Reading Notes: Beowulf Part A

Beowulf with the Head of Grendel

By Marshall, Henrietta Elizabeth found on Wiki

There was once a ruler named Hygelac, and he ruled over Geatsland, which is now known as Europe. The land had valleys and mountains, as well as, a long coast. The inhabitants were very brave on both sea and land. There was constant fighting against thieves. There were also many evil monsters that patrolled the coast and killed fishermen and lived in the woods, killing animals and wanderers. They never invaded, but rather just killed people who came into their land. The land was full of great warriors. Beowulf, Hygelac’s nephew, was one of these warriors. Beowulf, at his young age, was one of the better warriors. The warriors gathered in the great hall for grand feasts and fun. They told many stories of great battles and triumphs. Beowulf was prophesized to be a legendary warrior, which made other warriors jealous. For a while after Beowulf became a warrior, there was no real fighting which made Beowulf itch for battle. One feast, a wanderer sung the tale of his homeland. He sang of all the monsters that were fought and killed. Then he sang of a part man, part animal, part bird called Grendel that could not be defeated in Hrothgar. Grendel would come and take men at will. No one felt safe because they failed every attempt to slay the beast. Beowulf then exclaimed he would go slay the beast. The others didn’t know whether to laugh or shout with approval. Beowulf was given the best supplies for his journey. Beowulf was given 14 men to command. They loaded a ship and left for sea. Beowulf was not greeted well by a man on the beach. He was skeptical of who Beowulf was that he thought could just show up with warriors. Beowulf arrived to Hrothgar and announced his presence and intentions.

Bibliography:

The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs with illustrations by Henry Pitz (1933).

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

I decided to look at the mobile app for Canvas on my iPad. It installed quickly and properly. I do not see the benefits of the app because it seems to just open up the webpage in the app. I have canvas bookmarked in my safari browser on my iPad. Going through safari seems to be the exact same as using the app.

Reading Notes: Alice in wonderland Part A

Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland

By: John Tenniel found on Wiki

Alice had a sister who would site with he on the bank. Alice was very bored and hated to read books without pictures or conversations. One day a rabbit ran past her. The rabbit was saying it was late to something and had a watch in its pocket. This baffled Alice so she followed. Alice followed the rabbit down a rabbit hole. She fell down a huge well. She kept falling for a long time, wondering what was going to happen to her. She began to worry that her cat would be neglected if she wasn’t home. She landed at the bottom unharmed and continued to follow the rabbit. She found a key that unlocked a tiny door. She could not fit through the door. She then found a tiny bottle that said drink me. She was skeptical of the bottle but ultimately drank it. The bottle made her tiny and she was able to fit through the door now. The problem was that she was too tiny to reach the key on the table now. She eventually made it into the garden. She then found a caterpillar. They argued about who should explain who each other is first. The caterpillar began to give Alice advice. The caterpillar told Alice that one side of the mushroom would make her bigger and the other side would make her smaller. She ate the mushroom out of her right hand which began to shrink her. She then quickly began eating the mushroom out of her left hand. She began to grow again but had no shoulders. A pigeon attacked her thinking she was a serpent. She tried to explain she was a girl not a serpent but the pigeon didn’t believe her. She continued eating the mushroom until she was back to normal height.

Bibliography:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865). Link

Story Planning: Harry and Potter

Basic Story Notes:

Once, animals challenged the birds to a game. They agreed on a time and a place to do the ball dance. The animals were led by a strong bear, a great terrapin, and an agile deer. The birds were led by an eagle, a hawk, and the great Hawk. They were all swift and strong but feared the animals. Two tiny animals approached the birds and asked to join their team because the animals made fun of their size. The captain of the birds agreed out of pity. They fashioned wings out of a drum head which made the bats. The bats were so nimble that the birds thought they would be the best of them all. Next they stretched the skin of the other animal making a flying squirrel. This squirrel jumped quickly from tree to tree. These two animals proved worthy in the bird’s win. When the game started a ball was tossed up. The squirrel snagged it and tossed it to the bat, who tossed it to another bird who scored the winning goal.

Hogwarts Coat of Arms

By Jakovche found on Wiki

Plan for storytelling:

Being a big Harry Potter fan, I think this story could be written as a quidditch match. It reminds me of when Harry first played in a quidditch match as a first year and everyone underestimated him. He went on to win the match for his team and became a hero. Similarly, everyone doubted the squirrel and bat, yet they became the heroes of the match. The birds will obviously belong to Ravenclaw. The animals will either belong to Gryffindor or Slytherin. The squirrel could be named Harry. The squirrel could be named Potter.

Direction options:

1.       I could focus on the backstory of the bat and squirrel and how they were always looked down on. Then show them overcoming that to become heroes.

2.       I could start with them joining the birds, and transition into how they go on to be legends at the school.

3.       I could focus squarely on the match itself.

Bibliography:

Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900). Link

Reading Notes: Cherokee Myths Part B

 Malaclemys terrapin

By Rasmussen AR, Murphy JC, Ompi M, Gibbons JW, Uetz P. Found on Wiki

The Possum and the Terrapin went hunting together and found a tree full of fruit. The possum climbed the tree and began to throw down the fruit to the terrapin. A wolf came by and began taking the fruit before the terrapin could catch the fruit. The possum waited till the right moment and threw down the largest fruit he could find. When the wolf jumped to grab it, he choked on the fruit. The terrapin took the wolf’s ears to use as spoons. On his walk home, he was offered to eat gruel out of many jars. He used the wolf ears to do so, which intrigued the others. The word travelled to the wolves who were angry. They took the terrapin prisoner. The wolves decided they would boil the terrapin in a clay pot. The terrapin laughed and said he would just break the pot. The wolves decided to roast him in a fire, but the terrapin said he would put it out. The wolves then said they would throw him in the river to drown. The terrapin used reverse psychology to trick the wolves into following that plan. When the wolves tossed him in, the terrapin swam to the other side and escaped.

Once, animals challenged the birds to a game. They agreed on a time and a place to do the ball dance. The animals were led by a strong bear, a great terrapin, and an agile deer. The birds were led by an eagle, a hawk, and the great Hawk. They were all swift and strong but feared the animals. Two tiny animals approached the birds and asked to join their team because the animals made fun of their size. The captain of the birds agreed out of pity. They fashioned wings out of a drum head which made the bats. The bats were so nimble that the birds thought they would be the best of them all. Next they stretched the skin of the other animal making a flying squirrel. This squirrel jumped quickly from tree to tree. These two animals proved worthy in the bird’s win. 

Bibliography:

 Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900). Link

Reading Notes: Cherokee Myths Part A

In the beginning of the world, there was no fire. The Thunders sent their lightning to strike a tree, creating fire. The animals saw the smoke and held a meeting to decide who would fetch the fire. The raven volunteered because he was big and strong. When he got near the fire, he was burned and quickly went home. The screech-owl volunteered next. A blast of hot air burned the owl’s eyes, and so he scurried home. The hooting owl was next. The smoke blinded him and the ashes created a white ring around his eyes. He left without the fire. The birds gave up, and so the snake went. He slithered into a hole nearby but was burned by the hot coals and retreated. The great Blacksnake offered to go next. He was suffocated and burned by the smoke. Lastly, the water spider volunteered. The spider spun her web to make a bowl. The spider then went to the fire and gathered a single coal and her bowl. They then had fire from then on out.

Sun of May

From the Uruguayan Flag found on Wiki

A long time ago, several men decided to find where the Sun lived. They set out travelling east, meeting many other tribes. One of the tribes had a man who was on the verge of death. It was custom to bury the women alive with their husband’s dead bodies. The sun lived inside the sky which was a door. It would come out of the door and travel around the arching sky to the west. It was a human figure, but was too bright for anyone to see. They waited for the sun to come out so that they could sneak into the door. One man was crushed by the sky when he tried. The others decided to go home, but were old men by the time they reached home. 

Bibliography:

 Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900). Link

Reading Notes: Persian Tales Part A

A wolf and a lamb are standing in a wooded landscape with a goat behind them

By Wellcome Images found on Wiki

There was once a goat with four children. The mother goat left to collect grass and instructed the children not to open the door for the wolf. The mother said to only open the door for the mother who had a red hand. The wolf overheard this and dyed his hand red. The wolf took 3 of the children and the mother and the fourth child followed. The goat challenged the wolf to a fight. The wolf went to the dentist to sharpen his teeth; however, the dentist pulled them out instead and replaced them with cotton teeth. The goat went to the knife-sharpener and got his horns sharpened. The goat defeated the wolf and everyone went home.

