Reading Notes - Saints: The Wolf-Mother of Saint Ailbe, Part B

·      Story begins with background on the Irish baby

o   the author includes details that make the reader sympathize with the child

·      The mother wolf and her activities are described in a manner that makes it feel almost as if she were identical to a human mother

·      The wolf mother feels compassion for the child

·      Author describes Ailbe as the wolf-mother’s pet – why?

·      Ailbe is able to communicate with the wolves despite the species barrier

·      Ailbe went from being a wild child to growing up with royalty

·      Despite Ailbe’s many accomplishments, he still remembers his roots – the wolf mother

·      Ailbe isn’t portrayed as the perfect and kind individual. He thought of some visitors as stupid, which most of the audience should be able to relate with

·      Wow, this story is really getting to me emotionally

·      Despite the long time apart, both wolf mother and human son recognize each other

·      Now the roles have reversed, and it is the son’s turn to protect the weak wolf mother, which he does

·      Ailbe treats the wolves as one would a real family, and they feast together

Saint Ailbe. Source: Stanford University.

Bibliography: This story is part of the Saints and Animals Unit. Story source: The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by Abbie Farwell Brown (1900).

Reading Notes: Saint Blaise and His Beasts, Part A

·      “In the days when it was fashionable to be a heathen”

o   Does this mean that being mean was in style

o   Heathen may refer to individuals that are not faithful Christians

·      Author focuses on Blaise’s uniqueness compared to other boys his age

o   Emphasizes his kindness to all manner of creature

·      Mentions how the creatures change and act differently in his presence, which highlights the effect he has on them

·      Blaise can speak to the creatures

o   The creatures seem to have a relatively elementary understanding of English, which is shown when the wolf responds to Blaise

·      Do the animals worship Saint Blaise because of his affiliation to Christianity?

·      Is there any meaning behind Saint Blaise being beheaded? 

 Bibliography: Story source: The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by Abbie Farwell Brown (1900).

Saint Blaise. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Insightful Feedback Thoughts

“Why Rejection Hurts so Much – and What to do About it” 

“Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt in Creative Work”

I do not think I ever really understood just how much rejection affects us as a species. I know from personal experience that I take rejections pretty hard, which is why I often don’t put myself out there often in terms of inviting people to go places or trying to date. I really just minimize the chances of me being rejected.

I really like how the articles tries to give ideas about how to “revive your self-worth”, but my greatest issue with that is that I would have a difficult time doing that because then I would feel like I’m really bragging about certain aspects of myself. If I am really at my lowest after a particularly strong rejection, then there is a good chance that I would probably doubt the things I list as valuable or just be hesitant to name them. After all, I bet everyone thinks that they are a valuable employee, but are they really? At this point, it sounds like I also experience some issues with self-doubt, which is why I picked the other article that I hope will help me with that aspect.

Right off the bat, the first strategy that is mentioned in the other article “Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt in Creative Work” hits me with something that I do often (and have done since a young age). I am sure that I am not the only teenage that grew up going to public school. And in public school, everyone gets their exams back at the same time. I cannot think of how many times I look at an exam grade and thought “looking good!” only to have a friend come up and show me an even better score. I tried to stop comparing myself to others long ago, but it really is a difficult endeavor. As a final note, I’m going to go ahead and say that I really wished I grew up with a growth mindset and not a combination of growth and fixed.

 

Memecat Stays Positive by Kevin Hodgson.

My Very Original Topic Brainstorm

Topic 1: Ghost Stories of Japan
All ghost stories, or even just scary stories in general, always fascinate me. I like to see how each country incorporates their culture into their stories. The creativity and uniqueness that each country brings to their stories never ceases to amaze me. That being said, I am a big fan of Japanese culture and so I love their ghost stories. I must say that the stories I have come across are really unique. I cannot remember specifics, but most of the stories I have heard about feature an evil or even vengeful female spirit. I would really just like to get to know more stories in general. To retell them, I would probably just start out with the backstory of the ghost to make it seem like a normal story and then I would transition to the scary bit.

Hokusai Yurei. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Topic 2: Werewolves
 I chose this topic simply because I like the concept of werewolves. I want to say that I know quite a bit about werewolves, but I actually only know a lot about werewolves featured in American media. I can’t really say that I know much about the legends that originate in other countries. It would be nice to learn more about what other cultures think about werewolves and their associated legends. I think I would try to retell the story from the perspective of a smaller animal that always lives in the home of the recently transformed victim.

