Reading Diary Week 13: Grimm (LibriVox)

Grimm (LibriVox)

Part A:

The Frog Prince:
I don't remember the full details of the original, but I really liked this version!  I would much rather let a frog eat from my plate and sleep on my pillow for three nights than have to kiss several ones before finding the prince. I just wonder how old she must have been to get married since she was crying over losing a ball.

Rapunzel
What is a rampion (rapunzel)?  I know it's something edible but I was just wondering what exactly.
This version was pretty dark at certain points: the prince going blind and Rapunzel living in the desert, but I really liked the ending how her tears cure the prince's eyes.  I was also wondering how she had twins and how long they had gone without seeing each other.

Briar Rose
Is this where the superstition of unlucky 13 comes from since the 13th fairy was the evil fairy? I was surprised that this is practically the exact same as the Disney version, other than a few minor details.  I really like that this version had the prince and Briar Rose as complete strangers.  It just sounds so crazy!

Part B:

The Twelve Huntsmen
Oh this is such a cute story!  The ending was not what I was expecting at all.  "Someone who had just found an old key did not require a new one."  How sweet!  I feel like so many of the love stories we've read end in some tragic death so this was a nice surprise!

The Twelve Dancing Princesses
This was quite an odd story.  It just ended kind of suddenly with the soldier picking which of the twelve sisters would be his wife when he became king.

Reading Diary Week 12: English Fairy Tales

English Fairy Tales

Part A:

The Rose-Tree
What the heck?!  This story is so absurd and creepy.  Does the dad not care that his wife murdered his daughter and then tried to feed him her heart and liver? Also, how is a bird able to carry a millstone to kill her stepmother?  That's pretty impressive.

The Old Woman and Her Pig
This reminds me of another story that I used for my portfolio.  I like that it accumulates and then at the end it dissolves.  It was all so much work to get a pig to jump over a stile, but at least the old woman made it home that night.

Part B:

Henny-Penny
All the silly names kind of make it difficult to read without getting tongue-tied but this story is still pretty cute.  I like the accumulation stories because it always leads to a pretty interesting ending.   This one was pretty funny!  I like that Henny-Penny didn't even try to help her friends haha so loyal.

Fairy Ointment
I definitely was not expecting that ending.  I understand that the ointment makes the Dame see the fairies but what does the ointment do for the baby fairy?

Reading Diary Week 11: Welsh Fairytales (Thomas)

The Welsh Fairytale Book (Thomas)

Part A:

Arthur in the Cave
I was expecting the Welshman to be Arthur at first even though I read the notes.  I think I was expecting something similar to the Disney version.  The part when the sorcerer said that they had all been asleep for a thousand years kind of reminded me of Sleeping Beauty since I think that's how long they were all asleep too.

Why the Red Dragon is the Emblem of Wales
I really liked this story, especially since it talks about Merlin and dragons.  I was hoping the story would be pretty focused on dragons.  Even though it didn't, I still liked reading this story.

Helig's Hollow
This was a little confusing at certain parts. "She was loved and wooed by the son of one of the barons of Snowdon, and she loved him in return as much as she was capable of loving anyone other than Gwendud, the daughter of Helig. But she would not wed him because he had no golden collar." This sounds like Gwenhwyfar wouldn't marry this guy rather than Gwendud. Also, is Helig's Hollow now under water because of Rhun's dishonesty?

Part B: 

Owen Goes a-Wooing

This was a very random story.  I don't really know what to make of it.  It reminds me of another story but I can't remember what.  Even though it says he didn't die, I really think he did since the water was clearer and he was able to breathe under water. 

The Fairy Reward

I don't get why he couldn't tell Betsi how he was getting money.  The fairies never told him not to tell.  Also, he didn't really tell her, she guessed and he confirmed it.  

Reading Diary Week 9: Tejas Legends

Tejas Legends

Part A

When the Storm God Rides
I liked this story.  I like how it tells how hurricanes got their name and why.  I also like how it explained how Texas was formed and how it protects all of the birds.

How the North Wind Lost His Hair
I like how this story not only explains the origin of Spanish moss but also the seasons.

The Plant That Grows in Trees
This was a cute little story.  I was surprised the bird was so nice haha.

The Cloud That Was Lost
This was pretty sad; that poor little cloud.  The flowers are a bit selfish for drinking up the cloud until there was nothing left.

Part B

Why Hummingbirds Drink Only Dew
This kind of reminded me of the Tortoise and the Hare, but the hummingbird isn't as smug as the hare.

