Story: The Tiger Girl

(The jungle and river in Luang Prabang, Laos: Wiki Commons)

Story. One day, a little girl named Anne was playing with a girl named Sun outside Anne's house. They were playing hide and seek. Anne was the seeker and Sun had to hide. Sun went to hide in Anne's kitchen. Anne looked for Sun outside, but she could not be found. Since Sun didn't hear Anne's footsteps anymore, she ran outside to hide in another place, but hit a pot on the way. It was Anne's mom's ceramic pot! Sun got scared and ran home.

Anne could not find Sun outside at all. "Maybe she is inside," thought Anne. So, Anne walked home only to find her mom angry.

Her mom asked, "Why did you break my precious pot, Anne?!"

"I didn't do it," said Anne. She totally forgot about hide and seek. Anne's mom disregarded her words and gave her a stern lecture. All Anne could do was sit there and take in the lecture or else should would be spanked. Anne thought, "I'm always being blamed for things I didn't do."

Anne was fed up with being lectured and became sad and angry. She looked up to the sky in vain. Her eyes were filled with anger and redness. Every time she got in trouble, she desperately wanted to run away to the forest. And this time, her desire to run was more than ever.

When her mom finished lecturing her, she blindly ran to the forest. She didn't care about packing. She was so mad with anger, and didn't care about anything. She was not afraid of the dark, the bugs, or the wild animals.

After feeling drained, Anne stopped and hugged a tree to keep from falling. When she stopped running, her mind returned to thinking. All those thoughts of yelling and sadness came again. She sat down with the tree supporting her back. She looked up in the sky again to see the only source of light, the moon. Feeling the moon's comforting light, the little girl went to sleep.

A few hours later, a tiger saw Anne, and she woke up to the tiger's footsteps. The tiger stopped in its tracks and they stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. The tiger bore through Anne's eyes, but Anne wasn't afraid. Then, the tiger slowly walked towards Anne and laid down next to her. Anne did not feel in danger, so she went to sleep.

When Anne woke up to the early, shining lights of dawn, the tiger was no longer there. At home, Anne had to wake up early with her mom to prepare breakfast. However, now, she did not need to anymore. Anne was happy to have no chores and responsibilities. She explored the forest to find a place to stay.

Day by day, little Anne started her day finding some food to go with the little game she caught. Then, she made a fire, cooked her food, ate, and explored the forest. She occasionally thought of the good times at home, but she thought she could never return home. After being gone for many days, there was no way her mom would not be mad at her. She would get a lecture and spanking for sure.

During Anne's daily routine, the tiger always watched from far away. Anne caught glimpses of the tiger, but she did not notice it everyday. The tiger became intrigued with this little girl like her own little girl who recently died from an attack.

The tiger went to a witch who lived deep in the forest and asked her for help, but didn't say exactly what it was. The witch could read minds. She followed the tiger to Anne.

"A human child. What do you want with her?" said the witch.

The tiger said in her mind, "She's been alone for a while. I want you to turn the kid to a tiger, so I can take care of her and fill in my void from the daughter I lost. Please, witch."

The witch was unsure of what to do. The witch approached Anne from her back and asked, "What are you doing so deep in the forest, child?"

Anne was startled and didn't say anything. She acted like the witch wasn't there. The witch tried getting answers, but Anne still ignored her. Then, the tiger appeared and Anne looked at the tiger with a pleading look.

"Do you like that tiger?" questioned the Witch. Anne nodded her head slightly to indicate a yes.

The tiger, after hearing this, pleaded to the witch to grant her wish. The witch felt pity for the tiger and the child's loneliness. The witch then used a spell to transform the girl into a tiger. During the process, the girl realized what was happening. She yelled, "Stop! I don't want to be a tiger! I don't know who you are! I want to go home! Mommy!"

It was too late. The witch could not turn her back.

Anne lived as a tiger and accompanied the mother tiger. Anne often thought of her own mother, but nothing could be done. Anne learned to live as a tiger and would remain as one forever.

