Reading Diary B: Hans Christian Anderson (Week 14)

Illustration by Dulac

• “We must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow sand.”  The story goes on to talk about all the things that live down, deep in the ocean.  It doesn’t really mention anything scary, but I imagine there are some extremely scary things down there.  It’s almost unfathomable.
• I loved the Little Mermaid growing up, so it is really interesting to see the differences between the original story and Disney’s version.  She is quiet in the original and also is uninterested in trinkets from shipwrecks.  Instead, she enjoyed flowers.  Also, her grandmother has a very large presence in the original. 
• She was not allowed to dress as she wanted. ““Pride must suffer pain,” replied the old lady. Oh, how gladly she would have shaken off all this grandeur and laid aside the heavy wreath! The red flowers in her own garden would have suited her much better”
• When the prince falls into the water, she is excited at first.  “she thought he would now be with her; and then she remembered that human beings could not live in the water, so that when he got down to her father’s palace he would be quite dead. But he must not die.” 
• The prince didn’t know that the little mermaid had saved him.
• Her sisters play a bigger role than expected. 
• I wonder how the grandma knows so much about things on land when she too is confined to the waters
• The story really is quiet sad.  And it’s not really the prince’s fault either. 
• The ending is sad, but it is actually a lot more hopeful than I expected.

Hans Christian Anderson - The Little Mermaid part 6

Reading Diary A: Hans Christian Anderson (Week 14)

Illustration in a collection of Anderson's Fairy tales

• The Princess and the Pea is a really interesting story, but it brings up some questions.  For example, why is it that sensitivity is the only way to tell if someone is a true princess?  That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.  I think it’s funny that the story ends by saying that it was a true story.
• I haven’t heard the story of the Emperor and the clothes before, but I was excited when I saw it in this unit.  I recently heard about it and I’ve been seeing and hearing it mentioned all over the place since then.  Now I finally get what it was all about!  Basically it is all about pride, and only a child is willing to be honest in spite of pride.
• “This is the black goblin’s fault, I am sure. Ah, well, if the little lady were only here with me in the boat, I should not care for any darkness.”
• So I suppose the tale of the Wicked Prince is about greed?  I’m surprised that God actually had any interaction.  I expected the prince to become ruined all on his own.  The fact that such a tiny gnat took down such a “mighty” prince is quite ironic.
• I didn’t realized that the story of the Little Match Girl was from Hans Christian Anderson.
• “Her father would certainly beat her”  Geez, that is intense.
• “ her grandmother had never appeared so large or so beautiful. She took the little girl in her arms, and they both flew upwards in brightness and joy far above the earth, where there was neither cold nor hunger nor pain, for they were with God.”  I’m not really sure how I feel about this.  I’m not really crazy about this story.  It’s so sad.

Hans Christian Anderson unit

Fairy Tales and Stories by Hans Christian Andersen, translated by H. P. Paull (1872).

Reading Diary B: Dante's Inferno (Week 13)

Nicola Consoni's Dante al Limbo

• I wonder how many Cantos there are in this.
• The Minotaur from Crete is in the seventh circle of hell.
• “When he saw us, he gnawed himself, like someone consumed by anger inside.”  Sounds like someone with intense emotional trauma.
• He weaves in the Greek mythology almost seamlessly.  He mentions Theseus and it doesn’t seem forced or awkward.
• “the world has often been overwhelmed by chaos.”
• “we near the river of blood, in which those who injure others by violence are boiled.”
• So our desires are what lead us to destruction and hell?
• For a little bit, I think that I got Chiron and Charon confused.
• Chiron was basically the leader of the centaurs?
• “Divine Justice here torments Attila.”  So he isn’t just taking on Greek mythology.  The word “divine” makes the torture sound righteous.
• “The foliage was not green, but a dusky colour: the branches were not smooth, but warped and knotted; there were no fruits there, but poisonous thorns.”  Sounds like a dark twist on Wonderland or something like that.
• It is super interesting that Dante refers to Virgil as “Master,” especially when Virgil is being considered such a massive sinner.
• 'O Capaneus, you are punished more in that your pride is not quenched: no torment would produce pain fitting for your fury, except your own raving.' That’s interesting.  So each person’s punishment is custom fit to them. 
• It is odd how Virgil talks of Jason.  It is as if he is this great and glorious person who somehow did something bad enough to send him to hell.  The language is both good and bad, which is interesting.  

