Week 3 Famous Last Words

Reading This Week
This week I read some of the Aesop Fables. It was definitely interesting and quite fun to read. Each story wasn't very long, so it didn't feel boring to read to many. It was interesting to see how the characters and their actions result in a lesson at the end of the story. There were a few where I kind of went, "Huh?" since the story didn't exactly end, and you have to figure out how the lesson at the end relates to the situation in the story. I did get to read both portions of the reading, since it was quite fun I didn't want to put it off.

The rabbit and the tortoise lesson (source: tumblr)

My Best Writing This Week
My other classes don't require writing, so there really isn't that many choices to choose from. I'm quite satisfied with my storytelling this week, although I still think last week's was better. It was a bit hard to decide with fable to concentrate on this week, since there were so many to choose from. It was awkward at first trying to combine two fables, even though the story is very similar. Last week was easier, since it was just one story, retold.

My Other Classes
I'm currently applying for grad school, and am studying (a lot) to take the GRE in March. I've also been given an opportunity by one of my previous professors to help her and a grad student on a research project, so I'm looking forward to that.

We (my group and I) will have to meet with OU Physician again soon to present our Project Definition Presentation, basically telling them what we plan to accomplish this semester. I'm afraid that they'll be a bit let down, since we will mostly be concentrating on presentation stuff, such as which dashboard to use, instead of focusing on the analytics, as they expected. The analytics, we found out, would be done by the grad students. So there's that.

This upcoming week for art therapy, we're going to have to turn in our sketch books, so I'll be spending a few hours filling up the book to the required pages.

Not-So-Fairy-Tales Styles (Brainstorm)

Not-So-Fairy-Tales Styles Brainstorm

Topic
I haven't decided if I want to do either one or the other, or make one big Storybook combining these two ideas yet.

Aurora/Briar Rose (source: tumblr)

Idea 1: The Storybook would be a compilation of some of Andersen's tales and some of the Grimm brother's (LibriVox) stories, probably the ones that Disney has made an animation about. The stories I'm considering from Andersen to appear on the Storybook include: The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor's New Suit, and The Little Mermaid. The stories I'm considering from the Grimm brother (LibriVox) include: Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, and Rapunzel.

Bibliography:

1.  Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, and Rapunzel, from Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm.
2. The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor's New Suit, and The Little Mermaid, from Fairy Tales and Stories

Snow Queen/Elsa (source: tumblr)

Idea 2: The Storybook would be a retelling of The Snow Queen, a story of Andersen's that is significantly longer than the other. Disney's Frozen is based (loosely) from this story. The original story is already split into 7 chapters, and it would be sufficient for a Storybook.

Bibliography: The Snow Queen, from New Fairy Tales (source: wikipedia)

Possible Styles

Therapy Session/Couples Therapy

Since most of these characters go through some sort of trauma, I thought making it like a therapy session would be a good idea. They could also talk about how the prince (or the opposing character) is the one who retells the story to others, that's why the versions people usually know is happy ending. I think I might try to incorporate this to be in the present day period somehow, so that the happily-ever-after version the princes tell would spread faster and wider through social media. I might use the first POV style of writing, meaning that I am the therapist, and they are my client. Maybe in the end (or even introduction) of the story, I could say that these are what actually happened, and I'm here to spread the word. The prince would try to deny his doings, but all will be revealed in the end.

Storytelling at Hogwarts

This one would also work. Since there are statutes of secrecy and all that from the Ministry of Magic, it can be argued that we don't actually know who is a witch or wizard. I think I could write it to where one day, the topic of fairytales come up, and a Muggle-born witch (most likely) or wizard would share their versions, then discover later that all the princesses or characters are either a witch or wizard, and the other students would tell him/her the "real" version. 

Letters Home/Letters or Email

This would work for the Snow Queen idea. In the story, the boy (I don't remember his name) is taken by the Snow Queen. His friend tries looking for him until finally, years later, they meet each other again. I think I could work with this by making the letters be from the boy, trying to tell family and friends that he's fine. But what he doesn't know is that the Snow Queen intercepts all of them, wanting to keep him to herself. There could be stories from the female friend's POV too, but her letters actually get home, telling everyone of her adventures. If I decide to put this in present day period, I would use the e-mail format.

TV Talkshow

This would be similar to the therapy styles. The character would come on the talk show, discuss their side of the story (preferably on Ellen), and spread the word about what actually happened.

Diary

This would also work for both ideas. There could be variations of length depending on what happens.

