Reading Diary A: Canterbury Tales

This week, I decided to go with the classic Canterbury Tales. I had always wanted to read them, but since I always have at least ten books on my bedside table, reading the tales was always pushed back. I really liked reading the tales in this format because I understood everything clearly and didn't get caught up on old vocabulary or language. I also thought the length of the tales was just right.

(Arviragus and Aurelius)

One of my favorite stories was The Promise of Dorigen. That was such a marvelous tale! It was so full of twists and turns and was told beautifully. I really admire the love of the fair lady and her knights. People always refer to weddings as "fairy tale" weddings and refer to true love in similar terms, and it totally makes sense after reading a tale like this. The character development was what really sucked me in. I felt so sad for the squire because of his unrequited love, but I also felt really sad for the damsel because I'm in a long distance relationship right now and know what it's like to really miss your significant other. I also really liked how honesty and justice prevailed and everything ended on a fair note. I just hoped that there would be some footnote at the end saying that Arelius had found true love, but sadly that was not the case. I also liked that the story was long enough to support such character development and plot twists. Depth of this kind would not have been possible had this tale been told on a single page.

Reading Diary A: Tejas Stories

For this week's unit, I chose Tejas Stories. Texas has a rich history, and I knew that the mythology associated with it would help me appreciate the history of the state even more. I also liked that different stories came from other regions but became part of the mythology associated with the state and particularly the Caddo Indians.

I really enjoyed reading Why the Woodpecker Pecks. I've always been a little puzzled as to why the woodpecker has to constantly be pecking away at something, so reading this was an entertaining answer to my question. The story itself is quite sad. Something bad always happens when you don't listen to the medicine men. Those poor woodpeckers seem like they will never find their hidden children! What if one day all of the woodpeckers just stopped wood pecking? That would be creepy. That could mean that they finally found their children.

(Woodpeckers)

Another story I really liked was The Cloud That Was Lost. I really loved how the setting was described in this tale. The description of the rich nature was lovely to read. The way the lost cloud was described as a puppy at one point was just adorable! I was sad that it was lost, but thought it was a very creative way to show how the white flowers got their colors. I wish there would have been a way for both the cloud and the flowers to get what they wanted, but at least now the flowers look much prettier and brighter.

Famous Last Words for Week 9

My best writing for week 9 was probably my Storytelling post. I tried something new with my story telling, and I'm surprised that it wasn't completely awful! Telling stories backwards is something that I've always thought was really interesting, so I decided to give it a shot. I'll have to practice more with that, so I might have more stories like that in this class in the future!

The stories I read this week were great. I like that the stories for this week involve so many animals. Whether it is animals doing the telling or just being the main focus of the stories, they are fun to read about. I think the reading units this week were very good at inspiring people to think outside the box and really create something they could be proud of.

Reading about buffalo and fish and whatnot this week was really neat because it once again connected to my History of Western Cinema class. Reading about the different tribes was interesting for the same reason. This class helps put things into perspective in my film class. I'm also in a philosophy class, and it's interesting to observe how people rationalized what they believed and whatnot and compare it to the thoughts of Greek philosophers as well as those that grew up in civilized areas.

This week has been super exciting for me because I'm in Oregon. What's even cooler is that I got to see Memaloose Island in person. The island is what my storytelling post was essentially over, and it was just so great to be able to see the place I had read about. That doesn't happen too often, especially because a lot of the units deal with mythology from different countries, so this was incredibly memorable for me. I was able to tell my boyfriend about the background of the island and teach him something about the history of the area that he grew up in!

(Personal photo of Memaloose Island)

Essay: Recurring Motifs in the Tales of the Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest unit has several recurring motifs in its stories, but one that really jumps out is the creation of the world. Each culture has their take on how the earth was created, and the tribes of the Pacific Northwest are no different.

What's interesting about the creation stories from the Northwest is the use of animals in some of the versions. For example, in How Silver-Fox Created the World, Coyote and Silver Fox live in the heavens above the earth's water. One day, Silver-Fox decided to descend to the world beneath the sky and created an island. From there, the tale describes in more detail how Silver-Fox expanded the earth and how Coyote helped him. Animals played an important role in the tribal communities, so it makes sense that they had animals represent the spirits of the other realm.

Another tale that deals with creation is How Kemush Created the World. In this tale, the central figure is not an animal, but an old man. However, his method for creation has some similarities to the first creation story mentioned. Just like Silver-Fox was responsible for creating everything on the land, was the old man in this tale. One difference is that Silver-Fox added land to a realm of just water, whereas Kemush added vegetation and animals to the world where land already existed.

