Week 7: Laos Reading Diary

For the Laos Reading Unit, Click here.

For Reading A: I liked many of the stories from this unit. However,  I had two favorite stories from this half of the reading unit. The first was Lover's Leap. This was the story I read first after reading a storytelling post of it last week. I liked the story a lot. It reminded me quite a bit of Romeo and Juliet although I thought this one was much better. The young couple loved each other in secret so long that their families believed she had moved on from her young love. I liked this story very much.

(river in Laos)

The second reading I liked was The Giant's Mountain and the Temple. This story reminded me of many group projects, throughout high school and freshman year of college. The moral of everyone working and doing there part is a great moral for the story. I liked that at the end the people who didn't help the giants advise others to put in their fair share of effort after seeing how much harder it was. Also, the story had giants carrying mountain tops. There is few things as cool as that. 

(temple in Laos)

For Reading B: I very much enjoyed all of the readings for this unit. Once again, I have two favorite stories I'll write about for this reading diary. The first I'll talk about was The Legend of the Rice. I thought this was a very interesting explanation of a type of 'golden age' for humans, and how it came to pass. In many religion classes I've taken we have discussed a golden age of humans that disappears because of human error. This is interesting, because not only did people not have to work very hard for food as in most stories, but the grains of rice were so plentiful that they would bring themselves out of the field. Overall I thought this was just a very interesting story. 

(planting rice, Laos)

The second story I am going to talk about is The Magic Well. I enjoyed reading this story because it ended on such a happy note for everyone. Not only was the chow was healed, but the water was used to heal everyone from maladies that hadn't had a cure. I also liked the idea of a special journey to reach this well. When the first man to visit there, that dreamed of it and had spirits guiding him, he knew he was the first to go along that path. I thought it was a good story. 

(Mekong River, Laos)

Typing Game Tech Tip

For this week's tech tip, I decided to try some typing games. While I did like the one Laura recommended, Ninja Cat, I also tried two others. The first was Typing Race. The second was Typing Chef.

Of the three, I think my favorite was the Typing Race. While I thought Ninja Cat was helpful because it was purely reactionary, I liked that Typing Race had full sentences that you were typing. I find typing full sentences helpful because it is more like practicing for the way we type in life.

However, I do think that Ninja cat could be helpful also. I found myself having trouble remembering where some of the individual letters were when they came up on their own. It would also be very helpful because unlike other games, it also includes numbers, which I am not used to finding when typing quickly.

I did not like the Typing Chef very much. I found it more unhelpful than the other two. I got bored with this game very quickly. This is the only game of the three I tried I wouldn't recommend.

Week 6: The Enchanted Fiddle (Storytelling)

Almost a year ago, I had left my home because it had run out of food. Now I was returning. I had spent the year with my cousin, Nia, who lived a few days walk North of where I had lived my whole life. The people in my home village had hunted out most of the animals and food had become hard to come by.

I had recently received news that everything was returning to normal, so I decided it was time to go home. I had worked hard for Nia in the last year, and she had given me food and shelter. I was perfectly satisfied with this arrangement, as Nia was not wealthy. However, before I left, she have me two gifts to return home with a bow and arrow, and a fiddle.

Now, Nia was her village’s healer/psychic. She was the only person for miles who could speak with the gods and bring magic into our world. Therefore, these gifts were not like their ordinary counterparts. The bow and arrows where enchanted so they wouldn't miss a shot. Any animal I shot with the arrow would go down. The fiddle was also very special. Anytime it was played, everyone around would have to dance to the music.

I was very excited for both gifts. With the bow and arrow, I would never go hungry. While the enchantment on the fiddle didn't excite me as much, I was already the best fiddler in the surrounding four villages. Because of this, a new fiddle always made me extremely happy.

I was nearly home, when I came across and old friend named Berko. He had been hunting a deer all day but couldn't catch it. I said I would help him, eager to try my new bow. I told Berko about the bow and arrow Nia had given me. He was very skeptical.

I don’t blame him, of course. I would be too if our roles were reversed. But it didn't matter. When I saw the deer, I notched an arrow and pulled back. Then I smoothly released, sending an arrow flying at the deer.  The arrow hit true. The animal immediately fell.

Berko looked between me and the fallen deer in shock. We had been a great distance away and I hadn’t taken the time to aim. He knew then that I told him the truth. Together, we walked over to the deer and began preparing to carry it back to our village.

I was feeling proud of my bow and so excited about how well it had worked. I glanced up at Berko, but he wasn’t paying me any mind. He was just staring at the bow. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but the way he stared made me nervous. While we finished up, I heard someone walking towards us.

