Online Education Review

     Personally, I do not like online classes because it is hard to keep up with the work. On the other hand, I do think taking online classes is convenient when balancing your schedule between school and employment. A lot of online classes in the past have been so difficult and the professor does not remind you about any assignments that are due. I have had a handful of online professor's just check in on the first day of class then suddenly reappear during the last week of class.

     This class has been different from every other online class I have taken. Yes, this class was a lot of work, but I loved how we were reminded to do every task. It is great when you know that your professor cares about your success for the class. This class had many smaller assignments with due dates, but it was easier to keep track of them because of the obvious weekly schedules. I really liked that aspect of class. In addition, I liked that this online class had a weekly routine. I quickly got into this routine so I knew what was due on each day of the week.

     My schedule this semester is interesting because I have half online classes and half "in class" classes. I have actually liked this schedule because it does not require me to be on campus a lot. I think this has been great given that it is my last semester at OU. My biggest complaint for online classes (this class didn't have us do it, which was awesome) is commenting within D2L. I don't understand the point in answering "yes or no" questions in D2L when the entire class says the same thing. In addition, we usually have to comment on many other posts by students and just say we "agree" with it. I never understood why we had to do this as it is kind of mindless work.

University of Oklahoma

Gen. Ed. Review

     I think general education requirements are important when completing your collegiate career. Even though general education requirements can be difficult, such as Math and Science classes, they create a basic balance of knowledge. This type of learning definitely does seem pointless at the time, but in the long run it drastically helps. For instance, classes such as Science or History can be tedious, but you learn a lot of skills within it. These skills can be both reading and writing, which carries over to other classes.

     In my experience, I am not sure what I like or dislike about gen. ed. classes. They can be interesting for a while, but then become pretty stressful because they aren't necessarily in my "interest." I do like how they have helped me in the long run thought. Looking at this class, I have gained so much writing knowledge that I haven't learned in any other classes before. This has been great for me as I want to become a writer someday.

     I am not sure how I would design a gen. ed. class because general education requirements for each college are quite different. However, I will say that taking three semesters of foreign language (which I had to do) was pretty awful. I feel this way because for both Spanish 1 & 2 we had to meet everyday of the week and could only miss four classes. This was so much work for something I will not carry out past college. My only suggestion would be to make the general education requirements for each college more relatable to the majors within it.

University of Oklahoma

College Writing Review

     I believe that the most helpful technique to improve your writing is repetition. The more you write, the better you get at it. For instance, this class we are constantly writing (and reading) both reviews of our readings and stories every week. I guarantee that if you look at everyone's Week 1 storytelling post and compare it to ones we wrote later the newer ones are significantly better. This class has been excellent with using repetition to improve our writing skills.

     I have taken a lot of classes where writing has been a large portion of the class. Every history class I have taken the class has written plenty of papers. It is interesting to compare the different writing styles that are required for each class. For example, history or science research papers are completely different than papers you write for english class. I like how the writing style for this class has been different than any other class I've taken. This class was on the "creative writing" end of the spectrum and we learned how to correctly balance dialogue with imagery. It honestly made writing a lot of fun. For my major (film), we usually write papers that are more on the research side of the spectrum. However, we also write screenplays, which I enjoy. I hope to someday be a screenplay writer.

     If I were to design a writing class for OU I would maybe make it a lot like this class. I would take the improvement/aid aspect of this class and give helpful techniques that enhance an individual's ability to write. I found this extremely helpful for this particular class. These techniques I have learned for this class have carried over to my other classes. It was a class, but also a workshop.

University of Oklahoma

Storytelling, Week 14: The Baker of Bankwood

     There is a small town called Bankwood that lies just past the rolling hills surrounding Ridge Mountain. Bankwood is known for some of the fascinating phenomenons that occur within it. Maybe this is due to the amount of innocent townsfolk living in the town. There hasn't been a single crime in Bankwood since 1782. So I guess one could call Bankwood the safest place on Earth. This might be why some strange hidden creatures have called Bankwood their home.

     In the small town of Bankwood lives a baker and his wife. The baker is known for the fantastic bread he creates. The entire town adores his bread. However, one Sunday ago, the baker broke his arm hiking the famous Ridge Mountain. The baker could not bake his famous bread with only one arm! His wife tried to help him, but the bread did not have that famous taste it is known for. Saddened, the baker decided to close his shop until he is well.

     A week passed and the baker grew insane from boredom. He attempted to make his bread again, but became unsuccessful. Frustrated, the baker left all his equipment and ingredients in the kitchen before going to bed. The morning came and the baker walked into the kitchen. To his amazement, over two dozen loafs of bread had been made! The bread tasted fantastic! He asked his wife if she did this, but she nodded no. Instantly, he baker sold his bread that day.

     That night he again left out his ingredients and went to bed. The baker was ecstatic that the bread was once again made by the morning, but this time there were at least four dozen loafs! The baker did not understand this phenomenon, but kept leaving ingredients out every night. Sure enough, each morning more bread was made. After a few weeks the question of, "what is baking the bread," flooded the baker's mind.

     One evening the baker and his wife agreed to stay up all night to see what was baking bread in their home. They stayed up for hours until a noise was heard around two in the morning. Four small gnomes, that appeared skinnier than the storybooks, came into the kitchen and began baking. They sang and baked for hours. The couple was so astonished by this fascinating sight.

