Week 6 Storytelling: The Beast of the Man

Once upon time, there was a large family in a small quaint town. There lived a father, mother, and seven daughters. The father was a selfish man whereas his wife was as selfless as can be. One evening, the father stumbled upon seven wild duck eggs, but he hid them from his family because his greed knew no bounds.

During the next morning, his wife happened to find his hidden eggs and cooked them for their seven daughters as their hungry was vast and their wallet thin. After being fed, the girls napped and the wife set about her daily chores.

Alas, their father woke and upon finding his eggs eaten, he called for his wife.

“Where did my eggs go?” He demanded.

“Why, I fed them to the girls, darling. They were so very hungry,” responded his loving wife.

Furious that he was unable to enjoy the fruit of his findings, he woke the sleeping girls with a roar of anger, demanding they get dressed and hurry outside to meet him. After standing on the porch for some time, only the smallest and youngest two girls arrived at the front.

“Where are your sisters?” The Father asked angrily.

“They told us they would not come,” replied the youngest.

“Well then we will go to grandmother’s house together.”

Thus, he took the two youngest girls and drove them to the mountains, but it was not grandmother’s house they arrived at. Instead, he dropped the girls off by the roadside and went on his way. Abandoned, the girls set out to look for shelter.

Further in the mountains was a cave with light inside. The light shined off the treasures they found there, jewels and stones of every kind known to man. The two girls stared in awe at the glimmering wonders before them and exhausted from their journey, they sought a comfortable place and fell asleep.

The next morning, however, the owners of the cave returned. The cave belonged to two various devious friends, the Wolf and the Fox. They stopped at the mouth of the cave and sniffed the air, growling upon finding the scent of intruders. Their growls woke the girls, who shouted in terror before the wolf and the fox pounced upon them and devoured them.

The father, utterly distraught that he left his girls alone in the wilderness, went to search for them that day but never found them. He returned home a broken man, defeated by his own anger and selfishness.

The wolf.

(Image Information: Walking Wolf by Ellie Attebery (2011). Web Source: Flickr.)

Author’s Note: In the original of The Cave of the Beasts, the father is angry that his wife gave the eggs to their daughters and he does abandon the two youngest girls in the mountains. They find the cave of treasures but are able to defeat the wolf and fox, and then when the father finds them, he rejoices because they return home wealthy. I decided to make the ending a little darker and realistic, whereas the father suffers because of his horrible choices and no riches are found. He has to accept the consequences of his actions.

Bibliography: “The Cave of the Beasts.” The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. By R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921). Web Source: The Cave of the Beasts.

Week 6 Reading Diary: Chinese Fairy Tales

These are my notes from the Chinese Fairy Tales unit.

The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck: The Princess throws her ball to a beggar. The ball is to be caught by the man who will be her husband. Of course, her father is angry. The beggar becomes her husband, sets out to seek his fortune, and disappears for 18 years. He becomes Emperor and because she remained faithful, he took her as Empress. Of course, she was a child of ill luck and died 18 days later.

The Cave of the Beasts: This is about a family with seven daughters. The father finds seven wild duck eggs but wants to eat them himself, except his wife gives them to the children. Being angry, the father decides to lead them away and abandon them for death. Only the youngest daughters went. After a while, the father goes to find them again and realizes his daughters stumbled upon wealth in the cave.

The Panther: A panther stops a woman with her son and asks her to rest. He ends up eating her and her son. He dresses up as the mother and returns home where the two daughters had stayed, pretending to be the mom. This is basically little red riding hood as a panther but the daughters are able to drive him away.

Why Dog and Cat are Enemies:  The dog and cat belong to a family. The family owns a golden ring that they sold for money to eat. In order to get it back, the dog and cat scheme together. The dog ends up doing the hard physical work and the cat brings the ring back to the owners because she is faster. The cat gets the reward while the dog gets scolded.