I turned to see who it was. I heard Berko scamper behind me. I turned back and saw him holding the bow and arrow in his hand, looking at me victoriously. The person who was walking down the path towards us came into view. It was another of the villagers from my home, Desta.

I greeted her quickly before turning back to Berko. I told him to give me my bow back.

He glared at me then turned to Desta. He told her that the bow was his. He said I had become jealous and tried to steal it from him. Desta looked between us, not knowing whom to believe. Finally, she recommended we go to our village and let the village elders decide.

While I knew, Desta meant well. I was very unhappy with the entire situation now. First Berko stole from me and lied about my honor, now I have to go try to convince our village elders that the arrow and the bow was actually mine. These were the same village elders who caused me to leave so long ago because they had hunted all the animals, leaving none for us ordinary people.

Nevertheless, I went. The last thing I wanted was a scene my first day back.

We arrived to the village council a short time later. They told both me and Berko to tell our sides of the story. Berko went first. He told them the story that I had told him, making me seem like a liar or a copier when I tried to say that what he said was not true of him but of me. The council believed Berko.

I argued with them a couple minutes before seeing it was useless. They said that for my lies and thievery I would be killed. Then I had an idea. I pulled out my enchanted fiddle. I hadn't told anyone about this fiddle’s special properties, but everyone knew I played the fiddle beautifully.

I begged the council to let me play one last song before my death. They agreed.

I began playing slowly at first, to see if it worked. It did. Before I knew it, everyone was dancing and mumbling in confusion. Then I began to pick up the pace. They were all dancing wildly unable to stop. I kept going, determined to make them see their error.

They begged me to stop as their exhaustion overtook them. The head elder even offered to give me the village if only I stopped playing the fiddle.

I told him that wasn’t necessary. I didn’t want the village. I just wanted my peaceful life back, as well as my bow and arrow. They agreed and did what I asked. Then I thought of one more thing I wanted. 

I began playing slowly while they begged me to stop. I told them I would stop for good if Berko admitted what he did an apologized. He was furious, but he obliged quickly, as he was as exhausted as the rest of them.

I’ve never had to play that fiddle again because no one will ever forget the last time someone questioned my honor. 

"Goje" by Musicas Resonantes Wikimedia

Author's Note: The original story was called The Monkey's Fiddle. In the original story a monkey travels away after he runs out of food. When he leaves to return home, orang outang gives him an enchanted fiddle and bow. A wolf becomes jealous of his bow and steals it, claiming monkey stole it from him. When they talk to a jackal , she says they should go to the animal court. They do, and the court believes wolf. Because of this they sentence monkey to die. But monkey plays one last song on his fiddle, making them all dance. The then believe him and return his bow, and wolf admits his lies.

The main change I made to this story was making all of the animal characters humans. I thought that made the story more relatable, especially since it was dealing with tools that needed thumbs to use, like a bow and arrow.

Story source: South African Folk-Tales by James Honey (1910).

Week 6: South African Reading Diary

This week I read the South African Unit. Story source: South African Folk-Tales by James Honey (1910).

From the first half of the unit, my favorite stories were The Monkey's Fiddle,  and The World's Reward.

Many of the stories had very clever characters, which were made to look even more clever by foiling them with characters who didn't know what was really going on. This was especially true in the World's reward story. To start, I loved that all of these old animals united to find a better place in this world. Then, the way that they scared the thieves off so the animals could have the food and shelter was fun to read. I think if a third party was observing this story happening, they would be laughing hysterically.

I also liked how all of the animals coordinated to keep the thieves out once they were ready to sleep. They all had a part to play and were prepared to defend their area. All of that said, my favorite part of the story was when the thief who was attacked by all of the animals went back to his friends and told told of these tortures that people had put him through, not realizing it was actually a group of old animals.

(African bull)

The other story I thought was described very well and taught an important lesson. I could see this story being told to children to keep them from stealing. I like that the monkey was still humble, even when he had everyone at his control with the fiddle. When he kept playing and made everyone dance, the lion offered him the entire kingdom. The monkey refused the offer and just asked for his life and the return of his bow and arrow, as well as the wolf admitting he lied. I think that this has the best morals of any story in this first half. It also taught a practical lesson of justice not always being just or correct. I enjoyed this story a lot. 

(vervet monkey)

For the second half of the reading, my favorites were the White Man and the Snake, and the Judgement of the Baboon.

The White Man and the Snake was also a clever story that had morals enveloped in it. One of the things it reminded me of was the old saying, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you". When the snake was helped by the man and then began trying to bite him, It make the man regret what he did, and by the end of the story, refuse to help the snake again. 

