My Blog for Myth and Folklore

Photo Credit:  flickr Feedback is often difficult for me to take, especially if it is especially negative or critical. I have had some good feedback experiences, however, and what I remember most about them were that they were objective and impersonal. One specific instance was in my Comp II class. I went to my professor's office hours and he critiqued the rough draft of my final paper. He pointed out the writing errors, such as misplaced commas or confusing sentences and clearly explained what was wrong and how I could fix it. I liked that he kept the focus on the paper and not on me and that he gave me ways to correct my errors. I felt like I was growing in my abilities as a writer instead of being criticized for my errors. I can also think of a time when I had bad experiences with feedback. Particularly, when it was a personal error. I worked as a teller in a bank and anytime I made an error I got a strike and it always felt like I was being told I wasn't good en...

Iliad  mythfolklore-Homer I have read this both for school and on my own a few times. I really like the story and get something new out of it each time I read it. I am not sure exactly what kind of a story I would want to write yet, however, I might focus on the gods, since there are so many of them and they are all taking sides and fighting with one another over the Greeks and Trojans. Another idea would be to look more into some of my favorite characters such as Patroclus, Ajax, Menelaus, Odysseus, or Antilochus. The Death of Patroclus:  wikimedia Cupid and Psyche mythfolklore-Apuleiuss I read both the original version of this story and one by CS Lewis called Till We Have Faces . I really like both versions of the story and I could easily do a retelling of it. Or I could focus on some of the side characters and describe what happened in their perspective like CS Lewis did. Another fun thing would be to change the time period or setting. Canterbury Tales myt...

Mary and the Tiger It was market day and Mary's two sisters wanted their usual gifts. They demanded their mother go and buy them all the things they wanted, however, Mary knew that her mother was still sick. She worried that her mother wouldn't be able to withstand the long trip to the market, let alone carry the many items all the way back on her own. "Please mother," she begged, "let me come with you or better yet, stay here and rest and I will go alone." Her mother protested but as she struggled to get out of bed she fell back coughing. "Go my child and be safe." Mary left quickly and as she left one of her sister's called out, "and remember, don't come back without the roses, I want three of them!" Mary hurried to the market and spent all days searching for everything on the long list her sisters had given her. When the last of the purchases was complete, she began the journey back, however, it was dark and foggy and...

There were a few stories that I really liked this week. The Tiger, The Brahman, and the Jackal Story source : Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1912). I really liked this story because at first, it seemed like the Jackal was very slow and unable to understand but as it turned out it was very smart and was tricking both the Brahman and the Tiger all the time. Another thing that stood out to me was that the pipal-tree, the buffalo, and the road were all so busy complaining they did not even care about the Brahman's plight. Sure, they were unhappy but he was about to be eaten! The jackal, however, helped him by tricking the tiger back into his cage by pretending to be foolish and stupid. Really, it was the Brahman who was foolish by letting the tiger out in the first place. If he hadn't been kind, he would never have been in trouble at all. It is an interesting parallel to look at the Brahman's kind act, which was foolish and cause...

Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4. Week 3: Illiad Week 4: Cupid and Psyche Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6. Week 5: Ancient Egypt Week 6: Arabian Nights Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. Week 7: Lang Week 9: China Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11. Week 10: Alaska Week 11: Hero Tales Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13. Week 12: Beowulf Week 13: Canterbury Tales Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15. Week 14: Hunt Week 15: Inferno I am really excited about the reading options I have explored and chosen so far. Some of these are stories I will be revisiting and some are entirely new. The stories from the Asian/African and the Native American units specifically I did not recognize but I am eager to read them. I am especially happy to read the Illiad and the Canterbury Tales which I have read before and I really like, however, I am also happy t...