Essay Week 14: My First Memory of Reading

Harry Potter Books

The first memory I have of reading is when I was in daycare and I was reading a Harry Potter book. At that time, I was reading the first book, The Sorcerer’s Stone. I remember this being the first book I had ever really gotten into. I would go to school, and read the book. Then, I would go to daycare and instead of playing outside with the other kids; I would sit inside and read the book. I can’t remember any other book, even up until now, that has capture my attention the way that The Sorcerer’s Stone did. I loved it so much. When I think of that time, I remember having such a vivid imagination and being able to picture myself in the world the book created. I remember having all of these images in my head from the book. At that time, there were no movies even in the making yet, so every image in my head was my own and I was able to imagine whatever details I wished. I was ADHD as a child, so me siting still for that long and having my full attention focused on one thing was a big deal for me. Occasionally, I would look up from the couch I was sitting on because I would hear someone yell outside while they were playing or a teacher would tell me something, but almost immediately, I would go back to reading that book. 

Compared to experiences like this as a child, I don’t get as much enjoyment out of reading as an adult. I think part of it is because I don’t have time to read for pleasure. On the other hand, I think most of the problem is that as we age, we lose much of our imagination and creativity. Some people don’t, but in general this is true. I think my weakened imagination prevents me from really enjoying books because I am too critical and can’t really immerse myself in the story like I used to. So, I hold on to this memory in hopes that one day I will find a book that makes me feel like a child again. One that enables me to use my imagination and dive into the story with my own images being drawn in my head. The closest I ever got to this feeling was when I read The Great Gatsby and the graphic novel Maus. Both of these books had me feeling so strongly for the characters and I was able to imagine he situation as it unfolded. For me, that is what makes reading enjoyable. 

Storytelling Week 14: Billy the Goat

Wikimedia

Once upon a time…

Hi, I’m Billy! I’m going to tell you about the time my siblings and I were tricked by the Big Bad Wolf. One day, my mother was leaving to go get us all some yummy delicious food to eat. She warned us that there was a big, bad, mean wolf in the area and to watch out for his rough voice and black feet. I gave her a hug and a kiss before she went and told her that we would be okay. Once she left, all of my siblings and I started rough housing and playing around. We like to jump on the furniture, run and play. We stopped when we heard a knock at the door. At once, we knew it was the wolf because of his rough voice, so we didn’t let him in. So, we went back to playing but not long after that another knock came, claiming to be our mother but it was the wolf! He stuck his paw through the window and we immediately recognized the black paw mother had warned us about. So, we refused to let him in again. This time, we played quietly, hoping the wolf would not come back to bother us. After a while, our mother came back and knocked on the door.

Only it was not our mother. We opened the door to find the wolf had disguised his rough voice and black paws so he could get in! We all scattered and went to hide. I hid in the clock case and was the only one that wasn’t eaten. I sat very still and very quiet as I watched the wolf eat all of my siblings and leave. Finally, my real mother came home. This time, I knew it was her because the wolf left the door open and I could see her. I rushed to her side and began crying. I immediately told her everything that had happened. That we had listened to her, but the wolf tricked us. My mother was so angry I thought her head would explode.

She walked outside with such determination. She knew where the wolf slept and went directly to him. She was about to confront him when she saw his belly was still jiggling. My brothers and sisters were still alive! She told me to run home and grab the scissors, so I did. When I came back, she cut the wolf’s stomach open and all of my siblings came out, alive and well. She told each of us to grab a large rock. We all did so and she put each of them inside the wolf’s belly and then sewed him up. We went back home after that, happier than ever. Now, we aren’t allowed to answer the door unless mom is home.

Author’s note:

I told the Wolf and the Seven Young Kids from the youngest goat’s point of view. I kept everything the same as the original story with the exception of the end. In the end of mine, they all go home and lived happily ever after. In the original, they all watch the wolf drown when he tries to get a drink of water and dance in joy. 

Original story: The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids

Reading Diary Week 14: Brothers Grimm

Brothers Grimm Unit

Cat and Mouse in Partnership

I don’t understand why the cat and mouse want to eat a tub of fat. That sounds disgusting, even for animals. I don’t like the cat. The cat is manipulative and untruthful. Why did the mouse call the cat a true friend?

The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids

I think I’ve heard this story before. Although, I don’t remember the wolf eating chalk to make his voice softer… why would that work? I like the happy ending to this story, though. This is the Little Red Riding Hood story I am familiar with, where they fill the wolf’s stomach with rocks. I wonder if this element was added to the LRRH story?

The Seven Ravens

How could these parents just live without their sons so carelessly? This story is kind of dark. The picture is very dark.

Little Red Cap

I played Little Red Riding Hood in the musical Into the Woods and it is my most beloved character of all time. This brings back some great memories. Putting stones in the wolf's belly was part of the original story. I wonder if this is a common thing in the Brothers Grimm stories.