     The next day, the baker's wife asked him if they could cook for the helpful gnomes as a gift for all their hard work. The baker thought this was a wonderful idea. The two of them spent the rest of the day cooking a fantastic meal. The evening came and the two left out the magnificent meal. As the clock chimed two-o-clock, the gnomes walked into the kitchen. Happiness covered all four of their faces as they ate the wonderful food. Immediately, their bellies became large and they appeared too look like the gnomes within the storybooks. After their meal, they baked bread one last time.

     The baker and his wife never saw the gnomes again. Even though the couple was sad that their hard-working friends disappeared, they were grateful that the little creatures helped them in their time of need. The baker continued to happily cook in Bankwood for the rest of his days.

Loafs of Bread

Author's Note:

     This is an adaption of the story, "The Elves", within the Grimm (Ashliman) unit. I chose this story because I enjoyed the tone of the first. In the original, a shoemaker is astonished that something is making perfect shoes for him during the night. One night, he stays up and discovers that there are two elves making the shoes. The shoemaker is grateful for this deed so he makes them some clothing. The elves never returned after the shoemaker's kind gift. In my adaption, I thought it would be interesting to change the shoemaker to a baker and make the creatures gnomes instead of elves. I really know nothing about gnomes, but I couldn't think of another human-like creature that would be small like elves.

Ashliman, D.L. The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales. 1998-2003.

Reading Diary A: Grimm (Ashliman)

Here are a few of my favorite stories from Grimm (Ashliman).

The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids: I really enjoyed the story of The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids. The story reminded me of the wolf and the three little pigs. I thought it was interesting how well the Wolf deceived the townspeople to get what he wanted. In addition, out of the Miller's fear, the wolf got into the household and ate the children. The story took a dark turn, but goodness prevailed and the wolf drowned. I thought the ending was great in how the children ended up being alive. I was surprised that this story had a happy ending given how sinister it became in the middle.

Singing Bone: I thought the story of The Singing Bone was very interesting. It started off as an excellent story of two brothers (one kind hearted and one more athletic) hunting down a wild boar. It turns out that the kind hearted brother won the boar. The other brother becomes jealous and kills his own brother. This was sad to me, but at least the older brother's actions were finally discovered and he was punished.

The Elves: I liked the story of The Elves. The entire story was uplifting and I really enjoyed the element of teamwork. It amazed me how long the shoemaker kept setting the unfinished shoes out every night. If it was me, I would have tried to find out who was making the shoes as quickly as I could. I thought the ending was great. Even though the elves never returned because they received clothing, the shoemaker succeeded in all his work. It added the element of gratitude to the story.

Rumpelstiltskin: I thought that the story of Rumpelstiltskin was unique because I had no idea what to expect. The story first started off happy, but then became dark. However, Rumpelstiltskin kept helping out the future queen so he appeared to be a hero. Then he requests her first child and comes a year later to retrieve it. Luckily, the queen discovers his name and is allowed to keep the child. In my opinion, Rumpelstiltskin became a villain very quickly, which surprised me. I thought the story was unique because of all the twists within it.

The Wolf and the Young Kids

Storytelling, Week 13: Too Fast To Care

     In a far away desert, tumbleweeds roll as the wind sweeps across the hills. This desert is especially particular because the cactuses grow taller here than any other place in the world. Maybe this is because of the long rainy season, but no one knows for sure. Now, this desert is full of diverse animals. From the tiniest scorpion to the towering coyote the animals here have learned to coexist in harmony. However, there is one animal in particular that leads his life differently than the rest of the animals, the roadrunner.

     The roadrunner is by far the fastest animal in the desert. This might sound great, but he is quite aware of his skills. Throughout the entire rainy season, the roadrunner spends his days running around the desert at outstanding speed. He does this to show off his quickness and agility. Every day the roadrunner runs across the barren dunes, into the rocky canyons, and back to his home in the brittlebush. Each other animal within the desert rolls their eyes as the roadrunner zooms past them.

     One might ask, why is this a bad thing? Sure, it is a little narcissistic, but who isn't from time to time? However, the change between the wet and dry season is drastic. For many months, there is a long rainy season where the desert brush grows tall and the food is plenty. Soon enough, the rain will stop and the foliage will die. This doesn't happen at a gradual pace, the plants die rather quickly. Some animals even say the bushes die over night. While the roadrunner zips throughout the desert, too fast to care about his future, the other animals gather food and prepare for the brutality of the dry season.

     Eventually, this rainy season ended and, sure enough, the foliage began to die. The poor roadrunner realizes that he does not have any food gathered for the dry season. He approaches a small rock cavern where a kind armadillo lives. The roadrunner figures that since the armadillo is the nicest animal in the desert, he will lend him food for the dry season.

          The roadrunner enters the cavern and shouts, "Hello, my armadillo friend! I have a quick favor to ask of you!" The armadillo awakes from his nap and mumbles to the roadrunner.

          "Is it as quick as your speed you run about everyday?" replies the armadillo.

          The roadrunner laughs, "Not that quick, but I have been busy all rainy season and seem to have forgotten to collect food for the dry season. Can I borrow food for this dry season?"

          The armadillo slowly walks to his food dwelling, but hesitates. "You did not look busy all season. You were too concerned with showing off your speed that you forgot to do what is important. I am sorry, but I will not help you."

