Week 7 Storytelling-The Businessman and the Beggar

As I stood in line for my daily train ride to work, I noticed a raggedly dressed man walking by his lonesome muttering under his breath. The man walked close enough where I could hear the words he repeated under his breath mindlessly.

"If only someone would give me money to eat, I would never forget the kind act they performed," the homeless man said over and over.

"Excuse me, sir, are you in need of some assistance?" I graciously asked.

"Kind sir, if only you could spare me enough money to eat today I would forever remember your good graces," sputtered the man with a gleam in his eye, "I would not run and spend it on drugs and alcohol, this I promise. I just need food to eat today."

The homeless man had seemingly read my mind as that very thought is what was causing my apprehension to lend him the cash. I decided to help the poor man and reached into my back pocket to pull out my wallet.

As I pulled out the wad of cash within, the beggar could see that I had more than enough money to give him to eat for multiple days. He eyed the green dollar bills with unabashed envy. I stuck out my hand to give him the ten dollar bill I had taken out, and he grabbed it while still staring at my stack of cash. I hoped he didn't think that this could become a daily routine.


The businessman's wad of cash (Flikr).

"Thank you, sir. It means a lot," said the man as he started off towards the train station exit.

A month passed by and I had not seen the beggar and quite honestly had completely forgotten about him. Then one day, as I again waited in line for my train, I heard the man's ragged voice yell out from somewhere behind me.

"Sir! Sir!" he exclaimed while happily waving towards me in a new set of worn out clothes.

This time he was not alone. He had at least five acquaintances with him. I immediately thought that the only explanation could be that he told all his friends about my wad of cash and how I had helped him previously. Fully expecting to be ambushed with questions of assistance I was pleasantly surprised at the next sequence of events.

"Do you remember me?" quizzed the old beggar.

"Yes, how are you? Looking for more money to eat?" I arrogantly asked.

"No! Actually, I am here to repay you," said the poor man with a smile that seemingly stretched across his entire face.

I sat confused as the man pulled out dollar bills and quarters, dimes, and nickels to the tune of a ten dollar total: the man had paid me back in full.

"I wanted to repay you for your kindness a few weeks back. I found a job that paid me a little so I've been saving up in case I ran into you again. It is my way of saying thank you for your generosity," explained the old man.

I could only stand in shock as the beggar turned with his friends and walked away. I managed to stammer out a thank you but of course he had already been long gone.

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Author's Note: This story was adapted from The Wizard and the Beggar found in Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson (1899). In the original story, a beggar is looking for someone to help him end his craving for hunger. He comes across a wizard who warns him that men forget benefits they receive from others. The beggar promises he will not do that if only the wizard will help. The wizard then shows him two jewels: one that, when held in one's mouth, enables them to fly and another, when held in one's mouth, enables them to receive all they wish to possess. The beggar takes the second jewel and returns home. After awhile, he and his people decide they want the other jewel as well and return to the home of the wizard to take it. The wizard knew the beggar would forget the kind act he performed for the beggar and tricked him by stealing the beggar's jewel and then flying away by aid of the other jewel.

For my story, I decided to make the beggar just need food for the day and the wizard was replaced by the business man. I wanted the ending to be a happy one because in the original story I felt bad for the beggar up until the very end and thought he would stay true to his promise. I thought the feel good ending would make the story better in my eyes. I used the train station for a more present day feel.

Extra Reading Diary: Japanese Fairy Tales

I chose to do an extra reading this week instead of writing an essay post. I chose the Japanese Fairy Tales unit because it contained stories that were a little longer than the unit's stories that I have read lately. I kept note of which stories were my favorite after reading half of this unit.

The Stonecutter

I've read a story like this in another unit I think so I kind of knew how it would end up but it was one of my favorites nonetheless. I really liked how the stonecutter thought he wanted to be all these things that were increasingly more powerful than the other. The way the story ends with him seeing that his initial body of work was the most powerful of all makes you look around and stop wishing for all these things you want to be and be grateful for who you are and what you have.

A statue of a stonecutter (Flikr).

