Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki) Part B

Japanese Fairy Book from Wikimedia

The Goblin of Adachigahara

• The Priest
• Buddhist monk
• Selfless, shown by his travels to pray for blessings and forgiveness
• Seems to be a bit naive, as he entered a cottage that was old and deteriorating and started talking to a stranger
• Doesn't need much, as he is fine with sleeping on the floor
• Seems to be friendly since he was willing to talk with her
• Respects his elders, shown by his willingness to get wood in the old woman's place
• Has some poor willpower, as he looked into her back room despite being told not to
• Realizes the reality of his situation really late
• In good shape since he was able to run away from the Goblin
• Clearly Lucky as well for the same reason

The Ogre of Rashomon

• General Raiko
• Shown to be brave when he attacked Oeyama (where the ogres lived)
• Well-liked since he has a band of followers
• His followers really trust him since they believe his so powerful that he killed every ogre
• Watanabe
• Brave, shown by his willingness to approach a gate that may or may not have an ogre
• Too trusting of his general
• Feels the need to be right, except he was wrong because there was indeed an ogre at the Rashomon Gate
• Good at battle as he fought on fair ground with the ogre, scaring the ogre off
• Anxious and overprotective over the ogre's arm
• Tricked by the old nurse aka the ogre whose arm he cut off
• Ended up convincing the ogre he was super strong and the people saw him as a hero when the ogre never came back

The Story of Princess Hase

• Princess Hase
• Very strong and beautiful girl
• Lost her mother at age 5
• Respectful of her parents, as she listens to her mother's dying wishes in silence
• Good and obedient little princess
• Very patient as she takes the hate of her stepmother quietly
• A smart child and music prodigy
• Unmoved by bad things in her life
• Everyone in her life has high expectations for her, like the Emperor, who expects her poetry to cure illness
• She must actually have some kind of power since the Emperor did indeed get better after reading her poem
• All around her like her (except the stepmother)
• Has a good ending

Bibliography 

Japanese Fairy Tales retold by Ozaki

Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki) Part A

Lord Bag of Rice from Wikimedia

This was lost to the wind, accidentally deleted, gone forever, sorry I'm a dumb kid mom and dad

Uhm! Here is what I remember of what I accidentally deleted.

• There  was the Lord Bag of Rice who was named that because he earned a never-emptying bag of rice for killing a giant centipede for the Dragon King.
• The was this boy who was golden because he was strong. He ended up taking over this little army thing because of how strong he was. He was friends with animals and made them wrestle... he was generous.
• This one well off dude didn't want to die so he asked to be sent to this place where people never die. After three hundred years, though, the man found he didn't like living forever. Turns out it was all a dream to show the man that living forever isn't everything.

Bibliography 

Japanese Fairy Tales retold by Ozaki

Week 6 Story: A Witch's Revenge

Witch from Pixabay

There once was a powerful witch who lived in a cottage on the top of the tallest hill in her village. Not only was she the most powerful witch in the region, the common people all respected her for it. They knew she was of great power and knew not to mess with her. 

Once, her lover tried to manipulate her into granting him all of his desires, but she quickly caught on. She made an example of him, forever searing the vastness of her power into the villagers' minds. She killed him, as well as a number of animals, and displayed his body down in the village square. So while the villagers thought she was magnificent, they also knew she could be terrifying.

The witch did her best to move on from her heartbreak and met a villager who made her swoon. He was chivalrous and valiant. They were to be married and his sister was to help plan the entire engagement. There was another villager, a woman, who was head over heels in love with the man and was very unhappy to hear that this horrible witch was going to steal him from her. 

She devised a devious plan to stop this wedding once and for all. If the witch believed that the man was cheating on her, she would be so upset that she would call off the wedding. This was a simple villager, however, and she failed to see what would happen when she went through with this plan. The witch wouldn't just leave the man, she would destroy him.

When the witch heard the rumors, she was furious. How could she be fooled twice? She knew that this time, she needed to be very clear where she stood and make him a public spectacle. She stormed down to the town square to announce her intentions. What she was not prepared for, though, was that the man's sister would offer to take his place. Confused by this development, the witch saw that she could use this moment to coyly make an example of two people. 

