Reading Diary Week 10 : Eskimo Folk Tales

The following notes on the following stories are from the Eskimo Folk Tales unit. 

Tuesday Reading
- The Coming of Men, A Long, Long While Ago- I liked how at the end of the story, when the men died, they became bright shining stars and help light the sky up. I also liked that men decided they needed dogs!
- The Woman Who Had a Bear as a Foster-Son- Crazy to think that a polar bear could be an adopted child! I wonder what other animals would have been good "foster children". This could be a fun story to retell using another animal.
-Qalagánguasê, Who Passed to the Land of Ghosts- Poor Qalagánguase!! At least he got to be with his family at the end. Interesting to think that people thought he turned into a women when he disappeared, but actually he was a ghost! Could be a fun halloween story to retell! 
- The Giant Dog- A very gruesome story! I was caught off guard because usually dogs are are so sweet and would not eat humans! I would be scared too of giant dogs if I ever met this one! 

Wednesday Reading
- Papik Who Killed His Wife's Brother Wow! There is no mercy for Papik! I like how the mom got revenge and it thought it was so weird that it was custom for men back in the day to kill their wife's brothers. So strange and twisted.

- Pâtussorssuaq, Who Killed His Uncle- A twisted love story. I wonder what would have happened if Pâtussorssuaq didn't kill his uncle? Would he still have been madly in love with his uncle's wife? (Which is also his aunt...) I'm glad the uncle (now a fox) got revenge on his nephew for being so cruel. "Thus punishment falls upon the man who kills."
- The Wife Who Lied- I wonder why the wife thought it was ok to lie to her own tribe about her husbands? All she did was start a war that ended up killing others and herself. A great moral behind the gruesomeness of this story.
-Ángángŭjuk- I'm glad Ángángŭjuk went after his child and found him! I am also glad he didn't end up killing his wife, that would make his situation even worse! I liked the protective father role Ángángŭjuk played in this story because my father would definitely go to extremes to find me! Instead of having wizards help him find me, he would hire the whole FBI!

Arctic Fox( Alátaq) by Will Brown

Story source: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).

Week 9 Storytelling : ABC's The Bachelorette

Jojo - Season 20 Bachelorette 

Jojo, after losing Ben to Lauren B. in the last season of the Bachelor, is ready to take on her role as ABC’s new Bachelorette. She stood in front of the beautiful Bachelor Mansion in California, wearing her formal evening gown and patiently waiting for the 25 lucky contestants to arrive.

One by one, the men got out of the limo. When the news was released that Jojo was going to be the next Bachelorette, fans went wild. Jojo is gorgeous, fun, outgoing, caring, compassionate, and so many other qualities that a man would love to have in his future wife. Many male contestants auditioned and only 25 lucky men were selected to be on the show. 

All of the men were very attractive and handsome. Every girl viewing the show from her TV could only think, “Wow, Jojo is so lucky to be surrounded by so many attractive guys.” 

However, as the show progressed, Jojo continued to send home America’s favorite men. But why? Contestants with amazing qualities, physical attractiveness, and financial stability were having their hearts broken by Jojo each week.

Rose Ceremony 

As the show advanced throughout the season, Jojo continued to give roses to the men she liked and had connections with, and sent home the ones she couldn't see herself marrying. 

Week by week went by, and now Jojo was down to four contestants. 

Michael Jameson : Pro surfer from the coast of California, reigning National Surf Champion, enjoys romance novels, seafood fanatic, and graduate from UCLA.

Adam Long : CEO of his own software company in Dallas, enjoys vacations to the Caribbean and lazy Sundays in his Uptown Dallas condo.

Owen Stevens : 26-year old from LA, works 3 different jobs, and enjoys volunteering at the homeless shelter, animal shelter, and children's hospital in his free time. 

Ryan Smith : Successful lawyer in Chicago, golden-doodle owner, loves attending Chicago Bulls' basketball games in his suite, and enjoys taking joy rides in his Ferrari. 

When there are four men are remaining on the show, each contestant takes the bachelorette to their hometowns to introduce the bachelorette (possibly potential wife) to their families. 

Michael's Family's house in California

Jojo visited the homes of Adam, Michael, and Ryan. Each of these three men had  large and lavish mansions with a plethora of expensive art, designer furniture, and an incredible backyard pool and patio area.

When Jojo went to Owen’s hometown to meet his family, the experience was much different. Owen’s house was tiny. There were cracks in the walls, leaks in the ceiling, old creaky wooden floors, and old wallpaper on the walls since the family could not afford to repaint or fix the home.

Jojo’s visit in Owen’s hometown with his family was one of her favorites.Owen wasn’t a trust fund baby and didn’t live a luxurious life like the other contestants.

