seeing my reactions, but I can't always remember why I had them.

Each Reading Diary I do follows the pattern of me commenting on all the odd numbered stories. That way it's pretty evened out and I comment a decent amount of times on the unit. Sometimes if I really do enjoy a story, I'll leave that pattern and comment on it regardless of its number. This routine has my posts being relatively the same each week! Give or take 100 words.

I always make sure I take the notes at the end of each story I read in the unit. I want to have my reactionary notes fresh and new, not something I remember I did. That won't get me the best reflection to look over later.

The Reading Diaries in general are really good. I am motivated to read everything because I have to! Haha, not that I don't want to. It just gives me a productive aspect of reading the entire unit. I can physically see my process. That always go over better with me.  

Essay for Week 7: Assessing the Congo Unit

Assessing the Congo Unit

(The Congo! Source)

This week’s unit that I chose was the Congo Unit. I really did not have a background in anything African related aside from Egypt so deciding the stories was kind of a shot in the dark! I just went for it and I’m glad I did! I did have a couple favorite stories including Another Vanishing Wife and Why the Crocodile Does Not Eat the Hen. I did not really like nor understand the Fetish of Chilunga, The Rabbit and the Antelope, and The WickedHusband. Some of the stories didn’t make a whole lot of sense so I would have liked more of a background if there could have been any. That might just be the point of the story though; I do not know how the Congo works. The stories I disliked were not bad stories, I just did not like what happened in them. All of these stories were wonderfully written and interesting to say the least. This unit met my expectations by the fact that I didn’t have any expectations, and this unit caught my attention one hundred percent! I learned that the inequality of women and submission of them to men is a reoccurring theme throughout the world. I already knew that, but the depth to which the inequality stretches into history is always interesting. I am continuously surprised at the gruesomeness that is in some of these stories. The wicked husband cut his wife’s legs off! The antelope buries the rabbit alive! The fetish of Chilunga was very creepy, too. I just felt like these three stories were the most outstanding in their not socially accepted actions. I really didn’t like them. The ones I did like had really good morals and followed them really well! That’s why those were my favorite. I really enjoyed this unit!