Week 3 Storytelling: The Sick Lion and the Beasts

It is Bilbo Baggins' 120th birthday today. People have come around from all over the Shire to Hobbiton to celebrate this day. Tents are being put up, barrels of ale are set up for the guests, food covers every inch of dozens of tables, and Gandalf has finally arrived with his wondrous fireworks. Meanwhile, although he appears to not know what is happening, Bilbo is preparing his story for the little ones. There are always little ones at large gatherings, running amuck when the parents turn their backs. A good way to contain them, Bilbo found, was to tell a story. The children would then gather round, sitting quietly, listening raptly to the tale that Bilbo has brought them.

"What shall I call this one?" Bilbo thinks to himself. "The Lion that was Sick? No, no, too boring. The Lion Against the rest of the world? Nah, too dramatic. How about The Sick Lion and the Beasts? Sounds almost like the beasts and the sick lion are fighting, can be exciting!"

And so the night of the party has arrived, the venue filled with hobbits from all over the Shire. As usual, kids are running around everywhere, parents have confused expressions on their face when they turn around from a quick chat to find that their child or children are gone, and Gandalf is entertaining the guests with his impressive fireworks.

Bilbo has finally arrived and headed immediately to one of the tents, one to avoid having to talk or even see his relatives, but also to gather round the kids so he can share this exciting tale.

Bilbo telling his story (source: tumblr)

"Gather round here kids, I've got a tale for you today:

There once was a Lion, who ruled the land with terror. He enjoyed his power as the most ferocious beast, and would bully around all the other animals under his dominion. The animals would have to hunt not only for themselves and their family, but also for the Lion. The Lion would hold court at the end of each day, where the animals can come to present their offering to him. If he was satisfied, they were free to go. If not, well, you don't want to know what happened to them. Let's just say they were never seen again.

One day, the Lion got ill. He retreated to his cave and rested for the day, but still didn't get any better. At the end of the day, the animals came as usual to present their offerings, but the Lion wasn't there. One of the hyenas, the Lion's minions, came out of the cave to tell the other animals to enter the cave one at a time and leave their offering for the Lion.

The sick Lion in his cave (source: Google)

Slowly, the animals entered one by one, but none of them ever came out. The animals left outside started getting suspicious and were stirring restlessly. When it was the Fox's turn, he refused to enter the cave. The other animals are getting wary as well, and one decided to speak up.

"All the animals entered, but none of them have come back out. Some of them have large offerings as well, so there's no way they were punished," said the Ass. The other animals agreed with the Fox and the Ass, and started asking for their fellow animals. The hyenas, being outnumbered could do little to diffuse the situation.

The Lion heard the commotion going on outside and decided to put an end to it. When the other animals saw the Lion come out, they knew something was wrong.

"Very clever, Fox, to hesitate entering my domain. You too are smart, Ass, to bring up the size of their offerings. Indeed, they were all quite tasty and sizable. It was even better when it was coupled with the offerers themselves," declared the Lion, smirking menacingly. The other animals immediately realized they were in danger of being eaten themselves and started to run this way and that, trying to escape the Lion and his hyenas.

The Fox and the Ass had rounded up the other beasts and have gathered into a formation, quickly running towards the outnumbered Lion and hyena. The beasts trampled the unfair and terrible ruler, and the Lion is no more. The animals then lived together in harmony, caring and helping for each other. The end."

By the time the story had ended, the kids were still so raptured. "Just remember kids, it is easier to get into the enemy's toils than out again. Think before you act!" Bilbo said, giving the advice to the young children. "Alright then, off you go, it's time for cake!"

Bilbo's cake (source: Google)

The kids cheered as they ran out of the tent, excited to get to the large cake with 120 candles on it. The celebration went on without a hitch, with no unexpected dragon firework or magic rings.

Another year for Bilbo Baggins.

Author's Note
I decided to use the stories of The Ass and the Sick Lion and The Lion, the Fox, and the Beasts (which can be found here) together, since they are quite similar. In both stories, the Lion is sick in a cave, animals come to visit, but none ever come back out. The Ass and the Fox notice this and don't fall into the trap and get to live.

I made up my own ending, since the original stories didn't have them, and used the format of Bilbo telling a story from the list of ideas listed here.

I chose this style because it seemed the simplest. Since they're Aesop Fables, it seemed a logical choice to choose a storytelling style, since they're meant to be told.

The images are footage of Bilbo and his cake from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Bibliography: The stories are included in Aesop's Fables (Jacobs), which can be found here.

Week 3 Reading Diary, continued: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)

The continuation of this week's reading diary, Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)

Birds, Part 1

• The Fox and the Crow: "Do not trust flatterers."
• The Crow and the Pitcher: with a lot of hard work, anything is possible
• The Tortoise and the Birds: beware when entering an enemy's territory. The Crow and Eagle are just cruel at this point, dropping the tortoise to crack the shell.
• The Jay and the Peacock: don't try to be someone you're not. "Borrowed plumes are soon discovered."
• The Peacock and Juno: be happy with what you are and have.

