Storytelling Week 7: It's All Fun and Games..

"Have fun kids, remember not to go North of the pond!" said Peggy rabbit. 

"We won't!" replied all six young bunnies. 

Patrick, Paul, Parker, Pam and Payton set off for a fun Friday adventure. The bunnies were used to their over-protective parents not letting them take off too far from their little nook. Every Friday, all the bunnies were allowed to go hang out with their friends and have some fun after dinner. This week, they were planning on meeting up with the local family of turtles for a game of hide-and-seek. 

They all agreed playing hide-and-seek wouldn't be any fun unless they played near the pond where there was plenty of shrubs, plants, and stones to hide behind. They set the rules for the game:

1. No going North of the pond 

2. Whoever finds the one hiding gets to hide next

3. No climbing or hiding in places the turtles weren't capable of getting to

4. No opening your eyes while the one hiding gets to their spot

5. Maximum of 5 minutes allowed to find hiding spot 

In the first round, they decided it was only fair that the oldest one in the group got to hide first. Paul set off into the bushes as everyone else counted down the seconds until they could search for him. They looked in all the bushes, under the logs, in even in the garden of tulips. Eventually, they found him wedged between some fallen tree branches. 

That made it Tony, one of the turtles turn to hide. He walked toward the nearest group of stones and decided to take advantage of being a turtle. He wedged his head, arms and legs into his shell and sat patiently while he waited for them to spot him within the group of stones. The 2 girl bunnies were the first of have the same though process as him, it didn't take them long to notice with rock didn't belong. 

Since Payton was the first to spot him, it was her turn to hide. She took off running to save time finding the ultimate hiding spot. She circled the pond and didn't see anywhere that looked like a good enough place to hide. Just a few strides North of the pond, she saw a hollowed out tree that would be perfect! She knew she wasn't supposed to be on that side, but since it was still pretty close by she figured it would be ok. She settling into the tree, peering out periodically to see if she could see her friends coming her way. She stayed very quiet, not wanting to reveal herself. She stayed still in her spot for what seemed like eternity while she waiting to be found. She heard some rustling nearby and was getting hopeful she would be found soon, since sitting in the tree wasn't exactly as exciting as she thought it would be. Suddenly, she sees the nose of an animal peek into the tree. She jumps with fear and is snatched away by a fox! She felt the wind flowing through her hair and the fox teeth burrowing into the fur on her neck as he carried her farther and farther away.. 

The Family of Rabbits 

(Photo by A.B. Frost)

Bibliography: Brer Rabbit by Joel Chandler Harris

Author's Note: Brer Rabbit had a lot of different animals as the characters, but I knew I wanted to write my story about rabbits. They are an animal that don't associate a lot with humans, so I thought giving them human characteristics would make a unique story. The family of rabbits consists of the two parents, 4 boys rabbits and 2 girl rabbits as the children. When setting off for an afternoon of freedom, one bunny decides to stretch the rules and ends up in a conflict. I decided to end my story on a cliffhanger, so readers could decide how the story ends. I believe this children's book style story teaches a lesson and it is up to you to decide just how much trouble the bunny ends up in.

Reading Notes Week 7: Brer Rabbit, Part B

I found Part B of Brer Rabbit much more enjoyable than part A because I was getting used to the dialect and style used in the short stories. After reading a few, it became easier to understand what the characters were talking about. In part B, the frogs are introduced. Uncle Remus talks with a gurgle and no one can really tell what he is saying. They are speaking to one another through bubbles, like what it sounds like when you speak with water in your mouth. 

If I were to write a story based off Brer Rabbit, I would either use frogs as the characters, or the concept of a fox and a rabbit. I think it would be interesting for a strong friendship to be formed between two unlikely animals.

In part B Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox are playing tricks on each other. Brer rabbit goes fishing and notices the fox staring at him. He bribed Brer Fox to jump into the well he is fishing out of, so it pulls up Brer Rabbit out and leaves the fox stuck in the water. I thought this was ironic because usually foxes are known for being tricksters, but in this case, the rabbit tricked the fox. 

