Reading Notes: English Fairy tales Unit (1): Reading B- The Ass, the Table, and the Stick

Picture of a Donkey spitting gold by John D. Batten

My ideas: This story was very neat. I liked how there was magic in the story and how two unfortunate people were joined together and had wealth. I like the troubles that the boy goes through to gain his fortune. People keep taking advantage of him, and this is much like how people do now day. However, I did not like how when the son finally regained all his fortunes, his father had died, and he was not able to show him. I wonder, if the boy would share his fortune with his father? Was he riding back home to show off to his father or was he intending to rub it in? What if the father had been alive and the son was able to rub in his new found wealth. I also really liked how in the end of the story, the boy still chose the maiden to be his wife, despite all the others with more wealth. I would like to change this story to the boy's perspective. Doing this would allow the audience to be more connected. This would also allow us to see how the boy reacts when he finds his fortunes gone. Also, simply putting it in his perspective would add a lot of detail to the story. From this, we could find out what attracted him to the maiden. Were they childhood friends? Was she really pretty? Also, how did he feel every time he rode home and he realized what had happened? Was he angry? Why was he riding home to begin with? This story has a lot of different ways I could retell it.


Bibliography: Jacobs, Joseph. English Fairy Tales. English Fairy Tales Unit (1). The Ass, the Table, and the Stick.

Reading Notes: English Fairy tales Unit (1): Reading A- The Story of the Three Little Pigs

Illustration from J. Jacobs, English Fairy Tales 

My Ideas: Everyone knows the story of the three little pigs. This is one of the most memorable stories from my childhood, so I could not help but to choose this story. I am a big fan of putting the story in different perspectives, so I could change the story and put it in the mother's perspective. We hear about her shortly at the beginning and that is all. Also, I could make this story a sort of cat and mouse game, maybe adding more details and thought and put the story in the little pigs perspective. Also, what if the other pigs had survived and fled to their brothers house, where they would fight together against the wolf. What if the wolf's character was rich and when the pigs killed him, they gained his fortune and were reunited? What is we learned why the other piglets chose to build there homes out of bad material? Is this due to how they were raised? Also, how old were the piglets? Were they maybe too young when their mother had to let them go? I also think it would be a good idea if the wolf would have kidnapped the other piglets and kept them hidden. Maybe at one of the places the wolf told the piglet their was apple or turnips. The smart piglet could rescue his brothers, kill the wolf, and reunite their family. These additions would make the story very eventful. I feel like there are a lot of options with this story. Unlike other stories that I have read this semester, it actually has a good amount of detail. Although the detail is good, there are still things I could add. 
Bibliography: Jacobs, Joseph. English Fairy Tales. English Fairy Tales Unit (1). The Story of the Three Little Pigs.

Storytelling: Week 11- Another Cinderella Story (The True Bride)

**Background, this story is the diary of a girl much like Cinderella. Her mother died when she was just a baby, and recently her father has died in a terrible hunting accident.

Cottage in the Woods: Photo Source ArchitectureImage

Tuesday, January 5: Dear diary, today has be hard. It has been three days since my father died and I can barley handle the grief. Stepmother has not let up on me any, even in my time of grief. I wonder if she even mourns the death of my father. As cold and heartless as she is, I doubt it. As for my stepsister, she seems upset, but Step-mother scorns her when she looks sad, so I can tell she is holding it in. I wish we could talk and comfort one another. Too bad I am an outcast in my own home. Have to go, step-mother is calling.

Saturday, January 9: Dear diary, it has been nearly four days since I last wrote. Stepmother has made me in charge of all the household chores, so I have been busy. I still miss daddy. He would have never let her treat me this way. Tonight step-mother told me that I am lazy and useless, even though I am the one who cares for this house and cooks for her and my sister. Thursday, it began snowing, and has not stopped since. That is all I have for today.

Sunday, January 10: Dear diary, it appears this is the beginning of the end. Today, stepmother asked me to travel out to find berries, in the middle of this blizzard. I must go, as she already deems me as lazy. I will begin my journey tomorrow and I told step-mother that I would wonder until I died, so this may very well be the last you hear from me.