Finally, the story How Old Man Above Created the World, has both aspects of the previous stories in it. Like the first tale, the Old Man Above has to bore a hole into the sky to get to the earth below. Like the second story, the old man walks around the earth and creates plants, animals, and humans. In this version of creation, though, the Old Man Above makes a teepee to live in on the earth, and the teepee is Mount Shasta.

(Mount Shasta)

Reading Diary B: Pacific Northwest

The second half of the reading of the Pacific Northwest unit had some stories that I was excited about reading because the locations in the titles and stories themselves are locations that I've visited! It was really cool to read about a place and its history knowing that I had been there and seen the settings with my own eyes.

One story I particularly enjoyed was The Memaloose Islands. From the additional article at the beginning of the story, I realized that I had passed the island on a kayaking trip last summer! I didn't see any Indian burial tombs, but I wasn't really paying attention. It was just such a neat connection! I think the story is a fascinating one. I'm a sucker for love stories, so of course this one was a really enjoyable read. I was saddened by the fact that the chief died in the beginning, but it was sweet that the maiden and her lover got to be together for one more night. It was also unfortunate that the maiden was impatient when it came to the supernatural baby. That part kind of reminded me of Pandora's box. Seeing these kinds of connections across tales from different cultures is always so fun to me.

Another story that I was particularly interested in was Falls of the Willamette. My boyfriend's alma mater is in the Willamette Valley, so of course the title jumped out at me. The story itself was very interesting. I love that natural geographical elements in this area have been attributed to the work of Tallapus. In my opinion, he could have built his fire and just ignored the full trap. I understand, though, that that's not usually how myths work, which in turn makes them more interesting and amusing to read.

(Leaping salmon at Willamette Falls)

Reading Diary A: Pacific Northwest

I chose the Pacific Northwest unit because I will be spending my Spring Break up in Oregon, and I'm so glad that I did! Right away, I knew I had made the right decision. I like the format of the stories, and they all are so entertaining!

One of my favorites is actually three tales in one: Three Coyote Stories. I was amused by the relationship of Coyote and Silver-Fox in the first story, because it reflected the dynamic of the two in the creation story at the beginning of this unit. For the second story in the Coyote series, I really liked the twists and turns of the story. It seemed throughout the tale that coyote wouldn't actually be the most cunning, but at the end, the coyote got something out of the deal after all! The third story about Coyote's death was just tragic. All he wanted to do was travel the world! I understand that he was somewhat of a controversial figure, but he wasn't all bad. I thought the Star could have at least warned him. I guess at least it wasn't a boring death...

(Coyote)

I thought it was interesting that there are so many different creation stories in this unit! I enjoyed reading each one to see how they differed.

I have always had a fascination with totem poles, so reading The First Totem Pole was really neat! I have to admit, the story was a little complicated, and I really had to focus throughout the whole thing in order to remember all of the details, but I loved how intricate the tale was!

Commenting Review Week

I feel like I am making decent connections with the other students in the blog. For this being an online course, I definitely think we all interact more than we would in most other online classes. Of course, beyond the kind and encouraging thoughts we leave each other, we don't actually really go anywhere past that.

I think the comments that have given me things to think about and improve in my stories are the most helpful. Of course, it's also nice to just receive positive feedback.

The project comments have definitely been useful, however, I've noticed that sometimes it's hard to meet the 150 word count requirement. I feel like I can say what I need to in less words and sometimes end up sounding redundant.

In both long and short comments, I usually focus on whether or not the student commenting has feedback for me. I love the encouragement, but I'm a perfectionist, so I automatically check to see if someone has seen something I might have missed.

The easiest part about writing the comments is providing encouraging feedback. The hardest part is making my comments long enough.

One of my majors is art history, and in all of my studio classes we generally have peer reviews. In this way, I am used to getting feedback from my peers, which I always appreciate.

I take into consideration all comments made in reference to my stories when making adjustments. If it's grammar-related, I do my best to fix the problems. If it is a comment about changing details or whatnot, I usually re-read my stories and see if the extra material is really needed.

I think the only thing I would suggest for the comments is maybe lowering the length requirements for the projects. I could say everything in 60 words or slightly more and get my point across for the projects as well as the storytelling posts.

(What could be more inspirational than a writing utensil?)

I tried to find something funny and inspirational and didn't have much luck. So I thought I would go back to writing basics and insert the most basic writing tool. Lots of people have created something great with only a pencil and some paper.

Writing Review Week

I think my greatest writing successes have been the stories I've written the past two weeks. Before that, I was trying to figure out my writing style, but I think I've gotten it down now! I've realized that what I really enjoy doing with stories is changing their perspective, and since that allows for so much freedom, I feel like I have lots of options for each story.