(Photo by: A.B. Frost)

Bibliography: Brer Rabbit by Joel Chandler Harris

Reading Notes Week 7: Brer Rabbit, Part A

The first thing I noticed when reading the story was the unique dialect. I found it difficult to read so I read some of it aloud and listen to the rest with the audio recording provided. Even the recording spoke in an accent when reading quotes from the characters. Without it, I don't think I would've understood much of the story at all. My favorite part about this story is Brer Rabbit's sassy attitude. I think it is kind of ironic how the main characters of this story are a rabbit and a fox, since these two animals clearly don't get a long very well. I was also confused why every animal had the term "brer" in front of it in the story, so I looked up the meaning of brer and found out it's just an informal title, similar to the term brother. I like how all the characters in this book are animals, but with human characteristics (the ability to speak to one another). 

I liked the story "Why Mr. Possum Loves Peace" the best out of all the stories in part one. Brer possum played dead when avoiding a situation he didn't want to be a part of and he gets in an argument with Brer Coon (a raccoon). 

Brer Rabbit 

(Photo by: A.B. Frost) 

Bibliography: Brer Rabbit by Joel Chandler Harris

Storytelling Week 6

The bond that can be built between a man and his dog is unlike anything else. Dogs can love you and stick by your side better than a human ever could. Thomas and his dog Tito were the epitome of best friends. Tito was a German Shepard who was loving, energetic, and extremely curious. Thomas loved to take him everywhere he went; the grocery store, vacations, and of course the dog park. They traveled to the beach, hikes in the mountains, and even went to see the snow in Colorado. No matter what Thomas went through in life, between breaking up with his girlfriend, losing his job, and continuously struggling to find his place in the world, Tito thought he was the best man to ever walk this Earth.
One day last August, Tito and Thomas were exploring the riverbank outside of their backyard and Thomas noticed Tito struggling to do some of the things he normally did easily. He was running through the shallow river bank and stumbled, looking lost and disoriented. Thomas called him over and decided to take him home for a nap. He knew they had a long day and thought that was why Tito looked a little off.
The next few days, Thomas went around town applying for jobs, getting groceries, doing laundry and anything else he could think of to try to get his life in order. Tito stayed home mostly watching out the window for Thomas to come home, he hated being home alone. When Thomas arrived, they played ball, went for a short walk and went to bed.
Since Thomas had been gone more than Tito was used to, he decided to take him to the dog park to visit his friends. When they got there, he noticed Tito lying around and not wanting to socialize with the other dogs, which was the complete opposite of how he normally acted. Having an uneasy feeling about it, Thomas trusted his intuition and took Tito to the vet and demanded they run some tests.
He took him home and gave him extra treats that night, anxiously waiting the results from the vet.

Thomas's phone rang and he ran to answer it. The vet said "You need to being Tito back in for surgery as soon as you can, we found a tumor and have to remove it immediately."

Stressed and emotional, Thomas took Tito in the very next day. He sat in the waiting room at the vet until they came back and he asked to see his dog. They said, "We are so sorry, Tito didn't make it through surgery today, he passed away during the process."

Thomas was in complete shock. He didn't know how to live life without his best friend by his side. He left the vet that day feeling empty. He didn't want to go home alone.

After grieving for days on end, Thomas had a change of heart. He had been moping around at home, with no motivation to do anything. He realized that is not what his dog would've wanted in life, so he went for the life he would've wanted for him. Thomas went in that very day for a job interview, then headed to the lake with his friends for the rest of the evening. He wanted Tito to be proud of him and continue to see the world.

He ended up scoring his dream job and began traveling the world for meetings and growing the business. He went to places he never dreamed of seeing, and thought of Tito every time he was in a new place.

Thomas continued to work his way up in the business and eventually became the CEO. After a meeting in London one afternoon and say the most charming girl he had every seen walking her German Shepard in the park. He quickly knew she was the one for him and began a relationship with her and of course, her dog Riley loved having a father like him.

Although they are animals, dogs can be so motivating and encouraging. They get so excited about what life has to offer, and Thomas took Tito's bravery and curiosity and built the life he always imagined having. 

Tito

(Photo from: Pixabay)

Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang- The Envious Neighbor 

Author's Note: I based my story off The Envious Neighbor from Japanese Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang. Since the dog is the focus of the story, I thought I would make it the focus of mine as well. I think dogs have such strong relationships with their companions and are so lovable. I decided to make my story this week a tribute to a dog's wonderful life. This story is completely made up so don't worry, this isn't about a real dog who actually died.