The Maiden Who Loved a Star
This is probably my favorite story for this section.  This was so cute but also kind of dark for a children's tale.  I'm really glad the witch didn't kill the girl.

Reading Diary Week 8

I have noticed that as the weeks progress, my reading diaries are shorter and much less detailed.  I am still reading the full thing but just not writing as much notes as I had been.  I think it is partly because the stories are longer and some of them because I have no idea what the moral of it was.  The Aesop ones were very easy to write about because they were so short and you could relate in some way.  The Persian Fairy Tales were in no way relatable.  I enjoyed reading them because they were so different and the weird endings were pretty funny, but I didn't know what to put in the reading diary.  Another reason my reading diaries have gotten shorter is because school and my other classes have really picked up and have been going nonstop.  I feel like I have learn how to write the diaries each week or for each new unit.
I think if I wrote all of my reading diaries as well or as detailed as my one for Aesop's unit, they would be much better and I would be able to look back on them and actually remember that part of the story more clearly.  That unit I think my diary was just long enough and with enough detail.
I usually take the notes while I am reading but maybe writing them after would be helpful so that way I have more time to think about the ones I liked and why.  It might also help me to remember them better.  I can remember readings sometimes, but a lot of the times I feel like they all tend to run together, especially in some of my other classes.  In my capstone, we read a lot about dystopian theories and ideology theories and it was difficult to remember who said what because they all kind of overlapped and ran together.  That's how I feel in this class too sometimes.

Reading Diary Week 7: Nigerian Folk Stories

Nigerian Folk Stories

Part A:

Of the Pretty Stranger Who Killed the King
I didn't think the witch would actually go through with it.  I definitely wasn't expect her to behead him, I thought if anything she would just stab him or cut his throat.  I like that it tells you the moral of the story at the end.

Why the Bat flies by Night
I thought this was pretty cute.  And now we know why bats are nocturnal.

Part B:

The Lightning and the Thunder
This was a cute story.  I like that the thunder and lightning are a sheep and ram and that they were forced to live in the sky.

Why Dead People are Buried
This was really interesting.  I blame the sheep more than the dog though.

Why the Moon Waxes and Wanes
I really like these creation type stories.  It's interesting to hear why things are the way they are from different countries.

Reading Diary Week 6: Chinese Fairy Tales

These are some of my favorite stories from the Chinese Fairy Tales unit.

Part A:

The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck
I can already tell this unit is going to be interesting.  The endings are kind of like the ones from the Persian Fairy Tales - unexpected and definitely not happy.  I was happy that her beggar husband returned to her and praised her for her faithfulness.  You think her luck has finally changed and then 18 days later, she dies and lives for a long time.  It's very ironic to say the least.

The Cave of the Beasts
This one started out a bit crazy.  I was really surprised that the father just convinced his two younger daughters to go with him and just abandon them in the mountain.  It seems a bit harsh for eating wild duck eggs that he wasn't even going to share.  I was actually kind of surprised this story had a happy ending.

Why Dog and Cat are Enemies
I remember reading someone's storytelling post about why dogs and cats don't get along.  I thought it was going to be practically the same but this one is different.  In both, the cat tries to get the dog in trouble, but in the other the dog never retorts which I kind of like.

The Lady of the Moon
I really liked this story.  It was nice and peaceful.  One thing I am curious about is what happened to her husband Hou I?

Part B:

Fox-Fire
I really liked this story.  The young man swallows the elixir of life and has it for 30 years.  He can do all these magical things but when he turns 50 he decides not to use his skills anymore.  It's the story of retirement but in a unique way.

The Talking Silver Foxes
I liked that this one was sort of like a creation story.  Now I know why foxes are so stealthy.

The Flying Ogre
I don't know what I was expecting for this story, but this definitely wasn't it.  Even though it's weird and leaves unanswered questions, I kind of like the sudden endings.  It makes you appreciate the actual story and not have too much detail that you can't remember the story.

Reading Diary Week 5: Persian Tales

Persian Tales: The City of Nothing-in-the-World and Susku and Mushu

Part A:

The City of Nothing-in-the-World:
This story took a very unsuspecting turn.  I was confused about the seven camels, fully geared, coming out of the bowl and then the story suddenly ends.

Susku and Mushu:
WHAT? I love how all of these stories end.  I was not expecting a farmer to impale himself or his wife to cut off her thumbs and call them griddle cakes.

