Reading Diary Week 14 Continued: The Pot of Basil

This is another crazy story about lust just like the last monk story I read. In this one, three brothers all fancy one girl. The girl only love Lorenzo. Because she only loves Lorenzo one of the other brothers gets jealous and literally kills and buries his own brother. In a dream this woman hears Lorenzo say his brother has killed him and told her where to find the body. Upon confirming her dream and finding his body, she chops his head off and plants it in a pot to grow basil. The nutrients from his decaying head and her tears eventually make luscious basil grow. One day finally the brothers check out this basil pot, find their brothers head and re-bury it. The woman is so upset by this that she literally dies from weeping so much.

Pot of Basil, Source

These were the thoughts/summary after reading the story entitled The Pot of Basil, written by J. M. Rigg in 1903. 

Reading Diary Week 14: The Monk and His Abbot

This story was interesting, I have always been fascinated with monks and that was the first thing that drew me into this one. It was about a monk who has forbidden intercourse with a woman. The monk's abbot hears the monk and the woman together alone, but ignore it. The monk leaves and attempts to keeps the woman unseen. The abbot wanting to see what the monks future plans are, allows him to leave even though he knows what the monk has done.

This second part of this story was very intriguing. The abbot thinking he had caught a monk with a woman was actual the person being tested here. The monk tricked the Abbot and after he said he was leaving, returned to watch the Abbot's actions with the woman enclosed in the space. He watched as the Abbot touched the woman and caught him. The Abbot was told that he (the monk) knew more than him and had taught him a lesson and that that this should never be spoken about among the monastery ever. The last sentence states that it is believed every now and again the monk and abbot cause the woman to return. Bunch of corrupt monks who lust the woman...

The Monk and His Abbot, Source

This was a diary post after reading the story entitled The Monk and His Abbot (cont.), by J. M. Rigg in 1903.

Storytelling Week 13: Dante's Heaven

I follow behind my guide of Heaven only thinking one thing. am I dead? I keep asking the person I am following but they never seem to answer me straight only saying things like "Until your time" or "Patience, my son".

The gates are beautiful, composed of what appears to be solid gold and platinum and topped with magnificent priceless pearls. The ground appears to be in the form of a typical sidewalk, but also composed entirely from gold.

After walking around using the clouds and golden pavements as my ground, I get a detailed tour of all the neighborhoods while my guide explains to me "these people have houses whose sizes are directly proportional to all the good they have done in their entire lives..." I cannot help but think how small mine must be if I am in the right place and belong in Heaven.

Approaching Heaven, Source

I finally get to the God himself. The person I have followed this whole turns around to show me their face just before meeting God. I cannot see anything but a great beam of light coming from where a face should be. Their robes appear to be hanging in mid air as I finally see I have been following an entity with no physical body this entire time.

I am not scared, but curiously interested in the being I have been following. Before I can say anything, the being is gone and I stand alone in front of God trembling. I am at a lost for words the God first speaks and says "Hello my son, what has brought you here?" I respond hastily, "I cannot remember, but I must be dead to have traveled this far into the afterlife." I am so curious and cannot hold back my first question, "Are you really God and is this truly Heaven?"

He does not respond to this question of mine but responds saying "My dear son, it is not your time just yet. Be happy you have seen what you have, for no one else has before their time." I can never look directly at God, for there is another great beam of light at least ten times more intense than the person I have followed here. It is as if God was everything all at once, my mind still cannot comprehend it all. My words have to settle as a valid description. God was a entity I could feel; his presence was warming all around and brought sudden peace and comfort over me. I felt as if I was one with my mind, body, and soul. God allowed me to sense these feelings.

After God's last sentence, my guide appeared once again and lead me back out towards the gate where I had come from. The being said one last thing to me before pushing me off the clouds to fall gently back into reality, "Your wait will all be worth it, cherish life on Earth while you can..."

Author's Note
After reading stories from Dante's Inferno (Limbo and Satan), I have been inspired to put my own twist on visualizing the afterlife. Instead of focusing on the "Inferno" or Hell, I wanted to envision my own adaptation of Heaven. After reading the vivid description of Satan, I thought about what God would look like if it were placed in Heaven rather than Hell.

Bibliography
This story was inspired by reading the two section of Dante's Inferno entitled, Canto 4: Limbo and Canto 34: Satan, both written by Tony Kline in 2002.

Reading Diary Week 13 Continued: Dante's Inferno

About to meet Satan himself, I can only image how terrifying this would be...this quote really grabbed me and I loved the style from a diary perspective: 

"Reader, do not ask how chilled and hoarse I became then, since I do not write it, since all words would fail to tell it. I did not die, yet I was not alive. Think yourself now, if you have any grain of imagination, what I became, deprived of either state."

Satan had three heads, a fiery red one, and two others above each shoulder. The right hand one was whitish yellow and the left hand one was black. He had two wings that were the texture of a bat's and chewed on sinners of torture. The three men being chewed in the three different mouths of Satan were Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. Once they left hell by climbing along Satan's body, it was Easter Sunday when they emerged. 

Satan's Three Heads, Source

These were the recorded thoughts after reading the story entitled Canto 34: Satan, written by Tony Kline in 2002.

Reading Diary Week 13: Datnte's Inferno

The limbo part of Dante's Inferno. I really loved how descriptive this book is and how my imagination starts running wild as I read about this particular part of the afterlife. Here in limbo, there was no sound, but only the sighing from the sorrow of the crowds of children, women, and men. These people who are stuck in limbo have not been baptized and therefore did not worship God correctly; that is why they are all here. All these people in sorrow are stuck in a deep dark abyss. This idea of "limbo" really grabs my attention; maybe I will do something with this story in my storytelling post this week.

