Week 10 Story Planning: The Jealous Uncle

After reading the story about the jealous uncle I want to retell it my own words. This story is set in the past where tribes and villages were still relevant. It also involves an uncle who takes the sons of his people and kills them. However, one son who he tried and tries to kill somehow outwits him every time. Eventually he exacts revenge on his uncle and kills him by dropping him into the ocean where he cannot swim. The son then takes his mom and dad away via means of eagle-like abilities.

In my retelling of this story I want to change a lot about the setting, characters, emotions, etc. But I will still keep the same moral and have a similar plot line. Instead of it being set in the past, I want my story to be modernized to a middle school. This way whoever reads my story can relate to it better and build a connection to the characters since most of us went to middle school. I also want to change the characters such as the jealous uncle and the son that he tries to kill. Instead, I would like a jealous and popular middle school girl and a new girl from out of town. This will eliminate the aspect of death from the original story. The story line will essentially be the same where the jealous girl will try to bully the new girl and pull stunts on her. The new girl will rebuke all attempts and in the end get her "revenge" and everyone will like her. 

Although I have everything planned out and the overall backbone of the story set, I still haven't figured out what the jealous girl will do to the new girl. In the original story the jealous uncle tries to kill the son by trapping him in a log and leaving him to die, trapping him in a clam, pushing him down a hill, and even encasing him in a wooden box and throwing him into the ocean. These are all extreme cases of trying to get rid of the son, so I will have to tone down the events and make it more petty and something a middle school girl would try and do.

(Middle School Classroom, Source: Responsive Classroom)

Bibliography: "The Jealous Uncle" by Stith Thompson. Web Source

Reading Notes: Native American Hero Tales Part B

Just like for Part A of the reading, Part B consisted of four stories. The story that stuck out to me and intrigued me the most was the one about the jealous father. This story was about a son who was born to the wife of the jealous father. He had two wives. One day he saw that the son had been on terms of intimacy with one of his wives. He then took the boy out to fish for eggs and once the son left the boat, the father turned around and deserted him on the island. He called for help and cried for hours. A walrus finally came to aid the son. He told the son to let him know if there was any lightning for he had to go underwater if there was. The boy lied which led to the walrus's death, but the son made it back to the island safely. The walrus was from the mother and the thunderstorms were from the father. On the island, an old woman from the mother came to aid the son. She gave him an animal disguise and he went into the forest. He stumbled upon two blind women who had bones sticking out their elbows. The son fooled them both into thinking he was sitting between them and had them stab each other to death. Next the boy came upon a pile of bones and a hut where dogs and people were. He dug a path underneath all the bones, but somehow managed to rustled the bones. This alarmed the dogs and the people so they went to search for him. He fooled them once again and made it back home safely. He burned down the world along with his father, but saved his mother. They both turned into birds and flew off.

Native American Hero Tales by Stith Thompson, link to online reading

 (Blue Jay, Source: Pinterest)

Reading Notes: Native American Hero Tales Part A

There were a total of four stories in Part A of Native American Hero Tales. My favorite of them all had to be the one called "The Jealous Uncle". This story was about an uncle who took the every son that this family bore and killed him. He had killed 3 before a 4th child came into this world. He was kept a secret and the uncle's wife told him that they had bore a daughter and not a a son. However, the uncle found out anyways when he saw what was underneath his clothes. The uncle asked for the son and took him out to get some logs. They wandered out far into the forest where the son got caught in one of the logs. The uncle left him there to die and rot however he had tools with him that led to his escape. He gathered the log and left them in front of his uncles tent. The uncle was furious and tried to kill him many more times. Next was with ducks and eggs, then it was with clams, and then finally he made the nephew a box. He trapped the son inside this box and threw him into the ocean where he drifted from island to island until finally he halted. Two daughters found him on the shore and brought him back to their village where the chief decided to care and raise him. However, he began to miss his previous home and his parents, so with permission from the Eagle people, he flew back to the previous village. He brought them back a huge whale, but the jealous uncle took it all for himself and left none for the nephews parents. He was furious and took the uncle up into the sky and dropped him into the ocean. He couldn't swim for he drowned and died. The nephew got his revenge and took his parents back to his new found home where they all lived happily. I like the story of death and revenge. It reminds me of high school or even middle school where a girl would get jealous of someone and try to ruin their life. If I choose to do this story I would modernize it into a school type story and leaving out death. 