It also would teach the lesson of not trusting everyone you meet. Just because you want to do the right thing, you shouldn't assume others will. In this case, both the snake and the hyena both wanted the man to be killed by the snake even though he helped her. Even though he did the right thing by helping her, they were willing to kill him for personal gain.I love how in most of the stories Jackals are very clever animals. I would love to know the cultural thinking behind this reoccuring theme. 

(Jackal)

I thought the Judgement of the Baboon was interesting because it set up a hierarchy of animals and elements. This set up would be used to explain why certain animals fought and why some natural elements like wood, fire, and water had extreme effects on each other. I thought the end was interesting how the baboon was kind of punished for his judgement, even thought the tailor was happy with the outcome. I wasn't expecting there to also be a punishment of getting the honor of only walking on two legs getting taken away from the monkey. 

(baboon pic by Jason Wharam)

Collage Tech Tip

I used PicMonkey.com for this tech tip. The collage is for the introduction of my storybook.

Top Picture: "Muses Dancing with Apollo" by Baldassarre Peruzzi. Wikimedia

Bottom Row, Right To left: "Artemis with a Hind" Wikimedia. "Mattei Athena" Wikimedia. "Hera Campana" Wikimedia. "Demeter in Madrid" Wikimedia.

Week 5: Names in Arabian Nights (Essay)

First I would like to say, I really enjoyed the Arabian Nights reading unit. I thought the stories were cleverly told and interwoven, as well as fun to read. I am very glad I chose this unit for week 5.

Throughout the Arabian Nights stories and the other fairy tales I have read, many characters are never named. They are simply known by their occupation or role in the story. But even fewer of the named character's are women. The main exceptions to this are, of course, Scheherazade and her sister, Dinarzade. However, in the main stories, the women are all known in terms of 'the wife', 'the enchantress', 'the fairy', or 'the princess.'

While this is not always a bad thing, there were some female characters in this unit I would have liked to be named. I understand that when most of these stories were written, they were made by men for children. They wanted them to focus on the lessons and morals of the tales. In that way, I think it's fine for the stories to not name characters. When no characters are named, it makes it almost more mystical. What I don't like is when they name the main male character, but not the main female character, who has an equally large part in the story.

The main story I'm talking about for this unit is Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp. In the story, the princess who Aladdin marries is central to many major plot points and is the constant motivation for all of Aladdin's actions after the second part of the story. Yet she is only called 'the princess' or 'Aladdin's wife' or 'the Sultan's Daughter'.

I will admit, after seeing she didn't receive a name in the story, I mentally assigned 'Jasmine' to her to keep in line with my Disney roots involved with this story. However, I would have liked to see the princess be officially named in the story.

As I said, I understood not naming many of the characters in the smaller stories, but I feel like the princess in the Aladdin story was very important. And in such a long story, it would have actually been easier to name her than to continuously refer to her in terms of other people or her title.

Still, I liked reading the story quite a lot, and am very glad I read the unit. This really is a small detail that shouldn't matter much. However, it was something that bugged me throughout the Aladdin story that I felt like I should mention.

By Walter Crane. Princess in Aladdin

Week 5: A Dog's Life (Storytelling)

I had been trotting along for a couple hours with my brothers when I felt a tug at my leash. I stopped and turned around to keep from choking myself. So did my older brother John, who was a few steps in front of me, his collar tight against his neck. Thomas, our youngest brother had stopped to talk with the crying man and the old man who were setting up near the trees.

John barked at Thomas and I did my best annoying dog whine, trying to communicate that we needed to keep moving. Thomas glared up at us and gave a sharp tug on the ropes, pulling us both backwards. John and I exchanged a look and began slowly meandering back. John growled quietly to show his discontent with the whole situation.  

When we got back to Thomas, he was listening intently to the old man, and looking very interested in the crying guy. “Wow!” said Thomas, “Mind if we hang out here too? I’d love to see what happens with the genie.” I yipped at him and he turned towards me. “We can stay a few hours Will.” I whined again.

“That’s fine,” the old man said. “Just make sure your dogs don’t try to eat my deer. The genie should show up soon”

I really didn’t want to see a genie. Last time I saw a magical creature, my fantastic opposable thumbs were turned into useless paws that can’t do anything but walk. They could scratch too, but apparently, I used them on Thomas too much, because he cut the nails short. Seriously, how was I supposed to communicate something as a dog? Whining and yipping, growling, and scratching only get you so far and now I couldn’t even scratch.

Thomas sat down and I reluctantly followed him. I walked a few steps away from Thomas and laid down, keeping as much distance between me and Thomas with the old man and his pet deer. John came and joined me, sighing heavily. Soon, another old man came. I didn’t pay him any mind, but Thomas started talking to him too.

