Reading Diary: Week 14- Russian Fairytales

Russian Fairytales Unit

Witch Girl

I think it is interesting that Death is perceived as a female. In most stories I have read from other cultures, Death is male. I have to say, I was a little confused at first as to why the Cossack kept the arm. However, as the events played out, I realized how smart of a move that was. He had his way of identifying "Death" (the witch) and a way to prove he was right by showing the arm to the people. 

The Fox Physician

That poor old man! At first this story reminded me of Jack and the Beanstalk. That cabbage sounds HUGE! I was expecting a giant or something to come into the story. However, we get the devious fox. I think it is really interesting that in most cultures the fox is a trickster. We even teach that to our children today. I mean we have Swiper the fox in the television show "Dora the Explorer." Swiper is always trying to trick Dora and Boots by swiping their things. It's really interesting that it has still carried on into new stories that we tell our children today. 

Two Corpses  

This was a very action packed little story. I could see it play out perfectly in my head. I felt so bad for the soldier though. I am sure he has seen many things in his service, he probably felt like he was back on the battlefield in this little scare. I wonder why the cocks always make the corpses go away? That is not something I am very familiar with, but it seems to happen a lot in these Russian stories. I also didn't think that living corpses could be in churches? I am obviously wrong on that though, it sounds like both of the corpses were in the church.

Reading Diary Week 13: The Heptameron

The Heptameron of Margaret: Queen of Navarre Unit

Lady from Milan

I really liked this story. The french gentleman was kind of a stalker though. I definitely understand why the widow faked being sick to avoid his gaze, even if his gaze was full of passion. I have to say he was beyond obsessive. I can't believe he pursued her for three years without her really giving him any attention. Well I am glad to hear that the creepy relationship wasn't one sided. She was attracted to him the whole time. Way to lead a guy on for three years.

Virgin With Child

I had a feeling the whole time that it was the brother. That is disgusting. I cannot believe that he went through those extremes to try to hide it. I think it is awful that they burned the girl as well. She might have had no say in the matter. However, I am glad they waited until the child was born. It does make me wonder what happened to the poor kid. Did it get adopted? Get a nice home? Or was it in an orphanage its whole life? Treated differently because of how it was conceived.

The Monks and the Butcher

This is my favorite story so far this unit! It is just so funny!! It reminds me of the game "telephone" I used to play when I was younger. You would say something to the person next to you and by the time the last person heard it, it was a completely different comment! Eavesdropping can be very dangerous, as the monks learned, this is a really great story to teach that lesson. 

Woman on her Death Bed

How dare he try to mess with one of his servants right next to his dying wife!!! That is appalling. I am glad she was still alive and had enough strength in her to get onto them! I sure hope that if I die first my husband will mourn me a little longer than this guy did. 

Reading Diary Week 12: Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland Unit

Mad Tea Party

Why is a raven like a writing desk? I would surely like to know! I really liked the story of the mad tea party. It was similar to what I was expecting, but more. There were more riddles and stories, but there was no unbirthday parties. I found that slightly unfortunate. I really liked how they talked about time and the crazy watch that only tells what year it is. I wish there was more description to how these characters looked because all I can really picture is the disney versions. 

Queen's Croquet Ground

Painting the roses red! I like how it said the queen couldn't tell who the gardeners were because they were all on their bellies and everyones backs look the same. I honestly had not thought of it. I wonder what the queen's deal is with beheading? That is her favorite punishment and she seems to do it a lot. I love how the queen is portrayed. You can feel the power she has over everyone. I loved the part where they are arguing over whether or not you can behead the Cheshire Cat. Considering it is only a floating head, I would have to agree with the executioner- you cannot chop of a head without a body to detach it from.

Who Stole the Tarts?

When I read -""Write that down," the King said to the jury, and the jury eagerly wrote down all three dates on their slates, and then they added them up and reduced the answer to shillings and pence." - all I could think about was how that sounded like a word problem in math. I really hated word problems. 

Reading Diary Week 11: King Arthur

King Arthur Unit

The Drawing of the Sword

This first story really sets the tone for what the rest of the unit will be like. There is so much variation on the legend of Arthur that I was not sure what to expect. In this story, Merlin is present, that is not always the case. I also like that they had the sword in the stone as part of the story. Yet again, with all of the variation, sometimes it is told differently. This story reminded me a lot of the disney movie, except Sir Kay and the Father were really nice in this story. 