          The disgusted roadrunner replies, "Why must I collect food when there is plenty in front of me? I spent the season showing the world my amazing speed. I thought we were friends, no?"

          "Fine, I will lend you some food, but only once. However, there is something you must do for this reward. Since you run so fast forwards, you must run backwards to get food from me." the armadillo says kindly.

          The roadrunner excitedly exclaims, "Run backwards! That sounds easy! Now I can show the desert that I can run fast both forwards and backwards!"

     The roadrunner and armadillo leave the small cavern and walk to a giant bare clearing. The roadrunner shouts, "Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to be amazed!" Animals come from their homes and gather around the two. The roadrunner starts to run backwards, but tramples over his feet and falls. He keeps getting up and trying again, but is unsuccessful. All the animals throughout the desert laugh at him.

     The roadrunner received his food that was fairly earned from the armadillo, but spent the next rainy season gathering for food.

Roadrunner

Author's Note:

     I based my story off of a fable of "The Grasshopper and the Ant" within Aesop (La Fontaine). In the original story the grasshopper spends all summer singing in a tree, while the ant gathers food for winter. When winter comes around the grasshopper is without food so asks the ant for some. The ant questions why he did not spend the summer gathering for food and sang instead. The somewhat narcissistic grasshopper says that his singing is wonderful and forgot to collect food. The ant agrees to give him food as long as he dances. The grasshopper can sing, but not dance so he embarrasses himself. The roadrunner within my story parallel's the grasshopper's demeanor. In the end, the armadillo uses the roadrunner's talents against him by making him run backwards. The roadrunner cannot do this so he embarrasses himself.

Larned, W.T. Fables in Rhyme for Little Folks (1918)

Reading Diary A: Aesop (La Fontaine)

Here a few of my favorite stories within the Aesop (La Fontaine) unit.

First, I really enjoyed that the literature was in poetry and adapted from oral traditional stories. It is interesting that these stories were passed down, then finally written into a story. It is also very fascinating that a lot of these stories correlate to those that were present in other Aesop units. In addition, some of the stories were even present in very different cultures such as India. I liked that all the morals of the stories were in fact puns that are delivered at the end of each poem. It made the readings very entertaining.

Foxes: The Fox has become my favorite character within Aesop's Fables. I enjoy reading about his tricky personality. He uses whit, but in a respectful way, which gives him a very distinctive personality. I enjoyed the story where his whit kind of turns on him in the story of The Cat and the Fox. He is actually driven off of the farm by a group of hound dogs.

Insects: I found it very interesting in how insects are portrayed in contrast to the other animals within Aesop's Fables. The insects shown within this excerpt appear to have "little man's syndrome." They think they are bigger and more powerful then they actually are. For instance, this occurs in both The Dove and the Ant and The Lion and the Gnat. The ant attempts to make a dove a quick meal and stings her in the foot, but she merely just flies off as if nothing happens.

Foxes & Wolves: I enjoyed reading the two stories within this excerpt. The first story of The Wolf and the Fox had an interesting writing style within its poetry. The personality within the writing was very cheery and boastful. I liked the dynamic between the fox and wolf during their encounters. The fox kept his tricky persona, but the wolf is portrayed almost as a scavenger. It is interesting that the two seem to be friends, but the fox still seems to trick him.

The Cat and the Fox

Essay: Complexity of Dialect Within Nursery Rhymes

     The use of words plays a major role in the telling or re-telling of Nursery Rhymes. Many of the stories within the unit consist of proverbs, riddles, paradoxes and even games. The amount of complexity within each of these aspects of storytelling was told and then taught to children. These writings (or sayings) became passed down for generations.

     The riddles were quite interesting if you look deeper into their meaning. For instance, one riddle suggests that the end of the mental puzzle is an egg. However, the riddle even contradicts itself. The riddle first states, "white as milk," which is obvious when looking at an egg. The next line states that the egg's surface is "soft as silk." This contradicts what an average eggshell is portrayed. An eggshell is hard and breaks easily when dropped. Another riddle that was told dealt with a thunderstorm. The storm is described as a male. "He comes roaring up the land." The thunderstorm is parallel to the King of Scots, Arthur O'Bower. It is interesting to compare a thunderstorm to a King.

     Proverbs within the nursery rhymes were fascinating. Each proverb appeared to be a riddle, but ending up becoming a saying. For example, one of the proverbs speaks of the hours of sleep. "Nature requires five, custom takes seven, laziness takes nine, and wickedness takes eleven." The pacing and use of words within the proverb give the message more of an impact.

     The paradoxes within the unit are a perfect example of the complexity of word usage. An example is a paradox that speaks of "I would if I cou'd, If I cou'dn't how cou'd I?" The entire poem contradicts itself to where the meaning is obscure. Another example is the paradox when a person states where they should be. "O that I was where I would be, then would I be where I am not!" The complexity within the writing confuses the reader, but also the paradox makes sense. It is almost as if it is chaotic writing that somehow fits together like a puzzle. 

Riddle of Thunderstorm

Storytelling, Week 12: Waking Oaks

     It was an ominous saturday evening. Clouds slowly drifted past the full moon as wolves howled in the distance. The walk to Waking Oaks graveyard was nearly a mile off of Burns highway. Waking Oaks graveyard hasn't been used as a burial since the early 1900s. These days it is just a place where the older kids hang out, drink, or do drugs. There are a few ghost stories that are told about this old graveyard. One in particular is Little Jumping Joan. Her life ended in October of 1882. Everyday she would come home from school jumping and singing with glee. However, one day she never came home. Her body was found a few miles in a forest off of Burns road near Waking Oaks actually.