The Envious Neighbor

I think I liked this story so much because of what happened to the neighbor in the end. The old couple continuously gave the neighbor what he so desperately wanted even after he had showed that he could not stay true to his word and return what they had given him. This is without mentioning that everything he took and destroyed was near and dear to the old couple. The neighbor got what was coming to him at the end of the story.

The Sparrow with the Slit Tongue

I liked this story much for the same reason I enjoyed the one above. The evil character paid for its mistake at the end of the story. In this story it was once again greed that led to the demise of the evil character. This seems to be a common theme with the stories I've chosen to be my favorites with the endings either being a lesson learned or the demise of a character.

Reading Diary B: Laos Unit

Today I read the second half of the Laos unit that I started on Monday. I really enjoyed the first reading so I was looking forward to finishing out the unit. I once again took notes and here I mention some of my favorites from the reading.

The Wizard and the Beggar

This story seems like a good story to do a storytelling post over. I liked that the wizard could almost foresee what would occur if he gave the beggar what he was looking for. He set him up by telling him about the other jewel he possessed and used it as a test to see if the beggar would stay true to his word. I feel like for such a short story there was lots of action and I want to be able to do that in my writing.

The Wizard's face when the Beggar went back on his word (Pixabay).

A Boy of the City Streets

The boy in this story was to smart for the three "wise men" that came from neighboring villages. I liked how at the beginning of the story it could be seen that the men thought the child to be nothing but a nuisance and wanted to teach him a lesson. As the story goes along, it is apparent that the child has street smarts and ends up outsmarting the three wise men and making money by selling them as slaves.

The Blind Man

I just found this story amusing because of all the excuses the blind man could come up with when questioned by his wife. Especially the time where the house is burning down and he says he isn't trying to reach the door yet because he is trying to measure the house to build a new one for them.

Reading Diary A: Laos Unit

I chose to read the Laos unit this week during my reading. In the overview of the unit it mentioned that there are plenty of origin stories: why things are the way they are now. I really seem to enjoy the take from different cultures on why they believe certain things or what stories have influenced them. After reading the first half of the unit, I came up with some of my favorite stories.

The Enchanted Mountain

I liked this unit because the description of this place somewhere high in the mountains sounded so majestic. To me it sounded like Laos' heaven or holy place. It almost reminds of the Garden of Eden from the story of Adam and Eve.


Moraine Lake in Banff National Park (Wikipedia).

The Man in the Moon

This story was entertaining to hear because I've never really thought twice about hearing about "the man in the moon". It's very interesting to read stories that have different explanations for how things happened or why things are the way they are than what I am used to in my own culture.

The Lovers' Leap

After reading this story I really feel like I could write a good story using the main plot behind it. It gave me somewhat of a Romeo and Juliet feel to it as they both decided to die with each other in the end. Also, it gave me inspiration because for such a short story I felt like lots of power and captivation was shown through it.

The Giants' Mountain and the Temple

The message behind this story is what makes it one of my favorites: "If you ask aid from others, it is well to put your own heart into the work". To many times people ask for help and expect to get it done for them. I think this puts into perspective what should really be the intention when asking for help from another.

Extra Reading Diary: Nigerian Folk Stories

I decided to do an extra reading this week instead of writing an essay. I chose to read the Nigerian Folk Stories unit because I wanted to read a unit that involved animals other than rabbits and wolves for a change of pace. As I read I kept notes on my favorite stories.

The Pretty Stranger who Killed the King

This story followed along the lines of lots of other stories I have read this semester. Someone who is in a mighty position of power is tricked by someone who has disguised themselves as a young and pretty woman. I liked the ending of this one because the King who was killed was stopped from destroying the lives of many others. I wonder if any other stories I read in this unit will involve someone tricking another disguised as a pretty maiden.

The Fish and the Leopard's Wife

I found this to be a particular amusing story because I feel like it follows the same plot as many TV series in today's world. This could easily be a show on Netflix worthy of binge watching. I continue to like these small stories that explain why the world is the way it is today. In this story, the fish is banished to the water forever as punishment for betraying his friend, the leopard.

Had the leopard not thought clearly this could have been the end of the fish (Animal Wildlife).

Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky

I thought this was a great way to depict why the sun and moon are confined to the sky. I feel like there are many storytelling possibilities with this story. One could possibly make up a story that follows this one as to why the sun comes out during the day and the moon comes out at night.

Week 6 Storytelling-The Playground

"So, will you two help in building the school's new playground?" asked Mr. Thompson.

John and Theodore both replied with a nod of their heads and set off to help build the school's new playground. The old playground was full of dirt and run down jungle gyms, slides, and other outdated pieces of equipment.

After about an hour, John could not help but notice that all the other kids were getting to play and enjoy the sunny day, albeit on the old playground, while he and Theodore toiled away. As they worked on the construction of the jungle gym John came up with what he thought was a brilliant plan.

"Did you hear that, Theodore? Mrs. Booth is calling me to assist her in the classroom," explained John.

Theodore had heard nothing but thought it was plausible as he had been solely focused on his work and had a tendency to space out from time to time.

"Run along then but please come back as soon as you can. There is enough work here for the entire class and only we were chosen," explained Theodore.

With that, John ran towards the classroom but snuck back outside to the old playground and played with the others until he had his fill of fun. When he returned to Theodore and the construction of the playground he could see that the jungle gym had been completed.

"Wow! It looks great," John thought to himself, "And it took me almost no work."

"What did Mrs. Booth have you do in there? It sure took you a long time," inquired Theodore.

"She made me rearrange the library and put the books back in the correct spots. Let's work on this slide," explained John.

As they worked and worked for some time, John once again grew jealous of the kids playing basketball and despised the hot work he and Theodore were selected to do.

"Theodore, do you hear that? It's Mr. Johnson calling me. I will be back in no time. Keep up the good work," yelled John as he scurried off towards the basketball court.

When he returned to the work and Theodore some time later he saw that there was no more work to be done. Theodore had completed the playground while he had been enjoying the game of basketball.

"Alright! Let's start playing!" exclaimed John to Theodore.

"NOT SO FAST!" a voice boomed behind them.

There was only once voice that could belong to and they were both well aware of who it was: Mr. Thompson.

The large man was walking quickly towards the two and looked to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed that morning.

"Theodore, run and play on the new playground you worked hard on. John, we need to have a talk," he said when he reached the group.

"John, I have been keeping an eye on you two all afternoon and you have tried to trick Theodore over and over to do all your work. What do you think your punishment should be?"

As John looked down at his feet he managed to squeak out a simple, "No punishment?"

Mr. Thompson gave a hearty laugh as he grabbed the young man by his shoulders and escorted him to the principal's office.

Theodore loved the new playground and enjoyed it even more than the others since he had been the one to build it. As for John, he was banished from the new playground for a whole week. So as the others romped and played on the new toys, John was forced to sit and watch from the middle of the old playground.

The playground Theodore built (Pixabay).

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Author's Note: This story was adapted from The Rabbit and The Antelope found in Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort by Richard Edward Dennett (1898). In the original story the rabbit and the antelope get together to dig a water well so they can quench their thirst when need be in the hot days of summer. They keep a stash of food so that they can eat it when they have finished their work. The rabbit makes up a story that his wife is about to give birth and that he must run back to name their kids. When he is tired of working the rabbit acts as if he is being called and eats a little of their food and comes back. He does this until he has done essentially no work and the antelope has completed the well. The antelope figures out what the rabbit has done and forbids him to drink out of the well. The rabbit does so sneakily until the antelope sets up a trap, ultimately catching the rabbit and killing him.

For this story, I changed characters and what the characters were building. I thought that having two kids build a new playground was a good change in the story because I thought it would be easily relatable to have a kid who doesn't want to work but play. I added in the principal giving out the discipline because in reality I didn't think one kid would take another one banishing him from the playground to well.

Reading Diary B: Tales from the Congo

I finished reading the Congo unit today. I kept notes on my favorite stories and characters throughout my reading and mentioned them here as a blog post.

The Antelope and the Leopard

In this story I was first confused as to why they suddenly just left the story about the antelope and leopard hiding from each other. I was amused to find at the end that the antelope had tricked the leopard and ended up making good on his word that he would take his life. Another thing I liked was how the Congo used this story to explain why leopards now kill antelopes when they meet one.

