I have personally loved Mythology and Folklore almost even more than I did Indian Epics. Between both of these classes, I got to read amazing stories and even stretch my creativity muscle a little bit. After completing this class I had one fun thought. It may be somewhat hard to execute but it could reach out to a different group of students who may be taking this class.
A Unit where we get to make up stories behind famous pieces of art work. It could be a sunday afternoon in the park, or the Mona Lisa, or maybe get wacky and create a story for Picaso. This just seems to have endless opportunities to be creative. With a picture of the painting maybe there could be a short history behind its conception and creation below the picture. This could help spark the imagination of anyone struggling to think of a story.
I know this post is short but this idea just struck me as I was reading through mythology and seeing all those amazing statues and pieces of art. Just something to consider!
Monday, December 5, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Portfolio Guide
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| Simba Strays from the pride |
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| The Brothers, the Fish, and the Lost Fishhook |
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| The recovery of the magical fish hook |
The tale of the hunter retrieving his brother's lost, magical fish hook continues. Our narrator, the fish, continues on with his journey to see if the hunter will recover the fish hook and in the process, he gets involved in the adventure.
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| A Game of Cat and Mouse |
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| The Determined Boy Scout |
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| The Hard Working Interns |
Storytelling: The Determined Boy Scout
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| Harold the boy scout |
Harold always wanted to grow up and be an accomplished Eagle Scout like his dad and older brother. He joined the Boy Scouts when he was really young so he could start learning early all the ins and outs. Every meeting, every event and every chance he was hungry to learn more or practice his skills he took advantage of. Harold convinced his dad to take him to the store and buy him anything he could possibly ever need while he was out on his boy scout adventures. He had rope, flares, first aid kits, water, snacks, extra clothes, fishing lures, Swiss Army knife and even more things.
Fall was the time of year that the Boy Scouts were put to the test to see if they had what it takes to move on to the next level and possibly become Eagle Scouts. Harold spent as much time as he could practice things like how to build a fire or how to make a tent. While he was out in the woods one day practicing his knotting skills, he heard footsteps crunching the dead leaves that the trees had shed. He stayed very still because he was not sure who would be out in the woods with him.
A little girl came into view and she jumped back startled when she saw Harold. It was obvious she had not anticipated running into anyone either.
"Hi, I'm Clara, and boy am I'm glad to see you!" she said.
"Hi Clara, I'm Harold. Why are you roaming around in the woods?" Harold asked her.
"Well, I just moved here and I was at the store getting some candy when these bullies pushed me down and then started chasing me! I couldn't get away but eventually I lost them in the woods. It was fine until I realized I had no idea where I was and I've just been roaming around since," she confused.
Harold felt bad and as much as he wanted to practice more skills for his eagle scout test, he knew he could not leave the poor girl high and dry.
"Well, how about I see if I can get you back home?" Harold offered.
After she told him her street, he realized they were neighbors and he set off taking her there. Harold told Clara all about what he was doing in the woods and how much be wanted to be an eagle scout.
She gave him a puzzled look and asked, "You practiced so much, so why don't you have any patches on your shirt?"
Harold told her, "Well, I may not be the most skilled Boy Scout YET, but if I stop trying then I'll never get better or even have a chance at being an Eagle Scout!"
Clara smiled at him and said nothing else. Harold got her home and her parents were so thrilled to see her. They thanked Harold repeatedly for making sure that she got home safe and sound. Clara wished him the best of luck on his Eagle Scout exam and promised she would come by his house tomorrow to help him practice pitching a tent. Harold was excited to have someone to help him keep practicing his skills and also was happy he had made a new, unexpected friend.
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| Alice and the White Knight |
Author's Note:
I took this story from my reading of "Through the Looking Glass" specifically the story series called "My Own Invention." I really liked how when the two knights fought and the White Knight won, he didn't hold Alice as his prisoner and instead agreed to help her get to the other side of the woods. Throughout the story of their journey, it becomes blatantly obvious that the knight is not the best. He has too many items on his horse that are not necessary and he keeps falling off of his horse. Alice continuously helps him back on and he tells her it is all about practice. I chose to write this story as a story you would tell a small child to help them learn a lesson. It is a lesson about perseverance for the things you love and are passionate about, which in Harold's case, was being a good Boy Scout and eventually becoming an Eagle Scout. Harold helps Clara through the woods just like the knight did for Alice. Clara encourages Harold just as Alice did even though neither Harold or the White Knight were that good at what they were doing it. It is a fun, simple lesson that giving up won't get you to your goal so it is best to keep trying!