Dante's Inferno unit

Dante's Divine Comedy, translated by Tony Kline (2002).

Reading Diary A: Dante's Inferno (Week 13)

Sandro Botticelli's Chart of Hell

• “In the middle of the journey of our life, I came to myself, in a dark wood, where the direct way was lost.”  Our is plural.  Who is the other person?  I know one is Dante, but who is the other?  He came to himself?  What does that mean?  Does that mean that he becomes aware?
• He was “so full of sleep.”  That’s like a dream.
• There is some watery language
• Leopards, lions, wolves, oh my!
• “where the sun is silent.”  What?  This sounds a bit like Alice in Wonderland…
• Why does Dante want to travel through Hell?
• Does he go through Hell to escape the animals?
• “Here, all uncertainty must be left behind; all cowardice must be dead”  Interesting
• It is interesting that he is comforted by such a sinner touching his hand.
• They ignore the people who are in between
• “And see, an old man, with white hoary locks, came towards us in a boat.” Charon is an old man.
• Charon does not want to take Dante and Virgil across.
• “My son, those who die subject to God's anger all gather here, from every country, and they are quick to cross the river since divine justice goads them on, so that their fear is turned to desire. This way no good spirit ever passes.”  Good to know
• 'How can I go on, if you are afraid, who are my comfort when I hesitate?'
• Virgil doesn’t fear the first circle of hell, but rather pities those who reside there.

Dante's Inferno

Dante's Divine Comedy, translated by Tony Kline (2002).

Reading Diary B: Aesop's Fables (Week 12)

illustration from Steinhowel's Aesop

• ·         “To those this fable I address
• Who are determined to oppress,
• And trump up any false pretence,
• But they will injure innocence.” Is the moral that bad people are bad?  That’s kind of lousy.
• ·         “When one rogue would another get
• For surety in a case of debt,
• 'Tis not the thing t' accept the terms,
• But dread th' event, the tale affirms.”
• ·         “Liars are liable to rue
• The mischief they 're so prone to do.”  Once again, bad people are bad?
• ·         So the wolf thinks that it is better to be down on your luck and serve yourself than to serve another, even if they are good to you.
• ·         I wonder if the saying, “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” comes from Aesop
• ·         “The churl that wants another's fare
• Deserves at least to lose his share.”  That seems a tad bit harsh.  Everyone is jealous or covetous of other people and what they have every once in a while.  It seems harsh to punish someone for that.
• ·         Dogs are greedy but wolves are shady?
• ·         Seriously, I’m seeing a theme of “bad people are bad.”
• ·         Dogs are loyal, but greedy?
• ·         The weasel tricked the mice, even though the weasel was no longer strong.  Strength does not necessarily win a fight or a situation
• ·         “He that would have the wicked reign,
• Instead of help, will find his bane.”  I think it is really interesting that some of these fables have the moral of the story as the very first lines.  I really like that concept.  It is like a preface

Aesop's Fables (English)

Reading Diary A: Aesop's Fables (Week 12)

illustration from Bewick's Aesop

• This Fable will a general law attest:
• That each one deems that what's his own is best.  Definitely my favorite line out of that fable.
• I’m surprised by how involved the gods are in the fables
• It is interesting to me that Aesop switched a man for Pandora in this fable.  It is a curious thing to do.
• I wonder why the trees were so important to the gods
• “Those who are known to have deceived,
• When they speak truth, are not believ'd.”
• Says a man,
• "Why build you on so small a plan?"
• The Sage replies: "Though small, I fear
• There's more than room for friends sincere."
• A Boy that would not learn his Book was a little odd.  I got what it was saying, but it was silly.
• “The Fox (being one of the Pretenders) stomach’d it extremely to see the Choice go against him, and presently rounds the New-elect in the Ear, with a piece of secret Service that he could do him.”  Why is the fox a pretender?
• The fox as a trickster again.  I wonder where this idea comes from originally.
• The fox flatters the crow, then steals its food.
• We actually discussed the fox and the grapes today in one of my classes!
• “Still meditating self-defence,
• At any other man's expense.”
• “he subtle Fox herself avails
• And by his horns the mound she scales,
• And leaves the Goat in all the mire
• To gratify his heart's desire.”
• “Lion and Man, on some pretense,
• Disputed for preeminence.”  Oh wow, interesting

