Week 2: Famous Last Words

As I look back on this, Week 2, week of the course I feel like I am finally beginning to get the hang of this new online format. I sometimes wish that all of the online course at OU were offered this way, but of course I understand that this class is unique and not all classes can be taught this way. This week, Week 2, I feel like my best writing came from the storytelling post. I was very happy with my ability to come up with a story this week. While reading Homer’s The Iliad, I was pretty concerned about how I was going to do a retelling of the story in the storytelling post. Unlike Aesop’s Fables I found the Iliad to actually be way more difficult to retell. I think this is due to the way the story is told. instead of just retelling a portion of the story I ended up somewhat retelling the whole thing. The pieces of the Iliad went together really well, so it was difficult to separate it out and just write a single story. I just finished reading Ovid’s Metamorphoses. I can already tell that I am going to have a much easier time writing a storytelling post for this section. The readings were much more individualized and this is going to make it easier, in my mind, to be more creative with the stories. I feel like I am going to have some more creative liberties and I am not as tied down to a storyline as I was with the Iliad.

All of the above being said, I still think the best writing I was able to do this week was my storytelling post! I was very proud of the work I created with the storytelling post. I feel like I was about to overcome a challenge, and I succeeded! 

Connections in other classes are becoming more and more apparent. This week I started working on my Storybook. One of the topics I have chosen was about how Native American Stories regarded dogs as the protectors of humanity. I found this topic to be really interesting, and even though we only covered it briefly in my other class I thought it would be perfect to cover it in this course too!

Dog Protector of the Human Race: Ready for Battle

Mythology and Folklore Storybook Topic Brainstorm

Topic: Native American Creation Stories

Comments: I am very interested in creation stories among Native Americans. The ones I have heard are both beautiful and mysterious. I think one of the most important aspects of culture is where people believe they come from. I think this topic would give me the opportunity to finally investigate Native American creation stories and learn more about some of the cultures that live in this world. 

Possible Stories: I know the Un-textbook provides a lot of creation stories. I am much less interested in Christian creation stories, but I think the un-textbook will be a great start for Native American stories. I have also found many sites on the internet for Native American creation stories.

Sample Story Comments: I read a story from the Tuskegee Tribe about the origin of Earth. It was a very fascinating story about how there earth was once all water. The was a council held by birds to decided if they should have a world of all water or all land. They decided on land an the leader, the Eagle, made a small island. eventually the island grew and grew into what is not earth. The tribe believes they were chosen by the Great Sprit and placed on the Earth first a long, long time ago. This was a great story, an it really makes me realize the different world views that are found throughout the world!

Bibliography:

Story Title: The Origin of Earth Book Title: Indigenous Peoples’ Literature Index
Book Author: Glenn Walker
Year: 1995

Topic: Zombie Culture
Comments: To be completely honest, Zombies are a passion of mine. I love the television shows and there is just something about the “undead” culture that draws me in. I would have a lot of fun doing a storybook project on this topic. 
Possible Stories: The un-textbook had a couple of stories from the African section in Nigeria about zombies. After doing some research I have also found stories from Haiti and Cuba, where French ideology and African culture have mixed during the slave trade. This has led to voodoo myths.
Sample Story Comments: I read some stories from Haiti about reports of people becoming zombified. The stories about zombies are very intriguing because it is hard to understand who these stories come about. I am very interested in this topic, but I am not exactly sure how to intersect this topic with this course. If I were to choose this topic I would definitely need more information. 
Bibliography:
Story Title: Haiti and the Truth about Zombies
Book Title: Passages of Darkness: The Ethnobiology of the Haitian Zombie
Book Author: Wade Davis
Year: 1988

Topic: Dogs: Are they really your BF?
Comments: For this project I would like to look at the roles dogs play in cultures around the world. i have learned that some Native Cultures regarded them highly as protectors of humanity and I would like to explore what other cultures ideas about dogs are.  
Possible Stories: The Un-textbook has some animal stories, but none that I could find that relate entirely to dogs in particular. However, I have found some interesting text online about dogs seen as protectors in Native American Tribes. 
Sample Stories Comments: This story comes from the Hupa tribe in Northern California. This tribe sees dogs as the “Protector” of humans. They took a vow of science and will only speak when the world is coming to an end. I loved this story and this is exactly what I was looking for. 
Bibliography: 
Story Title: The Hupa
Book Title: The North American Indian: Volume 13
Book Author: Edward S. Curtis
Year: Unknown