 “I had never felt so loved and welcomed into someone else’s home,” said Jojo after the hometown date. “Yes, Owen’s family isn’t as privileged as some of the other families. But their hospitality and compassionate hearts are something that makes them more privileged in my opinion.”

After the hometown dates, Jojo sent home Adam, the software CEO. The next week she sent home Michael, the pro surfer, who did not take the breakup very easily. He did not think it was "rad" or "chill" at all.

The next week was finally the season finale. Without a doubt in her mind or her heart, Jojo picked Owen over Ryan and Owen proposed immediately at the finale.

Jojo & Owen's Engagement

After the show, Jojo and Owen attended many interviews and made several guest appearances on different TV talk shows.

In one talk show, the host asked, “Now, Jojo, what made you chose Owen?” 

“Because he was the most genuine heart I have ever seen. He is the most beautiful person on the inside which in turn makes him the most beautiful person on the outside. I have never been happier with a decision.”

And Jojo and Owen remained one of the few couples from the TV show that remained married and in love for years.

The Bachelorette 

Author’s Note

This story was based on the story, The Child of the Evening Star from the American Indian Fairy Tales Unit. The original story had three parts, but I chose to retell the first portion of the story. A hunter had ten beautiful daughters who each were married off to prestigious  attractive, and skillful husbands. Oweenee, the youngest daughter, could not find a suitor who met her expectations. She turned down many suitors and none of her sisters understood why. They were all wealthy and attractive but yet Oweenee did not want to marry any of them. That is until a man named Osseo came along. Osseo was not the most attractive and he was very poor. However, Oweenee loved his genuine heart and chose to marry him.  I chose to retell my the story used the ABC's famous TV show : The Bachelorette / Bachelor (depending on if it is a woman or man). The last season just ended and Jojo Fletcher (yes a real person) was the runner up and was chosen as the next Bachelorette. Her season will air next January. I wanted Jojo to pick someone who was genuine and kind instead of someone who was rich and privileged. I described Owen's home the way I did to compare it to the mansions of the other suitors (comparable to the ones from the original story). 

Original story source :

American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, with illustrations by John Rae (1921).

Reading Diary Week 9 : American Indian Tales Continued

How The Summer Came
A time when there was no summer on earth? How crazy and sad! The long lasting winter kinda remind me of the movie Frozen. I like the idea how something so simple (summer) not existing in the story and the characters are forced to bring summer to earth. I could see myself retelling this story using something simple in life other than summer.

The Fairy Bride 
I love the great use of descriptive words and imagery in this story.
"Neen-i-zu had never grown to be much larger than a child. She had a graceful, slender body, little hands and feet, eyes black as midnight, and a mouth like a meadow flower."
"Blood-red blossoms flamed in her jet-black hair; in her hand she held a bunch of meadow flowers mingled with the tassels of the pine."
 I like the plot twist of how Neen-i-zu became a bride afterall by marring another fairy instead of the tribe hunter. I wonder what would have happened if she married the tribe hunter then divorced him to be with the fairy or cheated on him with the fairy? I could maybe retell this story as a love affair. How interesting and intriguing! 

O-jeeg

American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, with illustrations by John Rae (1921).

Week 9 Reading Diary : American Indian Fairy Tales

Shin-ge-bis Fools the North Wind
I liked how the long and perhaps confusing Indian name is translated for readers and the meaning is defined. It is an important element for American India stories.
"For the King of this Land of Ice was a fierce old man called Ka-bib-on-okka by the Indians—meaning in our language, the North Wind."
"he was no match at all for Sha-won-dasee, the South Wind, whose home was in the pleasant land of the sun-flower."

The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds
"Morning Glory" is used again to represent how authentic American Indian names are. I like how this story has a story built into it. Morning Glory was so afraid that her own bedtime story wouldn't be told. I love how the little worm, the smallest out of all the animals, saved the boy and the girl from the magic rock. It definitely was a plot twist!

The Child of the Evening Star
I love that Oweenee turned down all the handsome men in order to find a man with a true heart! Of course the one with a genuine heart is not the richest nor the cutest. What a romantic love story! I loved how Osseo felt bad that Oweenee became old, but he stilled loved her for her generous heart!

Great way to describe the elder sister's gossip --> "How the tongues of her nine proud sisters did wag!'
So cute! --> "Then he took her in his arms and caressed her, vowing that he loved her more than ever for her goodness of heart, and together they walked hand in hand, as lovers do."

Iagoo's Story 

American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, with illustrations by John Rae (1921).