Tuesday, January 12: Dear diary, I SURVIVED. I am back home and better than ever. When I was out looking for berried, I stumbled across the most beautiful little cottage where four brothers lived. They were so kind to me. When I told them what I was doing, they helped me to find berries, but not just any berries, the largest, sweetest strawberries I have ever seen. I bet you will never guess where they had the strawberries, on their roof! That is right, growing away, right underneath the snow. I was in complete awe. After the brothers blessed me with these berries, they then asked me if I needed anything else. I hated to ask, I really did, but it was just so cold outside, and I could not bear to make the journey home in the old rags that I wore, so I told them I was poor and how I needed new clothes for my journey home. The youngest brother then told me to spit on my hand, I was a little taken back by this request, but I did as he said. When I opened my hand, a gold nugget appeared. I could not help but be overwhelmed with my new found ability to spit gold. Just when I thought I could not be blessed anymore by these kind souls, each brother made me the most beautiful clothing I had ever seen. I thanked them, and they sent me on my way. I am so blessed. When I came home though, even in the light of my new fortunes, stepmother was jealous and fueled with rage at my success. That is her calling, so I must get back to work.

Wednesday, January 13: Dear diary, I can not stop laughing. Today, step-mother sent my sister to get the same fortunes as me, however, when sister came back, all she got was the ability to spit foul smelling toenails. I cannot help but laugh. I am worried though, that step-mother will abuse my powers. I wonder if there will be any consequences to this new found gift.

Author’s Notes: With this story, I kept the storyline the same. All the same details happened, just like in the original story, however I put it in the “cinderella” of the story’s perspective. The first thing I did was add background to where the father was. This story is actually a four-part story and is very similar to the story of Cinderella but with a Native American twist and in all of the stories, the father is never mentioned again after the first sentence. When I was reading the original stories, I always wondered where he disappeared to, so I thought the readers of my retelling would too, so I added an explanation for his absence. The next thing I changed, was that I put it in the daughter’s perspective. Throughout the original story, there are no thoughts or opinions shared by any of the characters, so I thought that putting it into the daughter’s perspective, especially the one who is treated poorly, would add a personal effect and allow readers to connect more with at least one character. I thought making a diary would be the best way to express all of the daughter’s feelings toward what happened to her.

Bibliography: Thompson, Sith. Tales of the North American Indian's. Native American Marriage Tales Unit. The True Bride. 1929

Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales Unit- Reading B: The True Bride

• Story: In this story, their is a man and a woman who have a daughter. The wife died and the man married another woman who also gave the man another daughter. (This story is very much like Cinderella) The stepmother, always accused her stepdaughter of being lazy and was always angry with her. One day, in the heart of winter, the stepmother asked her stepdaughter to go out and gather berries, this being an unreasonable request, the stepdaughter did not want to go, but she was tired of her stepmother constantly nagging, so she went. SHe told her stepmother that she wold wonder until she was dead. She put some food into a basket and went on her way. While she was wondering, she wondered upon a cottage, that was full of three men. They asked her why she was out in the middle of winter, and she told them about her mother always nagging and how she needed berries. The men then gave her a snow shovel and told her to go onto the roof and uncover the snow. When she did, it was revealed that the roof was earth and full of giant strawberries. She filled her basket and then climbed down. The men then asked her if she needed anything else. SHe told them she was poor and needed new clothes. The youngest brother told her to spit and when she did, it revealed that she spit gold nuggets. The next brother made shoes for her out of the finest material. The third brother made a dress, out of the finest material, as the younger brother had done. The eldest brother, made her a robe that would never wear out. As the brothers made their object for her, her new clothing appeared on her body and her old clothes disappeared. When she returned how with her new clothing, the basket of berries and her new found ability of spitting gold, her stepmother was surprised and became angry with the girl. She then told her younger daughter to follow the tracks the elder daughter has left in the snow, so she too could have the ability to spit gold and get new clothes. The girl did, and when she came upon the four brothers cabin, they offered her the same opportunities, however, she refused to spit and acted as though she was above it, this caused the brothers to get angry and they gave her the ability of spitting toe nails instead of spitting gold. When she returned home, the mother was angry and told her not to spit again.
• My ideas: Much like the story of Cinderella, I want to put this in the stepdaughters perspective. This would transform this tale into an actual story. This would make the story more detailed and allow the characters to have more feelings and opinions that are expressed. This would also allow for more dialogue and thoughts to be added to the story. 



Cottage in the Woods: Photo Source ArchitectureImage

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  Bibliography: Thompson, Sith. Tales of the North American Indian's. Native American Marriage Tales Unit. The True Bride. 1929