Week 7 Reading Diary: Tibetan Folk Tales

Tibetan Folk Tales Unit

The Story of the Donkey and the Rock

I really enjoyed reading this story. It seemed typical of a folktale at the beginning when the king decided that it was neither man's fault that the jar of oil had been broken, but rather it was either the rock's or the donkey's fault. However, it really took me by surprise when the king forced all the people who came to such a foolish trial to pay a price to leave so that the man who lost the oil would have the money he needed to take care of himself and his mother.

The Ingratitude of Man

The moral of this story was dead on with how some people can be in today's society! I thought it was very interesting that at first the man who saved everyone from the pit scorned the animals because he thought there was no way that they could ever pay him back, but was then forced to put his foot in his mouth when they were the only ones who did anything to help him. It teaches the valuable lesson of be cautious with who you trust, as well as you cannot judge a book by it's cover.

The Wise Carpenter

I truly love stories of tricksters! I find them especially entertaining when it is two tricksters competing against one another but one does not know that the other is a trickster himself. Since the painter in the story had bad intentions, I felt it was only right that he die by the way that he tried to kill the carpenter!

How the Raven Saved the Hunter

I thought it was very interesting to see the Raven play the part of a helper. After reading so many stories about animals being tricksters or being foolish, it is nice to see this change up! However, it was sad that the hunter was so foolish and killed the Raven.

The Man with Five Friends

This story proved to be very intriguing. I had never, in my own culture or any other culture, heard anything about choosing friends based on their eye color. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into the Tibetan beliefs through this story!

The Man and the Monkeys

I liked that this was another story about animals serving as helpers. Much like the Raven mentioned above, the monkeys played the role of helping out a man. And much like the hunter mentioned above, this man was not grateful for the help the monkeys provided him and killed them. However, this story was a little sadder because the man did not feel any remorse and therefore was killed by a giant snake. It was a very deserving death!

Week 6 Essay: The Tricksy Bitsy Spider

The most frequently used character in the West African Folktales unit was Anansi the spider. However, Anansi was not just any spider, he was a very cunning trickster spider. Most of the time his devious plans worked to his advantage, but nevertheless, there were a few times when Anansi’s sly ways did not pan out.

            One of the ways that tricksters accomplish their malicious goals is by taking advantage of fools. For example, in the story Elephant and Wren, Spider (the trickster of the story) was able to deceive the king’s servant (the fool of the story). As a result, Spider was able to win a contest and receive the grand prize of an elephant. However, by the end of the story, Spider had turned into a fool himself. Spider was going to hide the elephant in the woods so that he would not have to share it with his family. He was instead going to take a wren he had spotted home for dinner. Spider tied up his elephant, but was unable to catch the wren. Much to his dismay, Spider’s elephant had also managed to escape. So in the end, Spider’s trickster ways only paid off momentarily.

            In another example, however, Anansi got his way by using his crafty trickery. In Anansi and Nothing, Anansi persuaded Nothing, who was a very rich man, to trade clothes with him as they were making their way to a neighboring town to get some wives. Nothing obliged, and as a result, Anansi was able to obtain many wives, while Nothing acquired only one. This worked out nicely for Anansi for a short while. However, his wives soon became fed up with his unpromising lifestyle and decided to move into the palace where Nothing and his wife lived. This of course mad Anansi very angry, so he began to plot Nothing’s murder. Anansi had a trench dug outside the palace and filled it with broken bottles. He also coated the steps with a slippery substance. He then attempted to coax Nothing out of the palace. Despite his wife’s pleading, for she knew it was a trick, Nothing heeded to Anansi’s begging and came outside. This foolish move of course led to his death, and Anansi’s revenge.

            So after reading this unit, I discovered that tricksters do not always get their ways. In some cases, the trickster ends up being the fool, but other times the trickster takes full advantage of the fool. Either way, tricksters and fools provide for very interesting and entertaining stories! 

Hogna Wolf Spider
Source: wikimedia commons

Week 6 Storytelling: Never Sacrifice a Diamond Ring for a Golden Band

Diamond ring
Source: pixabay

It was the beginning of spring, and that meant it was time for King Jasper to hold his annual Backyard Games. Men of all ages competed in the Backyard Games. The prize was a beautiful diamond ring. If a married man won, this would be a lovely gift for his wife; however, if an unmarried man won, it would be advantageous to winning over the heart of an eligible bachelorette.

There was a young man named Andrew who had competed in the Backyard Games the past two years. Although he had never won the grand prize, he had come very close both years. He had always believed in the saying “third time’s the charm,” and he was going to do whatever it took to make sure that saying held true.

His primary motivation for wanting to win the diamond ring this year was his lovely girlfriend, Sierra. She was a very beautiful girl who anyone in the town would be lucky to marry. Andrew feared that if he did not win the diamond ring for her, she would surely leave him for someone else. As a result, Andrew was determined to win all three events in the Backyard Games, so that way there would be no way Sierra would leave him. However, the Games did not go as planned…

The first event in the Backyard Games was the annual 100-yard dash. This event was held every year, so Andrew had been preparing for the run. His preparation paid off. Andrew crossed the finish line a full 5 seconds in front of the other competitors.

