Reading Notes:The Lightning and the Thunder, Part B

Nigeria: The Lightning and the Thunder
By: Elphinstone Dayrell

Like part A, this reading was short and to the point.
Both readings were about the different elements that make up part of the earth: lightning, thunder, sun, moon, and water.
This story was about lightning and thunder. Thunder was an old mother sheep and lightning was her son, who was also a ram.
Lightning had a difficult time controlling his anger and often times ended in a rage.
Lightning would hurt others and destroy any land that was in his way.
They both were banned from their town due to the anger outbursts from lightning.
In the end, they both were sent to the sky so that lightning couldn't hurt others and the land anymore.

I could change: characters
                         characters could have different issues other than emotion regulation problems

Lightning

Reading Notes: Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky, Part A

Nigeria: Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky
By: Elphinstone Dayrell

This story was short and to the point. It had a lesson it it as well. The lesson being that you need to understand your situation and understand the consequences before you go into things.

The sun wondered why the water never visited him?
The sun had to build a bigger place so that the water and his friends could visit.
The sun built a bigger place and people started coming over.

As people started coming over, the place became more and more crowded.
The water began rising higher and higher.
After a while, the water was so high that the sun and the moon were forced to go to the ceiling, which is why they are so high in the sky.

Could change: characters
                        story line
                        include a lesson?

Moon

Week 6 Story: The Three Sisters

The Three Sisters

The Three Sisters (link for my Portfolio)

There once were three sisters, Hailey, Tatiana, and Landry, who lived together in a big mansion with their father. Their mother abandoned them when they were young, so it was just them four that lived together. 

All three girls were very spoiled and always had things handed to them. They wore the fanciest clothes and drove the most luxurious vehicles. They always had a maid at hand and could have anything they ever wanted.

Their father was rarely home, he worked more hours than he slept, so spending time together as a family wasn't an option for them. The girls missed spending time with their father. To fill this void, they would go out and shop or buy things they didn't need. 

One day, their father came home earlier than usual, which surprised the girls. He always got home late and left before the sun rose in the mornings. Their father had some sad news to tell them.

He told them that he had become ill and didn't have much time left. Surprised by this news, Hailey and Tatiana told their father how sorry they were and then left to go hang out with their friends. The youngest daughter, Landry, stayed with her father and helped him with whatever he needed.

Days had passed and Hailey and Tatiana had no interest in helping their father. They continued going on shopping sprees and extravagant vacations, showing no sympathy for their dying father. 

Landry stayed and cared for her father. She cooked him meals and made sure he was getting enough rest. Each and every day became harder and harder for the father.

After seeing her father in such a fragile state, Landry started to realize the important things in life, family and the relationship that you have with others. Embarrassed by her past behaviors, she decided she was going to start putting family first. 

Weeks had gone by now and the girls father didn't have much longer. Unchanged, Hailey and Tatiana continued with their old ways, while Landry and their father continued growing closer each day.

Sadly, their father had passed. The girls were very sad by this news, but Landry was the most sad. In her fathers last days, she had formed an unbreakable bond with him.

As the girls were going through their fathers old things, they came across his will. In his will he left, it stated that the youngest daughter, Landry, was to get all of his possessions, as well as ownership of the multi-million dollar company that he left behind. 

"I'm leaving my fortune and most of my possessions to my youngest daughter, Landry. For she took care of me in my time of need" read the will.

Hailey and Tatiana couldn't believe what they were reading. Their father left them with just enough to live on, but their extreme spending habits would have to stop. Landry, on the other hand, could live however she wanted. After all, her father left all of his fortune to her.

Shopping Bags

Authors Note: I took the fairy tale "How Sun, Moon, and Wind Went Out to Dinner" and added my own twist. The original story presents two siblings who failed to consider their mother on one of their outings and another that was thoughtful and caring towards her. This story teaches an important lesson on being considerate towards others and thinking of others before you think of yourself. In my story, I stuck with the same story line but with completely different characters and settings. This story allows the reader to see the rewards of helping others even when nobody else is.

