Essay for Week 14

Different Kind of Magic

Russia still has an odd mixture of religion. Image Info.

In these Russian Folk Tales, there is still lots of magic and talking animals and transformations of people into geographical elements, but there all of these things are done because of or with permission of God. It almost feels like the stories were all taken and remade to be able to fit into a corrected version that is actually suitable for children.

A lot of the stories read like parables or a bad TV show that throws in a corny message somewhere in the end. In particular, "The Treasure," is a story about a poor man who finds a treasure and a horrible reverend who tries to steal the money from the man. The reverend dresses in goat skin posing as the devil and scares the old man into giving up the money. When he returns home and attempts to take off the goat skin costume, it has become his flesh. He is not a goat but some sort of horrible creature, and all this doing was accredited to God punishing him for his evil ways.

Another story, "The Three Copecks," features an orphan who is continually rewarded by trusting that God will lead him happiness if he is done what he is told. In the end, he ends up with a lovely life and a very comfortable living. This one, along with many others, does not overtly mention God, but it always throws in some "thank you, Lord" phrases and "praise be to God!" shouts and such. It is just interesting to see the difference in the origins of the people telling the stories. All the european folk tales talk about witches and evil, but the good magic all comes from pagan origins like the spirits of the forest or fairies, never religion. Even though the stories are identical to other folk tales, the small changes point out the differences in the people groups at the time of the story telling. Clearly, Russia has had many people groups and religions, but these stories seem to have come from only one of those groups.

Read the stories.

Essay Post Week 13

Grimm Fairy Tales Are Basically YouTube

I am sure you have all heard how dark and horrible the original fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm are when compared to the magical, watered down versions of today. I would agree that they are dark and can be scary for little kids, but that was partially their purpose. Making kids afraid to go alone in the dark or to take candy from strangers is a good thing. However, there are points in the story where people get pregnant out of wedlock, like in Rapunzel, or where characters die in pretty horrible ways. But, if you were to look at some of the cartoons of today, I feel like you would be just as surprised at the weird things that you find. And if you were to go on YouTube, there is no limit to the odd, offensive, and inappropriate things you could find.

I think that if you compare the stories from The Brothers Grimm to modern day stories that are intended for a younger audience, then you will find that they are basically at the same level. One of the stories in particular that I read this week struck me as what would make a hilarious YouTube video. In "The Straw, The Coal, and The Bean," the titular characters survive a long, scary night of cooking and decide to run away together to increase their chances of staying alive. The bean, coal, and straw all talk to one another and they say a lot of nonsense. When they come to a small stream, they decide that it is a good idea for the coal to walk across on the straw. The coal freaks out, catches the straw on fire, and then they both fall into the stream. The bean is watching on the bank and laughs so hard that he splits open. This story is basically pointless, but I thought it was hilarious. If it was on YouTube, I would share it and watch it and tweet it and force my friends to watch it.

The ability for such a weird, humorous story to be in the middle of these dark stories, made me think that the dark parts were not actually meant to be taken that seriously. Apparently, people who write stories for children have always been really weird. When people look back at Adventure Time, I am sure they will wonder why anyone would watch such a weird, nonsensical show. But, they are forgetting that we know how weird it is and we like it anyway. Everyone has always seen how violent and odd these fairy tales are, but that will never stop people from sharing their magic and entertainment.

 Adventure Time poster. Image Info.

Read the stories here.

Week 11 Essay

Alice in Wonderland and Drugs

Alice in Wonderland poster. Image Information.

A lot of people I know like to say that Alice in Wonderland is all about drugs or at least that Lewis Carroll was on a lot of drugs when he wrote it. Personally, I think that is taking a great piece of work and reducing it to something lesser. It is a shame when someone takes something that an artist has worked on very hard and they say, "well I could've done that too if I was that high." It is said so much that a lot of people think you need drugs to "expand your mind," or to be truly creative. 

The book was written about 150 years ago, but that does not mean there were not drugs. However, the drugs then were opiates and were not generally hallucinogens. I know that everything in this story is like you are "trippin," at least from what I have been told, but the intention of the book was to recreate the overactive imagination of a child. I think I get overly protective of the story because when I was little, the stories and places that I came up with while playing were way weirder than Wonderland.