I dozed off sometime, dreaming about standing up straight again and being able to go somewhere my brother doesn’t lead me. John and I had lived almost ten years as dogs, and we had almost made it.

I’ll admit I’m scared to see the fairy again. Who knows, maybe she’ll decide this last decade of torture wasn’t enough and kill us anyways or refuse to change us back. If that happens, I swear I will become an attack dog. I was dreaming of eating soup with a spoon again when I smelled smoke, or dust or something. I opened my eyes and turned my head towards the others.

There a huge genie stood, sword in hand, holding on to the crying man. I could smell the fear throughout the entire group; John could too, for he went and stood by Thomas. I followed. If anything happened to Thomas, we would never be turned back into humans. We had to make sure this crazy genie didn’t turn on him suddenly.

The first old man began babbling about something, I don’t really know. But the genie was listening intently, as was Thomas and the crying guy. I heard something about a cow, a son calf, and a deer wife… Oh, his wife is the deer he had on a leash. What a weird coincidence.

Then the genie looked at Thomas expectantly. Thomas began to tell our story, but he got it all wrong… Okay, maybe not all wrong, but we did not deserve to be turned into dogs.

Basically, ten years ago we all decided to go traveling. Yes, Thomas had to give us some money to make due, but between you and me, I think he was ripping off some of our business. Seriously, how does the youngest brother make so much more money than two older brothers, who happen to be in the same? Because of that, and maybe a little gambling, John and I kept going broke.  Anyways we left, and it was all good for a while.

We were all making some money, having fun, and seeing the world. This this crazy chick comes up to Thomas and starts begging him to marry her. And let’s be honest, Thomas is a push over. This girl is obviously a gold digger. I mean she’s dressed in rags, and the first thing she gets Thomas to do is buy her a new, fancy dress.

My memory gets kinda sketchy here. After they were married for a while, John comes up to me and says he’s annoyed at Thomas and the new bride. She’s taking some of our money, not working, and Thomas just wants to hang out with her all the time. So John says we should play a little prank on them.

I remember thinking it was a good idea at the time, because I was sick of them too. But looking back, throwing them overboard doesn’t seem like such a good prank. I didn’t want them to die, but maybe John did, or maybe he wasn’t thinking straight either. Anyway, we threw them off the ship.

But lo and behold, the crazy girl is a fairy. I mean, we never would have messed with her if we knew she had magic and stuff. So she saves them both, then goes and turns us into dogs and sends us to Thomas. Then she told Thomas were to take is in ten years to turn us back human after our punishment was over.

Thomas finally finishes the story and the genie seems satisfied. I yip at Thomas, trying to spur him on. If he were a dog, he’d definitely be in more of a hurry right now. Then the third guy starts talking to the genie, and I lay back down. It’s gonna be a long night.

By Audrey. Black German Shepherd. Wikimedia

Author's Note: This rewrite was of Two Black Dogs, with a little bit from The Merchant and the Genius, and The Old Man with the Hind. All three of these stories were interconnected which is why mine had a little bit from each of them. In the Two Black Dogs story, two brothers get turned into dogs by a fairy after they throw their brother and the fairy off of a boat. The story is being told by the human brother to a genie inside of the Merchant and the Genius's story. 

I made the point of view as one of the dog brothers, just to change it up a bit. Also I thought the dog brothers would probably have a little different view of what had happened that led to them being turned into dogs, so I tried to include that. 

Bibliography: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

Week 5: Arabian Nights Reading Diary

For the Arabian Nights reading unit click here. 
Story source: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

For Reading A: I'm going to do this reading diary a little different than I have done my others. This reading unit is different than the others I've done so I thought I'd take this opportunity to try something new.

While there were many interesting stories in this unit, I particularly liked how they all fit together into the stories that Scheherazade is telling the Sultan. In the first section, they talk quite a bit about the education that Scheherazade has received and how clever she is. Her wit and education really show through her tellings of the stories, how she sets them up and ends them each while still leaving some questions opened is very clever.
I saw this throughout the stories, but in particular I liked how she transitioned from the stories which came out of the Story of the Fisherman. I loved how the story of the Physician was developed to mirror the Genie and the Fisherman's dilemma, but also how more stories were inter-laid throughout the secondary stories to show the different choices the characters had, like the Parrot and the Ogress stories.

I also thought it was clever how, at the end of the man with the black dog's story (the end of the Merchant and Genie story line), how Scheherazade said she didn't know the third story told, but knew it was better than the other two. That was a great transition between the two overarching stories which she told to the Sultan. Because of this, he would be left wondering and not quite satisfied with the story Scheherazade had told. This probably made him more willing to hear another story which led to the Fisherman's section.

