Reading Diary B: English Aesop

I read English Aesop for my reading diary this week. Aesop has so many great stories to choose from involving every animal. I also really like how you can see so many sides of one character in Aesop stories since they have so many different tales about them. I do like how the stories can be a little more crass than other folklore stories.

The Wolf: I think that the wolf is one of the most dynamic characters around. He usually has that villainous element about him in most stories. I have always wondered why there is usually that negative image about them. It was refreshing to read about a different perspective of the wolf in The Dog and the Wolf. I loved how he realized that being hungry was better than being an obedient dog that was restricted. The wolf would rather die being free than serve anyone. That is such a unique way of thinking about wolves and why they are not domesticated animals; it really gives them such a unique stance. I am thinking about writing about this independent wolf for my story this week. 

(wolf)

Cats and Weasels: I chose to write about the Cats and Weasels segment since they are not the most common animals for these types of stories, especially weasels. The Man and the Weasel really put it into perspective as to why they are in the same category. I had never thought about weasels being an alternative for a cat to get rid of mice in the house. It makes sense for the weasel character to be similar to the mischievous ways of a cat in the stories. I especially liked how it had to use trickery in Weasel and Mouse to catch the mouse since he was too old to use physical means of catching it.

Reading Diary A: English Aesop

I decided to go with English Aesop for my reading diary this week since there are so many tales from it that I have never read before. It has a trove of great stories to featuring every type of character imaginable. I really am surprised that I had never read any of these before taking this class.

Foxes: I have always been a fan of the trickster character in every story. The fox is able to fit into that mold of the character that you love to hate. One of the fox stories in particular that stood out to me was the Fox and the Crow. I loved how it showed the smooth talking skills of the sly fox. It really showed how cunning he was since he could not physically get the cheese from the crow in the tree. He knew how to play the situation to get exactly what he wanted. I think I will probably write about the fox for my story since he is such a devious character.

(fox)

Lions: The lion character has always been interesting to me since he is such a dominant character. The lion usually has an air of dominance about him since he is the king. I really like reading stories where the arrogance of the lion proves to be his downfall. In the Lion and the Goats, he automatically assumed that he could trick the goats into coming to him to graze. I loved how the goats just respectfully declined him and went on their way with eating; they were not even phased by that deceitful offer. 

Extra Reading Diary: British N. America (Judson)

I decided to go with British N. America (Judson) for my extra reading diary this week. This unit piqued my interests since I have never read about Native American tribes from Canada before this week. I instinctively think of tribes that would be in the United States instead of all of North America. These stories were very unique and interesting!

Grizzly Bear and Coyote: I do have to admit that I did not expect this to be the story that explains day and night from its title. I loved the balance that the Grizzly Bear and Coyote had in this story. They were the perfect counterpart to one another throughout the story. I especially liked how they had a stalemate after they tried to out dance/sing one another until they were exhausted; they were both equally passionate about their cause. One of my favorite elements from this was how they used tail feathers to determine the number of moons and the number of months; this was such a unique way of explaining the numbers behind it. I really enjoyed this story!

(Grizzly Bear and the Coyote)

Why the Sun is Bright: The explanation for this was nothing that I could have had in mind before reading this. Portraying the Sun's brightness as being attributed towards his robe was very interesting. I really liked how he had to trade his goat skin robe to the boy to obtain his bright robe. It makes me wonder if the robe was as vibrant on him when he wore it. 

Storytelling Week 10: The Conniving Coyote

I am tired of Iktomi thinking that he is the best trickster in the land. He thinks that he can underestimate me just because I am a coyote. That big oaf does not even know what funny is. He just walks around all day looking for potential targets to try his shenanigans on. There is too much nuance and subtlety in pulling off the proper prank, something Iktomi will never grasp.

Everywhere I go I hear the other animals talking about how Iktomi is the best trickster around. I have had it with all of this malarkey! I am going to settle this once and for all; I will orchestrate my own prank that will befuddle that nincompoop Iktomi to no end. I want him to know that I am the top dog in these parts. If I can orchestrate my prank perfectly, he will quit his hijinks completely; this will be a lesson for him.

This is going to take a lot of time and effort to cook up something great. Wait, that's it! I am going to get him when he is looking for his next meal. He is going to go to bed hungry and duped. This is going to sound dangerous, but I think I am going to use myself as bait for his supper. He meanders around every evening looking for an easy meal since he thinks hunting takes too much effort. I bet my bottom dollar that he will take me home to eat if I just play dead. Once he carries me all the way back to his shanty, I will make my move. I am going to wait for him to stoke the fire and get his cauldron ready for his big meal before I spring into action. He will be entirely too exhausted from all of that work to stand a chance in catching me. I might even kick some embers in his face before I dash off into the night. I can not wait to see that dumbfounded look on his face!

