Week 8 Reading and Writing

I looked back over the theme for my blog, and I didn't really like how light the words were compared to the page. I adjusted it, and I'm happy with my blog. I'm pretty proud of how nice my project website looks. I italicized the author's note and bibliography so people could see the beginning and end of the story more clearly.

My reading assignments work great for me and I don't have any trouble coming up with ideas for my retelling without the need to reread the source material. The writing for this class has been a breeze on some weeks but other times I have the right idea, but I can't make the words flow. I've changed my strategy to finish the reading early so I have time to go through the writing process over multiple days. So far, my favorite reading is "Arabian Nights" Unit. I had such a hard time deciding what part of the story I wanted to retell because it inspired so many ideas. Both Arabian Nights and Cupid and Psyche readings have allowed me to create my favorite retellings of this class so far. 

I'm Finished, so here's a Fin

Basking Shark, off the Isle of Skye by Photographer Antony Stanley. Source.

Week 7 Story: Diary of the Monkey King's Teacher

Author’s Note:

This story is based on “The Monkey King,” which tells the adventures of Sun Wu Kung. I wanted to retell the story from the perspective of Sun Wu Kung’s spirit teacher, The Discerner. Due to the number of time gaps, I decided a diary format would work best.

Many elements are the same between the original and my retelling. The Discerner gives a lecture to his class when Sun Wu Kung jumps up in joy at understanding the lesson. The Discerner offers additional lessons for Sun Wu Kung, and he agrees very eagerly. However, Sun Wu Kung rejects any teaching once he realizes that they will not give immortality to him. The Discerner whacks Sun Wu Kung on the head three times and storms off to his chambers.

From this point, the original story has The Discerner give Sun Wu Kung a coded message to visit him in three nights to learn the secret of immortality. Sun Wu Kung follows the message, and The Discerner is impressed that Sun Wu Kung understood the message, and he decides to teach him the way to immortality. Sun Wu Kung must face more dangers, so The Discerner teaches him skills like transformation and flight. Later, Sun Wu Kung shows off to classmates bu turning into a pine tree and The Discerner sends him away for it. Sun Wu Kung is ordered not to mention he was a student of The Discerner.

In my retelling, I changed it, so there was no coded message. Instead, The Discerner ends up very relieved that he made Sun Wu Kung promise not to mention that he was a student, so the forces of the Heavens wouldn’t point at him.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Dear Diary,

Today a new student appeared during my meditation. I heard crackling sounds so disturbing that I could no longer continue. I asked one of my students to see what the racket was outside. The noise-maker turned out to be an ape, eating pine cones by the entrance. When he came in, he didn’t introduce himself because he didn’t have a name. Well, being the generous being that I am, I decided to name him Sun Wu Kung.

Dear Diary,

Seven years have passed since Sun Wu Kung’s arrival, and honestly, I had almost forgotten him. I received a sharp reminder when I witnessed Sun Wu Kung’s spectacle this morning. I was presenting a lecture when all of a sudden Sun Wu Kung began to jump up and dance! I scolded him profusely until Sun Wu Kung cut me off to tell me that he fully understood the lecture. As the gracious being that I am, I offered to teach Sun Wu Kung more about The Great Truth so that he could express his excitement out of class. At first, Sun Wu Kung was eager to agree to any lessons, until he found out that they would give immortality to him. From there, Sun Wu Kung refused to learn anything.

I am ashamed to admit that I hit Sun Wu Kung thrice before I stormed off to my chambers. The audacity of that ape! I’m immortal, but I didn’t remove The Great Truth from my life. I even teach it to others because of its value, yet Sun Wu Kung rejects any worth in my teachings if they do not lead to eternal life. The nerve of it! Anyone would jump at the chance to learn the slightest knowledge from me, yet when I offered Sun Wu Kung extra lessons, he insulted me to blatantly to my face. As a teacher, I know I should be calm with unruly students, but Sun Wu Kung is testing the ends of my patience. I need to meditate until I can be reasonable around that unruly ape again.

Dear Diary,

It’s been three days since Sun Wu Kung rejected my teachings and just as I was about to head to bed, Sun Wu Kung entered my chambers and announced he is waiting to receive the secret to immortality. I told him I would do no such thing, but Sun Wu Kung was adamant that I had, in the most convoluted logic I have ever seen. Sun Wu Kung said that when I whacked him three times in the head then stormed off, I told Sun Wu Kung in a secret message that after three nights I would reveal the secret of immortality to him in my chambers.