Story Source:Indian Fairy Tales: How Sun, Moon, and Wind Went Out to Dinner
Author: Joseph Jacobs

Reading Notes: Laos: A Child of The Woods,Part A (EC)

Laos: A Child of The Woods
By: Katherine Neville Fleeson

This story was about a child who always felt a little different. One day, this child became so full with anger that he left his people and his home, which was a place in the jungle.

This child went on a long journey, where he never grew tired and felt no pain. Once he felt like he reached his destination, he slept under a tree.

He was awoken by a large tiger. Unafraid, the child trusted the tiger. It was as if they had a connection of some sort.

Many days had passed, the lion and the child grew fonder of each other, and the child was learning the ways of the land from the tiger.

As the tiger was teaching the child, the child was also teaching the tiger. The child taught the tiger to not kill their herd of cattle, or the people that lived in the jungle.

After being gone for so long, the child wanted to return to his family. He returned to his own village with jewels wrapped around him.

Woods

Reading Notes: How Sun, Moon, and Wind Went Out to Dinner, Part B

Indian Fairy Tales: How Sun, Moon, and Wind Went Out to Dinner
By: Joseph Jacobs

This story had a valuable lesson in it. To never forget where you cam from and the important of thinking of others.

This story had four main characters: the sun, moon, wind, and the star (their mother)

The sun, moon, and wind were all going to dinner with their aunt and uncle (lightning and thunder)

As they were at dinner, all of them were having a great times enjoying each others company. They were all thinking about themselves and not their mother who was left at home.

When the sun, moon, and wind returned to their mother she asked what they brought her.

The sun and wind didn't bring anything, for they said they were enjoying themselves and not thinking of her. They were being greedy and selfish.

The moon on the other hand, brought back a great selection of food for the mother.

Since the sun and wind were selfish, their mother cursed them. That is why the sun is so hot and the wind is so hard during the months.

For the moon, the mother gave him a reward. The moon was calm, and cool during the nights. Everyone enjoyed the moon.

                                                                           Moon

Reading Notes:The Broken Pot, Part A

Indian Fairy Tales: The Broken Pot
By: Jospeh Jacobs

The Broken Pot

This story was about a somewhat greedy man who had a pot full of rice. He had gotten this rice by begging for it.

After filling his stomach by eating the rice, the man began to make plans on how he could make a large profit from his pot full of rice should there be a famine.

He planned to buy goats, cows, buffaloes, and horses. Once they all gave birth, he was to sell the babies and profit off of them. After selling them, he should have plenty of gold.

This man was fueled by one thing alone: greed and gold

Once the man was wealthy, he expected a Brahman to come and give his finest daughter to him. She was to give him a son.

Little did the man know that rising a child was more work than it was raising his animals.

One day, the boy was acting up and the man called for his mother to take him but she was busy doing housework. The boy knocked the pot over and it broke. All the rice spilt out.

                                                                              Broken Pot

Week 5 Story: The Sneaky Turtle

Authors Note: For this story, I used the original story Indian Fairy Tales: The Lion and the Crane, by Joseph Jacobs (1912) and changed it up a bit.  In the original story, the lion was enjoying a meal one afternoon and got a bone stuck in his throat. Choking and not able to remove it, he asked the crane for help. The crane was hesitant at first because he would have to stick his head into the lions big mouth to remove the bone. This story was based off of trust. The lion had to trust that the crane would remove the bone and not push it down further and the crane had to trust that the lion wouldn't bite down on his head when the bone was removed.

The Sneaky Turtle

Tut was a land turtle and didn't like swimming in water. One hot afternoon, he was basking in the sun, enjoying the warmth it brought him. He was having a good day. 

A little later, he heard a noise from across the pond. The noise was coming from his friends, they were having a party up on the hill.

Feeling left out, he decided he wanted to join them. The only problem was that he didn't know if he would be able to swim all the way across the pond. He hated water and there was no way he could walk all the way around the pond.

Tut sadly sat near the edge of the water, trying to figure out a way to get across the pond.

An alligator, named Ally, was passing by and saw the gloomy look on Tut's face. Ally loved the water and spent most of her life in it. The only time she ever came out of the water was to lay her eggs.