The Questing Beast

I honestly think that knowing how you are going to die helps lead to your downfall. If I was Arthur I would be like, "WHY DID YOU TELL ME THIS??" I do not want to know how I am supposed to die because I can see myself getting paranoid and doing everything I can to avoid it instead of living my life to the fullest. I am afraid that is exactly what this Arthur is going to do. 

King Arthur and Morgan Le Fay

I always have preferred the name Morgana to Morgan Le Fay. It always sounded more menacing to me to match her wickedness. Yet again, because the stories vary, I wasn't sure that Morgan would be evil. Sometimes she is actually kind. Given the title of this story, "How Morgan Le Fay Tried to Kill King Arthur," I decided she is most likely evil in these stories. 

The Quest of the Holy Graal

This was very different to all of the other stories in this unit. It was really just informative. It gave some background of the holy graal and that is about it. All the rest have been actual stories. 

Reading Diary Week 10- American Indian Fairytales

American Indian Fairytales

I only read the second half of this unit.

The Boy Who Snared the Sun

I am curious as to what exactly a Iagoo is. Is it a tribe storyteller? I had no idea that in Native American lore the Coyote gave the people fire. I don't usually think of them as heroic or significant. They are just scavengers. What is a Mastoden? Sounds huge! It is really weird to think of a dormouse being as big as a mountain. He must have been gnawing on the trap to free the sun for a while for him to shrink to the size of a normal mouse. 

How the Summer Came

So a wild goose brings the summer in Native American lore? I really like the idea of the Summer world. It sounds fantastic. I loved the phrase "that the sky was not only the roof of our own world, but also was the floor of a beautiful world beyond." To me, that was just really great writing. A storm that covered the whole earth with water? Are the Native Americans familiar with the story of noah?

The Fairy Bride

I like how the fairies in this story are described as mischievous. Sometimes they are really nice, but I like the stories where they are a little devious. I can definitely understand Neen-i-zu's concern about height. I am not the tallest girl and am one of the shortest amongst my friends. I dated a guy that was over a foot taller than me and that was always a little strange to me. I am glad that Neen-i-zu found someone that she liked rather than marrying someone her mother wanted. 

Reading Diary: Native American Marriage Unit

Native American Marriage Unit

The Fox-Woman

I think this story was pretty interesting. My biggest question is: Why did the fox think that she was the hunter's wife? She performed all of the wife's duties without the hunter ever knowing who she was. I felt pretty bad for her when the hunter questioned her musty smell. I don't think the hunter really told her she had to leave, but if it bothered you so much I guess that puts a damper on the relationship. I would have just given her some soap to see if it solved the issue. 

The Woman Stolen by Killer Whales

This story was very short and sweet. I was really surprised that the shark was the good guy in this story. They usually seem so menacing that they are given an antagonist role in most stories. He was really clever in creating the smoke underwater (don't get me started on how that would work) to create a distraction to give the man his wife. The shark seemed like a very chivalrous and selfless guy. I really hope that the shark won the fight against the killer whales and came out of the fight unharmed.

The Dog-Husband

All of the partially animal and partially human creatures are kind of weird to me. It is even weirder that all of these people are falling for animals without realizing that they are part human. If those pups/kids could be human whenever they wanted, why would they hide it from their mother? How would they hide it from their mother? I can never get away with anything. My mom always knows. It would be pretty intense hiding something like that for years.

The Youth Who Joined the Deer

I was not expecting a hunter and a deer to get married. That just wasn't something that made since to me. However, I guess they have nothing to fear if they just need their bones back in the water to become alive again. If this is what establishes a great relationship between deer and hunter, perhaps I should tell my dad and my brothers. They hunt deer, and this might just help them be more successful in their hunting trips.

The Girl and the Turkeys

I can definitely see the Cinderella vibe in this story. There may not be an evil stepmother or even evil stepsisters, but there are a lot of turkeys. None of them are evil, they are her friends. They are the "fairy godmother" character in this story to help make their Cinderella's dreams come true. She just cannot forget her turkey friends. Unfortunately she did forget her turkey friends. She lost all of the turkeys and became the poor girl in rags for the rest of the story. Not as happy as Cinderella's ending.

