Topics of Week 2

Title: Wolfs & Foxes

Comments: My whole life, I have loved all types of animals and feel a strong connection with them. Out of the animal kingdom, the two that always strike me are wolfs and foxes. Foxes are my favorite animals but I also love the look of wolfs as well as their mysteriousness and protectiveness  

Possible Stories: Since Wolfs are very acknowledgeable animals for centuries, I know I will find many from different cultures but I don’t know if it will be as easy to find stories about foxes. Looking online, I was able to find tons of stories on wolfs and even found one so that both animals are in the story.

Sample Story: I chose the story the Wolf and the Fox for many reasons and one being the title. But the story is also compelling. When I talk to people about animals, people say that wolfs tend to be wise and held in such a high standard. But foxes get little credit. Because foxes get little credit, I am glad that this fox was acknowledged for his keenness and slyness. Therefore, the fox is the wise one.

Bibliography information:  

Sample Story: The Wolf and The Fox 

Book Title: Household Tales

Book Author: Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm

Year: 1812

Title: The Hang Man

Comments: A big passion of mine is horror movies as well as stories. Ironically, I am a huge chicken but scary stories, movies or documentaries are my guilty pleasure. I can’t get enough of them!

Possible Stories: Since I am a huge fan in this genre, I know that there are tons of options to choose from.  

Sample Story: I was able to find a story from one of the links provided in the instructions. It is a true story that just leaves the reader’s skin crawling! A robber was shot in 1911 and from then till 1977 his dead corpse was used in many attractions around the world

Bibliography information:

Sample Story: Cowboy Outlaw 

Book Title: Tells The Story

Book Author: Brian Dewan

Year: 1993

Title: Native American

Comments: Another interest of mine is Native American culture. I love listening to chants from different tribes while I meditate or just to listen to it while I am studying. I would like to learn more about their folklore and culture as well.

Possible Stories: While knowing some about the culture, I know that Native Americans have many tales that have told for centuries. With that knowledge, I know I can find something of interest.

Sample Story: I found a story about a coyote and a bear, which are very famous animals in Native American stories. The coyote and bear work together with crops and fishing but the wise bear just makes a fool out of the gullible coyote.

Bibliography information: 

Sample Story: The Coyote and the Bear 

Book Title: Pueblo Indian Folk-Stories   

Book Author: Charles F. Lummis  

Year: 1910

Title: Lions

Comments: At home, I have two cats of my own that I treat like my babies. Even though I have love for both dogs and cats, cats are my favorite since they seem wise and independent. I feel like lions are just big jungle cats, so I really like them.

Possible Stories: There are plenty of stories about lions in legends and myths but I have yet to really look into it. I just recently became interested in Lions from a friend of mine.

Sample Story: The story is about a woman who stole a cup from a rabbit. After the lion heard this, he hunted the woman and killed her but left her skin. Thus, the lion wore the skin and went back to her village. Once the villagers found out, they set the lion on fire and regrew the woman from the heart.

Bibliography information: 

Sample Story: Lion Who Took Woman’s Shape 

Book Title: South African Folk-Tales

Book Author: James Honey

Year: 1910

Essay: Narcissist

The story that I learned most from was Ovid’s Metamorphosis: Narcissus. In general terms, the story is about a man named Narcissus who was completely full of himself. He believed he was better than everyone else and was extremely pretentious. He angered so many people that one man complained to the heavens about Narcissus behavior to the Greek goddess of Nemesis. The goddess heard the man’s request and granted it by leading Narcissus to a fountain in the forest where Narcissus saw his reflection for the first time. He laid staring into the water admiring the beauty of this man who lived in the water. Little did he know it was his own reflection that he had fallen in love with. But sadly no matter how many times he leaned in to kiss or hug the reflection it would vanish. Since Narcissus was in love with the reflection he lay along the side of the fountain for days and nights till he grew weak. He got so weak that he died and then his body turned into a flower.