Author's Note. This story is based from A Child of the Woods from the Laos unit. In the original story, a child runs into the jungle unafraid and full of anger because she hated all people. The hate slowly increased until she liked the animals better. Like this story, a tiger sleeps a night with her. Also, the wild animals protect her. However, in the end she returns home after she feels like she does not hate people anymore. When she told people about the man-eating tiger, they gave her gifts and items. However, she still thought of her times in the jungle. I decided it to change it up and keep the girl in the jungle with a loving tiger who would be nice and take care of her. I usually write happy endings, and I wanted to try writing a not happy ending. The part about the witch was made up as well. I had to find something to transform the girl.

Bibliography. A Child of the Woods from Folklore of Laos by Katherine Neville Fleeson; link to reading online.

Reading Notes: Folklore of Laos, Reading B

(Laos Rice Fields: Wiki Commons)

Notes. I like the two jewels and what it does. I think it is magical to have items that can grant things or actions. It was unfortunate that the man was ungrateful to the wizard’s help. Fortunately, the wizard did not die, but the man should have kept his words.

In the Legend of Rice, I would love rice to roll to me when they’re ready. Perhaps, they could even plant themselves, and people would just wait for them to do everything. Yet, I just noticed that they are basically committing suicide.

I read a few stories that included food being stored in bamboo sticks. I have heard of that before. I may use it for my story if can fit in my story. Some people, back then, even stored food in banana leaves.

It was messed up how the main characters in The Fortunes of Ai Powlo and One Woman got away with so many bad deeds. The Fortunes of Ai Powlo was quite cynical and dark.

In To Aid a Beast, I liked how the snake came to his aid when he thought of the snake. It is unbelievable, but it is something that I would like to happen. Aside from this, I like how they fulfilled their debts of gratitude.

In The Boys Who Were Not Appreciated, I felt very sorry for the kids. If I were to write about this, I would go in to depth about the conversation where the mother talks to the stepfather about neglecting the children. In the end, she agreed to kick the kids out. However, I would write the story and make it so the mother would at least have some compassion for the children that she carried for nine months. I just don’t know how parents could do that to their children. I’m not saying that she should neglect her new husband, but there should be some moderation.

Bibliography. Folklore of Laos by by Katherine Neville Fleeson; link to reading online.

Reading Notes: Folklore of Laos, Reading A

Notes. In the stories about the Folklore of Laos, there were several stories that interested me. A few were interesting, while there were a few that I would be interested in writing for my story this week. I liked the Man in the Moon and the Faithful Husband. In the Man in the Moon, I learned that people should be satisfied with who they are originally. They should not want to be other people because, in the end, they would have felt better being themselves. In the Faithful Husband, I liked the twists and different aspects of the story. It included an ape who died from sorrow, a helpful fly, and an enchanted, far away land.

Three stories that I would be interested to write about are A Child of the Woods, The Enchanted Mountain, and The Lover's Leap. The braveness of the child intrigued me. After being overcome with anger, she ran away unafraid of beasts and darkness. Additionally, a tiger and wild beasts did no harm to her. In my story, I would write that she ran into the forest because she was afraid to hurt humans. Then, as she slowly assimilated into the jungle world, she would slowly have features of a tiger. When she is close to the brink of fully becoming a tiger, she would wish to return being a human, but it would be too late. It would be unfortunate, but I want to write a story that does not have a good ending like the few stories I have written so far.

 (Mountain: Web Source)

I like to story about the Enchanted Mountain's lake. If I wrote this story, I would write it from a nymph's point-of-view. She would pity the tired hunter and show him to the lake. However, when he returns, he became greedy. He returned every week to find the lake, but never could. The nymph will fell pity for him once again, but would not appear in front of him or show him the lake again.

In the Lover's Leap, instead of leaving with him, she would have refused him because she had a fortune teller tell her about her unfortunate ending. She would tell him to prepare two horses for them to leave the next day. However, her father found both of them out, and the father killed her lover.

Bibliography. Folklore of Laos by by Katherine Neville Fleeson; link to reading online.

Tech Tip: Google Site Page

Last week, I made a Google site for my storybook. This week, I made an introduction to it. In the introduction, I began with the setting. Then, I started writing dialogues from an ancient apple's point of view. There are with some responses about the apple who the ancient apple is talking to. Lastly, I briefly wrote about what I will be discussing in the next pages.