"What's wrong?" asked Ally.

"I have no way of getting across the pond" responded Tut.

"I see.. I could take you across the pond" said Ally.

"Wow, really?" responded Tut.

"You have to do something for me in return" Ally demanded.

"What do you want?" asked Tut.

Ally demanded that he must help her keep her eggs safe. She had laid them in the mud and grass, near the shore of the pond. She showed Tut where she had them and asked him to help her keep them safe.

"If you take me across the pond, I'll help you keep your eggs safe" said Tut.

Tut climbed on Ally's back and enjoyed the ride as she swam across the pond. Ally was feeling great, thinking that she was going to have help protecting her eggs. Little did she know that Tut had a different idea in mind.

When they reached the other side of the pond, Tut climbed off her back and went to meet his friends. They both agreed to meet back at the shore later that day so that they could go back to the other side to watch over and keep the eggs safe.

Tut met up with his friends. He had a great time.

Later that evening, Ally had returned back to the meeting spot to pick Tut up. He told her that he decided to stay with his friends. 

"That wasn't the agreement we made" said Ally.

Confused, Ally became angry because Tut wasn't going to help her protect her eggs. 

Tut had tricked Ally. He was never going to help her protect her eggs. Instead, he used her so that he could get a ride on her back to go across the pond and be with his friends.

Sad and heartbroken, Ally returned to the other side of the pond to be with her eggs. She learned a valuable lesson that day. Be careful when it comes to trusting others, you never know what their motives may be.

                                                                             

                                                                            Turtle

Reading Notes: The Talkative Tortoise, Part B

Indian Fairy Tales: The Talkative Tortoise
By: Joseph Jacobs (1912).

This was an interesting story that ended with a valuable lesson.

There was a chatty king who was always talking. Talking so much that nobody could ever get a word in.

One day, these two wild ducks went to the talkative tortoise and asked him if he would like to go back to the Golden Cave where they lived. The tortoise agreed and decided to go with them.

The one condition was that the tortoise had to hold a stick in-between his teeth while the wild ducks each held one end as they flew through the sky. As they were flying, the tortoise couldn't help himself and spoke a word. In doing so, the tortoise let go of the stick and fell to the ground.. breaking into two.

The talkative king saw this and soon realized the tortoise represented himself. He was talking so much that it was ultimately hurting himself and his relationship with others.

Could change: characters
                        story line (do I want the main characters to be talkative?)
                        the ending (do I want a character to be injured?)
                        what type of lesson do I want to convey?

Tortoise & Wild Ducks

Reading Notes: The Lion and the Crane, Part A

Indian Fairy Tales: The Lion and the Crane
By: Joseph Jacobs (1912).

This story was based upon trust. The lion had a bone stuck in his throat, which was causing him pain and the inability to eat.

Along came a crane that could help remove the bone from the lions throat. The crane had to trust that the lion wasn't going to eat him once the bone was removed.

The crane was able to remove the bone, and later wanted a favor in return. The crane asked the lion, but the lion said the favor was not eating him.

The crane was the one that was tricked into thinking he was going to be repaid by the lion.

I could change up this story quite a bit.

Change: the characters
              the ending
              the story line (does one animal need help from another?)

Lion

Comment Wall

Link to my Portfolio: Braley's Mythology Portfolio



Links to the stories in my Portfolio:

The Jealous Girl
The Princess Maid
The Three Sisters
Prom Night

Read

Week 4 Story: Noah's Animals

Noah: The Flood (Genesis)
By: Louis Ginzberg (1909)

Authors Note: For this story, I decided to take the story "Noah: The Flood" and put my own twist on it. In the original story, Noah was called upon to build an ark so that him and all the animals could survive the massive flood that was to occur. Through trial and error, Noah was able to build an ark and bring a pair of every animal imaginable onto the ark. Thinking they were safe and free from harm, Noah began to notice the waves from the water were becoming more violent. To add to the situation, they were beginning to run out of food. Worried, Noah began to improvise.

Noah's Animals

One day Noah was working outside, as he usually does. Working on the farm and making sure everything was in order. He heard a voice speak to him.

