Reading Notes, Part B: Week 9 - "Lion Who Thought Himself Wiser Than His Mother"

Lion Who Thought Himself Wiser Than His Mother

I chose this story because throughout my life I have often thought myself wiser than my mother, although this is probably not true. Basically, in this story the young lion encounters a man and they have an angry dispute about who will go to the rain-field. And I think neither ended up going. However, the lion went to his mother and she told him to be weary of the man and his dogs/piercing weapons.

Of course, the young lion did not listen well. He went to ambush the man. But he could not outsmart the man and his dogs. The dogs attacked the lion and the man speared the lion. However, they spared his life so that the lion's could be "taught by his mother." The man understood that the lion was young and dumb, thus sparing his life.

If I were to rewrite this story, I would probably use a teenage human and his mother. Angsty teens never like to listen to their mothers. This is often their downfall.

Bibliography. "Lion Who Thought Himself Wiser Than His Mother" from South African Folktales by James Honey (1910). Web Source.

(Lioness and Cubs: Image by TheOtherKev from Pixabay)

Reading Notes, Part A: Week 9 - "Tink-Tinkje"

Tink-Tinkje

For week 9 I chose to read the stories from the South African Unit.

This story starts off with the birds looking for a king - a "bird king" some might say. They were jealous of men having kings, and animals having a king. Thus they tried to come up with which bird would be the best king, but all of the birds had some major flaws. So in response, the birds decided to have a contest for the position of king. The bird who flew the highest would become king.

The Vulture seemed to be on his way to win the crown. He flew upwards for three straight days and then declared himself king. However, a smaller bird called Tink-Tinkje had latched on to the vulture unbeknownstly to him. The small bird declared himself king. Therefore, the vulture continued to fly higher and higher. But each day Tink-Tinkje would latch on and declare himself king.

All the other birds were made Tink-Tinkje for his actions and they tried to capture him. But they failed miserably. Tink-Tinkje escaped and then for whatever reason because of this the White Crow never spoke again (I didn't quite understand this part).

If I were to retell this story I would probably use a different type of creature (maybe dinosaurs?!) and obviously the competition would have to be different. I thought this was a very fun and exciting story. It was much different than I expected.

Bibliography. "Tink-Tinkje" from South African Folktales by James Honey (1910). Web Source. 

(Tink-Tinkje Bird)

Week 8 Progress

Progress

Progress Check: 214 points (Right where I need to be to get an A and I have not even finished all of Week 7 - because I am waiting on an email from Laura and Week 7 - feedback to open up.)

I am happy with the progress I have made thus far. I would like to be a little further ahead than I am. I was pretty far ahead early in the semester, but life caught up and I kinda took a few weeks off from really going hard in this class. Hopefully, I can get further ahead these next few weeks. I would still like to be done by spring break time if possible!

In the future, I want to make sure I am working on this class for a minimum of 8-10 hours a week. This should give me enough time to get about 2 weeks worth of work done. This will help me to continue towards my goal of finishing this class early so I can begin applying this time to CPA exam studying.

(Spring Break: Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay)

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

Comments and Feedback 

Overall, the feedback I have received has been useful. Although, I have not really implemented much of it, unless it is from Professor Gibb's. Sometimes the feedback on one story does help give me inspiration for my future stories. Whether this is just tips from other students or the fact they really appreciated the way I did something.

I feel like the feedback I give is often dependent on my opinion of the story. If I think it is really good I will give it high praise and even tips on how to make it better. If it is not very good, poorly written, or just formatted well I am not afraid to point these issues out at times, but also let them know what aspects of the story were good. It is the stories that are just average that I think that are hard to give good feedback. I really enjoyed the "Let's pretend" exercise, but I have not used it since. I think I will give it another try soon!

I do not really think I have gotten to know anybody on a personal level through their blog comments. However, I do think reading other people's comments on other blogs has helped me to better understand what the audience (our class) is looking for.

In the future, I want to be able to give adequate feedback to stories of all shapes and sizes. I also hope to better implement the feedback strategies we learned earlier in the semester. I also hope to use the feedback I receive to improve my stories and writing style.

(21 Components of Feedback)

I chose this image because it gives such a great reminder of what feedback should look like. Also, I appreciate a good puzzle. This image integrates both!

Week 8 Reading and Writing

Reading and Writing

I have really enjoyed reading and writing for this class. It has given me an outlet for creativity I have not used in a while. As an accounting major we are not always considered the most creative. When reading the stories I like to find a story that I really enjoyed reading and focus on a certain theme throughout. This theme could be the meaning of the story, repetitive words, the characters, or even just the setting. Then I will use this one particular theme (although the story probably has multiple) as the basis for my retelling of the story.

Maybe my favorite story to write was my Week 5 Story: David. I basically took one or two lines from the original story and wrote a background story for those lines. I have always enjoyed historical-fiction and this gave me an outlet to test these waters.

