Reading Diary A - Nigerian Folk Stories

For this reading diary, I chose to read Nigerian Folk Stories.

The Pretty Stranger who Killed the King - The line at the end really is what summarizes what the story is trying to show.  Even if you think someone is the most beautiful person on the outside, you do not know what they are like on the inside.  Thus you have to get to know the person before wanting to spend the rest of your life with them.

Why the Bat Flies at Night - This was an interesting story, and also shows what happened when you are misinformed.  If you are doing something new, you always have to know what you are going to do.

(Wikipedia)

The Disobedient Daughter Who Married a Skull - This is similar to the first story, in that the story says that you should really get to know the person who you want.

The King Who Married the Cock's Daughter - This was an interesting story.  I can't imagine what the cock's daughter would have looked like to have the king marry her.  Though you can't get mad at someone for doing what only seems natural to them.

The Woman, The Ape, and the Child - This story's interesting, but also it showed what happens when you let your anger get the best of you.

The Fish and the Leopard's Wife - This was certainly a strange story, but that is also what happens when you lust after something that is not supposed to be yours.

Why The Worms Live Underneath The Ground - All of these stories are creation stories, or stories about how animals are living the way they are.  These are always interesting to read based on each culture.

The Elephant and the Tortoise - This was certainly a unique story that included a cunning animal, and an animal that needed to learn a lesson.  I think this is a characteristic for all cultural folk tales.

Why Hawk Kills Chicken - This was a sad story that the young rooster could not jus try to get his own instead.

Why The Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky - I think these cultural folk tales are always fascinating because there is always a unique answer for why something is the way it is.

Why Cat Kills Rats - The poor cat, he just wanted to have his own way in the world and the rat would not let him.

Extra Reading Diary - Stories from Congo

For this extra reading diary, I chose to read Stories from Congo.

How the Wives Restores Their Husband To Life - This story had a very valid point in it.  While I do not think I will have to bring anyone back to life anytime soon, I still think that it was a valid point that the husband made when choosing which wife to join.

How Gazelle Got Married - I read this story previously in the semester, but I do think that this was a great story.  It certainly fit into the category of stories from the congo.

The Vanishing Wife - This story shows that sometimes, even if you do not want to, you need to follow directions that are given to you.  For if you do not, you sometimes may not be able to keep what you want.

Another Vanishing Wife - This story shows quite plainly what happens when you try to please other people and gain the appreciation of other people compared to the appreciation of yourself and those closest to you.

(Wikipedia)

The Jealous Wife - Only bad things happen when you try to kill, or even hurt, children.  They are so precious and so innocent, that anything they do is not something that should become worth being jealous of.

Ngomba's Balloon - This story reminds me of something you would watch on CSI or SVU or some other tv show similar to that.  The fact the girl was kidnapped, married to her kidnapper, had to create a long charade to eventually escape from her kidnapper and then her village helped kill the kidnapper.

The Wicked Husband - Well, that is quite a terrible story.  But you if don't like someone that much, why did you marry them?  Or you could just not get angry over some pine nuts, even if they do take a lot of effort.

How Kengi Lost Her Child - I think that based on the agreement Kengi and Gunga had, Kengi would have been smart enough not to give birth to her child on Gunga's plantation.  She knew what the agreement was, so it is her fault that she lost her child.

The Twin Brothers - Brothers can be so violent to each other.  One saved the other and saved his wife as well, and they ended up killing each other.

The Younger Brother Who Knew More Than The Elder - It was certainly a clever way the elder brother was able to save the younger brother's wife.  And also the fact they ended happily, so they were able to live together peacefully for once.

The Horrors of Reality

Ben had always had aspirations to grow up and be famous.  He didn't care how he got that way, but he knew he wanted to be famous.  Seeing all of the movie stars and pop singers being swarmed by beautiful women, having money, and being able to do whatever they wanted, that is what he wanted.

But the problem was, Ben was from, Bancroft, Nebraska.  That meant there were very few prospects in his town.  There was barely anything to do in town, and out of town there were only miles of farmland to be found.

(Wikipedia)

One day, while on Facebook, Ben saw a post about a reality tv show that was having auditions.  It was a new show that hadn't ever been on tv before, something about a group of 20-somethings trying to make it in a big city.  Ben didn't pay that much attention to the details of the show.  All he saw was that the show was having auditions in a city just a couple hours drive from where he lived.  He realized that the could go, get on the show and become famous!