(Tree with glowing balls of light: Web source)

Story: The Wishing Ring

 

(A ring: Web source)

Story. “Where did my son go? Why isn’t he back yet?” said the King of Snakes.

The ring thought, “Your son? You know where your son went. Why do you keep asking? He always likes to run out to the human world because he doesn’t like being holed up in here like me.”

The King had all his servants search for his son in his favorite places, but his son could not be found. Several days passed until he heard that his son was back with a stranger.

The King said to a servant, “Tell my son and the stranger to appear before me.” The servant told the son the King’s message, but the son couldn’t come.

The son said, “I cannot do that unless I am freed from this stranger’s debt of gratitude.”

After hearing this, the King walked to his son and embraced him. The King asked the stranger what he could do to repay him for saving his son’s life.

“The ring on your hand, and the famous pot and spoon which you keep,” replied the stranger.

The ring repeated those words in his mind, “The ring on your right hand, and the famous pot and spoon which you keep.” Then, he realized that it was him! He was surprised, but he couldn’t protest because he was just an inanimate object who couldn’t communicate with others. He tried to think positively. He thought in his mind, “I guess I will finally get out of this hole and experience new things. But what if I get mistreated? No, I’m sure that he’ll be nice. But what if I get pawned?”

When the King heard the stranger’s reply, he contemplated whether to give him the items or kill him. However, he was reminded of the stranger’s heroic act. The King invited the stranger to a few days of hospitality and gave him the items.

When the stranger left with the ring, the ring closed its eyes shut until he felt he was in the human world. When he opened his eyes, he saw a cat and dog run up to the stranger calling him “the merchant’s son” and “master.”

The Master greeted them. They asked him to try wishing something. The Master wished to the ring, “I want a big mansion and a beautiful woman.”

When the ring heard his cue, he conjured a beautiful mansion and a golden-haired princess. He praised, “My creations are always great.”

In the possession of his new master, the ring was very happy to visit forests and be his new master’s aide. On his Master's hand, he had a great view of everything. He went on hunting trips and markets. He saw different kinds of trees, animals, and goods. His trips with his new master were better than what he experienced in his old Master’s home.

One day, the golden-haired princess, now his Master’s wife, said, “Dear, you always go hunting and shooting. Let me hold your ring for you in case you lose it.”

Trusting his wife, the Master gave her his ring. His wife put him on the table near their bed. The ring, again, couldn’t protest, but he complained about not being able to see the rare animal the Master said he would kill. The next day, his Master left early to go hunting. Then, several hours later, the ring saw his Master’s wife leave and return to get him. He wondered what he would be doing that day. It turns out that his Master’s wife was deceived by an ogress who wanted to steal him. The ogress stole him from the master's wife, transformed into a bee, and carried him off.

“Wait! Wait! Where are you taking me?! Madam! Help! Help!” said the ring. The ring saw groups of animals, lots of tress, and a big pond. The ogress took an unfamiliar path.

The ring tried to move around without success. The ogress took him to a man dressed in silk and gold threads. The ogress said, “Here, my prince. Wish upon this ring, and you will get what you want.”

The ring protested, “What?! How dare you just order me around? I will not permit to this. Return me to my owner now.”

“I hope to see my golden-haired maiden whose hair was enclosed in a reed that flowed to me,” wished the prince.

Nothing happened. The prince repeated his wish, but nothing happened again. The ogress and prince wondered what went wrong. The ogress asked the prince to look at the ring.

Snatch! A cat snatched the ring when the prince almost put it in her hands. It was the Master’s cat! The ring was overjoyed, and thanked the cat.

The cat brought the ring back home with the dog. While on the way back, the cat and dog wondered why the ring wouldn’t work on the prince.

The ring thought, “I am not sure either. I can think of two reasons. Either I am beginning to be able to control my powers, or I can only be used by my rightful master.”

Having been with only two masters, the ring did not know of his own capabilities. The master returned, his wife told him everything, and the ring was able to travel around with his master again. Occasionally, the ring thought about his abduction, remembering the amazing view. However, he did not want to part from his master again.