Werewolf. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Topic 3: Legendary Creatures

Once again, this topic is a prime example of picking a topic simply because it really piques my interest and seems cool. There are a variety of legendary creatures associated with different cultures, which means that I should have a really easy time trying to pick on for my story. I think for this topic I would like to try to incorporate legendary beasts from several different cultures that would have never met each other (if they were real that is) into on story. I know several legendary creatures as it stands, but I would really like to use new ones that I have never seen before/heard of before. I really hope that I get a backstory about each creature I come across.

Griffin. Source: Max Pixel.

Topic 4: Dragons
Dragons are by far one of my most favorite topics. I would even go so far as to say that dragons are my favorite topic. I am tempted to say that dragons are my favorite animal, but considering that they don’t exist, they are instead my favorite mythical creature. I really love how dragons from different cultures look really different! I would definitely want to explore retelling a story that features a variety of different dragons! I would really like to learn more about the dragons from different cultures like Greek dragons, which I didn’t even know existed until recently. 
Another link

  Dragon. Source: Public Domain.

Week 2 Story: The Three Roses

*This story is now a part of my Portfolio*

In a relatively isolated village, there lived a mother with her three daughters, Emerald, Ruby, and Jane. The mother did not possess great wealth, but she did her best to ensure her daughters had everything they deserved, which if you asked her, she would say they deserved the world.

Because the village was isolated, the mother often had to travel to a neighboring village in order to acquire certain necessities. The day soon came that the mother had to make her weekly journey to the neighboring village. Before departing, she asked her three daughters if they required anything. Two of her daughters, Emerald and Ruby, requested a multitude of items that – if you asked anyone in the village – they did not in fact need. The mother, knowing that fulfilling such a request would put a considerable dent on her wallet and be a significant burden, ultimately acquiesced because it was well known that her daughters deserved the world. She then asked her third daughter, Jane, if she wanted anything. Surprisingly, Jane only requested three roses. Jane’s uniqueness lied in her normality. Unlike her sisters, Emerald and Ruby, Jane did not yearn for a life of opulence. The mother eagerly accepted Jane’s request and set off.

At the village, the mother spent quite a bit of time gathering everything that Emerald and Ruby asked for. Once her task was complete, she began to make the long trek home. It was on the way back that the mother realized that she had forgotten Jane’s roses. She dejectedly continued on her journey until she came across a peculiar sight. There, hidden in the forest, was the most extravagant rose garden she had ever witnessed. The mother quickly plucked three roses from the garden for Jane – she would hate to disappoint her daughter by not fulfilling her simple request after all. However, as soon as she gathered the flowers, a dragon appeared. The fierce dragon let out a mighty roar that shook the mother to her very core. He demanded that the woman pay for the flowers she stole for him by giving him something of equal value – her daughter. In fear of her mortal life, the mother quickly agreed and fled the scene.

Upon her arrival at home, the mother presented everyone with what they had asked for. Jane was ecstatic at the sight of the lovely roses. It was then that the mother sadly informed Jane that she must return to the rose garden in order to pay for the roses. For the most part, Jane was fine with the arrangement, although she was a little worried about what the future had in store for her.

Jane eventually made her way to the rose garden where she was encountered the awesome creature. The dragon then informed her that she must nurture him for three days. Not left with much of an option considering the dragon’s potentially deadly weapons, Jane agreed.

The three days passed quickly for both of them. At the conclusion of the third day, the dragon presented Jane with an abnormal request. He wanted her to burn him alive, and he threatened her with death if she did not comply. Although she was hesitant and did not want to end the life of such a magnificent creature, Jane complied with his request. The fire Jane attempted to start quickly took and the dragon let out a painful bellow as he was consumed by the flames. Jane stayed by his side until the fire died out and all that remained was ash. It was then that a beautiful human man arose from the ashes. He declared that because Jane had liberated him from his prison, he had to marry her. In addition, they would also have a grand party. Everyone, including Jane, was to have an incredible time at both events. They both lived together after that.

The end. 

