Week 6 Storytelling: They Dying Man's Tale

Author's Note. The original story begins with a dying man telling his son these specific guidelines he must follow to live a happy life. They seem very strange and the son listens, but chooses not to follow them anyway. He winds up breaking the first instruction by telling his wife one of his secrets before they have 10 children together. He decides to test her by killing a pig dressing it up and convincing her that he had killed a man. Like his father had warned him, once she got angry she turned against him and called the police telling them that her husband was a murderer. So, he ends up getting locked up in jail for a crime he didn't commit. The father had also warned the son that he should only keep friends with dark colored eyes. So, when his friends come to visit him the four with light colored eyes tell him that there's nothing they can do to help him and leave. His last friend with dark colored eyes comes and says he will do what he can to get him out and succeeds in freeing him from prison. When reading the story, I was curious as to how the father had come up with these guidelines. I felt like there had to be a reason behind them so I thought it would be interesting to tell a story about where they came from to connect the dots! 

~~~

Now the young boy was curious, just like many youngsters are, so he asked his father why it was necessary to follow these specific guidelines. Of course he wanted to live a happy life… the guidelines just seemed so strange and random. His father sighed heavily and said, “Well if you must know I guess I can share with you what happened to me when I was just about your age…” The two walked into the cozy living room and sat across from each other with the fire dimly lighting the room.

Growing up I lived in a small house in the middle of the woods. My parents would always send my brothers and I into town with a list of items to get at the beginning of each week. Now, the woods were dangerous and you had to make sure to take the correct path or you could wind up in some serious trouble. That’s why my parents always sent us together.

One week, one of my brothers came home from school with a stomach bug that got everyone in the house sick except for me. So, my mom tentatively handed me the list for the week and said I could go into town on my own as long as I made sure I was on the correct path and was back before dark.

So, I excitedly set off on my own into the forest. Everything was going great and I was halfway there until I came to the dreaded fork in the road. Every time my brothers and I fight about whether to go right or left and we always manage to pick the right way. This time I was on my own and was more confused than ever… I finally gave up, closed my eyes, spun around three times, and pointed in a random direction and which happened to be left.

(Fork in the road photograph. Source: Rethinked)

Everything seemed fine until I came across this old man just standing there in the middle of the road. He immediately stopped me and said I could only pass if I answered his riddle correctly. I sat there for hours and hours trying to figure it out but I couldn’t and it was already starting to get dark! The old man got annoyed and cursed me saying, “You may turn back and go home, but now you shall be cursed by never being happy in your marriage when you find a wife and never having true friends. Not only will you be cursed but also will your children, and grandchildren, and so on for the rest of your lineage. In order for them to live a happy life you must warn them that once they are married they can never trust their wife with any secrets until after they have had 10 children. Also they must never choose someone to be their friend if they have light colored eyes. If they follow these things they will live a happy life. Unfortunately it is too late for you, but hopefully your children will listen.” I thought I heard a rustling noise so I glanced behind me and when I turned back to look at the old man he was gone.

I walked home without any items from the list and told my mom that I had gotten too scared to make it into town. She hugged me and was just glad that I had made it back safe… or at least that’s what she thought. I didn’t tell anyone of my encounter with the old man, but everything he said has come true. You’ve known for years that I’m unhappy in my marriage and I’m sure you’ve always noticed that I never have any friends to go out to the pub to drink with after work. So I decided now was the time to share with you these specific guidelines to follow so you can avoid living the same lonely life as I have.

~~~

Bibliography. "The Man with Five Friends with Different Colored Eyes" by A.L. Shelton. Website. UnTextbook.  

Week 6 Reading Diary, Continued: Tibetan Folk Tales

The second half of the reading of the Tibetan Folk Tales by A.L. Shelton, keeps with the animal and magic theme. The first story How the Rabbit Killed the Lion stood out to me because I keep seeing a theme of the “king of the animals” the lion being so easily tricked. In this story, the lion ends up attacking his own reflection thinking it’s a demon and jumping into the river to his death. I liked The Golden Squash because it shows that people who are truly genuine with their actions will be rewarded for their good deeds, which is what I believe to be true! I think it might be interesting to tell the story from a birds perspective since they were the ones targeted in the story. The Man with Five Friends with Different Colored Eyes was one of my favorites to read because it was so different! I don’t understand why the son went against the stipulations that his father had told him to follow… if I were him I wouldn’t want to risk it! I could write my storytelling in the father’s voice explaining and telling his son a story about why it’s important to follow these instructions to be happy. I liked The Two Little Cats because it was so creative how even the inanimate objects had voices and helped the animal’s band together to defeat the Handre. I also liked the vivid description of the Handre at the beginning of the story. It gave me a clear picture of what the creature would look like. Finally, The Man and the Monkey’s had a great description of the Garden of Eden… it seemed so peaceful! I also noticed that this story like most of the others have lessons about being grateful and remembering those who helped you. I could possibly link a few stories together that keep with this theme!