Aesop's Fables (English)

Reading Diary B: King Arthur (Week 11)

Illustration by H.J. Ford

• It mentions the White Abbey.  That kind of tips me off that colors are important to the story.
• So on the morn they arose and heard Mass, and then a monk led them behind an altar where hung a shield white as snow, with a red cross in the middle of it. "Sirs," said the monk, "this shield can be hung round no Knight's neck unless he be the worthiest Knight in the world, and therefore I counsel you to be well advised!"  Once again, colors are very significant.
• Religion is really important in the King Arthur tales.  That could be good to incorporate that in my story.
• I also wonder how Mabinogion fits in with all of this.
• "Fair brother," said Galahad, "let us remove this body, for he is not worthy to be in this churchyard, being a false Christian man."
• Suddenly a voice spoke to him, and it said, "Sir Lancelot, more hard than is the stone, more bitter than is the wood, more naked and barren than is the leaf of the fig tree, art thou; therefore, go from hence and withdraw thee from this holy place."  That’s very harsh…
• “My sin and my wickedness have done me this dishonour, for when I sought worldly adventures for worldly desires I ever achieved them and had the better in every place, and never was I discomfited in any quarrel, were it right or wrong. And now I take upon me the adventures of holy things, I see and understand that my old sin hinders me, so that I could not name nor speak when the Holy Graal passed by.”  This reminds me a bit of Percival.

King Arthur unit

Reading Diary A: King Arthur (Week 11)

Tapestry showing Arthur as one of the Nine Worthies.

• So this is where to whole sword in the stone story begins. "Whoso pulleth out this sword is by right of birth King of England".
• It is really interesting to get this perspective on the King Arthur story.  I’ve read a lot of different works about Arthur, like Lanval, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Yvain.  I’ve never really gotten this take on it, so I’m excited about it.
• Sir Ector, Sir Kay, and Arthur came to participate in the tournament
• So this is where the storyline from the movie comes from
• It seems interesting that everyone would believe some random inscription on a stone.
• Was Uther Pendragon Arthur’s father in this version of the story?  If so, why was he taken away from his real family?
• Sir Kay is seneschal.  I wonder if he is good in this version.  From what I remember, Kay was not usually portrayed kindly.
• The story sticking with the Pentecost as an important and central event is interesting.
• It is interesting that the story admits that Arthur isn’t perfect and needs some much help
• Is Cameliard a version of Camelot?
• The springs and greenlife are important still
• So there are differing stories about how Arthur got Excalibur
• Arthur agrees to give the Lady of the Lake a rash boon if she will give him the sword.
• Interestingly enough, Merlin tells Arthur that he is not wise.
• Guenevere’s father gave Arthur the round table, which supposedly came from Uther, Arthur’s father.
• Gawaine is Arthur’s nephew, yet his sister’s child is also supposed to be his downfall.  Although that is obviously not Gawaine, it is a little vague

King Arthur unit

Extra Reading Diary: Through the Looking Glass (Week 10)