He didn't pay attention to anything else at that point.  He took note of when and where the audition was (it was tomorrow!) and then raced around his room grabbing things to pack.  His head was just in such a whirl from the excitement and opportunity that had been presented to him.  After he finished packing everything, he jumped in his car and raced off to where the audition was being held.  After getting lost a few times on the way, he finally made it.  He found where the audition was going to be held and realized he had to find a place to spend the night.  The sun was already setting and he was in a foreign city.  After driving around for a little while, he couldn't find a hotel or a place to stay for the night because every place available was full.  So he decided the next best option was to park in the parking lot next to where the audition was going to be and sleep in his car.  He was all settled to get a couple hours of sleep when he heard a rapping at the door.

"What are you doing here?!  You need to leave now!"  Startled, Ben jumped in his seat and looked out the window.  There was an old grumpy officer  glaring down at him.

"I'm sorry sir.  I'm here for the reality tv show audition in the morning and i didn't have anywhere else to sleep."

"I don't care why you are here.  You need to leave now!"

"Ok, ok.  I'm going.  I'm sorry sir."  Ben put his car into reverse and pulled out of the parking lot.  What was he going to do now?  It was just past midnight and he still had to find a place to stay for the night.  He drove around some and found a parking lot that was next to a hotel.  No one would ever think twice about another car parked next to a hotel, right?  Ben pulled up to a spot, turned off the car and settled in for the night.  Just as he drifted off to sleep, he heard a knocking on his car door window.  "Again?"  He thought sleepily as he turned around to see who it was.

"What are you doing here?!  You need to leave now!"  Ben stared at him in shock.  It was the exact same guy who had told him to leave the other parking lot!  Ben rolled down the window and stared up at the officer.

"I'm so sorry officer.  But, didn't you just tell me to move my car less than an hour ago?"

"No! What are you doing making up stories sonny?! Actually . . you may have run into my brother.  We are identical you see."

"That must have been it.  I'm so sorry for the confusion officer.  I will leave right away."  Ben said apologetically and pulled away from the spot.  "Great.  It is almost 2 now and I need to get some sleep!"  Ben drove around for a little longer and decided to go to the opposite side of town.  He finally found another spot just before 3 and settled in for the night.  Then, before he knew it, there was more knocking on his window.

"What are you doing here?!  You need to leave now!"  The SAME officer was before was staring down at him.

"Don't you know already?  I already told you that I am here for the audition for the reality tv show.  I then met you brother and he told me to move my car again."

"You never told me that!  You probably ran into my other brothers.  We are triplets and are all night watch in this town.  However, I don't give a flying flip about why you are here!  You need to leave now!"

"Ok, ok.  I'm going, I'm going." Ben grumbled, as he pulled out of the spot for a final time.  "You know, what?!  I am going home.  I can't handle this.  I'll find some other way to get my dream."  And he pealed off racing towards his hometown.  As soon as he got home, he landed in his bed and slept until the late afternoon.  A couple weeks later, Ben was looking through the newspaper and saw an article about the tv show he had been planning on trying out for.  It turns out that the show was canceled before it started due to the extreme amount of physical, mental and emotional stress it put those on the tv show through.

"Hmmm," mused Ben. "I guess it was a good thing after all that I never tried out for that."


Author's Note: This story is based on the story How the Raven Saved the Hunter.  In this story a poor man goes out to hunt to try to find something to eat.  In the middle of the day he stops for he is tired and hungry.  He spots a small stream with crystal clear water flowing through it.  He goes to drink the water when a raven stops him by knocking the leaf out of his hand.  The man tries to drink two more times and the raven stops him two more times.  Finally, the man becomes so frustrated he kills the raven.  After wondering if the raven was trying to stop him for a reason, he walks up the stream.  He finds that the stream flows out of the mouth of a giant snake and there are animals all around who tried to drink and died because it was poisoned.  With horror, the man realizes he killed the bird who was trying to save his life.

Reading Diary B - Tibetan Folk Tales

For this reading diary, I am finishing reading Tibetan Folk Tales.

How the Rabbit Killed the Lion - This story shows how wits and brains will always be able to help you much more than strength and pure force, since the wits kept the rabbit alive and the force is what caused the lion to drown.

The Three Hunters - This story shows what happens when you let jealously get the best of you.  Jealousy is a nasty trait that can either inspire you to do better or convince you to do evil things.

How the Raven Saved the Hunter - At least the hunter thought and was able to realize the raven did not want him to drink the water before it was too late.  It was very foolish of the hunter to just strike out at the raven like he did.

The Golden Squash - This story shows what happens when you try to get too much of something for the wrong reasons.  It will come back to haunt you in the end.

The Man With Five Friends - Sometimes your parents do know what they are talking about, even if it sounds like they are just talking crazy.  This is what happened here and it caused the man to become elected an official.