For Reading B: This part of the reading diary will also be different, because all of the second half was one continuous story. The second half was the readings were of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp.

The only Aladdin story I had ever seen or heard before this, was Disney's Aladdin. Overall I really enjoyed this story, and liked it more than the movie. The only thing I wish that was a little different was that I hoped it would still have some references or connections in the story of Scheherazade telling the story to her husband.

I was very creeped out when the princess married the Grand Vizir's son, that Aladdin kidnapped them each night until the boy was scared away. That was weird. I also didn't like the ending very much, just because of the second magician. I kind of feel like adding a brother was unnecessary. To me, the added ending after they returned home and everything went back to normal, didn't add anything to the plot. Therefore, I wish they had ended it with them returning home after killing the first evil magician.

That being said, I liked the inclusion of the magician in the story. I thought that was great, instead of just making the vizir the antagonist, although we are still not meant to like him in the story. I was also unaware that the original story was mostly set in China, but I thought that was an interesting choice. Although I can understand, in the context of Scheherazade telling the Sultan the story, she would want it to seem as exotic and mysterious as possible.

I really enjoyed reading the story of Aladdin and all of the other stories in this reading Unit.

Typing Test Tech Tip

For this tech tip, I tried two typing tests. The first was the Rank My Typing website and the second the Fast Fingers website.

While they were both typing tests with similar processes, I found it interesting how big of a difference the minor changes made.

In the first test I scored 51 wpm. In the second I scored 57 wpm. Both had about two words wrong.

In the first test, I was typing complete sentences. I thought that this was great because it is very similar to how we type in the real world with capitalization and punctuation.

However, the second test was just random words listed one after another. I did not like this so much because it isn't like we actually type when writing. That being said, I think that that is why I scored higher on the second test. There was no capitalization, or punctuation. Also, instead of looking at the sentence as a whole for meaning, when you just have random words strung together it is much easier to focus solely on those words. Therefore, I think that the first test was actually much more accurate for my overall typing abilities. Also the first website seemed cleaner, with less ads pasted all over the place. I also liked that the first site ranked you with the demographics you chose.

That being said, there were a couple of things I liked better about the second website. The first was that it gave you your percentile compared to everyone else who had used their website in the last 24 hours. I thought that was unique and interesting to see. Next, you could easily change languages, which I think could be interesting to try, although I didn't this time. The last thing that I liked better about the second website is that they start the timer whenever you begin typing. I liked being able to look over the website without the countdown of when the timer would start for the test.

Comment Wall

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Week 4: The Heroic Archer (Storytelling)

I had heard of this man before. Muhammad Tirandaz. He came to the palace for a little while, but I had never crossed paths with him before. Now, here I was standing in a room with this legend, about to go to battle.

He seemed smaller than I would have expected, although I suppose it takes more skill than strength to kill two lions with one arrow. I can’t even understand how that would be a possible thing to, but everyone who has met him swears it to be true.  I continue to study him as he comes out of the throne room.

He was the first man the king summoned when news of the impending attack arrived at the palace. Muhammad walked towards me and the two other men who were standing nearby.

“The king instructed me to ride out to meet the approaching army. You and you,” He pointed to me and the man to my left, “help me with my horse.” He strode past us then, he seemed so confident, but his voice and hand shook ever so slightly. Even a man who killed two lions with one arrow had the right to fear riding up to an army.

I rushed ahead of the other man he had pointed to. “Of course, sir,” I said. “The stable is this way. I led through the palace into the courtyard. I took a sharp left and the stables were up ahead. One of the other men had run up to join me.

I wrestled with the saddle and centered it on the horses back, and then the other man began attaching all of the leather strips of the reigns and such. We finished and stood back, expecting Muhammad to climb onto the horse. Instead, he looked suspiciously at the saddled horse. He circled it twice, before coming to a stop beside us again.

“So I should just… jump up?” He asked slowly, continuing to eye the horse.

“Yes, sir…” I said, trying to hide my bewilderment. “You have ridden before, sir?”

“Of course! What sort of soldier would I be if I hadn’t ridden?” With that, he went up to the horse cautiously and painfully pulled himself up inch by inch. Finally, he was positioned into the saddle but looked very unsteady. “Could you… um… could you tie my feet together underneath the horse?”

The other man and I looked at each other and then turned back to Muhammad, “Yes, sir.” I said and began walking towards him, the other man close behind me. I believed the stories about Muhammad. Therefore, I’m sure he is just doing something unusual but ingenious. I was just not smart enough to understand. However, if anyone else had ever asked me to do this, I would have said they couldn’t ride.

