Emma Keith

This week I read from some of the Great Plains tales, which overall, I found more clear and more easy to follow than the Blackfoot stories I read last week. Here were some of my favorites from this unit:  Sacred Legend: Omaha I really enjoyed this creation/origin story — it was very natural and easy to follow. I feel like a story that stretches this far back could very easily be told from the perspective of an elderly grandmother with grandchildren and great-grandchildren on her knee. They could interject with questions to prompt her explanations of how so many inventions came to be.  The Sacred Pole I actually think the grandmother/grandfather idea could be used with this story too. The pole would be an object central to this Omaha tribe, so maybe a child could one day question where the pole came from and their grandfather could sit them down and explain to them how the superstitions surrounding the pole came to be, and why the tree was maimed in ...

I began life as a boulder.  A rather large boulder, but a simple boulder, nonetheless. My humble beginnings are all in my past now.  But a boulder in the great Yosemite Valley, where I watched the children of the tribe and the wild creatures pass me by season by season. I am certain, is the most beautiful place on earth, but I grew tired of my insignificance in that valley.  One day, as I was bemoaning my place in the world, two tiny boys from the nearby tribe sat down on my smooth, shiny surface. I was warmed by the sun that day and they were clearly tired from their day in the Merced, so I happily hosted their nap.  I cannot explain what happened next; it must be the magic of that valley. All I know is that I began to feel a change, and the next I knew, I was growing. So slowly I barely noticed at first; so slowly that I didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late. I grew until I was too tall for these two small boys to safely escap...

I decided to switch things around by reading some  Southwestern and California Legends unit , which I very much enjoyed! Some of the Blackfoot tales were quite confusing, but these were a little clearer and more enjoyable a read. El Capitan. Personal photo, March 2017.  Legend of Tu-Tok-A-Nu'-La (El Capitan) I love this El Capitan origin story. I visited Yosemitee Valley for the first time this spring, and the wall is a true marvel. In retelling this story, I'd like to tell it from  Tu-Tok-A-Nu'-La's point of view, to detail how it gr ew to such a mighty cliff, how it held the two small boys as they slept, how only the Measuring-Worm could climb its great heights.    Origin of the Raven and the Macaw This one could be reframed as more of a gameshow or competition run by the priest  Yanauluha. It'd start with the dramatic choice between the red eggs and the blue, and follow the choices of the Raven People and the Macaw People. The pri...

This week, I dug into some Blackfoot folk tales. I found that many of them were convoluted and a little confusing — some left some loose ends and included confusing details. But here are a few of my favorites and my plans for retelling them:       A grey wolf. Courtesy of Retron. Source: Wikipedia Commons . The Wolf Man In my retelling, the man and his wives' story would be relocated to space. They would  all live in a giant space station (in a scientist/researcher community with other astronauts), and when the husband gets tired of living with unproductive wives, he would jet the three of them off in a separate ship. Instead of setting a trap for him to kill him, the wives would shut him out of the ship "accidentally" one day while he does maintenance in his suit outside the ship.  The man could be found by some extraterrestrials and assimilated into their ways when his wives leave him for dead. And in my ending, I'm not certain I want...

With this next obituary in my series, I want to strike a bit more of a bittersweet note with the story of Eurydice.  Orpheus and Eurydice  by Frederic Leighton. Source: Wikipedia Commons . Some background I've gathered on Eurydice: she was one of Apollo's (god of the sun) daughters, and an oak nymph ( nymphs are divine spirits but not gods, and therefore, not immortal). Eurydice was married to the poet, musician and prophet Orpheus , a child of one of the muses, and the two were deeply in love (though their marriage was predicted to be extremely short by Hymen , the god of marriage ceremonies).  Eurydice's story is an interesting one for this storybook since it mostly begins after her death. One day, as she's being chased by the shepherd  Aristaeus (who was swept away by her beauty) , she's bitten by a viper and quickly dies of its poison. Orpheus is so wrecked by her death that he journeys to the underworld to retrieve her.  Orpheus' g...

This week, I read from the Japanese Fairy Tale anthology (since I read some African folk  tales during week 7 and wanted to switch things up). Here are my thoughts on some of these lovely stories: The Maiden with the Wooden Helmet The stonecutter and the mountain spirit. Courtesy of Laura Gibbs. Source: UnTextbook . This story is very sad and sweet. I think it could be more detailed if told from the point of view of the maiden, as she undergoes great tragedy and sorrow only to find great beauty and happiness. There's great emotional potential when the story is told from her perspective, since the story has other main characters, but mostly revolves around her trials. The Stonecutter I like the idea of and the detail in this story. My thoughts for retelling are: what if this story was told from an animal's point of view? For example, a small mouse is content with his life in the fields, but then meets a mouse who lives in a barn and wishes that ...

