Week 10 Essay - ASSESSES STORY

In this week’s reading, I decided to read American Indian tales. I really enjoyed reading the stories in this unit, as I felt a sense of the Indian culture. Living here in Oklahoma, the Indian heritage is very much valued. And to read some of their mythological stories was somewhat interesting.

For this week, I pretty much enjoyed reading almost all of the stories. However, a few stood out to me the most. As you already know by now, for this week’s story telling assignment I decided to retell the story about The son of the evening star. To me this story reminded me a lot of our modern day beauty and the beast. Bell fell in love with the beast despite his odd and ugly appearance, as did Owenee with Osseo. She, unlike her other sisters decided to pick whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She didn’t just settle for the most handsome, strongest; or richest young man. Whilst reading this story, when Osseo finally became beautiful (as granted from his father the evening star), Owenee lost her beauty. It made me think that did he consume all her beauty or was it just a test of their love? I think that it was a test as he stayed with her even when she wasn’t beautiful anymore. And as a reward, they were both given beauty, and all those that were not kind to them became birds and other creatures.

I also enjoyed reading about Lagoo, I think that he was a very wise man. As I would picture most of the native Indians to be at that time.

Collectively, I think that this was a very good reading unit, and I  would recommend it to future students. I think that there was enough information provided about the unit. I also enjoyed the fact that it was not a confusing unit and all the stories were being told by Lagoo. It really helped give the readers a good use of their imagination.

Link : American Indian Tales

The Boy Who Became Beautiful

Owenee, was the most beautiful of nine sisters. These were the daughters of the chief of the land. They were beautiful and angelic looking.  There was no girls in comparable to them. It was now time for them to be wedded to the warriors and princes of the land. And so all of them became brides except for Owenee. She was the youngest of them all, and also the most opinionated.

Each time a young, handsome and wealthy man would ask for her hand in marriage. And each time she would find a fault in them. There was this young man; he claimed to be the son of the evening star. He was short, and very ugly. His name was Osseo. Owenee saw in Osseo what she failed to see in any other man. Her sisters teased her for his ugly appearance. Osseo always prayed to his father, so that he may be blessed with beauty.

One day, they took a trip to watch fireworks in a nearby village. The sisters led the way with their husbands, whilst Owenee and Osseo trailed behind. Somewhere along their journey, they stumbled upon a log, in which all of them managed to leap over. Osseo on the other hand was too short to jump over it.

“I bet you, he can’t get over,” said one of the sisters, “are you going to carry him Owenee”.

“Leave him alone. For he is a kind heart,” replied Owenee.

Owenee hated them teasing her all the time. While the sisters were bickering about Osseo’s strange appearance. Osseo noticed that the log was hollow and it had a huge hole in it. So he crawled through to get to the other side. Upon coming out, Osseo didn’t seem himself anymore. A tall, strong, and handsome man appeared on the other end. There Osseo stood with all the beauty in the world.

The sisters were in awe of his new found beauty. However, Owenee was no longer beautiful. There she stood, old and grey. Her sisters were happy to see this happen to her and laughed. This meant that she would no longer be a competition in terms of her beauty. Osseo on the other hand reassured her that he would love her no matter what. For she loved him, when everyone else failed to.

Author’s note: I chose to write about the The Child of the Evening Star. This story reminded me of beauty and the beast. I kept most of the plot the same. And the characters the same. The story is about a young girl who doesn’t marry the men her father brings her. She falls for the son of the evening star who is ugly. But then when he goes through a log he becomes beautiful. In return Owenee becomes ugly. Eventually, her beauty is restored and everyone else is turned into birds and other creatures.

Link:The child of the Evening

Week 10: Reading Diary - American Indian Fairy Tales

Iagoo, the Story-Teller – Lagoo seems like a really wise old man. Not only is he wise, but he is also a humble character. Hence why the children adore him so much.

Shin-ge-bis Fools the North Wind & Shin-ge-bis Fools the North Wind (cont.) – Ka-bib-on-okka seems like a very fierce and dull character. Could you imagine a world with no green grass or trees? Why would he want the world to be covered in ice anyway? I like the competition between Kab-bib-on-okka and the south wind Sha-won-dasee. Shin-ge-bis is a very positive and brave character. He seemed to not be startled at all despite the fact that Ka-bib-on-okka was coming to turn everything into ice.