Reading Notes Week 6: Japanese Fairy Tales, Part B

The story The Crab and the Monkey was interesting to me because I like reading stories about animals. I want to write a story from a perspective under the sea something with fish and sea creatures as the characters. 

My next favorite story was The Magic Kettle where the kettle morphs into the animal tanuki. I think it would be fun to write a story about an object turning into something else. I think I would write about a car turning into a person or maybe an animal. Each of the stories in this book are very unique and enjoyable to read. They are all easy to understand and kept me engaged and wanted to read more. 

(Photo From: Japanese Fairy Tales- Schippeitaro)

Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang

Reading Notes Week 6: Japanese Fairy Books, Part A

I think frogs can be placed into stories in many different ways. I think writing a story about frogs would be fun because I could steer away from the typical frog/price theme and turn it into anything I want. In this story, two frogs go on a journey together and they realize they are exactly alike. I really enjoyed reading the Japanese Fairy Books because unlike the other books I have read for this course, each of the stories were about different things, rather than continuing the same story in each part. The second story is about a stonecutter with many tools. He was a hard worker who lived in a small house. It inspired me to want to write a story about a small cottage with a deep, meaningful story behind it. I also think a scary story about a creepy, eery cottage would be fun to write about since I haven't written a horror story before. In this story, there was also a golden umbrella. It intrigued me because of it's significance. The stonecutter made a wish to become a prince so he could have gold things and to his surprise, his wish was granted. Even as a price, he was still greedy for more. It made me think of the term, "be careful what you wish for." Some people with so little are the most grateful ones in the world, and those who have it all are constantly wanting more.

(Photo from: Jon Sullivan)

Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang

Week 5 Story: Unlikely Friendship

Carson the Siamese cat lived deep in the jungle in a cave surrounded by thick trees and tall grass. Not many other animals even noticed it because it was disguised with all the forestry. Carson was a scared, nervous cat who rarely left her cave in fear of being attacked by one of the many dangers in the jungle. She was a small, raggedy looking cat with matted fur and a few bald spots.
One day, a lion named Reggie was roaming through the jungle and he noticed Carson's cave through a gap in the trees. He began to explore the area and sniff around for a potential meal. Meanwhile, Carson hid between some rocks, shaking with fear, trying not to make a sound for the lion to hear. After Reggie had looked around and found nothing interesting to do, he decided he would stay for a while, if nothing else the cave would offer a dry and warm place to sleep. Eventually, Carson got so hungry she had to escape from her hiding spot to find a mouse to eat. She waited until she thought for sure the lion was asleep, but as soon as she stepped out from the rocks, his eyes popped open. She ran as fast as she could, trembling with fear.

"Wait! I'm not going to eat you!" Shouted the lion.

Tired of running, the cat had to stop for air. She turned around slowly to see how far the lion was from her. To her surprise, he was right behind her. He said, "you can stop running, you're much too small and skinny to be worth eating.. you don't have to worry about that."

Carson sighed with relief to hear that. For some reason, she believed the lion. She responded and said, "Maybe we can even be friends, I could use some help around the cave."

The next day, the lion even shared his prey with the cat, giving her the best meal she had eaten since she began life in the jungle. By the time a few weeks had passed, Carson had gained almost 10 pounds, her fur was becoming thicker and shinier, and she had gained more confidence than she ever had before. Carson also opened her cave up to the lion and they lived together in happiness. Not a day went by that they didn't go on an exploration to a new part of the jungle, making memories and telling each other stories from before they met. They made friends with some of the birds and other animals that lived around them. They were happier and healthier than they ever thought was possible and although they got some strange looks from the other animals, they knew their unlikely friendship was the biggest blessing they could have ever gotten.

Lion

(Photo from: Tales of a Parrot- The Old Lion and the Cat)

Author's Note: After reading the story, "The Old Lion and the Cat" from The Tales of a Parrot, I was inspired to write about these animals. In the original story, the cat helps out the lion by keeping the mice away from him at night. They help each other out despite their many differences, so I thought I would recreate the concept and make it my own. In my story, Reggie and Carson build a friendship that lasts a lifetime.