Doorway to Limbo, Source

These were the collected thoughts after reading the story entitled Canto 4: Limbo, written by Tony Kline in 2002.

Storytelling Week 12: Alice's Adventure

Alice's Journal

1865

June 12th

12:00pm

I lay at the bottom of this tree and watch the shadows from it's leaves slowly move as the sun rises. I lay here to avoid the family reunion that is happening one hundred yards away. My family can be too much for me at times. I begin to wander further and further into the gardens of my Uncle's house...

12:30pm

I am far lost in this crazy maze of a garden my Uncle has created. Why has he made such a thing? It is almost as if he is hiding something deep within these beautiful flowers..I stand in front of what appears to be an antique wooden door placed nicely in front of a very tall hedge. 

12:45pm

I could not handle my curiosity and opened this door, though it seemed like it was pointless just laying up against the hedge. When opened, a dark hallway appeared in front of my eyes, as if it were an optical illusion and I could physically walk through this door into some sort of alternate dimension. I still cannot take my curiosity, I must explore this discovery fully. 

54:21pm

After walking what seemed to be miles and miles, I came upon another door. This door was locked and it appeared the key for it was hanging just out of reach from the ceiling. After jumping three times to try to grab it, I was catapulted straight through the ceiling and landed right atop an enormous multi colored mushroom. 

33:21pm

I check my watch often but it seems as if time is reversing, or forwarding, or stopping, or....I do not know anymore...Have I been here for hours? Days? Must I say, weeks..? I must explore this strange mysterious place fully. 

98:21pm

After wondering for some time, who knows how long exactly, I stumbled across thee men swinging from one large single swing together; the tree that appeared to be connected to the swing was so tall I could not even see the top of it. As I get closer and closer I see they are not all men at all. One is a man with a very large hat and what looks to be a receipt of some sorts tucked into it, the other is what appears to be a colorful caterpillar smoking a strange mysterious substance, and the last is a cheshire cat what can spin its head round and round like the arm of a clock...I am scared to get any closer...

101:27pm

Just before I could escape their view, I heard a "Hello there Alice!"...I responded "How do you know my name?" The hatted man introduced himself "I am the mad hatter, and everyone here is named Alice! Don't you know?"

I responded "You three are the only ones I have seen here thus far, are there others??" The smoking caterpillar interrupted "Of course there are? Are there not stars in the sky?" It seemed that nothing was making sense to me and though they were speaking English, it was all gibberish. 

Just before leaving, the cheshire cat stopped me and said "Wait Alice! Do you not want to know they way home?" Upon looking back to check the path from where I came, it was completely different. There was now a thick colorful forest of giant mushrooms and furry trees where my empty path used to be. I responded to the cat "I thought I knew, but it seems to have changed on me and I have became very lots it appears." 

The mad hatter now responded "Hop on the caterpillar here and we will take you!" Though skeptical, I found no other option but to follow his direction. 

12:47pm

These three interesting characters took me on a tour showing me all eight legged creatures, candy bushes, houses of cards, and edible tea cups this strange land contained. At the end of the tour, the caterpillar so rudely pushed me off his back and down into what felt like a never ending hole. After hitting the bottom, I looked up to see the exact key that let me into this land. The door was now open though and I was not catapulted anywhere. After walking through the door, I was right back in my Uncle's garden maze. All I could think was "this was what he must have been hiding..."

Mysterious Garden, Source

Author's Note

This story is sort of an adaptation of both of the stories I read this week. I wanted to use both characters I read about from the Alice in Wonderland tales, the mad hatter and the smoking caterpillar. These two plus the Cheshire cat are my three favorite characters from the original so I decided to use all three! I also loved the journal style I used previously for a story so I thought this would be a good one to do the same with. 

Bibliography 

A Mad Tea-Party and Advice from a Caterpillar were the two specific stories that were the inspirations for this adaptation. Both of these stories are from the classic Alice in Wonderland unit, written by Lewis Carroll in 1865.

Reading Diary Week 12 Continued: A Mad Tea-Party

Another classic tale from the Alice and Wonderland book. This story recalls the first interactions between Alice and the mad tea-party she stumbles upon. At this tea-party she meets a dormouse, a hare, and of course the mad hatter himself. The mad hatter, the smoking caterpillar, and the Cheshire cat would definitely be my three favorite characters from this story; I would love to somehow incorporate all three of them into my own adaptation if possible.

The Mad Hatter. Source

These were the written thoughts after reading the story entitled A Mad Tea-Party, written by Lewis Carroll in 1865.

Reading Diary Week 12: Advice from a Caterpillar

This story was the classic and memorable first interaction between Alice and the hookah smoking caterpillar from the story Alice in Wonderland. When scrolling through the British tales for this week, I was so pleasantly surprised to come across these stories. I have always loved how creative and interesting this story always was rather it be reading the book or watching the many movies based from it. I can't wait to make my own adaptation of this classic story as last week I already put hints of this story sprinkles into mine! I also must say, Carroll's imagination and creativity must have literally blown the crowds away in 1865. This story was insane for its time I am sure!

Smoking Caterpillar. Source

These were the recorded thoughts after reading the story entitled Advice from a Caterpillar, written by Lewis Carroll in 1865.

