Reading Diary A: Folk Tales of Bengal

Folk Tales of Bengal:

The Evil Eye of Sani:
Oooh wow, this is an intense story! First of all, I didn't realize there were gods and goddesses of good/bad luck but I should have figured - I feel like people have made deities for almost everything.  As for deciding who is higher in rank, I thought it was interesting they considered a mere mortal wise enough to decide.  The poor man must be so nervous - he really is caught in quite the bind.  At least his wife is sticking by his side - that means a lot.

The Evil Eye of Sani (ctd):
Wow, this poor couple.  Although they do is work smarter than everyone else and they profit (they deserve it) and now everyone hates them...great.  It's awful that his wife is held captive.  That guy must be stressed out so much - I mean not only will a god and/or goddess absolutely destroy his life no matter what his decision is, and now he no longer has the love of his life.

The Boy whom Seven Mothers Suckled:
This story is sort of crazy.  First of all, what a crazy phenomena to have a fruit that allows all the wives to become pregnant.  Then, some crazy yet pretty lady convinces his king that not only blinding his old wives isn't enough but he would also need to kill them.  Thus, they turn to cannibalism?  This is crazy!!

The Boy whom Seven Mothers Suckled (end):
The ending is comparably strange as the beginning.  The queen eats up everyone at night... I wonder why she wanted the boy to be eaten so bad - it's not like she wanted the taste, I mean she was going to let her mom have him.  Did she know that the boy was the son of one of the mothers that she wanted killed?  Anyways, the boy turns out to be some sort of a hero at the end.  I wonder what happens to all the ex-wives.  I wonder if the poor king suspected any of this.

The Ghost-Brahman:
This story is pretty interesting.  I'm suprised that the author even thought of it.  A ghost that appears real enough that it loves as a husband and a son for years?  And then a king that doesn't fulfill his duties but instead a fake cowboy-king that rules the case?  Pretty interesting! I liked this story.

Cowboys Roping a Bear by James Walker (circa 1877)

Source:  Wikipedia

Week 4 Storytelling: Modern Al

Al was a bright young eight year old boy living in a shack in New York City.  He was a kind and friendly boy who helped out while he could but was eager to learn.  One summer, he was playing outside with a flat soccer ball he had found when a man walked up the road and started talking to him.  Al was a very social boy and easily struck up a conversation with the man.  Before he knew it, he was playing soccer with the man and when Al got a determined look on his face and ran up the road to catch the ball, the man suddenly gasped, "You look just like my brother!" Al smiled and asked, "Well, what happened to him?"  The man explained his brother's fate and at first, Al was sympathetic but then began to relate.  After all, his father had also run errands late one night and never came back.  The police suspected foul play, but nothing was ever determined.  As the man began to describe his brother, it became more and more apparent that the man's brother seemed like Al's father.  The two of them excitedly ran back to the shack to talk to Al's mother.  The man instantly recognized the woman and the two of them embraced and chatted happily, catching up after 10 years.  Al's long-lost uncle spent the night in the shack and in the morning, told Al's mother that he had a fun, summer adventure in mind to keep Al occupied for the day.  The mother agreed and knew that Al needed something fun and out-of-the-ordinary in order to have some resemblance of a childhood.  Al's uncle led him to Ellis Island were there were some rocks forming small niches.  In one of the niches, something glinted inside.  Al's uncle told him that if he climbed inside, he might find buried treasure buried underneath the small glinting piece of metal on the surface.  Al clambered inside and soon found himself to be trapped and the waves started to crash onto the rocks as the sun set.  The uncle left him behind and Al was alone, nervous, and disoriented.  Before long, the waves washed some of the small pebbles off of the metal object and it turned out to be a lamp. Al hugged it close to his chest, scared of what was to come and when he did, the lamp began to get warm and shake.  Within the next minute or so, a genie burst forth and spoke to Aladdin.  Thinking he was dreaming, Aladdin responded without thinking much about it and was rescued.

Author's Note:  I based my story off of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp part 1 from the Arabian Nights unit which is from the book One Thousand and One Nights translated by Richard Francis Burton and published in 1885 as The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night.

Aladdin depiction by online artist Shelziru

Source:  Deviant Art

Week 3 Storytelling: Sneaky Criminals

It was a rainy and cold day in 1850.  Three robbers and an elderly woman were gathered around a small table in the corner of a crowded pub.  As they whispered plans to one another, their server brought them a loaf of rye bread and a slab of aged cheese.  When the server caught wind of the word "kidnap" murmured, he couldn't help but quickly look up and then tried to look down naturally in order to play it off.  The criminals noticed what had happened and told the boy to meet them behind the restaurant.  The server assumed they were going to pay him off to stay quiet so he followed them out back.  Within seconds, the robbers and the woman were face-to-face with a mule instead of a young man.  They high-fived each other while transferring their gold and luggage from their trusty, but exhausted, horse to the mule they now had. Through the pouring rain, the four of them invited the biting cold as they walked to a neighboring hotel and carried out the next part of their plan.