Author's Note. This story is based on The Charmed Ring, a story from the Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs. I decided it create the story from the ring's perspective, but it was somewhat difficult to do because I wanted to maintain the story from The Charmed Ring. Most of it was similar to original, but in the end, the other prince's wish came true. Also, there were more details between the cat and dog when they were on their way back from getting the ring.

Bibliography. The Charmed Ring from Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs; link to reading online.

Reading Notes: Indian Fairy Tales, Reading B

Notes. In the Pride Goeth Before a Fall, the cloth merchants were very clever in tricking the robbers right in front of them. I would love to have a code word in times of danger and distress. However, it seems so difficult to do in front of a bad guy. The only thing I currently can use is talking in another language.

Luckily, the robbers were dumb and distracted from the cloth merchants’ singing and dancing. There was something I questioned. It was their coordination. How did they know who to get? Either way, they successfully took care of the robbers.

In the Prince and Fakir, I wondered how the Fakir accumulated so many things. He may have done the same thing with others before. Additionally, does he have any powers? He was able to help the King have children by giving him the food for his two chosen wives. Additionally, if the Fakir came one year later, the child would be a one-year old child or younger. However, when I read, it seemed like the boy was much older. Even later, he married a princess of a kingdom.

In Why The Fish Laughed, the writing was very clever. All of it was very clever with the analogies and references. I like reading hidden meanings that I will later understand. I especially liked the part when the farmer’s daughter sent the vizier’s son food and a message. I was also glad that the vizier’s son and the farmer’s daughter got together. I had a feeling that they were meant to be together. The story went off tangent, but it came right back when the son found out about the fish’s laugh from the farmer’s daughter.

 (Man and Woman Holding Hands: Web Source)

I liked these stories, but I feel that I will write a story about the Charmed Ring from Part A. With the long story, I could expand and write more about it.

Bibliography.  Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs; link to reading online.

Reading Notes: Indian Fairy Tales, Reading A

Notes. The stories I liked the most in the Indian Fairy Tales were The Broken Pot and The Charmed Ring. I am thinking of writing from an inanimate object's point-of-view. It is unfortunate that in The Broken Pot, the man's pot broke in the end, even though he was not able to accomplish what he imagined. However, it makes sense because he was over-thinking. Talking too much about what could happen led to his disaster. He could have been more humble instead of imagining things.

In The Charmed Ring, the ring went through quite a journey. It has been in the hands of a snake king, a merchant's son, the merchant's wife, an ogress, a prince, and the merchant's cat and dog. With this much content, it would not be difficult to write from the ring's perspective. What surprised me about the story was the merchant wife's gullibility. She did not know that she was unrelated to the cunning ogress. Therefore, she fell into the ogress' plan. She should have known that she was conjured. What was peculiar was that the merchant left for many days to hunt for fun. He had mostly everything, but he still left, leaving his wife with the cat and dog.

Aside from this, the pot and spoon, which was also given with the ring, were unimportant towards the end of the story. I can also write a story based on their perspectives as well. For example, I could write how they only have each other and are shunned by everyone else except when others can use them.

Another story I liked was The Magic Fiddle. I liked how the main girl was able to exit her fiddle. It was quite magical. However, it was unfortunate that her sister-in-laws got scot-free with what they did. She told her brothers what they did to her, and that was the end. There was no revenge plan. Anyway, I suppose that all was well. She did end up with a prince.

(Ring: Wiki Commons)

Bibliography. Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs; link to reading online.

Feedback Focus: Three Methods

I did not like reading out loud. I had to re-read several sentences again so I can understand it. I was more focused on reading out loud than understanding what I read. However, reading out loud required me to not skip any details. As a result, I would have a good awareness of the story, and it would let me write some details comments about it. The biggest advantage to this is not skipping out on any details. The biggest disadvantage, to me, was that it made me re-read the sentences a few times to understand the sentence.

I liked the copy-and-delete method. It made me write things that interested me. After looking at what I wrote, I felt like I did a good job in accomplishing writing down notes. I find that this method is better than reading out loud. I feel like when I read at my own pace, I can understand the story better. However, it takes some time because I have to delete paragraphs as I go. The biggest advantage would be that I would have notes prepared without me needing to read it again.

