Reading Diary A: Nigerian Folktales

I chose to go with Nigerian Folktales for my reading diary this week. I loved how it incorporated animals that have not been used as much in the other areas that we have read about thus far. 

Why the Bat Flies by Night: This was a very unique cast for the story. The bat seemed like such an interesting character. He was cunning enough to cause the demise of the rat and get away from all of the would-be captors. He also was disciplined enough to stay away from coming out in the daylight when everyone searched. I have never thought of the bat in such a wise role before reading this. I think the bat could be a potential candidate for my storytelling post this week. I would really like to explore what happened after the story ended.

(bat)

Why the Worms Live Underneath the Ground: This was another story that featured animals that I have never read about in folktales before. Worms are such a mysterious creature that I have never even thought about what kind of personalities they would have if they were in a story. I also found it interesting that they were the only animal to take offense to the boisterous words of the ants. I never would have expected them to have enough pride to try to combat the gigantic ant army. I really enjoyed how the ants were positioned to be exactly like an army taking the battlefield. Talking about their military process would be a fun idea for a storytelling post this week as well.

Extra Reading Diary: Folklore of Laos

I chose to read Folklore of Laos for my extra reading diary this week. I was leaning towards it since I read that it was full of animal tales, which happen to be my favorite kind. I am encapsulated by the animal stories since they have to capture the personality of an animal and personify it to make it relatable. It was definitely an enjoyable read!

Why the Lip of the Elephant Droops: This was quite an interesting story to read. I personally have never noticed that an elephant's mouth droops before reading this. I admired that the 12 abandoned girls were able to realize that their parents did not want them and they did not fret about it. They were never concerned with trying to reunite with their parents. The girls were read to take on the world. The cannibal was also an intriguing element for the story. I am still kind of confused as to why she did not immediately try to make a meal out of them. She also was not the wisest of character either. She was easily tricked and left them unattended so they could escape. 

The Parrot and the Minor Bird: I really enjoyed this story. The sao bird seemed so wise and calculated in it. The thought of a bird that actually does speak its own mind is something that I have never even thought of. I am just accustom to the birds that can mimic what they here. This was a very elegant way of explaining why a bird like the parrot only says snippets of what it has heard a human say instead of saying what is on its mind. I also liked how the sao bird never once lied in the story. It always spoke the truth about what it saw, even though that was its downfall when it went to court and was tricked by its master.
(Japanese painting of the minor bird)

Reading Diary B: Jamaica Anansi Stories

I really enjoyed reading Jamaica Anansi Stories this week. I have never read any Jamaican stories before this. It was a bit of a challenge to get used to the dialect in the stories, but they were still great nonetheless. 

Horse and Anansi: This was a very interesting story. Anansi seems to play the trickster quite often. He is always looking out for number one. He also seems to have a way of talking any other animal into doing whatever he advises to do. I was glad to see the goat come back and redeem himself in this story. I had thought from the previous stories that he was one of the more gullible animals in the culture. He even outfoxed Anansi while he was trying to pull the same scheme that he had pulled on the horse. I really like how Anansi is capable of being tricked himself. I was beginning to think that he always had his way in every story.

Fire and Anansi: This was another intriguing story about Anansi. He seems like such a foolish character, especially in this story. He heeds the advice of no one and thinks he is right. I really enjoyed seeing his wife, the ground dove, warn him about how bad idea it was to have fire over to their house. It was very gratifying to see that the dove was right and escaped getting burned. I am interested by the dove since she is the wife of the very difficult Anansi. The dialogue between the characters was very difficult to follow in this one. 


(Ground Dove)

Reading Diary A: Jamaica Anansi Stories

I decided to go with Jamaica Anansi Stories for my reading diary this week. I was excited to read about some Jamaican stories since I can't recall reading any stories from that culture before.

Sheep and Anansi: This was an interesting read for me. It took me a few reads to completely understand the language and meaning. Anansi does seem like the trickster of the Jamaican culture. He is constantly pulling the wool over the sheep's eyes. It was also interesting to see that sheep was such a gullible character. He constantly got swindled out of getting to eat house after house. I am curious if that is a quality for the sheep to have in more of the Jamaican tales. Anansi also appears to be a very self-centered character.