I think that the way the Indians counted time i.e. one moon was very clever, as you can imagine there was no clocks back then. The north wind definitely met his match. The fact that Shin-ge-bis was not afraid of the north wind helped him overcome him.

The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds & The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds (cont.) - I am glad Morning Glory asked the question about the existence of the mountains. The story about the hill that grew and grew, taking the little girl and the boy into the clouds. Reminds me a lot of Jack and the bean stalk. The world he describes in this story sounds like such a beautiful time and place to live. I think that as time went on us humans have complicated things. The coyote is very clever and had amazing senses. This story is a classic example not to underestimate anyone, no matter how big or small. How big the task he accomplished and tiny he was led for the mountain to be named after him “Tu-tok-a-nu-la”.

The Child of the Evening Star & The Child of the Evening Star (cont. End) – In every family there is that one person that is more opinionated than everyone else. Or that someone that breaks tradition. In this case Owenee is the daughter that is hardest to please, hence why she didn’t get married like her other sisters. I think that as the youngest sister she was also the wisest, as she did not fall for mere beauty. But, in fact is looking for beauty from within. I think that this is very important in any relationship.

This story reminds me of beauty and the beast. As Owenee loved Osseo that was dark and evil but possessed the most beautiful heart. It is almost as if he Osseo took all of Owenee beauty when he crawled inside the log. He came out beautiful whilst she became ugly.

The love they have for each other is deep and pure as they do not care of their outside appearance as did the nine sisters. This story also reminds me a little of Cinderella as her sisters were happy that she is no longer a competition in terms of beauty for them. I am also glad that Osseo finally got a response out of his father – the evening star.

The Boy who Snared the Sun, The Boy who Snared the Sun (cont.) &The Boy who Snared the Sun (end) – I can imagine a world where people ate the berries and the vegetation of the earth. Instead of meat. Maybe that’s why people were a lot healthier than we are today. Wow, could you imagine a world with more animals than humans. My thought right now are, were the little girl and boy not scared being the only humans amongst all those huge animals? This story reminds me of Hansel and Gretel.Gretel was over protective of her brother as is the little girl in this story. If I was alone on the earth, I think that I would be just as curious as the little boy was to look for more people. I don’t understand why the little boy felt that he had to catch the sun. I like the concept of how the door mouse became small in this story. I think the     coyote set him up.

How the Summer Came, How the Summer Came (cont.) & How the Summer Came (end) – Could you imagine living in a place where summer never came. Personally I like the winter better. But a change of season is always great – gives you something to look forward to. I like the creativity used in this story as before it became cold. There was a crack in the sky which leaked warmth. When this crack became noticed they mended it. Therefore, it was to remain cold on earth. The love of a parent it so large, that O-jeej was willing to do this for his son, knowing that it was a dangerous task. I like the concept in this story of spring, summer, and autumn being trapped in the sky. But it was sad that O-jeej remained trapped in the sky, again on the bright side he son will always be able to look up and find his father.

The Fairy Bride & The Fairy Bride (cont.) – When I think of fairies I think of happy little things. In this story however, they are rather mischievous taking things from people. In most stories when people wonder, they are deep thinker. They never fall in with the norm, but rather chose their own destiny. As Neen-i-zu did not want to marry the hunter her mother wants her to marry. This changed her character as she was no longer happy. It was sort of like an arrange marriage. Neen-i-zu reminds me a lot of Owenee in the previous story.

Link: American Indian Fairy Tales Unit

Week 9: Essay - Assesses Reading Unit.

For this week’s reading unit I decided to read Native American heroes tales unit. Overall, I thought that this was a really good reading unit and I enjoyed reading about the different American Mythology. Being someone that prefers realistic story lines, I felt that this unit had a lot of that as well as the little imagination and adventure where needed.  The stories in this unit were a lot different to the ones I read in previous weeks. As the class progresses I have come to know that each genre or culture have different ways of telling mythical stories. Therefore, reading a diversity of stories from different parts of the world has definitely been an eye opener. One thing that I thought was really helpful reading this unit, was the fact that it didn’t have too many stories but rather a few stories that were short and sweet.

In this week’s story telling assignment I decided to write about my favorite story in the unit – Lodge-Boy and Thrown-Away. This story stood out to me the most as I liked the fact that the twin boys weren’t dead and that they went on to grow up in two completely different places. But in the end they found each other and were reunited as a family. I also enjoyed the fact that whenever they were warned by their father not to do something. They would still go and do it but made sure they conquered every obstacle. To me this story showed their brotherhood and closeness and it reminded me a lot of my childhood growing up with my brothers and sisters.

I also enjoyed reading about the jealous uncle. I felt that this story reminded me a lot of the time of Moses and the Pharaoh. When the pharaoh wanted rid of all the boys that were born in Egypt but Moses being the only one to survive.
My least favorite was The Son-In-Law-Tests. I can’t really pinpoint why I did not enjoy this story. But it was definitely the least appealing. I didn’t quite understand the concept as to why the father did not want his daughter to be happily married. Overall, I thought that this was a very enjoyable reading unit.


                                        

                                                       (Grouse. One of the characters in the Bluejay and his companions story)

Link: Native American Hero Tales Unit

Week 9: Story Telling - Thrown-behind-the-curtain and Thrown-into-the-river

Once upon a time in a land far far away, there lived a man named Kowasa. Kowasa lived with his wife who at the time was pregnant with twin boys. In the land they lived there lived an evil witch. This witch hated anyone that was happier than her, so she took away their gift. 

One day when Kowasa went away to work she paid a visit to his wife and knocked her down then ripping open her belly and took out the twins. She threw one behind the curtain and the other she threw in the river.Kowasa came home that evening tired after a long days work.

 “Honey I’m home. I am starving could you fry this fish that I caught from the river?” asked Kowasa. But he got no reply. He then walked over to his wife that appeared as if she was just sitting there smiling but in fact she was dead.

Many weeks had passed and Kowasa came home to a lonely house and ate dinner on his own, until one day he heard a voice “May I eat with you?” said the voice. Kowasa looked around and heard that it was coming from behind the curtain.

 “Reveal yourself” Kowasa called. And there stood his son and they ate dinner together. His son explained what had happened and so Kowasa called him Thrown-behind-the-curtain.

Thrown-behind-the-curtain often visited the river where he played with a young boy of the same age. One day Kowasa came looking for his son and saw that he was playing with a boy. When Thrown-behind-the-curtain came home that evening Kowasa had asked him who that boy was and if he would like to stay with them. But Thrown-behind-the-curtain had told his father that he did not like to play with others as he lived in the river. “Bring him home one day” said Kowasa.

“He will not come out to play if he sees you” replied Thrown-behind-the-curtain.

“I shall hide” said Kowasa.

And so the next day he set off to play with the boy. When the boy saw that he was being watched he climbed the wall where Kowasa sat and tried to bite him with his otter appearing sharp teeth. But before he could do it Kowasa had broken off his teeth and they took the boy home.

Later that evening when they sat for dinner the boy had explained what had happened to him and so Kowasa knew that it was his other son and decided to name him Thrown-into-the-river. The two boys grew up to be brave conquering all the most dangerous obstacles and eventually killing the witch that cast a spell on their mother which caused her to sleep for many years. Their mother had awoken from the spell and they lived happily ever after.

                                           

                                                             (Crow horsemen, photo by E. Curtis)

Author’s Note: I decided to retell the story of the Lodge-boy and thrown-away. I enjoyed reading this story the most. I kept the plot of the story the same but I changed up the names of the characters.  The original story is about two boys that were thrown away by an evil witch before birth. When their father found them to be alive, he took them both into care and they went on to go through dangerous adventures which the father had told them not to. But each time they went they would come back victorious. In the end their mother is bought back from the dead and so the story ends.

Link : Lodge-boy and Thrown-away

Bibliography: Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929). 

Week 9: Reading Dairy - Native American Heroes Tales unit

The Jealous Uncle & The Jealous uncle (Continu) – This story about unnatural and the boys reminds me of Moses and the pharaoh because this uncle killed all his male nephews as the pharaoh had ordered to the people of his land. I think it is sad that the uncle still wanted to kill his nephew knowing that he bought him back some wood. I also think it is quite stupid of the boy to trust his uncle knowing that he killed his brother before him. I think it is pretty awesome that he stumbled upon the eagle people and their ability to turn into eagles and humans. I am glad he got revenge for his parents after the cruelty of his uncle.