(Illustration of The Man and the Monkey's

by Mildred Bryant. Source: UnTextbook)

Week 6 Reading Diary: Tibetan Folk Tales

For this weeks storytelling I chose to read the Tibetan Folk Tales by A.L. Shelton. I liked that each story was different and included both magic and animals! The story of The Tiger and the Frog was really funny because the little frog was able to use his words in a clever way to scare the tiger. I also liked imagining the tiger tying his tail to the foxes… the picture in my head is absolutely ridiculous. I also liked The Story of the Donkey and the Rock because the king was so cunning. At first I was really confused as to why the king decided to put the donkey and the rock in jail… I thought he was crazy! It was clever how he turned it on the people and ended up using the money he collected from them to give to the poor man who lost his oil. It could be interesting to do a story of how the man uses his money once it is returned. The Man and the Ghost was very interesting… I didn’t understand why the man was so afraid of the ghost if the ghost was being so nice to him? It almost seemed like the ghost was trying to scare him away by bringing him the boy’s soul and leaving it. I think it would be interesting to write a story on the ghost coming back and being angry that the man had set the soul free! In The Story of the Two Devils I kept seeing a theme of deceit… first the woman turned out to be a she-devil, then the yak was truly a he-devil, and finally the man who claimed he was a fortune-teller couldn’t actually see the future. I also really liked the description of what the he-devil and she-devil looked like once they were in their true form. The description was so vivid!

(Illustration of Tibetan man by Mildred Bryant

Source: UnTextbook) 

Thoughts about Comments

While reading through comments that I've received on my posts there were a few things that really stood out. For example, if someone made a very direct or "out of the box" comment to something I posed it made me feel like they were really paying attention to what I had to say and it made me feel like they cared. I also felt more inclined to be engaged when someone asked a direct question about something in the story or about my intro in their comments. I also liked the comments that had a strong voice to them. If someone left a comment that sounded like they were just talking to me it made me feel like I really got a sense of their personality and what it would be like to talk to them face to face. 

Looking back at my comments I feel like I was pretty personal when it came to how I commented on other classmates blogs. I think I could do a better job at giving specific advice or tips when commenting on stories. I also need to be more attentive when reading introductions so I can ask deeper questions rather than just surface ones! 

Week 5 Storytelling: The Elephants Diary

(Illustration of The Elephant and the Dog by Ellsworth Young

Source: UnTextbook)

12/10/16

Dear Diary,

I absolutely love living in the king’s stable. I get a bath every day and every meal is a complete feast of any kind of food you can imagine! The only issue is that there’s this annoying dog that keeps coming by every day. He’s always around during breakfast, lunch, and dinner and if I don’t finish my food he immediately sweeps in and eats the rest of it! I mean can you think of anything more rude… he doesn’t even ask me if it’s okay! I guess I can’t really blame him I do get the best food in all of the land. I wonder if he has an owner that takes care of him…

12/20/16

Dear Diary,

I hate to admit it but the dog and I have actually become really good friends! I get excited everyday waiting for him to come to the stable to hang out. Right when my keeper brings breakfast I stand on tiptoes looking out the window for my new friend to come. I always have more than enough food to share so he stays around for every meal. During the day we do everything together. We take naps, share secrets, and play together it’s so much fun! I didn’t realize how lonely I was living in the king’s stable until I started hanging out with this dog.

We really connected when I asked him about his owner. He said he was abandoned as a puppy, so he’s been living on his own every since! It made me feel so bad for him… I can’t imagine trying to figure out where my next meal is coming from or where I would stay every night. I told him that he would always have a meal here at the stable and if he ever needed a place to sleep I had plenty of room!

1/01/16

Dear Diary,

This has been the worst week ever. Definitely not the way I wanted to start the new year off. A man came by asking about my friend and offering a large sum of money for him. I thought for sure that there was no chance the keeper would sell him but he jumped on the offer! Immediately my friend was taken from me. I’ve been so distraught ever since. I have no one to eat with and no one to play with… it feels like this stable is a jail cell. I have no desire to do anything I just want to lay here. Why did he need this particular dog… there’s plenty of dogs all over town!

1/30/16

Dear Diary,

I guess the king noticed my strange behavior because when he asked my keeper why I was acting so strange he explained my close relationship with the dog. I overheard him say that he would match the price for my friend if he was sent back! I couldn’t be happier, I’ve been so lonely these past few weeks.