She agreed, and the sister was swiftly locked away in the witches cottage, where she was being prepped for torture. This sister was quite smart and took this opportunity to sweet talk the witch. If she could make the witch fall in love with her, perhaps neither she nor her brother would have to be killed. Each night, she was able to extend her night through clever flirtatious jokes and heartfelt conversations. Over time, the witch realized she could not kill someone she felt so connected to. The sister and the brother lived to tell the story, and the witch had her happy ever after with the girl.

Author's Note: 

So, this is loosely based on Arabian Nights. I used the whole concept of being distracting to get out of death after the person in power feels wronged. I can't really explain why I took this route... the story sort of wrote itself. I'm sorry this author's note is so sad. In the original, the woman tells the Sultan a story every night in order to delay being killed by him.

Bibliography

Arabian Nights translated by Andrew Lang

Reading Notes: Arabian Nights, Half Unit

This unit, I decided to read Arabian Nights. I don't know much about these stories, so this should be fun.

Arabian Nights from Wikimed

• The first chapter, Scheherazade, is told from a third person perspective. The narrator is unclear, but they will be introducing the next narrator, Scheherazade herself.
• Old stories have dramatic consequences for small offenses. Despite the fact that the Sultana has lived a lovely life with her husband, the Sultan, her deception from years ago is leading to her demise. Now other women die at his hands for her deception.
• Scheherazade is an exception to the trend. She forces her father the grand-vizir, to let her marry the Sultan, in order to stop his murderous ways. 
• This is important to the story. Despite the fact that the Sultan has been unyielding so far, something about her has stopped him from strangling her. She is interesting and well-educated. 
• The sister, Dinarzade, is key to Scheherazade's plan working.
• Now, as the next chapter begins, Scheherazade is the narrator, telling her husband and sister stories.
• The parts of the story that are about Scheherazade are italicized. 
• She keeps getting to live because she doesn't finish her story. Now, at the end of this chapter, a character within her story is about to tell another story. Storyception.
• The men are taking turns telling their stories. It worked for the first man, and he was partly pardoned from punishment. If Scheherazade's story is anything like his, then perhaps she will be pardoned at the end of her story.
• She finally finished the Story of the Merchant, but she has convinced the Sultan to keep listening to her. Apparently, the Story of the Fisherman is much more interesting.
• It seems that each time, there are multiple layers of storytelling. This is a bit complex.
• Oh god. Another layer. So many layers. I am so lost.
• I find it interesting that this King is being deceived. The Sultan was also deceived. Nice parallel. In a way, the Sultan's vizir is also tricking him, as the King's is, because he sent his daughter into his chamber with the intentions of stopping his murderous ways.

Bibliography

Arabian Nights translated by Andrew Lang

Reading Notes: Twenty-Two Goblins Part B

Here I am, reading the second half of the Twenty-Two Goblins unit. I am actually quite eager to see which story finally stumps the King and allows him to finally give the monk what he wants. I went ahead and included an image of frustration because that is how I would feel if I were the King. He never grows frustrated, however.

Frustration from Wikimedia

• The first story follows a Brahman who is poisoned and dies. Who is to blame for his death? The King decides it is not the snake, nor the hawk. Not even the people who gave him the food can be blamed. He has no one to blame but himself since he was ungrateful for the food given to him.
• If I were the King, I would grow more and more frustrated everytime the Goblin says "let me tell you another story."
• All these stories are told from a third person perspective.
• At the end of the story of the thief who got the girl, the story makes sure to point out that the King is not discouraged.
• The King is able to laugh with the Goblin, despite the fact that if he gets the answer right again, the goblin is going to disappear.
• "And the king pursued him, undiscouraged. No great man stops in the middle of the hardest undertaking."
• I am a bit surprised that the King was stumped trying to figure out how the people were related to each other.
• I did not expect that the monk would be a rogue. The King did all this work for him, yet he wants to sacrifice him! That just goes to prove that you can't just be nice to everyone.
• All the King wanted with this new power was to spread the twenty-two stories around the world.

Bibliography

Twenty-Two Goblins translated by Arthur Ryder

Reading Notes: Twenty-Two Goblins Part A

I had a hard time choosing between the Arabian Nights Unit and the Twenty-Two Goblins Unit. Both are frametale stories, which I like. I decided to go with Twenty-Two Goblins, however, because I am less familiar with it. I figured I would get more out of it if it was completely new to me. Forgive me, the picture isn't from this story at all (lol).