Regarding my Robin Hood storybook, I do not think I am far enough along to really know for sure how it is going to turn out and whether or not I like the website layout. But the first story was really fun to write and I especially appreciate Professor Gibb's feedback. Her wonderful insight really helped me to revise the story. I look forward to writing more stories in my Robin Hood/Indiana Jones mashup.

Overall, reading and writing has been incredible fun! This is maybe one of the most fun classes I have taken at OU and I really enjoy the flexibility of it all. If I am working ahead and suddenly do not feel like I am in a creative mood - I can easily take a little break from the class.

(Read and Write: Photo by Jenny Brown)

Week 7 Story: The Master

The Master 

There once was a horse who was king of the farm, many of the farm animals called him, King Stallion. King Stallion was afraid of death, thus he told his companions he planned to leave them to find the way to eternal life.

Thus, King Stallion left his farm on a journey to find eternal life. He travelled the earth far and wide, traversing from one farm to the next. He met many wise animals - but none knew the ways to immortality. However, many pointed him to one farm where a certain pig rested - they only called him The Master.

After several years, King Stallion finally reached The Master's farm. Once there he realized he was not the only one with this goal of eternal life. There were hundreds and hundreds of different farm animals seeking wisdom from The Master. They all just sat there and listened to what he had to say - no one muttered a single word.

King Stallion spoke up, "Master, how does one gain eternal life?"

The Master responded, "This is only accomplished through learning the great truth. There are 360 ways to learn the great truth. How would you like to learn?"

"What are my options?"

"Shall I teach you the ways of magic?"

"Can one gain eternal life by means of magic?"

"No," responded The Master.

"Then I shall not learn it."

"Shall I teach you the ways of the sciences?"

"Can one gain eternal life by means of the sciences?" inquired King Stallion.

"No."

"Then I shall not learn it."

"Shall I teach you the ways of good deeds?"

"Can one gain eternal life by means of good deeds?"

"No," The Master repeated.

"Then I shall not learn it." said King Stallion.

With that The Master oinked three times and went back to his sty.

King Stallion was an observant man and knew that this meant he was to go to The Master's sty during the third feeding of the day. Thus, when the third feeding occurred he went to the pig's sty and The Master revealed to him the way to eternal life (after some tumultuous discussion). However, this would not be the end of King Stallion's journey, but this is the end of this story today.

*Author's Note: This story is based off of "The Monkey King Unit" - primarily the story entitle "The Master." Although, I did take tidbits of a few other stories as The Monkey King story all kind of runs together. Obviously, instead of a monkey I used a horse as my king, and instead of the jungle I used a farm. I thought this would be a fun way to mix things up. When it came to the interactions with The Master I kept it on the same lines with much less detail. I wanted to make sure I emphasized the repetitiveness of the conversation, more so, than the actual contents of each different "way." 

Bibliography. "The Master" from "The Ape Sun Wu Kung" in The Chinese Fairytale Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921). Web Source. 

(Stallion: Image by Aislinn Brander from Pixabay)

Reading Notes, Part B: Week 7 - Buddha

Buddha 

This story continues the story of The Monkey King (Sun Wu Kung) and his adventures to achieve eternal life. By this time it appears he is succeeding as "he has eaten the peaches, has drunk the nectar, and also swallowed the pills. Nothing can harm him." This all according to Laotzse, the Lord of the Heavens. Sun Wu Kung had begun to abuse his power and other powerful creatures were trying (unsuccessfully) to tame him

This is when we are introduced to Buddha at the end of this story. Buddha asks that all weapons be laid down. Sun Wu Kung is confused about who this being is to tell him what to do.

Excerpt from the text, "Buddha smiled and replied: “I have come out of the blessed West, Shakiamuni Amitofu. I have heard of the revolt you have raised and am come to tame you!”"

I love how blunt Buddha is and is straightforward with his tone and goal. It really makes you look forward to the next story. I really like stories that leave just enough of cliffhanger to make you want to read what happens next. 

Bibliography. "The Ape Sun Wu Kung" in The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921). Web Source. 

(Buddha: Image by Susuteh from Pixabay)

 

Reading Notes, Part A: Week 7 - The Master

The Master 

This story is from the Monkey King Unit. I really enjoyed this story because of the dialogue between Sun Wu Kung (Monkey King) and the Master. I especially enjoyed how the Master said that there were 360 ways to learn the "great truth." The Master goes through many of these and after each one Sun Wu Kung always asks, "Can one gain eternal life by means of them?" and the answer is always, "No."

I have always been fond of writing styles that had a repetitive theme and I think this is because repetition really drives home a point sometime. In this case the point was that Sun Wu Kung wanted to know how to gain eternal life. Eventually the dialogue ends and the Master gives Sun Wu Kung three blows to the head. He then interprets this as meaning he should go see the Master during the third watch of the night. So he proceeds and then the Master gives him a clue to how to find eternal life.

If I were to re-write this story I am not exactly sure of the direction I would take. But I do know I would include repetitive dialogue no matter what other creative liberties I may choose to take.

Bibliography. "The Ape Sun Wu Kung" from The Chinese Fairytale Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens. Web Source. 