I realized that Sun Wu Kung is beyond reason and would not leave me alone until I taught him the way to immortality. Like I would do that! Instead, I taught Sun Wu Kung other skills, such as transformation magic and how to travel via clouds. I may or may not have pretended that these were the secrets to immortality. When he realizes the truth of the situation, he will hopefully see the value in skills that have no link to immortality.

Dear Diary,

I thought I had finally learned a way to tame Sun Wu Kung’s wild spirit, but I see that it has only spread to my other students! I heard loud laughter and found the source to be a group of students laughing at a pine tree, who was Sun Wu Kung transformed. I taught Sun Wu Kung to teach him a valuable lesson in life, yet this is the thanks I get. One thing is sure. Sun Wu Kung can no longer stay. However, if word got out that I had such a wild student, my reputation would plummet. I need to think.

Dear Diary,

After a night of deep contemplation, I sent Sun Wu Kung away! I told Sun Wu Kung that if others learned that he was my pupil, that he would be in grave danger. From that, Sun Wu Kung swore to secrecy and went back to wherever he came from. In the process, Sun Wu Kung thanked me! I should be thanking him! Thank you, Sun Wu Kung, for leaving my life, and may you never come again.

Dear Diary,

I heard rumors about some upstart calling himself “The Great Saint,” but I never paid much attention to them. But then, I learned The Great Saint is an ape who could be none other than Sun Wu Kung! 

There is a mountain of misdeeds, such as stealing the elixir of life, erasing the mortality of his ape family, stealing weapons, etc. The Lord of the Heavens attempted to arrest him, but Sun Wu Kung had evaded arrest multiple times. Finally, they trapped him with the help of Buddha. But for all the horrendous deeds, I have not heard anything about who his teacher was. Which means I’m safe! I’m so glad I told Sun Wu Kung not to mention his connection to me. To think, I was only worried about being a laughing stock in front of the other teachers, but the Lord of the Heavens could have beheaded me for teaching such a troublemaker.

___________________________________________________________________________

Bibliography: 

"The Monkey King" from The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921). Source.

Image Information: The Monkey King by Yoshitoshi. Source.

Reading Notes Week 7: The Monkey King, Part A

Bibliography: Excerpt from The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921). Source.

The Monkey King by Yoshitoshi. Source.

A mountain on the island "Mountain of Flowers and Fruits" contains a high rock that absorbed power since the beginning of time. The rock opened to reveal a stone egg, the egg opened to reveal a stone ape who absorbed the power from the high rock. The Lord of the Heavens noticed this power and freaked out and from the two gods he sent, they told him about the stone ape.

The stone ape plays with other apes and found a waterfall. Stone ape made it through the waterfall so he was dubbed "Handsome King of the Apes." He lived happily with his subjects for 300 years.

The Handsome King of the Apes realized that mortality was a thing, so all they apes were sad about how one day they would die. An elder ape mentioned that the Buddhas, blessed spirits and gods don't die and aren't reborn. The Monkey King wants to know how to become one of the three.

The Monkey King travels and arrives in Asia, disguised as a human but for 9 years he did not see anyone who cared about life. The monkey king then decided to cross the western sea. He arrives in the land of the west and meets a woodchopper who knows a song from a spirit named 'The Discerner'  that lives in a mountain called the Mountain of the Heart. The Discerner gives Sun Wu Kung his name. Sun Wu Kung foes chores for multiple years and when the spirit starts a lesson, Sun Wu Kung was so happy that he understood that he danced. The Discerner offers multiple more lessons, but Sun Wu Kung rejects them since they will not lead to immortal life.

The Discerner whacks Sun Wu Kung on the head who interprets it as a message to learn how to obtain immortal life. Sun Wu Kung follows the message and the Discerner is impressed that Sun Wu Kung understood the message and decides to teach him the way to immortality. Sun Wu Kung must face more dangers.

Sun Wu Kung shows off to classmates and the Discerner sends him away for it. Back home at the island, Sun Wu Kung hears about a kidnapper: the Devil-King of Chaos. Sun Wu Kung defeats him and saves the children.

Sun Wu Kung trains apes to protect themselves and decides they may be seen as a threat. Sun Wu Kung is offered to buy metal for weapons but instead, Sun Wu Kung decides to steal from the armory. Sun Wu Kung can not find a weapon that suits him because they are all too light. He eventually gets a legendary weapon that can grow and shrink at his will and demands armor as well from the Dragon-King.

Sun Wu Kung starts an empire but wakes up in the Nether World. He erases his and his family's deaths from the Book of Life. Now the are all immortal.

