Storytelling Week 14: The Dragon and the Lion

The Dragon and the Lion were the very best of friends. An unlikely couple, but they were still as close as could be. One day, when the two were enjoying a gazelle together, Lion looked to Dragon and asked her to a race.

"But Lion, I can fly and you can only run on land. Even if we raced on land, my great limbs would carry me farther, faster! But if you really want to, why don't we race from here to the cave of the mountain?" Lion nodded his head and the two finished their meal. After a short rest, the two stood at the starting place.

"I am sorry that this will not be a fair race Lion, but remember, you are the one who called for it." Dragon said with a gleeful tone. Dragon did love to win and let all around know that she won. She was a proud beast, but still very kind.

"You worry about getting yourself to the finish line and I will worry about myself." Lion purred to his friend.

The race began and, as Dragon had predicted, she went very far very quickly thanks to her large wings. Lion raced on foot, his thunderous steps rattling the lands around. Dragon looked back at one point and could see no more than a speck of her dear friend. She looked forward again and spotted a rainbow in one of the clouds nearby. Dragon loved rainbows. She loved to play in them and watch as they colored her scaly skin. She flew over and played in the rainbow, completely forgetting about the race. Dragon played and played until the rainbow was wrapped around her and no longer in the sky. Only then did she look towards the earth and see Lion only a few feet from the finish line.

"Oh no! I forgot about the race! No worries though. I am fast enough to still make it!" Dragon thought to herself as she flew to the finish line as fast as she could. She flew with all her might but, in the end, Lion came out victorious.

"How did you manage to beat my dear friend? I am the fastest beast in all the land and sky!" Dragon exclaimed.

"Slow and steady wins the race my friend." Lion purred and the two left the cave to go on another adventure.

"Sarah, that is one of the weirdest stories I've ever heard. You know a lion couldn't beat a dragon in a race! No matter what!" Gregor whined as Sarah closed the storybook.

"You are question a lion beating a dragon in a race, but not the fact that the dragon wrapped itself up in a rainbow... Seriously Gregor." Sarah laughed and shook her head. 

Author's note: This story is based off of Foolish Animals from the La Fontaine unit. I kept most of the story the same, just changing the relationship of the two main characters and the setting that they were in. I also, of course, added in the Strike siblings because it just wouldn't be my story if they weren't there!

The Tortoise and the Hare

Reading Diary Week 14: La Fontaine

La Fontaine Unit

1. Foolish Animals- The Tortoise and the Hare was one of my favorite stories as I child. I always thought the tortoise was so clever! The Ass in the Lion's Skin was funny but sometimes it is a little difficult to read the stories because of the flow. I like rhythmic fables where they have a specific beat to them, I couldn't find it in this story. Another reason I love fables is because they have such clear morals.

2. More Foolish Animals- Poor puppy lost his bone just cause he got excited about his reflection! The city mouse and the country mouse is a classic! I think it was in one of the first units too. I have heard the story of the cat and the monkey as well. This story was in a previous unit too I think.

3. Foxes- Okay, this unit has definitely been given before because I also remember the story of the fox and the grapes. Again, I love the morals of these stories!

4. Birds- Stories about birds always crack me up because the birds are always so foolish. I think it is interesting though, how they are portrayed as  being so foolish when really, most birds are pretty smart. I am not saying they are the smartest, they just aren't as ridiculous as these stories make them seem.

5. Insects- I noticed that the gnat in the last story is actually a mosquito. I wonder why they call it a gnat... I also think it is interesting how insects are personified. They are show very closely to how they are as actual bugs where other creatures are given a stereotype and that is how they are written in stories.

6. Foolish People- I wonder what if the golden egg was actually supposed to be made of gold or if it was "golden" because it was an unusual golden color that was sought after. The pumpkin story was really interesting. I like how the man thought about what it would be like if he changed things but then decided they were better as they were.

7. Foxes and Wolves- These stories were just as I would expect from stories about wolves and foxes and other animals interacting with the two. Both are such cunning and clever creatures, though the wolf is stronger, so they show a good balance for the other.

8. Horses- I was curious how the horses would be shown in these stories. They are both strong and regal but horses aren't too smart. I think it is interesting that they are considered so highly over foxes and wolves but really, foxes and wolves are much smarter than horses.

9. Dogs- There are so many kinds of dogs, I wonder if they will all be written int he same light. Yep! It seems that domesticated dogs are seen as fat and not as wise, much like the rich and high in status were stereotyped in the older days. But the wolves were seen as poor but cunning and willing to do whatever to get some food.

10. Cats- I love cats but I know how they are written. They are tricksters or they are spoiled. They sometimes have magical properties about them but they always manage to get into trouble! Which is exactly what happens in these stories. I still love them!

Week 13 Storytelling

Once again, the Strike siblings apologize for their inconveniencing of anyone. They were sucked up by a black hole and decided to go run around in it for a while. They should be back next week.

Week 13 Essay

So for my unit this week I read Russian Folktales. I felt compelled to read this unit because one of my roommates is majoring in Russia and is ALWAYS talking about Russia, so I thought I would learn a little about the culture so that I could understand her a little more when she talks about things. One motif I noticed in almost every single story were corpses. There were always corpses or witches or warlocks or some dead corpse running around causing problems. I also noticed that women are not really portrayed in a very positive light.

I’m not really sure why Russians are so fascinated with corpses. I thought it was interesting that every time, except once, the corpses were evil and trying to kill people. I wonder if the idea of the corpses being evil sheds any light on how Russians feel about the afterlife. Maybe they think that once you die, since your soul is no longer in your body your body is just a vessel that can run around and do evil things? I don’t even know if that is anything the Russians believe. I will probably go and talk to my roommate and find out how Russians actually feel about death and the afterlife.

I also noticed that the women in these stories are usually not particularly good. They are either witches running around at night and killing innocent townsfolk or terrorizing their husbands and then getting sent to Hell. I know that in some cultures women are seen as unequal to men, but in these stories it makes it seem like the Russian think that women are all just evil witches. I wonder if the women in Russia are just rougher that women of other cultures and so are shown as evil in the stories.