There was a girl who scraped her leg. She needed ointment but did not have any, so she took two eggs to trade for ointment. When she returned she told her story to her aunt. She lost her eggs on the way to town and decided to look for them. One turned into a hen and the other into a cock. When he got to the cock, he asked for the cock and his share of the work the cock had been doing. She received the cock and a share of rice. The cock was carrying the rice and got a sore back. She rubbed a burnt walnut kernel on the cock’s back. This caused a tree to grow out of the cock’s back. She then planted melons underneath the tree. She grew a watermelon, and when she went to cut it, she lost her knife. She then bought a little halim to eat. At the bottom of the bowl was a hair. She pulled the hair out which was actually the leading rope for camels. There were seven camels attached with her knife on the last camel’s tail.

Bibliography:

 Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919). Link

Reading Notes: Native American Hero Tales Part B

The Red Woman

By LeskaArt found on Deviant Art

There was a pregnant woman and her husband. Her husband went hunting one day when a wicked woman killed her. The wicked woman cut open her body and found two twins. She threw one into a spring and the other behind the tipi curtain. She then positioned the wife’s body to look as though it was alive. When the husband returned he discovered the wife to be dead, and he knew it was the Red Woman. The boy behind the curtain would ask the father for food, although the father did not realize it was his son. He gave the boy food and a bow with arrows. He later followed the boy to discover him playing with another boy of the same age. The other boy is the boy from the spring. The father tries to get him to come live in their tipi. The first boy grabbed the boy from the spring to capture him and take him home. The boys then went and woke up their dead mother so that they could be a family again. The boys then snuck into the Red Woman’s hut and killed her by using her own magic kettle to boil her. They then killed the giant alligator that was killing other people by cutting out its heart. Next, the boys killed the three trees that would crush anyone who went under them. The boys then killed the evil snakes that would kill people in their sleep. Next, the boys killed the man who would push people over a cliff by dropping to the ground when the man ran at them. The boys then killed the man who burned anything he wanted. Lastly, the boys killed a large otter that would eat children. This was the last bad thing they killed before living happily with their family.

Bibliography:

Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929). Link

Reading Notes: Native American Hero Tales Part A

There was a man who lived in a village and was known to all as the Unnatural Uncle. He would kill all of his nephews when they became two years old. The wife of the uncle went to the mother of the children and planned to keep the next child alive. They decided when another child was born, they would lie to the uncle and say it was a girl. The next child was a boy and the wife to the uncle lied about the child’s gender. They dressed the child as a girl and told the child to act like a girl. The uncle was suspicious of the child’s boyish looks. One day the uncle discovered the boy to be a boy. He asked to see the boy so that he could kill him like the others. The boy knew the uncle would try to murder him. They went into the woods together to gather wood. The uncle left the boy to die trapped in a log but the boy escaped. The uncle failed attempt one to kill him. The next day the boy again was summoned by the Uncle. Next the uncle tried to push the child off a cliff but the child survived by using a contraption he had. He returned with the ducks and eggs and the uncle was upset. The next attempt was to go collect clams and have a giant one swallow the child. The plan went as wanted but the child escaped by cutting the clam’s tendon. He returned to home and the uncle was angry. Next the uncle built a box and put the child in the box and floated him out to see. He washed up on some shore. The box was opened by two girls and he was in Eagle Land with the Eagle people. The chief let the child put on the eagle skin and fly home to get his parents. He did but his parents weren’t home. He realized the torture his uncle was putting his parents through so he swooped down and grabbed his uncle. He told the uncle if he could swim to shore he would be spared but the uncle could not swim. The boy then gathered his parents and flew them back to eagle land to live happily.