My favorite game was one called mirror land and I would jump through this old, rusty frame of a large mirror to be transported there. Basically everything was backwards there, so I had a different name, a different family, and there were different rules of physics. The rules of physics were broken via trampoline. At some point, I decided you must also talk backwards, and to this day, I can say entire sentences completely backwards almost as fast as I can say them forward. Of course there are different rules of pronunciation when talking backward, but they can be learned.

I understand that it may be a possibility that the author was high. And I know that the candy makes her grow or shrink. In fact, after changing shapes so many different times, she has an identity crisis because she says that there is no way she can be the same person she was before she changed size so many times. The part about the mushrooms also having weird effects, like making her neck so long that she is basically a snake and gets attacked by birds in the air, definitely points to something weird going on. If you wanted to make this into a story about the consequences of drugs, it would not be difficult. But to me, you are taking a very innocent piece of art and making it into something very bad. 

So, the fact that kids can actually think of awesome worlds and stories on their own means that everyone is creative at some point in their life, and I believe that saying things like, "he must've been so high when he wrote that," limits your own creativity.

Full Story.

Week 10 Essay

The Use of Magic in Native American Fairy Tales

Every hero or villain in this section could do se sort of magic. Sometimes they were given this magic by nature and they considered it their responsibility to help others with it. Those people generally ended up being the heroes of the story. Others seemed not to be magical at all until they came to a point in the story where they would say "Let us turn into birds and fly away," and they they actually would turn into a bird. 

The magic seen in Grimm fairy tales or other European tales, is seen as unnatural, evil, and comes with horrible consequences. There are only witches, and the occasional wizard, who have sold their souls to the devil or have done some other dirty deed to obtain their powers. However, in Native American culture, nature was seen to be magical itself and almost at one with the gods. When the character in a european fairy tale needs to turn into a an eagle and escape, nothing happens and they run. When an indian needs to turn into a bird, they state it or ask someone how to do it, and then it happens.

The respect of nature and animals tends to show through in these stories. While many of the stories include the theme of conquering nature and animals or at least ruling over them, there is always a large amount of respect for the power of nature that is necessary to rule justly. The ease of magic in a lot of these stories suggests that magic itself is not a big deal. Every animal, every forest, every star has its own kind of magic. The hero always has access to this magic, kind of like a borrowing system, if they are in tune with nature and if they have honorable intentions.

"Magic Effects." Info.

Week 7 Essay: Memories of Reading

The first memory I have of reading is my mom reading a Bible story to my sister and I in our room. She would read to us every night, but this is the first time that I remember looking at the page and noticing that there was more than just pictures on the page. My mom explained to me that she was reading what was written on the page and not just making stuff up from the illustrations. I was very impressed since I had no idea how it worked. To me, reading was basically a kind of magic that I did not know how to do.

The next step in my reading journey was when I was in kindergarten. I am the youngest of four (three older sisters), so all my siblings learned to read and write a very long time before I did. One night, I went into my dad's office and saw two of my sisters reading in a chair and my dad reading at his desk. I got very jealous very quickly, so I walked up to my dad and asked him to teach me to read. He told me I would learn soon in school, but I was stubborn and told him that I wanted to learn now.

Children who are much less confused than I was when learning how to read. 

Image information.

My dad first explained that the page was made of paragraphs which were made of sentences, which were made of words, which were made of letters. So, he told me that I just needed to know what sounds the letters made and I would be set. He pointed to the first word on the page. The word was something along the lines of "everything" and I immediately told him that it was impossibly long. He agreed and went to "and." Now, I know the "a" sound and "d" and he helped me with the "n." However, I could not understand why it did not make three syllables.

This lesson continued and the same problem kept happening. It was probably about five minutes, but I was convinced that there were way too many letters and words and I would never be able to read. Fortunately for me, my first grade teacher was a genius for teaching how to read, and I could read small books by the end of the first semester. I also learned to really like those books because I could be like my big sisters and be in on my newfound magic skills that turned symbols into stories. I know that my dad actually did a pretty good job of trying to teach me, but it is probably for the best that I was quickly retaught by someone else.

Week 6 Essay: Horrible Chinese Parents

Parents and Children in Chinese Fairy Tales

Chinese Family including the women. Image information.

I really felt that the children and parents in these stories had horrible relationships, but I think that it may be somewhat realistic for Chinese culture. The stories generally had overbearing, very strict parents, but so do my Chinese friends.

