Week 10 Story: The Girl and Moon

Landscape from Wikimedia

Once upon a time, there was a young girl who wanted to prove herself. Her tribe required that all the young people provide some gift or resource to its people before they could be considered adults. Her own coming of age day was soon arriving, but she had yet to think of what she could contribute to the tribe.

Three nights before she was to show up to the ceremony and bring her contribution, she sat upon a tall hill contemplating the sky. "What could my people possibly need?" she thought out loud to herself. "We are so prosperous already." She locked eyes with the moon while making this consideration when suddenly she felt herself being pulled by something strong. The pressure of the pull was so strong, she felt the need to close her eyes and cross her arms over her body.

When the pressure ceased, she slowly untwined her arms and opened her eyes. She could not believe was she was seeing. The great green plains were no longer in front of her. What she saw instead was a man and his wife, sitting in a pair of rocking chairs. The land around them was grey and rocky, lacking any sign of life.

"Who are you?" she asked cautiously.

"My name is Moon, and this is my wife Sun. You have heard of us, I presume?" he responded calmly.

"Of course, but I never knew you two were anything more than objects in my people's sky. How extraordinary!" She wasn't able to say much more than that in response to their presence.

"Extraordinary indeed," he pondered. "But I did not bring you here for such flattery. You made a wish in your heart. How may I grant it?"

"Well, Moon, I will soon be coming of age. I need a gift for my people, or my ceremony will be delayed. I need some contribution or else my parents will be disappointed, and I will be ostracized," the girl replied in strength.

Moon stared at her before taking his wife's hand and slowly rising from his rocking chair. He strode past the girl and said, "Follow me. I believe I know what we can do for that contribution of yours."

Doing as she was instructed, she followed Moon and Sun. They were each much taller than she had realized, with both being at least six and a half feet. Each also had incredibly long brown hair. She couldn't help but admire them as she walked behind them. She was only a mere five feet tall, and here hair never could seem to grow past her shoulder blades. All too soon, they had reached their destination and the girl came to a halt.

"Here I house a number of unique animals. Pick two for your people, and your contribution will be twice as great. Surely no one could be disappointed then," he said with a smile. He spoke with such a calming and wise voice that the girl was mesmerized.

"Then I will take two animals that could provide us with food, clothing, and fuel. I'd like two highly resourceful animals," she decided in an instant. Even if her tribe was prosperous, there were often times when food just didn't come through and the people went hungry.

"If that is the case, then I will provide you with the deer and the seal. Both are capable of giving you everything you desire." With that, he swept his hand across the sky, and the two animals were brought to him. He touched each animal on the head gently, saying his goodbyes. Suddenly, the deer and seal became figurines. Moon gingerly placed them into a leather pouch. "Here, take this with you. When you are at your ceremony, give this to your parents. They will open the pouch and see the gift you have given them. Once the pouch is opened, the wild will be populated. Tell them of what has happened here and they will believe you."

She took it from Moon's hand and thanked him profusely. Before she could say more than a few words of thanks to Sun as well, she felt another strong pull on her body. This time when she opened her eyes, she was back upon her hill, with miles of grass ahead of her. When she looked in her hand, she saw the pouch and knew all would be well.


Author's note: If you hadn't caught on, this story is heavily based on the story of The Man in the Moon from the legends of British North America. The original recipient of the animals was a man, an Eskimo to be exact. He was taken to the moon of his own free will, with his guardian spirit taking him there. There he met Moon, who was married to Sun and had a dog. The Moon offered the man an animal and a seal, and each dropped down to the Earth once chosen. The original does not seem to have many details, so I added them in. I made the protagonist a teenage girl from some unknown tribe since I am not very educated in the specifics of any one tribe. I also added dialogue! Either way, in each story, people are gifted a deer and a seal by the moon.

Bibliography

The Man in the Moon from Judson's Myths and Legends of British North America

Reading Notes: British North America Unit Part A

Moon from Wikipedia

The Man in the Moon

• The moon has a physical home as if it is a person. House made of deerskins and a walrus's body. The house tries to bite trespassers.
• Sun and Moon are married. Moon is male and Sun is female. Seems sort of switched from the typical convention.
• The Moon has a dog, it is the only dog on the Moon.
• Contains a large plains area with large herds of deer.
• Moon let the man choose an animal to take back to Earth after he danced with the Moon. He chose a deer and a seal.
• This is a story for why the Earth has deer and seals.

Bibliography

The Man in the Moon from Judson's Myths and Legends of British North America

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

Recently, I discovered that Canvas has an app! When OU used to use D2L, I think there was an app, but it was so horrible to use. I am glad to see, however, that the Canvas app is super easy to use. It works really well and I never have to worry that I am missing homework. I have been using it to constantly check my grades and look at any upcoming assignments. Having the app is great for when you are out with friends and you have that oh shit moment where you feel like you forgot to turn something in or read an assignment. This app makes it so you can look right then and there and get it figured out, rather than have to feel anxious all night (or even worse... look at Canvas in your phone's browser....yikes). Anyways, I would totally recommend downloading the Canvas app if you haven't. It has totally changed how I feel about the website in general. Even if you like D2L better, I think it is better to have a good website and good app rather than a great website and horrible app.