Illustration by John Tenniel

• “Then she began looking about and noticed that what could be seen from the old room was quite common and uninteresting, but that all the rest was as different as possible.”  This seems to be when things start really happening and getting interesting.
• So everything in Through the Looking Glass takes place after Alice in Wonderland.
• “'So I shall be as warm here as I was in the old room,' thought Alice: 'warmer, in fact, because there'll be no one here to scold me away from the fire. Oh, what fun it'll be, when they see me through the glass in here and can't get at me!’”  This seems to be awfully mean to her parents, not to mention bratty.
• The part with the Walrus and the Carpenter seems really weird and creepy.  The oysters in particular were pretty odd.
• Tweedledee and Tweedledum seem awfully rattled. 
• I wonder how the selections were chosen.  Obviously not all of the chapters are included in the UnTextbook.
• “'I said you LOOKED like an egg, Sir,' Alice gently explained. 'And some eggs are very pretty, you know,' she added, hoping to turn her remark into a sort of a compliment.”  I feel like this fits Alice’s personality perfectly.  She is kind of witty, yet kind of silly, yet kind all at the same time. 
• “'In summer, when the days are long,
• Perhaps you'll understand the song:
• In autumn, when the leaves are brown,
• Take pen and ink, and write it down.'”  I really like this.  It’s a pretty little song.

Through the Looking Glass unit

Reading Diary B: Native American Fairytales

Wigwam

• I really like how all of these stories are in the frame tale of the storyteller Iagoo.  It really gives a sense of connectivity through all the stories and adds to the experience.
• Weren’t the homes called wigwams in the previous section?  Now they are teepees?  Are both correct or is that just a consistency error?
• "No, no!" she said. "You must not harm him. See how friendly he is, and not a bit afraid. There is game enough in the forest for a brave boy's bow and arrow. Why should he spend his strength on a weak little mouse?"  I was a little surprised by this, but it was a pleasant surprise
• The mouse was once great.  That’s really interesting.
• The Dormouse sounds very important
• Iagoo is a really interesting character.  The children seem to be very attached to him.
• “Wa-bun, the East Wind, was the one who brought the news”
• I wonder why the coyote is always mentioned with “the prairie wolf” attached afterwards.
• “Except for the beautiful green pines, all the world was white—a dazzling, silent world in which there was no musical murmur of waters and no song of birds.” What beautiful and vivid imagery.
• “The boy used to dream about it and wonder what could be done. His father could do anything; some men said he was a Manito. Perhaps he could find some way to bring 
• Summer to the earth. That would be the greatest thing of all.”  Sound like he not only wants to live up to his father’s image, but like he also has great aspirations.  

Native American Fairy Tales unit

Reading Diary A: The American Indian Fairy Tales

·         Iagoo, the storyteller, seems to be a kind and generous old man.

·         Apparently coyotes are clever.  Little detail in the story, but it caught my attention
·         “Now, winter was the time for storytelling.”  Interesting little detail
·         The North Wind sounds like a real attention seeker
·         “For the King of this Land of Ice was a fierce old man called Ka-bib-on-okka by the Indians—meaning in our language, the North Wind.”
·         The South Wind was even more powerful
·         The South Wind would sit at the top of the mountain and smoke whenever the summer was almost over, smoking.  It kind of gives off a lazy, hazy image.
·         Shin-ge-bis just laughed in the face of the North Wind.  Talk about cocky.
·         “Ka-bib-on-okka, ancient man,
Come and scare me if you can.
Big and blustery though you be,
You are mortal just like me!”
·         He sounds like a bit of a clever trickster to me
·         “ As he had not been able to freeze Shin-ge-bis, he spent his rage on everything in his path.”
·         “Cheerfulness and courage can overcome even the North Wind.” Nice moral
·         “Coyote, the prairie wolf, was not a bad sort of fellow when you came to know him,”  Did he outwardly appear bad before you came to know him?
·         “At last they met Coyote, the cleverest of them all, trotting along the valley with his nose in the air, so they put the same question to him.”