 

Reading Diary: Assessment

Overall, I believe that my Reading Diaries have been very good this semester. After reading the instructions again, I realized that it took me a couple weeks to get everything right. The main thing I forgot was to include a link to the unit index page. I did not start doing that until week four. I have no idea why I started doing it either because I definitely had not seen that on the instructions page. I think my length for the Reading Diaries is quite appropriate. I write after I read each story in the unit. This way everything is fresh on my mind and I remember exactly what I thought or how I felt during each part of the story so I can record it. Some of my descriptions are shorter and some are longer, it really just depends on the story. Usually you can tell if I really liked a story or really did not like a story based off of the length. The description is always longer if I like or dislike it because I have a lot to say about the story. If I am in between, it is always shorter. I also think I did a great job on my reading diaries because when I look back at the earlier units, I can remember the stories that I wrote about. Reading quickly about what I thought when originally reading the story helps me remember the story. If I talked about how I really did not like something, I remember not liking it, then I remember why and what the story is all about. This is a lot better than what I do in most of my other classes. I am not usually very great at reading the textbook and when I do I cannot remember it that well. I do a lot better with looking up answers to a study guide and prepare for exams that way. Perhaps if I took notes like this while reading it would help?

Reading Diary: Nigerian Folktales

Nigerian Folk Stories

Of the Pretty Stranger Who Killed the King

This sounds exactly like one of the laos folklore stories that I read last week! There is a king that everyone hates so they get a witch to kill him. She turns into a beautiful woman so the king will want to marry her and then she kills him in his sleep. No one suspects the beautiful woman. One thing that is different in this story is that the city gets invaded afterwards and because their leader is dead they lose. 

Why the Fish Lives in the Water

Poor leopard! Betrayed by his best friend! I think that it is interesting that when there is a problem in these stories, they report it to the king. I guess that is part of the culture here. I would like to know how the fish got to move around on the land. Did it used to have legs?  

Why the Sun and Moon Live in the Sky

I liked this story because it was different from the others so far. No one did anything bad and was punished for what they did. The sun and moon are in the sky because there is no room for them in the place they built the water. They were just trying to be good friends!

The Thunder and the Lightening

I never thought of thunder and lightening being a mom and her son. I think it is pretty creative that when lightening burns something the mom (thunder) get on to him very loudly. Now that I have heard that story I can relate it to reality. I might think of this instead of God bowling in heaven as the cause of the thunder and lightening. 

Why Dead People are Buried

Do people in Nigeria not like dogs? Apparently because of this story dogs are disliked and not trusted as messengers. It is a shame that the dog got so carried away with the bone that it forgot to tell the people the true message of the creator. I also wonder if this creator is the God of the christians or if it is a different deity altogether.

How the Tortoise overcame the Elephant and Hippo

I am starting to see, in Nigerian folktales, the tortoise seems to be the most cunning creature. Their fox character if you will. I am kind of disappointed that no one discovered how the Tortoise outsmarted the Hippo and the Elephant. I guess if you are cunning enough, you can fool just about anyone and everyone.

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.

Reading Diary Week 5 - Twenty-Two Goblins

Twenty-two Goblins

Introduction

I wonder why there are gems inside of the fruit the monk gives the king? I liked that the monk's name is Patience. I definitely feel like there is some significant meaning with that name. I was really confused when the goblin was in the dead body. Originally I did not realize that there was a dead body. I just assumed that what the king thought was a dead body was actually a goblin. Nope. I was definitely wrong. The goblin was just inside of the dead body. 

Three Lovers

I definitely would have not guessed the correct answer for this riddle. First of all, I think what all the brothers did after Coral's death was weird. Making a hut on her ashes and begging for food is obsessive and scary. Dipping her bones in a river is also a bit strange. Honestly becoming a monk was not too bad, but seemed a little extreme. When the monk brought her to life, I was a little confused. I thought monks were like nuns and could not marry. So I didn't think that marrying Coral would be an option for him when she came back to life. I was kind of shocked to hear that the answer to the riddle was the brother that built a hut on her ashes. Like I said before, I think that is scary obsessive. However, I couldn't have come up with a better answer.

Brave, Wise, Clever

I think it is interesting that yet again there are three lovers fighting over the love of one girl. I thought the kings response to the riddle was very interesting and I agreed with it. In this story, the Brave man deserves the girl because the other two only assisted in helping the Brave man save her. 

Three Delicate Wives

This goblin really likes to do things in threes. Is delicacy a trait of beauty in this culture? If so then these women must be gorgeous. I am actually pretty proud of myself because I answered this riddle before I read it! The most delicate wife is the one that got bruises from a sound because she was not touched by anything and still got hurt. Both of the other wives were still delicate but they were at least touched by something to give them their injury.