(Monkey King: Image by Wahyu Priyono from Pixabay)

Week 6 Story: Master & Pupil

Master & Pupil 

There once was a peasant who had a son. His wife had left him and he could not afford to raise his son, because he was a very poor peasant indeed. So he travelled around and searched for a home for his son whom he loved dearly. He searched and searched the surrounding towns and cities. Until one day (a few years later) he happened upon a man who housed many young boys in an orphanage. What the peasant did not know is that this man was the devil himself. And now the devil would raise his young boy.

About a year later the peasant went back to the orphanage to retrieve his boy. But when he got there to his dismay he could not distinguish his son from the other boys. The devil was aware of this and planned to tell the peasant to pick out his son, but if he could not the son would be his forever. The son knew of this plan (as he had seen it happen to many of his friends) so while the devil was not looking he went to his father and told him that when all of the boys changed into dogs he would be the golden retriever. The devil came back to the boys and told them to show the peasant their trick and asked the peasant to pick out his son. He correctly identified the golden retriever (his son), so he and his son headed back towards home with joy. The devil realized had had been duped.

On their journey back, the son told his father how he thought they could make some money using his shapeshifting abilities. The peasant agreed. So as they were walking along the path they saw some nobles heading their way. Immediately the son changed into a gigantic, gorgeous pig (it would have won first prize at any modern-day state fair) and the nobles offered the peasant a large sum of money to own him. So the peasant sold his son to the nobles and continued on his way home. A few hours later the son was back with his father. Once the nobles had put him in a pen he transformed into a bird and flew back to his father.

Then they reached the city not far from where the peasant lived. The son turned into a majestic thoroughbred, capable of winning any race. So the peasant to him to be auctioned off. What he did not know is that the devil had realized he was duped and planned to buy back the peasant's son. So in disguise at the auction he won the bid for the prized thoroughbred.

The son had planned to just change back into a bird and return to his father. But the devil took away his shapeshifting abilities. The son would remain a thoroughbred locked up in a stable for the rest of his life, unable to become human again and unable to roam free as a horse. Meanwhile, the peasant patiently waited at his home for his son to return, until he eventually died of remorse. Never do business with the devil.

Bibliography. "Master and Pupil" from Georgian Folk Tales by Marjory Wardrop (1894). Web Source. 

*Author's Note: I changed this story some from the original in that in the original story the wife did not leave the peasant. Also, the creatures in which the son shape shifted into varied from the original story. The biggest change of all was that in the original story the peasant and son are able to outwit the devil and live happily ever after, but in my story they do not live happily ever after. 

(Golden Retriever Puppy: Image by Laura Retyi from Pixabay)

Reading Notes, Part B: Week 6 - The Hermit Philosopher

The Hermit Philosopher 

This story was short and sweet. The hermit philosopher was confused to why the nature is the way it is. The questions he asked were why the walnut tree was so big but produce little fruit. And why the larger pumpkins and melons grew on the small creeping plants. He thought it would make more symmetrical sense for the opposite to be true. However, he then laid down under the walnut tree - soon after he was struck in the face by a small walnut. It was then that he realized if the walnut had been a melon/pumpkin his fate may not have been the same. He said, "Henceforth let no one presume to find fault with Providence." I enjoyed this remark.

If I were to rewrite this story I might just change the situation a little. Instead of a hermit it could be a more modern thinker/person. Maybe a politician or computer programmer (someone who thinks they are very smart and know everything). I am not exactly sure what the "questions" this person might ask, but I do know that they would soon find out they are wrong.

Bibliography. "The Hermit Philosopher" from Georgian Folk Tales by Marjory Wardrop (1894). Web Source. 

(Hermit Crab: Image by Rolf Dobberstein from Pixabay)

Reading Notes, Part A: Week 6 - Master and Pupil

Master and Pupil 

I found this story from the Georgian Folktales unit very interesting. In this story, a peasant gives his son to a "master" this master ends up being the devil. A year later the peasant came back to retrieve his son but did not recognize him, however, the son recognized his father and came up to him to tell him the plans the devil had to trick him. They peasant succeeded in retrieving his son, but what occurred after was a lot of shapeshifting in order for the peasant and his son to earn money. An example of this is when the son turned into a hunting dog and captured an animal in front of some nobles. The peasant then sold the dog for a large sum of money, but soon after the son/dog escaped and returned to his father. This continues until the son changes into a horse and the father accidentally sells him back to the devil.

This is where I thought the story was going to end. But the son was able to escape by changing himself into a needle. I thought the moral of the story was going to be don't get greedy. Which I guess it still kind of is. However, the ending which is like they, "lived happily ever after" was surprising, I just did not expect this story to end happily. So I guess if I were to rewrite this story I would write it with a less happy ending. Maybe the son would die or maybe the son could become the devil or get stuck as a needle with no ability to change again.

(Trotting Horse: Image by Floortje Walraven)

Bibliography. "Master and Pupil" from Georgian Folk Tales by Marjory Wardrop (1894). Web Source.