It only took a few hours and I could hear the bark of my friend as he ran down the hill towards me! I immediately picked him up with my trunk and threw him into the air in excitement! We caught up, ate our feast, and haven’t been separated since. I couldn’t be happier.

~~~

Author's Note: The Jataka Tale: The Elephant and the Dog is about the unlikely friendship of these two animals. Everyday the dog comes to the king's stable to visit the elephant. They share food, play, and sleep together regularly. One day a farmer comes and offers the elephant's keeper money for the dog. The keeper is in need of money so he accepts and the dog is taken away. The elephant gets very upset and refuses to eat or bathe for days, which finally gets the attention of the king. When the king finds out that the elephant is distraught about the loss of his friend he buys the dog back so they can be together again! The story ends happily with the two being reunited and eating together like old times. I choose to do a diary version of this story because I thought it would be interesting to see what the elephant was truly thinking. I wanted to show the evolution of their friendship and how much of an impact it made when his friend was taken away. 

Bibliography: "The Jataka Tales: The Elephant and the Dog" by Ellen C. Babbitt. Website: UnTextbook 

Week 5 Reading Diary, Continued: Jataka Tales (Babbitt)

The second half of the reading of the Jataka Tales (Babbitt) by Ellen Babbit were very similar to the first half because they kept with the animal and teaching theme. The Golden Goose and The Foolhardy Wolf were closely related because they both had greedy characters in them. I think it would be so cool if there was such thing as a golden goose! Both stories had characters who had everything going for them, but they just weren’t happy enough. They’re similar to how many people act today… always searching for the next best thing! In the end though both of their plans back fire and leave them wishing they had just been happy with what they had. I also was shocked because I wasn’t expecting the wolf to be killed by the elephant in the story! I related well to The Stupid Monkeys story because I am a firm believer in if you want something done right you do it yourself. I don’t think the monkey’s intentionally killed all of the trees, but the king should have known better than leave them with the task of watering all of his plants. I really enjoyed the story called The Elephant and the Dog because I loved how the animals were such good friends. I may use their relationship together in my storytelling for this week. I also liked how the story had a happy ending with the dog being able to return to the elephant. Maybe I could tell the story through the elephants diary and describe how he felt when his friend was taken away from him.  

(Illustration of The Elephant and the Dog

Source: UnTextbook)

Week 5 Reading Diary: Jataka Tales (Babbitt)

This week I chose to read the Jataka Tales (Babbitt) section by Ellen Babbit. Again I liked how each story served as a mini lesson and thought it would be perfect to use with little kids. How the Turtle Saved His Own Life caught my attention because it is relatable in the way that people often times aren’t given a chance. The princes had never seen a turtle before, so they automatically accused him of being a demon… no one questioned them or even gave the turtle a chance to hear his side. He was immediately thrown back into the lake. Many times once one person makes a judgment others are quick to agree and not make their own opinions up! I could use this story and add onto the ending of what the turtle does next after being thrown back into the lake. The Turtle Who Couldn’t Stop Talking was also a good story because even when he was warned to keep his mouth shut he still couldn’t do it! I also liked the image of a turtle being carried through the air by two geese. Another good story was The Foolish, Timid Rabbit. I thought that it was funny how everyone was blindly following the rabbit when they could have easily stopped and looked to see if the world actually was “breaking”. I could use write this story in the form of a parent telling their child a bed time story. The Girl Monkey and the String of Pearls was creative because I would have never suspected a monkey to come in and steal the jewelry from the Queen. I think it’s a relatable story because it’s so hard for people to keep quiet and not brag when they know they have something better than everyone else… the girl monkey couldn’t resist!

(Illustration of the turtle being carried through the air

Source: UnTextbook)

Storytelling for Week 4: The Case of Ka Likai and her Child

Authors Note: The story The Leap of Ka Likai by Mrs. K. U. Rafy, is about a woman who has recently had a new baby girl and is happily married. Unfortunately, her husband died when the baby was young. Ka Likai wanted the best for her baby, so she soon got remarried. The husband found out that Ka Likai only married him to get the financial support she needed for her child, which caused him to get very jealous and mistreat the baby when he was left alone with her. One day he loses it and decides to kill the innocent child. When Ka Likai comes home and discovers that her child has been murdered she is so distraught that she runs off of a cliff and dies. I thought it would be fun to have the story take place in a courtroom, since her husband would definitely have to go to court after committing a murder. I also wanted to tell his side of the story, since that wasn’t really shared in the original.

***

Now we have heard the tragic story of Ka Likai’s leap of death after finding that her child has been murdered, but we have yet to hear her husband’s side of the story. Did the man have reason to kill Ka Likai’s child? Or did he simply go mad? Let’s take a closer look at the court hearing…

