Reading Notes: Aesop's Fables, Part B

Birds
This section talks about peacocks in a few stories. I love peacocks and there is a temple in Austin, TX that has a lot of peacocks roaming about outside of it. Every time I go there I find it really peaceful and interesting to go out and find peacocks and see if they'll put their feathers up. One of the quotes that I like from the peacock stories is "one cannot be first in everything." I love this theme and would like to possibly write a story with that incorporated in it. Maybe I would write about a college student applying to graduate school and wanting to be involved in all the big organizations on campus as well as be in the top of their class. At the end, they would realize that they cannot be first in everything. There are some things they have to let go of; and even if they are not first in everything, they can still be successful.

Source: A picture from Aesop's Fables; peacock feathers are one of a kind. 

Frogs
I loved the story about the Frogs and the Fish, where the frogs really wanted a king, and when they finally got one, he ate them all up. The moral of the story was "better no rule than cruel rule." I found that quite amusing, and was thinking I could retell this story, but set it in a particular nation. It could be in the 15th-17th century, when many countries were just getting started. I could write about the United States, for example, and write about the communities that existed before British colonies were a thing. The communities could complain about not having a leader and not having laws in place, and when they get colonized by the British, they realize that no leader was better than a bad one. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, but it was just something that came to mind! I could use any nation, and even make up names of leaders! 

Another idea I have is to write my story in the form of a poem. If I cannot think of enough words for a poem to be 300 words (the minimum story word count), I might just add a short poem at the end of my story, just like it shows after every story in the Aesop's Fables collection.

Bibliography: Aesop's Fables by Joseph Jacobs. 

Reading Notes: Aesop's Fables, Part A

I love that after every story, there is one quote that sums up the moral/theme of the story. The quotes apply to everyday life as well, which is why writing up a story about one of these stories could go many different ways!

Lions

I like that all of the lion stories portrayed the animal in different lights. It is easy to judge an animal or a group of people based on the stereotypes we see daily, but in reality, everybody is different. This is seen when each lion story depicts the animal in a different way; one shows him as cunning and frightening, yet others depiact him as weak or a friendly pet. If I did a story about this, I would try to pick an animal that is misunderstood. I would write two mini stories of the animal, each with a different personality than what everyone knows it by. For example, if everyone thinks snakes are venomous and dangerous, I would write a plot story in which the snake actually helps others get rid of poison, or another one where the snake gives little kids rides around a town. 

Foxes

In one of the stories, The Fox and the Lion, the moral of the story at the end is "familiarity destroys fear." If I were to rewrite this one, I would write about a common fear people have and how to overcome it through familiarizing yourself with it. For example, there have been many experiments done in which a person who is afraid of spiders is put in the same room as a spider in a box. Then, they are asked to move closer to the box with the spider. Slowly, they will ask the person to lift the lid of the box, to where the spider is exposed. Eventually, they will get to the point where the spider is on the person's arm. This example embodies the theme/moral that was at the end of the story. Familiarity with the spider soon destroyed the fear of the spider, once seen how harmless it is. 

Wolves

If I were to rewrite one of these stories, I might only retell the ending. I would change the ending to where the wolf was seen in a positive light. This kind of goes off of what I was saying in the Lions paragraph, about misunderstood animals. Maybe I could combine all my ideas!

Source: I really liked the quote in this picture from the fables about lions; "The story depends on the teller."

Bibliography: Aesop's Fables by Joseph Jacobs.

Feedback Thoughts

Using Harsh Feedback to Fuel Your Career
I really liked the personal story at the beginning of this article, because it is a perfect example of how to use negative feedback to help you succeed and prove everyone wrong! I believe that if someone tells you that you are unqualified for something, you should never give up perfecting that skill. A lot of times, feedback can inhibit moving forward and can prevent someone from trying to do something again. This can be extremely saddening, especially if that is something they have wanted to do for a while and the only reason they aren't anymore is because of harsh feedback. I like what the article said about confusing behavior with identity; many times, people don't mean to be rude while giving feedback, but some of us are built in a way that we feel attacked. It's really important to remember that the other person may not always be commenting on your personality or identity; they are simply offering advice on how to improve a behavior or skill. I also like how the article said to embrace emotions; I agree that it is important to recognize those emotions and let those subside before you work on improving the skill or behavior.