A Thousand and One Nights by Friedrich Gross

• I must admit... the beginning of this story is rather confusing. 
• The King is portrayed as helpful and kind rather than corrupt, as many stories do with the people in authority.
• When the King cuts down the body, it is possessed by a Goblin, or a demon of sorts. The body then returns to the tree. I don't really know what is happening.
• Now this Goblin possessed body is telling him a story.
• Furthermore, why has this monk waited 12 years to ask the King this obscure favor?
• The premise has now been explained, and I am interested to see how this goes. Based on the title of the story, I am going to guess that it takes 22 stories for the King to be stumped.
• I am finding that this King is quite patient. Personally, I wouldn't keep retrieving this Goblin. His answer to the Three Lovers story was quite nice also. He speaks of the things a father, son, and lover should do for a woman.
• Brave, Wise, Clever is a story about three men who are trying to figure out who should marry this girl, just like the last story. This one involves killing a giant.
• Are all these stories about who should be the woman's husband? Food, Women, Cotton also follows this trend.
• Each section starts with the King returning to the tree to grab the Goblin. Then there is a section cut where the Goblin tells the story. It ends with another section cut where the Goblin asks the King for the right answer.
• Finally, some deviation from who should get the girl.
• Alas, we are back to this theme of who gets the woman.
• The stories are formatted in such a way that they are easy to follow and read. Many small paragraphs rather than one large block of text.

I like this unit. I can't, for the life of me, figure out why this King is so determined to get the goblin to the monk though.

Bibliopgraphy

Twenty-Two Goblins translated by Arthur Ryder

Comment Wall

It's a picture of a wall. Clever eh? Before leaving a comment, check out my storybook Of Giants and Men.

Week 4 Story: The Ladybug and the Wasp

The Tortoise and the Ducks from Wikimedia

There once was a ladybug who rather enjoyed being in the spotlight. In her loveliness of ladybugs, the more spots a female ladybug has, the greater her popularity. This poor ladybug, despite her aspirations for greatness, had hardly any spots at all. All her sisters, on the other hand, had many spots and were able to garner attention from the male ladybugs on a large scale. The received all the marriage proposals and starred in all the great shows in the loveliness of ladybugs. This lack of attention made the ladybug quite upset and led her to doing something drastic in order to obtain more spots.

So as to increase her number of spots, the ladybug decided to go on an adventure. She thought that she could perhaps find someone or something who could help her gather more spots or make it appear that she had. She was crawling along a leaf in the midst of her travels when a wasp zipped along her field of view. The wasp had not yet seen the ladybug, yet she trembled in fear. Wasps were known to prey on ladybugs, and all the ladybugs in her loveliness had warned her not to go out alone on the off chance she met a wasp. She tried to crawl back down the leaf, out of sight, when the wasp spotted her.

"Hello, little ladybug. I see you are all alone. Have you been banished from your loveliness by your fellow ladybugs?" the wasp asked coolly. She darted back and forth quickly, encompassing the little ladybug.

"I have not been banished! I am merely on an adventure to obtain more spots," the frightened ladybug blurted out. She had no methods of escape at this point, and decided to be honest.

"What a coincidence, little ladybug. I just so happen to know a way you can easily have more spots. Would you like to hear of it?" she buzzed with a sweet, yet sour tone to her voice.

Feeling rather cautious, but also curious, the ladybug replied, "If you are willing to share your wisdom, I shall take it."

The devilish wasp was delighted to hear this, and thus told her how she could garner more spots. "Little ladybug, do you see this pointer on my backside? It is just the right size to decorate your body with more spots if I just dip it in a little ink. Would you like me to do this for you? It shall be quick and easy."

The young ladybug knew that wasps were dangerous, but did not know how, so she was ignorant to the lethal nature of that wasp's pointer. Due to this ignorance, she agreed after pondering it for a bit. "If you would be so kind, I'll take up your offer."

From that point, the ladybug was doomed. The wasp did as she offered, but the little ladybug did not end up with more spots. She unfortunately suffered the cruel fate of death, as the wasp stung her repeatedly and promptly ate her remains. Not even in her death did she receive the kind of attention she wanted.

"Foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune".





Author's note: 

I based this little story off of one of Aesop's fables. It is loosely based on the fable "The Tortoise and the Ducks," or more specifically, the moral of that story, which I included at the end of my story. In Aesop's fable, a tortoise wants to be able to leave his home and see the world, but cannot since he is attached to his home (shell). Ducks offer to carry him, but tell him to keep his mouth closed on the stick they use to carry him, or he might fall. One duck compliments him, stirring his vanity and causing him to let go of the stick and fall to his death.

In my story, the lady bug, in a vain attempt at gathering more spots, gives into her curiosity and meets a cruel fate at the hands of the wasp. Therefore, "foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune." Furthermore, I noticed most of the stories from Aesop's Fables were told from the perspectives of animals, so in the same realm, I went with insects.

As a bit of research for this story, I looked up what a group of ladybugs was and saw that it was called a "loveliness," which I found so adorable. On the other hand. I didn't look up if wasps sting their prey. Let's pretend they do for the sake of my story!

Finally, you may have noticed that this reading is quite easy to follow and uses little advanced vocabulary. I purposely wrote it as a child's tale to mimic the writing style from Aesop's Fables. Because it is a story with a moral, it should be easy to understand. Don't trust strangers just because they promise you something you desire!

Bibliography

Aesop's Fables by Winter 

Reading Notes: Aesop (Winter) Half Unit

Yikes, I didn't get to reading yesterday, so today I am going to read half a unit and call it good. I chose from the list of units that are okay for half reading, and chose Aesop (Winter). I decided to take notes on only a few of the many stories inside this reading in order to save time.

The Tortoise and the Hare from Wikimedia

The Wolf and the Kid:

• Right off the bat, I realize that "Kid" is referring to a goat baby or child. 
• A goat child doesn't go home when he is supposed to and gets cornered by a wolf. The goat manages to trick the wolf into playing a tune, which ends up getting him caught by the dogs. Meanwhile, the goat was able to escape.
• "Do not let anything turn you from your purpose."
• I like that this story ended with an explicit statement of what the moral was. 

The Tortoise and the Ducks

• Because this is a child's story, the perspective is quite simple. For example, Tortoise did something and now he feels something as a consequence of that something. It is very easy to follow.
• Because the turtle becomes full of himself due to the flattery of other birds, I fell from a great height and died.
• "Foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune."

The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox

• I believed the chicken was going to be eaten, but he turned out to be sly --even more sly than a fox. 
• Basically, the fox tried to outsmart this chicken and paid a price for it.
• "Those who try to deceive may expect to be paid in their own coin."

The Eagle and the Jackdaw

• A jackdaw tries to imitate an eagle, but it gets him in trouble. Now he has lost his freedom.
• "Do not let your vanity make you overestimate your powers."

The Plane Tree

• "Our best blessings are often the least appreciated."
• Remind me of the giving tree. That's a good one!
• Two people basically trash talk a tree, and the tree talks back.

The Sheep and the Pig

• This story reminds me of the concept of privilege. People are quick to forget their own position and quick to judge others without knowing their position. The sheep think it is silly of the pig to be scared, but they don't realize his fate is very different from their own.
• "It is easy to be brave when there is no danger."

The Lion and the Ass

• In this story, the lion acts like the bigger person because he realizes the Ass is below him
• "Do not resent the remarks of a fool. Ignore them."

The Wolf and his Shadow

• A wolf thinks he is better than a lion because his shadow fooled him into thinking he is bigger than one. He gets attacked by a lion in the end.
• "Do not let your fancy make you forget realities."

The Boys and the Frogs

• In this story, I am again reminded of privilege. Some of the things people enjoy doing can often mean fatal repercussions for others.
• "Always stop to think whether your fun may not be the cause of another's unhappiness."

The Leap at Rhodes

• Basically, a man lies about how far he can jump, but the townsfolk aren't impressed. He can't jump far when asked to prove it.
• "Deeds count, not boasting words."
• Similar to the concept of actions speaking louder than words.

The Wild Boar and the Fox

• The boar recognizes the importance of preparing. It would be unfortunate to be caught in a situation you aren't equipped to handle.
• "Preparedness for war is the best guarantee of peace."