Birds, Part 2

• The Swallow and the Other Birds: stop something bad before it happens, not try to solve it afterwards. "Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin."
• The Labourer and the Nightingale: the labourer should have been happy that the nightingale was singing, not capture it. He also shouldn't trust someone in captive, since they tend to say anything to get free.
• The Eagle and the Arrow: the eagle got killed by an arrow that contains its own feathers.
• The Cock and the Pearl: the value of something depends on the beholder.
• The Fox, the Cock, and the Dog: there can be many clever people in the room at the same time.
• The Bats, the Birds, and the Beasts: sounds like you have to choose your allegiance early. No one likes a snake, slithering from one side to another.

Insects, Snakes, Crabs

• The Ant and the Grasshopper: be prepared for any situation. This reminds me of another story almost exactly like this, but with mice (I think) instead.
• The Man and the Serpent: some things are too severe to 'forget and forgive'.
• The Woodman and the Serpent: sometimes bad people just remain bad; nothing can change them. The snake didn't care that the woodman warmed it up.
• The Serpent and the File: "It is useless attacking the insensible."
• The Two Crabs: it's easiest and maybe most effective to learn from example. The mother crab couldn't walk straight herself.

Frogs and Fish

• The Frogs Desiring a King: the frogs weren't happy with the "log king" so Jove sent a stork to ate them all since he was mad. 
• The Frog and the Ox: the frog wanted to lie to himself that he was as big as an ox so badly that he caused himself to burst.
• The Fisher: the fish did what the man wanted, since he had them all in a net (he had the power).
• The Fisher and the Little Fish: having something concrete now, though small, is better than a potential bigger abstract thing in the future. Like saving money. Most people would rather have $100 now than later.

Nature and Inanimate Objects

• The Man and the Wood: the man asked for a piece of wood, the trees gave, and he turned that piece into an axe and cut down all the trees. (In thai: ได้คืบจะเอาศอก)
• The Tree and the Reed: flying under the radar is better than drawing attention (sometimes). The reed was more flexible and able to move; unlike the tree with its deep roots and high tops.
• The Wind and the Sun: the wind blew strong, but rather than take the coat off, the man drew it tighter. The sun shone bright until it's too hot, and the traveller had to take the coat off.
• The Two Pots: "The strong and the weak cannot keep company."
• The Belly and the Members: parts of a system rely on each other: the hands, mouth, and legs rely on the belly being full to function properly.

Humans and Gods

• The Man and the Wooden God: I didn't really understand this one. The Man received a wooden idol from his father that didn't seem to work. One day he was mad and made a swipe at it, making it fall and crack apart. There are a lot of coins inside of the idol. 
• Avaricious and Envious: "Vices are their own punishment."
• The Man and the Satyr: man blew on hands to warm them, then blew on soup to cool them. Satyr kicked him out. 
• Hercules and the Wagoner: don't expect divine help to do all the work; you have to do some things too. 
• The Old Man and Death: we won't always be happy if our wishes came true.

Family and Friends

• The Man and His Mother: kids are easy to influence; they will do what they are taught.
• The Man and His Two Wives: old wife pick out black hair, young wife pick out white hair; result is man go bald. Have some backbone!
• The Bundle of Sticks: strength in numbers.
• The Two Fellows and the Bear: "Never trust a friend who deserts you at a pinch."

People Wise and Foolish, Part 1

• The Mountains in Labour: a mouse came out of a crack in the earth: small things can result in something big?
• The Shepherd's Boy: the boy who cried wolf. He lied too many times, so many that no one believed him anymore.

Boy who cried wolf! (source: Google)

• The Buffon and the Countryman: buffoon imitated pig noise, audience loved it. Countryman got a real pig, people hate it. People like what they want to see?
• The Old Woman and the Wine-Jar: "What memories cling 'round the instruments of our pleasure."
• The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner: words are sometimes stronger than actions.

People Wise and Foolish, Part 2

• The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey: don't try to please everyone; you can't.
• The Bald Man and the Fly: confused. Fly bothers a bald man, making him smack his own head. He stops, since he knows he won't get it and would end up hurting himself.
• The Milkmaid and Her Pail: "Don't count your chickens before they are hatched."
• The Miser and His Gold: only looking at gold is useless; might as well use it so it has value.
• The Goose with Golden Eggs: don't get too greedy. A golden-egg laying goose could not lay eggs if it is dead by being cut open.

