Reading Notes: English Tales-Part A

Bibliography:

English Tales: English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, published in 1890

Fighting Sisters

For my reading notes this week it was one story that really stood out to me. While I enjoyed all of them, most of them are very similar to famous tales or stories we have read for this class already. 

I really liked the story of the fighting sisters, Binnorie. I'm not sure why this story is the one that stood out to me, but I think writing a spin off this particular story would be great fun. Scorned sister because the prettier sister got the man. I'm sure this premise of many movies and many novels but I think I will really enjoy writing a story about this particular tale.

Storytelling: A Boy Has No Father

Author's Note:

I wanted to write this story of a little boy who has an absent father to represent Hiawatha from, "The Song of Hiawatha", an epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that was published in 1855. While I didn't want to recount the adventures of Hiawatha word for word, I did want to capture his spirit in my story of a little boy who lives with his grandmother because his Father doesn't want to care for him and his mother has passed away. 

"By the shores of Gitche Gumee,By the shining Big-Sea-Water,

Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,

Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.

Dark behind it rose the forest,

Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,

Rose the firs with cones upon them;

Bright before it beat the water,

Beat the clear and sunny water,

Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water."

The Song of Hiawatha

"Okay, little one, time to sleep. We can finish the rest of the story tomorrow." Naomi said to her grandson. 

"But, Granny, this story is my favorite. Can't we read just a little more?" Henry whined at his grandmother. 

"Hiawatha can wait, your sleep cannot, my little man." she smiled at him. 

Henry settle further down into the bed, "Do you think I am like Hiawatha?" 

"Full of adventure and hard to keep track of? Absolutely, my little Indian. Now sleep." Naomi said. 

Little Henry had lived with his grandmother for as long as he could remember. His mother had died of a broken heart when he was just a baby and his "father" has never had much use for the boy. So it was, Naomi took the child in and attempted to raise him as much joy and adventure she possibly could. At the age of ten now, Henry was so hard to keep track of around the town. Perhaps she had raised him with too much adventure? Is that possible for a little boy?

Henry woke ready to face the day. 

"GRANNY!" he screamed down the stairs, "I am going off to the pond." 

"Wait, wait, have you eaten?" Naomi called to him, "I'm making pancakes."

"I'll just shove them in my pocket! I have to go! The fish are waiting." Henry said as he stuffed his breakfast into his fishing backpack. 

Henry set off through the trees to get to his favorite fishing spot. Along the way he stopped to climb several trees. As he scurried up the branches, he often would stop and pretend to be shooting arrows at the ground below. He was hunting, just like Hiawatha. 

"Some day" Henry thought to himself, "I'm going to grow up and become a great man just like Hiawatha." He leapt from the tree and took off running. He was the fastest boy in town, all the boys were jealous because he could run faster, climb higher, and catch more fish than any of them. 

Henry had no fear and would often do things, like jump from the highest branches, that terrified his grandmother. He also had no fear when it came to his opinions and expressing them. 

It is because of this, that after he had been fishing and caught his dinner, he walked westward to town so that he could get an ice cream float from the diner. 

"I have the fastest son in the county." He over heard a man say, "He catches the most fish and can out climb any boy in town." 

"What's his name?" the diner owner asked, "Cause the only kid I know around here like that is Henry." 

"HENRY! That's his name. That's my boy." the strange man replied. 

Henry overheard this conversation and it greatly angered him. He knew his father had abandoned him and left him with his grandmother as a baby. Everyone around town talked about it and how sorry they felt for old Naomi. 

"Excuse me" Henry said to the man, "I don't know who you think you are, but my name is Henry and you have no right to be bragging about me." 

"Henry!" the man cried, "I'm you father, aren't you excited to see me?" 

"I have no father. I will thank you not to talk about me like you know me." Henry scowled at the man. 

Henry grabbed his ice cream float and took off to his home. 

By the time he arrived his grandmother had already heard of his encounter at the diner and she could not be more proud of him. 