The Rabbit and The Antelope

I find it amusing that the animals who are the tricky and manipulating ones within this unit are not ones you would expect. They have been turtles and rabbits instead of wolves or jackals. I found it amusing in this story that the rabbit kept running off to eat the food instead of working while he used the excuse of having to name his children. The fact that he used names like "Uncompleted-One" and "Half-Completed-One" when the antelope asked what names he had chosen was funny because he was referring to the share of their food he had eaten.

Why The Crocodile Does Not Eat The Hen

I found this to be one of my favorite stories from the unit just because of pure humor. I found it funny to think of the crocodile being a large and viscous animal and being so intimidating just to be confused because the hen calls him/her brother. Lucky for the hen!



Crocodile who is later confused by the Hen (Wikipedia)

Reading Diary A: Tales of the Congo

I decided to read the Tales of the Congo unit for my assigned reading this week. I chose this using the crystal ball (again) because I had trouble choosing a unit. As I read I kept notes on what stories I liked the best and they are as follows:

How the Wives Restored Their Husband to Life

This story reminds me of many others I've read from the past weeks. It seems to be a big point in lots of cultures that these families have competitions to see who is liked more or whatever. They all kind of seem to be the same where the person who revives the person or whoever gives the gift with the most value is usually the "winner" of sorts.

An illustration of women from the Congo (Wikipedia Commons).

The Vanishing Wife

This story reminds me of something like a genie that promises everything you could every want as long as you follow his one wish. I feel like it is a strange request that the man's wife can not stand to see the fishes without their heads cut off. It seems like a such a simple request as well and I was not surprised to see that in the end all his possessions vanished after he failed to follow the simple request.

The Wicked Husband

This story is somewhat of a good one to show the typical mood of all stories within this unit. Something that seems minor results in someone having a gruesome thing happen to them. I was not expecting this much violence and gruesome acts to occur in this unit.

Week 5 Storytelling-The Matchmaker and the Leopard

One day while walking home from another successful arranged marriage, a matchmaker came across a leopard. He was deathly afraid of the things and almost fainted on the spot. Leopards in this jungle were known to devour humans whole and the thought of this was almost to much for the matchmaker.

"Please do not eat me, young leopard," cried the Matchmaker, "I was just making my way home from arranging a marriage over yonder. I do not mean you any harm."

Hearing that this man was a matchmaker the leopard's ears perked up.

"A matchmaker you say?" asked the leopard with a wry smile forming on his lips.

The leopard had been lonely for the better part of his life. The only thing he wanted in the world was to find a mate to be with. A plan began to form in his mind.

"What do you say we make a deal? If you can find me a leopardess then your life will be spared and you can go on your merry way," reasoned the leopard.

This was an absurd bargain thought the matchmaker. Arranging marriages for humans was one thing but leopards? Just when he thought it was surely the end of his rope, he remembered the sack he was carrying and plotted his own plans.

"Yes of course I can do that. You just have to be willing to do whatever I say. First, jump in this sack," explained the matchmaker.

With quickness, the leopard jumped in the sack and allowed the matchmaker to cinch it tightly. As soon as this happened the matchmaker dragged the sack containing the leopard to the river, gave it a few hearty kicks for good measure, and tossed it into the river. Thinking he had rid himself of a great danger he walked towards home thinking no more of the leopard.

A short ways down river, the leopards sack became entangled in a some weeds near the shoreline. This caught the sight of a leopardess and she carefully ripped open the sack to find what it contained. Out popped the leopard and explained what had happened between he and the matchmaker. They both were convinced that they were indeed soul mates and proceeded to live happily from that day forth.

Years later, the matchmaker was walking through the same jungle when he happened across the leopard and his leopardess. Once again stricken with fright, the matchmaker thought he surely could not get away twice and this was karma's way of repaying him.

"Um, how may I help this beautiful leopard couple?" asked the matchmaker as the lump in his throat grew and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

"Do you not remember me, dear matchmaker?" exclaimed the leopard, "It is because of you that we are a couple at all! We have told everyone we know how great of a matchmaker you are and just want to thank you for all you've done for us!"