The story that bothered me the most was "The Cave of the Beasts," which features a man with seven daughters. First off, the man is selfish. If he did not want to raise seven children, then he should have found a way to stop having kids after girl number four. 

When he finds seven goose eggs, he tells his wife to cook them all only for him and not to give the kids any. He also does not allow his wife to have one of the eggs. Predictably, the girls eat all the eggs and the dad gets angry. At this point, a normal "strict" parent does something along the lines of forcing the kids to do rough farming work or making them find 14 more goose eggs to repay him. However, this dad decides he is going to kill all of his children. 

I know that the Chinese do not have a great track record when it comes to the treatment of daughters, but killing all seven of your daughters at once should warrant a death penalty even in the Far East. Another thing that I found disturbing that can still be seen in Chinese culture today was that none of the family objected. The five older daughters know the dad's intentions to leave them in the forest for dead and refuse to go, but they do not warn the two youngest daughters. And perhaps worst of all, the mom says absolutely nothing to her own daughters. In modern Chinese culture, the complete dedication to the rules set by authority is very high. You do not speak against the government, and you do not speak against your father (at least not in front of him). 

The other part that bothers me so much about this horrendous father-daughter relationship is that after the daughters have faced the dangers of the forest, killed the wolf and the fox, and found huge amounts of treasure, the dad comes back for them and they instantly go back home. I am all for there being reconciliation with family members who may have made bad decisions, but in this case, there should have at least been a deal made where the girls get to keep their own treasure and the dad promises not to try to kill them again. 

Overall, not all of the stories in this unit had murderous parents, but there were other subtle examples of the absolute, unquestioned power of parents over their children throughout the fairy tales. 

You can find the whole story here.

Week 5 Essay Post

Crime and Justice in Turkish Fairy Tales

The stories in the Turkish Fairy Tale unit shed a little light on the odd justice system of the area. While nowadays the justice in Turkey at times will seem very harsh, depending on what demographic group someone belongs to may determine whether there will ever be justice at all. 

As for justice in these stories, it varies greatly in strictness. For example, in The Wizard and His Pupil, the wizard is a thief, but he teaches the young man to also be a thief, which he pursues. Then, when he runs away from the wizard, and the wizard tries to bring him back to work, the pupil kills the wizard. The pupil is supposed to be the good guy and is rewarded by becoming part of the king's court. This sort of justice seems a bit twisted to me. The wizard was not a good man, but the boy was just as dishonest and violent (hence the killing in the end).

This image by Arthur Rackham is how I imagine the man and the imp. Image information here.

While this is definitely a more interesting story and maybe more realistic than other fairy tales, there is generally a lesson to be learned, which does not happen here. Another example of odd, Turkish justice is from the Imp in the Well. When the main character's nagging, horrible wife falls down the well, no one does anything. The imp is so scared of having to spend time with her again that he flees when her name is mentioned and never returns. So, though she may be the most annoying person ever that does not mean that she deserves to die. But in these stories, anyone who is not the main character who breaks a rule is probably going face a horrible fate.

The justice in fairly tales is often skewed in favor of the main character, but no main characters have as morally questionable actions as the ones in the Turkish Fairy Tales.

You can find this reading unit at Turkish Fairy Tales.

Week 4 Essay

Magic in Arabian Nights

Though the frame story of Arabian Nights is set in an old but realistic world, it does not contain any magic. However, almost all of the stories that Scheherazade tells and even the ones that her characters’ characters tell contain magic and destiny. They also contain a main character that uses the magic for good or defeats someone who is trying to use magic for evil purposes.

In her first couple of stories, Scheherazade shows a genie that is angry and bitter from being trapped inside of a lamp for 400 years. He does not think about things, he just kind of tells everyone near him that he will kill them for being there. Eventually, his mind is changed and the magic changes from a source of fear for the main character to a source of joy. This change in the view of magic mirrors what Scheherazade hopes will be a change of heart in her murderous husband.

"He's Behind You" from the UK national archives. Aladdin.

In Aladdin, the source of magic is also coming from genies. These genies seem to not care (or are perhaps forced not to care) how bad or harmful a wish may be. Aladdin is not a special character or very admirable, but after years of use of magic wishes, he learned the responsibility of the power that comes with the genies. When he is effectively the sultan, the people love him because he takes care of them and is generous. When the African wizard has the genies, he kidnaps the princess and moves the palace, striking fear into the hearts of the people.