Native American Hero Tales by Stith Thompson, link to online reading

(Native American Eagle, Source: Snow Owl)

Week 9 Story: Wukong The Strongest Of Them All

My name is Yang Oerlang. Son of the Lord of the Heavens. There have not been many in my lifetime that have come close to matching my strength. That held true for thousands of year until a monkey born from stone came into this world. I'm here to tell you his tale leading up to his unfortunate death.

Long ago on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, there laid a rock. Undisturbed for years until one day the rock split in half and there laid a monkey in the core. He was destined for greatness. He lived among the apes and monkeys of his kind until one day they proposed a challenge. One who could pass through the waterfall in the middle of the mountain, come back alive, and tell them what was on the other side would be named their king. And so the monkey, born of stone, took this challenge upon himself and made it to the other. This is where is tumbled upon a cave within and an iron bridge to walk across. He went back to tell the other apes and they named him their rightful king. He then proclaimed himself the Handsome King of the Apes. 

One day as he sat on his throne in the cave beyond the waterfall, he thought to himself that he would die one day. Scared of the day to come he sought out immortality and ventured off to find it. He ventured far and wide until one day he stumbled upon a wood cutter who showed him the way to a saint. This saint was his key to immortality and many other magical gifts and abilities. This is where the monkey born from stone got his famous name: Wukong. He studied under this master as his apprentice and soon learned the ways to immortality. That was not the only thing he learned. He learned to somersault half way across the world in one jump, incantations and spells, and other to shape-shift into 72 different forms. But this was the beginning of his downfall. He began to become arrogant. This lead to his expulsion from the temple. 

After this event he became worse and worse, but at the same time stronger and stronger. He defeated many foes such as the Devil King, the Dragon-King, the Ten Princes of the Dead, and even Notscha the son of our beloved general Li Dsing. With every win he gained he became more and more arrogant. This came to an end when he met me. 

One of the gods from the heavens, Guan Yin, came to grandfather and suggested that I go down and put an end to Wukong's reign. I accepted this challenge immediately since it been while since my last battle. I went down to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and called for Wukong. He came to me with confusion for he did not know who I was. I told him that I was Yang Oerland and that I had come to apprehend him. He immediately began to attack me, but I fended him off easily. He stood no chance against me. Our battle took hours with over 300 rounds. Soon Wukong realized that he couldn't defeat me and tried to make a run for it. Foolish was he for I had the gods from above help me in his defeat. One of the gods, Laotzse, has a circlet of diamonds that he used to knock Wukong in the back of the head. He fell to the ground where he took his last breath. I stood above him and told him of all his wrong doings. After I finished up his lengthy list, I put an end to his life. The battle had come to an end and I emerged victorious. 

That the end of the infamous stone monkey, Wukong. 

(Yang Oerlang, Source: Ali Express)

Author's Note: 

In this reading, the story of Wukong is told in third person but I changed it up and decided to tell the story from a first person perspective. It is told by one of his foes, Yang Oerlang. Wukong is born on a mountain from a rock and it named the king of the apes on that island. After many years he begin become restless and seeks out immortality. He does so with a saint he finds and learns of other great abilities. He is then banished from this temple for his arrogance. Soon he defeats many enemies such as the Devil King and the Ten Princes of the Dead. He also acquires his golden rod from the Dragon King and Queen. After letting Wukong roam freely on Earth, the Lord of the Heavens takes notice to him and wants to have him punished. However, his advisers suggest otherwise and appoint him a lowly position in the heavens of stable keeper. He finds out the meaning of his position and rebels. He goes back to his mountain and the heavens send down Notscha and Li Dsing to bring him back. However, Wukong is too strong for anyone and defeats all his opponents. That is until Yang Oerlang, the grandson of the Lord of the Heavens, comes down and catches him. They bring him back up to the heavens and try to burn him to ashes but he escapes and reeks havoc in the heavens. Buddha is recruited and after tricking Wukong, traps him in a mountain and seals him away. I didn't want to include the latter half of the story and opted to end Wukong's life because of his arrogance. 