We did as Muhammad asked and tied his feet under the horse. As soon as we finished, the horse started galloping, probably feeling very uncomfortable. Muhammad swayed as he left, but I just knew that he would save us and defeat the army.

I turned to the man who I had worked with, he didn’t look so sure. “If he’s the hero we’re all going to die.” I disputed him, but he quickly walked away. I sat by the gate for the rest of the afternoon, waiting for news from the field.

Only a little time had passed when the word came, Muhammad had scared off the enemy, and our army had chased them down and defeated them. I was right. Muhammad was a heroic warrior. 

"Archer 1" Clip Art by David Longbine Source: Clker

Author's Note: The story I retold was Muhammad Tirandaz, The Archer. In this story a man, Muhammad, who accidentally kills two mice. He is praised by his friends and they tell him he should become an archer.When he leaves, he decides to say that he killed two lions. He also decides to quit his job and become an archer. He goes and gets a fancy bow and arrow and has it engraved that he killed two lions with one arrow. He goes out alone to hunt. One of the kings men finds him, and believing the man, invites him to be apart of the kings army. Muhammad agrees and spends his days leisurely about the palace until and army comes to threaten the kingdom. He is sent out in the front. His inadequacy leads at riding and fighting leads to series of events that ends up scaring the opposing army so much that they flee.

 I made the Point of view character be someone watching Muhammad do all these things and believing they were real and intentional.

Bibliography:Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

Week 4: Persian Tales Reading Diary

For the Persian Tales Unit, click here. ( Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919)) All illustrations are from the book.

For Reading A: In the first half of the reading, my favorite two stories were Nim Tanak (Half Boy) and the Praying Baker.  However, I really have enjoyed all the readings so far. The story topics are so unique and diverse from one another that it has  been fun to go through them. I think so far, this is my favorite unit.

Nim Tanak was a great story because it was a classic underdog story. When the two strong sons couldn't save the sister, Nim Tanak, who was only half of a person did. I also liked that in the end, Nim Tanak was made the heir of the king for his deeds, in front of his brothers. I was a little confused why the div (demon) was so unfrightened of his brothers and their armies because they were eating or drinking slowly, but he was terrified of Nim Tanak because he was drinking and eating everything. Maybe it was a Persian cultural thing, but I was confused by that.

The other story that I really liked was the Praying Baker. I thought the king was a jerk in this whole story, but I liked the baker’s response to obstacles and I thought the ending was great. I couldn't believe the king set the baker up for failure and planned on actually killing him if he couldn't find the ring that the king stole back from him. I could understand the king wanting to test him, but I thought that was way too extreme. I also didn't understand if the king dropped his ring in the water purposefully or not. In the description, it seemed like it slipped off on accident, but then the king said that if the baker found it, he wouldn't be killed. I loved that the baker bought the fish as a ‘last meal’ since he thought he would be killed the next day, but it turned out that was what ended up saving him.

For Reading B: I really loved this unit. I had two favorite stories in the second half of the reading. My favorites were Shah Abbas and the Poor Mother, and The Apparition of Prophet Khizr, I also really liked the Story of the Baker and the Grateful Fish, but I won't be talking about that one in this post. This has definitely been my favorite unit. All the stories were interesting and some were really surprising as well. I think part of the reason these three were my favorites, was that at the end of each, the wrongdoers received what they deserved.

 I liked the Shah Abbas, for a few reasons. One was that the king was actually very kind and tried to help his people as much as he could. I also liked that he went back to the family after, and didn't just figure he had helped and he would be done with them. Also that he took the family to the palace to be cared for when the mother's ears were cut off was very nice of him. He also punished both the baker, and the law enforcer who ordered the woman's ears cut off. However, my favorite thing was that he gave the woman and her children all of the money and property owned by the two who wronged her in the end. 

I also liked the Apparition of the Prophet Khizr, because the men who supported the torture and slow death of the poor man were fired and the one who wanted to show mercy was the only one kept. But my favorite part of this story was that the poor man used the money he received from the king to pay off his debts and to make sure his wife would have a good life after his death. This was a noble and selfless thing to do. He could have continued as he had, and just gotten more in debt, or he could have used the money to buy extravagant things for himself. But instead he wanted his wife to have a good life. I also like that he went to the king on his own. It showed that he knew what he had done and was willing to accept whatever punishment the king saw fit. That was also seen in the fact that he never argued with the kings advisers who wanted his slow death. I also liked that the Prophet did appear to vouch for the man and let him keep his life. The king’s reaction to the prophet was also funny, when he said he should have grabbed his sleeve to keep him from escaping.