Yang Oerlang: Yang married the second daughter of the Ruler of Heaven and she ends up with a son, Oerlang. He was gifted and able to turn invisible and shape-shift and move elements. He rescued his mother under the hills but her magic ran out and she was destroyed by the sunlight. Oerlang wanted to destroy the last sun but he becomes a true god.

The Lady of the Moon: Prince Hou I shot down nine of the ten suns of the sky. He is given an herb of immortality but his wife Tschang O eats it and floats away to the moon. The emperor ends up on the moon as well and returns home with gifts and songs.

 The Girl with the Horse's Head or the Silkworm Goddess: The father leaves his daughter behind with just a horse. Promising to marry the horse if he finds her father, he takes off and brings her father back. The horse is killed to protect the girl, but it eventually kidnaps her even in death. She turns into a silkworm in the horse hide cocoon and her silk is expensive. 

The God of War: Guan Di, or Guan Yu, and his friends made a pact to protect their country. He was a great general and unbeatable. He falls into an ambush with his son, and they both die. His ghost was seated upon the ghost of his horse along with the other ghosts. He wants his head back and is a god in the afterlife. 

The Miserly Farmer: A priest asks a pear farmer for a pear, but he refuses to give it. An artisan buys one for him. Turns out the priest has his own pears but needs seeds so he wanted one. He plants the seed and it magically turns into a pear tree. The priest had stolen all the farmer's pears and the farmer's axle was broken. The priest pulled some fast magic over on him.

The King of the Ants: There is a haunted house in Emmet village. There was a sight where hundreds of ants came into the room with hunting banners and game. It was as if the ants were a civilized colony, baring dishes for dinner and more. The scholar gets used to it, but eventually the King of the ants decides to poke fun at the scholar. He asks him if he will serve him then he will allow him to partake in their meals, but the scholar gets angry and smokes all the ants out.

YouTube Tech Tip

Here is the Happy by Pharrell Williams song at Youtube. I love this song! It makes my day so much better and I listen to it all the time. I hope you can enjoy it as well! It is very upbeat.

Week 5: Famous Last Words

I decided that I should really discuss the importance of this class in relation to my other courses and my future goals. I am thoroughly enjoying this class because it is allowing me to expand my creative outlets, especially writing and I feel as if I am able to let my imagination roam again. This is so important because currently I volunteer with children and also work with children in my photography, so being able to explore creativity and imaginative arts helps me connect with those kids as well.

Everyone remembers being kids. We were SO thoughtful, creative, fun, and imaginative. The daunting experience of college can sometimes keep us logical and analytic and I feel as if I really lost touch of my creative side for a very long time. After getting involved in photography, writing, reading, and art again, it is really helping me enjoy this outlet.

I am hoping to get more involved in arts in school. I have been looking around for opportunities around campus that will open my creative thinking more, but I am not sure where to look further. I have started reading more in my free time, especially fantasy based genres, but I think I would like to be able to socialize in a creative scene. I considered enrolling in some form of art class next semester with some of my free time or even pursuing musical talents.

This blogging and writing has really made me interested in furthering my writing capabilities. I am exited to create new and entertaining stories, so maybe I should consider a class next semester about creative writing. I get a little bogged down when I hit a slump and get into "writer's block," so I think it would be beneficial to continue searching for these opportunities I've been pondering. It is just a few options!

The artist's tools.

(Image Information: Artist Toolbox by See-ming Lee (2009). Web Source: Flickr.)

Week 5 Essay: My Reading Memories

Reading has always been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. As of right now, I have shelves and shelves of books of all genres and that does not even include my electronic media! As early as I can remember, my mom and my grandpa would read books to me, but one small book in particular was my favorite as a kid. It was The Three Little Kittens by Mother Goose. I would read it over and over and eventually I could recite it by memory. As a small child, I remember reading books from my school library. I would read anything I could get my hands on!

Little kittens.