(Sheep)

Long-Shirt: This was one of the most unique stories that I have read in this class. There are so many interesting pieces that make up this puzzle of a story. The talking shirt aspect of it was very interesting. I loved how it was so loyal to its owner that it would call out who was wearing it. I am thinking about writing about the shirt for my storytelling post this week. I have so many questions about this magical garment. Anansi still seemed like quite the trickster in this story. Anansi even shifted the blame to the oblivious goat. Anansi seems like he is only looking out for himself. I also liked how the goat was covered in this story as well. It was a very interesting explanation for why the goat smells bad. I thought it was a very humorous approach to it.

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Extra Reading Diary: Santal Folklore

I chose to do my extra reading diary over Santal Folklore. It was a great read!

The Tiger's Bride: I love how the tiger is a common character in all of these units. It really is great to see how animals indigenous to the areas around these cultures appear in their stories. The tiger is such an interesting character in this. He is willing to help the lady, but only if he gets her daughter in return. I feel like most of the stories I have read use the tiger in a similar way where he is self-absorbed. It makes sense since he is such a ferocious predator. It was a very interesting turn to see him beaten by his fellow animals. I did not see him getting overpowered like that since tigers are such powerful animals. 

(Tiger)

The Killing of the Tiger: This was one of the most unique stories that I have read in this class. I thought for certain that the tiger would get trapped somehow and then killed by the hunter. The tiger was completely different than I had thought he would be since he was described as frequently slaying any travelers who came across his road. He was tricked so easily with photos and a looking glass. He promised to change his ways after he saw this. I still am unsure why he did not maul the hunter after he left the tree. The biggest surprise of this story was how the tiger ultimately agreed to his death. He thought it would be fine to part with the tip of his tongue, but that proved to seal his fate. I found it interesting to see the tiger being a gullible figure in these stories. I really am curious how that originated. 

Storytelling Week 5: A Wise King

King Vimbasara ran back to his chariot with more vigor than ever. He had to get back to his city, Rajagriha. After listening to Siddhartha, he knew was going to change the way he ruled his kingdom. He was going to be a king of the people for the people. He could not get the horse that was pulling his chariot to go fast enough. 

King Vimbasara had a new outlook on life now. The things he had learned from Siddhartha would stay with him forever. He no longer longed for wearing the flashiest jewelry or finest clothes. Material things were not of priority to him anymore. He just wanted to become more enlightened now. He now knew that he had much to learn before he could become the best king for his people. Vimbasara was determined to better himself now. He had never reflected on how he served his people before. He now realized he had been self-centered before conferring with the wise Siddhartha. He deeply wanted for Siddhartha to become Buddha; he knew there was much to learn from him. 

He finally arrived at the mighty gates of Rajagriha at dusk. He greeted the guards with a hearty hello and even shook their hands. The guards did not know what to say or do when their king embraced them like so. They looked at one another completely befuddled. They had never been allowed to touch the king before; that was an act that was condemnable by death if the king saw fit  He left the guards and walked up to the citadel in a way that no one had ever witnessed before. King Vimbasara was talking to every person that he saw on his walk. He did not care how poor, young or decrepit they were. All of the people were his people now. The citizens of Rajagriha were in disbelief. The king looked the same, but he was not acting like the king that they knew. He was listening to what his people had to say. He was treating them like equals with the way that he conversed with them. He longer perceived them as being lowly commoners; he was now thinking of how he could serve them.

King Vimbasara arrived at his keep, and he had a plan. He sent out an order for all of the people of Rajagriha to gather in the town square. His servants rushed to him bringing out exquisite wardrobe options for him to choose from. He declined to wear the fine garments that he was used to. He opted for some subtle threads that had been made in the city. He decided to walk to the town square instead of taking the royal chariot. He wanted to bond with his people again. Once at the town square, he declared for all of Rajagriha that he was going to change the way he ruled. He promised all that he would serve them as their dutiful king instead. No longer would he think of them as serving him. He promised to make Rajagriha the best city to live in. The people of Rajagriha rejoiced with their reborn king.

(Siddhartha and King Vimbasara)

Author's Note: This is based off of the story of Siddhartha and King Vimbasara. In the story King Vimbasara meets Siddhartha on his journey to becoming Buddha. He is encapsulated by the knowledge of Siddhartha. He wanted to bring him back to Rajagriha to rule with him. He wanted to know more from the enlightened Siddhartha.

I really enjoyed the King Vimbasara character in the story. I loved how he was so humbled by Siddhartha, a hermit at the time, even though he was a king. I chose to write this from a third person perspective to adequately tell the events that unfolded after his life-altering meeting with Siddhartha.

Bibliography: The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold (1922)