The next event was a test of strength. It was much like the game at the county fair in that each competitor took up the sledgehammer and hit it on the platform as hard as they could. Being that Andrew was a very fast runner, he was not very strong, and he did not win this event. Although his original plan of winning all three events had been foiled, he still had a chance to win the diamond ring. It would all come down to the final event.

The final event was a pie-eating contest. This was a new event to the Backyard Games. It would be a race against the clock to see who could finish 10 pies the fastest. Being that the men were all famished from the previous two events, there was no doubt that they would all be able to scarf down the pies rather quickly.

As the men were making their way to the rows of picnic tables, Andrew spotted a dog that clearly had not been well fed. Being careful not to get caught, Andrew led the dog to the picnic tables, and had him lay at his feet.

At the sound of the air horn all the men, Andrew included, began inhaling the pies. However, Andrew was also passing pies down to the starving dog that of course hastily obliged to eating the sweet dessert.

Andrew was able to clear his place at the table first, and was deemed the winner of the Backyard Games. King Jasper congratulated him on a wonderful performance and presented him with the beautiful diamond ring.

Andrew was ecstatic and could not wait to return home so he could give the ring to Sierra. However, on his way home, Andrew spotted the starving dog that had helped him win the pie-eating contest. Not only did the dog appear plumper than he was before, he also had something shiny hanging around his collar.

Andrew approached the dog and realized that it was a golden band hanging from the dog’s collar. Thinking that the golden band would be a nice fit for his own finger, Andrew sat down the diamond ring so he could remove the band from the dog’s collar. Just then, a wren swooped down and grabbed the diamond ring, and naturally, the dog took off chasing after the bird.

Despite his best efforts, Andrew was not able to catch the dog or the wren, and was forced to return home without a prize. When he told Sierra what had happened, she was very upset with him; not because he did not have the diamond ring to give to her, but because he had cheated and then became very greedy.

Sierra, unable to remain with a dishonest man, left Andrew that day, and he was forced to learn a couple of valuable lessons that day: cheaters never prosper, and never sacrifice a diamond ring for a golden band.

Author's Note

This story was based on the West African folktale Elephant and Wren. In the original story the king is offering an elephant to anyone who can cut down a tree with a wooden axe. Spider, the trickster of the story, uses his cunning ways, and sneaks a metal axe into his bag. He of course succeeds in cutting down the tree and is rewarded with the elephant. However, Spider is also very selfish and does not wish to share the elephant prize with his family, so he decides he will hide the elephant in the forest. Upon doing so, he spots a wren. He decided the wren would serve as dinner for his family, so he tied up his elephant so that he could catch the wren. However, the wren flew away before he could capture it, and when he returned to his elephant, it had also escaped. So the moral of the story was "never sacrifice an elephant for a wren."

I kept the same basic moral of the story. However, I changed up the characters and the plot to make it more relatable to us as humans. 

Bibliography

Book: West African Folktales

Author: William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair

Year: 1917

Web Source: Internet Archive 

Week 6 Reading Diary: West African Folktales

West African Folktales 

How We Got the Name "Spider Tales"

I really liked how this story set the stage for the rest of the stories in the unit. It gave just a little background information about Anansi and his cunning ways. I am looking forward to reading stories about this trickster!

Anansi and Nothing

Despite the fact that the king died in this story, I absolutely loved it! I thought it was a great way to explain why children cry over "nothing".  However, towards the end, I was slightly hopeful that Anansi's plan was not going to work. Although I find trickster stories very entertaining, I sometimes catch myself hoping that their malicious plans do not work out!

The Squirrel and the Spider

My secret wish that Anansi's plans would not pan out came true in this story! Even though Anansi was able to take advantage of the squirrel, karma paid him back through the crow. I love the plot twist; it just keeps things more interesting!

The Moon and the Stars

I liked this story a lot, mainly because the dragon was such a nice change up in characters! Also, I liked that Anansi's son was so brave, and using his cunning mind for good instead of evil.

Elephant and Wren

The spider was back to his old trickster ways in this story. Despite the fact that it worked to his advantage in the beginning, eventually he was taught a lesson: "Don't sacrifice an elephant for a wren." This is something that can easily be applied to everyday life. More specifically, don't take for granted what you already have for something you are trying to get.

Why Tigers Never Attack Men Unless They Are Provoked

I thought this story was so sweet! It was a nice change up to have the tiger portrayed as such a caring character. The tiger was also very smart by playing dead to see how the man would react. Needless to say, I was very pleased there was a happy ending!!