The Psychology of Comparison and How to Stop
I liked this article a lot because I tend to compare myself, my work, my grades, etc. to others'. It's a bad habit and I hate that I can't help it sometimes. However, the article said that instead of stopping at the comparison, we should go a step beyond and begin setting goals for ourselves to see how we can reach the level we want to. I also like the quote in the article that says "Don't compare your beginning with someone else's middle" because many times when we compare ourselves to others, we aren't looking at the whole picture. I agree when it says that everyone moves at different paces and it's okay to be ahead of some and behind from others. This is a great article to read, and I particularly liked it because it basically tells us that even though comparing ourselves to others is normal, we need to start focusing on ourselves and what we can do for ourselves. 

Source: I feel like this quote is very relatable, especially as we are writing blog posts and stories. We will be receiving a lot of suggestions that we can improve on throughout the semester!

Project Topic Brainstorm

Creation Stories
I have always loved creation stories! One of the stories I read last week from the Myth-Folklore Anthology was Origins, which provided two origin stories from different cultures about the creation of the moon. There are many creation stories in every culture, so I was thinking I could do a project with four or five different origin stories, which are all tied together. For example, there are many different kinds of plants, animals, planets, stars, etc., and I could do a project in which I made my own creation stories about different planets or something. An article I found was Hindu Views on Evolution, which gave me an idea about possibly writing about how some parts of the world were created. There are many bodies of water in the world, and I could come up with a few creation stories about how they came to be, while also relating them to the Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Also, I have always been interested in Greek mythology, so this article could help me think of more ideas on how to incorporate Greek Gods and Goddesses into the creation stories as well!

Disney
I have been thinking about a Disney-themed storybook or portfolio for a while, so this could be something I do this semester! Last week I had kind of looked at the Arabian Nights overview for reading assignments, and since I have the book, I could read it and find some interesting things to talk about in my stories! Aladdin is a part of the Arabian Nights as well, which is why I thought of Disney in the first place. Along with Aladdin and Jasmine, I could bring in other Disney princes and princesses to make the project more interesting. The incorporation of all the characters from various fairy tales and Disney movies reminded me of the TV show Once Upon a Time, so I could even get some inspiration from that!

Source: A collection of Disney-Pixar characters, shown across the globe and representing the diversity of Disney.

Food
I really love adventuring with food and trying special dishes made in different cultures! I don't know exactly what foods I would write about, but I like the idea of incorporating the culture aspect in each story. I read a past project, The Real Veggie Tales, and I enjoyed it quite a bit! I like that the author gave vegetables their own, deserved story because they are forgotten, underrated, and misunderstood. That was a great idea and maybe I could write about some of the lesser-known foods of different cultures! For example, when people ask me about Indian food, they always ask me about curry.. but that is not all we eat! There are so many dishes that a lot of people don't know about. I'm sure it's the same way with a lot of cultures, so this would be a good way to inform people through funny little stories.

Power
I was thinking about doing a project with two sides pitted against each other, trying to gain power over the other. It could be Zeus vs. Hades, Gods vs. humans, lions vs. mice, etc. It could be any two groups against each other. Maybe I could do a Hunger Games-themed story or project in which a member of each group competes to see who is the strongest. The Zeus vs. Hades article I found was basically outlining the similarities and differences between the two, but I could write up a backstory for why they hate each other and then proceed with a set of obstacles for them to see who is actually more powerful or something. I'm not too sure on this one and I'm not sure if it even makes as much sense as the other topic ideas, but it's still forming in my head still! If I think of more ideas, I'll update this post :-)

Week 2 Story; Origin of the Moon's Phases

"I do not like this. I would be the moon. It looks cool."

The wise man spake yet again, "Be the moon." And he was the moon. 

"This is warmer than being the sun," murmured he, "for the light from the sun shines on me ever. I do not want to be the moon. I would be a smith again. That, verily, is the best life."