All the matchmaker could do was stammer out a welcome and wish them more happy days. After this encounter with the leopard, again, he swore he would never walk through the jungle again.

The two leopards living happily ever after (Pixabay).

 

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Author's Note: This story was adapted from the story The Raibar and the Leopard found in The Folklore of the Santal Parganas by Cecil Henry Bompas (1909). In the original story a Raibar, meaning someone arranges marriages, comes across a leopard who wants nothing more then a mate to live his life with. The raibar tricks the leopard into a sack where he throws the leopard in a river thinking it would surely kill him. A leopardess sees the sack floating along the river and opens it to find the leopard. The two think its destiny and become a couple. The matchmaker comes across the two again about a year later and is thanked heavily by the leopard for setting the two up.

I didn't change any major characters or the plot line to the story. I added a tad more detail at points and more dialouge between the leopard and Raibar. I decdided to use the word matchmaker throughout the story instead of Raibar as I thought readers would be more comfortable with it. 

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Extra Reading Diary: Persian Tales

I decided to do an extra reading exercise instead of writing an essay this week. I let fate decide my reading unit as I used the crystal ball. It led me to read the first half of the Persian Tales unit. Here are some of my favorite stories and characters from the unit:


Susku and Mushu

I liked how this story really built on itself in the end. The story really has no major plot to it but it still managed to tell an entertaining story. The continuous pain inflicted on each character at the end of the tale is what made this story in my opinion. I thought it was a very creative, albeit strange, way of putting the finishing touches on the story.

The Boy Who Became a Bulbul

I am starting to realize that every story starts and ends the same way. I feel like this is a great way to put your own subtle stamp on your stories. It could be an interesting thing to try and incorporate into my storytelling posts. At first this story kind of freaked me out with the whole boiling your own sons head and making a soup out of it but I enjoyed it at the end. The repeating of songs or rhymes in these stories is very entertaining to me.

A bulbul bird perched on a limb (Wikipedia).

The Wolf-Aunt

This story was very interesting and especially so after reading the author's note. As an old tale to try and discourage children from liking their aunt on their father's side I'm sure it worked for some. I've never really thought of telling stories to children to make them think some way other than the typical don't do bad things or this monster will get you. This story really made me sit and think about stories that I have heard when I was a kid that molded how I think today.

Reading Diary B: Santal Folklore

I finished reading the last half of the Santal Folklore unit. I found a few of my favorite stories from the reading to be the following:

The Tigers and the Cat

I like little tales like this. They describe why things are the way they are today. For instance, in this story the end tells us why tigers eat raw flesh. Also, relating to the cat, I find it amusing that most stories in this unit involve animals being tricked by what they can't help but have. In this story the cat loves the warm milk so much that he burns his paws and has to wait for the fire to burn down. This ultimately makes the tigers mad at the cat starting the whole ordeal.

The Elephant and the Ants

I also enjoy stories that have a message behind them. This story shows that just because someone is "better" than you based on whatever scale you choose, doesn't mean that they are better than you on every level of life. The ants proved this by outsmarting the "largest and most powerful animal on the face of the earth".

The Jackal and the Leopards

After reading this unit, I didn't necessarily find a favorite character but maybe a favorite character to dislike. In most of these stories the jackal is a trickster who gets all the other animals to do everything for him/her. In this story, he gets the leopards to drive a deer directly to him and he makes them kill it and then rip open the skin. After this, the jackal eats most of the deer himself leaving little for the leopards.

The Jackal waiting for the next unsuspecting animal to be tricked (Wikipedia).

Reading Diary A: Santal Folklore

I let the crystal ball decide my fate this week as I could not make up my mind about which unit to read. After reading the first half I am happy with what the crystal ball decided for me. Maybe I should let it decide a few more things in my life down the road. It led me to read the first half of the Santal Folklore unit and here are what I found to be my favorite stories:

Ramai and the Animals

I enjoyed this story because it made the nicest son end up with the better life in the end. He saved all the animals from death not knowing that the snake would end up giving him the ability to have everything he could ever want. I found this to be odd because in most stories the snake is portrayed as the villain or the deceiver. I kind of enjoyed that little twist within the story. I would have liked to know what the father thought about his other sons since they surely made profits from their endeavors.