Vasilisa. Russian Fairy Tale

Week 13 Reading Diary A: Russian Folktales

Russian Folktales

1. The Dead Mother - That was such a sad and heart breaking story... first everything is all nice and happy and then the mother is dead, leaving the father all alone with this newborn baby. He tried to care for it and have an older woman help him so that he could bring it up the best he could. If the town had just not been so nosy and left the child alone at night, I wonder if the baby would have stayed alive. I also wonder why the baby died. If it was actually because the towns people saw the dead mother or if the child died of different causes.
2. The Treasure - This was such a cool story! It made me so happy that the old man got to have a proper burial for his wife! Even if all of the towns folk were just greedy. And I am even happier that the pope was punished for being such a horrible person! When I was reading it I thought that the Devil might show up to the pope and reprimand him for pretending to be the devil, but I think being forever stuck in the goat skin works too!
3. The Bad Wife - I am actually really surprised that the peasant came out victorious! I am used to the hero having some serious problems along the way but he actually managed to have a happy life after sending his wife to hell. I am also surprised he survived the imp! I was worried it would do something to exact revenge on the peasant for tricking him! Great story!
4. The Three Copecks - This story was a little odd. I enjoyed it, but it was still odd. It was all very disjointed. The only thing it had in common was the boy. It did make me happy that he saved the kitten! I thought it was sweet and something very good came out of it! And the kitty gets to live and eat rats and mice all the time!
5. The Miser - So i'm not sure if the miser ended up getting a lot of money because they scared the wits out of the robbers and the Rich man still did pay him a single copeck, or what... This was a little confusing. I did find it funny that the miser basically tortured Marko as he pretended to be dead just to get a single copeck.
6. The Water Snake - This was an interesting story. I liked it but there wasn't very much to it. I understand where the mother was coming from to save her daughter and kill the snake, but the daughter was happy and so it was really sad that she killed him!
7. Friday - Moral of the story? Don't piss off mother friday. I wonder if they have deities for all of the days of the week.
8. Wednesday - I'm not sure what the point of this story was... I wonder why the days of the week are so mean... I can understand Monday, because I generally dislike mondays... but why the others? I'm not sure I entirely understand when they are even. Are they deities or demons or what?
9. The Leshy - Again, odd story but entertaining.  It would be nice to know what a Léshy was going into the story but it was still entertaining! I am happy the girl made it back to her family after three years even if she didn't remember them...
10. Dnieper, Volga, and Dvina - Creation story!!! I don't know anything about Russian history or culture, my roommate is majoring in Russian so I thought it would be cool to learn a little about it. I love reading stories like this because I learn a little about the culture. Like, now I know that there are three rivers called the Dnieper, Volga, and Dvina and that the first one runs faster than the other two and the second two run to the bottom of the sea where the first one remains closer to the top!
11. Emilian the Fool - I wonder why the fool wanted red things so much. And why he kept lying on the stove... I'm happy that he got some good luck in his life since everyone seemed to tease him. It would be pretty cool to have inanimate objects do your bidding just by asking them!
12. The Witch Girl - I liked this story! It was really short but I was really pulled into! I thought it was really smart how the person figured out who the witch was really was. I wonder how he thought of that...
13. The Headless Princess - I am impressed that the little boy was able to stick to what his granny told him and not look behind him. I am starting to notice the the woman either dies or is the cause of the problem. I wonder what that has to say about how the Russians of this time think of women.
14. The Warlock - I think this is one of the first stories I have read so far where the woman saves the day! Well, she doesn't really save the day, just her life and she got some money. But this was a good story! It was interesting, and engaging.
15. The Fox Physicians - I feel like there is usually a moral to most stories, but i'm not sure what the moral to this story was...
16. The Fiddler in Hell - I liked this story! I could see a clear moral in it. I thought it was cool how the pots of money kept refilling even if someone took so much money out of them. I bet the poor who got some money from it were very happy about that. I keep forgetting these are Russian folktales. They really just seem like most of the other folktales I have read before.
17. The Two Friends - Some friend the dead guy was! He made the first guy lose his wife and live three hundred years so that all of his friends and family and everyone he ever knew was dead! That is horrible!
18. The Shroud - If she had just put the shroud back, she would have been fine! I'm not saying she deserved to be taken off by the corpse, but she kind of deserved it...
19. The Coffin-Lid - Well that would be an interesting day. Seeing a corpse running around, saving two boys with that corpse's shroud, handing over a dead man to the authorities, and then being rewarded greatly all in one day pretty much! I find it interesting that they always use an aspen stake to nail down the corpses that keep rising. There are also a lot of stories with rising, evil corpses.
20. The Two Corpses - I thought this story was hilarious. Granted, if I was actually in that situation, I would have probably soiled myself at the sight of the first corpse and just passed out after seeing the two corpses fight each other until they were no more.
21. The Dog and the Corpse - I really want to know what is the fascination of Russians with death or corpses at least. The larger portion of these stories is about corpses... If I was that dog I would have been pissed too! The master just left him there to fight, not caring whether he lived or died! I really liked this story though. I wasn't sure what was wrong with the dog and I thought it was interesting that they gave the dog such passionate emotions because of what happened to him.
22. The Soldier and the Vampire - This was a really good story! I loved how the soldier tried to befriend the warlock a little so that he could figure out his secrets and save the people! But again, I want to know about the Russians' fascination with corpses and dead people coming back to life.

Week 12 Essay: Beowulf

This week I read half of the Beowulf unit. I had intended to read the entire unit but then the day got away from me and I ran out of time. There wasn't really a whole lot to notice for this unit, even just half of it. I did really like the imagery of the royal colors and I suppose I could talk about how the Queens were portrayed in the story. I found it very interesting. I am still going to go and actually read the entire unit because I really want to know what happens!

So, I always love when stories or books give a lot of imagery, especially with royal clothing. I say royal clothing because there are normally specific colors associated with the kingdom, which for some reason fascinates me. I found it interesting how the kingdom that Beowulf was from, their colors were gold and red I think. Gold is such was such a sought after material that the fact that they used it as their jewelry and colors suggested wealth and the red would suggest power. When Beowulf goes over seas to Daneland, the colors the king and queen wear are very different. I don't remember exactly what colors but I do remember that the queen wears silver bands of jewelry instead of gold. The king still wears a golden crown, but he is the only one wearing gold. When I read it, it suggests to me that this land is poorer that Beowulf's, wearing silver which is not as precious as gold.

One other thing I noticed from the story was how the queens were portrayed. I feel like in most stories about great Kings and their warriors, the queens are only in the background. They are something coveted by other kings and fought over and won. They can persuade their kings, but other than that, they don't have a lot of power. Now I know this is not the case all of the time, it is just a stereotype of those stories. In this story however, the queens represent more than just an object. They are important in honoring the warriors before they leave for an important mission. They also represent peace and unity, since most queens were married off to unite kingdoms and make peace. I thought it was cool how both of the queens had titles along with their names. The first one was Queen, whatever her name was, The Wise and Fair, and then the Queen of Daneland, The Beautiful.

Queen in Beowulf

Week 12 Storytelling: The Great Graggle

"Who are you and why have you placed yourselves upon our shores?" bellowed the shore guard.

"I-we are," Gregor was a little out of breath from fighting the sea monsters and storm and horrible waters that had ravaged the ship as they entered the port, "sorry, out of breath a little. We are Sarah and Gregor Strike with several of the best elite Federation troops. We heard about your little Graggle problem and we were wanting to help. You see we-" the shore guardian raised his hand to stop Gregor.

"Follow me. I will take you to see our king." Gregor smiled at Sarah, who gave her brother a thumbs up. The group followed the shore guard through dead and deescalate forests. There was no life around them. Everything was burnt to a crisp or dying from starvation. The ground was cold and hard, the air was foul and thick, the once great land of Daneland was dead.

The hike was finally over and the group approached a disintegrating castle. The shore guardian spoke with the guard at the door for a moment and then bid his farewell. The door guard knocked on the large wooden doors until a small scribe appeared. The poor boy looked terrified of everything and skinnier than a stick with meat on it. The guard talked to the boy for a moment and then the boy ran back inside.

"Are we going to be able to speak with your king?" Sarah asked the guard, who rudely ignored her.

"I would answer her. She doesn't take well to being ignored." Gregor mentioned.

"I do not speak to lowly wom-" WHAM! Sarah sucker punched the guard before he could finish his sexist comment.

