Extra Reading Diary: Japanese Fairy Tales

Extra Reading Diary: Japanese Fairy Tales

The most interesting stories in this unit were about Kintaro or The Golden Boy. I like that he is a character that inspires a long story.

The Adventures of Kintaro, The Golden Boy:

The way that Kintaro is described in the beginning of this story reminded me of Hercules. He is also like Snow White in that he is best friends with the woodland creatures. I like the idea that he can not only talk to animals, but that he is also friends with them. The fact that all of them are about it wrestle each other is hilarious. This story made me interested to see where Kintaro's story was going to end up. 

Kintaro Doll
Source: Wikipedia Commons

Honestly this doll is really creepy, but it gives an idea of how the people of Japan see Kintaro.

The Adventures of Kintaro (cont.):

This story continues the wrestling match between the hare and the monkey. The other animals battle and it's interesting to see how the author describes each other them. Kintaro seems like a character that is almost god-like. He can do anything that he needs to do and it doesn't seem that difficult to him. I wonder if in the rest of the story he faces some great adversity. 

Japan: The Adventures of Kintaro (cont. again):

I like that we get to meet Kintaro's mother in this section of the story. It gives a little more context as to how he lives. In this section of the story, Kintaro is introduced to an outsider. He wants to arm-wrestle Kintaro. I thought that Kintaro would for sure beat him, but it seems that he was evenly matched. 

The Adventures of Kintaro (end):

The story had a satisfying conclusion. I wish that Kintaro had more adventures and his journey was more difficult for him, but I liked learning about him. I honestly kind of forgot that this legend was supposed to be taking place in Japan until they mentioned a samurai. I enjoyed this story in all of its parts. 

Reading Diary B: South African Folktales

Reading Diary B: South African Folktales

The Dance For Water: I liked this story a lot. It reminded me of the tortoise and the hare. My favorite types of characters are tricksters, because they're always so clever. Even though the rabbit in this story was caught, by his wit he was able to free himself and escape death. I also liked the idea of an animal council. It's kind of like the jungle book, where the animals all work together and have a type of governance in place. I think that could make for a good kernel to use to build my story off of.

Rabbit Footprints
Source: Pixabay

I chose this picture because it best illustrated a pivotal point in The Dance for Water story. The rabbit's footprints are what gives him away to the rest of the animals.

 Lion Who Thought Himself Wiser Than His Mother: Lions are one of my favorite animals so I was excited to read a story about them. I think this story gave a great insight into how the people of Southern Africa view lions. I like that part of the moral of the story is to listen to your mother. I also enjoyed the poem at the end of the story. I think incorporating poems and quotes into a story can give it more depth and allow more room for individual readers' interpretations.

Reading Diary A: South African Folktales

Reading Diary A: South African Folktales

I chose this unit because it focuses on the stories of animals. I think it's interesting to project human feelings and actions on animals and see what happens. I'm hoping to see some interesting plots in this unit. I'm also looking forward to reading stories with a trickster in them. The character of the trickster is one of my favorite because they're always one step ahead of the game.

The Tiger, The Ram, and The Jackal: When I saw this title I figured that The Jackal was going to be the great trickster of this story. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was the Ram and his wife that pulled off a clever trick.

Golden Jackal
Source: Wikipedia Commons

I chose this picture because the Jackal was the most interesting character throughout this unit. (The jackal kind of looks like a wolf!)

The Lion, The Jackal, and The Rope: This story reminded me of the scene in Lion King when Scar throws Mufasa into the buffalo stampede. The jackal was a real jerk in this story. I like my tricksters to have some good qualities so I can hate them, but relate to them at the same time. However, I did like how the author used the dialogue between the jackal and his wife. Going from whispering to shouting aloud was a nice touch to convey the Jackal's true intentions.