"You must build an ark before the flood comes" says the voice.

"Who's there?" Noah asked.

"Go and build the ark, for I am the LORD and you shall do as I say." said the LORD.

Shocked and confused, Noah began to collect wood and tools that he would need to build an ark.

"How am I supposed to build an ark?" Noah thought to himself.

The next day, Noah was going to go gather some more wood and tools. As he stepped outside he stubbed his toe on a big box that was sitting on his porch.

"What is this?" Noah thought as he scratched his head.

Noah opened the box and to his surprise it was full of wood and tools.

Later that day, Noah began to build the ark. He worked for hours and hours, for he remembered the LORD told him he didn't have long.

The next morning, Noah opened his door and saw another box!

"I wonder what this could be?" said Noah.

He opened the box and found it filled with nails and screws. Something he desperately needed to finish the ark.

"Where is all of this coming from?" Noah wondered.

Exhausted and sleepy, Noah laid down on the couch for a nap. As he shut his eyes he heard a knock on the door. He went to the door and as he opened it, a pair of dogs walked in.

"Oh my! Where did you two come from?" said Noah.

Noah gave them both some food and water and laid back down. A little later, there was another knock on the door. Noah got up to go see who it was, and in walked a pair of kittens.

"How is this possible?" yelled Noah.

He gave the kittens some milk and put them next to the dogs. After the kittens were fed, Noah was able to go to sleep.

The next morning, Noah woke up to yet another knock on the door. As he opened it in walked so many pairs of animals he couldn't even count them all. Noah became overwhelmed. He still had to finish the ark and hadn't yet figured out where those boxes full of wood and tools were coming from.

Noah called all the animals over and had them gather around. Looking at all of them, he saw so many pairs of different animals. Dogs, kittens, giraffes, penguins, elephants, snakes, and so many others! Noah couldn't believe his eyes.

"Do you want us to help you finish the ark?" said one of the giraffes.

"You can talk?" said Noah.

"Of course we can" responded the giraffe.

"We've all been bringing you the tools and wood to help with the ark" said one of the penguins.

"Wow, that's so wonderful! Let's get to work" exclaimed Noah.

All the animals began helping Noah finish the ark. The giraffes were helpful with putting the boards up and the snakes checked for any holes or cracks that needed to be repaired.

Many hours later, the ark was completed! Worn out and exhausted, Noah and the animals all went to bed.

Later that night, Noah was awoke by a loud voice.

"Wake up! Wake up!" the loud voice yelled.

Noah and all the animals awoke and boarded the ark. Scared and worried, nobody knew what to expect. Within minutes of boarding the ark, a large amount of water began flooding in. Noah watched as his house and farm were washed away.

The flood began to rock the ark back-and-forth.

"Hold on!" shouted Noah.

Thankfully, the water let up and the ark was able to peacefully float in the water.

After many days, the flood eventually subsided and the water began to go down. Noah and the animals were beginning to become very hungry.

"What do we have to eat?" asked one of the elephants.

"We don't have any food left" Noah said sadly.

Worried, the animals began to panic.

"LORD please help us!" begged Noah.

"No need to worry" responded the LORD.

A few days had passed and the animals and Noah became weaker and weaker. They were so hungry they could barely stand. They all went to sleep early that night.

The next morning, all of them awoke to a wonderful smell. There was a feast awaiting for them! There was food everywhere. Any type of food imaginable was on the ark. Noah and the animals began jumping with joy. All of them began to fill their bellies.

Many weeks had passed, Noah was begging to worry.

"Will we ever get off this boat?" wondered Noah.

"No need to worry" said the LORD.

The next morning, Noah and the animals woke up to an exciting surprise. The ark was parked in front of a big house. So big that all of the animals could fit. Noah was excited that he had a new house and that all the animals could stay with him.

All of the water was gone. They all got off the ark and went to explore their new home.

Noah's Ark

Reading Notes: Noah (The Flood), Part B

Noah: The Flood
Story Source:The Legend of the Jews
By: Louis Ginzberg (1909)

Story talked about lack of food supply, and how some animals were beginning to get sick and not wanting to eat.