(Image Information: Torti Kittens by Nancy Wong (2013). Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

From there I started to get into reading the fantasy genre, such as Harry Potter. They were my favorite series for the longest time because I really felt like I could immerse myself into the world of magic and mythical creatures. When I would get the next book, I would spend hours reading it and the only time I would put it down was to sleep! Of course, the magic of Harry Potter stirred my interest in more than just wizards.

As a young adult, I started to read a lot of Vampire and Werewolf genre books! They were my favorite and still are today because I love the idea of double lives! I am huge into The Vampire Diaries and a book series by Christine Feehan, which is more in the adult romance genre but her books have very good in-depth plot!

I think that because my family started reading to me when I was just a baby and kept me interested in stories, I was really able to find my love in reading as an adult. I read stories all the time, whether they are short stories online or novels. It really is a good way to keep my imagination going and to find myself in worlds that are not reality!

Week 5 Storytelling: The Baker's Apprentice

This is a story of karma and revenge.

So stay a while and listen, friend.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,

Because in this world there are kindness in few.

The young lad kicked a rock down the road, shuffling his poorly dressed feet. He had just finished his handy work at the mill, sifting flour for the town baker. It did not pay well or keep his family fed, but it was the only work he could find at the time. Every penny counts, his mother was always saying.

Every day he took this path, walking past the more expensive homes made of brick, chimneys peeping from the tops of the roofs and horses in the stables. If only his father could afford a horse, the perhaps his feet would not hurt so much from this walk to and from town. Perhaps the baker would find new work for him soon, work that would allow him to sit down and relax until the blisters healed.

As the boy arrived home, he dumped his coins into the funds bucket and piled his dirty clothes on the porch. Mother would take care of them in the evening. Exhausted, he threw himself on the hard couch and fell asleep after a long day.

The next morning, the young lad returned to his routine, but today was a special day because a traveling merchant had ridden into town. The baker nearly shook the boy to death with excitement.

“Lad, you look after my shop! I’m off to find riches!” The baker exclaimed.

The Baker's Bread.

(Image Information: Breads by Scott Bauer, U.S. Department of Agriculture (2013). Web Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

Knowing this was his chance, the lad put his best effort forward in keeping the shop tidy and welcoming customers as they stopped by. Luckily his mother taught him a few tricks of the trade, such as reading, writing, and counting money. The day went by smoothly, but the baker did not return.

“I wonder where he is,” thought the lad.

He closed the shop and set out to find the man. Surprised to find him nearly drowned near the river, he pulled the baker to safety and took him home, helped him to bed and sat nearby after lighting the fire.

“Sir, what happened?” The lad asked curiously.

“That old Merchant took me for a fool, lad… He left me to die in a valley and only by the mercy of the little fish I feed with our leftovers did I manage to survive the river.”

The lad was stunned that someone so cruel could come to their town. The baker was a hardworking man and the lad was ashamed that anyone would take advantage of him. He left the baker to rest with warm soup and a blazing fire. While hatching a plan, he took off towards home. Revenge could wait until morning.

The next day, the young boy found the hotel the rich Merchant slept in for his stay. He knocked at the man’s door three times and waited patiently.

“Who are you?” The Merchant asked suspiciously after he cracked the door.

“Sir, I know you are brave and cunning. The townsfolk are all talking about your adventures! I heard about a place where treasures can be found, but I don’t have the means to travel there.”

The Merchant quickly welcomed the lad in and began packing for their immediate departure. The boy knew that he would not be able to resist the temptation of gold and treasure.

After traveling for an hour, the two rounded up the path the baker had described with the valley where he had been left for dead. The Merchant was at the edge of his seat on the trolley, nearly bursting with the excitement of another scheme. When the valley came into view, he seemed puzzled.

“Where are the treasures, boy?” He snapped.

“There is no treasure,” the lad responded. “This is where you took all of it yesterday and left my baker friend to die.”

The lad smiled and suddenly pushed the Merchant off the side of their transportation. He watched the man tumble down the slope and into the river, where the fish could always use a meal.