Storytelling Week 11: Reality in the Skies

On a bright summer day at a family reunion a young boy stumbled upon an enormous tree; easily the largest tree the boy had ever seen in his entire life. Upon further inspection of the large tree, the boy discovered a whole in the trunk, just big enough for him to fit through. Without hesitation, the boy climbed inside to further explore this wonder of a tree.

After inside the trunk of the tree the boy say a ladder, the ladder went up as high as his eyes could see. Climbing the ladder for at least two hours, the boy had became exhausted but saw light seeping through the near exit above.

Exiting the top of the tree, the boy had entered wonderland. The ground was composed of the clouds he once looked up at, he was above them now. There was a forest in front of the boy, but the trees were made from what to appeared to be animal fur. This was not typical animal fur, but colorful patterned fur, almost artificial. The leaves of the trees were composed of what appeared to be the clouds he was also standing on. There were small creatures all around which he did not recognize.

What appeared to be a short troll approached the young boy and said, "Welcome, young boy. I see you have traveled quite a way to get here. Follow me please." Without hesitation the boy followed the troll until arriving at what looked like a large pillow; one for a giant to rest his head on. The troll lifted the pillow and leaped down into a hole the pillow was covering. The boy followed the troll down the deep dark hole and fell for what felt like eternity. Upon lightly being placed on the ground after falling down the hole beneath the pillow, the boy wiped his eyes in disbelief. He was right where he had started this journey previously.

Mysterious Clouds, Source

The boy enjoyed this place and explored it for what felt like days continuously going in circles and finding his way right where he had started each different time. After growing tired of walking the boy had sat down to take a rest between the roots of one of the fur/cloud trees. The second he had fallen asleep, the boy had awoke from his bed at home; his alarm clock was blaring loudly six inches away from his ear. It was time for class...

Authors Note
In the original story, a man in search of his love had fallen into a lake. When he fell in he realized he could breath underwater and eventually discovered a great village at the bottom of the lake. There a short fat man led him a great stone. The man was right in his own kitchen with his love, but she was frightened at his sight. He thought he had been gone for only hours when in fact it was actually over a month. I wanted to incorporate the same Twilight Zone/Alice in Wonderland feel to my story, but also have a solid twist in it as well. I made the land mysterious and interesting, but my twist may feel a little cliche. Though I have seen this same twist in other stories, I could not help but use it once in my writing also.

Bibliography 
This story was an adaptation of the original story entitled Owen Goes a-Whooing, written by W. Jenkyn Thomas in 1908.

Reading Diary Week 11 Continued: Owen Goes a-Wooing

Yet another really interesting story! In this one, a man goes looking for his love and falls deep into a lake. He found he could breath underwater just as good as on land upon falling deeper and deeper. Eventually the water cleared and he was at the bottom of the deep lake. An entire village was down there and a short fat old man had showed him to his very own mansion where others were frolicking. Bring in a hurry the man did not stay but rather told the short fat man he needed to find his love. The man lead him to a stone that raised upon coming to it. The man looking for his love was immediately in his kitchen with her. She was terrified at the sight of him for she thought he was a ghost! He thought he had been gone for only an hour or two, but it had been over an entire month...this story cannot help but remind me of a strange mixture between The Twilight Zone and Alice and Wonderland! I am definitely using this one for my storytelling this week. 

Owen's Underwater Mansion, Source

These were the thoughts and short summary after reading the story entitled Owen Goes a-Whooing, written by W. Jenkyn Thomas in 1908. 

Reading Diary Week 11: March's Ears

This story was quite interesting to me. A rich and powerful ruler named "March" owned countless possessions and almost everyone took a liking towards him. He had one secret he kept from everyone; he had the ears of a horse..yes the animal. He had animal horse ears. Literally nobody ever knew this secret except for his barber. He told his barber to never tell anyone. Slowly dying from guilt the barber had to tell someone, so he told the ground. Eventually crops grew from the ground where March's secret had been told, and the crops made into a musical pipe by March's servant. Upon playing the pipe, only words were produced; the words were "Horse's ears for March" repeatedly. March almost killed the servant until he played the instrument himself and realized it had been "charmed".

March's Ears, Source

These were the thoughts and summary after reading the story entitled "March's Ears", written by W. Jenkyn Thomas in 1908.

Storytelling Week 10: The First Fire

The earth began as a cold and desolate place. There was no fire but only snow all around. One day God had placed a burning bonfire atop the greatest peak sounded by harsh and heavy snow.

All the animals around gathered and witnessed the heavy smoke arise from the burning top of the mountain, they could all feel the heat and craved it badly for their bones were shivering with coldness.

The snake began to make his way up to the top of the mountain to bring it down for the other. Halfway up the mountain, the snake got frostbite and lost his legs; this is the reason why snakes have no legs to this day.

The bear attempted the same thing as the snake but made it much farther. Upon coming close to the fire at the top of the mountain, the bear could not handle the smoke and it turned all his fur brown and black; this is the reason most bears have their color we see today.

The ostrich made it just as far as the bear but used it's wings to make it up the mountain much faster. Upon getting close to the mountain, the ostrich's wings were damaged by the flame and its feathers also turned black; that is the reason why ostrich's cannot fly and have their color we see today.

Lastly, the polar bear; a great white bear who could withstand the cold. This was the environment intended for the great white polar bear. This bear marched steadily all the way to the top and successfully brought the burning fire down with him to share for the others and the rest of the world.

To this day, the earth shares fire and all because of the brave and strong great white polar bear. Without the polar bear, there would be no warmth or fire to cook with today.

Polar Bear with the First Fire: Source

Bibliography

This was my adaptation from the story entitled The First Fire, by James Mooney in 1900. 