The robbers were informed by a doorman at the hotel that a wealthy diplomat and his daughter were staying in the hotel for the weekend.  The robbers winked at the doormen while he slipped them a key as they entered the hotel and walk casually up the stairs to the third floor.  They saw the diplomat's daughter just leaving her room and they sneaked out from around the corner and bound her from behind while pressing their dirty hands against her mouth to keep her silent.  Completely shocked, the girl did not even have time to resist and the men and the elderly woman pulled her along as they whisked her away into their own hotel room.  The girl was obviously shaken and tried to reason with the criminals but to no avail.  In order to keep her from asking too many questions, the old woman tried to distract her by telling her a story.

Author's Note:  My storytelling post is based off of The Captive Woman that is a part of Apuleius's "Cupid and Psyche" story from The Golden Ass.  The story was translated by Tony Kline.  I chose this story because I thought it was interesting and didn’t require too much background to re-tell.  For example, I didn’t want to do a later story from the unit because I thought the reader might have been more confused.  I wanted to make the story a little bit more modern but also make it based in the past enough to allow a picture of gas-lanterns, high-profile criminals, and dreary nights set in.  I kept the idea of the story the same but just added in different details/imagery.  For example, there was no mention of a pub where the criminals discussed their plans – I wanted to add that in as well as the dreary night so the feeling of suspense would hopefully be felt.  Also, the time period was a bit later than when the original story was written.  My version was set in the 1800s when I imagine gas lanterns were used and criminals were more able to run rampant.  I chose the image that I did in order to provide a face to the criminals.  Although I found these pictures on my own and they’re not from the story, I thought they would do the job. 

 

Two criminals - a couple of the kidnappers may have looked like this.

Source:  Wikipedia

Extra Reading Diary: Santal Folklore

Santal Folklore:

Ledha and the Leopard:
Wow, what a story.  Ledha must have been terrified.  He was a clever boy, though, for crinkling the tobacco leaves so the leopard thought it was the lizard again.  It's also ironic that the princess wanted Ledha to marry her rather than vice versa.

The Monkey and the Girl:
This was a super weird story.  First off, clever monkey - befriending the children by leaving the flower farland behind.  But then, she wants to marry the monkey?  Can they even communicate?  And then she blinds the bystanders with sands and burns herself with the monkey?  That is some messed up stuff.  Wow. Very unique story, however.

Ramai and the Animals:
This is a sweet story.  The animal rescue tale reminds me of the saints/animals unit I read earlier.  I think it's neat that there's no deceit in their story but a simple moral which is refreshing.  If the father hadn't gone and killed the other animals, there's no telling what other valuables he could have had, but the ring was definitely nice.

The Ghormuhas:
Nasty cannibals - that poor boy must have been scarred for life.  I wonder if this story was based on any events such as real-life cannibals that the author may have known about or anything.  I'm surprised that the Ghormuhas could not jump well even though they captured the boy so easily in the first place and even raced across fields.

The Raibar and the Leopard:
I like this story as well - no deceit; just a clever raibar and a leopard who kept his promise.  It surprised me that the leopard remained in the sack so quietly despite being whacked and also being thrown in the water.  I'm surprised he didn't drown.  The leopards did not seem to be very smart at all.

The Raja's Dream:
So far, this is a cool story.  It sort of reminds me of a couple Bible stories with the idea that one wife thought the other wife's son would take presidence so one was sent away and also with the dream interpretation.  The story is slightly more confusing than the others with the older/younger Rani thing, but overall, it is very read-able and I appreciate the modern language.

The Jackal and the Crow:
Wow, this is a relatively sad tale.  I feel bad for the crow first of all.  Being eaten by your friend would be pretty terrible - absolute betrayal.  Then, the jackal seemed to get power "hungry" and ate so many animals.  I don't like that he died - I would have preferred that he got sick from over-eating so we could see him change and become a better animal but oh well.

Amur leopard

Source:  Wikipedia

Reading Diary B: Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights:

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 1:
This story was a fun read so far.  It's a nice idea that young Aladdin will gain a trade but really sad that a selfish magician would manipulate a family that already has so little.  Poor Aladdin being left in the dark for two days - his mother must have been worried sick.  Not only was it sad to be left alone, but it would also be sad to go back to the mother and tell her that the relative she thought was now alive was in fact not alive and was just a con artist.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 2:
Wow, Aladdin seems a bit obsessive.  Sort of scary.  I feel like he is way head over heels and frightened the poor princess but didn't seem to comfort her - he just fell asleep beside her.  It was terrible that the sultan did not keep his word and wait three months, though, before he gave his daughter's hand away.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 3:
Aww, I really like this story.  Aladdin was so humble, patient, and respected the princess enough to wait on marrying her in order to make sure she would have a nice home ready.  That's really sweet.  It's also great that the Sultan kept his word but also wasn't too desperate to give his daughter away to anyone.  I feel like most, if not all, vizirs in this unit are evil though - what's up with that?  Anyways, I really like how even when Aladdin started winning battles and gaining fame, he was humble and showed respect where it was due.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 4:
This was so sad.  It's not the princess's fault really, but the magician just can't leave him alone.  If he left the lamp in the cave in the first place, he musn't need it.  Jealousy makes people do some crazy things.  The poor princess must be terrified.  Also, it must have been quite a sight to have the palace all of a sudden disappear.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 6:
Wow, that was a bit crazy, too.  I wonder how the roc's egg would have killed them and how the genie knew it was the evil magician's younger brother who was in disguise.  I think it's sweet that Aladdin would have done even that for his wife.  He really seems to love her.