Topic: Norse Culture Myths
Comments: For this topic I would like to explore Nordic culture and their mythological stories. I have been very interested in Nordic culture since I was a kid. 
Possible Stories: The Un-textbook has many stories for me to use on this subject! 
Sample Story Comments: This website was very interesting, and it describe what Valhalla is. If I was really interested in this topic I might change it to the Heavens and the Hells of different cultures.
Bibliography: 
Story Title: Valhalla
Book Title: Norse Mythology for Smart People
Book Author: Dan McCoy
Year: 2012

Week 2: Essay Homer’s The Iliad

For this week I read Homer’s The Iliad. I really enjoyed reading this story even though I have read the story before. It has been quite a while, sometime in high school, since I last read the Iliad. I was quite surprised at just how much I had forgotten about the tale, but when I finished the reading I was very happy that I took the time to re-read, or listen to, the story. Since I have read the story before I already knew the background story, but if I was reading this story for the first time I might have been confused about the beginning and how the whole war was started. It went by pretty fast in the chapters.

Something else I would consider telling perspective reader in Mythology and Folklore course might be that it was a little difficult for me to try to write my storytelling post. Personally, it was much easier for me to write a storytelling post from the Aesop’s Fables. This, of course, is in part because Aesop made his fables so easily understood; and perhaps The Iliad just needs a person with a little bit more of a... creative imagination. I chose this reading because I thought having read it before I might be able to better grasp Mythology and Folklore, as opposed to jumping head first into the deep pool of Mythology. I hope this tale of the Iliad is a good icebreaker into the course of Mythology and Folklore. 

This unit was a superb one. I was very glad to see it on the reading list. I think the most rewarding thing I learned from this unit may be a new writing style. As I mentioned above, one of the hardest things for me this week was writing the Storytelling Blog Post. While I had a difficult time writing the post, I think I also made tremendous headway in terms of developing a new writing style. 

Achilles Warrior

Week 2 Storytelling: The Slaying of Prince Jack

This story starts out in a distant land, far from those known to you and I, known as Catlandia. This world was inhabited by an ancient and intelligent race of Felines. Their city of Meowton is surrounded by a large and sturdy wall that is impenetrable to any opposing enemies. The King of Catalonia is referred to as King Nala. He was a just king who always treated his subjects fairly. He was a proud king and a proud parent of two beautiful children. His firstborn was a handsome lad named Jack and his youngest was a beautiful princess named Pepper.

One day in the land of Catlandia Pepper was off on her daily stroll by the ocean when she came across a strange man passed out on the beach. His name was Sargent. He was a rough looking mutt from a land on the other side of the ocean called Barkersfield. Unknown to Pepper or Sargent at the time their paths had just crossed and would forever be intertwined.

Cat and Dog Love

“Meow, you okay?” Pepper questioned Sargent.

Scratching his ears he stood on his four feet, “Yeah, I’m fin...” He caught hold of the princess beautiful eyes and paused for a moment, “Fine... Who are you?”

"Princess Pepper", she replied.

Skipping ahead several hours Pepper and Sargent were still talking. Little by little they were falling in love and soon Sargent would ask Pepper to run away with him. And so she did leaving all she had ever known behind to start a new life in the land of Barkersfield.

King Nala was worried about his darling daughter when she did not arrive at supper that night. He sent all of the guards he could afford to search for her. Unable to find his daughter the King finally came across a humble farmer who told the King he had seen his daughter with a dog sail on the ocean toward Barkersfield! The king outraged ordered his troops to go fourth and retrieve his daughter.

Soon, the troops returned empty handed. They told the King they had not enough troops to find or force Princess Pepper back home. On their voyage home the troops were followed by the Barkersfield Army who were ordered by their king to lay siege to Catlandia. At once King Nala ordered his entire army to ready themselves for war. They did as the King said and started to prepare. Before they knew it Dog Warriors from Barkersfield were unloading onto the shores of Catlandia and the War had begun.