Retelling Ideas;

The Discerner did not give a special signal to Sun Wu Kung but gives hum a mission anyways to get rid of him. Later the Dicerner hears about the exploits of someone calling himself the Great Saint, only to realize he is none other than Sun Wu Kung. The Discerner is happy he made Sun Wu Kung promise not to tell anyone that he is the Discerner's former pupil.

Reading Notes Week 7: The Monkey King, Part B

Bibliography: Excerpt from The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921). Source.

The Monkey King by Yoshitoshi. Source.

The Lord of the Heavens hears about how Sun Wu Kung decided to erase his and his family's deaths from the Book of Life and decides to take him, prisoner. The Evening Star objects to this and wants Sun Wu Kung to learn responsibility. Sun Wu Kung is given charge of the stables. At a banquet, Sun Wu Kung learns that his position is not honorable and he rages out of the Heavenly realm and goes back to the island. Devil Kings say Sun Wu Kung is equal to the Lord of the Heavens, aka The Great Saint. Sun Wu Kung agrees to this flattery.

Lord of the Heavens hears that Sun Wu Kung went away and orders that he be imprisoned but Sun Wu Kung beats all would-be captors in combat. Evening Star suggests that the Lord of the Heavens accept Sun Wu Kung as the Great Saint because it doesn't actually mean anything. Later, Sun Wu Kung who now lives in heaven is given charge of caring for the peaches of the Queen-Mother so he doesn't get into any mischief. Sun Wu Kung ends up eating a lot of peaches. He decides to go home and comes across some Elixir of Life made by Laotzse and eats the pills of like. Sun Wu Kung decides to go back to the island for real before he gets in trouble. Sun Wu Kung goes home and steals peach wine for his apes.

The Lord of the Heavens hears about all of this and tries to capture Sun Wu Kung. Eventually, they capture him but are unable to kill him. but no one can defeat him. Finally, the Lord of the Heavens sends for Buddha who is able to trap Sun Wu Kung. Sun Wu Kung goes on his own journey and repents and is granted the title of God of Victorious Strife

Week 6 Lab: TED Talk Videos

Photo of TED Stage Logo with Julie Freeman Altered by Juliana Rotich. Source.

This week I decided to complete the Story Lab: TED Talk option.

The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Source.

When I watched Adichie's TED Talk, I was struck by how she began by introducing herself as a storyteller. Adichie explains how she wrote stories like the ones she read, including cultural differences she did not understand. She only read British and American books, and as a result, she had a single story of what made up a book.

This anecdote made me understand part of why this TED talk was picked out of the hundreds of other TED talks to view for this class.

In this class, we will read stories from all over the world. The exposure to other stories helps dissolve the single-story, which in turn prevents a lot of harm. Adichie mentions that a single-story is not necessarily incorrect, but it is incomplete. It is when we refuse to acknowledge any other story that we alienate other cultural groups as "different and "wrong" rather than noticing our similarities.

This highlight on differences is where I believe the most harm from a single story comes in. As shown in history, when one group meets another, there are cultural differences. Unfortunately, multiple groups have been stripped of their cultural identity and forced to assimilate with European culture (see the 1892 speech made by Capt. Richard H. Pratt's "Kill the Indian, and Save the Man." Source.). Westerners had a single story of what was proper and correct in many things. As a result, they did not try to understand the cultures they eventually repressed and instead simplified them as wrong and Devil-worshipping.

Imaginary friends and real-world consequences by Jennifer Barnes. Source.

I am an avid fan of multiple fictional universes. I buy merchandise, spend hours watching, reading, drawing, etc. to interact with my favorite characters. I've yelled at the TV when someone in the fictional multiverse doesn't go right for a character. When a character I love died, I could cry buckets and buckets or flat out deny canon. I'll well aware of what a parasocial relationship is. Before I watched Barnes' TED talk, I already knew first-hand why we care about fictional characters.

Something that she made me consider though was the blend our subconscious makes between fiction and reality. If we can subconsciously believe fictional universes as real, perceive actual events as fiction? In the case of fictional characters, we know they aren't real, but we still feel close to them. By contrast, we can treat real events as stories and put them away in our minds like a book on a shelf.

Barnes mentioned that we view fictional characters as part of our social circle. And like real friends, fictional characters provide comfort and grief and all the emotions in-between. I want to expand on this idea with real-world events. By treating them as fiction, we protect ourselves from going insane over every horrible thing in the world.