Bibliography: Tales of a Parrot: The Old Lion and the Cat by Ziya'al-Din Nakhshabi

Reading Notes: Tales of a Parrot, Part B

The story Of a King and his Sons really stood out to me because of how the snake and the frog were able to take human forms. The snake wanted to repay the human because he fed him a piece of his flesh and he turned into a human named Khaliss, who ended up sucking the poison out of the King's daughter who was bit by a snake. The frog also took human form with the name Mukhless, which means candid. In his frog form, he jumped into a pond and brought out a ring for the prince to propose to his girl. Both of the animals showed respect to the humans. At the end of the story, both the frog and the snake (in human form) confess who they actually are to the prince, who to my surprise wasn't shocked when he heard they were actually a snake and a frog. 

The Prince

(Photo from: Of a King and his Sons)

Bibliography: Tales of a Parrot by Ziya'al Din Nakhshabi

Reading Notes: Tales of a Parrot, Part A

As I read the story, I noticed there are a lot of metaphors throughout it that compare people's features to the moon and the sun. As I continue reading, the parrot character is introduce and I realize he has human-like qualities and is able to communicate and predict things that are going to happen. The story in this book that was most surprising to me was The Parrot of Ferukh Beg because the merchants wife plucked all the feathers off of the parrot because he told the merchant of the affair that was going on. I was astonished by the cruelty she showed toward the bird and eventually the parrot made her shave her head and all the hair off of her body as punishment for what she did.

(Photo from: The Parrot of Ferukh Beg)

Bibliography: The Tooti Nameh or Tales of a Parrot by Ziya'al-Din Nakshabi

Feedback Focus

I think I would rank these feedback strategies starting with my favorite technique, reading aloud, then using a timer, and copy and delete would be last. I personally prefer to read things out loud whenever possible because it helps me really engage and stay focused on what I'm reading. I find that my mind doesn't wander as much when I'm reading out loud as it does when I read in my head. Using a timer is my second choice of feedback technique because it encourages me to stay focused and read something all the way through without stopping because the time is going. It is easy to step away from reading something and take breaks from it (especially if it is long), but timing myself causing me to stay focused longer than I normally would. I ranked copy-and-delete as my third choice because I found that stopping to take notes after every single paragraph was very distracting and took me a lot longer to read the actual story than it normally would because it was hard to focus in on the next paragraph after I had just finished taking some notes on the previous one. I will definitely continue using all of these methods, especially reading out loud and timing myself.

(Photo from: Pixabay)

Storytelling Week 4: OU's New Student

"Oh my gosh, President Boren just tweeted that Buddha is coming to OU this semester!" Reagan exclaimed. 

"There's no way.. Isn't he like super important?" Ashley scoffed back at her. 

"IDK, he said it, not me," she replied. 

It was the first day of the Spring 2017 semester and Reagan and Ashley woke up tired, already unmotivated, and not prepared for class. "Can I borrow a piece of paper? I forgot to get school supplies," said Reagan. The girls had been too focused on planning their spring break trip to think about the classes they were enrolled in. They walked part way to class together and then went their separate ways to different buildings. As Ashley walked through Gaylord, she noticed the OU Daily was posted in the usual place on the wall and the headline said, "Buddha arrives on campus," with a photo of a normal-looking young man below. She still thought there was no way he was ACTUALLY Buddha. 

Later that evening, Ashley was walking home from the Union and noticed a ton of students gathered on the South Oval. She stared at her phone screen and tried to walk by without getting noticed; she hated getting approached on campus to look at flyers or getting asked to donate to organizations. This time she heard something out of the ordinary, it looked like one long line was formed behind one table. Intrigued, she got closer to check things out. She saw someone she knew in line and the boy excitedly said, "This guy said if we speak with him, we'll all get 4.0's!!" 

Ashley thought it was just a frat boy wanting some extra attention so she continued to head home without thinking further about it. Over the next few days, Ashley noticed all of the study areas on campus like the BIZ, the Union, Starbucks on Campus Corner, and the study areas of class buildings were more full than ever. There were more students in the library on regular class days than she had ever seen, even during finals. She sat down with a study group because everyone was making her feel like she should do some homework. "Why are there so many people here?" she asked. 

"Buddha has been sending out tips on how to be better college students! Look he even made an app for it!" a girl said. The app consisted of study tips, time management information, diet plans, and homework advice. It even suggested to stop drinking, go to sleep early, and exercise. "Was he trying to steal all our fun??" she thought. It's as if the entire campus had turned into boring, actual college students. 