     A few older kids said they saw her walking around the forest near the graveyard, but only if you summon her. Being twelve years old I even thought this was complete bullshit. So I grabbed two of my friends and we decided to walk to Waking Oaks and try to see little jumping Joan. The walk to Waking Oaks was long, but we saw a white owl perching on a branch, which was great. I had never seen one in the wild before.

     Finally, we reached Waking Oaks graveyard. The entrance had an iron archway that was overgrown with vines and dead kudzu. We slowly walked around the graveyard to make sure there weren't any older gothic kids, but we were luckily alone. Most of the trees within Waking Oaks were almost dead. It is no exaggeration that every tree had multiple crows on its branches.

     We read a few of the gravestones and some of them date back to the early 1800s. I think the earliest one we saw was being from 1819. Many of the gravestones had candles and bizarre marks drawn on them to where the creepy gothic kids would attempt to have seances. I wonder if that actually works, but I wouldn't want to be around if it does.

     We finally found it, the gravestone of little jumping Joan. To be more respectful, her real name is Joan Clark. The grave stone read, "Our Dearest Daughter - Born 1876 : Died 1882." The grave gave us all the creeps to be honest. The three of us knew what to do next. The tradition is to stand in a circle in front of her grave and sing a song three times. Each time you sing the song it is supposed to be louder than the last. Kind of like "Bloody Mary," but inside a graveyard instead in front of a mirror.

     The three of us joined hands and began to sing the song softly:

                 Here am I, little jumping Joan
                 HERE am I, little jumping Joan.
                 When nobody's with me,
                  I am always alone.

     After the first time we sang the chant the wind started to pick up. I thought this was a little weird, but we continued to sing the song a second time. We sang louder this time. The wind began to blow even faster. Finally, we shouted the song a third time at the top of our lungs. Thunder and lightning crashed around us halfway through the third tune. We all looked at each other terrified, but never stopped singing. We sang the last line the loudest. Suddenly...nothing.

     The wind, thunder, and lightning stopped. Actually, there was no noise at all. There was only silence. A silence I have never heard before. I couldn't even hear myself breathing. A few moments passed and we heard a faint sound of a young voice singing among the trees. The singing was quiet and eerie. It gave me chills to my core. The three of us looked into the trees to see who was singing. It was probably the older kids trying to scare us.

     We turned back to the grave of little jumping Joan. A small bloody girl dressed in a school outfit sat on her grave.

     "Have you come to jump and sing with me?" Joan asked quietly.

All of our eyes widened in fear. The three of us ran out of Waking Oaks screaming. I don't know where my two friends ran off to because of the terror. I continued to run down Burns road all the way home. Lets just say, I didn't leave my bedroom or sleep for days.

Graveyard

Author's Note:

For the unit this week I read Nursery Rhymes. I chose to use the paradox of the "Little Jumping Joan" as the reference to the readings. I don't know why I decided to make it a horror story within a graveyard. I haven't written a story that was meant to be scary yet so I figured that I would give that a try. I decided to make the paradox a song, which the three young kids sang in the graveyard. I just thought that the original paradox/poem could be used in a creepy way if it was sung.

Lang, Andrew. The Nursery Rhyme Book Book (1897)

Reading Diary A: Nursery Rhymes

Here are a few of my favorite stories from Nursery Rhymes.

Proverbs: I found it really interesting to read the proverbs. It amazes me how proverbs or sayings have changed so drastically over time. For instance there is one in the unit: "a sunshiny shower, won't last more than an hour." My grandmother used to tell me one that was similar, but dealt with the clouds in the sky. I wish I could remember it.

Riddles: I really enjoyed the excerpt with the riddles. I remember when I was younger and my grandmother used to tell me riddles. Even though they weren't as complex as these, at least I thought so, but it is interesting to see that this might have been their origin. It was interesting to see all the diverse words used to describe one object. For instance, an egg is described as soft, but has a stronghold.

Paradoxes: I liked reading all the paradoxes. It was interesting that they were all expressed through poetry. This made it more difficult, but also more intriguing to read. The perfect example is the paradox describing "I would if I cou'd, if I cou'dnt, how cou'd I?" (and so on). I thought that it was really cool how confusing the poetry was, but at the same time it made sense.

Games: My favorite reading from this unit was learning about the games. It was interesting to read about all these different type of games. I liked that the games didn't just have standard rules. The rules were expressed through rhyme and poetry. All this reminded me of "ring around the rosie."

Proverb

Storytelling, Week 11: Owen's Farm

     Many miles off of Arkansas' highway fifty-five is a small town named Rockton. Many miles from the main street of Rockton is Owen's Farm. Owen's Farm is a place where horses gallop around the grassy plains, chickens lay their eggs in a nice wooden coop, pigs wrestle in their muddy pens, and cows eat the thick green grass that grows on the west end of the farm. The daytime life on Owen's Farm is exciting and full of cheer. However, as soon as the sun sets beyond the horizon the dynamic of Owen's Farm changes.

     Each summer night, three pairs of ominous yellow eyes watch from the forest as the farm animals retreat into their nightly hiding places. These pairs of eyes belong to a group of three coyote brothers. These brothers have been watching Owen's Farm since the first leaf sprouted in spring. In the past, they have successfully taken chicken and pigs in the night back to their forest den. However, their goal now is to hunt the sheep.