Bluejay and His Companions – I think that Bluejay is a very bad a selfish friend – poor Grouse. I think that there are a lot of cunning characters in this book. I think Bluejay had a good set of companions they were victorious in every challenge they had to face. Bluejay even lied to his companions about having tamanous to give to them. In the end they learnt their lesson giving grouse the fattest seal.

Dug- From- Ground – this is a classic example of doing the things we aren’t supposed to. What is it that they say “curiosity killed the cat.” I think that it is sad that his mother will not look at him. When thy boy grew up he grew up to be a very fine and strong young man.

The Attack on the Giant Elk and the Great Eagle & (contin) – This story reminds me of some of the Greek myths. I think that is creative that jonayaiyin and the animals can communicate. And why is it that all the animals wants the Elk dead also? I like how they used the ploughing of the Elk to portray how the mountains today were formed. It was kind of jonayaiyin not killing the eaglets but he killed the mother which is quite sad. It was quite unfair for the bat to lose her feathers after she helped Jonayaiyin.

         (Elk. Source : The Attack on the Giant Elk and the Great Eagle By Jicarilla Apache, 1929)

Lodge-Boy and Thrown-Away – How could red woman be so evil in killing a woman and taking out her babies. I am glad to know that the two twin boys are alive. The fact that one of the twin boys lives in the springs and has sharp teeth like otters show that he had adapted to his living conditions, sort of like the jungle book or the boy that grew up with the wolves. I was glad to read that the mother was bought back to life. Thrown in the springs and Thrown-behind the curtain are to brave boys, as children they always do what their father tells them not to. I guess the boys grew up to be heroes.

The Son-in-Law Tests – This was a really loyal wife as she made sure to protect her husband from Wemicus because he had killed all her other husbands. I didn't really enjoy this story.

The Jealous Father – Aioswe is a crazy character I think by actually thinking that his son was intimate with one of his wives just because he had seen some marks on her. Aioswe’s son is very selfish as Walrus is just trying to help him but in order for the son to reach his goal he is lying to him about everything in fear that he may be deserted. As a result Walrus died because Aioswe sent lightening to strike him. He was actually very clever making the witches that were sent to kill him to kill each other. He got revenge on his father and he and his mother lived happily ever after. I think this is one of the nicest stories so far in this unit.

Dirty Boy – I like the concept of sun and star coming down to earth and pretending to be humans. I also like the fact the grandmother (star) was rooting for her grandson as he was the one that shot the eagle not wolf. Even though dirty-boy/ Sun was sick and not good looking the younger sister still went and agreed to marry him and in return she got a handsome prince.

Source :Native American Heroes Tales Unit

Bibliography : Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929).

Week 8: Blogger Template TechTip

I have chosen to choose the simple layout for my template. I think it is simple and it complements the reading choices that I have made so far. I have never blogged before so this is entirely new to me. I would say it is somewhat fun experimenting.

Week 8 : Reading diary

Looking back at my blog I feel like I have come a very long way. First and foremost I have never written a blog before in my entire life so starting a blog was something really interesting and new to me. It was definitely some great to learn. Also I am not a story book reader but instead I enjoy watching movies with an interesting story line in particular mythical movies (which yes, this class is based on). I definitely feel like this class has helped me widen my horizon in terms of the style of reading material given. And it has helped me tap into my imagination allowing me to recreate great my myth-folklore stories told.

I think the reading dairies are a very useful tool in this class. Yes, some may say that they are time consuming especially whilst balancing it with other classes. But I really believe that they are very useful in the sense that it provides me with a brief summary of what I have written helping me incorporate my thoughts with the story telling part of the reading week. This is also useful as with the reading dairy at hand you do not need to go back referring to your original source for ideas as you have already jotted down your thoughts whilst reading.

I think that my blog is coming along great and the use of images and links for each unit is also helpful. By having us read our fellow class mates stories each week it helps make your decision of possible reading units you may or may not be interested in so I think that’s a plus for this class. I also really appreciate the encouragement of reading out loud after writing, as it proves to be a useful tip in helping correct minor errors that you may not catch when reading in your head.

So far I think the course structure is really well put and a very enjoyable class.