As time went on, it got worse and worse. By the time midterms came around, Boren sent out another tweet, "Most 4.0's in the history of the University of Oklahoma, proud of our students for working so hard!" Ashley and Reagan were literally so deprived of fun they thought they would do anything to go to a party. They even tried to throw one and no one showed up! They were sick and tired of studying; they knew something had to be done.

They were determined to get Buddha to transfer so they could have their fun back...

(Photo from: Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold)

Bibliography: Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold

Author's Note: This story is based off of "Siddhartha becomes the Buddha" from the book Life of Buddha that I read for this week's reading assignment. While I was reading more about Buddha, I was thinking about my previous knowledge of him, which I realized wasn't very much. I knew that I had seen decorative Buddhas before and heard you are supposed to rub their bellies for good luck. I thought I would put a modern spin on the story of the birth of Buddha by incorporating the "here in Oklahoma" storytelling idea that was listed for the class. I figured all of us college students could use some of the teachings/lessons Buddha has to offer since college can be quite the struggle. Some readers may think the twist Buddha brought to OU is a miracle, while others may have the character Ashley's mindset and think it is absurd or unnecessary. I definitely changed up the tales of Buddha a lot, but kept his character intact. I had fun writing something unexpected and unusual for a story with Buddha in it. I wanted to do something that had never been done before, that would also be relatable for all of our classmates.

Reading Notes: Life of Buddha Part B

Siddhartha Leaves: The character Kanthaka is introduced in this story. I find him very interesting because he is described as a "magnificent animal". The prince asks the horse to share his strength and speed with him and then preceeds to ride him into the city with no intentions to return to Kapila.

Siddhartha the Hermit: In this story the hero says if he enters the hermitage it would be to destroy death and old age. My favorite part of this story was the quote, "unhappiness is born of desire." For some reason these words really stood out to me because of the deep meaning they hold.

Gopa and Suddhadona Grieve: Gopa is in despair in this story because the prince has disappeared from the palace. At the end of the story, the horse Kathaka falls dead.

Siddhartha and the King Vimbasara: In this story, the hero says, "desires are like poison." Throughout the entire story, desire is explained as an awful thing, which to some extent is very true. I think desire is a lot like temptation, which can be seen as an evil or wrongdoing.

Siddhartha Deserted by his First Disciples

The Tree of Knowledge: In this story, the Saint has a series of 5 dreams and I am left wondering what each of them means. In the end, the hero confesses his only goal is knowledge.

Siddhartha Becomes the Buddha: This story goes over the explanation of birth, death, and existence. The metaphor, "the Earth was like a great flower," stood out to me in this story. I think this mean that the Earth is constantly blooming into something greater, but you have to take care of it. At  the end Buddha comes to life for the first time.

(Photo from: Life of Buddha- Siddhartha Leaves by Andre Ferdinand Herold)  

Bibliography: Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold 

Reading Notes: Life of Buddha Part A

Life of Buddha

Maya's Dream: In this story, Maya has the ability to cure the sick, and allow the deaf to hear and the blind to see.
Birth of Siddhartha: In this story, the queen gives birth to Buddha in a flower garden. The birth was peaceful, but it was prepared very extravagantly. Everyone became happy, cured of illnesses, and freed from evil.
Asita's Prediction: A very powerful baby boy is born. The hermit Asita cried at the sight of him, but says the child will be of great glory.
Siddhartha at the Temple: Maya ascended into the sky with the Gods. There is a lot of metaphors and imagery throughout the story, making it is to have a picture in your mind while reading. Siddhartha grows a lot and he is showered with extravagant presents. As Siddhartha and the King was through the temple, all of the statues come to life.
Siddhartha's First Meditation: In this story, Siddhartha is learning from Visvamatra. One day, the teacher tells him there is nothing he needs to teach him and Siddhartha ventures into the village in response. 5 hermits exclaimed what Siddhartha would be capable of...
1. "His law will refresh the world."
2. "His law will bring light into the world."
3. "His law will bring the world safely into harbor."
4. "His law will set the world free."
5. "His law will bring deliverance from birth and death."
Then the Prince Siddhartha mediates and all the children remain quiet for him.
First Encounter and Two More Encounters: My favorite part of this story was the description of the city decorated with streamers and garlands and the description of the King's chariot arriving in the city. I found it interesting how only rich and pretty people were allowed to be there at the time.

(Photo from: Life of Buddha- Maya's Dream by Andre Ferdinand Herold)

Bibliography: Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold