Extra Reading Diary: Fables of La Fontaine

Foolish Animals

-Stories about foolish animals entertain me quite a bit. I like them because it seems that the "underdog" wins in most of theses stories.
-For instance, in the tortoise in and the hare, everyone would expect the rabbit to win. However, the turtle wins due to outsmarting the rabbit and the rabbit being too confident.
-I am a big fan of twists in stories, and that is how a lot of these animal stories are written

Cartoon taken from WikiMedia Commons

Reading Diary A: Russian Folktales

I know its not the same Friday as in the story, but I sure do love Friday's and fries!
(Photo taken from RedBubble) 

Russian Folktales

Friday:
This story confused me. I am not understanding the references at all. I do not know who Mother Friday is supposed to be. All I understood was that the lady fell asleep while working.


The Dead Mother:
As soon as I saw the word “kinsfolk” I knew I should read this story. I had just had a conversation about the word “kin” and refereeing to someone as being your “kin” this weekend.

Extra Reading Diary: English Fairy Tales

English Fairy Tales

Molly Whuppie

-I originally read this story simply because my name was in the title

-Molly is the youngest in the story, just like I am the youngest

-I like that Molly was the mastermind. I like tot think I am the mastermind of my sisters

-I like that Molly was successful in all of her challenges

(Photo taken from WikiMedia Commons)

-In all stories with giants, I always picture and imagine the Jolly Green Giant

Reading Diary A: Aesop's Fables

Aesop's Fables

Fables About People

-I really liked The Man and the Goose

-It was a clever twist on the golden egg story

-The Wolf and the Shepards: the hypocrisy of human beings (Quakers)

-A Boy that would not learn his book: affection and obscenity do not go together

-Two travelers find an oyster: referees don't forget themselves

Lions

-The different lion stories really caught my attention

-Sometimes the lions were smarter, but other times the animal in which they were trying to attack was smarter

(Photo taken from WikiMedia Commons)

These were just a few fables that caught my attention. I have some good ideas for stories based off this first half!

Reading Diary A: Tejas Legends

Tejas Legends

The Plant That Grows in Trees
-This story initially intrigued me because it was about mistletoe
-There is a care and compassion from the bird to save the plant
-Creative way to think about how and why mistletoe hangs


The Woodpecker's Stumpy Tail
-I never would have associated a woodpecker with floods
-I also never noticed that the tail of a woodpecker is so uneven
-The idea that a fish bit the tail is kind of random to me

(Photo taken from WikiMedia Commons)

Extra Reading Diary: Nursery Rhymes: Games

Nursery Rhymes -- Games


Jack Be Nimble:
JACK, be nimble,
And, Jack, be quick;
And, Jack, jump over
The candlestick.

I recognize this nursery rhyme from my childhood. To this day I did not understand the meaning of the nursery rhyme, so I followed the link in the Un-Textbook and found some interesting information. Jumping candlesticks was a way of fortune telling for some, and a sport for others. It was said to be good luck if you could clear the candle without the flame going out.

Jack is a dog in Denslow's version.
(Photo taken from Wikipedia)

Chinchopper:
HERE sits the Lord Mayor;
Here sit his two men;
Here sits the cock;
Here sits the hen;
Here sit the little chickens;
Here they run in,
Chinchopper, chinchopper,
Chinchopper, chin!

This one made me laugh because I remember performing this rhyme/game as a child. The words were slightly different, but it was easily recognizable.


This Little Piggy:
THIS pig went to market;
This pig stayed at home;
This pig had a bit of meat,
And this pig had none;
This pig said, "Wee, wee, wee!
I can't find my way home."

I would imagine everyone remembers this one! I remember my grandma would say this one to me and point to each of my toes as if they were the "little piggy's"

Reading Diary B: Cherokee Myths Unit

(Photo taken from WikiMedia Commons)

Reading Diary B:
Cherokee Myths Unit


The Owl Gets Married
-Mom told daughter to find a good hunter for a husband
-The woman agreed to live with a man who claimed to be a good hunter
-He decided to fish rather than hunt and did not do well
-The woman followed the man, and saw he was really an owl
-The woman got angry and made the man/owl leave


The Bullfrog Lover
-A woman and a man married but the woman’s mother did not approve
-The man tricked the mother into believing a bullfrog told her to approve of the marriage or she would die
-She then approved it.

Reading Diary A: Cherokee Myths Unit

Reading Diary A:
Cherokee Myths Unit


The Deer and the Rabbit
-The rabbit will never be a true winner
-Cheating will only make you lose
-The rabbit wanted revenge even though he was the cheater
-The competitions/reasons for the antlers and teeth are kind of odd

Tobacco and Strawberries

Tobacco
-The woman needed tobacco so bad to keep her alive
-The thief of the plant killed anyone who tried to get more of it back
-The smallest animal was able to get the plant and save the woman

Strawberries
-Happy man and woman
-Woman gets mad and leaves without looking back
-Man tries to follow her
-Man wanted woman back
-Temptations were put in front of her
-Nothing stopped her until the strawberries
-She went back to her husband

(Photo taken from WikiMedia Commons)

Reading Diary B: Filipino Popular Tales

Filipino Popular Tales


The Iguana and the Turtle
-The beginning of the story says the two are friends
-Like most these stories, the characters don't seem very friendly
-Friends should not trick one another

The Greedy Crow

-The crow already had meat

-The crow did not need the rat too

-The crows meat was taken when he went for the rat

-Typical story about being greedy

Photo taken from WikiMedia Commons

Reading Diary A: Filipino Popular Tales

Filipino Popular Tales

The Three Friends: the Monkey, the Dog, and the Carabao
-I like that the story points out that there is strength in numbers
-The monkey was very clever


The Clever Husband and Wife

-It was almost certain reading through that they would get caught

-I thought the doctor would be mad

-He found humor in the faking of deaths

Photo taken from WikiMedia Commons

Reading Diary B: West African Folktales

West African Folktales

King Chameleon and the Animals
-World with no ruler or rules seems chaotic to me
-Lion=too fierce
-Wolf=feared by sheep
-Impossible to please everyone

Elephant and Wren

-Don't be foolish when trying to accomplish something

-Know your limits or you will be without the things you need

Farmer Mybrow and the Fairies

-Don't try to cheat your way through something

-Don't make promises you can't keep

-Hard work is hard work and it will pay off

(Photo taken from WikiMedia Commons)

Reading Diary A: West African Folktales

West African Folktales




Anansi and Nothing
-I have always thought the stories of about characters named "Nothing" or " Nobody" were entertaining

Why the Lizard Moves His Head Up and Down
-I really love the end to this story. I agree, how can anyone be so foolish? Clever reasoning for why the lizards heads move like they do

Tit For Tat
-I like that even though Anansi is such  trickster, his son is about doing good and helping others. I like that at then end of this story Anansi agrees to end his evil and tricky ways.

This is probably not the kind of feast they were speaking of in the story, but it looks good to me!

(Photo taken from WikiMedia Commons)

Reading Diary A: Jataka Tales

Jataka Tales

Photo from WikiMedia Commons

The Monkey and the Crocodile
-The crocodile thinks he is tricking the monkey, but the monkey outsmarts him
-This happens more than once
-I am unsure of what the point of this story is, but it was entertaining

How the Turtle Saved His Own Life
-People wanted to kill the turtle in very violent ways
-One man suggested throwing him into the river
-The turtle knew he would survive that situation so pretended that one sounded the worst
-That’s the one the king followed through with so the turtle survived
-Sometimes when you know more than others, its okay not to tell them

The Ox Who Won the Forfeit
-When you act differently toward someone, you will not get the same results
-The man called the Ox names and whipped him, therefore the Ox did not respond like normal
-When treated correctly as he was used to, the Ox performed as he needed to

Extra Reading Diary: Nursery Rhyme Riddles

Nursery Rhymes -- Riddles

 Readings the different riddles was very fun. I was trying to figure out what the riddle was specking of before looking at the answer. 

This one specifically, I was close!

“I WENT to the wood and got it;
I sat me down and looked at it;
The more I looked at it the less I liked it;
And I brought it home because I couldn't help it.”

The answer is a thorn, however I thought it was splinter. But I am still confused because I think the two might be the same in this situation. When I hear thorn I think of thorns on roses, but maybe wood had thorns too?

I got this one right because of the last two lines in it.

“LITTLE Nancy Etticoat
In a white petticoat,
And a red rose.
The longer she stands
The shorter she grows.”

I had read a riddle before that said “The longer I stand the shorter I grow, what am I?” So I knew this one was a candle.

(Picture taken from WikiMedia Commons)

I would recommend that everyone go read some of these riddles! They seem to make reading much more fun!