My goals for the second half of the semester involve just getting more comfortable with my writing style and not being afraid to change up stories. I sometimes worry about changing the story too much because I think it's important to the reader to be able to see the original within my version.

I think a good strategy for coming up with a good story is just keeping in mind that I have to retell one of the stories from the unit that I'm working on. As I read the stories, I think about how I could change them and make them my own, and the one that I think will be the easiest for me to retell after I read all of the stories in the unit is the one I go with!

I have definitely gotten inspired by the writing of the other students. I think that every person in the class has such a vivid imagination that it's almost impossible to not be inspired when reading their material.

I think I get more out of feedback from you as opposed to the students because the feedback from the instructor is always more detailed and precise. I like the dissection of my stories because I can easily correct the mistakes that have been pinpointed, and it shows me that my material is thoroughly examined, which I really appreciate.

I haven't learned anything new about myself as a writer, I feel like instead I have confirmed that I do my best writing at night. If I try to work on a story in the afternoon, I feel a creative slump. Confirming this to myself has led me to take measures in freeing up time in the evenings to do my work.

I think the stories in the units themselves are most inspiring in relation to my writing. Seeing what someone else has written and the amount of effort they put into it motivates me to put forth effort as well.

(Giants from Sindbad's Third Voyage)

I chose this image because it goes along with what I consider my best storytelling post, which is one I based off of Sindbad's Third Voyage. 

Reading Review Week

I have enjoyed all of the readings, but I think my favorite would have the be the unit on Sindbad's voyages. I liked that it was written in such a way that made it easy to understand, and I also thought the length of the stories was perfect. I think the hardest unit for me to read was the unit on Women Saints, and that was because of the language. It took a little while to feel comfortable reading through the material at my usual pace, but it wasn't too bad.

(Image of Sindbad from my favorite unit)

I realized that if I do my reading at the same time as writing my Reading Diary, I have a better grasp on what I want to say about the unit and how I feel about it. I usually do my readings and have the diary blog ready to go so I can jot down my ideas and then fine tune them before I publish the post.

I don't really use the Reading Diary to help me with the Storytelling, but that's because I usually point out how I feel and what I like about the unit, whereas for the Storytelling I just pick one specific story and zero in on it. I think using the Reading Diary might put too much information on the table at once.

I definitely think that the older Reading Diary entries help me recall useful information about previous units. I always like to point out what worked in the units, and reading that helps me recall everything that I enjoyed about the various stories.

I try to read a lot for pleasure, and I chose this class because I love reading mythology. This is a great way for me to learn about a lot of different material, and I think I've saved a bit of money by reading myths here instead of buying separate books. I don't deeply research anything for mythology, so having the UN-Textbook to read from is the perfect amount of information for me.

I think this class helps me see interesting things in my film class as well as my land art class. My film class is pretty much all old movies, so I like to notice what they have incorporated from mythology in each one. My land art class stresses knowing the background of the land, and that closely ties in with Native American mythology, so I will definitely see more overlap there in the future.

I think it would help students a lot to read a whole unit in one sitting, that way they are less stressed about reading and writing. I did that in the beginning and really enjoyed it. I like my strategy now, but I think I may go back to the first one.

Famous Last Words for Week 7

This week was such a blur! I can't believe another week is just around the corner. This week, I read the African Tales (Lang) unit. I really enjoyed it, although I only did half of the reading. I enjoy stories that feature animals as their main characters.

I think my best writing was my storytelling for the week. I've developed a habit of taking stories and re-writing them from a different perspective. It's always interesting and challenging thinking of how to tell a story from another angle. I was worried that I wouldn't meet the length requirement and ended up being afraid I would write too much! That's always a cool feeling, I think. 

I really loved the Storybook projects I got to read this week. All of the ones in my group were really well-written and clearly organized. It's nice being able to see everyone's progress throughout the semester. It seems like the semester just started, and here we are, with all of these stories and whatnot under our belts. It's all flying by so quickly!

I'm having a hard time waking up for my morning classes. Spring Break can't come soon enough! In my film class, we had the opportunity to observe how animals enhance a film. I thought it was a funny coincidence since the unit I worked on dealt primarily with animals!

Lots of things happened this week in terms of news! The llamas that escaped were my main entertainment for a day last week, so I appreciated that. Then the dress debacle surfaced and made me want to delete all of my social media accounts forever. Very glad that has blown over. 

(The majestic llama)

A prominent Russian figure was murdered this week, and that was significant to me. I'm Russian and have family and friends overseas, so I like to keep up with any and all news from the other side of the globe. It's unsettling that such events happen. Overall, I would say the news this week was very diverse, and I'm glad I have so many outlets that let me stay in the loop.