This is going to be my finest performance ever! I know exactly where he will be today too since he is so predictable. I am already waiting for him by the sage patch that he likes to visit. I might even catch-up on some of my beauty sleep while I wait for Iktomi to stumble upon me. I should probably nap out here in the open since he is not the brightest chap in these lands. I think I hear him coming now!

(coyote)

Author's Note: I decided to do this story from the first person perspective of the coyote. I wanted to show the thought process and resentment that he had for Iktomi in his own words. I also wanted to illustrate that he is only a trickster when he needs to be; he doesn't just do it for the sake of doing it.

This was based off the Sioux story Iktomi and the Coyote. In the original, it focuses on Iktomi finding the coyote playing dead and taking him back to eat him. The coyote comes to life once Iktomi throws him onto the fire. He kicks the embers into Iktomi's face and lets him know that you should never make a fire until you know your meal is dead. I modeled my story as being the precursor to the original story.

Bibliography: 

"Iktomi and the Coyote" by Zitkala-Sa, from Old Indian Legends (1901). Web Source: Un-Textbook

Reading Diary B: Sioux Legends

I finished the rest of Sioux Legends, and it did not disappoint. It was full of very peculiar, but entertaining stories. The peculiarity of the stories actually made me focus more since they have such unique plots. It really makes me wonder how long these stories were only passed along by word of mouth since it took so long to transcribe them.

Iktomi and the Ducks: I still am having trouble envisioning the Iktomi character, especially since he is the spider fairy. I wanted to immediately envision him as being some gigantic spider that ran around causing a muck. I was very surprised to read that Iktomi is actually a man outfitted in deer skin. My favorite thing from this story was how they described him as being dishonest since he used snares to catch his prey. I have never thought about using a snare to be a dishonorable activity. It makes me curious as to how highly they valued the top hunters in their culture.

Iktomi and the Coyote: The coyote was actually more interesting than Iktomi, which I did not think was possible after reading all of the stories before this one. I kept thinking that he was going to dart off of Iktomi's back at any moment. Riding on someone's back for the sake of not walking sounds like a very dangerous game. I am curious if the coyote was actually asleep before or if he put on a guise just for Iktomi. I also could not comprehend why he waited until he was thrown into the fire to make a run for it; he could have left while Iktomi was gathering supplies. I think I am going to write about this bold coyote this week.

(coyote)

Reading Diary A: Sioux Legends

I decided to go with Sioux Legends this week since the description for it said there would be a trickster. Trickster stories have proven to be some of my favorite tales that I have read in this class. Each culture has such a unique way of making their own trickster that you love to hate.

The Rabbit and the Bear with the Flint Body: This is one of the most peculiar stories that I have read in this class. The bear having a body that was half flint wasn't even close to being the most intriguing part of this story. The rabbit had so much more power than I had expected. He was able to summon enough strength to split the flint bear in half and kill all of the remaining bears that chased him. The rabbit was so much more violent than I could have ever expected. I always perceive rabbits as being gentle animals; the Sioux people seemed to have had a slightly different outlook on them.

               (The Flint Bear and Rabbit illustration from the original book)

The Boy and the Turtles: This was another story that had an unexpected ending, in my opinion. The boy character was very interesting, especially since he ended up receiving such a high honor in the end. I am curious as to why he received the Holy Man title since the two warriors also saw the turtles as men. I am left wondering if it took the boy spotting them for them to actually turn into men. I have a lot of questions after reading this story.

Extra Reading Diary: Apache Tales

I chose to read Apache Tales for my extra reading diary this week. It was the first time that I have ever read any Native American stories outside of the Cherokee ones from my Cherokee class. They offer such an interesting outlook for explaining why things are the way they are. It is also great to read about animals that are indigenous to the united states. It makes me think about these stories could have very likely been spread around amongst my much older relatives.

Coyote Secures Fire: I really enjoyed the Coyote in this story. He was so determined to get the fire from the Fireflies regardless of what would happen to him. I thought it was interesting touch to add the part about petrified wood being the only thing to withstand the great fire that happened after the Coyote stole the fire. I also thought it was a weird mishap with him losing his skin after playing the hoop game. It was a very interesting that they made the correlation between the similarities of fur on the Badger and the fur of the Coyote.