Bibliography: "The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung" by R. Wilhelm. Web Source

Reading Notes: The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung Part B

Picking up where we left off in Part A, this section begins with the Lord of the Heavens concerned about Sun Wu Kung and his arrogance and his cannibalistic ways. He plans to punish the ape harshly, but the Evening Star insists another course of action. He brings Sun Wu Kung up to the heavens and bestows upon him the role of a stable keeper. He soon finds out that this is a lowly position and is furious, so he goes back to his homeland. Li Dsing and Notscha come down and try to fight the Monkey King so that he may be brought back and punished for his crimes. However the Monkey King is too strong and no one can defeat him. The Evening Star once again suggests that a higher position be bestowed upon him so that he may be satisfied and not revolt. He is then put in charge of watching over the garden of the Queen Mother. However he eats most of the fruit in the garden. The fairies come for him, but are frozen in place by him. He sneaks back to his island and this time Yang Oerlang is sent for him. He is a match for the Monkey King and after countless matches the Monkey King loses and is taken back to the heavens. They try to burn him to ashes but are not successful, so he escapes. The Lord of the Heavens asks Buddha to help him take down the Monkey King and he is successful. He traps him in a mountain for many many years. In this story Sun Wu Kung is very arrogant and takes things too lightly. He is a very ungrateful person and wants what he doesn't have. In my rendition I would like to humble him some more and possible change his fate in the end.

The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung by R. Wilhelm, link to online reading

(Sun Wu Kung, Source: Wikipedia)

Reading Notes: The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung Part A

For part A of this unit it was a very fun and very linear read. The plot line is very straightforward and is easy to follow along. I was engaged the whole time I was reading it. The story starts off on an island where a stone ape is born out of a stone that is split open. The ape matures and grows up on this island with other apes. Soon the other apes dare each other to find out who can cross the waterfall unharmed and so the stone ape steps up to the challenge and gets through. This is where he finds the iron bridge and the cave castle. After 300 or so years of living in peace and harmony, the stone ape thinks that death is surely to come for him while he idly waits so he seeks out immortality by traveling the seas and meeting different religions. He stumbles upon a wood-chopper who shows him the way to a saint. The stone is give the name Sun Wu Kung. He studies and becomes the masters apprentice. He learns of different incantations and develops many abilities one of these is flying. Eventually he learns the ways of immortality and can transform into anything he wishes. He is then banished from the establishment for exposing his teachings and goes back to his home island where his ape family awaits. He finds out that the Devil King has come and taken away most of the children so he goes and fights the Devil King. Defeating him and taking his weapon as a prize. The children return safely, but as time goes on Sun Wu Kung is scared that they are weaponless and are vulnerable for future attacks, so he goes out and find weapons for the entire ape population, but he grows old of his own weapon. He seeks out the Dragon King and Queen for a stronger weapon. They give him an enormous iron bar that he can make small or big. He then demands for armor as well, which they also provide. Finally he goes back happy, but one night as he is sleeping he dreams of the Princes of the Dead dragging him to Hell. He scares them off and demands to see the Book of Life. He takes off the apes names so that they can live forever. However, he is suddenly awoken from his dream. 

The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung by R. Wilhelm, link to online reading

(Sun Wu Kung and his Master, Source: Wikipedia)

Reading Notes (Extra Credit): Dante's Inferno Part B

In the second half of Dante's Inferno we resume with Dante and his guide, Virgil, as they descend down further in the seventh circle of hell. They continue to meet mythical creatures, poets, etc. Before descending down into the 7th circle they meet the Minotaur and inside the 7th circle they meet the Centaurus who guide them further. Further inside the 7th circle are rings and inside those rings they meet Capaneus, the Harpies, the Old Man of Crete, and Geryon. Geryon is a mythical creature that has the face of a man and a body of a dragon. They use Geryon to descend down into the eighth circle. They meet many more people in the 8th circle such as Jason, the Demons, Caiaphas, Ulysses (Odysseus), Diomede, the Giants, and Ugolino. All tell Dante and Virgil their stories of how they ended up in the Inferno. Lastly, they go into the center of Hell where they meet Lucifer, the Devil. He has three faces, 6 wings, cries tears of blood, and is stationed in a icy underworld.

In my project I want Charley and Death to only visit three of the circles of hell. I'll briefly mention other circles as they make their way down to certain ones, but not in detail. Unfortunately I will not be able to meet Satan in my project, but he can be mentioned briefly by Death. I like the idea of Geryon as a means of transportation for Dante and Virgil, but Death and Charley will have a different type of transportation.

Dante's Inferno by Dante Alighieri, link to online reading

(Dante's Inferno, Source: OWHL Guides)

Week 8 Progress

My progress has been great so far, except for last week. Because of last week I am now behind in points and need to catch up by utilizing extra credits opportunities. I have a weekly routine of doing both readings on Monday, story on Tuesday, project on Wednesday, and feedback comments/blog comments on Thursday or if anything on Friday. The class project I enjoy the most is the storytelling one because it allows me to unleash my creative mind and write my own rendition of the story I read for that week. It keeps my mind fresh and always thinking of new possibilities. I have only recently started pursuing the extra credit opportunities, but after form this week on I will definitely do as much as I can.