(Photograph of courtroom gavel. Source: Flickr)

“Order in the court! Order in the court I say! Would Ka Likai’s husband please come to the stand” said the judge. A thunderous sound of boo’s filled the courtroom immediately after the judge called him to the center of the room. Ka Likai was well known by everyone in town as a sweet and loving mother. When they found out that her first husband died the towns people did everything they could to help her out by providing her meals and even babysitting her child when she had work! So when they heard the disturbing news that John, her second husband, had murdered her child causing her to leap to her death, they were enraged.

John walked to the center of the room, stated the oath, and took his seat. The prosecutor walked up to him and asked, “John, may I ask what led you to think that killing your stepchild was a good idea? Surely, you were just having a bad day and something caused you to lose it… Am I right?” John smiled and replied, “Finally someone is asking me, the only one who was there, what truly happened!” So John began his explanation…

I was at the market when I first saw Ka Likai. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on! I noticed that she was a few cents short when she was trying to pay for her groceries, so I stepped up and gave her the money she needed. From that day on it was history! We got married soon after and I moved into the house with Ka Likai and her child.

The first few weeks were great! We were so in love with our little family. One day Ka Likai had me stay home with the kid while she went to town to run some errands. Immediately after she left, the child looked at me with a terrible look in her eye and said, “You will never be my real dad. I’m going to make sure you hate it here so much that you have to leave!” Then she just started screaming and crying for no reason! She ran around the house knocking things off of the shelves and causing a huge mess. I tried my best to calm her down but there was nothing I could do to stop her.

When my wife came back from town, she was so confused seeing the house in complete disarray and her child sitting there pink in the face from crying so much. She immediately asked what happened and I explained everything to her! She looked at me like I was completely crazy and asked her daughter if it was true. The conniving child with tears still in her eyes simply shook her head no. Ka Likai was so mad and disgusted by me that we went to bed without talking. I woke up the next morning feeling like it was all a dream.

A few weeks passed and the child would do little things here and there to make me look bad. She would randomly start crying or scream and accuse me of pinching her or pulling her hair! My relationship with Ka Likai was getting very strained because of these false accusations from her daughter.

A day came where Ka Likai needed to get a few special ingredients for dinner that could only be found in a town 3 hours away, so she reluctantly left me with her precious child. Again once she left the antics immediately began. The child wouldn’t stop screaming and crying and I was starting to get very angry. I just needed her to stop crying for a little because I was getting a headache, so I simply grabbed the nearest pan from the kitchen and whacked her over the head! As soon as I did she fell to the floor dead silent. She wouldn’t wake up no matter how much I shook her. So as you can see, I didn’t mean to kill her I just wanted a few minutes of silence! Once I realized she was dead I felt terrible, but now looking back I don’t regret anything that child was a menace!

As soon as he finished the story John started laughing, he smiled looking at the prosecutor and asked, “Anymore questions?” And the courtroom exploded in chaos.

Bibliography: “The Leap of Ka Likai” by Mrs. K. U. Rafey. Website: UnTextbook. 

Week 4 Reading Diary Continued: Khasi Folktales

The second half of the reading of the Khasi Folktales by Mrs. K. U. Rafy was very similar to those in the first half. It kept with the animal theme and told stories that taught lessons. The first story, The Leap of Ka Likai really caught my attention because it was so dark compared to the other ones! When the narrator was describing what he did to the innocent child it was so descriptive and unexpected! He said, “…he took portions of the body and cooked them against the mother’s return and waited in silence for her coming.” I had such a vivid mental image of this part! I may tell the story from the dad’s perspective instead of the third person narrative. What Caused the Shadows on the Moon was also a intriguing story because it explained why the moon only comes out at night and why it looks the way it does. I liked that the sun on the moon had human qualities and seemed alive! The Legend of Ka Panshandi, the Lazy Tortoise taught the lesson that even if someone is provided with everything they could ever want they will never change their ways. It still is hard to understand why Ka Panshandi didn’t at least try to clean up a little for her new husband… I wonder what would happen if U Lurmangkhara made her earn his wealth instead of just automatically showering her with it upon their marriage. Another story I enjoyed was How the Ox came to be the Servant of Man. I really felt for the Ox because I probably would have done the same thing! It’s common to return a favor once one is done for you so it would be so hard for him to just turn his back on the crow after he had helped him! I wonder if the Ox would do something differently if he was given the chance.

(Sun and Moon Illustration by: Hartmann Schedule

Source: Wikimedia)