Fledging Eagle

By KetaDesign found on Wiki

Bibliography:

Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929). Link

Week 8 Growth Mindset

In general, I believe that I have a pretty strong growth mindset. I am always pushing myself to go father, whether it be doing outside learning or joining groups and taking advantage of opportunities. I am a quiet guy when it comes to everything except social life. I find this class to really push me because in my other classes, I show up and sit in silence. This class involves blogging which is a form of class participation, something I typically stay away from. I am focused on learning more than grades, because I am constantly looking to learn new things. I also wish I was more focused on grades because I can sometimes neglect things like homework. I have set some pretty solid goals for myself and my long term which is good; however, I also believe in short term goals. As a former competitive basketball player, you always focused on the next game rather than looking ahead to playoffs or a championship. I have long term goals in mind but I like to focus on the short term goals that can help me achieve my long term goals. I am attempting to strengthen my scheduling skills. Currently, I like to take entire days and dedicate them to working well ahead, rather than doing a little each day. This could become troublesome in the working environment if I do not succeed at scheduling the right amount of work each day. I think this class has definitely helped me be more participatory during classes, as well as, strengthened my scheduling skills.

Inspirational Quote

By: LDS Smile found on LDS Smile Site

Story: Anansi's Jealousy

Inside of a Jail Cell

Photo by: Aliven Sarkar found on Wiki

“Dad, why have I never met grandpa before?” Abioye asked.

“Well, son, your grandpa did some bad things a while ago and had to go away,” Kweku, Abioye’s father, responded.

“Like what kind of things? Where did he go? Is he ever coming back? Why did he have to…”Abioye was cut off by his father.

“Look, son, you’re not quite old enough to know these things. When the time is right…” Kewku was saying as Abioye interceded.

“Dad, I am thirteen years old. I am more than old enough to know. Please tell me,” Abioye said.

“Okay. I will tell you.” Kweku sighed with a feeling of defeat. Kweku then proceeded to tell the story of his father, Anansi.

Kweku started, “Your grandfather’s name is Anansi. He was born into a family with very little possessions. Your grandfather grew up in a small shack on the outskirts of this very town that we live in. He had a neighbor who was quite wealthy with a gigantic mansion and all sorts of possessions. Your grandfather did not like being poor and wished he was a part of the family next door. The neighbors had a son about the same age as Anansi. His name was Nothing.”

“His name was Nothing? That is an odd name,” Abioye interrupted.

“Yes, it is. Now, please do not interrupt me or I will stop the story,” Kweku said before continuing the story.

“Now Nothing did not show off his wealth to Anansi; instead, he befriended Anansi. The two grew up and remained friends, although they remained separated by wealth. One day, Anansi and Nothing decided it was time they both had wives. They set off for town with the intent to return with wives. On the road, Anansi began to worry that he would not find a good wife because he was poor. So, he tricked Nothing into switching clothes. He then lied to the townspeople, saying he was rich. Many women flocked to him, and he selected the best. Meanwhile, the only girl that would marry Nothing was a poor man’s daughter. When they returned home, your grandmother realized that your grandfather was in fact poor. She had been deceived, so she went next door to Nothing’s house. She refused to return home because she liked Nothing’s life more than your grandfather’s. This upset your grandfather, so he made a choice that would stick with him for the rest of his life. He murdered Nothing out of jealousy. What your grandfather didn’t realize was that your grandmother was pregnant with me at the time. The police found Nothing’s body and opened an investigation. Ultimately, they found your grandfather guilty, and he went to jail. He is still in jail to this day,” Kweku said.

“So, Grandpa killed someone?” Abioye asked.

“Yes. He killed his neighbor out of jealousy,” said Kweku. “The reason I have chosen to tell you this story is so that you can learn from it. Your grandfather did not like the family that he came from. He did not like the circumstances that he found himself in. Instead of working hard and saving money, he tried to cheat which ended in failure and jail.”

Author's Note:

The story of Anansi and Nothing is one of murder and jealousy. Anansi was a poor man who lived near a wealthy man by the name of Nothing. They went into town one day to find wives. On the road there, Anansi asked to wear Nothing’s robes for a while to feel what it is like to wear nice clothes. He agreed to return the robes before they reached town. Every time Nothing asked for them back, Anansi would make an excuse to keep them. When they reached town, Anansi found many wives because they thought he was rich. Nothing only found one wife, a daughter of a poor man. When they returned home with the wives, Anansi’s wives realized that Anansi was in fact poor. They struggled to find enough food, so Nothing’s wife invited them over for a feast. After the feast ended, the wives refused to return home to their poor lives. Anansi became jealous, so he devised a plan to kill Nothing. After Nothing’s death, Nothing’s wife went into town and gave yams to children, and in return the children mourned Nothing’s death with her. Now whenever you see a child crying, you will hear that they are “crying for nothing.” I chose to write my story very closely to the original, but from the point of view of Anansi’s child and grandchild. I kept with the theme of my previous stories and my project, a theme of overcoming your past to succeed. In my previous stories, my characters work hard to overcome their terrible pasts to succeed in life. In contrast, Anansi decides he wants to cheat and trick his way out of being poor. This short cut to success ends up being his downfall unlike my other characters. 