Week 5 Essay: The Gift of Wisdom

            This week I read Twenty-Two Goblins. In these stories there was a goblin that told King Triple-victory many stories that posed a puzzling question at the end. If the king knew the answer, he had to tell the answer, because if he did not, his head would explode. However, the king was very wise and almost always knew the answer to the goblin’s puzzle.

            Although there was not a particular character that was necessarily seeking it, wisdom was a very prominent feature in all of the stories. Each story the goblin told was rather short and simple, and served to entertain King Triple-victory as they made their journey back to the cemetery. Nevertheless, the stories always had head-scratching endings to them. Despite the perplexing endings, the king was always able to not only solve the puzzle, but also give an explanation for his solution.

            Initially, I thought the goblin was seeking the king’s wisdom for his own purposes. However, as I continued to read through the stories, it became apparent to me that the goblin was already wise.  And in the end, it was revealed that the goblin knew the gruesome intentions of the monk, Patience.

            As it turned out, Patience was a rogue monk who intended to kill King Triple-victory. Patience was a very wise person himself, and thought he would be able to fool the noble king. However, after solving all of the goblin’s puzzles, the goblin told King Triple-victory of Patience’s plan.

            Upon returning to the cemetery with the body the goblin inhabited, King Triple-victory was easily able to foil Patience’s plan. Despite his best efforts and his supposed wisdom, Patience actually turned out to be very foolish and unfortunately succumbed to death as a result. Overall, these stories taught the lesson that one is better off using their wisdom for good rather than for evil. 

Saraswati, Hindu goddess of knowledge
Source: Wikipedia

Week 5 Storytelling: The Hermit's Gift

In the city of Beautiful there lived a Brahman family, Sacrifice and his lovely wife Devotion. Sacrifice and Devotion, although they themselves were not royalty, were close friends of King Pradyumna. After many years of trying to conceive a child, Devotion finally gave birth to a healthy baby boy, who she and Sacrifice named Devasoma.

When Devasoma became of age, he asked King Pradyumna if could have his daughter’s, Maria, hand in marriage. Knowing what a fine young man his friends Sacrifice and Devotion had raised, King Pradyumna gladly obliged to Devasoma’s request, and the two were set to be married that weekend.

However, trouble arose in the land of Beautiful. Devasoma became very ill, and after three days of battling this terrible sickness, died. The whole town of Beautiful mourned the loss of such a charming young man, well everyone except Damien that is…

Even though he was always getting mixed up with the wrong crowd, Devasoma had always been a friend to Damien. One day, however, Damien was caught stealing from King Pradyumna, and was banished to live as a beggar in the cemetery. There, Damien had met a hermit who was kind enough to share his hut with him and teach him his ways of begging.

Despite the fact that it was his own behavior that had landed him in this situation, Damien was very jealous of Devasoma and the wonderful life he was about to begin. Damien often took his frustrations out on the poor old hermit he lived with.

Then, one day in the middle of one of his temper tantrums, Damien saw a very elaborate funeral procession coming through the cemetery. The hermit asked Damien to go see who had passed. When Damien realized that the king and his family were a part of the funeral procession, he agreed, but for selfish reasons.

Damien had decided that he would kidnap Maria and hold her as ransom to get revenge on the king. As the mourning families passed, Damien grabbed Maria. He was just about to drag her away without being discovered when she broke free and screamed for her father.

Trying to figure out what all the commotion was about, the hermit came out of his hut and said, “Your majesty, what has happened to your lovely daughter? She looks so distressed.”

The king replied, “As if mourning the loss of her fiancé was not burden enough, that ratchet young man just tried to kidnap her!”

Seeing that the king was pointing to Damien, the hermit made a proposal, “Your majesty, this despicable young man has caused me nothing but grief since you banished him to living the life of a beggar. Please, let me exchange his life for the life of young Devasoma.”

At this Maria rejoiced and said, “Oh daddy, please! Bring back my beloved!”

But the king was a very noble man and replied, “My dear, it is not my place to decide who receives the gift of life and receives the burden of death. I do not possess the powers of the gods above, and therefore cannot give the hermit permission to trade Damien’s life for Devasoma’s life.”

Maria began to weep. Seeing this broke the hermit’s heart. Knowing he was very old and had lived a good life, he decided he would trade his own life for that of Devasoma’s. Upon making this decision, the hermit chanted to himself and performed an intricate dance. Then in a flash of light, he was gone and Devasoma stood before Maria.

Maria rejoiced and ran to the arms of her fiancé. They were married the next day. As for Damien, he remained banished to the cemetery, but was thankfully never seen again.

My interpretation of the hermit.
Source: openclipart

Author's Note
In the original story, The Old Hermit, Devasoma dies; however, he is not engaged to the king's daughter. In fact, the king does not even know Devasoma or his family. Although I kept all the character's the same, I thought it would be interesting to give the king a daughter who would get engaged to Devasoma.

Book: Twenty-Two Goblins
Author: Arthur W. Ryder
Year: 1917
Web Source: Project Gutenberg