Week 3: Women Saints Unit Review (Essay)

For this week, I read the Women Saints unit.

Overall I liked this unit. I thought that some of the stories were very interesting. My favorite stories were of Theodora, Christine, and Mary of Egypt.

I loved Theodora's because it went into more detail than many of the stories. It talked about her life before she became holy and about her feelings. It also went into more detail about her life while living in the monastery and what led to her being accused of adultery as a monk. Also it talked a lot about her life on the streets with the boy and how she fought demons who kept trying to trick her. I think I could connect more with Theodora than any of the other women saints in the stories.

I liked Christine's story because of the amount of detail in the story also. However, the detail in Christine's story was much different than Theodora's. While many stories just say that the saints were tortured, Christine's story talks about the fate of the men who tortured her and the hardships they put her through to try to convert her back to pagan religion.

Finally, I liked Mary's story, mostly because it was so different from any of the other stories in this Unit. Many of the stories had similar messages and basic plots for the stories. For example in many, a woman runs away dressed as a man to become a monk, or a woman refuses to marry a pagan, or a woman is kept in a tower by her pagan father to keep her pure for making offerings. Mary's story was not like any of them. Her story was unique in that she was alone for most of her life, and she preferred it that way. Also, the fact that she lived naked in the desert for years was quite unique.

While I did like the unit, I also wish there hadn't been quite so many similar stories. A couple of them I felt like I was just rereading with some details and names altered. I think that's why Christine's and Theodora's stood out, also. While they were two stories that fit into one of the reused plots, their stories still felt more unique than others because there was more focus on the women and in Theodora's case, her emotions, not just what happened to her.

I would chose this unit again, knowing what I know now about it. I do think it would have been helpful to include a few more definitions, as the language is a bit hard to understand at first. The words that were linked to Wikipedia articles and definitions were very helpful. And after I looked up some words it got easier as I adjusted to the older writing style.

My favorite picture from the unit was in Saint Martha's story.
By Andre Abellon, "Saint Martha and the Dragon"

Week 3: My Name is Theodora (Storytelling)

I lay on the floor of my room. Silently, I stare at the ceiling and think of my life over the past decade. This wasn't the life I had wanted. But in the end I was happy for it, in all of its difficulties. I knew I was close to death. I felt a movement to my side where Peter was sleeping. I turned and looked at him, what a boy he had grown to be. I felt the motherly pride for him. While I may not have given birth to him, I had raised him from an infant, taught him how to love and follow God. He would be ten soon. I won’t be there for his birthday. I felt sadness swell, not for myself but for him.

As I watch him sleep, I think of how glad I am that we are at the monastery again. It’s only been two years since they let me back in with Peter. We lived on the streets together for seven years, as punishment for my infidelity. That’s how I always thought of it. While I didn't get Peter’s mother pregnant, (obviously, that would be impossible) this was punishment for my real affair. The one that made me run away from my husband in the first place. Still, Peter was the best thing that had happened to me since leaving my husband. Through these years of raising him, I tried to make him into a man like my husband, a holy man with strong morals. I tried to make him better than me. I hope I succeeded.

I turned back to the ceiling, suppressing the sorrow. My thoughts turned to the other love of my life. My husband. I had left him too. I wondered if they would find him after I died, once they figured out who I was. I wondered if he would mourn for me. I hadn't seen him for about ten years. Moreover, the last time I saw him, he didn't recognize me because I was dressed as a monk. The sadness rises again. I still miss him so much. However, guilt soon replaces the sadness.

What would my life have been like if I would have remained faithful to him? I most certainly wouldn't be dressed as a man, about to die in a monastery. But I also wouldn't have Peter. Still, I hope they find my husband, and I hope he can forgive me, even if I never forgave myself. Over a decade of penance and I still can’t shake the guilt. I know it must have been horrible for him, after I ran away. But I hope he eventually had a happy life. He deserved one. He deserved a better life than I could give him. A sob escapes my mouth, but I quickly silenced it to keep from waking Peter.

My mind jumps again. Images of our life on streets flood into my head. Demons and tricksters constantly tested me. I was so thankful for my time in the monastery again. From my brothers, I had learned how to cast away the devil, which kept Peter and me safe. And the way God provided for us still filled me with joy and wonder. While to everyone I was a disgraced monk with a child, God still helped me keep Peter alive.