Authors Note

This original creation story really caught my eye and is definitely one of my new favorites; this is because it not only describes how the first fire was created, but also how many different animals received their characteristics that we all know of today. I wanted to do the same, but modify it slightly more to my liking. This follows the original story quite well but with some smaller better changes in my opinion. 

Reading Diary Week 10 Continued: The Rattlesnake's Vengeance

This is another great story about revenge. One day a mother had heard her children scream and went to go see what it was. Upon finding a snake among them, she killed it for protection. Later the husband was returning from hunting and ran into the snake who had been killed tribe. The tribe told the man that there must be sacrifice for the snake killed was their chief. The man agreed to let the snake kill his wife once he got home...I don't know if I would have made that same decision..He eventually leads the snakes back home and tells his wife to get him water; as she does a snake bites and kills her. After this husband hold his wife in the final moments of her life, the snake tells the man to sing a song for protection from the snakes in the future and if anyone is ever accidentally still bit by them, the song would also heal them.

Revengeful Snake: Source

This was a collection of thoughts after reading the story entitled The Rattlesnake's Vengeance, by James Mooney in 1900.

Reading Diary Week 10: The First Fire

Yet another creation story; this one is easily my new favorite. Not only does it explain how the first fire was created, but also how the fire spread throughout the Earth. Unfortunately, the first fire was placed on an island. All the animals try to cross the water and bring the fire back because the Earth is so cold and dark. While all the animals attempt, almost all of them fail and have resulting injuries to this day because of it. For example, the owls get nearly blinded and their wings damaged when they try to bring the fire back and that the reason why to this day they have bad sight and flight abilities. The snake fell into the fire and was scorched black, the raven was burned black from the smoke above. This story explains the characteristics of many animals as well as the first fire.

The First Fire: Source

These were the collected thoughts after reading the story entitled The First Fire, written by James Mooney in 1900.

Storytelling Week 9: Sweet Revenge

A helpless and innocent small young woman had just finished her shift as a server at a local restaurant; she had made over $150 that shift regarding it was a Friday night. As she was walking by a dark alleyway a mugger had focused in on her and her bag.

The dark shadow emerged from the alley and began to follow the young woman as she made her way to the bus stop to go home. Half a block away from the bus stop she stopped and hesitated; she saw the muggers shadow approaching.

Being a small woman, she knew she could not escape the mugger once he made his final move towards her and her bag. Knowing this, she held her bag even tighter towards her body and darted across the deserted street.

No person was around to witness what was happening; the mugger engaged towards the woman and also darted after her. As he crossed the street, the bus she was supposed to be on collide with the man instantly killing him.

The mugger now laid in the street taking his last final breaths as the woman watched from the sidewalk on the other side of the street. She slowly approached him as the life was leaving his body and said the last words he ever heard..."are you satisfied now...?"
...

Bus Stop, Source

...

In the final moments of the muggers life, an ambulance had arrived and successfully revived him. He was lucky to be alive and everyone was shocked he was still breathing. He had suffered from 8 broken bones and brain damage; he would never be the same again.

Later the next day as the mugger laid in his hospital bed, his ex wife had heard the terrible news and thought about going to visit him. The wife was skeptical about visiting him for they had been divorced for several years; though they were both still very much in love.

Deciding to finally visit her ex husband and tell him how she still felt about him, on the way to the hospital the woman who he had attempted to mug her before was carpooling with her friend to work when her car had struck and killed her instantly right in front of the hospital.

The mugger did not know who the person was crossing the street to get to the hospital, but saw the aftermath of the incident and questioned what could have happened. He suddenly thought about his one love in life, the woman who had just died in front of the hospital trying to see him.

In the following weeks as he recovered in the hospital one phrase was stuck in his head that he could not shake..."are you satisfied now...?"

Authors Note
This was my adaptation from a story I read earlier this week entitled the Coyote and Porcupine. In the original, animals were used instead of humans and the porcupine had came back to life several times after the coyote had beaten it. After coming back, the porcupine eventually tortured him and his entire family getting the final sweet revenge. This original story I must say was quite brutal, especially with animals. I wanted to make a more modern adaptation of this using a very common example, a mugger who is after a woman's purse after she gets off her late night shift.

Bibliography
This is an adaptation of the original story entitled the Coyote and Porcupine, by Pliny Early Goddard in 1911.

Reading Diary Week 9 Continued: Coyote and Porcupine

This one was more interesting to me than the last reading. This story involves coyotes and a porcupine. Initially a porcupine had asked a buffalo for help crossing the river. The porcupine went inside the buffalo to cross the river to ensure him from not falling into the water. Just as the buffalo crossed, the porcupine killed the buffalo and began to slaughter it.

As a coyote was passing, he offered to help slaughter the buffalo for the porcupine because he was too small; he began to do so and clubbed the porcupine to death as well. The porcupine came back to life several times and fought the coyote as he attempted to bring the buffalo meat to his family.

The porcupine ended up silencing the coyote who had killed him, went back and killed his family, and told the last remaining coyote where to go to be at "ease". When this last coyote went there, the porcupine had kicked the branch from under and let him fall in to the canyon and literally explode into pieces. A gruesome story of revenge from a seemingly hopeless porcupine, classic.

The Porcupine and the Coyote: Source

These were the thoughts from reading the story entitled the Coyote and Porcupine, written by Pliny Earle Goddard in 1911.

Reading Diary Week 9: The Swallowing Monster

This story is very interesting and takes several quick turns. A monster who "swallows" things is after a small young girl. After she discovers many dead dear when getting water, the people realize there is a creature after them all. 