The Singing Bone

This story is really similar to other stories I have heard. I like that the innocent pur of heart brother killed the boar. The ending is so sad, though.

The Elves

I love love love this story. It reminds me of Christmas for some reason. I think that might be when I originally heard it. I always liked to imagine it was Santa’s elves helping out an adult for Christmas.

Herr Korbes

I don’t understand the moral or point of this story?

Old Sultan

The beginning reminds me of old yeller. This also reminds me of a story I read during the semester, but I can’t think of which one. I’ll have to go through my reading notes. This is almost exactly like the story I read, actually.

Rumpelstiltskin

I remember this story from my childhood. I heard this exact version, and it has always interested me. The only part I didn’t hear was the very end where Rumpelstiltskin rips himself in two.

Famous Last Words: Week 13

Wikipedia

So, this is my first Famous Last Words post that I have written. It may not be too useful for me at this point. But I figure when I come back and add to my storybook over the next couple months and read more of the units, it could be helpful. I really loved the Dante’s Inferno unit that I read this week. I love Dante’s Inferno and have always found it fascinating. I can’t wait to read the entirety of The Divine Comedy during winter break. I plan on creating a blog and keeping up with new readings and stuff in the future, but we will see how that works out. I have had a lot of fun reading everyone’s storybooks and portfolios this semester. I think my favorite might be Live on, University Legends. I thought that was a really interesting and fun. I was shocked to find out that the stories were true, which made it even more interesting. Things in my other classes are going okay. I feel like all I do is study and do homework and I am not doing well compared to the 4.0 I received last semester. I am passing all of my classes, but that doesn’t mean I am doing as well as I wish. Certainly not as well as I feel I should be for how much work I’m doing. The only fun thing I have done recently was go and see the movie Fury. If you haven’t seen it, you most definitely should! I love historical films, I don’t know how accurate this one was, but it was really cool. I highly recommend you go see it! It is the best movie I have seen in a long time. On a bright note, Thanksgiving break is coming up and I’m hoping to have some fun and watch movies or play video games. 

Essay Week 13: Hero

Deviant Art

One of my personal heroes is my grandfather. He is a humble man who has an excellent moral compass and will help others whenever they are in need. He is a caring and compassionate man who will sacrifice some of his personal needs for the greater good of helping people.  I think a hero is someone who selflessly helps others. They are also a positive role model, an upstanding citizen, a positive influence in others’ lives. They live with integrity and are patient and forgiving. They are devoted to generosity and sincerity. I also think that, for the most part, heroes are self-reliant and logical. They take the world for what it is and they remain focused on the positive aspects of it. Heroes have a positive outlook on life and try to spread this to others and brighten others days. Sometimes, you don’t need to do much to be a hero. I know that one day, I was feeling really down about myself and I went to my bike to find a nice note in my basket that said, “you are worth it. Smile” and whoever put that in my basket was my hero that day. Our service professionals are heroes everyday-police officers, paramedics, counselors, firefighters, etc. Parents are heroes every day by setting examples for their children. As said in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog, “Everyone’s a hero in their own way.” I don’t think this could be any more true. Everyone should remember that sometimes, the small things can save a person. I remember reading a story several years ago about a kid who was planning to go home to kill himself and a random kid he didn’t know asked if he wanted someone to walk home with him. That random kid, even though he was unaware, was a hero. We should all just remember that we can all be heroes, and we should live each day to help others and go out of our way to be nice. You never know how you impact someone’s life.

Reading Diary Week 13: Dante's Inferno

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/07/myth-folklore-unit-dantes-inferno.html

Dante and Virgil

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/07/inferno-dante-and-virgil.html

His stories are so vivid and full of imagery. He lived under Augustus. The old man asks him why he doesn’t just go to heaven. I wonder what creature he talks about that guards to path escape the path to hell. What is Feltro? “ His birthplace will lie between Feltro and Feltro”.

The Gate of Hell and Charon

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/07/inferno-gate-of-hell-and-charon.html

The words above the gate are so cryptic. Hell has angels in it? Fallen angels? Why would the deeper parts of Hell not accept the fallen angels? It says to keep evil from overtaking them, but isn’t that something Satan would want?

Limbo

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/07/inferno-limbo.html

When referring to the first circle, is it referring to the first circle of Hell or the first circle of Limbo? Limbo is full of unbaptized people. Only those mentioned from the bible were saved from Limbo.

Poets and Philosophers, Heroes and Heroines

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/07/inferno-poets-and-philosophers-heroes.html

Faces that are neither happy nor sad.