Coyote

The American Indian Fairy Tales unit

read

Extra Reading Diary: Beowulf

Beowulf and Wiglaf

• Beowulf is the son of Ecgtheow and nephew of Hygelac.
• Nicknamed “the Silent”
• “he has the strength in his arms and legs of thirty men."
• Though Beowulf is a Geat, huge chunks of the story take place outside of Geatsand.
• Heorot is the drinking hall in Daneland
• Unferth does not offer to fight Grendel.  (Beowulf is more valiant that Unferth)
• “he would seek out this monster Grendel and slay him — yes! Slay him with bare hands” This preference for weaponless fighting persists throughout the story.
• “But I charge you, Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow, earl of the Geats, and my own nephew, return not to these halls if you should fail in your attempt” Seems a bit harsh.  He was the only one to even offer to slay Grendel.
• The story seems to point out age a lot
• Hygd, his aunt by marriage, seems fond of him
• 7 days of preparations and 14 men
• His aunt and uncle gave him a gold collar? What?  Necklace?
• “There were sea-lions of shaggy mane and bird-like fish with horny claws.”  And sea-serpents.
• “But they came at length to the coast of Daneland, and the sea boiled white between them and the land, and the land itself was scarred and pitted with a thousand narrow inlets, which were treacherous to seafarers unfamiliar with them. The forests that clung to the shore line were half hidden in gray mists that moved and twisted like smoke about the trees.”  Sounds violent, harsh, and darkly mysterious.
• “Prince of Weders” Weders?
• Ecgtheow and Hrothgar were friends/war-brothers.
• Wealhtheow is the queen of the Danes
• Seems like all heroes are moody. (Beowulf and Unferth)

British North American: Reading Diary B

Coyote in Alaska

• The fox and hare were brothers?  That seems like an odd relationship
• The importance of dreams is emphasized in the tale of the Origin of the Chinook Wind
• Basically, the two of them did a stick up
• The Fox and the Hare seem to enjoy annoying each other.
• What is up with the trope of racing a hare?
• The young man thought the seven sisters were enchanting so he tried to take one for himself.  They kept eluding him.  He finally caught one and went to the Sky Land to marry her so she wouldn’t be separated from her sisters.
• The woman who was taken by the bears was very clever.
• It is interesting how in the previous story, bears were clumsy.  In the story with the taken woman, they seem to be moving pretty quickly.  
• So the coyote controls the aurora and the winds?
• Who are the Salmon People?
• What is the importance of staying with the Salmon People for “seven moons?”
• Salmon seem to be incredibly important as a good resource to theses peoples.  They appear a lot in their stories.
• Because the coyote wanted to have the salmon for his dinner party thing, the salmon tricked him into thinking it was winter when it was really summer.
• “Wolverene said, "You stupid bird! I was keeping a big piece for you!’ But he wasn't. This is the end”  This was by far the funniest line and I’m not sure why.  
• I love the Ojibwa tales of Nanebojo.  His name varies and little bit between stories, but he is a really interesting trickster character.

British North America

British North America: Reading Diary A

Kayaking in the Queen Charlotte Islands

• So according to the Belle Coola, we live in the middle world.
• 1.       Home of Afraid of Nothing or Home of “Our Woman”
• 2.       House of the Sun
• 3.       Earth
• 4.       Ghost Land
• 5.       Home of those who die a second time
•  A woman is the created according to the Bella Coola.  That’s really unique, but it also makes sense to me.
• Though she is supposedly a great warrior and the creator, when Afraid of Nothing visits earth, it causes death and illness.  That seems to contrast with everything we known about her so far.
• The swans saved the chief’s daughter
• Some of these tales seems familiar to others that I know and some seem similar to each other.
• The beaver seems to make an appearance in nearly all of the stories so far.
• The raven was sneaky and cruel and stole the beaver’s water
• “When night came, Raven took the baby by the heel and shook all his bones out. Then he crept into the skin and pretended to be the baby. But at night he stole out of the baby's skin and became Raven.”  This is beyond creepy.  
• The raven sounds like a prevalent animal.
• Women appear to be more important in this culture than they were in some of the ones that I previously read about.

• The fox seems to be regarded as clever across cultures.