Part B:
Fayiz and the Peri Wife
This sort of reminded me of Cupid and Psyche because Fayiz is not supposed to tell anyone that his other wife is a Peri (fairy) or else she'll disappear and so will his sons.  I also like that it said Fayiz was an honest  and "true-hearted" MARRIED man but then meets the Peri and they fall in love instantly.

The Story of the Wolf-Bride
I guess that'll teach people not to marry their cousins.

Tortoise Bowl-On-The-Back and the Fox
Kind of like the Tortoise and the Hare, except this tortoise cheated.  I really like how all of these stories end so abruptly and bluntly.

Reading Diary Week 4: Arabian Nights

Part A:
Scheherazade:
I just realized, after reading this section, that I have actually read this part of Arabian Nights.  I started it a long, long time ago and got really busy with school and never finished it.

I've noticed - not just in this section but the previous as well - if you want to live, you have to deceive your attacker by talking to them and telling them stories.  I really like how she is telling one story and then several stories with in the first one.

The Parrot and the Ogress:
What? Where am I? How did I get here? The connections between stories is starting to get a bit hazy at this point.  It's a story within a story, and within that story is a few more stories, and in one of those stories is another story.  It's kind of difficult to keep track.

Reading Diary Week 3: Aesop Winter

These are just some of the stories from Aesop (Winter) that I really liked.

Part A:
The Wolf and the Kid:
I liked this story the first time I read it when the class first started.  I think it's a cute story.  I know the moral is to not lose sight of what you're after, but I think it's also important to know that if you don't let fear cloud your mind too much, you just might get saved.

The Tortoise and the Ducks:
The first part of this story, about the tortoise being lazy because of the house on his back and his short legs, reminds me of how I feel Monday mornings carrying my heavy backpack around on campus haha.  Then I finished and thought, "Oh." Sometimes not saying anything really is better than saying something.

The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox:
I thought the Dog would save the Cock since they're best friends, but I surprised by the quickness of it.

The Eagle and the Jackdaw:
What is a Jackdaw and why does the farmer call the Eagle that?

The Oxen and the Wheels :
This reminds me of some people I'm friends with.  Or people eating at restaurants that are just so demanding.  They complain that their service was terrible and their waitress didn't wait on them hand and foot like she wasn't busy with other tables as well.

Part B:
The Fox and the Leopard:
It's better to be intelligent and skilled than to just have good looks.

                                                              


The Spendthrift and the Swallow :
I really liked this story.  It reminds me of the spring semester on campus.  One day it'll be 70 degrees and sunny in January, and everyone is wearing tshirts.  The next day, it'll be 45 degrees and sunny and everyone is freezing in their tshirts.  Just because it was nice one day, doesn't mean it's here to stay just yet.

The Astrologer
I can definitely relate to the Astrologer.  I am constantly worrying about the future and what I need to do to be successful when I get there, that I forget to focus on the present and getting things done now.

The Mischievous Dog
I think this is a really important lesson.  Just because you're notorious for something doesn't always mean it's a good thing.  Charlie Sheen and Lindsey Lohan are notorious for being drunk and doing crazy things, but those aren't good things to be known for.

The Rose and the Butterfly
I really liked this story just because it was so different than the rest.
You can't expect others, not just romantic partners but friends as well, to constantly be there if you aren't constantly there for them either.

Reading Diary Week 2: Cupid and Psyche

Cupid & Psyche

First half:

I know this story is supposed to be sort of like Beauty and the Beast, but it actually kind of reminds me of Cinderella (Brothers Grimm version).  The two sisters, who are not as pretty as Psyche, are jealous of her marriage.  The sisters remind me of the evil step-sisters, but I think it's worse that they're actually related and plot to ruin her marriage and almost convince Psyche to kill her husband.

                                                           Psyche Abandoned, by Coype mythfolklore.blogspot

Second half:

This story is very similar to Cinderella and the story of Pandora (Wikipedia).  I think that not only is the bottle of beauty similar to Pandora's box, but also Psyche discovering, before she was supposed to, that her husband is Cupid.
I can definitely see the similarities of Cupid and Psyche and Beauty and the Beast, except I kind of thought of the kidnapped girl to be the Beauty and Lucius to be the Beast.  Although, I understand that Psyche is the beauty and Cupid is the Beast.  After finishing the story, the earlier parts when Cupid is telling Psyche to not tell her sister's that she doesn't know what he looks like kind of reminds me of the part in the Disney movie when the Beast is telling Belle not to go to the west wing.  I know those are not the same thing at all, but it just kind of reminded me of it.

                                                                              Psyche, by Waterhouse