"Hello, Henry, how many did you catch for dinner today?" she asked him.

"Ten, I thought we could have some with breakfast tomorrow too." He smiled at her. 

"I do hope you left some for everyone else!" She laughed. "Go wash up, it will be ready when you get back down stairs."

They sat down to dinner and Naomi listened to all his big adventures from the day. She worried so much about this little boy, but he clearly could manage to take care of himself. He really was something special. 

She smiled as she thought of his bright future. The beautiful wife he would have and they fun he would have raising a boy of his own. 

"Granny, can we read now?" Henry begged, "Can we please read Hiawatha?"

"Of course, little one" Naimo said, 

"And thus sailed my HiawathaDown the rushing Taquamenaw,

Sailed through all its bends and windings,

Sailed through all its deeps and shallows,

While his friend, the strong man, Kwasind,

Swam the deeps, the shallows waded."

Henry fell asleep that night and dreamed of becoming a brave, big man who had many adventures. He dreamed of sailing on the great rivers and hunting the bison. He dreamed of climbing the tallest mountain. He dreamed of being just like Hiawatha. 

 

Remington Hiawatha

Reading Notes: The Song of Hiawatha-Part A

Bibliography:

The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Hiawatha's Departure 

As a child I had a cassette tape that played the song of Hiawatha and I remember listening to it endlessly and loving the way it sounded more like a song than a poem.  After reading it again for this course I was struck with the same sense, this poem flows and reads beautifully. I wish I could write a story to reflect that but sadly, I'm horrible at poems. 

I want to portray the family aspect of Hiawatha. I love his interactions with Nokomis as a child. I also love that he faces off with his absent father. I have one of those myself, so I can relate to his feelings and may attempt to incorporate that into my story. 

What I really intend to do is use the beauty of the language and descriptions to write my own story. 

Storytelling: The Roaming Bison

Author's Note:

Apache stories from Jicarilla Apache of New Mexico, collected and translated by P. E. Goddard. I took my inspiration from my story from the use of animals and adventure in the Apache stories. I really liked the use of the coyote and the bison but also enjoyed the tricks and bravery of 

Naiyenesgani. I just wanted my story to combine my favorites parts of these tales. I hope you enjoy! 

Brison the Bison

"Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam"

"BRISON, SHUT UP!" Connor the coyote yelled. "We have been traveling for days and I am sick of hearing you sing that stupid song. You're a BISON, not a buffalo. It doesn't matter that you're roaming. The song isn't about you." 

"You're just jealous there isn't a song about you roaming the country." Brison responded. "Besides, we have been wondering around with these magical arrows and I'm just getting a little bored."

Brison and Connor had been wondering the country for weeks now because Brison had a gift. He was magic. He could "see" people and need and would make something that would help them through whatever troubles they were having. This time is was a tribe in the wasteland fighting a big chief. Brison was convinced they needed these magic arrows he had made out the ancient oak and his fur to defeat the big chief. So, off he and his best friend went to find the Keanow tribe. 

While Connor thought Brison's antics were a little crazy at times, things always worked out the way he saw them in his vision. 

There was that time Brison insisted he had to travel North to where it was cold to save a tribe form freezing in the winter. Connor always traveled with his friend partly because he worried but also because he loved seeing the amazing things his friend could accomplish. When they traveled north and reached the tribe Brison handed them part of his fur and it immediately began to multiply as it was passed from person to person. The tribe had been unable to hunt for food and fur because the winter had come very early that year. Connor was in awe of his wonderful friend and he loved their travels together. 

Along their way to wasteland they friends became bored and would often play pranks on one another. Connor would often hide in various places and jump out to scare Brison when he was supposed to be hunting for their dinner. One time, Brison used his gift to make rocks look like meat and Connor tried to a big bite and was sadly disappointed when it wasn't the juicy steak he hoped he was having for dinner. 

Finally, they arrived in the wasteland and found the Keanow tribe. They were a poor beaten down people because the bad chief. It was time for them to rise up and fight for their freedom so the bad chief could not take their food any longer. 