(Hourglass: Web Source)

In the use a timer method, I finished in about four minutes. I read Beauty and the Car. During the remaining time, I re-read the story. Then, I looked at the structure and the dates that the author included. The biggest disadvantage would be the time. I could use the remaining time to construct a comment.

I would rank the methods as copy-and-delete, reading out loud, and use a timer. I have heard of reading out loud before, but the other methods were new to me. Another technique I have heard about is somewhat like the copy-and-delete method. It is where readers would write a one sentence summary of what happened for each paragraph.

I already use the reading out loud method when I feel like I can’t focus on reading. I may use the timer method in the future, because it will require me to go back and perhaps read something that I did not catch when I read the first time.

Tech Tip: Google Site Website

For this Tech Tip, I made a Google Website for my storybook. It is called: The Story of Golden Apples. It will have about four stories that features the golden apples from Greek Mythology.

 (Apple by Ralf Kunze: Web Source)

Story: The Horse Carver and Alisha

Story. The horse carver, Adam, protested, “What do you mean she becomes his?!”

“Yeah. What do you mean? We all helped find her. Without my art, her location would not be known,” said, Mario, the one with special powers who could find lost things and tell the future.

“The archer physically found my daughter and showed bravery. If my daughter were to be in a tight situation, I am sure he will be her protector,” declared the merchant.

“Hey. I could’ve done it too. It’s just that you didn’t ask me,” said Mario.

The merchant still insisted that his daughter would wed the archer, and the two men were taken away. They angrily entered a bar.

“Let’s kill him. If we kill him, we can marry her,” reasoned Mario.

“Yeah, let us. But both of us can not marry her. Only one of us can,” Adam said.

They both looked at each other, knowing what the other thought. After an awkward laugh, they both mutually agreed to abort the plan just by looking at each other. Both men had a great time, drinking, singing, and yelling at the archer as if he was with them. After fighting for the bill, they slowly walked out and parted ways. Mario stumbled and slept at a tree not too far from the bar, and Adam almost reached his house, but fell and passed out in front of a big mansion.

Night passed and the men were awakened by women.

“Oh, Dear! Tell Father that a man has died in front of our mansion,” said Alisha to her servant in a worried voice. The servant quickly went to tell her master.

Alisha stood looking at the man and thought, “What a handsome man. It is a shame he died so young.” Just then, Adam slowly woke up, and shook his head. Alisha was surprised and told him to come in her house to recover.

“What a kind woman to let a stranger in her house,” Adam admired in his mind. After eating some food, Adam left.

As the days went by, Adam could not help but think about Alisha’s pure, kind heart. Every time he thought of her, he felt guilty because he believed that he still loved the merchant’s daughter. In order to forget about Alisha, Adam was intent on carving a big horse. He would give the merchant's daughter this horse, and she would love him so much, she would marry him. Yet, every day he carved, a different tool would break. This required him to go to the market to purchase a new one and he had to pass Alisha’s house every time.

One day, he passed Alisha’s house on his way to the market and she greeted him. She invited him to drink tea, and in he went. Adam watched her every move like a hawk. He longingly looked at her and came to his senses.

“I must go,” said Adam.

“But you haven’t had a sip of tea yet. You must have some tea. I made it myself,” replied Alisha.

Adam took a sip of tea and briskly walked out. Alisha bid him goodbye in a cheerful tone. Hearing her soft voice pulled at his heart. He desperately wanted to run back and hold her hands, but his legs continued walking. Adam repeated, “Don’t think,” in his mind and ran into someone. It was Mario.

“Adam, my friend! How are you doing? Still not talking to that girl?” asked Mario.

Both men met each other several times after that night at the bar. Adam talked about Alisha once and Mario never let it go. Mario would bring her up in every conversation, and Adam would briefly daydream about her every time.

Adam ignored Mario and told him that he had to get a tool to carve his wooden horse. While Adam looked at the tools, a light bulb turned on in his head. Adam would do the same thing Mario always does. On the same day Adam met Alisha, Mario said he met a girl too.

Adam teased, “So, how is Sara?”

Mario was surprised, but collected himself and coolly said, “She is well, but it is not the time to talk about her and me. Let’s talk about you and Alisha. Just tell her you like her. If you did that to begin with, you wouldn’t have wasted so much money on tools. By the way, I already know that you two will end up together.”