Sometimes this denial is on a subconscious level where we understand it is real without the emotions. However, sometimes would this expand to flat out denying that the horrible event happened? In either case, how would that affect our empathy? I suggest we become more apathetic. To counteract his effect, we must be careful not to ignore what real people go through when we do not experience their suffering ourselves.

Week 6 Reading Notes: Turkish Fairy Tales, Part B

The Pearl Fan by Robert Lewis Reid. Source.

Bibliography: Excerpt from Forty-Four Turkish Fairy Tales by Ignacz Kunos. Source.

Story: "Patience Stone and Patience Knife"

A young woman is at home alone when a bird flies to her window and says, "Oh my poor maiden, your kismet [fate] is with a dead person." The young woman freaks out about this. Later in the day, the mother comes home and the young woman tells her what happened. The mother advises her to lock the door and window. The next day, the young woman locks the door and window but the bird comes in and says the same thing. The mother tells her daughter to continue locking the door but hide in the cupboard and work with only candles for light. However, the bird continues getting in. The mother and daughter stay at home and wait for the bird to show up again. A few days later, girls in the neighborhood ask the daughter to come out and play. The mother is reluctant but the neighborhood girls promise to watch out for the daughter. However, on the way back on a fun day out, the neighborhood girls and young woman stop at a spring to get water when a magical wall pops out of the ground between the young woman and the neighborhood girls. The mother hears about this but she and her daughter are separated by the wall. The daughter cries a lot and eventually notices a door in the wall that leads to a palace.

In the palace are rooms made out of gems and the young woman eventually finds a young prince lying on a corpse frame (bier). On the young prince is a document that says anyone who fans him with the pearl fan and prays hor him for forty days will find her fate. The young woman remembers what the bird says and fans the young prince. On the last day, another girl comes by and our heroine asks her to fan the prince while she prepares everything for his awakening. The prince wakes up and the rival makes him believe that she was the one who fanned him for many days while the heroine is a servant. The prince has been comatose this whole time so he goes with the flow.

A Festival approaches and the young prince wants to give everyone a gift. The heroine asks for a patience-stone and patience-knife. The young prince wants to know why the heroine wants it. He watches her carve something with the patience-stone and patience-knife. The heroine recounts what happened and the stone splits by the end of it. The heroine says if a stone can't bear her life story, how can she, so she decides to commit suicide. The prince stops her and they get married.

That blasted bird sometimes visits and says, "O maid! O happy maid! You have found your kismet."

Retelling Ideas:

The heroine is tired of bird making her anxious. If she can't avoid her fate, she will confront it. She decides to catch the bird and make it tell her what he is blabbing on about with her fate. With the bird in a cage, the heroine marches right up to where the wall will appear and sees a young prince in a coma, not a dead person. She fans the prince and visitor girl appears. The prince is tricked into believing the visitor girl is his fate. The heroine tells what happened, and uses the bird as a witness. They all live happily ever after (except for the rival girl who is banished).

Image may be from a painting commissioned for the young woman who fanned him for forty days.

Week 6 Reading Notes: Turkish Fairy Tales, Part A

Image Information: Pomacanthus imperator (Emperor angelfish) juvenile Photo by Nick Hobgood. Source.

Bibliography: Excerpt from Forty-Four Turkish Fairy Tales by Ignacz Kunos. Source.

Story: Fear

A young man does not understand what fear is, so he decides to look for it. He finds robbers. The robbers are confused for why the young man is not afraid but they send him to other places, like a graveyard. The boy sees a living corpse hand but just smacks it away from his cake. The young man encounters a gathering to select a new Shah (lord). The pigeons that choose the Shah land on the young man's head. The young man and the Sultana eat food. The young man knows fear when a live bird flies out when one dish is opened. Moral of the story is that you don't look for fear, fear finds you?

Retelling Ideas:

Modern AU with one boy not knowing fear out of all of his friends. His friends try to get the boy to be afraid, using ideas from horror movies? The friends get busy trying to find new scare tactics. The boy is left alone. Maybe the boy's fear is isolation and as long as he has friends and family by him there isn't anything to be scared of?

Story: The Fish Peri

Man catches fish but it is so beautiful he doesn't want to kill it. His house gets tidied out from he is away fishing. The man secretly stays home. The beautiful fish turns into a beautiful woman, and the two get married? Noble wants to marry wife, but through wife's magic and the man following her direction, they live happily ever after.

Why did the two of them need to get married though?

Retelling Ideas: They do not get married. Maybe fish is happy to be alive and helps the man not starve to death (which was his original problem in needing a job).