"People, my name is Brison and I have traveled with my friend Connor to help you fight the bad chief." Brison began, "I have made these arrows from the old tree and my magical fur. Whenever they are used, they will fly true and strike down your enemies. Please use them wisely as they will only work once and then they will be gone." 

A boy named Naga came forward, he was the best hunter in the tribe, "I will take the arrows. I know where to find the bad chief." 

Naga, Brison, and Connor set off to find the bad chief in the wasteland. Once he was found the cave where the bad chief and his men where staying, Brison told Naga, "If you can sneak up to the mouth of the cave and fire the arrow it will find the chief."

Naga began to climb down into to the mouth of the cave when he reach the cave floor just at the opening he let the arrow fly. 

The people of the Keanow tribe rejoiced and threw a great feast. Brison and Connor were happy to have helped another tribe. They could not wait for their next adventure. 

Reading Notes: Apache-Part B

Bibliography: 

Jicarilla Apache of New Mexico, collected and translated by P. E. Goddard

American Bison

My favorite part of reading these stories has been the adventure aspect and the use of the buffalo. Several of the stories revolved around the buffalo and it makes me want to write a story an adventurous bison out to help people. 

I say out to help people because that seems to happen a lot in these Apache stories. They are either warring with someone or trying to help them. I prefer the hero aspect. I also like the use of all the animals in these stories as well. Similar to the Chinese tales I read previously. 

My story inspiration will for sure be the bison and his adventures. I will incorporate some fun other animals and people (from the stories) to meet while he roams. 

Reading Notes: Apache-Part A

Bibliography

Jicarilla Apache of New Mexico, collected and translated by P. E. Goddard

Hoop Dance

While these stories were probably the most difficult for me to read I did find them interesting. 

I liked that the hero of the story was helpful but also a trickster. He was just a hero, he was also fun. 

The use of hoops and the number four was a common theme in the stories. I would like to do more research on why four is such an important number to Apache stories. The hoops appear to be for playing but they are featured prominently. 

Unlike most of the stories we have read previously, these do not all have a happy ending with a beautiful wife and the animals are not good. In so many of the stories read earlier in the class the animals have been mostly wise and helpful. In the Apache stories, they are killing humans and causing problems. It was a nice change of pace. 

Week 8: Growth Mindset

This class plays on a lot of my strengths but also several my weakness and I use this course to work on improving all skills.

I have always been a perfectionist when it came to school and work, but this class has really pushed me outside of my comfort zone into a more creative mindset. It has tested a lot of writing boundaries for me and even made me uncomfortable at times. I am a technical perfectionist and being allowed to write in such a free manner has been difficult for me but given me a great chance to grow in my writings.

Trying new things is something else I have struggled with because I prefer to stick with things I know. This course has opened up my reading and writing to new stories and ideas that I wasn't sure I would enjoy.

Due to the fact I work full time I have really had to focus on doing work at the last minute in this class which is something I always struggled with in my earlier years of college. Thankfully, I have grown over the years and continue to learn to improve my time management.

I am really looking forward to reading new challenges and further developing my ability to write in a more free form and creative way. I hope to challenge myself further by pushing my knowledge of mythology and lore and reading stories that I have never learned of before this class.

Just Try!

Week 8 Reflections

The readings and writings for class have expanded my creativity further than I ever imagined. I have never fancied myself a creative writer, I always preferred strictly research writing (probably why I love history) but this class has inspired the courage to explore the other side of writing.

I really love the stories I have been choosing to read and plan to continue my expansion in mythology in folklore. I am already very familiar with classical mythology but I have greatly enjoyed learning about new tales. It is my hope to continue reading stores that are not familiar to me so that I can learn more about my passions. My favorite story so far is Cupid and Psyche, it is such a romantic tale of tragic love.