A fire poker was told to cry loudly when the monster approached them to scare the monster off; this worked only once before the swallowing monster swallowed the poker itself up. After literally swallowing everything and everyone except for the small girl, she hid under a mans braided hair; this man's name was Spider and he was chopping a tree near his home when the little girl ran to him. 

In the end Spiders wife became jealous of this girl and built a swing for her by the shore. When the young girl swung from the swing for the second time, it snapped and she fell into the water and transformed into a frog...many many many turns in this one. 

Swallowing Monster: Source

These thoughts were recorded after the reading of The Swallowing Monster, an Apache tale by Plin Earle Goddard in 1911.

Week 9-10 Reading Ideas

For weeks 9 and 10 after spring break, I plan to focus on the California and the Old Southwest unit of the untextbook. I chose this unit because it included stories from the Navajo; I have always been interested in this tribe so here is my change to learn about their myths! The first story I saw also could possibly tie right in to my storybook entitled Three Coyote Creation Stories. 

While I have been doing a lot of origin stories, the second reading I noticed that caught my attention is entitled Origin of the Sierra Nevadas and Coast Range. I have enjoyed reading about different cultures origin stories and this one will be a great addition I am sure.

Navajo Desert: Source

Week 8 Blog Ideas

When browsing through other peoples blog I have found some ideas and changes I may like to add to my blog as well. The three people's blogs who gave me ideas were Carmen and the style/format of her sidebar and widgets on her blog. Patrick and the solid fading color he chose for his background, and Kaitlin with the nice classy look provided by her background image and font used for her blog.

I would like to possibly make my sidebar more simple and appealing, possibly change my background to something solid to keep the readers attention on the posts alone, and if possible change the font of my blog to give it a more personal feel for the readers.

Week 8: Managing Time

Time management has (finally) not been a major issue with me this semester. This is mainly due to it being my senior year and I am taking another online class along with this one. Besides my two labs and government class (I know, its late to be taking government...), I only have these two online courses. I usually try to get both reading diary and storytelling posts done before Wednesday of the week and the rest of the weekend assignments typically on Saturday or Sunday. This schedule has worked very well for me and I do not plan to make any major changes to it for the second half of the semester.

The picture below is deadly accurate...

(Oscar Winner Leo: Source)

Week 7 Storytelling: The First Clap of Thunder

They call me Xander, god of all gods. I rule over the heavens and the seas; the gods under me control things such as the weather, love, and nature. The god of weather goes by the name of Jupiter, the god of love goes by Eden, and the god of nature goes by the name of Eve.

I have admired the god of love, Eden for many many years now, though Jupiter seems to have begun showing affection towards her also. Eve has always admired me, but I do not wish to be with her. I only want to be with Eden; for she is the most beautiful god there is who rules over the strongest emotion, love. If I could be with Eden, her love would be enough for both of us to be everlasting together.

One day I witnessed Jupiter sneak a kiss from Eden, her eyes showed that she too cared for Jupiter. I thought many nights about what happened between Jupiter and Eden before taking any action. The first day of spring, I confronted Jupiter about what happened and he ignored me completely. Jupiter did not want to get in my way, although he already unknowingly has. My resulting anger from Jupiter ignoring me caused me to do something very harsh and bold...

I summoned all of the weather in which Jupiter controlled and summoned it upon him. I gathered every bolt of lightning I could grab and sent the electricity jolting through his body. Though Jupiter was a god, he could not handle all the weather and lightning I summoned upon him; this was due to the fact that I was the sole god above him. Only I could destroy other gods if I so pleased.

As the bolts of lightning passed through his body, he collapsed down from the top story of the heavens down to the bottom floor of the earth. With so much power behind his body, the first and greatest clap of thunder ever echoed throughout the entire earth as he stuck the ground. The skies went black and the rain began for months on end. The first thunder storm graced the earth this day due to solely my actions.

Upon approaching Eden, she too ignored me and never spoke to me again for my actions towards her one love, Jupiter, could not be undone. To this day, I still remain as the loneliest god over all gods. After that day I destroyed Jupiter, thunder always accompanied lightning during storms and serves as a reminder of my own harsh actions.

(Jupiter Striking Earth: Source)

Authors Note

As I child, I remember my mother telling me that thunder was the sound of god rearranging his living room; this always grabbed my curiosity and from then, I was always intrigued by thunder and lightning. I read about the origins of lightning last week in the Nigerian tales and this week I have read the origin story of lightning within the Asian tales. I felt it was now appropriate to make my own adaptation to this origin story. 

Bibliography 

This story was adapted from the original story entitled The Origin of Lightning, by W.A. Briggs in 1899. 

Week 7 Reading Diary: Grains of Rice

A very different and interesting origin story; probably my favorite one yet. This story tell the reason behind why grains of rice are so small. One day long ago one grain of rice was all a man could eat. The grains of rice rolled directly into the village for the people to eat. One day when building a bigger granary, a grain of rice rolled directly into the construction and angered a woman worker. When the worker struck the grain of rice, it broke into thousands of tiny smaller ones and waited back in the field never to bother the people again. This reason behind rice being so small was so interesting to me; I enjoyed reading this one the most. I definitely plan on using this tale for my Storytelling Post later this week.

(Grains of Rice: Source)

These were the thoughts from reading The Legend of the Rice, by W.A. Briggs in 1899.