Snake's Poison

I am kind of sad that we never find out what happened to his wife. I think it is interesting that the answer to the riddle is that the man himself is to blame for his death. However, I guess that makes sense. You can't blame the snake because it was dying and had no control. Cannot blame the hawk because it was just doing what it is supposed to do. You most certainly cannot blame the sweet lady that gave the man the food to begin with. There was no malice toward the man in any of their hearts.

The General's Wife

This story briefly reminded me of the story of David and Bathsheba from the Bible. David was also attracted to the wife of his general. However, he did take advantage of Bathsheba. The king in this story would rather die than not be virtuous. I also agree that the king deserved Passion more than the general. The general was just willing to hand over his wife to the king. Obviously he did not care for his wife very much. 

Conclusion

First of all I completely respect the king for going back to get the goblin every time he ran off. That is real dedication. I am also kind of surprised that the monk was evil the whole time. I am glad that the goblin respected the king after all of those riddles and told him the monks plans. I also thought it was weird that what the king wanted was for the whole world to know the riddles the goblin shared with him.  

Week 4: Reading Diary- Sinbad

Sinbad Unit

Fifth Voyage 

I am really enjoying Sinbad's adventures this far! However, I do not really know what a roc is. I am assuming it is some type of huge bird. When the rocs threw the blocks of stone, I immediately thought of the huge fight scene in the Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe (movie). During the fight scene there are these griffons that throw things at the opposing side so I imagined that part to be a lot like that movie. I also love that they are smart enough to make the monkey's do all of the hard work. As the story says there would have been no way for them to actually get the coconuts if they did not get the monkeys to help. 

Sixth Voyage

Sinbad must really love to go on his voyages. I mean he just keeps getting shipwrecked and still keeps going out there every time! That is called dedication and having a passion for something. Also guess what? He did end up in another ship wreck. I love the little pep talk the captain gives to everyone. "we may as well begin to dig your graves at once." I think it is really cool that the king of the island was so impressed with Sinbad's stories that they were written in gold and put in the king's archive. I am however confused as to why it is so important that the Prince is really as rich as he claimed. Especially because after Sinbad tells the king he talks about how wise the Prince is and not about his riches.

Seventh Voyage

It sounded like the journey there was pretty smooth and on the way back it got a little rough. When Sinbad kills the elephant it kind of made me mad that they just built a trench to bury the elephant with. They are such huge and magnificent creatures! Just burying the elephant seemed very wasteful. I became much happier when Sinbad created the idea to use the tusks that are already in the elephant's burying ground. This way it will save more elephants from being killed. I like that Hinbad agrees that Sinbad has suffered and he spends his money well, so therefore he truly deserves what he has. I agree with that statement because if you are not going to use your money responsibly than it could be gone in the blink of an eye. Seeing that Sinbad has taken care of it for so long must mean that he deserves it. 

Week 3: Reading Diary- Jewish Fairy Tales

The Giant of the Flood

I like how this version of Noah has giants, unicorns, and a phoenix. It is strange that in Jewish fairy tales unicorns are huge, some are as large as mountains. I was not expecting for this story to tell us why men act foolishly when they drink too much wine. It is also surprising that the giant served Noah's family all the way to Moses.

The Beggar King

Basically, do not teat things out of the Holy Book. King Hagag was punished by a genie for ripping out a passage that was not to his liking. I really liked that the king went to be a beggar and was truly sorry for his sins. He even originally refused to retake the crown to take care of the blind beggars. It shows that a little humility is great for leaders . However, I think it is a little strange that the genie and Hagag were able to switch back and forth without brining any attention to themselves.

The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog

I love that there is a Jewish Fairy Tale to explain why cats and dogs do not get along. I am definitely a dog person, so it does not surprise me that it is the cats fault. I felt so bad for the poor dog, not able to find another creature for a companion until it came across a human. I guess that is why dogs are a mans best friend. Yet again it is the cat that throws a fit, when the dog did not mean to break the contract. The dog is pushed to go to a new home and this leads to the never ending conflict between cats and dogs. 

The Sleep of One Hundred Years

I cannot believe he slept one hundred years. I also cannot believe that Onias did not notice anything different. I feel like a lot more should change in one hundred years than the temple being rebuilt, and I guess more changed than he originally noticed because he felt so out of place later in the story. I do not blame Onias for wanting to go back to sleep. In a world that is so different and not knowing anyone I am sure it is hard to try to fit back in. 