After turning to the hotel where the man kept his belongings, the lad scooped up all the treasure and took it to the baker. There, without any questions asked, the baker and the lad rejoiced and the Merchant was never heard from again. The townsfolk assumed he had moved on to his next adventure.

Least to say, the Merchant got what he deserved.

Author’s Note: In The Story of the Baker and the GratefulFish, the Baker is the main character and he is deceived by a traveling Merchant into helping gather treasure. The Merchant leaves him for dead and the Baker decides death by drowning would be easier. Fortunately, the Baker always fed the fish in the river with his burnt foods and so the fish considered him a friend and saved him. The Baker tricks the Merchant and takes him back to the place where the treasure is, tells him the only way back is the river, and the Merchant drowns. In my version, I put an outside character into the story and changed it up. I felt like it would be fun to have another perspective to read it from.

Bibliography: “The Story of the Baker and the Grateful Fish.” Persian Tales translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919). Web Source: Persian Tales.

Week 5 Reading Diary: Persian Tales

These are my notes on the Persian Tales unit.

Fayiz and the Peri Wife: The man and woman get married but she has a secret, she is Peri. He did not tell his first family about her. His family at home wanders where the wealth came from and if he doesn't tell, he will lose his wife and children. He ends up losing the Peri woman because he tells his family eventually about her and ends up sad and alone.

The Hemp-Smoker's Dream: He smoked hemp, got a hair cut, and then thought he was the handsomest man ever. Of course, he could have any woman he wanted! So he goes for the Princess of China. The King challenges him to eat all the ash and other tasks. The man's comrades all fight over the Princess. It was just a dream, though.

The Story of the Wolf-Bride: A man's son is fated to die by a wolf, so he imprisons him in a dungeon. The kid is taught by a tutor. Even the kid's wife ends up in the dungeon once he's old enough to wed. Turns out the wife turns into a werewolf and tears him to pieces. I like werewolves.

The Man Who Went to Wake His Luck: There are two brothers, one with luck and one without. People of the country, a gardener, a King that is a woman, a wolf, and a thorn-gather all ask him to ask Luck why their life is no good when he finds it. Luck tells the poor brother straight up the facts why everyone's life is no good and the poor brother takes back all the messages. The poor guy gets eaten by the wolf because of Luck.

Tortoise Bowl-On-The Back and the Fox: The Fox and the Tortoise race it out for the rights to the grains, but the tortoise has his brother stand at the finish line to trick him. Guess the Fox wasn't the only one that tried to pull a fast one on the Tortoise.

The Shepherd Who Found a Treasure: This is about two shepherds. One fell asleep and the other thinks the fly is the sleeping man's soul. The fly gives the other shepherd his tale of a dream where he was searching for treasure but was awaken. Turns out the dream was real and the shepherd that hadn't fallen asleep stole it.

The Merchant and the Saffron:  Malik Ahmad, a wealthy merchant, ends up with some bad luck and loses everything. Someone remembers him from when he unloaded saffron in the mud. It's the man he bought the saffron from. The guy helps him out for years until his luck returns. Pretty happy ending. Nice people.

Shah Abbas and the Poor Mother: Shah Abbas helps the poor mother out since she can't feed her children. The baker doesn't believe that Shah gave her the ring and seizes her, pretending the ring was his. She gets her ears cut off. Shah returns and is able to reprimand the baker... But the baker and the Darogha get crucified in punishment for hurting the wrong person. The wealth all went to the mother and children.

The Apparition of the Prophet Khizr:  The poor man makes a deal with the King to produce the Prophet Khizr in order to pay his debt. When he comes back without him, some of the Wazirs want to murder him in various ways but the last one proclaims the poor man to be Prophet Khizr.

The Story of the Baker and the Grateful Fish: So a baker throws all his burnt bread into the river and the fish eat it. A Merchant tricks the Baker into a deadly position so he can get rich and leaves him to die. He throws himself in the river but the fish recognize him and carry him home. He in turn tricks the Merchant into the same position and leaves him to die, except the fish did't save the Merchant.