 Dragon. Source: Pexels

Author's note: I tried to keep the main plot the same. I did make some minor changes to the character names to better reflect their personalities. I also changed the creature featured in the story because I love dragons. I chose to have the dragon burn because dragons breathe fire so I thought it would be a suitable end.

Bibliography: "The Three Roses " from Czech Folklore by Josef Baudis. Web Source.

Reading Notes - Fairy Tale: Beauty and the Basilisk

• The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922). Source. 
• Two daughters demand that the mother bring them all sorts of things from the market, even if it is in the next town. 
• One daughter only wants three roses -> why three
• Mother is eager to bring back the three roses, but those three roses are the only things she forgets from the market so she tries to take them from the palace 
• the roses were smiling at her 
• She takes the roses and the basilisk demands that she give him her daughter. He threatens the mother with bodily injury if she does not comply 
• Mother tells daughter, Mary, that she had to pay dearly for them and that she must go to the castle in payment for them 
• Mary doesn't mind going to the castle and goes - everything she ever wanted is there 
• Upon her arrival, Mary must nurse the basilisk for three hours every day.
• On the third day, the basilisk brings a sword and tells Mary to cut his head off. Mary is hesitant, but he threatens her with bodily injury if she doesn't comply
• Mary cuts his head off and then another snake comes out of the body. She cuts that head off too, and the serpent transforms into a beautiful man. He states that because she has saved him, he must marry her. 
• "So there was a great wedding, the castle was full of their attendants, and they all had to play and dance" 
• They all HAD to play and dance. He is quite demanding.

 Basilisk by Friedrich Johann Justin Bertuch (1747-1822)

Week 2 Reading Overview

Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4.

Week 3: Aesop for Children (Winter)

Week 4: Saints and Animals

Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6.

Week 5: Ancient Egyptian Myths and Stories

Week 6: Persian Tales

Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.]

Week 7: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki)

Week 9: Japanese Mythology

Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11.

Week 10: Myths of the Cherokee

Week 11: Native American Marriage Tales

Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13.

Week 12: Beowulf

Week 13: Canterbury Tales

Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15.

Week 14: Russian Folktales

Week 15: Dante's Inferno

I can honestly say that I am most excited about the Asian unit. I really love Japanese folklore, and I am looking forward to getting to read genuine stories and not just those mentioned in Japanese shows. I also appreciate the addition of some of the darker folklore stories. I understand that they can make the reader a little bit uncomfortable, but those stories are just as interesting as some of the light-hearted ones.

Bakaneko by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. Source.

Useful Time Strategies

The two articles I read were “How to Beat Procrastination” by Caroline Webb and “11 ways unsuccessful people mismange their time” by Aine Cain. I feel like the articles were a bit useful. I really like how they break things down into simple things and examples. I think that I often do find myself daunted by a certain task so I put that task off until the deadline is practically there. I really like how “How to Beat Procrastination” states to “break down big… tasks into baby steps that don’t feel as effortful”. I will definitely keep this in mind in the future and see if it affects my procrastination. As it stands, I do not really have a good time management strategy that works well for me. I just wait for the deadline to approach before I kick it into overdrive and get the task done. I really hope one of these strategies works out for me!

 Stop Procrastination by Lynn Freidman. Source.

New Technology

I am proud to say that I am actually familiar with most of the technology tools mentioned. The ones I am unfamiliar with are the ones that involve blogging and Twine. I have never heard of Twine before, but I must say that I am a big fan based on some of the sample works I saw. I would definitely say that this class is a lot more technology oriented compared to most of my other classes. I have had a couple of other courses use new software in order to create a 3D model of molecules and different viral structures. I guess the main web skill I want to work on is the one that involves creating a website. I feel like that skill can really come in handy in the future so I am eager to learn!

Technology. Wikimedia Commons. Source.

Assignments

As boring as it sounds, I would say that the assignment that I am most intrigued by is the reading assignment. I love reading, especially when it is about folklore. I hate to say this, but I do not really have much of a creative mind, so the storytelling assignment does not really appeal to me. This class is really in a league of its own. I have never taken any courses that are similar to this one – even the grading is unique. For the extra credit, the Wikipedia Trails interests me the most. I often go on YouTube with the intention of looking up a certain video, and then thirty minutes later I find myself on a totally unrelated page. I would like to see where I end up on Wikipedia. 

 A Path Through Darkness. By bbsc30. Source