Looking forward to the second half of the semester I would like to get ahead in points and by week. Optimally I'd want to be ahead by a week because I am quite busy this semester, so anything could come up and I could easily fall behind. That way I'd have a cushion if I do. Extra credit will help me with that part.

(Motivation Monday, Source: Natalie's Health)

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

The feedback that I've been receiving from fellow students is very supportive and most importantly helpful. All comment that I've received have been helpful, but the part of the feedback that aids in my story telling is the detailed feedback that helps me with my actual storytelling. On the flip side, I believe my comments are good, but not amazing right now. I believe that as I progress as a storyteller I will also progress in my feedback as well. There are a couple times where I've been inspired by certain stories that I read from other students.

Every introduction that I've read is great because it really helps me connect with them since this is an online course where there is no face-to-face interaction. Some introductions are very passionate and personal as well which helps even more with connecting. As far as my introduction post, it serves well in getting to know me. The comments that I've received on support this and many people relate to me as well.

As of right now, I feel no need to change up my blog or its format. However that may very well change later on. It's always good to keep this fresh and new. My feedback so far can improve and this can be done by giving more detailed feedback. Sometimes I'm unsure what to say because I see nothing wrong with the story so I become vague, but there's always something that people can improve on and it'd help if I find that something and be specific about it.

(Feedback Components, Source: BlogSpot)

This image caught my eye because it includes all important aspects of feedback that makes that certain feedback helpful and great. I could improve my own feedback by implementing certain components listed on this image. 

Week 8 Reading and Writing

Overall, this semester has had the most writing I've ever done. The stories I pick out each week for my readings are amazing and they easy to read plus they are entertaining. Each week with the reading notes I take, the stories I write come out beautiful in my opinion. Taking notes helps me a lot because sometimes I don't write the story on the same day, so I have something to look back on and it helps me with the process of writing the story. The class project that I've been working on this semester is coming along perfectly. The feedback is great and it only helps me better my work. Although I only have an introduction for my project right now, I think that it is my greatest accomplishment this semester. I am over proud of the introduction.

(Dante's Inferno, Source: Wikimedia)

The image above is one that I picked out for my comment wall. This here is one of many depictions of Dante's Inferno. The picture helps the people who come to my project and want to leave feedback a sense of what they're about to read or get themselves into . It shows the sinners of hell and the black and white conveys a dark aura. 

Look forward I would like to spend more time researching and coming up with my stories weekly and for my project. I'd like more time to immerse myself in the stories I choose to read and take more detailed notes, but this semester has been the busiest one for me since I'm about to graduate and apply to medical school. I believe I can get ahead in the coming weeks and that will allow me more time to come up with bigger and better stories in the future. 

Week 7 Story: Finding His Happiness

In the distant past, there once lived a stonecutter. He was a well-renowned craftsman who knew exactly what was needed for certain items. Although he worked day and night t gain the reputation he had, he went to bed every night with a certain emptiness to him. 

One morning as he was chiseling away at the mountain for stones, he overheard two weary travelers talking. One said to the other that there was a ancient spirit that lived in the form of a woman. She lived atop the very mountain the stonecutter had been chiseling away at! She granted the wishes and brings happiness to anyone who seeks her help. When the stonecutter had heard of this he immediately gathered his belongings and started traveling up the mountain in search of filling his empty void. 

Eventually the stonecutter reached the top of the mountain. There lied a cave and inside was the very woman that the travelers were speaking of. The stonecutter introduced himself and asked the spirit to become a rich prince who had everything in the world. Alas, the spirit made the man a rich prince and when he returned home he returned to a castle as high as the skies with everything he could imagine. 

One day, the sun above scorched the lands he lived in. It was so hot and bright that the stonecutter reused to go outside and stored himself away in the depths of the castle. Every day he would look outside to see people up and about, embracing the heat. This made him yearn to become the sun, so he trekked back up the mountain and asked the spirit to make him the sun. And so he became the sun above all. 

His happiness soon faded when the day came where the clouds hid the suns rays. He had begun to become very bored of shining down on the lands, so when the clouds came to hid his might he became very upset. He cried from above to the spirit to make him a cloud, so that he may always be seen in the sky. The spirit below heard his cries from above and granted his wish and so he became the clouds.

Days and weeks went by and the man became weary again. Becoming the clouds between the lands and sun was not enough for him again. He became sad and rain poured down on the land for days. Towns and villages were destroyed by his unhappiness. When he looked down and saw that the mountains held their shape through all this rain, he began to wonder. He wondered if the immovable, strong, and calm mountain was the key to his happiness. And once again he begged the spirit to become the mountain below him. Once more the spirit turned him into a mountain. 