But the wise man replied, "I am weary of your changing. You wanted to be the moon; the moon you are, and it you will remain."

And in yon high heaven lives he to this day.

...

Years passed, and the eight sons of this moon, who was once a man, were growing. They often looked up to the skies to see their father, and grew very jealous of him. They, just like their father, wanted to be something else than what they were. They envied his life, which was extended in space and surrounded by millions of stars. They too, wanted to be the moon. The wise man, who had power over all things, heard the children complain about their present lives every day. So, he came to them.

"Children, go be the moon."

"But there is already a moon, and it is our father! How will we take that away from him?," the children replied. 

"Ah, but there is much you do not know about the moon. Each day you see the moon, glowing. He stands bright during the nights, and although sometimes invisible, he still glows during the day. Your father did not realize the consequences of his wish until he served as the moon day in and day out. He is growing tired. I have been hearing your cries, and have decided that you eight can serve as his helpers. Be the moon when he cannot." 

And so the eight sons came to be the eight phases of the moon: New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, and Waning Crescent. 

Source: The phases of the moon step by step, as they appear in the sky.

Bibliography: Myth-Folklore Anthology; Origin Stories: The Moon.

Author's Note:
I based this off of the Anthology story Origins. I decided to continue the story and tell yet another origin story of the moon, but this time come up with the origin of its waning and waxing phases. The first part of my story incorporates the ending of the original story. The original story tells of a blacksmith who wanted to be a stone, and a wise man made him so. But then he realized he wanted to be a stone cutter, then the sun, and then the moon. At the end, he revealed that the life of the blacksmith was the best life of all of them, and wanted to go back. However, the wise man did not let him. I just continued it by having the story set years after the fact, and had the eight sons complete their father's role in the sky. I hope you all liked my continuation! :)

Reading Notes: Anthology

Origins
I love origin stories, such as this one! Whether I believe the story or not, whether I have a different origin story in mind than the one I read, I always love hearing them. I have not yet heard one about the moon until now, and I really liked it. For one of my future stories I might come up with an origin story of my own!

The Supernatural
I have always liked watching supernatural TV shows and movies, so I was immediately drawn to this story. I was a little confused when I was reading the story, however. It mentioned a ghost and a stranger and at first, I thought they were two different people, although reading it again I see that it was just one character. I think it was the way the words were interchanged; it made me think there were more characters than there actually were. I have been wanting to do a supernatural-inspired story for a while, so hopefully I can do that this semester :)

Tricksters
I really liked this story, particularly because of the dialogues! They were very nicely written and I am still learning the rules of quotations myself, so this is a good reference for me!

Beauty and the Basilisk
I love this story because I love the story of Beauty and the Beast already, and the Basilisk part reminded me of Harry Potter. It was a really cool remake of the original, and I really enjoyed reading it! A fairy tale story or project would also be really fun to write about as well!

Source: Basilisk from Beauty and the Basilisk.

Reading Options

Aesop's Fables
I have a collection of Aesop's Fables that I used to read when I was younger, so I think it would be really fun and interesting to go through and read some of them again! The stories in this unit look really interesting, especially since they are written in the form of poems. I have always found poetry to be a challenging style of writing, so maybe I can get a chance to create my own poem through inspiration of these readings!

Folktales of Bengal
The stories in this unit look like they have a wide range of topics, which seems interesting to read about! I saw some familiar names in the first few stories, including Sani and Lakshmi, both of which I have read about in the past. I think this unit would be really fun to read / write about later on as well!

Arabian Nights
Just like with Aesop's Fables, I also have "The 1001 Nights" stories, but I have never read the whole book. This seems like a unit I would enjoy, especially because of the "nested storytelling technique" mentioned in the overview. It's a new kind of story for me, so I'm excited to read some of the stories and maybe be able to imitate that style of writing as well. I also see that the second half of the reading is about Aladdin, which is one of my favorite Disney movies! Maybe later on, my project could include some aspects of Aladdin or other Disney movies as well.

Source: A really interesting picture that I found online, representing a magical lamp.