(Wikipedia)

The Violinist - In this story those who asked too much were eventually punished.  The king was an evil so it was fitting that the violinist was able to take control of the kingdom.

How the Sacred Duck Got His Yellow Breast - This is a very interesting way as to which the duck got his yellow breast.

The Two Little Cats - This story shows the power of team work and what you can accomplish if you work together.

How the Wolf, the Fox and the Rabbit Committed a Crime - This story is a perfect example of if you want to do something, you will have to do it yourself.  For the rabbit did everything himself in terms of distributing the items and he ended up with the best option.

A Rabbit's Story - This story is full of mean and spiteful things that happened to everyone else.  I understand why he did those things to the bears but not to everyone else.  The young rabbit was just a mean person.

The Man and the Monkeys - This story clearly and plainly shows that you need to, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  For if you are mean to people, they will come back and be mean to you.

Reading Diary A - Tibetan Folk Tales

For this reading diary, I decided to read Tibetan Folk Tales.

The Tiger and the Frog - This story was very clever for the frog was able to convince the tiger that he was more mighty than any old tiger.  And there was a little bit of humor added to the story to picture the tiger running as fast as he can and dragging the fox behind him.

The Cony Who Got Into Bad Company - This is a very just story for the bad people, who were caught doing something bad.  But they tried to get out of trouble by pretending they had been innocent in the whole thing when they actually weren't.

(Wikipedia)

The Story of the Donkey and the Rock - This story very much is an example of how curiosity killed the cat.  Except in this case, the villagers had to pay money instead of actually dying.  But it was a very clever way for the king to gain money for the man whose oil was knocked over.

How the Fox Fell Victim to His Own Deceit - This is a great example to show what would happen if you were to meddle in things and become jealous of things unnecessarily.  When you do, and try to destroy things, it will eventually come back to you.  For as the saying goes, what does around comes around.

The Ingratitude of Men - This story shows that you really shouldn't guess what a person is capable of and what they are able to do to help you just by looking at them.  For your guess may be wrong and cause you to end up in trouble.

Covetousness - This story certainly had quite a few deaths in it.  But I do agree with the moral of the story.  People need to be willing to share (because there will probably be enough to go around) and also don't think that you are always getting the short end of the stick.  Because if you do, then you will always have that chip on your shoulder.

The Wise Carpenter - This story is reminiscent of the story before.  For if you try to ruin someone else, it will most likely come back against you.

The Story of Drashup and the Goddesses - This story shows that there really is no escaping your fate and what is in story for you in the future.  For if you try to, you will still always end up with the same fate.

The Man and the Ghost - I thought this story was really weird.  I understand that it has a point in the Tibetan culture, but I still thought it a strange, and maybe pointless story.

The Two Devils - This story shows a good example if you try to be something that you are not.  For when you do, it ends up coming back on you and then you will get in trouble for it.

Comment Wall

You can post any comments about my blog here!

Extra Reading Diary - Turkish Fairy Tales

For my Extra Reading Diary, I decided to read Turkish Fairy Tales.

Fear - I was surprised how this boy never experienced fear, and did not understand the concept.  It was amazing how he was able to get through all of those different tasks.

Fear (cont.) - It is surprising that after all of the adventures the youth went through the youth was able to be surprised by a small act.  Having the bird flying out of the soup lid, was something he could have done at his home instead of traveling the world.

The Wizard-Dervish -I am surprised that the young Prince was not shocked or upset about being taken away from all he had known for the past 20 years.  He also was completely ok with being taken away to the strange place and marrying the young maiden.

The Wizard-Dervish (cont.) - I wonder why the young maiden had hid both herself and the young Prince from her mother.  There seemed to be no apparent reason for this.  Also, since they were getting married, wouldn't it be only right that they go and meet the mother of the young maiden?

The Fish-Peri - I wonder how the neighbor of the young man saw that there is was someone in the young man's house every day.  If the maiden was inside, how would it be possible for someone to tell?

The Fish-Peri (cont.) - I am glad for the happy ending to this story.  It was very rude of the Padishah to come in and demand the maiden and make the young man perform all of those difficult tasks just so he could keep the woman he wanted to be his wife.

(Wikipedia)

The Crow-Peri - The lala is a very cruel person.  All he wants to do is to make the bird-catcher be punished for not producing a certain special prize for the Padishah.  And this is all stemming from the fact the lala is just jealous of the bird-catcher.

The Crow-Peri (cont.) - The lala is such a mean hearted person.  I know I mentioned it before, but the fact that he is jealous of the bird-catcher and the Padishah no matter what they do shows just how spiteful he is.