Reading Diary B: Bidpai Unit

Bidpai Unit

(Photo taken from the Un-Textbook)

The Blind Man and the Snake
-I am very blind with out my contacts, so I can relate on making mistakes due to not seeing what something really is. However, this story takes those situations to the extreme.



The Tortoise and the Geese
-I have read this story before, just a different version. Each story ends the same with the same general lesson. Be careful of what you say and when you say it.


I felt that the stories in the first half of this unit were a little more intriguing and capturing for me. I am looking forward to writing my story, probably based off the story about the king trying to drink from the stream. I feel like I can relate to the lesson in that one most.

Reading Diary A: Bidpai Unit

Bidpai Unit

(Photo of a Hawk from WikiMedia)

The Kind, the Falcon, and the Drinking-Cup
-The falcon tried to save the king multiple times, but the king was only seeing what was right infron of him, not the larger picture. That being said, the king ended up killing the one thing that was trying to save him. He ended the story with regret.

The Youth, the Hawk , and the Raven
-The young man assumed that the lazy got fed since the hawk was feeding the raven. He then understood that the it’s the hawk the prospers not the raven. Once again, seeing the bigger picture makes a world of difference


Both stories carry the same general lesson that there is always a bigger picture to see. What is happening in the moment may seem like the best idea, but stepping back and looking at everything in a different light can save your life.

Reading Diary B: Aesop (Winter) Unit

Week 3 Unit: Aesop (Winter) Unit 

Reading Diary B

The Fox and the Leopard
-A fine coat is not always an indication of an attractive mind.

This was the only story that stuck out to me that went along with my theme from the first half. From reading A and B, overall I took from the stories that you cant judge a book by its cover and don’t try to just focus on your own cover to impress others.

I know this post isn’t very long, but I plan to use my readings from part A for my story!

(Photo from Wiki Media)

Reading Diary A: Aesop (Winter) Unit

Unit Aesop (Winter) Unit

As I read through the stories in the first half of this lesson, I noticed a lot of similar lessons. I noted the individual lessons under each link to the specific story. But the similar lesson was about vanity. Vanity is something that can be a big problem, especially subconsciously. I do not believe most people intentionally become vain, But it happens to everyone at some point and sometimes people just need to be brought back to reality.

The Tortoise and the Ducks
-Foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune

The Eagle and the Jackdaw
-Dont let your vanity make you overestimate your powers.

The Gnat and the Bull
-The smaller the mind the greater the conceit

The Owl and the Grasshopper
-Do not let flattery throw you off your guard against an enemy




Photo taken from Un-Textbook

Reading Diary B: Biblical-Noah and the Ark

Overall: Noah and the Ark
As I began reading the stories in part B, I was a lot more amused than I thought I would be. I assumed since it wasn’t directly biblical that it might come off a little sour to me, but it was in fact the opposite. I actually started to understand these stories a little more This unit is helping me develop greater spiritually which I am very appreciative of.

The Inmates of the Ark:
The thought of thousands of animals and people coming to the ark, wanting to get on but not being able to blows my mind. As a Christian, I cannot imagine turning myself against God, then facing a sure death like that.

The Curse of Drunkenness:
This was never a story that I had been told. To be quite honest, post ark was never something I ever heard. It is as if once that biblical hero does their duty, you went on to the next. Digging deeper into Noah is quite intriguing.



(Drunkenness of Noah, Michelangelo)

Reading Diary A: Biblical-Noah and the Ark

Overall: Noah and the Ark

I chose this unit because I know quite a bit about it. The story of Noah and his Ark is something that I have grown up learning about and hearing about.
Reading it now, for a class rather than in church, kind of gives me a new perspective on the entire story. I am having to imagine this in a more politically correct mindset rather than in my religious mindset that I am so used to.

The Ark:
I find it hard to fathom what it would be like to be told by God that he was going to destroy everyone in the world except you and your family. I don’t know if I would be honored or scared.

The Flood:
This was the story I was most familiar with in the unit. Even though I grew up hearing this story and learning about it, I JUST made the connection that there was one male and one female of each of the animals in order to reproduce after the floods.

After the Flood:
Once again, I was familiar with this story. I cannot imagine the clouds pouring out rain for forty days, then having to just wait for the ground to dry up. I would guess it was awesome to be the only living creatures on earth when they got off.

(The Picture above shows Noah releasing the dove)