Told us when the flood started and how long it lasted (began on the seventh day, continued for forty days). Lasted a whole year.

Throughout the duration of the flood, the different landmarks would show themselves.

The flood waters were very violent and started to crash up against the ark, causing a rocky ride for everyone.

Discussed the way they improvised when there was no or very little food left.
The moon helped guide them and allow them to tell what time of day it was.

Animals on the ark

Reading Notes: Noah (The Flood), Part A

Title: Noah: The Flood (Genesis)
Story Source: The King James bible (1611)

Throughout the story, the author was very descriptive and used words to allow the reader to understand which animal and how many of each were entering onto the ark.

I liked how it was very receptivity in telling the audience how many and of what each animal there were.

The setting was the same throughout the story (on the ark).

The story was very descriptive at the end when telling about how all the animals, mankind, and everything in between were destroyed. If they weren't on the ark, they didn't make it.

This would be an interesting story to try and retell and change up a bit.
Could change: if the animals had to do something to make it on the ark
                        how many of each come onto the ark
                        could mention the building process a bit before the actual flood occurs

Use: descriptive words when describing animals and how many

                                                                        Noah's Ark

Topic Research

I have chosen to focus on the topic of fairy tales with rags-to-riches.

Beauty and The Beast: Basque Legends
I chose this legend because it tells the story of the mistreated daughter who eventually married a serpent who turned into a handsome prince.

The Poor Turkey Girl
I chose this story because it is similar to Cinderella, starting with a poor girl who is never noticed. This was an interesting twist to the original Cinderella, because it involved the main character to be interacting with animals (turkeys). Through her hardworking and kind spirit, she was the queen of the ball, or so she thought. In the end she was just the same poor turkey girl as before.

Puss in Boots
I chose this story because it allows us to see a man go from rags-to-riches, which is a bit different than what we're used to seeing in many fairy tales rags-to-riches stories.

Cinderella

Feedback Strategies

Point Out Anything That Is Confusing

This was an informative read. It allows you to understand the importance of asking questions and allowing the author to understand that what they wrote may have not been the most clear.

I think this would be helpful for myself, because sometimes when I'm writing I may get ahead of myself and forget to add in an important detail in the story.

So anyone pointing anything out that may be confusing to them will be helpful.

Show Appreciation For The Details

Appreciating the little details that one may put into their story can be super helpful as well as a confidence booster.

I know for myself, adding in little details can be difficult, because you never know if the little details are helpful or if they are just extra words that don't need to be there.

Showing appreciation for the small details may help the reader feel like they made a good call on adding in the extra scene or adding "flowery" words to a certain conversation.

Thanks

                                                       

Topic Research

I think I want to focus on fairy tales for my topic for the rest of the semester.

After reading through different fairytales including different characters, scenes, plots, and endings, I think I've chosen some of the specifics for my project.

I may want the scene to be set in a kingdom which includes kings and queens whom live in a castle in a far away place.

Of course, I want my fairytale to have a happy ending that leads the readers wanting more.

I really like the story of Beauty and the Beast, so I may try and to work that into my story somehow.

One of the fairytales that I enjoyed reading about was mainly focused on English Fairytales.

The Three Little Pigs could be an interesting story to change up. There could be numerous outcomes, considering there are many characters that could be changed.

In the story linked above, I liked how the author used some of the same storyline as the original story, but also added in some extra scenes. This is what I plan on doing for my project.

                                             
                                                                                     Rose

Week 3 Story: The Whale and The Mermaid

Authors Note:
For this story, I've decided to take a whole new route. I've changed up the main characters who in the previous story were many fish, a saint, and his friend. I've decided to use the same scene as the previous story, but have a whole new story plot and ending. A little background on the original story, which includes the fish in the sea, the saint (Saint Gudwall), and his friend. The saint and his friend lived on a tiny island together and were beginning to worry because the waves from the sea began rising and crashing into their home. Devastated and cold, they had no where to go. Sure enough, the fish in the sea came to their rescue. The fish began to build a sea bar to create a barrier so that the waves would no longer crash onto their island. Saint Gudwall and his friend were able to return home and live on the island.