Week 7 Reading Diary: Lightning Origins

Another origin story about lightning, but rather being an African tale about the origins of lightning, this one is an Asian one. I chose to do this reading over the same subject to compare and contrast how the two different cultures told their tales of origin (lightning). This story involves reincarnation which also caught my interest as well as the morals it is teaching. In the end of this story the most beautiful woman marries an old man and upsets everyone; thunder ends up being the sound of the gardener shooting at this old man. The cause of lightning was said to be the wreath of this beautiful woman who marries the old man. This Asian origin tale of lightning is more complex and meaningful when compared to the African lightning origin tale. Though the African version may be more simple than this one, they both share two very different perspectives which are equally interesting!

(Wreath of Lightning: Source)

These thoughts were recorded after the reading of The Origin of Lightning, by W.A.Briggs in 1899.

Week 6 Storytelling: God's Teardrops

At one time there was no rain on the Earth; the plants had enough water in the rich soil to live and strive from. The skies were always clear and cloudless with the sun shinning brightly upon the face of the Earth. One day the king of all the nature told the sky that he in fact favors the soil more. The king favored the rich soils of earth because it helped produce all the beautiful flowers and trees for him to admire. The king did not like the sky because it was always so hot and burning the skin of all the humans that lived on Earth. When the king told the skies this, the sky became very saddened; so saddened that it rained for the first time ever upon the Earth. The soil already contained so much moisture it could have absorb anymore for the plants to drink. Because the soil could not absorb anymore water from the rain, it began to flood. The flooding on Earth became so much that flowers and trees began to parish; the king demanded for it to stop immediately. After the sky had cleared and it stopped raining, clouds were left behind. The suspended moisture in the skies produced the most beautiful shapes and pattern the king had ever seen. The king enjoyed the shapes and the clouds so much that he told the skies they were his new favorite once again. Though the king was shallow and only liked things for their exterior beauty, the skies did not care and continued to cry over the earth leaving the beautiful clouds behind for the king to admire. The skies remained the kings favorite for eternity after and that is why the phenomena of rain still occurs to this day; so the almighty king can admire the clouds. Overtime the soil adapted to the excess moisture and eventually started producing all the beautiful flowers and trees as it once did before the rain came. Occasionally the king would request for something specific to be left in the clouds such as his wife's name or his favorite animal; that is why letters and animals can sometimes be seen within the clouds in the sky. When the seasons change though, the rain begins to freeze killing almost all the flowers; the king despises this. The king despises the cold so much that he asked the cold to leave and never come back. The cold could never leave due obviously to the the suns position to earth, so the king decided to never speak to the cold ever again and stated the cold was his least favorite off all nature. 

(Rain: Source)

Authors Note: 

This was my adaptation of the Nigerian stories I have head this week. Though both stories I read seem to give a different creative explanation to something in nature, this is more of an adaptation to the story entitled The Lightning and the Thunder, which describes why there is thunder and lightening in the skies. I wanted to use this same theme, but change the phenomena; so I decided to give a creative explanation as to why it rains. 

Bibliography: 

The Lightning and the Thunder, written by Elphinstone Daryell in 1910.

Week 6 Reading Diary Continued: Thunder and Lightning

Another Nigerian tale that gives and interesting explanation to something that is instinctive to nature; why thunder and lightning are in the sky rather than why worms live underground as in the first Nigerian story I read this week. In this tale thunder (the mother) and lightning (her son) lived among the earth destroying almost everything in their paths. They destroyed so much that one day the king forced them to live in the skies. This was a really interesting story I enjoyed reading; one of the most creative ones I have came across so far! The theme of these Nigerian tales are very interesting and one of a kind for sure; I have not discovered any other cultures stories that are written with this same style.

(Lightening Living in the Sky: Source)

These thoughts were taken down after reading the story entitled The Story of the Lightning and the Thunder, written by Elphinstone Daryell in 1910.

Week 6 Reading Diary: Worms and Ants

I chose to read a Nigerian tale for this weeks reading because when thinking about it, I have never really heard anything about the Nigerian traditions at all yet alone their folklore. The worms who live underground was the name of the reading I chose; the title alone is what got my attention to read this story. This Nigerian tale tells the story of why worms live underground, which is because the ants scared them down there one day. This story is interesting because it gives a creative and different meaning behind something that is already known (literally why worms live underground). When thinking about adapting this story my first idea is to write about why fish live in the sea and argue that one day birds "scared" them into the oceans, seas, and lakes; an interesting explanation to something so natural we do not even questing its reasoning.

(The Strong Ant: Source)

These thoughts were recorded after reading the story entitled Why the Worms Live Underneath the Ground, by Elphinstone Dayrell in 1910.

Thoughts About Comments

For comments to me, the most interesting ones to read are the ones that I can relate directly to. For example, I love reading comments on the introduction page because many people comment about similarities they share with me. I think it is very interesting learning about how alike or how different we are from one another. I also enjoy reading comments that not only compliment the overall flow of my posts, but also the creativity I have put into the piece. When someone likes a new style I am trying for the first time or even has criticism about it, it is also interesting to read their thoughts and comments on it! When I comment on other works, I tend to find things I can relate to and things that are similar to me and state my opinions; this is why I like reading comments that are formatted the same way. It is always interesting learning about other people and their comments they post can say a lot about that person.

Week 5 Storytelling: God Among Man

The follow are the written words directly from the Egyptian god of all gods, Ra.

Century 1:
I have created all the planets and all the stars in this universe, I now walk among the people of a planet which the people call "Earth", blending in as one of them. My intentions of walking among my creation is to learn more about them, for I have granted them the power of free will in order to observe just how they decide their own fate. These beginning times can be described as pure, for corruption and wrong doing is unknown to them at this point.