The Raibar and the Leopard

I liked this story because I found it very amusing that the Raibar tricked the Leopard into thinking he could set him up with a mate. In reality, he had used his status to trick the Leopard into trapping himself and then the Raibar tried to kill him. It ended up that what the Raibar told the Leopard did in fact happen. I may want to incorporate something like this into my storytelling this week. I found this to be one of the more entertaining stories in the first half reading.

The look on the Leopard's face when he saw his mate promised by the Raibar (Wikipedia Commons).

Extra Reading Diary: Raja Rasalu

I decided to do the extra reading this week instead of writing an essay on my readings from earlier in the week. The unit I decided to read was the Raja Rasalu unit and while I was reading I kept in mind my favorite stories. These are three of my favorite stories:

How Raja Rasalu Was Born

I enjoyed this story because it shows how Raja became to be as strong and powerful as he is. He was kept away from the world for 11 years before he decided he was ready to break out (a year early). He showed his smart early on as he sat outside his father's kingdom and broke the ladies carrying clay pitchers with stones and then their steel ones with his arrow. I felt like this story was great background for how Raja Rasalu became the man he is in all the stories of his triumphs later on.

How Raja Rasalu Killed the Giants

This is the first story where I thought I began to think of Raja as a superior man. He killed seven giants with one arrow that traveled through seven iron girdles. He also showed compassion with his strength as he volunteered to be a part of the city's sacrifice to the giants. I thought this was a great way to convey that Raja Rasalu was a great warrior and a very kind being. This story also reminded me a little bit about the popular movie The Hunger Games.

How Raja Rasalu Played Chaupur with King Sarkap

I think this was my favorite story in the unit. I think this could be a very good storytelling post if I used it. I thought the whole story was amusing because it seemed like such a high stakes battle when it was only a board game. I need to research the game a little more but I thought it was very entertaining to read how serious both players took the match.

Raja Rasalu and his trusty kitten playing chaupur against King Sarkap  (illustrated by John Betten).

Week 4 Storytelling-The Four Super Brothers

Jacob was jealous of his brothers. They could use their powers whenever they pleased and he couldn't even show anyone what he was capable of. He had only used his power once. It was the first time he found out he had it but he knew he couldn't show anyone..

Being the youngest made it even worse. He was constantly teased because he "obviously did not have a power" if he could not show them. It was for their own good that he didn't show them but they would never understand.

One day, the teasing reached a point that Jacob could no longer take it. This was the day that everyone did indeed see his power and knew he was the strongest of all.

Jacob's oldest brother, Ivan, flew down from the top of the house where he had been hiding and took Jacob's toy that he had just received for his birthday a week earlier. He took it and placed it amongst the tallest trees where only he could reach.

"Ivan! Why do you always have to be so mean?" inquired Jacob.

"Tell you what. If you show me your super power then I will not only get your toy back but I will never tease you again," said Ivan.

"Boo!" came a voice directly behind Jacob.

It was his other brother. Brian had the power of invisibility and seemed to use it mostly to pop out and scare Jacob whenever the chance presented itself.

"I too will join Ivan in leaving you alone if you would just finally show your true power to us," bargained Brian.

"I have already told you guys. I can't show you because I don't want to hurt anyone," explained Jacob.

At this point, all the pestering was getting to Jacob. He knew that he couldn't fall into the trap of becoming angry because then he couldn't control his super power. As hard as he tried, the appearance of the fourth and final brother, Luke, sent him over the edge.

Luke had the power of telepathy and used it this time to tear down the wall keeping Jacob from losing his cool. He focused his energy and was able to summon Jacob's teddy bear from his room through an open window. He further used his energy to open the nearest trash can and toss Jacob's precious teddy inside.

As his older brothers laughed, something began to change within Jacob. The ground began to tremble and the trees began to shake on a windless day.

"I asked you nicely to stop teasing me," warned Jacob with a steely glare.