Bibliography: Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll (1871).
Storytelling: Buried in wealth
Scrooge was the richest man in town, and he made sure everyone knew it. When he walked through the streets, he always wore his nicest coat and made sure to carry his gold plated cane. He would stroll up and down the streets of town, paying no mind to the beggars that lined the streets and that were on every corner. Even though he ignored their very existence, some of them would still ask him to donate to them, which he always declined with a scoff and hearty laugh.
One day, when he was walking home from the bank, he passed by a new beggar who sat on the curb looking cold and down trodden. He walked by her like all the rest until he heard a man behind him speaking. He turned around and saw the man hand the homeless women a single coin. Although it was a humble contribution and foolish in Scrooge's opinion, Scrooge felt guilty and began walking back towards the two.
"Excuse me sir," said Scrooge. "Could I trouble you for a coin to give to this poor woman? I would give of my own money but I only have large bills due to my immense wealth."
Un-phased by his bragging, the man lent Scrooge a coin to give to the woman. When Scrooge came back, the man asked "so when can I reclaim the coin that you owe to me?"
"Come tomorrow and I promise I will have small enough change to pay you," instructed Scrooge.
And with those instructions, the man and Scrooge parted ways. The next day, the man came to Scrooge's place of business to collect his money. Scrooge turned him away however, declaring that his wealth was still far too large to break into smaller change. The man stated that he would return the next day to claim his repayment.
The next day, Scrooge was hard at work balancing his books when he saw the man coming down the street towards his Savings & Loans business. Fed up and exhausted with the constant visits, Scrooge decided the only way to get rid of the persistent man was to fake his own death. Right as the man knocked on the door and came in, Scrooge keeled over and pretended to die. The man saw through this trick immediately because he had seen Scrooge spying on him through the window. However, the man decided to go with the shenanigans and beat Scrooge at his own game.
"Oh woe poor Ebenezer Scrooge! Deceased far before his time!" cried out the man. "He deserves the proper burial of a righteous man."
With that declaration, the man began making arrangements for a proper funeral. He called a florist, a concert pianist, a funeral home, a coffin maker, and a priest. He considered making invitations to the funeral for family and friends before he realized this was Ebenezer Scrooge and he obviously would not have anyone attending.
He hosted the ceremony that afternoon at the grave yard behind the town church. Together, he and the priest put Scrooge to rest and as they were lowering his coffin into the ground, Scrooge finally broke character and jumped out of the hole.
"Wait! Wait! Please don't bury me for I am still very much alive," pleaded Scrooge.
"Oh what great work of magic! I am quite glad you are awake after all," teased the man. "In that case I believe you owe me a coin plus the cost of all the funeral arrangements."
Begrudgingly, Scrooge paid back the borrowed coin and all the costs that had been spent on his fake funeral. After paying back the man, Scrooge vowed to never borrowed money from anyone again. While Scrooge did not really learn the lesson that was intended, the man was glad that Scrooge would not try to pull the same trick on someone else ever again. And with all the funds he had recovered from the cost of the funeral, he went and donated it to the towns shelter/soup kitchen so that Scrooge's money would end up helping the less fortunate, whether he liked it or not.
Author's Note: I was inspired by the Russian Folktale: The Miser. There is a rich and stingy man who borrows a coin from a poor man to give to a beggar. The poor man happily does so but comes back day after day to be paid back. The Miser never pays him and even fakes his own death. Right before he is buried, the Miser stops faking and together him and the poor man see band of robbers as they run away frighten. Together the Miser and the poor man divided up the robbers riches but the Miser never actually paid the poor man back. In the spirit of the holidays, I wrote my story around Scrooge from a Christmas Carol. He is stingy and rich just like the Miser and neither of them like donating to others. I wanted some justice in the story though, so the poor man gets Scrooge to stop faking his death and pay up plus some. As a bonus kick. the poor man takes Scrooge's money and donates it to organizations designed to help people. I thought it was a nice and snarky thing to do.