The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox

• The fox takes advantage of the bear and lion beating each other up to snatch the prize.
• "Those who have all the toil do not always get the profit."
• Not everyone who prospers has earned their wealth, on the other side of that wisdom.

The Lion and the Ass

• It is easy to hide behind the facade of the unknown. Just because the ass was able to scare the goats does not mean he is actually scary. The goats are just ignorant.
• "The loud-mouthed boaster does not impress nor frighten those who know him.

The Wolf and the Ass

• Because the wolf tried to fix the ass's thorn, the donkey was able to make his escape. The wolf lost his meal due to him trying to do something he is not familiar with.
• "Stick to your trade."

The Monkey and the Cat

• The monkey tricks the cat into doing the labor of getting him chestnuts by telling her things she wanted to hear. She ended up with no chestnuts and burnt paws because she listened to the compliments of the monkey.
• "The flatterer seeks some benefit at your expense."

Bibliography

Aesop's Fables by Winter 

Feedback Strategies: Why is it so hard to give feedback?

After reading a bit about how to give feedback, I realized I haven't given much good feedback this week. I sort of wish I had done this assignment before doing the blog commenting assignment, but it is too late for that I guess. From here on, I will do better!

Feedback from Max Pixel

First, I read Be a Mirror. In this article, it emphasized that you need to give specific feedback that reflects what is already in whatever you are giving feedback on. You shouldn't comment on things that are missing but rather on things that are present. Also, you need to focus on their process, not their results. This one can be hard because mostly, all we can see is the result. You have to look harder to see the process. The last thing I found important in this article is that you need to be impersonal when it comes to feedback. The thing we are giving feedback on isn't about us, but the person who wrote it.

Second, I read How to Craft Constructive Feedback. This passage is very similar to the other article I read, but it comes with a highly informative graphic about how to construct feedback. Be a witness, be a mirror, be a guide. Observe, describe, suggest. For myself, I find it hard to remember things. Having a visual like this one would really benefit me. I could even turn this into a little mantra so I don't forget, even without the visual.

Honestly, I think giving feedback is going to be tough no matter what. I hate receiving it, so I hate giving it. But I know it is important for this class, so I am going to make a conscious effort to be more constructive from here forward.

Giant Topic Research

This week I decided to further explore the option of a compilation of stories about Giants. I'll be honest, I am mostly doing this one because I already have a story picked out to put in the compilation (the one I love to keep mentioning about Finn McCool and Benandonner). Because I like that story so much, however, I want to continue learning about other giants. I browsed the list of giants on Wikipedia and chose a few stories from there.

Jack the Giant Killer | I chose this story because it is one I am already familiar with. It is an English fairy tale about a man who goes around killing giants. Who would have guessed based on the title? He initially tricks a giant into his death and starts the reap the rewards. Other giants come after him for revenge, but he kills them too. He gains cool things every time he kills a giant and ends up with a nice collection. He even works for King Arthur and ends up marry's a Duke's daughter. Life is good for this giant killer.

Jack and the Beanstalk from Wikimedia

Jack and the Beanstalk | It is merely coincidence that this next one also contains a person named Jack who happens to kill a giant. He steals from the giants after gaining entry to their fortress through a giant Beanstalk. He is poor, so he feels justified taking from them. He does it repeatedly until he is caught and a giant tries to chase him and kill him. Before the giant can take his life, however, he cuts the beanstalk, killing the giant. In my story of this, I want to make it so that there is more giant involvement in the story and that it is much harder for Jack to get away with it. He will still win though because I believe the poor should triumph over the rich.

Pangu | I want to include this story because it is unlike the others. This is the story about the creation of the world from the Chinese perspective. Pangu is a giant who was born from an egg. He does a lot of awesome things like creating the Earth and Yin/Yang. Over a long period of time, the earth gets larger and the sky grows taller. Eventually, Pangu dies and his remains turn into the many things we know of in our world today like the mountains and the trees. This story is different because it is a creation story and it is Chinese. My previous stories have been English or Irish.

I haven't finished my exploration of giant stories, but I like these three specifically. Of course, I can always not use one or two of them. I wish I could just write about every single giant story, but I don't have that kind of time.