Both sides suffered major injuries. Bites, scratches and disgusting slobber attacks. The war ended for the night and proceeded the next day. The second day advanced and many more casualties followed on each side. Finally each side agreed to send out their best fighters for Victory. With many years of experience in the field of Marshal Arts, King Nala sent his son, Prince Jack. During the time of his sisters running away to Barkersfield, Jack was very upset about the kidnapping of his Sister.

The King of Barkersfield sent his best man, Sargent. A proven warrior in combat, Sargent was the best hope the King of Barkersfield had. Sargent was ready to fight for the hand to his new girl, Pepper, and Jack was ready to fight to have his sister back.

The battle between the two was finished almost as soon as it had begun; It was over. Jack was able to get in a few good hits, but Sargent was victorious in the Battle and ended the battle with a final chomp on Jack’s neck.

Depiction of the Battle between Jack and Sargent

As the battle ended it was evident that the Barkerfieldians were superior to the Catlandians. All was well in the lands again, and soon Sargent and Pepper were wedded and live a very happy life together!


Author’s Note:
I choose to do a funny style of writing with new characters that closely matched the events that took place in the original story, Homer’s The Iliad. I choose this style of writing because eI felt like I would be better able to engage the readers into the story. I based some of the characters off of pets that I own or that my relatives own. The original story had a women who was taken by greeks from troy. A battle occurred in Troy and eventually the hero Achilles defeated the Champion of Troy.

Bibliography:
The Iliad by Alfred J. Church (1907)

Week 2 Reading Diary: Homer's Iliad

For this week I choose Homer’s Iliad listed below are my favorite sections from this epic!

Reding Part A:

The Quarrel - My first reaction for this section is sorrow for Apollo, I found it very shocking that his daughter was stolen from he and even when he begged and tried to give trade gold for his daughter. Agamemnon was atrocious for not returning the daughter to Apollo. Further on, I found Achilles heroic actions to disobey his King and save the life of Apollo and his daughter.


What Thetis Did for Her Son - Poor Thetis. This section starts of with her begging Zeus to give honor to her son Achilles. I love the imagery the book used where she is pulling on Zeus’s Beard. I also like the section where Zeus’s wife Hera was trying to pry into what Zeus was up to. She finally figured out the scheme and tried to give advise to Zeus. My favorite part of this section was the dream Zeus sent to Agamemnon to give honor to Achilles!

The Embassy to Achilles - Favorite quote from this passage, “For the men of those days were as mighty in eating and drinking as in fighting.” The King Agamemnon sent Achilles gifts of kettles, gold, and his daughters hand in marriage in turn for Achilles to return to battle. I could see a story about a fish that disobeys his king. Achilles refuses the gifts and says he will stay true to himself. Kings that sit in their tents receive more treasure and spoils than the men the fight the battles. Why then would he fight? Achilles has thought about settling down in life. He has two choices, Live short and name be forever remembered or Live a long life and be forgotten in history.


Reading Part B:

The Rousing of Achilles - Achilles was so upset by his friends death, that he only had to be seen at the Trenches on the battlefield for people to be deathly afraid of him. He obeyed his mother and went to the Trenched. Even though this was a sad part in the story, I think it has been one of the most powerful. Achilles mother Thetis promises to bring her son new weapons so that he may fight in battle... Great Mom. 

The Slaying of Hector - Apollo gave courage to a warrior to not run from achilles, but to stay and fight him. Finally Hector stood outside the gates and waited for Achilles. It is better to save the people of Troy by either slaying Achilles or be slain by him. But Hector ran away and was pursued by Achilles. Zeus was conflicted about weather or not to save Hector from death. Hector had been faithful to the gods and always offered sacrifice. A goddess tricked Hector into fighting with Achilles. Hector was well armored but there was a weakness in his armor. Achilles speed him and killed him. Hector pleaded to let the Troys have his body. Achilles dragged Hectors body behind a chariot back to the ships. 

Achilles and Hector