Bibliography: Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887). The Miser
One day, when he was walking home from the bank, he passed by a new beggar who sat on the curb looking cold and down trodden. He walked by her like all the rest until he heard a man behind him speaking. He turned around and saw the man hand the homeless women a single coin. Although it was a humble contribution and foolish in Scrooge's opinion, Scrooge felt guilty and began walking back towards the two.
"Excuse me sir," said Scrooge. "Could I trouble you for a coin to give to this poor woman? I would give of my own money but I only have large bills due to my immense wealth."
Un-phased by his bragging, the man lent Scrooge a coin to give to the woman. When Scrooge came back, the man asked "so when can I reclaim the coin that you owe to me?"
"Come tomorrow and I promise I will have small enough change to pay you," instructed Scrooge.
And with those instructions, the man and Scrooge parted ways. The next day, the man came to Scrooge's place of business to collect his money. Scrooge turned him away however, declaring that his wealth was still far too large to break into smaller change. The man stated that he would return the next day to claim his repayment.
The next day, Scrooge was hard at work balancing his books when he saw the man coming down the street towards his Savings & Loans business. Fed up and exhausted with the constant visits, Scrooge decided the only way to get rid of the persistent man was to fake his own death. Right as the man knocked on the door and came in, Scrooge keeled over and pretended to die. The man saw through this trick immediately because he had seen Scrooge spying on him through the window. However, the man decided to go with the shenanigans and beat Scrooge at his own game.
"Oh woe poor Ebenezer Scrooge! Deceased far before his time!" cried out the man. "He deserves the proper burial of a righteous man."
With that declaration, the man began making arrangements for a proper funeral. He called a florist, a concert pianist, a funeral home, a coffin maker, and a priest. He considered making invitations to the funeral for family and friends before he realized this was Ebenezer Scrooge and he obviously would not have anyone attending.
He hosted the ceremony that afternoon at the grave yard behind the town church. Together, he and the priest put Scrooge to rest and as they were lowering his coffin into the ground, Scrooge finally broke character and jumped out of the hole.
"Wait! Wait! Please don't bury me for I am still very much alive," pleaded Scrooge.
"Oh what great work of magic! I am quite glad you are awake after all," teased the man. "In that case I believe you owe me a coin plus the cost of all the funeral arrangements."
Begrudgingly, Scrooge paid back the borrowed coin and all the costs that had been spent on his fake funeral. After paying back the man, Scrooge vowed to never borrowed money from anyone again. While Scrooge did not really learn the lesson that was intended, the man was glad that Scrooge would not try to pull the same trick on someone else ever again. And with all the funds he had recovered from the cost of the funeral, he went and donated it to the towns shelter/soup kitchen so that Scrooge's money would end up helping the less fortunate, whether he liked it or not.
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| Ebenezer Scrooge |
Author's Note: I was inspired by the Russian Folktale: The Miser. There is a rich and stingy man who borrows a coin from a poor man to give to a beggar. The poor man happily does so but comes back day after day to be paid back. The Miser never pays him and even fakes his own death. Right before he is buried, the Miser stops faking and together him and the poor man see band of robbers as they run away frighten. Together the Miser and the poor man divided up the robbers riches but the Miser never actually paid the poor man back. In the spirit of the holidays, I wrote my story around Scrooge from a Christmas Carol. He is stingy and rich just like the Miser and neither of them like donating to others. I wanted some justice in the story though, so the poor man gets Scrooge to stop faking his death and pay up plus some. As a bonus kick. the poor man takes Scrooge's money and donates it to organizations designed to help people. I thought it was a nice and snarky thing to do.
Bibliography: Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887). The Miser
Monday, November 28, 2016
Reading Notes: Russian Fairy Tales Part B
I am continuing my reading of Russian Fairy Tales.
There is this story, The Headless Princess, that I was disturbed by but actually admired too. I like how brave the priest's son was in how he handled the witch princess. He stood with strong resolve even when she was conjuring horrible things all around him. He was brave even at such a young age. I'm glad in the end the king believed the priest's son when he told him what his deceased daughter was capable of doing. It worried me at first that he might not believe that his daughter was capable of such things.