Adam was furious! He quickly said, “How can you say that? The merchant’s daughter is not married yet. I can still murder her future groom and take her for myself.”

Mario reminded Adam that he could tell the future and left. Adam replayed what Mario said in his mind. It echoed in his brain, “…you two will end up together!”

Adam found the tool he needed and bought other things. He went on his way home. Remembering what Mario said, he said to himself, “If it is true, let me hear ‘horse carver’ when I pass Alisha’s home.”

Adam slowly approached Alisha’s home and heard “Horse, Carver! Oh, Adam.”

Adam stopped in his tracks. He asked Alisha if she said ‘horse carver.’ She explained to him that she was telling her brother, Carver, that there was a horse in the book. Adam was disappointed. Alisha, seeing his disappointment, invited him to drink tea again. Adam pondered, smiled, and nodded his head. Instead of wanting to flee, Adam felt calm because he realized that he cannot go against fate.

Adam walks over Carver and continued telling him animals where Alisha left off, and Alisha served him tea, tea that he will drink until the last drop.

(Cup of tea: Web source)

Author's Note. The story is inspired from a story, The Merchant Whose Daughter was Lost, in the Tales of a Parrot. In the story, three men, each with a talent, wanted to marry a merchant's daughter. The daughter went missing and all three men used the talents, yet the one who actually retrieved her got with her in the end. I felt bad for the two men who were cheated, so I wrote a story about what happened after the original story. Originally, I wanted to write about how both men met their future wives, but after developing so much on Adam, I had no space to write about Mario.

Bibliography. Tales of a Parrot by Ziya'al-Din Nakhshab; link to reading online.

Reading Notes: Tales of a Parrot, Reading B

Notes. The ending was quite abrupt. I have thought of her death and the karma that she deserves. Yet, when it actually happened, I felt pity for her. The parrot, in the end, told Miemun everything and Miemun killed Khojisteh.

Aside from her death, there were several interesting stories. Of A King and His Sons tells of a debt of gratitude. I was amazed by how both the snake and frog paid their debt to the man. Also, the man allowed the animals to leave after helping him. It was a great mutual relationship. Although it did not seem that they had a long, deep bond, I felt heartbroken because the animals had to go back to their families. Goodbyes are all so sad, but inevitable. I had good feelings throughout the whole story.

The parrot makes compelling stories that are reasonable. In The Merchant Whose Daughter Was Lost, it was interesting to read about suitors and their talents. In the end, it made sense that the man who found the girl ended up with her in the mountain. On the other hand, without the others’ help he would not have been able to find her. It is a difficult choice to choose. Perhaps I may change the story to make it so the others who helped will get women as well.

(Girl in a Forest: Web source)

In Of a Brahmin Falling in Love, it was admirable for the king to provide provisions to a stranger. I am not sure it is in the culture back then, but it was nice regardless.

In Of the Merchant and the Barber, the part that stood out to me was the barber’s actions. He thought that beating brahmins would bring gold like how the merchant did. That barber saw what happened. I am not sure how many times the merchant hit his brahmin, but when the barber realized that no gold came out, he should have stopped before doing too much damage.

Bibliography. Tales of a Parrot by Ziya'al-Din Nakhshab; link to reading online.

Reading Notes: Tales of a Parrot, Reading A

 (Parrot: Wiki Commons)

Notes. As I read, I realized that the tales of the parrot were the focus of this whole story. I would have preferred to see more interaction between the parrot and his master, Miemun, but it has not shown up in the first reading because the master is currently away on a trip. I admire the knowledge of this parrot. The parrot is clever and kind. He keeps Khojisteh, the master's wife, company by telling her stories.

However, it is very unfortunate that the sharuk, the parrot's companion, is killed by Khojisteh. The sharuk gave great advice, but she wanted to commit adultery while her husband was not present. It was a great regret. Although the parrot's partner is dead, the parrot is a smart thinker. His storytelling deters Khojisteh from running away to be with the prince who wishes to be with her.