It was hard for me to imagine a time where I would enjoy writing stories but this class had made me enjoy this style of writing. There is a constant enjoyment in seeing what new angle I can take on an old tale. I would like to continue to pursue this new creative side and come up with more fantastical stories.

I hope I have been doing a good job giving feedback but mostly I just love seeing how amazing the other classmates are in their writings. Every story is so unique in it's own way and I enjoy reading everyone's work. I would like to be better at giving specific feedback. Sometimes I am so caught up in the fun of the story that I gloss over the things that probably need some attention.

Creative Writing

Story: The Lucky Fox

Author's Note:

I wrote this story based on several aspects of Chinese Fairy Tails-source:mThe Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921). I really enjoyed several themes from these tales and decided to incorporate them into one story about a clever fox. Fortune, Luck, Happiness and the use of animals are the points I opted to use in my own story. 

The Clever Fox

Story:

I woke up today and decided, "Fernley", I thought to myself, "today you must go out and find your luck." 

See, it had been so long since anything good happened to me. I was a talking fox, yet there was nothing for me! I lived in a hovel in the ground constantly running from hunters who think my pelt would be worth a lot of money because I can talk. There was no money left in my family, it had all spent while running and now I was poor and alone. 

So it was, I left my hovel and began walking. I climbed over mountains and swam rivers, I stopped at little villages along the way and worked a bit for food and shelter. I was forced to run many times from men who would try to take my skin but in all these adventures I did not find my luck. 

One morning I was walking along in the forest and ran into a very frightening animal, the panther. He was large and scary and I tried to run, but he caught me. 

"I heard you singing to yourself and knew I had to talk to you" the panther said to me. "I thought I was the only animal left who could talk and I was so excited to speak to you."

"YOU CAN TALK?!" I yelled, what great luck, another animal who could talk. I was so excited. 

"Yes, I can talk. I am so happy to meet you. What are you doing running around the forrest. It is very dangerous for talking animals." the panther said to me. 

"I am in search of my luck and fortune. My family was forced into hiding and lost their money." I told him. 

"The same thing has happened to me, would you mind if I accompanied you in your search for luck and fortune?" he asked. 

"That would be wonderful" I told him. 

So off we went in our quest. We crossed over the great mountain and when we made it to the other side we found a small town. 

In this town there were animals everywhere and they were all walking like humans, working, and carrying on conversations. 

We were not the last of the talking animals! There was much celebration when we arrived in the village and a great parade was arranged for they celebrated every new comer to the village. They all had traversed through great trials to arrive in safety, they understood the struggle of getting to safety. 

At the feast that evening I looked down the table and spotted the most lovely pair of brown eyes I had every seen. She was beautiful. I went over to speak with her, "Hello, I am Fernley."

"My name is Yùnqì. I am so happy you made it to our village."

I had always dreamed my luck and fortune would come with money and fame but instead it came with beautiful eyes and a new place to call home. All my dreams were fulfilled and my fortune changed from that day forward. 

Reading Notes: Chinese Fairy Tales-Part B

Bibliography:

Chinese Fairy Tales Story sources:The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).

                                                                     The Lucky Fox

The main themes continued in these stories as the previous half. Luck, Fortune, and misfortune are themes that are very prevalent in the Chinese fairy tales. 

I really like the use of animals, especially the foxes. I want to write my story about a magical fox searching for luck. 

Magic and sorcerers were another main character in the stories and I think using magic in my story will also be fun. 

Reading Notes: Chinese Fairy Tales-Part A

Bibliography: 

Chinese Fairy Tales- The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921)

                                           The Seven Lucky Gods by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

The theme that struck me the most in this series of stories was their use of luck and fortune. It is clearly a big part of Chinese tales, and because of that it seems necessary to use it in my own story. 

I personally really enjoyed the story of the Panther and the little girls because it reminded me of Red Riding hood and it would be fun to further play with that story. 

I also liked the story of the dad leaving his girls in the wilderness, they killed the fox and wolf to become people of great wealth. There is a lot of unique attributes to these stories that will allow for a great creative story.