     Months ago when the coyotes arrived Farmer Owen reinforced all the fencing around the pens, but the coyotes noticed a weak spot. There is a small hole in the fence of the sheep's field big enough for the coyotes to squeeze through. For days the predators have watched the sheep's behavior and each night the sheep would huddle into circles of four.

     This night, the coyotes decide to finally hunt for their prize. The three brothers slowly enter the field and choose a group of four sheep. The coyotes jump from the grass and scare the group, however, only one sheep runs from the group. The coyotes catch this poor sheep and drag it into the forest. With only three sheep left, they become nervous of the predators. The coyotes return and do their same trick and, like last time, one sheep runs from the group. The coyotes catch the second poor sheep and drag it into the forest.

     The coyotes return and glance at the two sheep shaking timidly under the moonlight. Once again, the coyotes jump from the grass and scare the sheep. One sheep runs across the field until the coyotes catch it and drag the poor animal into the forest. Finally, the coyotes return for the last sheep. However, they cannot find the last sheep. They search the entire field until they see the sheep shaking with fear in front of a corner of the fence. The coyotes smile and pounce on the helpless sheep.

"Divide and conquer."

Sheep

Author's Note:

     I wrote this story as an adaption from a story within Aesop's Fables: Lions. The story I chose to base my storytelling post off of was The Lion and the Bulls. In the original version, a lion hunts bulls by extracting one away from the other. Finally, the lion has successfully hunted all the bulls. I chose to use coyote and sheep to give the story a much more "farm" setting. I liked the moral of the original story in that "divide and conquer" usually succeeds.

Fables and Satires

Brooke Boothby (1809)

   

Reading Diary A: English Aesop

Here a few of my favorite stories from English Aesop.

Fables About People: I liked the story Esop at Play. I thought it was really cool that this story was about Aesop himself. I have not read (or at least I don't remember) a fable about Aesop as a person. I thought the amount of symbolism within the poem was great. I liked how the bow symbolized that people need to take time and relax by watching the world around them.

Apes: I thought the story of An Ape and her Two Brats was very interesting. However, the ending was so depressing, but the story did deliver a good message. An ape mother has two children and adores one. She doesn't care for the other. So when she runs away from something she tucks the loved baby under her arm and the one she doesn't care for on her shoulders. However, the one the cares for gets its head banged into a rock and dies, while the un-loved one is safe and sound. I took the message as don't make things your favorite or at least show favoritism.

Foxes: I really enjoyed the story of The Fox and the Stork. The fox has turned into my favorite character within Aesop fables (both from this unit and units prior). I like reading of the witty and trickster personality of the fox. I enjoyed this story because someone actually out-smarts the fox. The stork (of all animals) learns of the foxes trickery and uses it against him. Therefore, the fox has to watch the stork eat as he starves.

Lions: I liked the story of The Lion and the Bulls. I enjoyed how the bulls tried to unite together, but eventually they fell prey to the Lion's cleverness. I thought it was interesting that the comment within the unTextbook said the phrase, "divide and conquer," because that is the exact strategy the lion used to extract the bulls away from each other. I liked how the lion was portrayed as a smart, but terrifying character and not boastful (as a lion is usually portrayed in fables).

Aesop: Foxes

Reading Diary A: Great Plains

Here are a few of my favorite stories from the unit of the Great Plains.

Creation: I really enjoyed the story of The Creation. I found it interesting that the Wazha Zhe and Hoga groups within Osage possessed different creation stories. It was also unique that both stories had an elk play an import role within their creation. This shows that the elk was an important part of life with the Osage. Even though the Hoga group creation is much darker, both stories have uplifting endings.

Peace Pipes: I liked the story of The Legend of Peace Pipes. I found it interesting that the three types of feathers used within Omaha peace pipes are feathers of the owl, woodpecker, and imperial eagle. I thought it was surprising that all these other eagles dropped feathers down, such as the bald and white eagle, but they were not acceptable for making the peace pipe. I enjoyed learning that peace pipes were used to prevent things, such as revenge.

Eagle's Revenge: I enjoyed the story of The Eagle's Revenge. In the beginning of the story, it surprised me that the hunter just shot the eagle because he was feeding off of the deer meat. I would think someone would just "shoo" it away. However, I guess that is where the plot changes. I thought it was interesting that a mysterious man appears during an eagle dance and kills seven villagers. It was a cool twist that you learn the mysterious man is in fact the brother of the eagle.

Three Ghost Stories: I liked reading The Three Ghost Stories. It was interesting how both the Omaha  and Dakota depict afterlife. Each story depicts of a "ghost road" that the ghosts must walk in order to be accepted and allowed into the "good" spirit realm. I also thought the final story of the Ponca was interesting. This was like a traditional ghost story. The warriors heard whistling in the forest, but the sounded ended up coming from human remains. This read was interesting because I have never read Native American ghost stories.

Milky Way

Storytelling, Week 9: Moccasin River

          A long, long time ago, two young boys walked through the forest to a nearby river. The forest was filled with giant oak and maple trees. The sunlight beamed perfectly through the leaves to create a golden shade of color. Every week the boys would hike down to the river to see the otters. They always try to catch these otters, but are never successful.