Yet, it is so weird. Khojisteh goes to the parrot every night to express her feelings on meeting the prince. The parrot gives her advice and makes references, and she always wants to listen to the stories about the references. In the end, after the story of the night, Khojisteh has to postpone her meeting. If Khojisteh did not visit the parrot before leaving, then she would have met the prince long ago. However, it would defeat the purpose of the title's name, The Tales of a Parrot. 

Of the stories told, I liked the story: The Merchant, and His Wife, Who Outwitted Him. The wife was very smart, and practically put the blame on the husband, which overshadowed her own faults. That part, I do not like. I may do a sequel where her actions are revealed to the husband and the city. Even though the husband knows, he will still love her and keep her as his wife because he is guilty of doing similar things.

Additionally, I liked the story where the moral is to listen to the advice of friends or you will suffer like the unhappy man. It is from Four Rich Persons Who Became Poor. I may do a story between two friends about the moral.

Bibliography. Tales of a Parrot by Ziya'al-Din Nakhshab; link to reading online.

Story: Saving the Donkey

Story. There was a plague among the animals, and it impacted all types of animals. As many of them died, the animals pondered the cause of the plague. They were afraid they would be next. A group of animals conversed with each other.

The bird said, “It’s the bats. They carry the disease through their claws.”

The snake said, “It’s the rats. They carry a disease through their teeth.”

The wolf said, “It’s the serpent whose revenge will get us all.”

The lion king abruptly stated, “No, it is our actions that caused this plague. As king of all animals, I say we confess our wrongdoings and pinpoint the worst animal of all. That animal would have caused this mess. I will begin. I have many lionesses, and they are all lonely. I am wrong for causing them to fight.”

The bird replied, “No, King. You need to create many heirs to govern the other animals. With your strong traits, your heirs will rule the land for a millennium years to come.”

The snake confessed, “It is I who has sinned. I danced with my beloved rat and got the disease from her by accidentally killing her. When I saw her carcass, I fed upon her without thinking. We both loved each other, yet I could not help myself.”

The wolf said, “No, it is my fault. I tricked the serpent into killing sheep while I did nothing. I ran off with the kill. When the serpent chased me, I severely hurt him. He then cast a curse on me and those I associate with.”

After a long awkward moment, the donkey chimed in, “Well, I was so hungry, I ate grass from another animal’s land.”

The lion roared, “What?! You knew it was his land yet you atrociously ravaged his grass?”

Seeing the lion’s disapproval, the bird shrieked, “Get him!” They all chased the donkey so quickly that animals along the road thought a dust storm was approaching.

As the donkey ran, he yelled, “Why get me when you all did worse?” Then, he saw a herd of donkey, and pleaded, “Help, friends. I am in dire stress. Animals are trying to kill me for no reason.”

Seeing the donkey’s dismay, the herd of donkeys stood still and put on their meanest face. The chasing animals saw the group and immediately ran the other way because they were outnumbered.

The head of the herd advised, “Next time, stay away from that lot. The lion could have easily killed you, and shared you with the others. They are up to no good.”

The donkey said, “But they’re the only people I know. I have been roaming alone the whole time until I found them.”

The head donkey said, “Son, if they think of killing you, they are not your friends. Safe travels.” He then motioned for all the donkeys to continue their planned path.

The donkey longingly looked towards the direction where his ‘friends’ ran off. He glimpsed at the other group that was not too far away, and ran after them.

He caught up to the head donkey and asked, “Thank you for your help, Mister. May I join your herd?”

The head donkey smiled and nodded his head. The other donkeys introduced themselves to him, eager to know him.

A few months later, the donkey saw his old company far off in the distance chasing the wolf. He shook his head and joined his herd.

(Donkey: Wiki Commons)

Author’s Note. In the original story, The Animals and the Plague, from Aesop for Children by Winters, the animals actually had a plague and confessed their wrongdoings like the beginning of my story. However, the difference is that the donkey was beaten up by the other animals. While reading the story, I felt injustice for the donkey. Therefore, I wrote this story so that the donkey would live in another dimension other than his original story.

Bibliography. Aesop for Children by Milo Winters; link to reading online.

Reading Notes: Aesop for Children (Winter) Part B

Notes. Like Part A, Part B included many interesting stories and morals. However, Part A included more stories that interested me. In Part B, the two main stories I liked were Mercury and the Woodman and The Animals and the Plague.