Overall, the theme of magic in Arabian Nights is used to reveal character. The person who is made to deal with magic reveals either that they are smart enough to use it for good and avoid death or that they are cowards and usually ends up dying. In the case of Aladdin, the magic actually builds character as he grows up with it and in the end he brings justice to the ones who misuse it. He kills not only the African wizard, but also his more evil little brother.

The stories discussed can be found in the Arabian Nights Section.

Essay Week 3: Animal Motif

Recurring Motifs: Saints Connection to Nature

In the Saints and Animals reading unit, the hero (saint) always had a supernatural command over or connection to wild animals. In almost all the stories, the saint has a deep connection to God and spurring from that, a deep connection to His creation. They clearly show the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These characteristics applied not only to humans but overflowed to all living creatures.

In these stories, the love for God’s creatures always led to some advantage over them, befriending them or using them for their bidding. In Christianity, it is believed that creation itself is proof that there is a great and powerful God. In the story of Job, when Job has lost all his family, his wealth, his friends, and his health, he cries out to God. The way that God shows him that He is in control is by reminding him about His awesome creation. In this description, God talks about wild animals that everyone fears and no one could try to kill with any real hope, but they are still under the control of their creator.

Carl Weidemeyer-Worpswede - Die Blümlein des heiligen Franziskus von Assisi.  Wolf

The theme of saints also being in control of animals is no different than control of any other part of God’s creation, including forces of nature. However the one thing that no saint ever has control over is another human. These stories may seem as if they elevate the importance of animals’ lives, and to some point, they do. But, the reason that humans cannot be controlled is because they have a soul and free will while all these animals, no matter how wild or strong they seem, still remain under control of the hero. In the end, though the animals may have been wild or killed people, they can always be tamed, and it is the humans in the story who always have the choice and ability to remain wild and are the real danger.

The story unit can be found here.

Essay Week 2: Fools in Love

Tricksters and Fools

Though Cupid and Psyche is remembered mostly for their love story, there is plenty of trickery going on. Mostly, it falls into two reasons for the tricks, jealousy and protection. First off, Cupid tricks his mother Venus and Psyche (and I guess everyone else) by concealing his identity and letting everyone think that Psyche has fallen into a bad marriage with a very mysterious man. Clearly, this intention was out of protection for Psyche, and he wanted to protect her because he loved her. The love between our two protagonists is the reason behind Psyche's later endurance of Venus's impossible tasks in order to be married to Cupid. However, all the remaining counts of trickery in this story are motivated by deep jealousy with a small hint of revenge.

The first set of bad-intentioned tricksters is Psyche's two older sisters. Though they are initially mourning for the loss of their sister, once they learn she has been taken to a nice palace and has a rich husband, their extreme sadness quickly turns to extreme hate. They let themselves become jealous of a marriage they knew nothing about and took for granted their own blessings. The trick they play is on Psyche, making her the fool. They convince her over several visits that she should not trust her husband and needs to kill him. Generally, taking the advice of your sisters does not make you a fool, but in this case, their horrible jealousy should have been clear as day. Then, in a very foolish act, Psyche actually starts the action of murdering Cupid in his sleep. Fortunately, she sees his face first and stops herself. Had Cupid not included his wife in his trickery, she would not have become the fool of her sisters in the first place. Of course, Psyche accidentally wakes him up, injuring him, and he flees in fear that for some reason Psyche is going to tell Venus and Venus will destroy her. This whole set of trickery actually goes exactly as planned by the sisters, and now it is their little sister's turn to try.

After Psyche figures out what her sisters have done to her and that they cost her her husband, she comes up with a plan for their death. Now knowing the extent of their jealousy, she gives them a chance at her life but when they foolishly jump to get to Cupid, they actually leap to their deaths. Their deaths showed their true disregard for their sister and both are now immortally labeled as fools.

Clearly there was lots of trickery in this tale, but all of it is there to warn the listener of making the same mistake as the fools. The most important detail is that (besides when Cupid fools the whole world) all the fools were only fooled because they let their emotions get the best of them and they never talked to anyone beside the trickster while making very important decisions.

Painting of Cupid and Psyche by Anthony van Dyck. Cupid and Psyche

Read the full story at Cupid.