Week 8 : Reading Plans

Reading Plans for Weeks 9 and 10 - Native American Choices 

For my weeks 9 and 10, I would like to read stories from the American Indian Fairy Tales. The American Indian Fairy Tales include stories about the Child and the Evening Star which sound interesting since I never have really read a story focused mainly around a child. I browsed through the many stories and I think I will really enjoy this unit. Plus, I love reading stories from children's storybooks!  I have also chose to read stories from Native American Marriage Tales for either week 9 or week 10. Obviously the title caught my attention because who doesn't like love stories about marriage? Also, I scrolled through and skim read some of the stories and thought it was so interesting that there were animal brides and even animal husbands! I think this unit will be very fun and investing to read! 

Native American Choices

Week 8 Blog Ideas

I think I want to make some changes to my blog.

I liked Macey's colors of her blog. She had a soft pink color background and a bold teal foreground. I also liked the video on her comment wall.

Adrienne's blog has a very vivid and bright pink color scheme. It represents her personality and sets an overall energetic and happy mood. I also liked her video and meme on her comment wall.

Jasmine's blog had an awesome layout and her name in her blog was in a cute font! I also thought it was neat that she has a weather widget on her blog with a little shopper-girl! Super cute!

I think I am going to explore different color schemes and possibly switch it to something that is energetic and fits my personality. Also I want to add more videos and memes that I find funny or that I really like. I want to also change my font and maybe add some cool widgets. Basically I really want to personalize my blog in everyday I can!

Farmer's Daughter by Rodney Atkins

Thought it was appropriate since my last name is Farmer ;)

Week 8 : Time

Wow! I can't believe the spring semester is halfway over! Time really does fly! I know coming back to school after spring break is a tease because you get a little taste of summer for a week then half to get back to work immediately. I know I've always struggled with getting re-motivated again because I am so burned out. I want to manage my time well after spring break and get my assignments done earlier than normal. Sometimes I wait until the night before it is due and sometimes that works, but other times it doesn't. I also do not have class on Fridays so I need to use that day each week to get ahead for next week or at least get some studying done for another class. My goals are to finish the rest of my junior year strong, continue to stay motivated, and manage my time between school, social, and cheer well!

Cinderella (from Learning by the HEART)

Week 7 Storytelling : Captain Nate and his Teammates

It was a beautiful sunny Friday at Central High School. The CHS boys cross country team had just finished their afternoon run. The team returned to the bleachers, drank some water, and waited to be dismissed for the weekend.

The team was very talented, but their coach didn't have any running experience. He was the school's biology teacher and volunteered to coach, more like supervise, the boys cross country team after school.

"Okay, boys, great run today. I will see everyone after school on Monday. Enjoy your weekend!" said Coach.

Coach left and the boys stood around the water jugs, discussing their weekend plans. The team always got along really well, but since their coach didn't know anything about running nor competing, they had to coach and lead themselves.

"I propose we name a team captain," said Chuck. Chuck had always had a bold and outgoing personality and wasn't afraid to speak up.

"I agree. We don't have any type of leadership. I think our team could become even more successful if someone was our captain," said Dan.

All the other boys nodded their heads and said yes.

"But... how will we decide who is team captain?" asked Nate. All the boys were great runners, students, and friends. The decision would be hard but would have to be unanimous.

"I nominate Chuck," suggested Eric.

"Chuck is too fierce," said Dan. The team all agreed and Chuck stood there with a smirk on his face.

"How about Jonathan?" suggested Nate.

"No, not Jonathan," said Erick. Erick had served as vice president of the student body last year under Jonathan as president. He claimed that Jonathan was very unforgiving if someone made him mad. Jonathan glared at Erick and Erick quickly looked away.

"How about we go to the 10K in the city tomorrow and whoever finishes the race first from our team will be named team captain?" said Aaron. "The team captain should be the fastest runner on the team anyway."

The team all unanimously agreed and went home to get a good night's rest before their 6.2 mile run tomorrow.

10K

The next morning, the sun was out and shinning at 7 a.m. The team arrived early before the start of the race. Pre-race rituals are definitely a thing. Chuck wore his favorite running shorts with his initials embroidered on the bottom, Dan had his lucky laces on his shoes, Nate ate his favorite protein bar, and Eric wore a neon green hat and his lucky bracelet.

The boys stood at the start line, waiting for the start of the race. Joe walked up to the line last minute. Joe was last year's high-school State Champion cross country runner. Everyone knew that Joe was the fastest on the team. Joe was quiet, kept to himself, and was very humble for how talented he was.

"If only I could beat Joe somehow," Chuck murmured under his breath. Nate, overhearing Chuck's comment, thought of a brilliant idea. Nate knew that no one could ever truly beat Joe. It was impossible! Joe was always at least a quarter of a mile ahead of his teammates during cross-country meets and practices.