Saints: The Fish Who Helped Saint Gudwall
Author: Abbie Farwell Brown (1900)

The Whale and The Mermaid

Many years ago, a beautiful girl, named Coral, lived on an island all by herself. She didn't mind living alone though, for she found it to be peaceful.

Coral lived on a tiny island that had all she needed. It had a small cave to where she had shelter, and many trees to where she found fruit hanging on them to eat.

To fulfill her days, Coral would go out into the ocean and swim with the fish and sea turtles. She had always felt some sort of connection with the sea and the animals that lived in it.

Coral always thought there was something different and unique about her. She could swim hours upon hours in the ocean and never become tired. She was a fast swimmer and found racing the fish and turtles to be fun!

One afternoon, she noticed that the waves were unusually large and violently crashing onto the shore. The water was beginning to rise and started washing into the cave. She started to become worried.

Later that evening, she was awoken by the cold water touching her skin. The water had flooded her cave and she had no choice but to leave the cave and go somewhere else. She walked to the shore line and saw a whale that had washed up on the beach.

"I have come for you" the whale said.

"You have come for me?" asked Coral.

"You are the chosen one, and you must come with me now." exclaimed the whale.

"I can't just leave my island, it's been my home for so long" Coral replied.

"If you don't come now, the water is going to continue rising and wash away your island" said the whale.

Hesitantly, Coral took one last look at her island and swam with the whale into the ocean.

As Coral and the whale began to swim, she started to feel weird and tingly. She became concerned.

"Don't be afraid, you are the chosen one" said Whale.

Confused, Coral continued to swim.

A bit later, Coral had noticed she was swimming unusually faster and didn't even need to hold her breath under water. She also noticed that all the animals in the ocean were following and smiling at her.

She soon realized that she was in fact the "chosen one."

She had been chosen to become a mermaid and become the queen of the ocean. Everyone began congratulating and applauding her as she grew her mermaid tale and wore her crown.

Coral was much happier in the water and loved being surrounded by her friends. 

                         

                                                        Palm Trees by The Sea

Reading Notes: The Fish Who Helped Saint Gudwall, Part B

Saints: The Fish Who Helped Saint Gudwall
By: Abbie Farwell Brown (1900)

This story, like many others, has a happy ending, which is why I was so drawn to it. The story also involves marine life, and who doesn't love animals, right?

This story was about a Saint, named Gudwall and his friend who went unnamed. These two found themselves in some trouble as the sea water began to rise and rise and eventually forced them to travel to higher grounds.

Troubled and worried, they didn't know where to turn and weren't sure if they were going to be able to stay on their tiny island for the coming summer and winter months.

As they watched the water rise higher and higher, Saint Gudwall's friend noticed a brown patch in the water. Interested and confused, Saint Gudwall soon realized that the fish in the sea were helping to build a sand bar to form a barrier between them and the crashing waves.

The fish helped save Saint Gudwall and his friend, allowing them to stay and live on the island.

                           
                                                                 Coast of Wales

Reading Notes: The Water Babe, Part A

Jewish Fairy Tales: The Water Babe
By: Gertrude Landa (1919)

This story had a few main characters followed by a few side characters.
Main characters: King of Egypt, Moses, and Princess Bathia.

Throughout the story, the main focus was on the boy, who was names Moses. He was found floating down a river and was cared for by a family of royalty.

The plot of the story was a bit up and down. At times the boy was loved and played with, and at other times, some resented him.

As the story went on, the King would interact more and more with Moses but didn't quite know how he felt about him. Princess Bathia would encourage her father to interact and get to know Moses more, but the King hesitated.

There was a lot of pressure put on the boy to make a decision towards the end of the story. He had to choose between a dish full of gold and jewels, or a dish full of steaming coals. Whichever one he chose would symbolize the "intentions" that he had.

This story was told in a rather different way than you might have heard before. It was focused mainly on Moses and his relationship with the king.


                                                   
                                                      Photo Source: The Water Babe