British North America unit

Chinese Fairy Tales: Reading Diary B

Kitsunebi on New Years Night under the Enoki tree near Oji

• The tale of the Little Hunting Dog starts out with knights two inches high.  A good start
• I don’t think this is supposed to be a comical story, but the idea is very laugh worthy.
• Also, it kind of reminded me of Gulliver’s Travels
• Such a terrible ending!  The little dog was so so good and then he got smooshed.
• Why was the fox preparing the elixir of life?
• Aren’t foxes or kitsunes trickster animals?
• Why did the farmer take the animal’s fire?
• Sounds like the farmer gained some amazing abilities from the fox’s fire
• He earned money from it?  There almost always is some sort of penalty for using these types of things for personal gain…
• Does the fox let the man keep it’s fire-ball?  Because thirty years is a long time.  That seems awfully generous.
• Wait, silver foxes aren’t silver? 
• Ma expects the water-carrier to get revenge on old Wang instead of him
• Wait, so Ma saw the water-carrier’s soul?
• What goes around comes around I guess.  Old Wang kind took part in the water-carrier falling off the terrace and then the little boy who had the water-carrier’s spirit is kind of responsible for Old Wang falling down as well.
• Is seems like the story of the Maiden Who Was Stolen Away could be the start of some old “friend-zoned” story.
• It also kind of sounds like Rapunzel.

Chinese Fairy Tales

Chinese Fairy Tales: Reading Diary A

Twin Dragons, Luck

• To choose a husband, the child of ill luck threw a ball of red silk.
• She basically chose the beggar and royally pissed her father off
• He was gone for 18 years?  Wayyyyy too long.  At least she had the mother to help her.
• Her death seemed totally pointless.
• The dad wants to leave his daughters to the wolves for eating his eggs?  Harsh
• What on earth was the moral of that story?
• Is the tale of the panther supposed to be like little red riding hood?
• A lot of these remind me of tales that I know
• The dog and cat fight because of the ring, but what about the mouse?
• Interesting that there were originally supposed to be 10 suns.
• Mothers seem particularly important
• There is more than one tale about the reason for having only one sun?
• The cassia tree is more beautiful than the moon
• I wonder what the connection between horses and silkworms is
• What is the importance of white horses?
• The farmer does not seem too generous
• Though the farmer was not willing to share one pear, the bonze was willing to share all of his pears.
• Why did he cut down the tree?  That seems like a lot of work for a tree that he just grew
• Tiny knights.  Very interesting
• The ants were rude to the scholar and the scholar smoked them out.  Nice

Japanese Mythology: Reading Diary B

Illustration from the Romances of Old Japan

• “the fickle Yamato”  Interesting description of him
• ““Mortal, behold Benten, Goddess of Deathless Love,” sang the mermaid.”  The names of these gods and goddess are really interesting.  Is deathless love the same as undying love?
• “Suddenly she cast him from her: “To win my love thou must dare death,” she demanded imperiously.”  Does this play into her name, deathless love?
• I like how so much of this tale seems to be either songs or poetry
• I wonder why, of all birds, he asks the stork to help him?
• One of the labors is the demon boar
• “Here the chieftains welcomed Yamato with feigned hospitality, inviting his warriors to a deer-hunt upon the moor.”  Why was it feigned?
• Yamato kind of reminds me of Odysseus
• Yamato is a huge jerk to Tacibana
• Wait, Susa-no-wo is evil?
• The part with the siren kind of reminds me of Lanval.
• A demon deer?  That seems a little odd.  I’ve never heard of deer being anything other than gentle.
• He finally wants Tacibana?  Bleh
• Seriously, what is up with all the serpents?  It’s like every story I’ve read this far has had one.
• Tacibana is the one to save Yamato from the siren
• “Reckless Yamato, thou hast adventured upon my ever-verdant Sea Plain and defied my father, the God of Ocean. Therefore shalt thou perish, else another victim be granted me.”  I feel like reckless is a very accurate description of Yamato
• Tacibana died to save Yamato

Japanese Mythology (Reading Diary A)