In Mercury and the Woodman, the moral is: Honesty is the best policy. I really like this moral. I admire how the woodman did not cave in to the gold and silver axes. He was not greedy. I wonder what the woodman said to the other people in the village. If he told them that they were supposed to deny the first few axes, they could have gotten more axes. Of course, that would defeat the whole purpose of this moral. However, if they were not too greedy and copied what the woodman did, they would be able to leave with gold and silver axes. Also, I liked how this story was not too short. It let me experience more about the story due to its length. I was not able to have a feel for the characters in the other stories because of how short it was.

(Mercury and the Woodman by Milo Winters. Web Source: Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook.)

In The Animals and the Plague, the donkey is killed even though his confession is not as bad as the others. I feel sorry for the weak donkey, so I would change the story to make the donkey live through the means of running away or having someone help him. All he did was eat grass that did not belong to him, but others ate people and other animals. I feel like I need to give the donkey justice in a new story. 
 
Next, I want to talk about The Boy and the Nettles. This story confused me, and it was quite interesting to read. I did not know what nettles were, so I read about it. After briefly reading about it, it is hard to believe that a stinging nettle would be as soft as silk if it is held tightly. It does not make sense in my mind.

Bibliography. Aesop for Children by Milo Winter; link to reading online.

Reading Notes: Aesop for Children (Winter) Part A

Notes. Most of the stories I liked were in Part A. Like my previous stories, I may add more details to my next story or make it more modern. Since these stories provide the moral of the story at the end, I will use it as a foundation of my story. For example, in The Oxen and the Wheels, the moral is: They complain most who suffer least. I can come up with a story where a mother scolds her child and complains about her unfortunate life to her friends. However, because the mother's friend does not talk much and keeps to herself, the mother does not know what her friend is dealing with.

Some stories I liked were The Wolf and the Kid, The Eagle and the Jackdaw, The Oxen and the Wheels, The Lion and the Ass, and The Dogs and the Fox. All of these stories provide great morals, even the ones I did not mention. Of the ones I like, the stories I am very interested are The Wolf and the Kid and The Eagle and the Jackdaw.

As I read The Wolf and the Kid, I actually thought the kid was a human kid, but later remembered that a kid was also a young goat. Anyway, in this story, the kid tricks the wolf in to playing a tune before he eats him, and he later survives. I like how the kid tricked the wolf. It was very smart.

(The Wolf and Kid by Milo Winter. Web Source: Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook)

In the Eagle and the Jackdaw, it was interesting how the ram did not feel anything from the jackdaw. I would think that the ram would feel at least a tug, but there was nothing. This lack of feeling added to the jackdaw being weak. If I were to change the story, I would change it so the ram would feel something and fling the jackdaw far away. The jackdaw had the intent to kill the ram. It would be deserving if the ram did something to it.

Bibliography. Aesop for Children by Milo Winter; link to reading online.

Feedback Thoughts

All of these articles were very useful, but 5 Tips for Taking Feedback Like a Champ was the most useful article because it tells me what I should actually do. Although this article gives tips, the other articles provide me information to better understand these tips.

In Overcoming the Fear of Feedback, I would like to try the experiment of having triggers or cues. In this article, it gives an example of leaving running clothes next to your bed will trigger or cue you to run in the morning. It sounds reasonable, so I would like to try if it works. Also, it gives steps (cue, routine, reward) on creating your own feedback habit. I want to try it in order to do my best.

I gave feedback in class through peer reviewing my peers’ papers. Although I read it, I did not have much feedback to give. Perhaps, it is because I had little idea of what actually was correct. If I do not know what is good or not good, it will be difficult to let a person know how they are doing. Also, I did not want people to feel like I am criticizing their choices.

That is why I have a hard time receiving feedback. I feel like people are pointing out my mistakes, and therefore, it makes me look like I am dumb. That is how it translates to my mind. However, I do understand that they are helping me get better at writing. What I try to do at times like these is change the things I believe should be changed based on their feedback. Also, I have to look at things positively and remember that they want to help me improve.

 

(Two hands: Web Source)