"What was that again?" The guard righted himself and wiped the blood from his mouth.

"The king will be here to greet you all momentarily. Please be patient."Gregor coughed in a poor attempt to cover his laugh.

"Thank you kind sir." Sarah walked back to her brother and winked at him. That was how she got stuff done.

"You didn't really need to punch him, did you?" Gregor whispered.

"Maybe, maybe not." Sarah responded.

The boy soon returned with an old man draped in silvers and purples and an only slightly younger woman behind him dressed in the same colors, bright red braids of hair hung on either side of her head.

"Welcome my friends! I am King Claudes and this is my queen, Queen Flora The Beautiful. What has brought you to my lands?" Gregor stepped forward and explained the situation again and the king and queen nodded.

"I will not wish you luck, since I believe your quest is a suicide mission, but I will wish you good passage to the other world and a warm place to rest for the night. Come! We shall place food in your belly and wine upon your tongues!" The king turned and everyone followed.

"I love when we find planets stuck in the medieval age. It is so much fun to play knights!" Gregor confessed to Sarah.

"I know! Me too! Wait till we pull out our big guns and scare the crap out of that Graggle!" The two talked about their odd enjoyments and then moved on.

There was a great feast that night with the last of the Daneland people, to honor the great heros that had come to "save" the land.

One of the remaining Daneland knights had a problem with that however.

"And where have you all been for the last twenty years? Why are you just now making it to us? And why would they send the bounty hunters that are the laughing stock of the galaxy? I don't trust them. I say, we throw them out and never let them return!" A few hoo-rahs of agreement sounded, but the croud was silent otherwise.

"First of all, we only just received a distress signal from this planet. If we had known anytime earlier in the past twenty years, we would have come then. Second of all, I don't see you getting out there and doing anything about this problem, Sir. Third of all, we are the most well known, well respected, most kick-ass and take names, duo you will find in this section of the galaxy. The fact that you, a single person on this small planet, so far away from where we do most of our work, know who we are, just goes to show how well known we are. So, if you want us to leave, then we will. But, if you know who we are, then you know what we are capable of, and I don't think you really want that." Gregor sat back and sipped his wine as Sarah took over defending the crew. She was the one who was better at that sort of stuff. Gregor just wanted everyone to get along.

"My dear Sarah, I am sure the words of one replaceable knight has not upset you too much. His words do not reflect the feelings of us all. Please, sit and enjoy the rest of your meal. When you are finished, I shall show you to your rooms." The king sat, the knight sulked, and the merriment resumed.

Author's note: this storytelling is based on Beowulf. I only read half of the unit and I didn't manage to get the big fight, otherwise I probably would have retold that one. I actually stuck pretty close to the original story line. Warriors, lead by Beowulf, go to Daneland (I couldn't think of a better name so I just didn't change it...) are met by the shore guardian after going through all sorts of hell to dock the boat. The guardian takes them to the castle, they talk to a boy from the castle who fetches the king, and then the king takes them in and eventually there is a feast. At the feast, there is a knight who has problems with Beowulf and calls him a coward and a failure. Beowulf informs him otherwise. The king settles the argument and the feast continues until everyone goes to bed. Really I just changed the names of some people and added my spacey, futuristic flair.

Beowulf on the Ship

Week 12 Reading Diary: Beowulf

Beowulf

1. King Hygelac of Geatsland - I am really excited to see where everything goes. Life seems so peaceful right now, but it can not possibly stay that way for long! I look forward to learning more about the characters.
2. The Young Beowulf - I only know a little about the story of Beowulf so I am really excited to see how he grows up and is actually very awkward and not very social. I thought he was this great warrior who was loved and had great self-esteem and all of this other stuff you think would go with being a hero. I am excited to see what his future holds!
3. The Wanderer's Song - You know when a wanderer who is well traveled, comes from a far off land to sing you a song, that it will be great and full of foreshadowing. I know beowulf goes and fights Grendel, but I look forward to seeing how everything goes down. I also think this is a very well written unit.
4. Beowulf's Resolve - I liked this episode because I know that passion that is running through beowulf. Wanting so badly to prove yourself and you finally find your chance and you are so excited about it! I feel that way with dance pretty much all the time, but I feel that I am trying to prove my worth to myself. 
5. Beowulf's Journey - I bet it would have been a fabulous sight to see the warriors all dressed up in their fancy war outfits. I also really like how the queen is a solid figure in this story but she isn't a huge portion. She is the soft kindness to the gruffness of the warriors.
6. Beowulf Lands in Daneland - I am so excited to see how thing are going to go. With how treacherous they make the island, this battle that they are leading up to is going to great! I hope. I appreciate how beowulf and the guardian of the shore interact.
7. Beowulf Comes to Heorot - it is getting so close to the battle I am so excited! I like how beowulf is a little ignorant of how to act towards this new king. It makes me remember that he is in fact not a king and though he has lived in close quarters with one, it is different when you do not know the king personally.
8. The Words of Unferth - Now I am confused. I thought that Beowulf won the swimming race but that everyone called him a coward... Or did he lose because he went back to help Breca... I can't remember. I hope it gets explained soon though... and I hope the battle is soon!
9. The Words of Beowulf - I love the way Beowulf handled the situation with the grumpy guy! He wasn't rude, but he was definitely making a point. THE NEXT EPISODE IS THE BATTLE! I am so excited!!!!!

Week 11 Essay

This week I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for my unit. I have always loved the Disney movie and have always wanted to read the actual book, so when I saw this story in the units I knew which story I was going to do instantly! It did not disappoint either! This is one of the strangest units I have read so far, which is saying a lot because some of the units are REALLY weird. It was hard to find something to go through and analyze because of how strange everything is but I think I managed it! Mostly, I felt that there was a deeper meaning to the whole story. I also wondered if the Pigeon yelling "serpent!" was symbolic to anything other than an actual snake.

I know that this story is really just Alice in a dream, which explains why a lot of it is so weird. The reason I think there is a deeper meaning behind what is going on is because of how Alice interacts with the other characters and how the other characters interact with her. Alice in constantly trying to use the things she has learned in her short life and apply them in the difficult situation. She goes around and tries to make everyone be proper when, in actuality, the other characters are teaching her a thing or two about being proper. I can understand the influences from her life making their way into her dream, but I just want to know for sure if I am on the right track! I also want to know why. That is the main question we asked in my high school english and lit class - why? Why is she so focused on trying to have everyone be proper? How can the characters teach her how to be polite when they themselves are mad and only in a dream? Why are all of her dream characters mad?

Though I might not ever really figure out those answers, there is one specific oddity that caught my attention. In the part of the story where Alice eats one side of the mushroom and grows very tall, she bumps into a pigeon who is sitting on her nest guarding her eggs. The Pigeon starts screaming “serpent!” repeatedly at Alice. I can understand if pigeons are just afraid of snakes and Alice is recognizing that in the story, but I find it interesting how the pigeon is screaming “serpent”, not “snake”. Why does she chose that word? I feel like she could be alluding to the “serpents” of the real world. People who trick other people out of their homes or money or anything else like that. I think this because of how often the pigeon says she has moved because of the serpents that are constantly in her life.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Week 11 Storytelling: The Mad Rabbit Hole

"This was a really good idea, Sarah! We haven't had a nice picnic in a long time. I forgot how much I like kicking back and eating food that isn't freeze dried or alien." Gregor propped his feet up against a tree, enjoying the sun from his home planet, Earth. The Strike siblings hadn't been home in many years. They didn't have a home to call their own anymore, but there was plenty of space for them to park their space ship and enjoy the day without anyone bothering them.