(Coyote)

The Swallowing Monster: I honestly chose this because I had no idea what the swallowing monster could be when I started reading it. I am very glad that I chose to read this confusing gem of a story. I was hoping that the monster would actually be some type of animal. Then it completely transition into the spiders coming into play. The little girl turning into a frog at the end came out of nowhere. This story was definitely all over the place.

Reading Diary B: Myths of Cherokee

I decided to go with Myths of Cherokee for my reading this week. It was a fantastic read from start to finish; all of the stories were filled with rich, dynamic characters. I also love seeing the personalities that they give to the animals in all of the stories.

The Crane and the Hummingbird: This was a very surprising story to say the least. It seemed like it would be a classic story of winning a lady's hand in marriage by besting the other suitor. I really liked how the hummingbird was still able to keep the race a little interesting for most of the race since he had such a fast travel speed. I thought it would have been way more lopsided from the first night of the hummingbird resting. The twist with her not marrying the crane after he won was great. I still don't quite understand why she would have agreed to setting the whole thing up if she did not plan on keeping her word.

(crane)

The Owl Gets Married: This was another very interesting story to read. I honestly was curious where the owl was going to come into play during this. I never knew that owls would fish for their food before this; I always assumed they ate a vast array of bugs instead. I still am kind of unsure what the story meant by him permanently changing to his owl form where you can only see the flesh on his face. I had assumed they were feathered all over before this too. It was still a great story despite some of the confused moments that I had.

Reading Diary A: Myths of Cherokee

I was really excited to see that we were on Native American stories this week! It is crazy to think how these stories have been around us for so long but are still unknown by most people. I decided to go with Myths of Cherokee for my reading since that is my tribe.

Tobacco and Strawberries: This was a really interesting story to read. I have never seen tobacco portrayed in such an important light before this. I think I am too used to seeing all of the adverse effects that tobacco has to ever think of it like that. It was also really interesting to see how they wanted to use it to cure the old woman before she died of not having it. This might be the most interesting story that I have read all semester just for that reason. It was great to see how the small, nimble hummingbird was able to save the day. That was especially great since everyone doubted him because of his size.

(tobacco plant)

How the Rabbit Stole the Otter's Coat: I really loved reading this story from beginning to end! I loved how the animals having fur coats was kind of like a fashion battle between them all. They all have unique accents that make their coat their own and original. I had never thought about how this could be a fashion statement amongst animals before. I definitely did not see the explanation of why the rabbit doesn't have a full tail before this. I am definitely interested in writing about the trickster rabbit for my storytelling post this week.

Commenting Review Week

I have definitely received some insightful comments in this class. The comments have helped me improve my writing technique as a whole. I am able to get little suggestions from different people on all of my posts. When I am commenting on other people's stories, I tend to look at the flow of the story. Smooth transitions between topics make a story perfect, in my opinion. Dialogue in a story is another pivotal thing to have in a story. The conversations need to seem like they are not forced. 

 

(Michael Scott inspirational quotes)

Writing Review Week

I think the best writing strategy for my storytelling posts is to read each story with the storytelling assignment in the back of my mind. I take a closer look at each character while I am reading to see who has that quality that I am looking for. The reading diary selections help me to have some reference for my characters, so I am not having to completely start from scratch. I do love that I get to breathe new life into some of my favorite characters by adding my own twist on them. My favorite storytelling post has to be the one I wrote over Odysseus. I have always been enthralled by his character ever since I was introduced to him in school. He has such a unique complex about him that piques my interest. He is a resolute leader with glaring faults. He is able to face any consequences or repercussions, like taunting the cyclops after they were already set to sail. I have also been able to gain some valuable insight from other students with their comments. I have been able to tweak a few things because of it, which improves my writing as whole.

 

(Odysseus and crew fleeing from Polyphemus)

Reading Review Week

I have honestly had the luck of liking all of the readings that I have done this semester. I think the key reason for that is how you explain what kind of story they are and give us numerous option to read something that caters to that. I personally have always loved reading/hearing about folktales through the perspective of animals, so I try to choose a story like that every week. The most memorable stories I read came from the Jamaica Anansi Stories. They were different than any kind of stories I have ever read before; especially with the unique trickster role that Anansi took. The main story that comes to mind is the "Sheep and Anansi Story." It took me multiple attempts at reading that story since they it was written in a dialect that I am not very familiar with, but it was well worth the extra effort. All of the Jamaica Anansi Stories had such rich content in them once I was able to decipher it all. I really enjoy how you give us so many reading options from different areas in every unit. I feel like I am able to learn a little more about all of these different cultures through their folktales. I honestly have no suggestions for improvement on the stories. 

(sheep)