The young boy began to grow and grow until he was the bigger than the house. As he began to rage out of control, nothing in his path was safe. The three older brothers began to flee in fear of their lives as Jacob clobbered everything in site: cars, trees, and even the house. As if in a blind rage, Jacob destroyed everything the family had.

"Jacob! You calm down right this instant!" exclaimed a soft, yet strong voice from the direction of the smoldering house.

It was four brother's mother. Her soothing voice calmed Jacob and she rushed to hug him.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I told them to stop messing with me. I didn't mean to destroy the house," gasped the young boy.

"Don't worry, my son. Your brothers now know to not be on your bad side. As for the house, don't fret because I have the most amazing power of them all," claimed their mother.

With one fell swoop of her arm that seemed to require the tiniest of efforts the cars, the trees, and lastly the house were all reassembled in mere seconds.

"Now wash up! Dinner will be ready in 15 minutes!"

Jacob...SMASH!! (Deviant Art)

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Author's Note: This story found its inspiration from The Four Brothers from Twenty-Two Goblins translated by  Arthur W. Ryder and illustrated by Perham W. Nahl (1917). I used the original story and changed the events to include superheroes. The original story is of four brothers who each can each make a certain part of a dead animal with the last having the ability to give the animal life. In the story the last brother breathes life into the lion the other brothers have helped creating. The lion comes to life and ultimately kills all four brothers. I decided to give the four brothers super powers and added a little amusement at the end of the story with the mother. The inspiration for Jacob's power came from the Incredible Hulk and all the other brothers were given more generic super powers.





Reading Diary B: Twenty-Two Goblins

I continued to read the second half of the Twenty-Two Goblins reading unit and picked out some more favorite riddles told by the goblin. The king remained my favorite character for sticking it out and continuing his quest even though he had to restart again and again due to the goblin's riddles.

The King who died for Love of his General's Wife

This story caught my attention because of the acts of the king. He could have easily taken the general's wife due to his status as king. Instead, he thought that it would have been wrong of him to make the general give up his wife. The death of the general was somewhat surprising to me. I also enjoyed the description of the king to the goblin about why the king in the riddle was more deserving than the general.

The Four Brothers

I liked this story and the message behind it. The last brother used his skill of bringing life to what his brothers made just to show off even though he knew it was a lion he would be reviving. He did so and the lion turned around and killed all the brothers. Sometimes just because you can do something doesn't mean you should, especially when it can have dire consequences.

Conclusion

Who doesn't like a good ending? I liked this part because it seemed like since the king was such a good sport throughout the story in regards to the goblin's games that he decided to warn the king of the monk's overall plans. It was a feel good ending that the goblin ultimately saved the king from death.

A possible picture of the goblin! (Wikipedia)

Reading Diary A: Twenty-Two Goblins

I chose to read the Twenty-Two Goblins unit for week 4. I chose the unit because it contains stories with riddles and I thought it would be fun to try and solve the riddles myself before reading how the king answers them. Here are a few of my favorite riddles:

Introduction
I enjoyed the introduction because I had never heard stories where goblins reside in dead bodies. I thought the backstory was drawn out perfectly. Although, so far, the main story has to do with the riddles and stories told by the goblin, it gave a detailed story as to why the king and goblin are together in the first place. All in all I thought this was a great way to begin the story and give the king's mission meaning.

The Three Lovers who brought the Dead Girl to Life. Whose wife should she be?
I liked this one because it kind of brought a twist at the end. It spent most of the riddle telling about the man who became a monk and found the spell. This led you to believe that this man would surely earn the title of being the girl's husband. The king feels differently and ends up being right. This was a good way to add a little twist at the end of the story.

The Girl, Her Husband, and Her Brother

I think I like this one mostly because it is the only riddle I seemed to get right throughout my first half reading. The severity of the husband and brother's sacrifices were very surprising to me but it made the story what it was. I also think my favorite character thus far is the king himself. He is obviously very smart (he has yet to all for any of the goblin's tricks) but he is also very loyal to his overarching mission as he starts over and over again after every riddle.

The king and the corpse containing the goblin hanging from the tree (Wikipedia).