So many emotions are pumping through my body, but I begin to grow tired. I remember the flood of relief when the monks said that we could return to the monastery. I nearly cried tears of joy. Finally, I had a safe home for Peter. Now, after two years, Peter is settled and close with many of the brothers. They will watch over him after I’m gone. And once they know the truth, I hope they will tell him my story. To Peter, I have always been Theodore, his father and a monk. My eyes start to close. Using all the energy I have left, I lean over to Peter while he sleeps. I whisper, “My name is Theodora. And I love you so much.”

I lie back down and begin to drift off into a sleep that I know I won’t wake from. 

(Russian icon)

Author's Note: The story I rewrote was the story of Saint Theodora from the Women Saints reading unit. The story is about a woman, who after cheating on her husband, dresses as a man and runs away to join a monastery as penance. While at the monastery she is accused of fathering a child. She is cast out of the monastery and is given the child to raise, all the while still pretending to be a man. After seven years, she was allowed back into the monastery. She dies there, and it is only after her death when they learn she was a actually a woman the whole time. I changed the voice to first person, and focused on the end of the story, when Theodora and her son are in a cell and she knows she is close to death. This entire scene is made up, but I think she would have been thinking a lot in the end about how she ended up where she did in life. I also named her son, because it was much easier to refer to him by a name instead of 'the boy' over and over again. 

Bibliography:  The Golden Legend edited by F. S. Ellis (1900).

Week 3: Women Saints Reading Diary

For the Women Saints reading homepage click here.

Reading A: In the first half of this week's readings, my favorite stories were the ones about Saint Marine and Saint Christine. These two stories have other similar stories in the unit. Many stories were of parents hiding a child in a tower to perform pagan offerings and later being tortured for refusing to convert from Christianity. My favorite of these was the story of Christine. Another common story that was told in different ways was of women disguising themselves as men and joining monastery, later to be accused of impregnating or fornicating with women. My favorite of these stories was the story of Marine/Marina.

The main reason Christine's story stood out to me, more than the other similar stories, was because of how much she went through. While all of these women suffered, I feel like Christine when through the most of any of them. She was tortured by her father, as he tried to kill her time and time again. Then she was also tortured by the judge Dion, as he also tried to kill her again and again. Then she was again tortured by the new Judge Julianus who eventually did kill her, although there were many miracles before he achieved his goal. Still through it all, Christine remained hopeful and faithful to her chosen religion and never renounced her God, even when it would have been much easier and less painful to do so.

(By Francesco Cairo, Painting of Saint Christine)

Marine's story stood out to me also, even though there were numerous stories of women dressing as men to become monks. I like that Marine's father is involved and dresses her a boy so he can stay with her, unlike the story of Pelagien, who runs away from her family to the monastery. I also like, that unlike the Pelagien story, there is more of an explanation on why the monks thought that Marine was the father of the virgin's baby, because she was staying with the family around the time. The last thing I liked more about Marine's story than Pelagien's was that Marine wasn't just imprisoned and died, but she raised the baby as her own once she was cast out of the monastery.

( By joeatta78, Saint Marina)

Reading B: For the second half of the Women Saints reading, my two favorite stories were the stories of Saint Theodora and Saint Daria. While Theodora's story is much like Marine's and Pelagien's stories, there are some different aspects of Theodora's that I find very interesting. As for Daria, her story is a bit different from all of the others and I think her story is great. 

Once again, Theodora's story is very similar to the other stories of women running away to become monks. What I like most about her story is that she runs away for a reason. Theodora feels so much guilt and sorrow when she cheats on her husband that she feels she isn't worthy of being his wife any longer and that she must pay a steep price of penance for her sin. This drive is very different from the other saints who go to remain pure or please their family. Theodora legitimately believes that this is her punishment, and while she knows she isn't pure, she hopes to help others to atone for her wrong doing. I also like the ending much better. While she does die, like all the others, the son she raises mourns her and continues with the monastery to finish what Theodora started. I also think it's really sweet that after all these years, when her husband learns of her death, he goes to where she died. Although it's quite sad that he stays there until he dies as well. 

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I also liked Daria's story, although some of it I had a hard time with. The main thing that troubled me about this story is that before Daria converted to Christianity, she was a Vestal Virgin in the story. I did a big research paper on the Vestals last semester and I don't see how, in this time period, they every would have sent a Vestal to a man alone, to convert him. The Vestals were too important to managing the hearth, which they thought kept the city from falling to ruins. Also, purity was paramount to the Vestals. If a girl was suspected of not keeping her chastity vows, she would sometimes be buried alive. Therefore, I don't think they would have sent a Vestal in with a man alone. But besides that, I liked the story. I like that the lion protects Daria, but when she instructs it not to seriously harm anyone it listens to her. I also like that while she and Crisaunt converted many people, most seemed to convert after talking to Daria.

(14th-century medieval manuscript)