"You do know that you're eating a Maukuan Panther fruit, right? Remember we got those from that cat planet? You wouldn't be able to tell alien from non-alien if it spit in your face and called you a troll." Sarah ducked as Gregor playfully threw the core of his alien apple at her.

The two sat and enjoyed their day for a while until something odd appeared by their ship. Gregor noticed it first, "Sarah, do you see that? Look, over there, by the landing gear of the ship." Sarah turned her head and followed his gaze when she finally saw it too. It looked like a gnorsha! A small, rabbit-mouse like creature with thin, blue skin and gnarly looking claws and teeth. They were pests from one of the many planets the Strikes had visited.

"Crap... lets go check it out and make sure there aren't more of them trying to eat our ship." Sarah and Gregor dropped what they were doing and headed that way. When they got closer Sarah gave out a little squeak of excitement.

"GREGOR!" she whispered fiercely.

"What? It's just a gnorsha, why are you so..." Gregor realized and almost made the same squeaky noise as his sister, but then decided that wasn't very manly so kept it to himself.

"It's a pygmy-dragon! Let's see what it wants!" Now, pygmy-dragons are one of the most intelligent races in the galaxy. They are small dragons that have vibrant colors spotting their bodies. Their relatives, the emperor dragons and grand dragons, work in close harmony with the pygmy-dragons, but mostly they just try to not step on them when going to their gold mounds.

"Sir! Excuse us, Sir Pygmy! May we help you? We are... well how rude. He ran away." Sarah pouted a little. Gregor leaned over, "Lets go chase him." Sarah smiled, looked at her brother, and then the two sprinted off after it.

"I am going to be late! This is no good! No good for an esteemed pygmy-dragon such as myself! This could ruin my reputation with the others!" The pygmy-dragon was shouting back to the Strikes. The little dragon ran into open field, here Sarah was almost upon him, when he suddenly vanished right before her! Not being able to stop in time, Sarah ran through the force-field the pygmy-dragon had run through. That force-field drops right into a large hole, which Sarah fell right into.

Gregor yelped and tried to run in after her, but the force-field wouldn't let him through. He ran back tot he ship to see if he had anything he could track her with.

Sarah screamed as she fell, and then she stopped screaming as she fell. She quickly realized that she was falling very slowly, almost floating, downwards. She looked down but couldn't see a bottom. The farther she fell, the more stuff she noticed suspended around her. The oddest things too! Books and bookshelves and rocking chairs and maps just sitting in the air and gliding down with her. Sarah figured since she was stuck in that situation, she might as well take advantage of it. Carefully, in case it was a trap, she plucked on of the books from the shelf closest to her. Nothing happened so she looked at the book. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by C.S. Lewis. Sarah scoffed and put the book back. She didn't think a children's book was going to help her in this odd situation.

Author's note: I based this story off of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Since there were several different episodes within this unit, I pick the Down the Rabbit-Hole episode because I could picture writing Sarah and Gregor into the setting. So I didn't change too much from the original. Alice sees a white rabbit in a coat, which is unusual, and she chases it down a rabbit-hole where she slowly falls down into Wonderland. I changed the main characters to my bounty hunter duo and I changed the unusual rabbit to my little pygmy-dragon.

Bibliography: Alice's Adventure in Wonderland by C.S. Lewis Carroll (1865)

Image information: The White Rabbit

Week 11 Reading Diary: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

1. Down the Rabbit-Hole - I am so excited to read this unit! I love the movie and the story of Alice in Wonderland so I would love to read the real story! One of the sentences makes me think that Alice is very much a clutz. I'm not sure what sort of motifs I will be able to pick up since this is an actual book, not just a series of stories. I love reading stories when they ft so closely to a movie. Then I can actually see what is going on, not just read it.

2. Down the Rabbit-Hole (cont.) - I like that it goes through the random thoughts that pass through Alice's head. It makes her more personable. I know that when I am walking around alone I think some pretty odd and random thing. Most people do! And it makes it entertaining.

3. Down the Rabbit-Hole (end.) - I love the pictures that are in this unit. They are so very unique! I know the entire story can't be included in this but I really want to read it now... I still love the little insights from Alice. They are so odd!

4. Advice From a Caterpillar - I don't think I ever realized that the caterpillar was smoking a hooka in the Disney movie... Oh the things Disney got away with. I am glad this section is in this unit. I was always really confused by it. 

5. Advice From a Caterpillar (cont.) - Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum! I still do not understand what the "How doth the busy little bee..." has to do with anything or what it means. Same with the "you are old father williams".

6. Advice From a Caterpillar (end) - I wonder if the "serpents" is a symbol for something else. Just the way she talks about them and how she says serpents instead of snakes is just interesting to me. There are sometimes I think there are deeper meanings within this story. Though, I can't tell if it is just the author's writing style, or if there is actual meaning.

7. Pig and Pepper - Oh yes, the dear old Cheshire Cat! I think he is actually my favorite. He is so shrouded in mystery. He is sort of the anti-hero of the movie I feel like. He is both good and bad. He helps Alice, but also gets her into trouble... I wonder if the part in the movie where Alice goes to the rabbit's house was based off of this section. I could see the fit.

8. Pig and Pepper (cont.) - Oh so it was actually a piglet and probably howling to be let down! I didn't realize just how odd this story was...

*9. Pig and Pepper (end) - I love the Cheshire cat so much. He is just so cool! His logic on how, if dogs are not mad and the cat does the opposite of the dog, then the cat must be mad! I can get behind that logic! THis book is so strange I just love it so much! I think I will actually go and read the entire book someday and enjoy all of the oddities! I don't know why more english teachers have this as a required reading. There is so much that they could analyze in it! 

10. A Mad Tea-Party - the more I read this the more I definitely think there is a deeper meaning to the entire story. How Alice keeps trying to teach others how to be proper when, in fact, she is not being very proper herself. The others are teaching her when she is trying to teach them. But i'm not sure if that is exactly it.

11. A Mad Tea-Party (cont.) - Is it odd that I can follow the Mad Hatter and March Hair's logic? I think I get that they are talking about Father Time, making it a him. I like that they refer to time as him. I don't understand how the Mad Hatter "murdered" time, but okay... It also makes so much sense now why they are always having tea! I never got that in the movie!

12. A Mad Tea-Party (end) - I don't understand why they were trying to put the mouse in the tea pot... I know they are mad, but still... and I am glad she FINALLY found the garden!

13. The Queen's Croquet-Ground - The Queen of hearts always scared me... That and I felt bad for her and those who served her. But the cards were some of my favorites. I love the scene where they are flowing around everywhere. 

14. The Queen's Croquet-Ground (cont.) - It would make me really nervous too if a mad woman was running around hitting hedgehogs with flamingos and screaming for everyone to be beheaded. I wonder if she was based off of King Henry the whatever number. The one who beheaded everyone he didn't like.