Week 9 Story: The Tailless Cat

Tailless cat from Wikimedia

There once was a cat who was known to prowl around a village. No one knew who owned the cat, only that it walked around with an air of importance. The assumption was that this cat belonged to one of the wealthier and more well-off villagers who lived just beyond the hill, but no one had been able to confirm or deny it.

On the other side of the town, further away than even the elite, was a poor widow with her two children. She often did laundry for those who could afford to pay her, but she mostly earned money through foraging. Her daughter and son would often help her by selling off the wild roots and berries in the Townsquare. They also carried laundry to and froe and did any of the shopping that needed to be done. The woman rarely stepped foot into the town if she didn't have to.

Because of her lack of socialization, the woman had never heard of the infamous cat. One day, however, this cat found its way to her doorstep. Whether the cat was lost or sought her out specifically is unknown, but she welcomed the little cat into her cottage without a second thought.

"Why, hello there, little kitty. You're a handsome fella aren't ya?" she cooed while petting behind its ears. "I bet you are just starving. Lucky for you, I just started cooking supper. How does fish sound?"

She was completely enamored by the cat and took quite a liking to it. One could even say that she took this cat to be her new pet. The longer the cat stayed with her, the more affection she felt for it. She started calling it by the name Fella and was always looking for new ways to entertain him.

Her son was also quite fond of the cat, always excited to play around with him when he had the chance. "C'mon Fella, chase the string," he would excitedly tell the cat. He could play with that cat for hours and never be bored.

The woman's daughter, on the other hand, was not quite so fond of the cat. She was jealous that this cat had taken her mother and brother's love and attention away from her. Every hour, every minute, and every second they spent with that cat was another strain on the daughter's nerves. One day, she just couldn't stand it any longer.

"You ugly little cat, I will get you if it is the last thing I do," she whispered to him one evening. "Just you wait. While brother is selling in the town and mother is washing outside, I will get you."

It took a few days, but at last, the daughter was alone with the cat. She pulled a pair of the garden scissors from the table and lunged for it. Unfortunately for her, all she could manage to do was cut the cat's tail off as it ran out the door. When the mother and brother returned to the house, she made up a tale of how Fella was pawing at the door, and as soon as she opened it, he just ran. The two were sad to hear it but moved on with their lives. The daughter was quite happy with herself.

Sometime later, the mother decided to make a rare trip to town. It was there that she met a homeless man who was missing a leg. Taking pity on him, she decided to offer to feed and clothe him. The poor man had never had someone take an interest in him before. He allowed her to spoil him a little and then let her in on a little secret.

"You know," he started slowly. "Once upon a time, I went by the name Fella." This got the woman's attention. She looked at him closely and then burst into tears. She could see the same sparkle in his eyes and she did in her long-lost cat.

"What happened to you? I was so worried! Come back home with me, I am sure my son and daughter would be delighted to see you again," she wailed. At some point, she had starting hugging the man, and he pats her back as she cried.

"I cannot go with you, for it was your daughter who hurt me to start with," he said as he raised the part of his leg that remained. "But for your pure and kind heart, I will offer you a gift. A way to change that little girl of yours into a better person." He handed her a little vial, with gold liquid in it.

From there, she thanked Fella and ran home. She knew she would see him again, but she needed to deal with her daughter. When she walked through the front door of their cottage, she saw her daughter, staring out the back window.

"Here, daughter, I have a gift for you," she said calmly. She placed the vial in her hand and took a step back. She instructed her to drink from it, and the daughter did so. The change was almost immediate. Her skin brightened, her posture straightened, and her smile widened. The potion had done it's magic --she was now just a harmless little girl and all was well.



Author's note:

I based this off of the story of the split-tongued sparrow from the Japanese fairy tales as told by Lang. In this story, a little bird is found by this sweet little man. He takes care of it, but his greedy wife hates the thing. While he is gone one day, she tries to kill the bird, but only manages to slit its tongue. The man ends up meeting this woman one day, and it turns out to be the bird. They have a nice evening, and she offers him a big or small gift. He takes the small one, thinking he can hide it better from his wife. When he gets home, however, she sees it and demands he opens it. It is full of awesome treasures. She becomes angry that her husband didn't take the big gift, so she decides to go get it herself. Inside the big gift, however, was serpents who eat and killed her.

I changed a lot of the basic story, but the premise is still really similar. The major change was that I didn't have the daughter punished in the end, but changed for the better. Killing her would break the mother's heart, so I created a situation where everyone wins. Mother and brother keep their family member and the cat/man can be assured she won't hurt anyone else.