            This story was inspirational because it shows the reader that being a narcissist can be a bad thing. Being full of oneself not only makes people angry and upset but it can also affect the self. If someone is a narcissist, they are completely consumed with their perfection and can be self-centered. This can lead to a poor or lack of social life causing the person to be lonely. Being a narcissist can also make a person feel like they are always right so see no reason to be open minded. In this story, Narcissus put himself higher than everyone else causing everyone to dislike him. When he looked upon his reflection he unknowingly fell in love with himself. The message isn’t implying that if you are a Narcissist you die but that it leads you into a path of seclusion and loneliness.      

Narcissist

Week 2 Storytelling. Ovid's Metamorphoses: Narcissus

Long ago there lived a Dryad named Anna who lived within a forest. The nymphs and woodland creatures that lived within the area believed that she was the most beautiful creature they had ever seen. Her hair was a soft brown flowing down to her thighs. The lightness of her skin paired with her striking light blue eyes would make any man weak.

            Even at the young age of fourteen, all Anna could think about was finding the right man for her. There have been men who would come out to the forest to try and impress the Dryad but she wasn’t interested in any of them. The young lady wanted a man who was charming yet had an edge to him. She wanted the love of her life to be very confidant. Because non of the suitors were what she was looking for, Anna left the forest to find the man of her dreams.

            Just passed the woods, Anna noticed some nymphs walking along the path as well. She ran up towards them and questioned the girls, “where are you three off too?” The other three then replied in an excited manner, “to see Narcissus! We hear he is the most attractive man in town,” the three then giggled in excitement. So all four began their journey to the village to meet this man.  

            Once they arrived, they saw a man who was surrounded by people who had stern looks on their faces. The man with all the attention then grew a sly smirk, “you people waste my time.” He would then turn to walk towards the women to look at them for a brief moment and stopped at the sight of the Anna to let out a soft chuckle, “Yes, ladies, I am Narcissus. It is cute how you think I will talk to you. But alas, I have no time to speak to the likes of you. Farewell.” He said those words without a care and just walked away into the woods without turning back. All nymphs boiled in anger for how pretentious the man was but Anna just sat in awe. She had found the man she had searched for.

            The nymphs made their way back into their section of the forest except for Anna. Running around in search for the man, she then stopped to the see Narcissus leaning over a fountain. Anna walked around the fountain to see him starring into his own reflection. The Dryad tried to speak to the man but it was useless because he would completely ignore her and continue to stare into the water. Out of frustration the nymph walked away to find a tree close to the fountain to watch him from.

            Days had passed and Narcissus was still staring into his own reflection in the water. She would bring him food and leave it by his side but he would not touch it. He was so consumed with himself to not notice anything around him. After Anna realized how full of himself the man was, she stopped trying to help him and walked away. Upon returning to the fountain, Anna could not find Narcissus in his usual spot. All she found was a flower in his place.

Reflection

Authors note: I used the story from Ovid’s Metamorphoses:Narcissus by Tony Kline (2000). I came up with the first three paragraphs to bring an introduction to my new character. Other than that the story mostly resembles the one I read but just in the perspective of the Dryad.

Reading Diary B: Ovid’s Metamorphoses I

“So may he himself love, and so may he fail to command what he loves!”

Narcissus was the story that stood out most to me in the second half of the Ovid’s Metamorphoses I unit. The story started off with Narcissus thinking he is better than almost anyone. He would talk down to people, thinking he was the best and everyone was underneath him. After a man shouted to the heavens in anger of Narcissus narcissism, the goddess of Nemesis heard his request. Narcissus finds a fountain thinking it’s an ordinary day but then he looked into the water. He saw a handsome man and he fell in love. Little did he know that he was just looking at his own reflection. He tried to reach for the male in the water by wrapping his arms around him or kissing him but then he would ‘disappear’. He stared at this reflection until he became so weak from the lack of food or water. Unable to bare the idea that this male could not speak to him or touch him, Narcissus cried as he lay down to die next to the fountain and turned into a flower.  This ending shows the transformation from man into a flower.

Reflections