"I'm going to the little Nate's room before the race starts," said Nate.

"Don't be too long. The race starts in 15," replied Dan.

Nate walked toward the restrooms until his teammates were out of sight. Nate then slipped away to his car.

Having already received a map of the course, Nate drove towards the finish line and parked his car a mile away. Nate pretended to be a spectator handing out water, standing along the rope that blocked off the course.

Nate waited. He finally spotted Joe in the distance, about a quarter of mile away from the finish line. Nate jumped out of the spectator crowd and into the course. He sprinted to the finish line and crossed it with a feeling of exhilaration. A minute later, Joe crossed the finish line.

Joe in the lead

Completely breathless and exhausted, Joe fell to his knees. He checked his Garmin GPS watch. He had just run his personal best time for 6.2 miles. His legs were numb and weak, but he smiled with a sense of accomplishment and joy. That is, until he looked up and saw Nate standing in front of him.

"What...what are...you... doing... here?" Joe asked breathlessly.

"I finished the marathon before you did. That makes me team captain," smirked Nate.

Teammates finishing

Joe, in complete shock, couldn't find the words to say back to him. Joe did not see Nate ONCE during the 26.2 mile race and knew for a fact that Nate cheated his way to winning. Before Joe could gain the strength in his legs again to get up and punch Nate in the face, his teammates crossed the finish line one by one. All were exhausted and surprised to see Nate all chipper at the finish line.

"Congrats, Nate," said Chuck. "We all know this was a true win."

"See you in practice Monday, team captain," said Eric.

The rest of the team glared at Nate with looks of disgust. They knew he didn't actually run the race, but they were all to exhausted to put up a fight.

Nate was at first happy about his brilliant plan to achieve team captain status. That is until Monday at school, when his team ignored him all day. After school, the team didn't wait for Nate to finish changing in locker room. They started their Monday run without him and continued to avoid him the rest of the week. Ashamed and embarrassed, Nate quit the cross country team at CHS and decided to transfer high schools.

A team captain is no leader without a team to lead.

post run feeling

Author's Note
This story was based off the original story, King Chameleon and the Animals, from the West African Folktale Unit. In the original story, animals in the kingdom got along so well that there was no need for a King. One day the animals decided to name a king, but could not agree on one animal. The lion was too fierce and the wolf's nomination was refused by the sheep and goats. To solve this dispute, the animals decided to run a race and whoever reached the tree stump and sat down first was to be named king. The hare, the obvious fast one, was predicted to win. When the race started, a chameleon decided to hop on the back of the hare to "catch a ride." When the hare reached the tree stump, the chameleon jumped off and landed on the stool. The hare knew that the chameleon cheated but couldn't do anything about it when the rest of the animals reached the finish line. None of the animals were happy with the chameleon being named king. So they ignored him and the chameleon felt ashamed and decided to move away to the kingdom.
In my story, Nate resembles the chameleon, Joey resembles the hare, Chuck resembles the lion, and Jonathan resembles the wolf. I changed the kingdom of animals to a cross country team and decided to make the race a marathon. Of course, Nate being the chameleon cheated and his teammates were not happy with it and decided to ignore him. The chameleon was ashamed and moved away to the top of a hilltop.
At the end of the original story, the closing line is ,"A king without subjects is no king." I decided to create a similar line at the end of my story to create a parallel to the original. I had fun writing this story and recreating the characters as high school boys.

West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).

Week 7 Reading Diary Continued : West African Folktales

West African Folktales Continued...

The Moon and the Stars
Interesting story about how the stars and moon receive their light from the sun! I wonder what would have happened if Kweku Tsin, his father, and friends didn't become the sun, moon, and stars? Would there be a more powerful position that he would rather be in? The sun sounds pretty powerful to me!

African Tortoise 

How the Tortoise Got Its Shell
The quote, "He has been a creeping creature, with a great shell on his back," sounds very eerie. "Creeping creature" however, describes poor Klo, with the pot and the dust caked on and molded to his back. Even though he was restored to life by medicine, there is of course a twist that he has to live with forever. 

Leopard 

The Leopard and the Ram
Another reoccurring theme of why certain things are the way they are! I wonder what would have happened if the leopard didn't run away from the house? What if he stayed and accidentally killed the ram? 


King Chameleon and the Animals 
Karma got the chameleon in the end! Its true, a king is not king without subjects! I wonder what would have happened if the hare did have time to harm the chameleon? Would the hare have been named king? I wonder if this story was retold instead with humans, how would the part of the chameleon play out. Obviously a human cannot slyly climb on another human's back without being noticed during a running race! It would be interesting to place this story in a marathon setting.


Source : West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).