The first magician traps young Aladdin in a magical cave

Source:  Wikipedia

Reading Diary A: Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights:

Scheherazade:
To start off, it's interesting that the Sultan loves his wife so immensely yet she is struggling to stay alive via telling stories.  Hopefully the story will shed more clarification on this - that was just one of my first thoughts as I read the first couple sentences of the story.  I wonder how she deceived him so extremely... What a clever girl.  It's sad her own father would stab her with a dagger though just because of orders.  It's his daughter for crying out loud.  Wow, such obedience.

The Merchant and the Genius:
Wow - this was a very creative story.  I wonder if the girl made up the story on the spot or if she knew the story already.  I already see plenty of parallels between the death sentence of the man and the genie postponing the man's death sentence as was the circumstances for the girl.  I wonder how many of those there will be and if the sultan notices this as well.

The Story of the First Old Man and of the Hind:
So far the story is pretty fascinating.  The man did not have an heir so he adopted his slave's son but was unaware his wife had such a dislike for the mother?  Wow.  So she turns to witchcraft?  Lots of crazy elements involved here.  It's neat that the stories fit so well together and because the stories are so in-depth, I have to remind myself that all these stories are really told by a girl trying to save her life.

The Story of the Second Old Man, and of the Two Black Dogs:
This story is easier to read for me than the story of the first old man.  It was such an act of love for the second old man to close up his shop and pay such attention and give such love to his older brother who was now a beggar.  That couldn't have been easy, emotionally or financially.  Anyways, his sense of forgivness is amazing - the brothers took his money, tried to take his wife and his life, and then he still begged for the fairy to keep them alive.

The Greek King and the Physician Douban:
This is a neat story.  I find it strange that the physician/king didn't think he was using medicine to cure him but said so himself that the potion in the club would make his body glow warm - isn't that medicine in a way just put in a club?  And he told the king that? Anyways, is whereever each story cuts off another day that the girl waits to tell the next part of the story to stay alive?

The Story of the Parrot:
It sort of makes me chuckle that so many of the stories (including the story of the 1001 Arabian  Nights) starts off with saying how much the husband loved the wife.  Is the girl hoping that her husband will subconsciously adopt this passion/care for her?

The Physician's Revenge:
Wow, that's terrible the physican had to be executed.  I wonder what the king's advisor had against physicians.  I mean why kill him when he's done no wrong unless the guy truly believed there was no good in the world and the physician was evil.  So sad.

The Story of the Young King of the Black Isles:
This is sort of a crazy story.  This is the second story that I've read from this unit about a wife deceiving her husband.  The poor guy... Anyways, it's terrible that she beat him so much yet treated the slave so well.  I wonder how they grew so affectionate.  It's an interesting punishment to turn her husband into half marble, half man - creative.

An illustration of Arabian Nights

Source:  Wikipedia

Extra Reading Diary: Women Saints of the Golden Legend

Women Saints of the Golden Legend:  

Saint Juliana:
The notes before this story were very helpful - especially when it explained words that I would encounter and probably wouldn't have known the definitions of.  Anyways, Juliana is quite a brave woman.  It must have been really hard for her to go against her father and new husband without having much support from a physical being alongside her (although she had support from God).  I'm also impressed that she was able to speak so calmly and rationally to the devil - I would have been shaking and probably passed out from fear.

Saint Mary of Egypt: 
I like the connection to Zosimus but had some trouble understanding the story with the older-type language.  I liked the pictures though :)

Saint Pelagien:
I admire this woman a lot, but I find it sort of ironic that to follow God she felt like she had to lie/deceive others by pretending to be a man.  I'm surprised that when she was accused of getting one of the virgins pregnant that she didn't try to prove her innocence by showing her true identity - that must have been a tempting thought.

Saint Margaret:
The notes are super informative and remind me of both Saint Juliana and the Screwtape Letters (a book by C.S. Lewis where the devil also explains how he tempts mankind).  I think it's crazy that this guy wants to marry Margaret because of her beauty but throws her in prison so quick - doesn't seem like the way to a woman's heart to me.  She had to undergo so much torture and suffering - it's insane.  I can't believe people stood for it.  I wonder if she ever mentally waivered or if she was confident in Christ the whole time.  Hopefully the latter.  No matter what religion (or lack thereof) someone may believe in, it's always amazing to see their perseverence in his/her beliefs to the point of death sometimes.

Saint Christine:
I wonder how Christine came to Christianity if she was locked away.  Maybe a chamberer secretly led her to faith?  Anyways, it's quite amazing.

Saint Helena

Source: Wikipedia

This was a great unit - I wish I did my first two reading diaries on this unit.  It was sad yet powerful.  I was humbled by the perseverence of these women in what they believed in and how far they went in the name of God.  I wish these stories were more well-known since they are indeed so powerful.