He stood tall and mighty every day. The sun and and rain could not move him one bit! And so he finally found his true happiness... but not for long. One day as the sun was bright the man heard something beneath him. He looked down and saw the very man he used to be: a stonecutter. He then began to realize that nothing he wished for would bring him true happiness because the stonecutting man was the key to his happiness. He took for granted his occupation and life and never appreciated what he had. Although he knew that he had asked so much from the spirit, he tried once more and asked to be reverted back to the man he once was. The spirit having realized that he discovered his true happiness, turned him back to a stonecutter in an instant. 

The stonecutter awoke back inside his household. Everything was the same as it used to be, as if nothing had changed except one thing: his happiness. He felt very grateful and in debt to the spirit, so he traveled once more to the top of the mountain. When he reached the top he expressed his gratitude and thanks to the woman. She was happy to help the man find his true happiness and disappeared back into the mountain in the form of a spirit and the man lived his days in eternal happiness. 

(The Stonecutter, Source: Pinterest)

Author's Notes:

The original story was very similar to my own. There was a stonecutter who also wanted to be something more. At first he wanted to be rich, then a prince, then the sun, the clouds, the mountain, and finally back to being a stonecutter. The spirit of the mountain granted him his wishes and turned him into whatever he desired. In the original, the stonecutter felt very selfish and didn't appreciate what the spirit had done for him, so I changed that in my own story. Also I gave the spirit a physical form and gave it a place atop the mountain. This rendition was more about finding the stonecutter's true happiness and provided a more detailed background and ending for the reader. 

Bibliography: "The Stonecutter" by Andrew Lang. Web Source

Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales Part A

There were 6 fairy tales in Part A of this reading and one of them really stuck out to me for a possible storytelling idea. This is the story of the Stonecutter who is never satisfied with himself. First we becomes a rich man, then a prince, then the sun, then the clouds, and then the mountain. Finally, he revert back to a stone cutting man with whom he is satisfied. In this story he seems like a very selfish individual and always wants to be something else, never satisfied with what he has. I would like to change that in my rendition and provide a sense of humbleness for the stone cutter. In this story the stone cutter is transformed by the mountain spirit who he takes for granted. I would like for him to be a grateful person in the end. I want to also make a mountain spirit an actually person or animal because a spirit is hard to imagine. That way the reader can relate more to the mountain spirit and it will give it a sense of purpose and meaning. Everything else I would keep the same because I do enjoy what the stone cutter wants to become and in each succession. It makes sense in that order.

Japanese Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang, link to online reading

(Stonecutter, Source: The Henry Brothers)

Reading Notes (Extra Credit): Dante's Inferno Part A

In Dante's Inferno the visual cues are very strong in each aspect of the comedy. Details are given at key moments to show the reader what it is that Dante is seeing at the moment. For instance, the part where Dante and Virgil come to the gate leading to hell they see a cave with an inscription at the top basically saying "abandon all hope, ye who enters". I love the visual cues and I want to try and replicate that in my project. This will help the reader get a better sense of the environment.

Another aspect of Dante's Inferno is the character of Dante himself. Dante is basically having a midlife crisis and is lead to the path towards evil and hopelessness when Virgil steps in helps Dante, guiding him through the circles of hell. Even throughout his journey, he is constantly afraid and saddened by what he sees. I want my character, Charley, to embody these same emotions when he travels through hell with Death. However, in my version, Charley will be taught a "lesson" for his constant sinning, so the emotion of scared and afraid will play a huge part in my rendition.

The wide array of fictional characters, hero's, gods, goddesses, poets, beasts, etc. is very eye opening to me because that gives me free reign when picking my own people for Charley to visit. The endless possibilities is very assuring because I can pick and choose anybody in recent history or current history. Not just ancient history like Dante did.

Lastly, I like the structure of hell itself. First there is the gateway to hell where there is a ferryman who takes them on a boat to the first circle of Limbo. Each circle goes deeper into the Inferno and with each decent there is an increase in wickedness and evil. I want to keep this aspect of the original story in my own. It creates a very easy visual cue for readers to imagine as my character makes his way down to the center of hell. However, since I'm only doing 3 stories, I won't have time to visit all 10 circles of hell, so I'll have to cut it short and visit only 3.

Dante's Inferno by Dante Alighieri, link to online reading

(Circles of Hell, Source: Pinterest)