Bibliography

Japanese Fairy Tales retold by Lang

Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales (Lang) Half Unit

Last time,  I read some Japanese Fairy Tales as retold by Ozaki, so this week, I wanted to read some as retold by Lang. I really enjoyed the stories I read last time, so I am eager to read these ones. I decided for my notes this week that I am going to read all the stories, but only take notes on the one I want to rewrite.

The Tale of the Tongue-Cut Sparrow from Wikimedia

The Sparrow with the Split Tongue

• Husband is good-natured and honest
• Wife is greedy and quarrelsome
• Man felt bad for the sparrow being chased by the raven, aided it by beating back the raven
• Sparrow is a scaredy cat
• Woman is jealous that her husband likes the bird more than her
• She tried to kill the bird, but was not successful
• Woman is responsible for splitting the bird's tongue, causing it to fly away from the house
• Man was disappointed in his wife's behavior and went to find the bird, but couldn't find it
• Bird for some reason turns into a fair maiden with a nice little hut and garden
• Bird entertains him all night and gives him a gift, which he chooses from two options
• Wife got mad that he took the small gift over the big one and leaves to get the big one
• Inside the bigger gift was serpants instead, killing her

Bibliography

Japanese Fairy Tales retold by Lang

Learning Challenge: Happiness Jar

Glass Mason Jar from Pixabay

This week, I want to try doing one of the Learn by H.E.A.R.T. challenges. The one I chose is the Happiness Jar! I think this is a cute little idea. I plan to open up this post every day this week and add a new happy thing that has happened to me. If you care or are interested in the things that happen to me every day, check it out. If not, that is fine. This really is something for me anyway!

At the end of the week, I will review the things that have happened to me and reflect on how they made me feel. I have never done this sort of self-reflection, so I expect it is going to be interesting.

Monday: I had dinner with three of my friends, and it was quite fun. The food was good and we laughed a lot. I expected to only eat with one friend, but was happy to see two others tagged along.

Tuesday: I worked out, even though I didn't want to, and it made me feel accomplished.

Wednesday: I got to spend some quality time with my younger sister. We don't spend a ton of time together since we are both always in class.

Week 8 Progress

The End of the Road by Juan

Alberto Garcia Rivera from Flickr

I am a little bit disappointed with my progress so far. I have been slacking a little bit, letting assignments fall here and there. I do have a weekly routine, but it is one that has me doing most of my assignments last minute. Honestly, I don't know if I will change. I have always been this way, and even with proper motivation, I fall back into my old ways within a few weeks time. I do extra credit once in a while, but I am not properly utilizing it at this point.

I am managing to pull a very high B according to the chart. If I do some extra credit over the next couple weeks, I am confident I can pull my grade back up to an A. I need to stop falling to the temptation to do my assignments during the forgiveness period (I have been taking advantage of this far too much recently). I also want to try avoiding having multiple assignments in one night (on Sundays) so that I don't feel the time pressure as much.

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

21 Components of Effective Feedback 

from GrowthMindsetMemes

I chose this image because I felt like it was something that

I needed for my own feedback. I struggle to give feedback,

so hopefully, this will give me a better framework.

So far, I have liked the comments and feedback I have been getting from my peers. I especially appreciate the comments I have gotten on my comment wall for my project. Someone mentioned adding dialogue to my story, for example, which was something I had neglected to even think about. I really appreciated that comment in particular! I also like how random the commenting is, because I get comments from new people all the time.

Personally, my feedback for other people could probably improve. I always talk about the good things on people's post, but I don't really know how constructive these comments are for them. I rarely suggest anything purely because I am scared that I am going to offend them or something. Sometimes I can overcome that fear, but for the most part, giving constructive critisicim is hard. On the other hand, the stories that I read and really really like are super inspiring. So while maybe my feedback isn't that great, I get exposed to some awesome work.

I think in order for my feedback to be better, I need to read more stories that I actually want to read. Reading random stories makes it much harder for me to get into the story.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

Giants Causeway by Amanda Slater

I chose this image because this was my favorite 

place and inspired the topic of my project.

Overall, the assignments so far have been working well for me. The only thing for me is that I am a procrastinator and have been guilty of skipping a few assignments. That is more of a "me" problem than an assignment problem though. 

The readings are interesting and writing the stories isn't too complicated. I am actually pretty proud of my reading notes when I write them, but I don't really look at them later when I go to write my story. The one note-taking strategy that I have grown fond of is to focus on one character in each story. This has helped me figure out how to build characters better in my own stories. I kind of wish I didn't have to read stories from specific units, but I have been exposed to great stories because of the unit requirements, so I have grown to be okay with this.

I have been pretty excited to work on my storybook so far. I am happy with my topic. The only thing is that I am not super confident on my idea of telling it from a spectator's perspective. I think I may need to change things just slightly so it is more interesting to read. I am fond of the giants though.

My biggest accomplishment while in this class so far has been my project. While it isn't finished, it is the piece of homework that I am most excited to work on. Also the feedback I get back on it makes me excited to work on it.

For the future, I just need to work on my own motivation. There isn't really anything I would change about this course.