Reading Diary Week 11: King Arthur

King Arthur Unit

The Drawing of the Sword 

I wonder why Merlin said that all the men should meet. I love the story of pulling the sword from the stone. That’s why I chose to read this unit.  I wonder who enchanted the sword. I never heard to backstory of Arthur and his father Sir Ector and his brother. It doesn’t say how old he is in this story.  I didn’t know that the sword was taken by his brother and he claimed he drew it from the stone. I also didn’t know that Merlin knew Arthur as an infant.

The Questing Beast

A land full of gryphons and serpents. I wonder what the mysterious creature is. Merlin can shape shift? I can’t believe that knight took Arthur’s horse. Arthur has a sister? And she will birth the children who will make his kingdom fall? Marlin is buried alive?!

The Sword Excalibur

The lady of the lake is from the King Arthur stories? I would have asked what she wanted as a gift before agreeing to it. Did all of Arthur’s weapons have special powers and enchantments?

The Round Table

I think it is interesting that his real father made the round table that was made so famous by his stories. It was neat that Leodegrance (the future queen’s father) gave it to Arthur because his father made it. I didn’t know it could fit 150 people. That is huge! I wonder what blessings were put on the knights. Why would Arthur allow his sister’s son to be a knight in his court when he knows the prophecy?

The Passing of Merlin

Excalibur and the scabbard will be taken by a woman Arthur trusts? I hate Vivien, or whatever her name is. I thought he meant he would be buried alive, not crushed by a stone.

King Arthur and Morgan le Fay

Is Morgan Le Fay the woman who betrays and kills Arthur? She takes Arthur’s scabbard? Morgan had 40 horses with her? Were there men on them? Does she have a small army? She turned her and her men into marble. Holy cow, the messenger was killed by the mantle? I’m glad the lady of the lake was honest and saved Arthur.

The Quest of the Holy Grail

This section was really short and didn’t really give me much to write notes on.

The King's Pilgrimage

I think it is fun that the holy chapel of St. Augustine can only be found by adventure. I wonder if Arthur ever got his scabbard back. I wonder if the dream of Chaus is a warning or vision. The items from his dream were found with him? I am confused. Chaus’s death makes me sad.

The Coming of the Holy Grail

I thought this section would include a more detailed account of how King Arthur obtained the Holy Grail. I wish it would have talked about it in more detail. I am touched by the sincerity and loyalty of the knights. 

Storytelling Week 11: Jack and Jill

This boy’s name is Jack

He’s a plain looking lad

He is not very good,

Nor yet very bad.

He had a large goose

That laid eggs of pure gold

And he thought in his head, “this is very obtuse”

For his benefit, he left this story untold.

He had a friend that he liked a lot,

She was very beautiful and her name was Jill,

So he gathered the courage and gave it a shot,

They are still together much to his thrill.

They went to bed early one summer’s night,

They had to get sleep to do all their chores.

But before they went to bed, their prayers they recite

Very early the next morning, they would have to rise.

Jack and Jill were pretty great adults,

But they laid in bed until the clock struck ten.

Then Jack sat up from bed in a way so abrupt

And said, “oh lovely Jill, the day’s almost spent”.

They ran so quick Jill hit a wall and fell,

Little did she know she knocked over humpty dumpty,

Since she didn’t know, an apology she could not tell,

This made him kind of mad and very very grumpy.

Jack and Jill went up the Hill to fetch a pail of water,

On their way, they ran into Little Mary Bo Peep

Bo Peep was using the herder Jack bought her

One of her critters stood out, for he was the only black sheep.

Bo peep was talking to the little sheep,

While Jack and Jill didn’t say a peep.

Mary said “Bah bah black sheep, have you any wool?”

“Yes Mary, Yes Mary. Three bags full.

One for my master and one for my dame,

But none for the little boy who cries in the lane”.

Later Jack and Jill returned to fetch another pail,

They found Mary sleeping all on her own,

No sign of her sheep, not even a tail.

Suddenly, she awoke with a whine and a moan.

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep,
And can't tell where to find them;
Jack said “Leave them alone, and they'll come home,
And bring their tails behind them.”

Little Bo-peep fell fast asleep,
And dreamt she heard them bleating;
But when she awoke, she found it a joke,
For they were still a-fleeting.

Then up she took her little crook,
Determin'd for to find them;
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For they'd left all their tails behind 'em.

Jack and Jill went shortly to bed

Late on a beautiful Sunday

They both must pray then rest their head

For tomorrow is a rather busy Monday.

Months passed before they heard the story,

By this time, the weather was cold and snow began to flurry

The story has an end that is rather sad

It’s about a fall that an unlucky egg had.

IN marble walls as white as milk,
Lined with a skin as soft as silk;
Within a fountain crystal clear,
A golden apple doth appear.
No doors there are to this stronghold.
Yet things break in and steal the gold.

(This previous rhyme describes an egg)

HUMPTY DUMPTY sate on a wall;
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
Three score men and three score more
Cannot place Humpty Dumpty as he was before.