          Now this river was known as being one of the most beautiful rivers in the Appalachian Mountains. The river was clear and emerald green moss rose from the rocks. Blooming dogwoods and fallen trees hung over the river's path. The soothing sound of the rushing river could put any traveler to sleep. The temperature of the river was cold, but not too cold. It was perfectly refreshing.

          The boys reached the picturesque river bend and saw the family of otters playing. The boys watched the otters for several moments until they decided to sneak up on them. They have tried a countless number of ways to catch these agile otters, but none have proven successful. This time they decided to sneak in from upstream and catch them from behind.

          The two boys entered the river upstream and quietly swam towards the joyful otters. However, the smaller boy sneezed which brought attention to the otters. The animals dove underwater and didn't come up for several minutes. Puzzled at the fact, the boys swam to a nearby rock and stood on it glancing down at the river. Slowly, hundreds of water moccasin snakes rose from the depths of the river and swam towards the boys. The snakes horrified the boys to their core.

          After seeing these snakes, the boys ran screaming to the nearby tribe. They entered the elder tent out of breath. One of the elders asked, "Why are you boys so scared? See a bear again?" The two boys told the horrific story to all the tribe elders. They appeared to be both amazed and confused. The elders promised the boys that they will walk to the river tomorrow and see what happened.

          The next morning came and the elders walked the half a mile hike down to the river. To their amazement, now a thousand water moccasins swam in the river and were even coiled upon the rocks. The sound of hissing was so loud that the tranquil sound of the river could no longer be heard. This sight saddened the elders, as that this was once a beautiful river full of peace where children could play. Now it is inhabitable.

          The next day the river's name was changed from "Moss River" to "Moccasin River."

Water Moccasins

Author's Note:

I wrote this story as an adaption of the Sioux story of The Boy and the Turtles. In the original story, a young boy goes hunting for turtles and sees plenty within a nearby lake. However, the turtles submerge under the water and young men arise from the lake. In the adaption, I had two boys travel to a river to try and catch otters for fun, but snakes arise from the depths of the river. I didn't want to go too far from the overall feel of the original story. The main point taken from the original is that the name of the lake changed due to only one fascinating incident. Well, in this adaptions case, the name of the river changed. 

Myths and Legends of the Sioux

Marie McLaughlin (1916)

Reading Diary A: Sioux Legends

Here are a few favorite stories from the first half of the Sioux unit.

Rabbit and Bear: I thought the story of The Rabbit and the Bear was an interesting read. First, I like that there is some information given about flintknapping and the making of flint arrows because I was not sure what this was. Second, I like that the story used rabbits and bears because the animals are so opposite. The ending of the story surprised me that the rabbit basically killed off the majority of the bear population.

Boy and Turtles: I enjoyed the story of The Boy and the Turtles. I liked how the boy was hunting in a stream, but then attempted to hunt them at a nearby lake. As he sneaks up on the turtles, he is too distracting and they retreat to the lake. However, little men emerge from the lake, which at first confused me. I was not sure what was going on when this happened, but I like that they changed the lake's name from "Truth Lake" to "Man Lake."

Little Brave and Medicine Woman: I really liked the story of The Little Brave and the Medicine Woman. I found the story interesting that it was a journey between a group of six young boys. They were going to inspect a haunted grave. The ending was humorous that the "Little Brave" scared the entire trip by becoming covered in mud. Overall, the story as an interesting read and I thought the extra history provided on various Sioux traditions was interesting.

Wonderful Turtle: I enjoyed the story of The Wonderful Turtle. I really liked that the story focused on the quality of bravery. The tribe mocks the turtle for his "flat chest," but he explains that he got this abnormality by fighting in a war. The tribe then decides to stop mocking him due to his bravery. However, the ending is sad when the turtle leaves for a season and returns to his wife with a child (from another man). Overall, it was a great read.

The Rabbit and the Bear

Commenting Review Week

          I believe that commenting on other student's blogs has been extremely useful. It is great for both improving my own proofreading skills and giving constructive criticism benefits the other student. It is also interesting seeing how other students are also improving. I think that commenting on each other's posts has created a solid connection as it kind of joins the class together.

          When commenting on other people's blogs I usually like to stick with the content. When telling a story the content is the most important part. Writing mechanics (such as grammar and spelling) is also very important, but can be just a simple mistake. So I'll touch base with those issues, but not dwell on them. It is enjoyable returning the positive encouragement I received on my own posts to other students.

          Honestly, this is my only class this semester where I am commenting on other student's work. Yes, in the past I have had to "peer edit" a paper, but have never constantly commented on people's assignments throughout the semester. I have taken online classes where the professor will post a question (agree or disagree with the statement) on the discussions board within D2L and we have to comment on at least two student's replies. However, I think this is always so pointless because every student ends up always writing basically the same reply. So we are all just agreeing with each other. It is interesting that this class has us commenting on our own unique writings.

Remember the Titans

Writing Review Week

          I have enjoyed doing the storytelling assignments for this class. It is interesting creating original adaptions on famous stories that we have read within our units. I have noticed that my writing has improved since Week 1. I feel as if my later stories are better than my first few. I also find it much easier to think of ideas and adapt a story as time progresses for this course. I guess my goal for the second half of this course is to keep improving my work.