Bibliography:

West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917). Link

Reading Notes: West African Folktales Part B

There was once a great scarcity of food. Anansi and his son went out hunting and luckily his son killed a deer. Anansi left his son there to guard the deer while he fetched a basket to carry the deer. A dragon appeared and scared the son off to a nearby cave. The dragon took Anansi and his son to a castle. The son gathered the other prisoners and devised a plan to escape. They made a rope ladder to throw up to the gods above. The dragon returned as they were climbing the ladder. Whenever the dragon got close, the son threw food down for the dragon to get distracted by. The gods were impressed and made the son the sun, Anansi the moon, and the fellow survivors the stars.

A dragon like in the story

by Daicaregos found on wiki

A long time ago, the chief Mauri wanted to have a yam festival, and invited all the other chiefs. On the morning of, chief Mauri sent his servants to buy many different things in nearby towns. The tortoise, Mr. Klo, was sent to get wine at the palm-fields. Mr. Klo was a speedy traveler. The owner of the wine said the only way to get the wine was to fight for it. Mr. Klo won after many hours of fighting. He filled his pot with wine and drank the remaining wine. He got too drunk from the wine which slowed his trip back. He was late and the gates were closed and locked. He died under the weight of his load. The pot was pasted to his back by the mud. He was revived but now had a shell on his back and walked on four legs.

A hunter wandered too far in a forest and heard sweet music. It was a tortoise with a harp. He returned every day and eventually offered to take the tortoise home. Word traveled about the tortoise but people would not believe the story. A bet was made and the hunter brought the tortoise to town the next day. The tortoise did not sing. The hunter was killed. The tortoise then spoke and said the hunter deserved to die because he was not content with just hearing the music, he had to brag. 

Bibliography:

 West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917). Link

 

Reading Notes: West African Folktales Part A

Cultural Depiction of a Spider

By a Caddoan Artist found on Wiki

In the old days in Africa, men told stories of Nyankupon who was the chief of the gods. Spider wanted the stories to be about him. Spider asked Nyankupon if the stories could be about him. Nyankupon agreed if Spider brought him a jar of live bees, a boa constrictor, and a tiger. Spider tricked the bees into getting in the jar by saying he and Nyankupon were disputing if they could fit. Spider then tricked a snake into laying straight by a stick to measure the snake. He tied the snake to the stick. Lastly, he tricked the tiger into sewing his eyes shut and then led the tiger to Nyankupon. Nyankupon was amazed by Spider’s trickiness so he granted him permission to have stories told about him.

There was a man named Father Anansi who possessed all of the wisdom of the world. He was upset with men so he put all the wisdom in a pot, sealed it, and hid it. Anansi had a son who was suspicious of his father. Anansi couldn’t climb a tree because he was carrying the pot. The son asked him why he didn’t put the pot on his back. Anansi realized his son had wisdom that he did not which angered him. He dropped the pot which broke and released all of the wisdom.

There was a man named Nothing who was super rich and lived near Anansi. The two of them decided to go to town to get wives. Anansi convinced Nothing to switch clothes because Anansi had ragged clothes. Nothing agreed but wanted them back before town. Anansi kept delaying the switch back until they reached town. Anansi got many wives, Nothing got a poor daughter. Soon the wives realized who was actually rich. After a while of little food, Nothing’s wife invited Anansi’s wives over who refused to go back to Anansi. Anansi killed Nothing. Nothing’s wife took yams to all the children in exchange for them to cry with her over Nothing. Hence the reason if you ask a child why they are crying, you will be told, “he is crying for nothing.”

Bibliography:

West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917). Link