Week 15: Writing for Myth Folklore

Because I had taken the Indian Epics class last semester, I was familiar with the set up for this class. I knew what to expect out of the assignments, but I was surprised that this class required a little more writing, although I was completely fine with that. In Indian Epics, we were required to take quizzes over the reading we did. Instead, for Myth Folklore, we are able to create a Reading Diary to take notes about the stories we were reading for each unit. I think I liked this option better because the Reading Diary helped me substantially on the Storytelling for each week. I can't think of one time when I did not refer to my Reading Diary when writing my Storytelling. The Reading Diary allowed me to look back and remember what I read the day or two days before. I chose to create a Storybook for this class which I really enjoyed doing. I love the idea of creating our own stories from original stories. I love seeing everyone's creativity, and it allowed me to try to use idea from my classmates. Maybe one suggestion for storybook comments would be to require every comment to include a suggestion for how the student could better their Storybook. A lot of people comment was great encouragement, but I noticed few students gave suggestions on how to make the story better. Some students may be uncomfortable with telling someone that they should fix something, but I think constructive criticism is a good thing.

Week 15: Reading for Myth Folklore

What I really enjoyed most about this class in relation to the readings was how much control we had on what we were going to read. I love that we are given options, very good options at that. I think the amount of choices we had to pick from each week was great. I also like that the readings were separated by two weeks. The two week separations based on the area that these stories originated from allowed for us to be able to relate our reading for those two weeks. I think we were given a good amount of information about each unit, which helped in deciding which unit to read. Of course, I think a more lengthier introduction for each unit would be nice, but I do not think it is that necessary. The only unit I did not really enjoy reading was the Celtic Fairy Tale unit, but honestly it was not that bad. I just did not enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the others that I read. Half way through the semester I decided to try to pick units that had the audio available with the unit. I liked choosing this option because it helped me to better comprehend the stories I was reading. My advice for future students would be to look through the stories for each unit and pick units that are closely related. I think picking units that are similar makes the readings more enjoyable.

Week 12 Essay: Celtic Fairy Tales

The unit I read this week was called Celtic Fairy Tales. I did not think it was completely horrible, I just did not enjoy it as much as I enjoyed other units. I did enjoy reading the story about King O'Toole and his goose. It was sort of strange in the beginning, but I grew to like it towards the end. A man with a pet goose is a little weird, but I liked the basic message behind the story. St. Kavin in the story kind of reminded me of God in a way. It seemed like St. Kavin just came to test the king and make sure he would keep his word. In return, he blessed the king. It was a happy ending for the king and goose, so I really liked it! It was probably my favorite story out of the whole unit and that is the story I decided to use for my retelling. I am not sure if any background information is necessary because other people might enjoy this reading more than I did. If I could go back, I probably would have read a different unit because I just realized that this unit was the last one I have to read for this semester. I am a little sad to end my readings on a unit I did not enjoy that much, but oh well. I did like that it was a very easy read. Some of the units can be hard to understand, but the language of these stories were very simply. It was also nice to be able to listen to the audio while reading along yourself. At least, that has proven to be something I enjoy about some of the units. I hope other people enjoy this unit more than I did.

Thumbs Down

Source: Wikimedia

Week 12 Storytelling: A Man's Best Friend

German Shepherd

Source: Flickr

There once lived a man named Kenny O'Toole, but most people from his town referred to him as Ole Man Toole. He was a happy man, until he lost his whole family to a tragic accident. The only surviving member of his family after the passing of his beloved wife, Margaret, and their two children, Ben and Katie, was their loyal German Shepherd, Buddy. Immediately after the death of Ole Man Toole's family, he become sort of a recluse. That was, until something miraculous happened. No one's sure how such a thing could happen, but it did!

You see, Buddy became Ole Man Toole's best friend. Of course, they were already close before the passing of his family, but after that, Buddy never left his side. They did absolutely everything together. With no family to take care of, Toole lacked the desire to work, and so he and Buddy spent their days in the forest. They fished and hunted and camped and hiked and all that fun stuff. I guess you could say he did all those things to keep his mind of the death of his family. And with Buddy always by his side, he never needed anyone else.

As all things do, Buddy grew old, as did Ole Man Toole. It saddened Toole to know that one day soon his faithful pup would pass just like his family and leave him all alone, until the day everything changed. Ole Man Toole was trotting through the forest with Buddy, trotting slowly of course because Buddy wasn't able to move as quickly as he could before.

"Oh hi there! May I do you a favor?" said the strange man Toole had never seen in the woods before.

"Umm, sure."

"Excellent. I would love to restore you dog here to his youthful self!"

"You can do that? Oh yes, please do. I'll give you anything you want!"

"Anything, huh? How about everything you own?"

"Done!"

"Are you sure? You're not going to go back on your word?"

"Promise. Cross my heart and hope to die." Toole didn't have to think twice about this decision. Buddy was the only thing he had left in this world. He could care less about possessions.

With the wave of his hand, the strange man brought Buddy back to his energetic and playful self again.

"Oh thank you so much! Here are the keys to my house. I could never thank you enough."

"No need sir. I was merely testing you. Thank you for staying true to your word. You will be blessed." And with that, the strange man disappeared, and Buddy lived until the death of his beloved owner, Ole Man Toole.

Author's Note: The story I used for this retelling is called King O'Toole and His Goose. In the original story King O'Toole has a pet goose. The king and his goose grow old which saddens the king. He runs into an unknown man, who turns out to be St. Kavin, the greatest of saints, who offers to make the goose young again. The king promises everything he owns to have his goose restored back to its youth. After the restoration of his goose, he offers his possessions to St. Kavin who denies them and tells the king he was only testing him. He blesses the king and his goose for his truthfulness to his word. I decided to make my story about an old man who lost his family. I changed the goose into a dog because that seemed more fitting as a pet.

Bibliography:
Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs (1892). Source: Myth Folklore Un-Textbook

Week 12 Reading Diary: Celtic Fairy Tales

Celtic Fairy Tales

After doing the first half of the reading, I think one of my favorite stories from this unit so far is The Horned Women. I think the reason I like it is because it was so strange. Here is some lady who has women with horns growing out of their heads walking into her home uninvited and making themselves comfortable. Not only that, he demand the lady make them a cake, and when she tries and fails to fetch water to mix the cake with, she is told by a voice from the well to utter a sentence that sends the witches back to where they came from. The voice also tells her to protect her home from the witches because they will try to return. It turns out the witches made cake with the blood of the lady's children so one of the things the lady does to break the enchantment the witches had over her and her family was to put of piece of the cake in each sleeping family member's mouth. The witches try and try to get back into the house but are unable to do so. This was such a strange story but I enjoyed it.

My favorite story from the second half of this unit was King O'Toole and His Goose. At first, I was a little unsure of how I felt about the story, but towards the end, I really liked it. St. Kavin sort of reminded me of God in this story. The king was unaware that the man he was talking to that offered to make his goose just like new again was the greatest of saints. Although he did not know the identity of the man, he still stayed true to his word offering his land in exchange for the restoration of his beloved goose. It turns out the saint was simply testing the king. Because of his truthfulness, the king and his goose were blessed for the rest of their lives.

Week 11 Essay: Welsh Fairy Tales

I really enjoyed the readings for this unit. I felt like many of the stories had good messages behind them. My favorite story I read this week was The Story of John O'Groats. I think I liked this story such much because it had a happy ending. I do not have children of my own, so I can only imagine what it's like to have a child who is walking down a path of destruction and no matter what you do, you can't change them. I like that even though the son in this story may have caused strife with his father because of his irresponsible spending and relations with harlets, the father still loved his son. He loved him so much, and expected that he would spend all of his inheritance after his father passed, so he stored up money for his son to live off of when he spent everything else. He knew he could not just give it to his son because he would end up spending all of that too. Instead, he did something that I would describe as tough love. Some might read this story and think the father's plan was a little cruel, but I believe that was the only way to make the son change his ways. He left a note for his son explaining he should hang himself and end his misery. The son was so upset about losing everything that he attempted to do so with the noose his father left. The father did not attach the noose to anything, so the son did not die. He did however learn his learn, got married, and never gambled again. What a great story! I would encourage everyone to read this unit, especially this specific story.

Welsh Fairy Tales

Source: The Public Domain Review

Week 11 Storytelling: The Plan

Noose

Source: Black America Web

Babes and beer. That's all he cares about. He carries on with his life without a care in the world. If I don't do something now, that wayward son of mine will spend all of his inheritance after I pass, and then what will he do? Things sure would be different if his mother was still around. God rest her sweet soul. After his momma passed, he's never been the same.

I've got an idea! I'll have my worker build me a hut, and this is where I'll store up some gold for my son as security just in case (and I'm sure he will) he spends everything he owns and is left to be a beggar the rest of his life. Not my son! But it can't be that easy. If he knows this back up gold is here, he will never spend it wisely. I must think of a way to give it to him without actually "giving" it to him. Maybe teach him a lesson.

I figured out the best plan! Here's what I'll do: I'll give my son a key to the hut and tell him to go there when he has spent everything. Knowing him, he won't think twice about the hut (he hated that place), and he'll probably lose the key anyways. When he arrives at the hut (without the key) he will have to fight his way in. Once he's in, he'll see the noose I have set up. He'll then notice a piece of paper nailed to the door from yours truly stating "You've spent it all. Fulfill your father's wish and end your misery." Of course, at this point, because he will be so upset about losing everything, he will probably attempt to hang himself.

I know what you're thinking. Cruel father, right? Well, that's what he gets. I love my son very much, and if you knew him, you'd understand this is the only way to force him to leave his old life and become a responsible human being. Anyways, after he falls to the ground and realizes he's not dead (the noose wasn't attached to anything), he will find the hidden gold, and hopefully he will realize his foolishness and finally do what I could only have wished of him when I was still alive. GROW UP.

The End.

Author's Note:
This storytelling is from my favorite story this week called The Story of John O'Groats. It's a story about a lord who passes and leaves everything to his prodigal son. As predicted by his father, the son spends all his inheritence and is forced to give up his estate to the factor. He goes to the hut his father built and attempts to hang himself because of a letter found written by his father. After his attempt, he realizes the father only did this is teach him a lesson, and he finds the hidden gold from his father. I decided to tell this story from the point of view of the father. Hope you guys like it!

Bibliography:
Welsh Fairy-Tales and Other Stories by Peter H. Emerson (1894). Source: Myth Folklore Book

Week 11 Reading Diary: Welsh Fairy Tales

Welsh Fairy Tales

A few of my favorite stories I read from the Welsh Fairy Tales unit was the Old Man and the Fairies and Tommy Pritchard. Although they were pretty short stories, I enjoyed reading them because they were so short and sweet. The first time, The Old Man and the Fairies was about a man who was carried off when he was asleep. The fairies filled his bag full of gold and he went back home. His wife wondered where he disappeared to and where he got the gold from. He wanted to use his gold to buy things, but when he went back to the box where he was keeping it, it was full of cockle-shell. The second story, Tommy Pritchard, was about a boy who found a sixpence underneath a stone. He went back every day and found a sixpence. His father began to wonder how he was buying candy all the time and thought he was stealing. When he questioned his son, he would not tell him where he got the money. The next time he went back to try to find a sixpence, he only found a cockle shell. He never found a sixpence in that spot again.

After reading the second half of the reading, my favorite story was The Story of John O'Groats. It was probably one of the longer stories, but I really enjoyed the story line. A wealthy lord dies and leaves his inheritance to his prodigal son. Quickly after he passes, the son spends all of his father's money and losses his estate to the lord's factor. Because he knew his son would spend all of his money, he left an inheritance for his son hidden in a hut he had built before he passed. The son is able to regain his estate and he never gambles his money again.

Week 10 Essay: American Indian Fairy Tales

I really enjoyed the reading for this unit because the stories were so interesting and related to nature. My two favorite stories from this unit were The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds and The Fairy Bride. The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds was one of my favorite stories to read because of the ending. The children fall asleep on a mountain, and while they are asleep, the mountain grows into the clouds. The parents and many of the forest animals attempt to reach the children without being able to do so. I liked that so many of the animals that are considered to be the fastest, smartest, or strongest are the ones who failed at climbing to the top of the mountain to save the kids. The little creature who most people would consider being incapable of accomplishing the task, was the only one who made it to the top of the mountain. What a great message especially to children who are told by society that they cannot doing something! It was a great story of hope and perseverance. The Fairy Bride was also one of my favorites because it was a story about a girl who went against the norm. Her mother wanted her to marry a hunter so he could take care of her. Isn't that so easily related to the mindset of mothers and fathers today concerning their daughters? Girls are taught that they need a man to take care of them when they are fully capable of taking care of themselves. I loved the message of going against what people expect of you and doing what you love. Living your own life. This little Indian girl loved wandering the meadow and enjoyed time alone. Instead of marrying the man who was set out to be her husband, she found her self a fairy man in the meadow and never returned home! This unit was also enjoyable because I could listen to it audibly. I love that. I would recommend this unit to everyone!

Storytelling for Week 10: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

October 22, 2014

Oh boy, do I have something to tell you! As you can tell from my previous diary entries, I have not had the best time since starting high school. I'm not exactly what you would call the "cool" guy in school. I'm not very tall and I'm not coordinated enough to play any kind of sport. I'm the guy that most people look at and think, "That kid is such a nerd." That's right, I'm a nerd. Although, it wasn't until I got to high school that I realized this. High school jocks can be cruel. They were always picking on me because I always had a book in my hand. What's wrong with always wanting to learn? There's more to life than just baseball and football. Sure, being able to hit a home run or throwing a touchdown pass may take talent, but how about taking a Calculus course as a freshman in high school? Now, that's what I call talent! Anyways, enough rambling, let me tell you what happened today! I did something nobody believed I could do, and not only that, I was the only one who could do it. Take that you big dumb jocks! So, in PE, my most dreaded class, on the agenda for today was climbing the nearly impossible rope. Of course, when our teacher announced what we would be doing today, all the jocks howled with excitement. They thought it would be a piece of cake. The captain of the baseball team and football team both stood up first volunteering their muscles to ascend to the top of the rope to prove to everyone how awesome they were. The teacher made them play rock paper scissor to decide the first victim of the dreadful rope climbing. The captain of the football team was up first. Mr. Buff guy thought with all his muscles, he'd have no trouble climbing to the top. Too bad his muscles weighed him down and he came tumbling to the gym floor. After everyone was done laughing, the captain of the baseball team was up next. Attempting to try a different approach, he grab the rope and tried to climb as fast as he could. Nope, didn't work. He also fell to the gym floor. After a few more attempts by some other athletes, the teacher was about ready to give up, until I raised my wimpy little arm. The teacher was in as much shock as everyone else when I volunteered to try, but I wanted to try. Of course, as I stood up and made my way to the rope, I began to hear shouts of, "He can't do it! Nerd boy won't even make it off the ground! He really thinks he can climb to the top?" But that's exactly what I did. That's right, I climbed the rope all the way to the top. I wish you could have seen the looks on their faces! Classic.

Sheep Mountain

Source: Wikipedia

Author's Note:
The original story, The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds, is about a brother and sister who wander off and fall asleep on a mountain. After falling asleep, the mountain begins to rise until the top of the mountain is no longer visible. The parents become worried and begin to look for their children. They ask many animal such as a bear and coyote if they have seen their children. No one has seen them, but the coyote is able to sniff them out and realize they are on top of the mountain. Many different animals such as a jack rabbit, lion, and bear attempt to climb the mountain to reach the children, confident they should be able to do so, but each of them fails. A measuring worm comes along and wants to try, but he is ridiculed and told there is no way he can climb the big mountain. Much to their surprise, after a month of climbing the worm was able to do what no one else could, reach the children and bring them safely back to their parents.

Bibliography:
"The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds" by W.T Larned. Source: American Indian Fairy Tales

Week 10 Reading Diary: American Indian Fairy Tales

The unit I decided to read this week is American Indian Fairy Tales. One of my favorite stories from the first half of this reading is the story about the little boy and girl who fell asleep on the mountain called The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds. After they fell asleep, the mountain began to grow until the top of it was unable to be seen. The parents, worried about their children, went looking for them in the valley. When they ran into all the animals, they asked each one if they knew where the little boy and girl were. The coyote was able to help by sniffing out where the children were, but the mountain was too high to reach the top. Many animals including the jack rabbit, lion, and bear tried to jump or climb as high as they could to reach the top. All of them failed, until the measuring worm came along. All of the animals doubted he could reach the children, but much to their surprise, he was able to. His patience and perseverance allowed him to excel in something everyone doubted he could do.

The last story of this unit, and one of my favorites from the second half of the reading is The Fairy Bride. This story tells of an Indian girl who loves to spend time alone in the meadow rather than doing typically girl things. She enjoys time alone adventuring through the beautiful nature around her. This troubles her mother because her mother wants her to marry someone who will take care of her. A hunter has been selected by her mother for her to marry, but the girl, Neen-i-zu, does not want to marry someone who lives, breathes, and sleeps hunting. On her arranged wedding day, she wanders off into the meadow before her doomed marriage, and when she is there, she finds a fairy man and never returns home again.

Week 9 Essay: Blackfoot Stories

I found the stories in Blackfoot Stories to be very entertaining to read! I am really not sure if these stories were meant to make you laugh, but most of them I read made me laugh quite a few times. The one I laughed at the most and probably one of my favorites was The Smart Woman Chief. I thought it was interesting that the story started out comparing men and women. One of the main things that stuck out to me in the beginning was when it said that men are better than women, but women are smarter. What is interesting is that is a mentality that still exist in our society today. Men are often times superior in things like sports and the workplace. I like that this story gave empowerment to women, and it also made me laugh. I loved that these stories in this unit were easily relatable to other aspects of our lives. The Smart Woman Chief story obviously is more relatable to women because we all know that feeling of rejection from a man when were not all dolled up and pretty, but I like that the woman picked someone else in the end even though after she was cleaned up, the man she originally wanted finally noticed her. She didn't allow him to the get the satisfaction of getting what he wanted. I think Laura did a great job of giving the right information about this unit to allow someone to decide whether they want to read this unit or not. Also, I would recommend everyone read this unit because it is an easy read. It is very easy to understand, and if you want, you can listen to the audio so you do not have to read it yourself. That is what I did. I love being read to, especially fun stories like these!

Blackfeet Indian Stories

Source: Heritage History

Week 9 Storytelling: Oh No You Didn't

Boys are stupider

Source: Generation Cedar

Sadie Hawkins dance was approaching, and Mary knew exactly who she wanted to ask to the dance. The only problem was she was too shy. "He'd never say yes. I'll just end up embarrassing myself. I think I'll just stay home that night, you know, catch up on some homework."

"Oh, just shut it. Go ask him. The worst he could say is no! Quit being a chicken." Mary's friend Becca had been trying to talk Mary into asking Dean, the captain of the football team to the dance for weeks now. "If you don't ask him soon, someone else will, so GO! Before it's too late."

"Okay, fine. I'll do it tomorrow. I have to mentally prepare myself."

"Geeze, you're so weird."

"Not everyone can be as outgoing and confident as you, Becca."

"Sure you can. Watch this." Becca walks over to Jake, the most adorable guy in our senior class. "Hey, wanna go to the Sadie Hawkins dance with me?"

"Yeah, I'd love to!" Jake replied.

"Great, see ya later." Becca walks back over to Mary. "See, it's that easy."

"That's only because you're Becca. I'm Mary. The nerdy girl with the glasses. Nobody even notices me."

"Well that's a great attitude to have. You can do it, Mary. Just go home tonight and practice what you're going to say to Dean because God knows when you get nervous, you forget how to speak."

"Thanks a lot. You're really boosting my confidence." Mary replied sarcastically.

The next day at school, Mary arrived more nervous than she had ever been in her entire life. As she walked through the entrance to the school, she spotted Dean. "Here goes nothing...Hey Mary, crap. I mean, hey Dean, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. Shoot."

"Umm, do you have a date to the Sadie Hawkins dance? Because if not, I was wondering if you would want to go with me? I totally understand if you don't want to or if you have another date. I mean of course you probably have a date, I mean look at you..." As Mary continued to ramble nervously, she noticed Dean wasn't even looking at her. "Umm hello? Are you listening?"

"Oh, sorry. You were rambling, so I stopped listening. What was the question?"

"The dance. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?"

"Oh, uhh yeah probably not. Sorry, kid."

Mary was crushed. How could someone be so rude. As she was trying to hold back her tears, Becca walked up. "Man, I am so sorry. What a jerk. Come on, I'll help you find someone else to go with."

"Oh yeah, like who?"

"Like that new guy over there. Today is his first day. I hear he transferred in. Apparently he's going to be the new captain of the football team. I bet Dean will be crushed. Come on, let's go ask him."

Becca walked up to the new guy sitting alone at the lunch time, "Hey want to go to the Sadie Hawkins dance with my friend?"

"Of course, I haven't made any friends yet since it's my first day and all so I would love to go!" The new guy answered.

The new guy became the new captain of the football team, Dean became a loser, and no one wanted to go to the dance with him. He tried to get Mary to go with him but she was now dating the hotty of the school. Poor Dean. The end.

Author's Note:

The original story, The Smart Chief Woman, is a story about a woman chief who trying to purse the man chief of his tribe, but because she was covered in blood and grease after making jerky meat, he would not give her the time of day. After she went back to her tribe to clean herself up, she presented herself to the other men of the tribe to find a husband, and when the man chief who had just rejected her noticed her, he wanted her. Because she was a "smart" chief woman, she rejected him and picked someone else. I found this story to be amusing because I think any woman would do the same if they had experienced rejection from a man because she wasn't all dolled up, but then once the makeup and hair is done, they want you. So funny!

Bibliography:
The Smart Chief Woman by George Bird Grinnell (1915). Blackfeet Indian Stories

Week 9 Reading Diary

Blackfoot Stories

The first story of this unit, Two Fast Runners was interesting because it reminded me of children. Little kids like to think they are the best at certain things and sometimes will challenge their friends to prove their boasting. Obviously the deer ran faster in the timber and the antelope ran fast in the prairie because those are the places they are most familiar with running in. This story reminds me of the quote that goes something like "You can't judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree" or something like that. Basically, you can't judge someone on their ability to do something in comparison to someone else especially if they are incapable or doing so or if they are not familiar with the environment.

The Smart Woman Chief

I am not sure if this story was meant to be funny but I found some humor in it. The beginning of the story talks about how men and women did not know each other. It also elaborates on this idea that men are better than women, but women are smarter. This story about the smart women chief explains this concept of women being smarter than men by telling how the woman chief rejects the man chief. When the women are preparing to go to the men to find a husband, the woman chief decides she wants to man chief dressed finely and decorated in red. She commands the other women to wait as she goes down to the men to pick the man chief as her husband. She had been making jerky all day so she was covered in blood and grease. Because she was not all dolled up, he ignored her. She goes back to her camp and tells all the women they are to go find their husbands while she stays back and cleans herself up. She returns to the camp to find a husband, and when the man chief notices her after she has cleaned herself up, she ignores him and picks someone else, leaving the man chief with no wife. Classic! Haha

Week 8 Reading Diary

After looking through all of my Reading Diaries so far for this year, I have noticed some change in my writing strategy. In the beginning, I would generally summarize or pick out my favorite parts about each story I read, but after a couple weeks, I started summarizing and recalling details about my favorite story from the reading. I think I like doing it this way better because the way I write my Reading Diaries now helps me when writing my storytelling. Typically what I do is pick my favorite story after reading all of them and talk about my favorite characters or parts of the story. Doing this helps me to remember the most important details so that I can try to use those details in my retelling of the story. I would suggest this way of writing to other students in this class or future students, but everyone is different. Some people may like to use this strategy, but not just focus on one story. They may want to focus on a few stories, and that way when it comes time to write their storytelling for the week, they will have a few ideas to choose from. Also, I think the amount I am writing about each story is just enough because I usually do not have to go back to the story and re-read it when thinking of ideas to write my storytelling. The details I include in my Reading Diaries are enough to spark my memory from when I read them. I think because I only focus on writing about one story in my Reading Diaries now, I do not remember a great deal of details about the other stories I read, but I think its good to pick one particular story that I like and use that for assignments throughout the week.

Week 7 Essay: More Brer Rabbit

Brer Rabbit

Source: Flickr

 

This week I decided to read the second Brer Rabbit unit because I really enjoyed reading the first Brer Rabbit unit. I was not able to read the first part of the unit, so I cannot comment on all of the stories in this unit, but the stories I was able to read were so cute! I like that the trickster aspect of Brer Rabbit's character continues throughout all the stories. I think it allows you to expect him to be up to no good, but then again, you are never sure what he is going to do. I also think it is hilarious that he is always able to trick Brer Fox. You think he would learn by now! Of course, like the previous Brer Rabbit unit, these stories are also told in dialect, so they may be harder to understand for others. The audios that are available are lifesavers and allow you to listen, rather than read, the stories. I really like having this resources because I am not sure I would be able to understand what was going on even if I tried reading the stories out loud. My favorite story from this unit was Mr. Fox is Again Victimized and I used this story when writing my storytelling for this week. The main reason I liked it was because Brer Rabbit was able to trick Brer Fox yet again! I bet Brer Fox was sure he had Brer Rabbit this time since he was hiding in a tree, but of course, Brer Rabbit was able to get away again. Like the first Brer Rabbit unit, I would recommend this unit. I think that anyone would enjoy taking a break from actually reading the other units, and be able to listen to the stories read to you. 

Week 7 Storytelling:

Brer Rabbit Rides Brer Fox

Source: The Wren's Nest

 

 "Leave me alone!" Cody screamed as Tyler tried to jump on his back.

"Ahh, come on Cody. Give me a piggy back ride and walk us over to the gas station so we can buy a Big Gulp and some Skittles."

It was one of those hot summer days right before school started. It was too darn hot to do anything, so Cody and Tyler decided they walk over to the gas station. They had hung out all summer, and now that summer was coming to an end, they had run out of things to do and were starting to get on each other's nerves.

"No, you weigh too much. You'll break my legs!"

"Don't be such a baby." Tyler taunted as he jumped on Cody's back.

"Get off of me you fatso!" No matter how hard Cody wiggled and jumped, he could not get Tyler off his back. "What did you do? Super glue yourself to my back?"

"Towards the gas station, slave!" Tyler commanded as he pointed in the direction of the gas station. Cody knew if he played along, eventually Tyler would loosen his grip and he could buck him off his back.

"Fine, you better have money on you."

As they drew nearer to the gas station, Cody could tell that Tyler was less worried about Cody throwing him off his back, so he loosen his tight grip. Cody began to shake, and shimmy, and wiggle, and waggle until he was finally able to get Tyler off his back, but before he could grab a hold of Tyler and give him a wedgie for picking on him all day, Tyler managed to climb up a tree. Cody, not very good at climbing trees, could not reach him.

"I'm going to tell your mom if you don't come down from there!" Cody screamed.

"Go ahead, once you leave, I'll jump down from this tree and you'll never catch me! Ha!"

As Cody was deciding whether to leave to tell Tyler's mom what a bullying he's been, or stay and wait until Tyler comes down from the tree, their friend Phillip showed up.

"Hey guys, whatcha doing?" Phillip wondered why Tyler was up in the tree.

"Perfect. Phillip, you wait right here and don't let Tyler out of your sight." Cody ran off to fetch Tyler's mom.

Tyler had to think of a way to distract Phillip. "Hey Phillip. Look its the ice cream truck. An ice cream cone sure does sound good right now in this heat."

"Yeah, it does!" Phillip could not control his love for ice cream, so he ran off towards the ice cream truck.

"Well that was easy." Tyler thought as he jumped down from the tree to hide somewhere else.
 

 

 

 

Author's Note: This story is from the second Brer Rabbit unit Mr. Fox is Again Victimized. I kept the story the same, but I changed the characters to young boys during the summer time. I made Tyler into the trickster bully, Brer Rabbit, and Cody into the easy tricked friend, Brer Fox. Also, I included another friend, Phillip, similar to the buzzard character who stays and watches Brer Rabbit, while Brer Fox goes to fetch an axe to cut down the tree Brer Rabbit is hiding in.

 

 

 

"Mr. Fox is Again Victimized" by Joel Chandler Harris (1881). Web Source: Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings

 

Week 7 Reading Diary: Brer Rabbit, Again

More Brer Rabbit

My favorite story of this unit was Mr. Fox is Again Victimized. Brer Rabbit is back at his schemes of trickery, and this time he tricks both Brer Fox and Brer Buzzard. This time, the story begins with Brer Rabbit riding Brer Fox like a horse. Brer Fox tries his hardest to buck Brer Rabbit off, but he is unable to. After giving it his best shot, he is exhausted. He tries rolling over to get Brer Rabbit off, and once Brer Rabbit is off his back, he runs into a hollow tree to head from Brer Fox. Completely tired from wrestling Brer Rabbit off his back, he lies lifeless looking on the ground when Brer Buzzard arrives. Brer Fox asks him to keep an eye on Brer Rabbit so he can go fetch an axe. Of course, this was a bad idea because Brer Rabbit found a way to distract Brer Buzzard. He tricks Brer Buzzard into coming around to the other side of the tree because he tells him there is a gray squirrel in the tree he should catch. When he comes to the other side of the tree, Brer Rabbit is able to make a run for it, escaping the grips of Brer Fox again.

Essay for Week 6: Brer Rabbit

The unit I read this week was called Brer Rabbit and the story I really enjoyed reading was Old Mr. Rabbit, He's a Good Fisherman. Although I really liked this unit, I am not sure if this unit is for everyone. I have read a few units so far that may use words or a language that is harder to read. I do not mind reading units like this, but some people may be looking for a unit that is an easy read. One good side that may be an incentive to read this unit is the audio available to listen to because it's almost near to impossible to understand the stories if you try to read them yourself. Just look at the first story, and you'll know what I'm talking about! Haha Laura Gibbs is nice enough to give a heads up about this use of dialect to tell the story and will suggest you listen to the audio. Listen to her! Also, I was only able to listen to the second half of the reading due to my absolutely crazy schedule this week. Two math tests two days in a row consumed all my time this week. I am sure the first half was just as great as the second half, but if you end up only reading the second half like me, it is important to know that the stories are told by Uncle Remus to his nephew. I also think I enjoyed this story because even though I could not actually read the story myself, it was easy for me to understand the dialect. I am from Louisiana. I lived there for 21 years, and let me tell you, some (not all) people talk like this back home. No joke. So this story gave me a little piece of home. Hope others enjoy it as much as I did!

Joe Dirt - Louisiana

Source: Fark

 

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. When I read this story, all I could think about is the scene from Joe Dirt, when he goes to Louisiana and runs into this guy.

Storytelling for Week 6: Mr. Hopper

Brer Rabbit

Source: Wikimedia

It was a hot typical Louisiana summer day. Hopper, Fox, and Coon had been working since dawn on their garden, but Hopper was ready to throw in the towel.

"Maybe I can just sneak off somewhere for a quick nap. It's too dang hot out here. And besides, I planted last years garden all by myself. It's these two goons' turns to slave away in the heat." Hopper thought to himself. "There's got to be somewhere I can rest out of site. If these guys see me napping, I'll never hear the end of it."

Hopper caught a glance of a well off in the woods to his right. "Ahh yes, the well! That would be perfect, but I have to think of a way to get away for a second."

"Ooooooooooouch!!" Hopper yelped. "Oww oww oww."

"What in the world are you crying over there for?" Coon asked Hopper.

"I cut my finger on the weasel." Hopper tried to choke up some fake tears.

"Oh, you big baby! You're always hurting yourself. Quit being so clumsy. Let me see it." Fox snapped out Hopper. He knew Hopper was up to something. He was always trying to get out of working. Lazy rabbit.

"Oh no, I don't want to gross you out. It's a pretty nasty cut. I'm going to go clean it up. I'll be back out to help when I'm done. See ya!" Hopper hopped off towards the well. When he got there, he noticed a bucket on a rope that was dangling above the well.

"Perfect. I can get in this bucket and take my nap. No one will every find me in here!" Just as Hopper climbed into the bucket, it descended so quickly he didn't have time to think. "Dang it! Now what? I'm stuck down here. I'm going to die down here." Little did Hopper know that Fox, who always knew Hopper was up to no good, watched Hopper as he snuck off to the well.

"Whatcha doing down there, Hopper?" Hopper was startled. He looked up to see his buddy Fox peeking over the edge of the well.

"If I can get Fox to jump into the other bucket, his weight will carry me back up to the top, and I can get out of this stinkin' well." Hopper thought to himself.

"Oh, you know. Just fishing. I thought I would make us some dinner tonight." Hopper shouted from the bottom of the well.

"There's fish down there?" Fox questioned.

"Yeah lots of them. Come see for yourself!"

"How do I get down there?"

"Just hop in that other bucket like I did. It's easy!"

"Okay, here I come!"

What Fox didn't realize was once he got down to the bottom, Hopper would be at the top. Of course, Hopper couldn't let this situation go to waste. He had to pick on Fox just a little bit.

"See ya later friend!" Hopper chuckled as he walked back to Coon to tell him the story. Poor Fox stayed in the well until dinner time when his friends finally rescued him. Until this day, they never let him forget.

Author's Note:
This story is a retelling of the original story Old Mr. Rabbit, He's a Good Fisherman . I kept the story pretty much the same except that the original story is told by Uncle Remus to his nephew. Also, the original story is in dialect, which makes it a little harder to read. I decided not to tell this story in dialect and write it in a way that is easier to understand.

"Old Mr. Rabbit, He's a Good Fisherman" by Joel Chandler Harris. Website: Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings

Week 6 Reading Diary: Brer Rabbit

Brer Rabbit

The story Old Mr. Rabbit, He's a Good Fisherman was probably my favorite. It is interesting the way these stories are told because the stories are told in dialect. Also, these stories are told from an Uncle Remus to his nephew. In this particular story, the rabbit, fox, coon, and boar are working on their garden, and the rabbit gets tired. He tells his friends he got something in his hand and was going to try to get it out. Instead, he found a well with a bucket and thought that would be a nice place to take a nap. When he got in the bucket, it fell to the bottom of the well. The fox happened to sneak off to keep on eye on the rabbit. The rabbit was afraid and was able to trick the fox into jumping into the other bucket by telling him he was fishing down in the well. When the fox jumped in the other bucket, it caused the rabbit's bucket to lift, so he could get out of the well. Eventually the fox gets out and they get back to work on the garden, although the rabbit still picks on the fox about it.

Week 5 Essay: Arabian Nights

Aladdin Arabian Palace

Source: Deviant Art

Because I grew up loving the Disney version of Aladdin, I was quickly drawn to the unit Arabian Nights. I always related to Jasmine because she was "brown" like me. Haha I even dressed up as her for Halloween when I was six years old. Although I was not able to read the first half of this unit because of how crazy busy my life has been, I still enjoyed reading the second half of it because it was the part of this unit that I was looking forward to reading. Before reading the story about Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, I expected it to vary from the Disney version we are all familiar with. Obviously the Disney version added characters and scenes to this story to make it more marketable such as Aladdin's monkey friend Abu, but I loved the original story. I think I may have liked it a little bit more than the Disney version. I think my favorite part about it was the magician throughout the story first plotting to use Aladdin to get the lamp, and then later trying to steal it from Aladdin after he learns of his riches and success from the genie in the lamp. It made me curious as to why Aladdin was chosen by the magician to try to find the lamp. Maybe he thought a careless boy like him would be easily manipulated into doing the magician's dirty work. I would definitely recommend this unit to everyone in class because I think it is fun to go into a unit expecting something and coming out completely surprised after you have finished reading. Also, I do not think there is a necessity for more information about the unit. I think the information provided is enough to draw the reader in if this is a unit that seems interesting to them.

Week 5 Storytelling: Aladdin

Aladdin in the Cave of Wonders

Source: Animated Views

"Daddy, daddy, daddy! Tell me a bedtime story." Little Savannah begged and pleaded.

"Alright, alright. What kind of story do you want to hear?" Savannah's father was trying to quickly think of something. "Hopefully nothing about princesses." He thought to himself.

"Ohh, I know! Tell me the story about Princess Jasmine from the Aladdin movie! Pleaseeeee!"

Great. Savannah's dad quickly picked his brain for the story of Princess Jasmine. "That's the story with the genie and the lamp right?"

"Yeah and Princess Jasmine and her palace. Come on daddy, tell me the story!"

"Okay, how about this. How about I tell you the story of Aladdin when he found the lamp? The REAL story."

"Ooo the real story?! Yeah, tell me, tell me!"

"Here goes nothing...


For there once was a boy named Aladdin
Whose father he sure did sadden
His boy gave him trouble
So he soon died, and was buried beneath the rubble

One day, along came a magician
Who lured Aladdin into submission
"Young man, I am your father's brother,
Will you please go fetch your mother?"

"I have come to help you,
Let us go shopping and find you a new hair do."
Little did Aladdin know,
That this magician was a no good lying foe

"Into the cave you go,
And follow the light from which the cave will glow.
It is here that you will find the lamp,
Make haste, and watch your step on that ramp."

Aladdin had spotted the sought out beloved treasure
And when the magician noticed, he laid on the pressure.
"Alas, you have found what I have been searching for,
Hand it here so I can seal this cave door."

No way, no how, not before I step out.
Let me out first, or I will remain and allow you to continue to pout.
The magician grew angry, and before Aladdin could react,
The stone was rolled over the cave mouth and unable to retract.

Just as he was getting to the good part, he could tell his little princess was falling asleep. "We'll finish the rest tomorrow night princess."

"Okay, good night daddy."

Author's Note:
I pretty much kept the story, Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp Part 1, the same although I did not get nearly as far into the story. If I did, it would have been a pretty long poem. I thought telling this story from the point of view of a father telling his daughter a bed time story would be fitting since this is a story about Aladdin. Many people are familiar with this story, but probably do not know the actual story it is based on. It has quite a few differences, but it is still a great story!

The Arabian Nights' Entertainment by Andrew Lang (1898). Web Source: Arabian Nights Unit

Week 5 Reading Diary: Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights

The story about Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp is a little different from the Disney version. The beginning of this story tells of a false uncle, who is really a magician in search of magical lamp. He tricks Aladdin into searching for the lamp and he trapped. Aladdin finds the lamp and is able to summon the genie from the magical ring the magician gave him to get out of the cave. Aladdin's mom is the one who rubs the lamp and summons the genie. Aladdin uses this genie to grant him wishes to impress the sultan so he can marry the sultan's beautiful daughter. He builds a beautiful palace and fulfills all the sultan's wishes and marries the princess. The magician learns of Aladdin's success and determines that he must have found the lamp. He plots to steal the lamp. He is successful in capturing the lamp, and he also steals the palace and Aladdin's wife. Aladdin is able to defeat the magician, save his wife from the evil magician trying to turn her into his wife, and live in peace.

Essay for Week 4: Folklore of the Holy Land

Three Main Abrahamic Religions

Source: Wikimedia

The unit I decided to read this week was Folklore of the Holy Land . My reason for choosing this unit was because I was contemplating doing my storybook project on all three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I thought this unit would give me some good insight to some ideas that I could use for the project and help me decide if that was the direction I wanted to go in. I was extremely busy at the beginning of the week so I was unable to complete the Reading A section of this unit, but I was able to complete the Reading B part. Many of the stories about Abraham were in the first part of the reading, and I did take a look at a few. These stories are so interesting to me because it is crazy how closely related all three of these religions are. Christianity and Islam stem from Judaism so much of their history and significant individuals and places are equally as important in all three religions. I think this unit is not only interesting to read just for class, but I feel like it is important to know about these religions in relation to what is going on in the world. So many people have a skewed view of what it means to follow either one of these religions, and categorizing someone on those skewed views causes hate and war. I am a Christian, but I find it so important to understand other religions aside from my own. Not so I can judge other, but understand the actions and responses of the world in live in. I would encourage everyone to read this unit as well as other texts to explain these religions in more detail. I think it could prevent a lot of hatred towards people who believe differently than us.

Storytelling for Week 4: Lot

 

Alcatraz

Source: Wikimedia

Lot had been in prison for 2 years now. He knew what he did was wrong, but he could not stand the fact that he would spend the rest of his life locked up. He had to do something about it. One day, he asked to see a judge to plead for forgiveness.

"Please, I'll do anything. I just want to get out of here. Tell me what I can do, so I don't have to die here!"

"Alright fine. This is your only chance. If you do not complete your task, then you will have to accept your fate and spend the rest of your life in prison," the judge explained.

"I'll do it! Whatever it is, I'll do it."

"Do you see that tree out there? Outside of the prison gates?" the judge questioned Lot.

"Yes sir, I see it. What about it?" Lot asked.

"I want you to water that tree. Do that for me, and I will forgive you of your crime."

"That's it?! Water that tree, and I'm a free man?" Lot couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"That's what I said. Now go!"

Lot thought this was a ridiculously easy request, but knew there had to be some catch. The next morning, he filled a bucket and made his way to the tree with an officer escorting him out of the prison gates. As he approached the tree, he noticed it was surrounded by a very poor neighborhood. As he got closer, he came across a little boy lying on the ground who looked as though he hadn't eaten in weeks.

"Sir, please may I have some water?" the little boy asked.

Without a thought, Lot answered, "Of course you can. Here you go," and before Lot knew it, the little boy had gulped down the entire bucket of water.

"Oh no, now what am I going to do? I have no more water to water the tree. I won't be able to fulfill my task. I'll be stuck in prison forever."

 The police escort demanded they return to the prison at once since they were out of water. As they approached the prison, Lot was hesitant to hear the judge's reaction to his inability to perform such a simple task, but to his surprise, the judge had a very different response to his willingness to share his water with the little boy.

"Because of your selflessness, you are forgiven. You may go. You are a free man!"


Author's Note: The story I used for this week was Lot and the Tree of the Cross . It is a story about a man who is told by God that if he water's the tree at the head of Adam's grave, he will be forgiven of his sins. He attempts three times, but is tricked by the Devil disguised as a fake pilgrims to allow him to drink the water. Because of his willingness to help the pilgrims, Lot is forgiven of his sins. I used the same character name and the same theme, but I used a prison setting to relate to the bondage of sin.

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Week 4 Reading Diary: Folklore of the Holy Land

Folklore of the Holy Land

One of the stories I like from this unit is called Lot and the Tree of the Cross . This story tells of Lot, a patriarch, who was told he would be forgiven of his sins if he watered the tree at the head of Adam's grave. On three attempts to carry a bucket of water to the tree, the Devil disguised as thirsty pilgrims tricks Lot into allowing the pilgrims to drink the water. He proves his selflessness by giving water to these fake pilgrims, and his sins are forgiven.

Another story that I found interesting was Legends of El Khudr because of the opening paragraph. It explains the Greeks taking communion by crumbling the bread up into the wine and taking both parts of the communion at the same time. Also, it tells of a time when a priest accidentally spilled the contents of the communion on his foot and it caused a hole to appear and even marked the floor. That's some powerful bread and wine! Afterwards, this stone that was marked from the spilled contents was believed to have miraculous healed many people.

I really enjoyed reading about St. George in Elijah and Saint George because I remember studying the famous Crusader icon St. George in my Byzantine Icon class. We did not really learn much about the story behind the artwork, so it was nice to know why the icon was created.

Essay for Week 3: Lost Books

My favorite part of this unit was being able to read stories from the Lost Books of the Bible. Although these particular stories are not found in the Bible, they give a lot more details to some of the well known stories about Jesus. One of the stories that really drew my attention was Mary and Joseph because it gives an account of Mary and Joseph before Mary becomes pregnant with Jesus. I have always wondered the "before" part of their relationship and what was going through Joseph's mind when he found out Mary, who was supposed to be a virgin, became pregnant. I am sure I am not the only one who has pondered this thought before, and it makes me wonder why these passages are not in the Bible. Also, I enjoyed learning about Jesus' life from infancy until he started his ministry when he was about thirty years old. So much of his life is missing from the Bible, but I guess the Bible would be extremely long if they tried to fit every detail of his life into words! I liked that there were so many stories of healing because that is what Jesus is about. Even from such a young age, people were being healed of leprosy by pouring the water he bathed in over them in Curing the Leprosy . I am not sure if anyone in class has taken a class called Byzantine Icons, but I took it last semester, and I was able to recognize many of the pictures included in the stories. I think that is so awesome how classes sometimes overlap like that! It makes the material you are learning a little more interesting because you are able to connect it to something you have already studied.

This is one of my favorites from this unit that I remember learning about in my Byzantine Icons class:

 

Nativity by Andrei Rublev

Source: Wikipedia

Week 3 Reading Diary: Infancy Gospels

Infancy Gospels

Gospel of Luke
The first three stories from this unit are from the gospel of Luke in the Bible. In these first three chapters of this book, we learn about the angel that announced to Mary that she would give birth to the Son of God, and that her cousin, Elisabeth, would also give birth to a son. We also read about the birth of Jesus and the three wise men who come to visit him after being told by angels that the Son of God was born. Also, we learn about when Christ was presented in the church after eight days.
Stories referenced: The Annunciation The Nativity The Young Jesus

The Protevangelion of James
The three stories come for the Lost Books of the Bible. What makes these stories so interesting is that they were not used in the Bible, but were widely known. The first story gives details about Mary and Joseph before Mary became pregnant with Jesus. It also gives more detail about Mary's pregnancy and the birth of Jesus. Stories referenced: Mary and Joseph The Virgin Grown Big The Birth of Jesus

The Infancy Gospels
The remaining stories in the unit start from the birth of Jesus and end at the start of his ministry. I like this section of the unit because it gives details that are not present in the Bible. The Bible really only gives detail of Jesus' birth and a little bit in between the start of his ministry, and eventually his crucifixion. One of my favorite's is The Idol because it tells about the power of Jesus at such a young age. A man considered an idol takes some of the swaddling cloth of baby Jesus', and when he places it on his head, he is healed of demons. There is also another healing story that I really liked called Curing the Leprosy . A woman is able to be cured of leprosy just by washing herself with the water Jesus was bathed with. I also liked the story called Jesus and Joseph because there are not very many accounts between these two. I have always wondered about their relationship and it was nice to see a story about Jesus encouraging Joseph when he was upset about making the King angry.

Storytelling for Week 2: Lilith, The Real First Woman

One day in Ms. Dutton's 3rd grade class, during story time, she began to tell the children the story of the beginning of existence. She had just recently read The Legends of the Jews, and she could not wait to tell them all about it.

Lady Lilith

Source: Wikimedia

She began her story telling, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth. He created the sun and moon, the lands and seas, the animals and plants, and lastly, man. The first man to ever roam the earth was named Adam. Now, I know that you all are thinking you know what comes next, but I am here to tell you that you are wrong! Someone raise their hand and tell me what God created after Adam? If you were going to say Eve, put your hand down because that is incorrect. That's right, Eve was not the first woman! Crazy, huh? I thought so too, until I heard the real story. God created Lilith from the dust, the first women, for Adam to rid him of his loneliness, but poor Adam, that first woman of his left him! Her very purpose was to be with Adam so he was no longer alone on earth, and she could not stand to be with him. Instead, she ran away, and was later found by three angels sent by God to bring her back to Adam. That crazy lady refused to obey them, so they made a deal with her. If she would not return to Adam, one hundred of her demon children would die every day. EVERY SINGLE DAY! She went along with the deal, so I guess that says a lot about Adam. I mean, was it really that horrible living with him? I guess so! Anyways, Adam was alone, so God created Eve, the second woman to be made and end Adam's loneliness. The end."

Author's Note: I used the story Lilith to retell this week. The basic story stayed the same, but I decided to add a storyteller, Ms. Dutton, to make it more interesting. In the story, it tells of Adam's loneliness and God's attempt to end his loneliness by creating a woman from dust, instead of from Adam's rib. She did not want to be with him so she ran off, and refused to come back even when she was told that one hundred of her demon children would die every day. After her refusal to return, God created Eve from Adam's rib, making her the second woman to live on earth.