Izanagi and Izanami at Taka-jinja Shrine

• “High in the uttermost realms of the limitless chaos above”
• Izanami is generous to mankind.  She gave them many things and knowledge
• “At the same time there fluttered downward from the heavenly firmament a night-blooming flower, which slowly unfolded its translucent petals and became the Moon.”  Such beautiful imagery. 
• Why is it bad for women to speak first?  And did he just randomly and at that moment decide to marry her?
• The eight islands of Japan came from the two
• Yamato
• Tsukushi
• Iyo
• Tsushima
• Ahaji
• Shikoku
• Oki
• Lado
• “To these she gave eternal dominion over the fairest of lands and bestowed upon them godlike powers: Wisdom, Valour and Craft, Justice, Mercy and Love.”  It is interesting that the text refers to these qualities as godlike powers
• Susa-no-wo wants a human to be his wife?
• Why did the daughter get turned into a comb?
• Interesting how there always seems to be a serpent in the origin stories
• He and his bride wed in the province of Izumo
• The pheasant seems to have an important job
• Apparently Amewaka has an evil heart?
•  “When thou givest this to thy brother spit thrice thereon and hand it to him with averted face saying, ‘‘Tis a hook of poverty, of ruin, and of downfall.”  That’s kind of what the older brother deserves for being so rude and cruel
• “If thy brother be wroth, bring forth the Jewel of the Flowing Tide, and the waters shall drown him. But if he craveth thy forgiveness do thou display the Jewel of the Ebbing Tide and the waters shall sudden recede and therewithal thou shalt save him.” Justice to the extreme

Twenty-Two Goblins: Reading Diary B

The Girl and the Thief from the UnTextbook

• “The Brahman who died because Poison from a Snake in the Claws of a Hawk fell into a Dish of Foodgiven him by a Charitable Woman. Who is to blame for his death?”  That took me a second to wrap my head around
• What is the significance of the “swami” ending to a name
• “Nothing is impossible to the brave and determined man”  This seems to be the moral of the larger story.
• It is interesting that this story doesn’t revolve around getting a girl like most of the others do, though it does involve losing a girl
• Why did the king pretend to be a thief and then just leave?  Seems awfully anticlimactic
• “ He showed more than human valour.”  That seems like a rather odd thing for a thief to show
• “But the more he scolded, the more determined she became”  Determination
• When Shiva grants Pearl the boon, she makes relatively selfless wishes
• “he immediately slipped from the king's shoulder and escaped to his home. But the king was not discouraged” Persistent, isn’t he?
• Giving away your wife like that is rather creepy.  At least the king seems to understand that
• “No great man stops in the middle of the hardest undertaking.”
• All of the stories have multiple people that come together somehow.  Might be significant
• It seems like the stories are all interconnected.  I’m pretty sure that some of the names of people and places are repeated
• At first, it seemed like the magician was going to bring the boy back to life and be a hero.  Instead he basically stole his body and his old life
• “The king paid no attention to the terrible witch of night, clad in black darkness” where did the witch come from?
• Hmm.  It’s a tad odd that there are character’s whose names have the word lion in them considering the fact that every mention of lions up to this point has been negative
• So the goblin was actually helping the king?  Nice plot twist
• The king doesn’t seem too concerned about finding out the correct answer

Twenty-Two Goblins: Reading Diary A

The King and the Goblin from the UnTextbook

• The king seems to be awfully generous.
• Why does the goblin decide to tell the king a story
• “So they stayed there all three of them day and night, feasting on the beauty of her face”
• There seem to be a lot of stories with marriages as the central driving force
• Lots of mentions of the moon
• The names are really interesting.
• Spotless, the dad, is extremely comforting to his son, White
• ““People honour this goddess with all kinds of living sacrifices. Why should I not win her favour by sacrificing myself?" And he fetched a sword from a deserted inner room, cut off his own head, and let it fall on the floor.” Um, what?
• There seems to be a pattern of three
• The king is surprisingly devoted to bringing the goblin back
• “Discouragement never enters the brave heart of a resolute man.”
• This was the only tale that revolved around four people instead of three.  Interesting.
• The interest in the stars and the moon seem to be really significant, but I’m not sure why.  It seems to be associated with beauty and other good things though.
• “The very delicacy which is so great a virtue, is positively inconvenient”
• It seems like a running theme throughout all the stories that the values, virtues, or gifts actually become somewhat worthless in the grand scheme of things.