Week 3 Reading Diary: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)

For week 3, I chose Aesop's Fables (Jacobs).

Lions, Part 1

• The Lion's Share: the lion is mean and a cheater. And although the other animals don't agree, they don't argue either. 
• The Sick Lion: although the lion clearly did something to anger all the other animals, I don't think it's fair or nice to beat someone while they're down, especially while dying.
• Androcles and the Lion: this story kind of reminds me of How to Train Your Dragon. Hiccup saves Toothless, and instead of turning on him once he's free, he just flies away (though not far). It's a good lesson teaching people to be good, not for something in return, but just because it's what's right.
• The Lion and the Statue: I had to read this twice to get the point of the story. Since a human made the statue, a statue of Hercules killing a lion, it doesn't really represent anything, says the Lion. This reminds me of "history is written by the victors".

Lions, Part 2

• The Four Oxen and the Lion: this reminds me of "divide and conquer", even though the Lion didn't actually do the dividing.
• The Lion in Love: man, this family is just mean. I guess it also tells us to be cautious and not fall blindly in love like the Lion.
• The Lion, the Fox, and the Beasts: be cautious of where you're going, because you might not get out... The Fox was cautious enough to wait outside before going in to die.
• The Ass and the Sick Lion: I guess this is where the phrase "smartass" comes from.

Foxes, Part 1

• The Fox and the Stork: I have a feeling that this back and forth between the fox and the stork would turn real ugly if it keeps going on. 

Fox and the Crane (source: mythfolklore)

• The Fox and the Mask: this is like how people say, "don't judge people by appearance but by personality and actions".
• The Fox and the Grapes: if you can't get it, it can't be that good anyway.

Foxes, Part 2

• The Fox and the Lion: reminds me of people working with wild animals. Get familiar with them, learn to trust each other, and exist together as friends.
• The Fox and the Mosquitos: very interesting tactic on the fox's part. I would have never thought of that (chasing away the mosquitos would only invite hungrier ones to him).
• The Fox Without a Tail: I feel like the fox tried to blend in. When it couldn't, it tried to sway the others, but they don't believe him. 
• The Fox and the Goat: it's interesting how foxes are interpreted as cunning creatures. Jumping on the goat's back to get himself out of the well. For a second there I thought he was going to eat the goat.

Wolves

• The Wolf and the Lamb: that wolf just needed an excuse to eat the lamb. If no one was around, why did he even bother.
• The Wolf and the Crane: to be fair, I kind of agree with the wolf... the crane put its neck down a wolf's throat and came out alive; that's quite rare.
• The Wolf and the Kid: you feel safer when you taunt someone, knowing that they can't do anything to you (at the moment).
• The Dog and the Wolf: reminds me of "better rule in hell than serve in heaven".
• The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: appearance can deceive people into thinking you're someone/something else.
• Nurse and the Wolf: kind of implies that enemies would always or most likely lie to you about rewards. 

Dogs and Cats

• The Dog and the Shadow: I've actually heard of this one before. Be content with what you have... try to not be greedy.
• The Dog in the Manger: "Ah, people often grudge others what they cannot enjoy themselves."
• The Fox and the Cat: better to have a plan that works for sure than a hundred that doesn't. 
• The Cat-Maiden: you can't change the nature of someone/something; they will always remain that way.

Mice

• Belling the Cat: it's easy to be brave when you're not the one risking your life.
• The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse: better be comfortable in peace than luxurious is fear
• The Lion and the Mouse: "Small causes may produce great results."
• The Married Mouse: the mouse married a lion but died when she put her paw on him. Ambition is good, too much is bad.

Asses

• The Ass in the Lion's Skin: it's like it's saying, no matter how smart you dress, if you're not clever, nothing can change that. "Imposters generally forget something".
• The Ass's Brains: "Wit has always an answer ready." It's good to be clever I guess.
• The Ass and the Lapdog: what works for one person doesn't always work for another.
• The Horse and the Ass: it's almost like it's saying, it's better to fly under the radar. Better not be noticed and alive than noticed and dead.

Deer

• The Horse, the Hunter, and the Stag: if you're looking to use someone, expect the favor to be returned.
• The Hart and the Hunter: the hart loves his antlers and hates his legs, but when a hunter approaches, his legs help him while his antlers hinder him.
• The Stag in the Ox-Stall: again, the hart's antlers hinder him in his escape.
• The One-Eyed Doe: "You cannot escape your fate."

Hares

• The Hares and the Frogs: when you think it's as bad as it's gonna get, there's a possibility someone has it worse than you.
• The Hare and the Tortoise: don't brag, just finish what you're supposed to.
• The Hare with Many Friends: having one true friend is better than having many friends.