15. The Queen's Croquet-Ground (end) - I thought it would be hard to behead a floating head. I'm with the executioner. If there is only a head, and no body, it can't be beheaded! It sort of already is...

16. Who Stole the Tarts? - I am trying to figure out what the Rabbit would represent in the deck of cards. MAybe he is the jack of hearts? I think they have a trumpet. But then why make him a rabbit? And a white rabbit at that?  

17. Who Stole the Tarts? (cont.) - At the explanation of the officers suppressing the guinea pig, it makes me think that everything that is happening is a long dream Alice is having. In the dream she goes through things she has learned and then the other characters tell her what is wrong with her logic so she can learn the actual proper way. I knew she was actually in a dream, I just didn't know what the rest of the analysis could be.

18. Alice's Evidence - I think when the king says "nothing whatever," he means "nothing whatsoever". But if this is Alice's dream of what she knows, then as a little girl she might think it is just "nothing whatever". This trial makes my head hurt... but I love the picture of the trial that is in this episode.

19. Alice's Evidence (cont.) - This was my favorite part in the movie. When all of the card flew up around her and make all sorts of neat patterns. I don't know why I liked it so much, but I did!

Week 10 Essay: Eskimo Folk Tales

This week I read Eskimo Folk Tales as my unit. I feel like, compared to all of the other units I have read this semester, this unit is the most simple. There are really only two motifs that I have noticed throughout this unit and they aren't quite as prevalent as the motifs in the other units. In this unit, several of the stories begin with an unmarried man, which I find very interesting. The other motif I found was how the people refer to the others in their village as brothers or sisters. I also noticed that they have common morals to the stories.


The thing that makes the motif of almost all of the stories starting with wifeless men interesting to me, is because that idea sheds light on the Eskimo's culture, which I know nothing about. I love learning about a culture through the stories I read from this class. Being a science major, I don't really make a point to learn about other cultures all that often, and from reading this unit, I can learn about a really unique one. One thing that stuck out about the wifeless men was that it wasn't seen as a bad thing. It was just something that was noticed and then celebrated when the man married. In other stories, unmarried men or women can be shunned, harassed, or even killed. It makes the Eskimos have so gentle.

Another thing that I noticed was how all of the people refer to each other as brother or sister, even if they aren't actually brothers or sisters. I find that interesting when paired with the last motif I noticed. In the stories, the people put a lot of value in being truthful and not killing unnecessarily. Since Eskimos are normally very solitary with their families, they become very close, like brothers and sisters are close. With them putting such a high value on family, it makes sense to me that they would not like the thought of killing a family member.

Walrus Ivory

Week 10 Storytelling: Out to Lunch

I am sad to inform you all that Sarah and Gregor Strike are currently in the middle of a job and will not be back until next week. They wished for me to tell you that they are sorry that they cannot be here to share their adventures with you this week, but they are kind of saving your planet and all.

(In other words, I forgot to do my storytelling this week)

Week 10 Reading Diary: Eskimo Folk Tales

Eskimo Folk Tales
1. A Coming of Men, A Long, Long While Ago - I love creation stories. I always love to see how other cultures believe that the earth and humans were create. Or I love to see the stories from there culture of what their people used to believe happened.
2. Nukúnguasik, Who Escaped From Tupilak - He didn't even describe the Tupilak and I was still terrified of it! To have it sitting there just sniffing and then to find it alive and nibbling on the dead body. It sounds super creepy.What I want to know is why the middle mother wanted to kill his brother. I like that this story is short but I am so curious!
3. The Women Who Had A Bear As A Foster Son - That was the sweetest story! I felt so bad when she made the bear leave! I bet the hunter attacked him first and so he killed the man just like the old foster mother told him to do! But it would be interesting to see a polar bear with a black spot.
4. Qalagangase, who passed to the land of ghosts - I want to know what the importance of him turning into a woman when he turned into a ghost was. That just seems so random. I am really enjoying these stories! They go by quickly and are entertaining.
5. Isigaligarssik - Yay! I was so happy that he got his wife back! SO far I have noticed that men who don't have wives do not get treated the same as others. They don't get treated poorly, just differently. And when they do finally get a wife, everyone rejoices! I find that very interesting.
6. The insects that wooed a wifeless man - I appreciate that this story notes that there is always a wifeless man to begin a story. In the stories the man seems to get a wife, lose the wife, and either live happily, or goes to get the wife back.
7. Makite - hunting is also a very important and necessary skill for all men to have. I like that they always refer to the other men as 'brothers'. It shows how close they consider themselves to be. After reading the very first story, I could see how they believe that they are all related and came from the earth.
8. Atungait, who went A-wandering - I laughed when "the lame ones" called for their copper plaything back because it was like they didn't know what it was either! I know they do, I just thought it was funny. Oh but of course the big strong man who leaves massive footprints in the ground is a wizard! It only makes sense. I like the message that speaking the truth is a good thing, but I am not too fond of the fact that he killed his wife...
9. The Giant dog - I like how at the end of the stories the narrator, I suppose that is who it is, is like, "That is all I know," as if s/he has been telling us the story the entire time. I am not sure what to say about this story except that it was interesting for sure.
10. Papik, who killed his wife's brother - This story was a little confusing. I didn't know that the monster was a bear for a good while but I figured it was the old woman. After reading this story I think I know why the men call each other brothers. All of the people have been raised on stories that teach them to be close to those around them. To not kill others without cause. That those around you are really your brothers and sisters and you have to live together so you might as well get along.
11. Patussorssuuaq, who killed his uncle - I haven't finished the first paragraph and I am pretty sure that the nephew is going to kill the uncle for the pretty woman. I like how the meaning of the story is written in the last line. It also shows the idea that the Eskimos have, do not kill another man. Unless of course he kills you first or does something to you while you are alive, then you have to go back as a bear and then you can kill the other man. Obviously.
12. The wife who lied - Again, they put the moral of the story at the end. Liars get killed. So, you aren't supposed to kill others unless they lie? But I guess her lies did cause lots of people to die so it makes sense.
13. The Eagle and the Whale - What! The brothers find their sisters husbands and then kill them great creatures when they begin to miss their sister? WHAT? I feel like this story goes against all of the other stories I have read so far! And it makes me a little sad...
14. Atdlarneq, the Great Glutton - That story was a little odd. It didn't quite fit in to the theme of the other stories, but I did enjoy it! I love that there are always stories in almost every culture that are made up to scare children into behaving. They are always so interesting!
15. Angangujuk - So from this story I am getting that the inlanders and the ones who live on the ice do not get along so well? I wonder why that is. I have noticed that sort of running through this reading. The outlanders and the inlanders always seem to be a little wary of each other.
16. Atarssuaq - I'm not sure what it was about this story but I really liked it! I was terrified that the boy would drown when the dad threw him into the water. I thought it was cool how the boy basically got a seal swimming suit and how he became so skilled in swimming. I'm not sure how he didn't die of hypothermia, but it was still an interesting story!
17. Tungujuluk and Saunikoq - I don't think a shame should be felt at all for getting the man who could turn into a bear to leave. He almost killed the walrus-man's son. Walrus-man just took the other guy's bladder float.
18. Kanagssuaq - Okay, so this story was a little harder to follow. I get that there was a freeze, villagers couldn't get any food. One guy went out and got food. I think there might have been a deity somewhere in there? I'm not actually sure... I thought that the main character had stolen the seal but it turns out he didn't... I was worried he was going to die at the end and so was very confused when he got a bunch of presents from the other character.

Week 9 Essay: Native American Hero Tales

For this unit I read Native American Hero Tales. I did enjoy this unit and I did notice a few motifs along the way. The one I noticed was most prevalent was the appearance of the number four. I also noticed how male figures of a family can become very jealous of other male children within the family. The final thing I noticed was how the children, the main characters of the stories at least, were very hardy and resourceful.

The main story I noticed the four motif in was the Attack on the Giant Elk and Great Eagle. They use fours pretty much back to back in that entire story. The main character will use an attack four times, there were four spiders, four directions to turn, four tries to get into the lizard coat, four tries to get into the gopher hole, four eagles, and many more examples of 'four'. The only reason I could think of as to why they might use four so often, would be because of how important the number four is in nature. I think in the time that these stories were originally made, there were four main elements: fire, earth, water, and air, or at least some combination of the four. There are also four season and four directions. However, we know about the four seasons and four cardinal directions now, but I have no idea if they had the same concepts about them back then.

With the male figures, I could see how a chief could be jealous of new male members of the family. I see ti sort of like a pride of lions. The male lion will tolerate the male cubs in his pride only for so long before he will run them out, so as to avoid competition to be alpha male. Males who take over a new pride will just kill of of the cubs so he can start a new line, which is only half what the story of The Jealous Uncle was like. The uncle would kill any son born into his group and I think it could be because he didn't want to risk the boy growing up and taking his place before he died.

Finally, the main character of the few stories about the male figure killing the new male members of a family or even about children in general, the kids would be much more resourceful than the others. Usually they would have a few more tools than the others did, such as the knowledge that someone was going to try to kill them, or they would have others around them who were able to help them out a little. The point is that they paid more attention and thought outside of the box more than the other children. This creative thinking was what always helped them to escape their dire situation and make it back to their families.

Deviantart

Week 9 Storytelling: Why Bounty Hunters Love Their Jobs

"Hey Gregor, do you remember when we were little and our dad left?" Sarah munched on a piece of bread, looking off into space. Except it was actually space she was staring at; they were in a galaxy around the fifth quadrant, sector six. Or something like that.

"Yeah, and our mom kept telling us to not story too far from home because of all of the shady characters that were lingering around? Those were some good times." Gregor leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes envisioning the times when him and his sister lived on Earth with their mother. When their dad left, Jezebel Strike, their mom, became so depressed. Sarah and himself felt that they needed to take up some more responsibility and help their mother recover from a broken heart.

"What was the first thing we stormed off to kill after dad left and we saw how upset mom was? Was it the Elk or Eagle Face? I can never remember." A piece of bread flew through the air as Sarah tossed a chunk into her mouth.

"Oh! It was Elk! I remember because we thought mother was talking about an actual elk, but it was really just that giant dude that was terrorizing the neighboring city. They called him Elk because of his beard and the giant antlers he carried around as his weapons. When we got there, several of the people who lived there helped us out. I will never forget the look on his face as he ran after us around the town, through all of our traps. Remember how he went on forever it seemed? Ha! He thought he could beat us just because we were annoying little kids!"

"We were rather annoying weren't we? Yes, I do remember that! When he finally fell down dead all of the people cheered for us! I think that is where we realized that we were meant to take down the evil in this world." Sarah held her mug of wine in the air, clinking it with Gregor's.

"And then it was Eagle Face! Man, that chick and her gang of trouble makers was a hard run. I think that was the first time I broke a bone actually. It was when I got into a fight with Eagle Face's husband. It was so rewarding when we ripped the eagle feathers right out of those brat's heads! It was like they couldn't hardly function anymore without them! It was so weird..." Sarah went through a flashback to that time and realized they were actually probably Animal Spirits who had taken over the group's bodies.


Author's note: So this story is based off of Attack on Giant Elk and Great Eagle from the Native American unit. The original story was of a man who was sent to get rid of the enemies of mankind, which happened to be a giant elk and a group of great eagles. The man gets rid of the elk with help from the terrorized inhabitants and different colored spiders and their webs. To get rid of the eagles the man took out the parents and then hit the two young eagles over the head so that they could no longer grow to be giant brutes that caused problems. I kept the very basics of the original story, but changed the animals to actual people. I also tried to use the stories to give more of a background to the siblings' lives.

Source: Heterotrophic Organism

Famous Last Words: Week 9

So I haven't done one of these in a while but I really need the extra credit, I am really bored in my class right now, and I am hoping it will motivate me to write my second story for my storybook. I am warning you now, this is going to be a rant on what is going on in life right now and how it is effecting me and this class.

I love this class so much but I hate that I have to put it on the back burner to my anatomy class so much. I am doing fairly well, I manage to get almost all of the assignments done on time, even if I have to rush a little. Anatomy is just very life sucking and is extremely important to my major (and it is my second time around taking it so I REALLY need to pass it this time) and my roommates are relentless in helping to pass because they are the coolest people ever! Seriously, I have the best roommates in the world. They have so much faith in me and are willing to do almost anything to help me study so I can do well. I mean how awesome is that? This is our second year living together and we haven't killed each other yet! Thats how you know they really are true friends, when they stick around after two or more years of living with you and your weirdness. My best friend has actually stuck around my weirdness for almost four years now!

The biggest problem I am having with my storybook right now is actually picking a motif of stories to work with. I have my Planet of the Cats story line going. When I started I thought I would have all of the stories be about cats but now I'm not sure. I can do so much with the cats, I could make the stories be about shape-shifters, stories about actual cats, stories that fit into my story better, I am just not sure!

Also about my storybook, I love it that I have so many people emailing me telling me that my storybook was their free choice and that they are actually following my stories now! I never thought of myself as a good writing, I actually have a huge problem getting my thoughts onto paper in a coherent manner. For some reason, this class makes it so much easier! I also get to learn more about how to write a story, which I appreciate so much!

It cracks me up though when people tell me that they love my story, Planet of the Lions, or how they love all of the lions in my story or all or the pictures of lions in my pages. I laugh because I know you either didn't read any of my story and are just looking around my pages to find something to write about, which I have definitely done in the past! No shame and no judgement will be given from me! My story is NOT about lions, it is about cats. My story doesn't even have lions in it (yet?) except for that emblem on my cover page. The other picture of a cat on my Swift Shadow page even say "Panther" under it and I still have people call it a lion! I'm not trying to scold anyone, like I said, I think it is hilarious! So enjoy my stories however you feel necessary, give feedback as you'd like ( I may or may not put it into affect, but I always take feedback into consideration) and Have a fabulous day!

Panther cub

Source: Zooborns.com

Week 9 Reading Diary

Native American Hero Tales

1. The Jealous Uncle - First, I want to know how everyone is even okay with the Uncle killing the two boys! Does he have some sort of power over everyone? Is it part of the culture that what the man does and says goes no matter what? I am really curious about that... I'm also confused by how the log opened its mouth. Do they believe that trees are really alive or that there are spirits or does this story actually have a fantasy side?
2. The Jealous Uncle (cont.) - I have no idea why but I really like this story! I want to know what the wife or nephew will end up doing to the Uncle or if the Uncle will just explode when the boy returns again. I'm also really interested to see what the Uncle has planned next!
3. The Jealous Uncle (end) - So it took me a while to realize that the boy had landed in Eagle land, he wasn't born there originally. I think it is really cool how they can wear eagle skins and then become eagles! I am SO glad he got revenge on the Uncle! he deserved it!
4. Bluejay and His Companions - They say men but I wonder if they were actually birds being personified?  I thought that the story would go back to Grouse after he tricked the five others. And now I think it is really interesting that they are on an island and there is a ruling squirrel. I am curious to see where the story goes!
5. Bluejay and His Companions (cont.) - I feel like Bluejay and his companions shouldn't be able to get away with deceiving everyone! I know that they only manage to get away with their lives, which makes it a little better, but still. I really just don't like Bluejay. He is a liar and mean and I do not like him! I do really like his master though. I think it is funny that they did learn their lesson and Grouse now gets the biggest, fattest seal!
6. Dug-from-Ground - I think the fact that they have to point out that the granddaughter is a virgin means that that will come into play later on in the story. If it doesn't, I think it is silly that they put it in there. I do not understand this story at all... Where did the baby come from? What was the significance of the double stalk? Why wouldn't the mother look the boy in face? Where did the mother go? Why did he have to kill a white deer? Who did the boy go to visit? This story leaves so many questions unanswered!
7. Dug-from-Ground (cont.) - I still have no idea what is going on... I don't know what shinny is, I can't tell what is going on or where these new characters came from...
8. The Attack on the Giant Elk and the Great Eagle - Four seems to be a very prevalent number in this story. The boy took four days to grow to manhood, fours strides to reach the elk, tried four times to get into the lizard coat and four times to get into the gopher hole, four times he drew his bow to shoot the heart of the Elk. I also wonder if the different colored spiders are significant in any way.
*9. The Attack on the Giant Elk and the Great Eagle (cont.) - Again with the four! Four strides to reach the Eagle's home, facing each four points (at this point I wonder if the 'four' theme has to do with the cardinal directions), the bat tried to replenish her feathers four times, I think there were four eagles altogether. I am really curious as to why the number four is so important.
10. Lodge-Boy and Thrown-Away - This story is really interesting. I don't know if I quite understand all of it but it is definitely entertaining! I think it is neat how the boy who was thrown in the river turned into and otter-boy and then they used incense to turn him back into a human. The one thing I am curious about it how long the boys were hiding. I know I can't think about this logically, I mean there was an otter-boy, but I wonder how long the boys were on their own before they came out and talked to their dad.
11. Lodge-Boy and Thrown-Away (cont.) - I really like how the boys grew up to be sort of the heroes of their land. They went and killed all of the bad things. I wonder if the father kept telling them about all of the bad things in order to get them to go and kill them. Otherwise, why would he keep telling them about the things if he knew they were going to go after it anyway!
12. The Son-in-Law Tests - This story reminds me of The Jealous Uncle stories, when the uncle keeps trying to do away with the new nephew, in this case the new husband, and each time the man outsmarts him and is victorious in the end. I also notice the motif about how when the people put on the bird wings or skin, they either turn into the bird or can at least fly.
13. The Jealous Father - And this story reminds me more of Bluejay and his Companions. He was sent out because he angered someone and as he is trying to get home he is still tricking those who are trying to help him. Though Bluejay only tricked the people to stay alive, he did trick them.
14. The Jealous Father (cont.) - So this story follows Bluejay and his Companions pretty closely but the end is different. I wonder if they chose the robin and whiskeyjack for any particular reason. i also wonder if that was the creation story of those two birds.
15. Dirty-Boy - I wonder why they made Sun not be able to walk when he turned into the boy. Maybe it is the beauty and the beast idea? Sun and Star are trying to test the chief to look past their hideousness and see that Sun was the rightful winner of the competitions.
16. Dirty-Boy (cont.) - I kind of liked how they saved the fact that only one daughter could marry the brother, Sun. I know that sometimes they have two wives per husband, but not very often so I thought it would be odd if he had two. At the very beginning I was wondering if they were going to try and marry one of the daughters to Star, the sister and I thought, "Well that will be new..." But they fixed that!

Reading Diary Assesment

So the strategy that I find most useful for me when reading and then taking notes on what I read is that I always read the entire chapter first. After I read the chapter, then I go and take notes on it. Sometimes, if I have a really important thought, I'll go and jot that down and then return to the reading. If there is a chapter that I don't particularly like I say in just a few sentences why I don't like it and then I move on. If there is a chapter that I like I try to keep the entry to only about five sentences six at the most. If I don't I could ramble on and on about it so it is good to set a limit.

I don’t like to put pictures into my reading diaries just because I worry that I won’t be able to find a picture that goes with my diary and, to be honest, I’m just too lazy to go and try to find a picture to go with my diary. I like having images with my stories because I feel like they give them more life and make it easier to picture what is going on in the story.

I don’t normally like reflecting on what I have read. It is tedious and just not really my thing. With these diaries though, I don’t mind it so much because it helps me to remember the story better for when I have to go and write my stories and my essay. I can pick out things that would be good ideas to write about for the essays and make sure that they are written down before I forget them! Which I tend to have a problem with.

Week 7 Essay: Chinese Fairy Tales

The unit I read for this week was Chinese Fairy Tales. I absolutely loved this unit! I only read half of it, but it was still one of my most favorite so far. I chose this unit to read because I had read the Japanese Fairy Tales the week before and I wanted to see if there were any differences or similarities between the two. I'm not sure if I can say I found differences or similarities between the Japanese and Chinese myths and stories, but I did notice some very interesting things about the chinese stories that could relate to their culture.

One thing I notice throughout almost all of the stories was that anyone in a political standing was treated as a hero. Sometimes they would even take the place of the hero in the actual story. I found this very interesting and though I don’t know a lot about chinese culture, I wonder if this reflects how they see their political figures, or at least did. If it is, then I think it is so cool how they showed it in their stories! If it isn’t then I wonder why they made so many of the political figures in the stories so heroic.

Another thing I noticed was how the chinese show their foxes. I know that foxes in Japanese culture are normally shown as tricksters and magical and not normally shown in a good light. In these stories though, the foxes weren’t really doing anything bad but they were treated so poorly from the people that they left. And in another story a fox had something very precious stolen from it by a man but he did nothing to the man. What the man had stolen brought him much wealth and fortune and the fox let him enjoy it until he was old and no longer needed when he took.

Overall I highly recommend this unit! It was great, an easy read, and very entertaining!

Madame White Snake

Week 7 Storytelling: The Great Pest Battle

Finally, the day we have been preparing for for years, was just three days away. The Great Pest Battle everyone called it. The infestation had grown to a treacherous number and it was up to us, the Soldiers of the Temple Grounds, to defeat the pests that had taken over Giant's Home. I, an assassin hound, had risen from the lowly rank of underdog, in order to take out the Queen pest. She took my home, my family, my friends, and soon I was going to take my revenge.