In general, I am quite pleased with my progress in this class. I love the storybook I've been able to make and I do enjoy reading and writing every week. I especially enjoy the weekly storytelling, since it forces me to exercise some creative writing muscles I otherwise might not use. From checking the grading chart, it looks like I'm right on track with 210 points in the middle of Week 8. At this point, I've only missed two reading assignments, but I also haven't gotten a chance to do any extra credit.  I'm okay with where I am, but I definitely know I could be doing better, especially by staying more on top of my schedule. While my original schedule had me doing work at the beginning of the week, I've found myself putting work off till the day it's due. Moving forward, I need to start fighting procrastination and do my assignments on schedule to really get the most out of them. I also need to take advantage of and try out the extra credit options, sin...

While I think the comment assignments are a great concept and are useful with some students, I've also found that sometimes comments can just be empty words or not particularly, depending on the commenter. As far as others' comments on my work — most are very kind and encouraging, but not overly constructive. I find that many comments (both on my work and in the comments I've read on other students' work) remark on how creative or interesting the story is, and fill the required words with compliments. While this seems nice, it doesn't help me or other students improve our work.  When I leave comments, I try to avoid that rut. I compliment at the beginning, but then always pull out at least two aspects of the story or project I think could be improved, and actually give advice on how to improve them. I want to be helpful and honest in my comments and I do hope I'm accomplishing that goal and that my comments are actually useful to others. One aspect of co...

Over the past seven weeks, there are several aspects of this class I've really enjoyed and found helpful. I love that this class allows me to learn at my own pace while thoughtfully restructuring and retelling the material I absorb. As far as the reading assignments go, the reading notes are very helpful when I do my retellings each week. They definitely help me engage and pay attention more when I do the actual readings.  I think the most unique reading I've done was the stories from the Congo unit . Every story was dark and slightly disturbing, but fascinating, and I loved how they all incorporated local animals and traditions. One story I really enjoyed retelling was the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe , which I put a twist ending on. I was definitely challenged by my retelling of the beginning of the Arabian Nights tales , since those stories evolve into multiple layers, but I tried to simplify the retelling and do it creatively.  I've always had difficulty wit...

This week, I worked on my planning post to get ready for the first post in my storybook, which will tell the story of Ixion. My retelling, an obituary penned by Hermes, would include some of Ixion’s backstory — that he’s one of the Lapiths; that he was a king.  "Ixion," by Jose Ribera. Source: Wikimedia Commons. I really want to dwell on his two major crimes in this story, his greatest offense being the murder of his father-in-law. Though his second crime is the one that gets him sent to Tartarus, I would have Hermes be most offended and horrified by this first crime, a terrible betrayal of family (apparently, Ixion is the first man to murder his kin).  When Ixion marries Dia, his father-in-law Eioneus steals Ixion's mares as payment. Ixion then has Eioneus for dinner and burns him alive. For this crime, Ixion is an outcast, rejected and un-forgiven by much of society. He’s finally purified and forgiven by Zeus, who takes mercy on him and hosts him at Olympu...

For this reading, I returned to the depths of the Congo to hear more tales about tricksters and African animals. The Turtle and the Man This story was interesting and quite dark, but also slightly confusing. I forgot the man was part of the story till the very end, and I wish he would have connected with the rest of the story somehow. Maybe in a retelling, I could have the leopard actually be the man in disguise, getting revenge on the tortoise for taking the best trap.  The Rabbit and the Antelope I enjoy the idea of this story and the continuance of the trickster theme that shows up in so many of these Congo stories. However, I think the ending wasn't terribly satisfying — the antelope just kills the rabbit and the story ends. Maybe, to get justice, the antelope makes the rabbit tend his fields or dig another well all by himself (maybe he digs another well and the antelope won't let him drink from it the whole time he digs). Nile crocodile. Courtesy of...

"Sunrise on the Congo River." Source: Wikipedia Commons. This week, I explored these dark and magical tales from the depths of the Congo. Some of these stories were quite disturbing, but I really enjoyed most of them. Here are a few of my favorites: How Gazelle Got Married This story is interesting and whimsical, but I wasn't quite satisfied by the ending. It seemed like there was no real rivalry between the antelope and the prince until the very end of the story, when it's told in one sentence. I'd like to retell this story so the antelope actually wins the promise the princesses' hands while the prince and his dog are distracted, then the prince and antelope go to war. The ending could even feature the princesses marrying someone else entirely while the antelope and prince feud. The Jealous  Wife   This tale is quite dark and sad, but I did think it was interesting. I generally liked the plot and characters despite the overall melanc...