I am noticing throughout all the readings in this second half, there is a lot of stories where the dead come alive in the night to torture the living in one way or another. It always comes down to one person being more clever or more brave than the deceased person. Horrifying but very interesting to think because that is one of the biggest things I'm afraid of. When you have to encounter and evil that is dead or not human, how do you hurt it?
The Fox-Physician made me feel bad for the poor old man. He was trying to be helpful throughout the story and just kept running into issues. When he realized that the cabbage lead to henna where there was abundant food and drink he just wanted to share his discovery with the old woman. Just like in other stories and genres, the fox plays the cunning character as he fools the old man into letting the fox be alone with the old woman so he can eat her. What would have happened if he had opened the door and caught the fox as he was cooking the woman and preparing to eat her? Something to consider.
Bibliography: Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).
There is this story, The Headless Princess, that I was disturbed by but actually admired too. I like how brave the priest's son was in how he handled the witch princess. He stood with strong resolve even when she was conjuring horrible things all around him. He was brave even at such a young age. I'm glad in the end the king believed the priest's son when he told him what his deceased daughter was capable of doing. It worried me at first that he might not believe that his daughter was capable of such things.
I am noticing throughout all the readings in this second half, there is a lot of stories where the dead come alive in the night to torture the living in one way or another. It always comes down to one person being more clever or more brave than the deceased person. Horrifying but very interesting to think because that is one of the biggest things I'm afraid of. When you have to encounter and evil that is dead or not human, how do you hurt it?
The Fox-Physician made me feel bad for the poor old man. He was trying to be helpful throughout the story and just kept running into issues. When he realized that the cabbage lead to henna where there was abundant food and drink he just wanted to share his discovery with the old woman. Just like in other stories and genres, the fox plays the cunning character as he fools the old man into letting the fox be alone with the old woman so he can eat her. What would have happened if he had opened the door and caught the fox as he was cooking the woman and preparing to eat her? Something to consider.
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| Russian Fairy Tale |
Bibliography: Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).
Reading Notes: Russian Folktales Part A
For this week's readings, I will be looking at Russian Folktales.
Right from the start of this section, all of the stories were dark and somber. Not in a Brothers Grimm way, but in a twisted, evil way. Strangely enough I love it! I really enjoyed the story The Treasure mostly because justice was served. The pope was punished for being greedy and deceitful but I wish the old poor man would have gotten his money back or received some sort of compensation after all that the pope and the town had put him through after the loss of his wife. At the end of the story, the authors assumes that the skin of the goat melded with the pope by an act of God, but what if the wife who had died was actually haunting the pope and after seeing how he tricked her husband, she cursed him to live life like that. That could be an interesting re-telling.
The story The Miser honestly had such an odd ending I really didn't have an opinion of it. I was hoping that greedy Marko would get his punishment either by having to pay the copeck to the poor man or that he would tragically die and the wife would pay the poor man. Towards the end I really thought that maybe Marko was dead but instead he and the poor man just divided the loot the robbers left behind. And even after all that, Marko never paid the poor man?! I would tell that story so differently, which is exactly what I may do in my next story telling assignment.
I was intrigued by the story Friday because it seemed to have some biblical background to it. Since the woman was working on Friday instead of resting and, in turn, honoring Mother Friday, she was punished. It reminded me how many different sects of Christianity and other religions emphasize resting on holy days as a tradition. Now they never really punish someone for not doing so, but usually they are social reprimanded. Instead, this woman gets an eye full of saw dust. Even though it was extreme, I just liked the overall simplicity of the story. Most of all, I liked that the woman learned her lesson quickly and didn't have to be punished over and over before getting the point.
Bibliography: Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).
Right from the start of this section, all of the stories were dark and somber. Not in a Brothers Grimm way, but in a twisted, evil way. Strangely enough I love it! I really enjoyed the story The Treasure mostly because justice was served. The pope was punished for being greedy and deceitful but I wish the old poor man would have gotten his money back or received some sort of compensation after all that the pope and the town had put him through after the loss of his wife. At the end of the story, the authors assumes that the skin of the goat melded with the pope by an act of God, but what if the wife who had died was actually haunting the pope and after seeing how he tricked her husband, she cursed him to live life like that. That could be an interesting re-telling.