Century 2:
The people of Earth have developed quite rapidly. Though centuries to them are only days to me, they have already exceeded my expectations. They have not only mastered the ways to agriculture, but also have a profound understanding of science and technology. The people I walk among are becoming blinded by their own ways. The people of Earth are finding beliefs solely in science rather than the gods themselves who created them; for without the gods, man would never be.

Century 3:
Earth is no longer, the inhabitants have destroyed their own planet given to them by over populating and exhausting all of its natural resources. Man has now began populating the planett known to them as "Mars". They deserve this as a punishment for wasting away all that was given to them and destroying their planet. The people of Earth can only blame themselves for their great downfall, for I will make Mars impossible for them to strive on...These are my last days among the people of whom I have created.

(The Eye of Ra: Source)

After the people of Earth migrated completely to Mars and settled, the god Ra made the conditions of the planet exponentially more severe as the months went on eventually killing of its foreign visitors from Earth. Mars was no place for man and their trust in science eventually failed them. If the people restored faith in the gods, Ra would have replenished Earth with resources for the growing population, but Ra's own creation had turned against him, resulting in their final end.

Authors Note:
This is an adaptation to the Egyptian Creation story. In the original story, the god of all gods, Ra, summons the earth from a great body of water and walks among man for centuries. I wanted to keep this aspect of a god walking among his own creation in my story. I also wanted to somehow capture how man has abused Earth (much like I have previously in my stories) and lastly put a science fiction twist on it by man finally making it to Mars and attempting to start life there. I enjoyed my last storytelling post from the diary perspective of the climber and wanted to try something similar so I this style is in the thoughts of Ra while he was walking among his own creation, man.

Bibliography:
Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).

Week 5 Reading Diary Continued: The Green Jewel

The story reminded me of the classic Biblical tale of Moses parting the red sea. This is a tale about a woman who lost a green jewel from her hair while steering a boat; she would not settle for any other jewel for hers was irreplaceable. A magical scribe parted the waters of the sea for her to find the green jewel, returned it to her, and settled the waters as they were before. It was interesting to me how the first thing the scribed offered Sneferu to do because he was sad and weary was to go boating with twenty of the prettiest virgins to paddle and steer. There were a lot of descriptions throughout the story that kept it interesting; one about the splashing water particularly stood out to me. This story does not have any major lesson to be learned like many of the others I have read, but is rather more of an interesting read. One thing I have noticed about old tales from different cultures is that not all of them teach something important about life, but can rather be just an interesting read about that particular cultures history and traditions provide more insight about them.

(Green Egyptian Jewel: Source)

These notes were taken during and after reading the story entitled The Green Jewel written by Donald Mackenzie in 1907.

Week 5 Reading Diary: Ancient Egypt Creation

I have incorporated Egyptian themes into my art but yet have never read any of their cultures stories. To follow the creation topic of my future storybook, I am reading the Creation story from the Ancient Egyptian Unit. My first observation while reading is that is it very difficult to read; as if it does not completely translate so smoothly in to English. Much like Greek or Roman stories, this one also contains several gods; Ra being the divine father and strong ruler of all gods. Shu, the wind god and his consort Tefnut were the first created by Ra and they both shone as stars among the heavenly constellations and were called "The Twins". Seb was the earth god and Nut was the goddess of the firmament; they both were parents of Osiris. The beginning all started when Ra spoke the words for the earth and heavens to rise from the large waste of water. Ra created everything in the entire universe once he uttered the very thought of it. He then walked among men taking the form of them, and to him the centuries were as years.

(The God Ra: Source)

These thoughts were accumulated during the reading of Creation within the Ancient Egypt unit of the UnTextbook. The original story source is entitled Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).

Tech Tip Website: Creation

Here is the link to my new website I have created for my Storybook! More to come!

Week 4 Storytelling: Everest

Personal Journal of  Christopher McCandless

March 17th, 1754. Base of Mount Everest.

As I prepare for this tremendous journey in my life, I am left with one thought in my mind. What will my view be like from the top? Will it be too cloudy to see, or will it be clear skies as far my eyes can see. I am left pondering this moment and cannot shake it until I see for sure. 

April 12th, 1754. Camp II. Elevation: 14,514 ft. 

The journey has just began for me I unfortunately must say. The weather is bad. It has not stopped since we have set foot on this damn mountain. I wish only for warmth and protection from this treacherous weather. I wish only to make it home alive. 

May 3rd, 1754. Return to Base. LAST ENTRY. 

This is the day my life was taken by cruel mother nature. The weather has only worsted. An avalanche has taken the rest of the crew; I am the lone survivor. As I sit in this snow slowly dying, I have one and only thought left in my mind. Why did I ever decide to take such a journey...

(Moments before Christopher's last breath, A rescue helicopter had taken him off the cruel unforgiving mountain and restored his health. Three years have now passed since this journey and Chris is returning to conquer Mount Everest once and for all.)

Personal Journal of  Christopher McCandless (Continued)

March 12th, 1757. Round II: Base. 

I sit here once again not thinking about the past, but focusing on the future. I am unsure for what it holds. I am not 100% sure why I have returned, maybe call me foolish. I must defeat this harsh beast after cheating death from it once before. Has my luck ran out, or am I still on a winning streak. The future can only say for sure. 

May 9th, 1757. Goal Achieved. 

I sit here on the top of Everest, kissing her unforgiving fists. I remembered her all too well on the journey up. Words cannot express the view, if only my words could capture this moment forever. I must not waist this moment writing. I must take in what I have accomplished. 