"Lilith" by Louis Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews (1909). Web Source: Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook

Week 2: Essay

The story unit I read for this week is Adam and Eve. The reason I chose this unit was because I found it fitting for the first reading. Because Adam and Eve is accounted in the book of Genesis, meaning the beginning, I thought, "what better way to start my readings?" I enjoyed reading the first two stories because they were from the Bible, and I have heard this story countless times. I was really surprised by the stories that followed. Stories from The Legends of the Jews was really interesting to me because there were different interpretation of the beginning of the earth and humankind. One of my favorite stories that I read was Lilith. Reading that Adam had a different wife before Eve definitely throws a twist into the story most people hear. I also enjoyed reading from The Forgotten Books of Eden. Reading about the struggles Adam and Eve endured after being cast out of the Garden of Eden makes you really feel bad for them! I did get a little irritated when they kept killing themselves, but I guess if you have experienced a beautiful place like the Garden of Eden, and then you are cast out to live in a cave, you would have no will to live. Thank goodness God was merciful and eventually accepted their sacrifice for forgiveness of their sins! I think there was adequate enough information on the unit page for someone to decide whether they would want to read this unit or not. One suggestion may be to let them know these stories use words such as didst and thou. Sometimes reading stories written like this take longer to read, so if someone is wanting an easy, fast read and depending on their ability to quickly read in this form, they may not want to read this unit.

Lady Lilith

Source: Wikimedia

Week 2 Reading Diary: Book of Adam and Eve

Books of Adam and Eve

The Creation and The Fall The first two stories are from the Bible in King James Version. It tells of the creation of heaven and earth. It accounts the creation of all things including man. It also tells the story of how Adam and Eve disobey God by eating from the tree of knowledge.

The Ideal Man The third story is told from a Jewish perspective on the creation of man. It also refers to other significant men throughout Jewish history that share similar characteristics as Adam such as Samson and his tremendous strength.

The Fall of Satan The fourth story tells of the fall of Satan. Satan does not like that God wants him and the other angels to pay homage to the man, Adam, that he has created from dust. He feels that he is superior to humans. God strikes a deal with Satan asking him to name the animals he bring before him, and if he is unable to do so and Adam is able to, then he must honor man. Satan is unable to name the animals correctly and is cast out of heaven to earth.

Lilith The 5th story tells of Adams first wife, Lilith. Before Eve, God gave Adam Lilith so he would not be alone on earth, but she did not want to be with him. She left him, and was later found by 3 angels sent by God. She refused to return to Adam in exchange for the death of 100 of her demon children every day.

Eve The 6th story tells the difference between men and women in relation to Adam and Eve.

Paradise The 7th story speaks of the 7 portals you go through before reaching heaven or paradise. It also lays out 6 commandments.

The Fall of ManThe 8th story tells of the fall of man. The serpent who is successful in manipulating Eve into eating from the tree of knowledge, also gets Adam to participate in eating the forbidden fruit.

The Punishment and The Punishment, cont. The 9th and 10th story tell of the punishment given to Adam, Eve, and the serpent who disobeyed God by eating fruit from the tree of knowledge. Instead of confessing their sin and repenting, they hid from God. As well as these three, the earth and moon received punishment as a result of the disobedience of Adam and Eve.

Leaving the Garden The 11th story tells of when God cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden after they disobeyed him. He contemplates in which direction he should cast them out

Entering the Cave of Treasures The 12th story explains when Adam and Eve enter the Cave of Treasures after God tells them that he will send his Word to save them when five days and a half are fulfilled. They are afraid to live in the broad open earth, and reflect on the life they had in the garden.

They Die a First Time The 13th story gives an account of the first time Adam and Eve die. Adam realizes his actions have led him to live in a place far less greater than the garden. He dies of grief. Eve then weeps and prays to God to bring him back, and she ends up dying of grief.

Beasts of Creation The 14th story tells of how Adam explained to God that he was fearful that the beasts of earth would devour him, so God commanded the beasts not to trouble them. Adam and Eve kill themselves again.

Want of Water and Light The 15th story recounts when Adam and Eve explain to God that they need water to survive but they are commanded not to drink it. Adam kills himself again.

Darkness In the 16th story, Adam questions God why darkness exist. Adam believes it to be a punishment but God explains that darkness is for rest.

The Sunrise and Serpent The 17th story illustrates when the serpent tries to kill Adam and Eve. He wraps them with his body and God sends angels to save them. When God had originally cursed the serpent, he still allowed him to speak, but because of his attempt to kill Adam and Eve, God took away his speech.

Suicide and Salvation In the 18th story, Adam and Eve kill themselves again and God comes to save them.

Worship and Blessing In the final story, Adam and Eve worship God and offer sacrifices to him for forgiveness of their sins. This was the first offering ever made to God.

Week 1: Introduction

Hi guys! My name is Marissa Dutton, and I am a Mathematics major who will be graduating in December. I honestly can not express my excitement any better than saying FINALLY! I feel like I have been in school forever (five and a half years), and at times, it seemed like I would never reach this point, but I have finally made it to the home stretch. In four short months, I will be a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, and I cannot wait! As far as work, I have no clue what I plan to do. Before transferring to OU, I was attending a university in Louisiana as a Math Education major, but when I moved here, I changed my major to Math. I think I will still let teaching be an option after graduation, but other than that, I really have no idea what I want to do. I guess I have four months to figure that out, so I better get on that!

For those who have never taken a class with Laura Gibbs, let me just warn you, you will love this class! I love the way the class is set up because you feel like you have so much control over the grade you receive. This is my second class I have taken with her, and I enjoyed her Indian Epics class so much, I had to come back for her Myth and Folklore class. I also needed another upper division elective, so her class was an obvious choice! Make sure you stay ahead on the assignments, even if it is just one day ahead. If at all possible, try working ahead so you can get done with the class early. That way you can focus on some of your other classes towards finals time. Laura is great with encouragement and feedback, so I hope you all enjoy this class!

I spent a lot of time with family this summer, including babysitting my little cousins. On of our favorite days was when we went to the zoo. They loved going into this area with the colorful birds. We were able to hold some of them, and this one liked me so much he climbed all the way to the top of my head using my hair as a ladder. I spared you guys the pictures of his climb to the top of my head because my facial expressions were not exactly the most attractive. I was afraid of him peeing on my head! Haha

personal photo from OKC Zoo 2014

 

Week 1: Storybook Favorites

Happily Ever After: A Prince's Perspective
This storybook caught my eye simply because of the picture on the homepage. I found it hilarious to see Snow White and her prince charming living in the real world, rather than the storybook fairytale we have seen in the movies. Snow White is seen holding a child on each hip with another child at her feet and one in the background playing, while prince charming is chilling on the couch watching TV. It is the complete opposite of the image that comes to your mind when you think of Snow White and her prince charming during the "happily ever after" part of life. It looks humorous!

Epic Wicked Women
I think the reason this storybook caught my attention was because it reminded me of my storybook I created last semester when I took the Indian Epics class. For my project, I also focused my storybook around important women from Ramayana and Mahabharata, so I liked seeing someone else have a similar approach to their storybook. My project was from the perspective of a toilet who got to sit in on all the gossip and girl fights between these women, but this story is centered around a therapy session. Although I did not read any of the stories, I think it would be funny and entertaining. How could a therapy session for four women not be entertaining?

Fairy Godmother: Diary Thief
This storybook drew my attention because I have seen many people use the diary approach to their storybook, but I like that this one added a little something to make it different. Rather than us just reading the diaries of many princesses, the fairy godmother, who stole the diaries, is the reason we are able to get a private sneak peak into these princesses' lives. I think I might use a similar strategy when creating my storybook for this semester. Also, I enjoyed the colors and layout of the storybook because they relate well this the topic and theme.