          The feedback from both you and fellow students are extremely helpful. The best way to improve in skills like writing is constructive criticism from an outside perspective. I enjoy reading other student's stories because everyone has their own unique writing style. It is interesting to see other students choose a story and form their own creative adaption. This class has helped me with novel style dialogue (with quotations and ect). I am not used to writing in this style and like that I am learning how to do it.

          This class has been useful to me, especially when it comes to improving my writing. For one of my senior projects I have to write a feature screenplay. The story is about two boys that are lost in the forest after camping. I actually included a brief paraphrased version of the storytelling post I wrote for Week 7 about the wolves in the screenplay. It was cool how the projects ended up overlapping.

The Office

I have no clue why I chose this image. I didn't know what else to put haha.

Reading Review Week

          I have enjoyed every reading unit that I have read and wrote a diary for. However, my favorite units thus far have been Aesop's Fables (Jacobs), South African Folktales, and Nigerian Folktales. I found these units the most entertaining because they are playful and give morals to the story. Even though every unit has meanings behind their stories, I found that the stories within these units were more bluntly and stated in an outgoing manner. I definitely use the reading diary as a source for my storytelling assignment. When I read the stories I usually know which story I will base my adaption off of. The most interesting thing I have noticed is that some stories parallel other units. For instance, the idea of the birds carrying a turtle by a stick is present in a few units. It was cool how this story was told in different ways by different cultures even though it had the same meaning.

          I do not do a lot of reading on the side of classwork. If I do read outside of class I do not read material like we have read in this class. So it is interesting to read something different that I have never really read before. When I was younger we had to read some of Aesop's Fables, but that is the only exposure I've had to this type of reading. It was interesting to look back at those fables now that I am older and can comprehend the meaning behind the morals.

          Honestly, I do not have any ideas on how to improve the reading content for this class. We are given quite a bit of options to choose from in each unit. Therefore, we are not stuck reading stories that we did not want to read in the first place. I like this idea a lot because it is different than any other class I have taken in college. In other classes we are kind of forced to read material that we have no interest in, but in this class we have a choice.

Aesop's Fables

Storytelling, Week 7: Why Wolves Howl

          Legend has it that in the lush forests of Minnesota, where the pine trees grew tall, lived a pack of magnificent creatures. The natives of this area called them wolves. No one bothered these animals because they were in control of the forest since the beginning of time. Each day this particular pack of wolves hunted, scaled the forest floor, and tended to their young in silence. The pack coexisted in peace for many years until the king of the pack grew older.

          This king was different than the ones before him because he had a hunger for power. He could not sleep at night knowing that other packs lived in forests adjacent to this one. Even though this pack controlled the forests for nearly a hundred miles, this did not satisfy the king. He wanted more land. Days came when he would attempt to drive the other packs away, but didn't have the strength to overthrow their lands. This frustrated him because he knew that he was the strongest wolf in all the land.

          The wolf king cried for days. Days turned into months and the wolf began to neglect his very own pack that loved him dearly. The crying continued until a being felt sorrow for the wolf's story. One night, a mysterious being came down from the stars and stood before the wolf king. The king pleaded his wishes and the being agreed to grant them, but only under one circumstance. In two years the wolf must leave this world and live among the stars.

          The king agreed to this vow and soon enough the rival wolf packs disappeared. For two years the wolf king lived in harmony and adored his wondrous land. The food and land was plentiful, almost too plentiful for such a small pack of wolves. Exactly two years later the being came back from the stars and reminded the king of their agreement. When this time came, the king refused to retreat into the stars and leave his beautiful kingdom. 

          The being grew angry from this deep betrayal and, out of spite, took the king's closest brother into the stars. This greatly saddened the wolves because everyone admired everyone. The wolves began shouting into the night sky. The story was heartbreaking to all packs of wolves living on this earth. To this day, the wolves still howl at the stars in hope that the king's lost brother will someday find his way back home.

Wolf Howling

Author's Note:

     I based this story as an adaption of stories based within the Nigerian Folktales unit. The unit is full of origin stories explaining why things are they way they are today. It is always great to hear an interesting back story to concepts. For instance, many of these stories were "Why the Bat Flies by Night," "Why the Sun and Moon Live in the Sky," and "Why the Moon Waxes and Wanes." When reading these stories I immediately knew I was going to use this concept. I thought of wolves and why they howl at night. I took this idea and went with it.

Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria

Elphinstone Dayrell (1910)

Reading Diary A: Nigerian Folktales

Here are my favorite stories from the second half of the Nigerian Folktales unit. I enjoyed reading the first half of the unit for my extra reading diary last week and wanted to finish the unit this week.

Lightning and Thunder: I enjoyed the story of The Lightning and the Thunder. I really liked that the storyteller made the thunder a sheep and the lightning a ram. It provided excellent imagery as I was reading. The ram gets angry and creates damage within the town. Soon after, the sheep yells and punishes her son by making loud noises. This irritates the entire community so the king banishes them into the sky. It is interesting that the ram still gets mad and creates lightning while his mother still punishes him with noise.

Why Dead People are Buried: I liked the story of Why Dead People are Buried. It was interesting to glance at the Nigerian burial story. It was almost amusing that the entire message on how people should be laid above the ground with wood and they will rise again the next day was lost in translation. Instead, the message changed to that people should be buried below the ground, but this way they cannot rise again. I found this a very different take on why a community buries their dead.