(That was Christoper's last and final journal entry. He died in his journey down from the mountain. An avalanche had taken him and his entire crews lives. Chris paid his life determined to do what he did not finish the first time. Some may call his actions foolish and that he asked for death, regardless he died a happy man having accomplished his main goal in life.) 

(Mount Everest: Source)

Author's Note

Okay, so this is a pretty long stretch from the original story. I tried to keep the same moral of the story, but use a completely different style of writing. The original story this is adapted from included two brothers. One of the brothers goes on a journey trying to awake his "luck" so he can live a better life. He ends up helping everyone else besides himself. In the end, he loses his life because he makes foolish decision and does not take advantage of any of the opportunities given to him. I tried to incorporate this into my story as well. Christopher returned to conquer Mount Everest, but it proved to be too much and he had also made a foolish decision that cost him his life. 

Bibliography

The Man Who Went to Wake His Luck which was translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer.

Week 4 Reading Diary: Persian Takes Continued

This is one of the most creative stories I have read so far. I could almost predict what was going to happen in the end; the final clue given was that the poor brother never asked Luck what his future holds. The poor brother was too concerned helping others and giving them their answers than finding an answer for himself. I think this story is implying that only so much should be done for others and that time should always be set aside for yourself, no matter the circumstances. I also noticed how both this story and my last reading diary from Persian Tales both contained a wolf in the story. I also caught a little bit of gender discrimination in this story, maybe because it is so old and the Persian tradition is much different than the American traditions. There was a woman king in the story whose people would not listen to her solely because she was a woman. The Poor brother passed up marrying this woman "king" and  also splitting all the gardeners gold coins that were buried. I think this story is also implying that everyone should take advantage of the opportunities given to them. In this case, the poor brother failed to take advantage of any of the opportunities presented to him and also did not care to find out his very own luck, resulting in the final death of him. I found it interesting how the brother's "luck" was a physical person who was sleeping in a cave; it was also interesting how luck stated that he was supposed to be asleep for many more years. Why was this mans luck supposed to be sleeping for this long? Was everyone's luck sleeping in caves for years and years?

(The Poor Brother Awakening His Luck: Source)

These thoughts were recorded after reading The Man Who Went to Wake His Luck which was translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer. 

Week 4 Reading Diary: Persian Tales

I think this story is very interesting because it is told from the perspective of animals; more specifically goats and a wolf. This story incorporates a very important life lesson not to take any shortcuts in life; by taking shortcuts the wolf ends up getting all of his teeth pulled out. It is funny how the wolf not only took shortcuts that led to his downfall, but also gorged himself on too much water and could not jump over the stream resulting in him falling in and ultimately being defeated by the goat. Just as I expected, this Persian tale displays some very important morals in life that can apply to anyone. It shows how taking the easier way and being lazy ends up in downfall. If you want to succeed in life, you must take the more difficult path and constantly push yourself for success. The wolf thought he was smart in the beginning by painting his foot red to fool the younger goats, but in the end he was defeated by their mother because he was lazy and took shortcuts. In college especially, I have learned that success does not come easy. Perseverance and determination are needed in order to achieve any final goals. By not taking any shortcuts or being lazy, the mother goat ended up saving all her babies and returning home after defeating the foolish wolf who thought he could outsmart the goats.

(Mother Goat: Source)

These thoughts were accumulated during reading The Wolf and the Goat, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer.

Week 3: Storybook Topic and Styles

Topic

The topic of my Storybook has not been chosen from my previous brainstorming post, but rather chosen from my last storytelling assignment from week 3 regarding creation. After creating my own story about creation and man, I am captivated to go much further in depth about this subject with my storybook for this course. Many of the stories I want to choose for my storybook come from the Adam and Eve unit of the Untexbook; some of the specific stories I want to use include are The Creation,  Paradise, and The Darkness. I believe with these stories, and some others within the Adam and Eve unit, I should have more than a sufficient amount of readings to further detail my own story in my finished storybook.

(Creation of the Universe: Source)

Bibliography

1. The Creation, King James Bible: Genesis 1-2
2. The Legends of the Jews, Louis Ginzberg: Book 1, Chapter 2 Adam
3. The Forgotten Books of Eden, Rutherford H. Platt, Jr: The First Book of Adam and Eve 13-14-15

Possible Styles

Perspective of the Creator. This would be my first and main approach for my creation story adaptation. I really want to stick to the same theme as my last week 3 storytelling post, and by telling it the creators perspective it allows for details of each and every different planet contained in the universe, rather than keeping the focus on just one specific "Earth". I plan on splitting the different sections of the story up by century, following all the different planets each century and tracking their progress individually. I think this would make for the most interesting read!

Native Storyteller. This perspective would be from a native storyteller on a specific planet. I am taking  a "Native American Philosophy" course this semester and have been learning a lot about their spiritual ways of life. It would be cool to think that on one planet out there, there are native people that know the exact truth about the creation of our universe and pass the story down generation after generation much like the Native Americans do now with stories from the wise elders.

Animals. The perspective of different animals on different planets would be a very interesting take on my own creation story. For this style, each section could be broken up into different planets; describing the details of each different one from the perspective of all the different animals each planet contains.

Reincarnation. Being interested in the though of reincarnation, this style would follow the many different lives of one soul who is "reborn" again each time on a different planet. This style could also be broken up by each different planet and follow the new reborn life of the single soul on each one. This style also allows for description of each different planet which I think would be most interesting to read.