My living-mate was the best assassin in the army so I knew I had a lot to live up to. I was ready for the task though. I wasn't top dog in all of my classes for nothing! Our Flyer, Onyx, was the best Flyer I could ask to be paired with. He was quiet, liked his own space, but we respected each other as well as our living-mate, Joan.

"Greyor! Come over here please!" Joan called out to me, Onyx was already on his shoulder.

"Yes Joan?" I could feel that the battle was getting ready to begin.

"I just wanted to talk to you about the plan again. Also, I wanted to say that you both have been the best living-mates I could ask for. If we make it out of this alive, dinner and drinks on me!" A smile took over Joan's bearded face. I couldn't help but let out a bark of approval while Onyx screeched and fluttered his wings.

"Alright. The General is calling everyone together for a final pep talk. Lets do this and make it back alive!" With that we all got into position and listened to the general. It was one of his better pep talks.

"Alright troops? Let move out!" And with that, we marched. We marched for three days and three nights, stopping at night to make camp but only for a few hours. When we made almost to the threshold of Giant's Home we stopped and got into our formation. The general set the archers and Flyers to their places and the assassins were sent out to do their work. My team was off. We were sent to search for the highest ground we could reach. As we searched I noticed that one of the great giants was asleep in his bed. He was in the way of our battle, but giants are nearly impossible to wake up. We found a nice high ledge and watched as our general and his second hand rode into the room followed by our lead archer. When they were out, the army flowed into the room. A cloud of pests rose from in front of them. The Flyers were sent to knock out their wings and make them grounded so that the rest of the army could take them out.

After what seemed like hours, the fighting finally ended. We had won! I could see Joan, limping but alive down on the ground below. He was moving towards Onyx, who appeared to have a broken wing, but was also alive. I barked with happiness, hoping that someone would hear me. I was wounded and stuck on my ledge. I barked and barked but no one heard me. My heart sank as I watched the army file out back to our home land. Soon, they were all out of sight. I lowered my head to the ground and whimpered. We had won, but I had been forgotten.

There was a loud thud and I slowly lifted my head. the giant was awake and headed my way! I figured it was just my fate to actually die in battle. I closed my eyes but the next thing I knew I was being gently lifted through the air and set in a cushiony box. The giant stared at me and then sat back down. I noticed a few remaining pests left in the large, flat mountain that the giant had slept on. I took it upon myself to dispose of them, hoping that it would show the giant I meant no harm. It worked.

For days we went on like this, I would take out the few pests that dared show themselves, and he would take care of me. I lived out many days with the giant until one day he gently pat my head and put my box on the floor.

"You have been very good to me." he said, "If you wish to return home, you may do so. You are always welcomed in my home! You or any of your brethren!" And with that, he left. I had a good time with the giant, but I wanted to get back to Joan and Onyx. I searched until I took out all of the remaining pests and then went on my way.

Gregor woke with a start. He sat up in bed and ruffled his bed head. He checked to see what time it was and then looked down the hall to see if Sarah was still asleep, which she wasn't. Then he turned on the light and cautiously looked around his room. He sat there for a moment more before calling out, "SARAH! No more red wine before bed! I just had the WEIRDEST dream!" He hopped up and ran into his sister's room to tell her about how he dreamed he was a tiny assassin hound in an army of tiny people.

Author's Note:
This story is based off of The Little Hunting Dog from the unit, Chinese Fairy Tales. I honestly am not sure if I changed a lot, or a little. I changed the perspective to that of the little hunting dog, but I kept what actually happened in the room with the fleas and gnats the same. I also kept the same the fact that the man finds the dog and the dog ends up helping the man get rid of the rest of the pests. I did change the ending. It made me sad how the dog was smooshed by the man so I made it to where the dog has a nicer ending. I also decided to throw Gregor and Sarah in there because why not! They are in all of my other stories!

Bibliography:
The Chinese Fairy Book, by R. Wilhelm and translated by Fredrick H. Martens (1921).

African Wild Dog

Week 7 Reading Diary: Folklore of Laos

Chinese Fairy Tales
1. The Little Hunting Dog - That was the cutest story I think I heave read in any of the units so far! For a while I wondered if maybe the little soldiers and dogs and falcons were really the fleas and gnats and maybe the man was asleep. I was so sad when the little dog got left behind but even more so that he smooshed the little dog! I would have felt terrible!
2. Fox-Fire - I know that in Chinese and Japanese mythology, foxes are tricksters and are not to be messed with. I am surprised that the fox didn't kill the man for stealing his fire ball and instead let him accumulate his wealth. I also thought the fox would have killed the man because that seems o be the fate for all things that steal when it comes to fairy tales.
3. The Talking Silver Foxes - So I am seeing a trend that the fox spirits are not as mean and tricky as i was lead to believe. Really they are just treated poorly! I wouldn't blame that fox-spirit for never showing itself again! Not after being whipped twice and shot with an arrow and then killed and skinned! I wonder why the magical foxes are called 'Silver Foxes' when their coats are not silver.
4. Retribution - First of all, I wonder if that was the same Wang as in the Silver Foxes story. I doubt it, but it would be interesting.  Second, I wonder why the boy could see the spirit of the water-bearer. Was he special or did he just happen to be at the right place at the right time? I think it was interesting that the boy did get revenge on Old Wang even without meaning to.
5. The Night on the Battlefield - These stories just keep getting better and better! I thought there was something fishy going on when the inn-keeper and everyone there turned the merchant away but I didn't expect the inn to just be a graveyard/battlefield!
6. The Maiden Who Was Stolen Away - I thought for sure that the girl would marry the boy! I was not expecting him to actually be an ogre! These stories are not like the ones I am used to reading and I love how they are written! I was so happy that she got to be saved, but I also thought it was funny that her brother happened to be the biggest and bravest in the land.
7. The Flying Ogre - I liked this story less than the others but I did still enjoy it! It was short, sweet, and to the point. I wanted to know who the sky messenger was as well as whether or not he was telling the truth about the girl being a flying ogre. And why was she so evil?
8. The Sorcerer of the White Lotus Lodge - So were the capsized boat, walk in the dark, and giant all tricks or did the sorcerer actually do all of those things? I can see the first two but I don't know how getting eaten by a giant is a way to trick the soldiers. Unless the sorcerer conjured up the mountain spirit in order to get out. Maybe him and his family were not really eaten?
9. The Three Evils - I was really impressed at how calmly the terror of the neighborhoods took to being called the third evil. I would have thought that, since he got into so many fights all the time, he would have just beat up the new mandarin and been on his way. But no! He took out the other two evils, enlisted as a soldier and atoned for his life when he was the third sin! I wonder if this is a cultural thing in how people respected their mandarins (honestly I don't know what status they held. I am not much of a history buff).
10. How the River God's Wedding Was Broken Off - I am still wondering if it is a cultural thing to not trust sorcerers and witches but hold the political figure to the standards of a hero. That seems to be the theme in most of these stories. I think that is really neat because it has regular humans, not super powered or humans with supernatural strength going off and killing the bad things.
11. Yang Gui Fe - I loved this story! I want to use some of the ideas in it in my own stories! I liked how the magician (note, not a sorcerer) could part with his spirit to walk in the spirit worlds. How there wasn't just heaven and hell but many places in between. I also liked how the two were really spirits sent to the realm of men and still united by love!