Why the Moon Waxes and Wanes: I really enjoyed the story of Why the Moon Waxes and Wanes. I always like stories of the moon and thought this was a great one. I found it interesting that the moon came down to give a starving woman food from her body, which is why the moon gets big and small. So in a way the moon is a being that eats more or less at different times of month. The moon is constantly changing its weight.

Tortoise, Elephant, Hippo: I liked the story of How the Tortoise overcame the Elephant and the Hippopotamus. I enjoy stories where the smaller character outsmarts the large confident characters. In this case, the small turtle outsmarted both the elephant and the hippopotamus. Also, this story gave the origin of why some turtles live on land and why some live in the water.

Hippopotamus

Extra Reading Diary: Nigerian Folktales

Here are a few of my favorite stories from the Nigerian Folktales unit.

Why the Bat Flies by Night: I thought the story of Why the Bat Flies by Night was very interesting. I also like reading stories that speak of an origin or why things the way they are. It gives the animal or subject told great depth. I found it interesting that the bat tricked the rat and the reason he flies at night is because he is still searched by the community during the day. Overall, the story was an entertaining read.

The Fish and the Leopard's Wife: The story of The Fish and the Leopard's Wife was also interesting. Just like the story of the bat, this is also an explanation why fish live in the water. I like that the theme of the story is that adultery is bad, because most Hollywood films also follow this similar theme. Something horrible always happens to the person committing adultery. I also found it interesting that the story states the reason people and animals now hunt fish is because of this act and betrayal towards the leopard.

Why Hawks Kill Chickens: I liked the story of Why Hawks Kill Chickens. I found it amusing that the hawk refused to ever walk on the ground because he was too noble. Also, it was interesting that the story explains that it is the custom of the parents to repay the husband for the wedding if it does not work out like in this case. I wonder if this is true for the actual society or it is just a fictitious theme in the story.

Sun & Moon: I thought the story of Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky was a great story. I liked the idea that the sun and moon were married while the sun and water were best friends. It was entertaining that the water kept warning the couple that he will not fit in the large compound. The two continued to ignoring the water's warnings because they were excited he was visiting. It is actually a rather sad story because the sun and moon were forced to live in the sky far from the water.

African Leopard

Comment Wall

Leave Comments here!

Storytelling, Week 6: The Tragedy of Termites

          In the broad African veldt, thousands of creatures coexist to create the perfect balance of life. Herds of elephants and buffalos graze the plentiful foliage. Crowned cranes soar over the savanna catching each change of wind. A family of meerkats poke their heads out of their underground homes to feel the breeze lifting off the tall grass. Noble lions yawn under the sun among the pride lands. However, the veldt is also home to the most odd of animals. Under the treetops and, more specifically, under the tall grass walks massive colonies of strange legged creatures. Lets call these small bizarre creatures termites. These tiny bugs are disliked by nearly all members of the veldt and have many enemies. The termites have much more enemies than any other animal on the savanna. Each day, various animals consume colonies of termites. Birds from the sky swoop down and snatch up hundreds of termites, while snakes and meerkats attack the colonies from the ground. The fate of these termites seemed hopeless until the new queen termite had a solution.

          One day, the queen termite stood in front of her entire colony and suggested an idea. She told the termites that they shall have no predators no more and divided them into three groups. Each group went to establish their colony in a new habitat. The first group found refuge under a giant baobab tree. This colony climbed up the tree and made it their new home. They burrowed and ate the tree's bark for many weeks. As the colony grew large, the termites needed more food. Since the termites ate so much of the bark, holes began to form throughout the entire tree. Flocks of birds from the sky noticed this unusual site so they came down and consumed the colony within minutes.

          The second group of termites formed a colony within a nearby village. They entered homes and began their lives living in the walls. This colony grew even larger than the colony within the baobab tree. The colony was ecstatic that they found a permanent habitat. However, as predicted, man discovered the termites were living in their homes. These termites created such a nuisance that man decided to burn down their homes and rebuild from the ashes. So one day the homes caught fire and the entire colony perished. The queen termite was saddened when she heard the fate of both the baobab and village colonies.

          The final group of termites decided that they would not find refuge within a giant tree or a homestead. The queen informed them that they would build a massive fortress, one that cannot be destroyed by any being in the world. The colony worked days and nights collecting soil to build this magnificent fortress. Once it was finished, the fortress stood at nearly twelve feet tall. Each day, the termites left the fortress in pairs to find food and brought it back to their home. They lived in harmony for many months until one evening a creature almost as bizarre as the termites discovered their home. An aardvark burrowed under the termite mound until he dug a route directly into the fortress' core. Within hours, a majority of the colony was consumed.

          The termite queen grabbed many of the survivors and retreated into the veldt's tall grass. They were saddened that none of their colonies survived to live a long life like many of the animals around them. The queen came to the conclusion that they must constantly migrate and build mounds throughout the savanna to survive. The remaining termites separated and formed colonies of their own within giant fortresses. The life of a termite is a cursed tragedy.

African Termite Mound

Author's Note:

     I based this adaption off of the South African Folktale story, "The Lost Message." I immediately enjoyed the story after I read it. The original story shows how unfortunate the life of ants is. I thought it was interesting that a story focuses on how harsh and unrewarding it is to be an ant. Ants are described to have many predators and cannot find a solution to defend themselves against the larger creatures throughout the forest. I replaced the role of ants with colonies of termites to provide a deeper sense of the African setting.

South African Folk-Tales

"The Lost Message"

James Honey (1910)