Reading Diary Week 6: Laos

Laos Unit

Enchanted Mountain

I really enjoyed this little story. The imagery is amazing and it seems truly beautiful. I like that you have to stumble upon this place and that you cannot find it if you search for it. However, what I really love about this story is the ending. I love that it says that the grown ups have to see to believe, but the children do not have to. They believe in the beautiful place on the mountain without ever seeing it. 

The Mountain Spirits and Stone Mortars

I really like that this story is to explain why there are huge random rocks in the Plain of Jars in Laos. I think the people in this story were pretty smart. I have read other stories where the offend the sprits or gods and it does not turn out well for them. It was a lot better to just pay the dues the spirits wanted and to not use the mortars than if they had offended the spirits. I would not like to experience that kind of wrath and I guess they did not either.

Why the Elephant's Lip Droops

I have to say, based off this story, I am terribly happy that the elephant's lip droops. Originally I thought this was going to be kind of like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, however, it took some twists I was not expecting. I was not expecting the girls finding the garden to be a positive thing. Their curiosity saved them which is something I am not used to seeing in these stories. I think it is interesting that the cannibal woman cursed the elephants lips to look like garments. Does she have special powers? Also, what happens after she cursed the elephant? Do the girls escape? Or does the cannibal woman get them?

Parrot and Minor Bird

I feel so bad for the saos bird. It only spoke the truth and was later punished for all eternity because of it. It is so sad that they could corrupt the bird and make the saos bird feel an obligation to warn the parrot and the minor bird. Because of man, the parrot and minor bird now feel like they have to repeat what we teach them and nothing else in order to protect themselves.

One Woman

I love the quote at the beginning of the story. I am sad to say that I do know a few girls who are pretty crafty and might give Chum Paw a run for her money. I do not quite understand why she would not just pick a guy to be with. I also despise girls that play boys.  It is not a good thing to do. I do not know anyone that fooled seven guys at once though. That had to be difficult. I hate that not only did she kill those men, but she had the neighbor kill another man who had nothing to do with the story. The neighbor thought that the woman's husband kept coming back to life so he buried and burned the bodies of her suitors. Then a poor charcoal man was killed because the neighbor thought it was Chum Paw's husband. Meanwhile, Chum Paw is living in her newfound riches.

The Boys Who Were Not Appreciated

These poor boys! I would gladly take them in! I am so glad they found that magic grass not only to cure them but to cure the chow's daughter. This made the older brother able to marry the daughter and for them to live richly. I am really proud that the boys were generous with what they had gained and wanted to share it with their parents even though they were abandoned as children. It's good for the parents that the widow had them cut into the wood to find their gold. Only when they were given riches did those parents learn to appreciate their children.

The Fortunes of a Lazy Beggar

This was a really good story. I have to say sometimes I have my lazy days. My brothers like to accuse me of being one of the laziest people they know, but they are full of it and are just being annoying brothers. Anyway, the laziness of that beggar was flat out ridiculous. I could not believe that he ended up marrying the chow's daughter. It was a good thing for him though because for the first time he started working. His wife and father in law did not love him though until he became a beautiful man. How vain is that? I really love the point that he makes that he is just as lazy as he was before. However, when you are rich and do not work you are not treated the same as you are if you are poor and do not work.