The King for Three Days

I do not understand why Godfrey de Bouillon wanted to get a blessing from a rabbi. It does not make any since. He is killing all the jews and wants a blessing from one? Rashi, the rabbi, gave a pretty specific prophecy. I was interested to see how the story would unfold. I was thinking that Godfrey was going to be forced out of his role of a king after three days, so I was kind of surprised when he gave up the position willingly. I thought it was kind of funny when Godfrey thought the rabbi was wrong because he had four men instead of three and then a rock fell on one of them. It was almost like in the cartoons when a giant anvil or piano lands on the character. 

The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace

I really liked this story. I felt sorry for Sarah when Abraham put her in a box, but I guess it was for good reason since when she was seen she was taken to the Pharaoh. I was a little nervous for Sarah and Abraham and was relieved when the spirit showed up to answer their prayers. I thought it was kind of funny that the spirit did not stop when the Pharaoh was done advancing on Sarah, but kept at it for the entire night until he decided to let Sarah and Abraham leave. I feel like the spirit really enjoyed it's job that day. 

The Fairy Frog

This story is really weird for me. Most of the previous stories I could align with a traditional bible story in some way and I couldn't do it with this one. I would also like to know how this frog seems to know everything. I guess it comes with the height. I think the lesson of this story is to obey the wishes of the dying, but I am not quite certain.

Week 2: Reading Diary- Cupid and Psyche

Psyche's Beauty

I cannot believe Psyche is letting people treat her like a goddess. I mean, I am sure it is really nice. However, nothing good can come of it. I also thought it was really interesting how Cupid is introduced as "doing not an ounce of good." This doesn't sound anything like the cute cupid we see everywhere on valentines day. In this story he is going into battle to ruin life with love, not to create love into something that makes life beautiful.

The Mysterious Husband

It's weird to me that you can fall in love with someone without seeing what they look like or even knowing their name. It's not that I don't think you can love without seeing your significant other. I just think that if I was with a guy and he wouldn't tell me his name or let me see his face, I would be slightly creeped out.

The Jealousy of Psyche's Sisters

I am fairly certain that it would have been much better for Psyche if she had just let her sisters mourn her death. Her sharing her treasures and creating what her husband looks like just created a monster within her sisters.

Psyche's Husband Revealed

The stupid lamp! It ruined everything! I love how the lamp is blamed in the story even though we know that Cupid told her all along not to look at him and to not listen to her sisters. In the end it was Psyche's fault for deciding she needed to look upon her husbands face.

Venus and Psyche

I don't like how Venus doesn't offer Psyche any slack at all. She is pregnant and Venus still has her beaten and tortured! I do love that the ants took pity on her and the "six-footed folk" helped Psyche complete her first task given to her by Psyche.

The Third Task

I think it is interesting that to test Psyche's bravery, Venus sent her to the place the gods themselves fear. Venus was obviously setting Psyche up for an ultimate fail and most likely Psyche's death. I love the Eagles bravery to help poor Psyche. He is willing to go to somewhere awful to honor his relationship with Cupid and to protect Cupid's wife.

Jar of Beauty

It is so weird that when Psyche is about to give up on life, something tells her what to do. A thing. I think that I would be very concerned if I heard a tower talking to me. I think it is interesting that part of the challenge sent by Venus is to have Psyche not help others. She is not allowed to help the lame driver or help some women weave. I CANNOT believe that Psyche would be so stupid as to try to use some divine beauty for herself. After all she has been through, you would think she would learn to do as she is told.

The Sleep of the Dead

I am completely shocked that the sleep that was in the vial did not last long. I was expecting Psyche to be out for some time and perhaps make this Beauty and the Beast story combine with Sleeping Beauty. I love that when Cupid asks Jupiter for help Jupiter tells Cupid all the reasons he should not help him. Only to then agree to help him if Cupid can get a beautiful woman for Jupiter.

The Wedding Feast

I cannot believe that this story had a happy ending! I was expecting the baby to be the weird serpent from the prophecy. I am also wondering what happened with the prophecy. I mean I thought that was a big thing with the Greek/Roman stories. The prophecy might not always end up in a way you would expect, but I thought they were still supposed to be dead on. I will also be honest, I forgot about the beginning with the old woman and the girl that was kidnapped. I was kind of confused when it went back into that story.