The story The Miser honestly had such an odd ending I really didn't have an opinion of it. I was hoping that greedy Marko would get his punishment either by having to pay the copeck to the poor man or that he would tragically die and the wife would pay the poor man. Towards the end I really thought that maybe Marko was dead but instead he and the poor man just divided the loot the robbers left behind. And even after all that, Marko never paid the poor man?! I would tell that story so differently, which is exactly what I may do in my next story telling assignment.
I was intrigued by the story Friday because it seemed to have some biblical background to it. Since the woman was working on Friday instead of resting and, in turn, honoring Mother Friday, she was punished. It reminded me how many different sects of Christianity and other religions emphasize resting on holy days as a tradition. Now they never really punish someone for not doing so, but usually they are social reprimanded. Instead, this woman gets an eye full of saw dust. Even though it was extreme, I just liked the overall simplicity of the story. Most of all, I liked that the woman learned her lesson quickly and didn't have to be punished over and over before getting the point.
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| Russian Fairy Tales |
Bibliography: Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).
Monday, November 14, 2016
Storytelling: The Hardworking Interns
Interns are always known for being at the bottom of the food chair no matter what company it is. Things were no different for Michelle and Rebecca, but they knew that going in. Their bosses were a sweet tag-team duo, Richard and Stephanie, who owned their own boutique clothing store. Mich and Becca were ready on their first day for anything and everything, whether that was fetching samples, making coffee or running down to wardrobe for extra pieces for inspiration. On their first day though, they realized they were kind of ignore. Sure they were asked to do a casual errand here or there, but for the most part they were left to their own devices.
As the day was winding down, Richard and Stephanie were obviously irritable. They had just started a new project for their fall line and had zero inspiration to get working on the trench coat that would get the look started. They left the office early in a depressed state and told all the employees to just head home early that day. Mich and Becca heard the defeat in their bosses voice and decided to stay and work late. They went over to the mannequins and after circling them a few times, they got to work. By 4 am, both the man and woman trench coats were done. They slept in the conference room until they were awaken by a scream of joy!
They went into the design room to see Richard and Stephanie in awe of the two beautiful trench coats. Neither of the girls mentioned that the work was theirs and neither Richard nor Stephanie asked anyone who had finished the coats.
The rest of the day went as normal and with the trench coats done, Richard and Stephanie had a boost of inspiration and were working in a flurry all day. Towards the end of the day though, they got hung up on the boots that were meant to finish the looks. They were either too tall, too feminine, too bulky or just flat out wrong. Once again, both Richard and Stephanie left in a huff, dismissing their employees early yet again.
Mich and Becca stayed back and brainstormed what the perfect fall boot would look like to finish off this beautiful look for the collection. They worked tirelessly all night, stitching, sewing, measuring until they were beyond thrilled with their work. Know they just hoped their bosses were as please as they were with the trench coats. They made their sleepy trek back to the conference room, but right as they laid down, they heard happy screams of their bosses. The bosses later announced that the line was finished and that there should be a big party the next day. Everyone was to go home and relax in celebration of the completion of the looks.
They next day when Mich and Becca walked in the office, there were decorations everywhere and a big cake in the center of the room. As they got closer they saw there was a banner above it that read "Thanks Mich and Becca." They were stunned and turned around to face their bosses. Apparently, when Richard and Stephanie sent everyone home, they checked security footage and saw Mich and Becca were the one's finishing all the work. They were given full time positions and made heads of the fall men's and women's department. Mich and Becca were thrilled all their handwork had finally been noticed and appreciated.
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| Rebecca and Michelle |
Author's Note:
I wrote this story as inspired from the Grimm Brother's story called The Elves. There are two elves who keep finishing all the shoes that the shoe maker starts but doesn't finish. In the middle of the night, while him and his wife sleep, they come out and make beautiful shoes which the shoe maker sells for a fortune the next day. One night, he and his wife stay up and see the elves working away. The next night they have clothes set out for the elves who are over joyed! I recreated this with the setting of a fashion company but instead of elves, the helpers are too under recognized interns. Eventually though, the bosses realize their hard work and reward them just as the man and his wife did. I wanted to keep the theme of hard work pays off and no good deed goes unnoticed.
Bibliography: The Elves from The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales as translated by D. L. Ashliman (1998-2013).
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