Week 7: Essay - ASSESS THE READING UNIT

This week I read about African stories from Lang’s fairy tale book. I thought that this week’s reading was quite interesting. To be honest it was not my favorite but I enjoyed it more than last week’s reading. I enjoy reading books that have a variety of different story topic incorporated into it making it one. As I believe that it really helps keep the readers focus – well at least mine. The fact that it had a series of short stories allowed me to pick one and retell it in my own words.

A few of my favorite stories were The heart of the monkey as you can tell as I have chosen to retell it in this week’s story telling task. I loved the character of the monkey and how wise he was in preventing himself from giving the sultan his heart.. I also really enjoyed reading about the washermans donkey. One thing that stood out to me the most about this story is the reason why the donkey was tricked by the hare twice. I think it is rather intriguing how they use the heart to be the tool for thought and it being the reason she came back twice believing the hare, when I would assume that it would be your brain that is the deciding tool. I guess different cultures assume that different things are used to help make decisions and I’m guessing in this case because the donkey didn’t have a heart she made the same mistake twice. Finally my third favorite was the story of Makoma, whilst reading this story I felt like I was reading the African version of the story of Hercules. As Makoma too went on a mission conquering different obstacles making him the undefeated one as did Hercules with the twelve obstacles. And in the end Makoma being made a God as was Hercules (half mortal half god).

Collectively this was a really good reading unit, and I would also say it was a an easy read with a good flow to it.

Link: African Stories from Lang's fairy tale book

Week 7- Story Telling: The Monkey With No Heart

Far far away somewhere in the continent of Africa lived there lived a monkey named Monkey. Every day at sun rise he would arise from his resting place and hang from tree to tree picking all the yummiest and most ripest tropical fruits. Until one day whilst eating a guava fruit he heard someone say “Hey, Good morning my friend”. 

“Who is that” said Monkey observing his surroundings. 

“Down here, it’s me” replied the voice, coming from the swishing waves. Monkey looked down and there was a shark peering his head from the ocean, “Care to share some of that fruit with an old friend from the ocean” said the shark. 

“Sure, which kind would you like” said the monkey enthusiastically. 

“I guess I will have whatever it is you have to offer. If only we could have a variety like this from the ocean” Explained the Shark. 

So Monkey picked off plenty of fruits from the trees feeding the shark. Surprisingly there was still many more to last them for days.  The Shark filled up his stomach till he was content “ same time tomorrow” He shouted, swimming off. 

Every morning Monkey and shark would meet up at the same spot to have breakfast together. As time went on they grew a friendship closer than no other. Until one day during breakfast monkey asked “ I wonder what lies in the ocean. Oh how I would love to explore it” 

“ It’s nothing but water, creatures of the sea and large mountains. I can take you on a ride if you like” said the shark. 

“Well no. If ever I got wet I would become ever so sick” said the monkey disappointed. 

“Well no, you may ride on my back and explore the wonders of the sea” said the  shark. 

“Ghee, you are ever so kind” said the monkey.

So the monkey jumped on the Sharks back and they both set off on a what was supposed to be a great adventure. As they went on the shark had told the monkey that there was a sultan from his village that was ill and the only cure would be a monkeys heart. This remained uneasy with the monkey and so he had to conjure up a plan. 

“My dear friend, I would be more than happy to give the sultan my heart. However when monkeys leave their homes it is a must that we hang our hearts above our homes” 

“Oh dear” said the shark “ I was hoping maybe I could be rewarded with all the tropical fruits Africa has to offer if I bring a monkeys heart to the sultan” 

“You must take me back home at once, so we may get you your reward” said Monkey. And so they set off back in the ocean returning Monkey to his home. Days had passed and the shark would return hoping monkey would give him the heart, but instead shark was never to see Monkey again. 

(The Heart of a monkey)

Authors Note: I really enjoyed this story. I kept the plot of the story the same as the original story as it was my favorite in this week’s reading. The original story is also about a shark and monkey who become friends and they end up sharing breakfast every morning. One day the monkey and shark set off in a journey at sea when the shark informs him of a sultan that needs a monkey’s heart. The monkey therefore then tricks the shark into taking him back by saying he left his heart at home. But then he goes on to tell the shark about the story of the donkey that had no heart. I did however make a few changes.

Link: The heart of a monkey

Bibliography: The Lilac Fairy Book by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1910).