OU Email Tech Tip

Agh! I wish I had discovered this tip earlier. I will definitely use this technique in the future.

Finishing up

I don’t believe I have done a Famous Last Words post yet, but how fitting for me to do it at the very end of the semester during the final hours of this course. I suppose I will use my time here to write about my feelings after completing this course.

The reading. I loved the reading in this course. When I first decided to take it, I assumed that it would be all about Greek mythology. I was soon corrected. I’m glad that it wasn’t, though. As it turned out, the week on Greek mythology may have been one of my least favorite weeks. I enjoyed the diversity in the reading of this course. I also liked reading the stories other students wrote. Sometimes the number of these stories we had to read each week was a little overwhelming, but most of the stories were fun to read.

The writing. This course really helped spark my creativity. When I chose to write my Storybook on pride, I began to really look at the moral of each story I read to see if I could spin it in a way that would fit into my storybook. I liked retelling stories, too. However, I did not like commenting one bit. That part of the class was really dull for me. I found myself giving as small of an effort as possible when commenting on other students’ work.

The instructor. Professor Laura Gibbs was fantastic. She was really helpful and really encouraging with her comments on our work. The un-textbook for this class was unbelievably cool, because it made for a lot of freedom. This was one of the best online course set ups I have ever taken, and I am a senior who has taken at least one online course each semester. Great job!

Merry Christmas everyone!

John Leech illustration from A Christmas Carol. Web Source: D2L

Writing Post

• Did you choose the Storybook or the Portfolio? Are you happy with your choice? What information should I emphasize to next semester's students when they make that choice?
• I chose to create the Storybook. I'm very happy with the choice I made. I loved the creativity involved in finding stories that fit into a single theme. The portfolio seemed like it would be the easier option, since editing a story you've already written is easier than writing a whole new story. However, the portfolio option has an assignment each week, whereas the storybook option has two free passes.
• What kinds of comments did you find most useful as you working on your Storybook/Portfolio?
• I really only found the instructor's comments useful. I think the student comments were filled with a lot of fluff (I like this..., or it was neat how...) and were void of helpful criticism.

About the Reading

•  What did you like best about the readings for this class? Are there any general suggestions you would make about how the readings are set up?
• I really enjoyed the way the readings were set up. The Un-textbook is a great idea. I got to choose what interested me most. 
•  What did you think of the overall balance between reading - writing - commenting in the class assignments?
• I think the commenting portion of this class was too heavy. I often felt overwhelmed reading three different storybooks each week. I didn't want to give any of them my full attention; I just wanted to hit 200 words then be done, even if it was mostly fluff.
• creating "anthology" units on different themes across cultures: ghost stories, love stories, hero stories — with the stories drawn from different units to create new units (what kinds of themes would interest you?)
• I loved stories with tricksters and with a good moral.
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Essay for Week 14: Marriage in Grimm Tales (Crane)

                This week I read the Grimm Unit of tales translated by Lucy and Walter Crane. One thing that I really found interesting about this unit was the motif of marriage and marital problems that could be seen throughout the unit. I will examine four of the stories from the unit in this essay: The Fisherman and His Wife, The Robber Bridegroom, King Thrushbeard, and The Three Spinsters.

                I will begin by examining my favorite story of the unit, The Fisherman and His Wife. In this story, the couple is already married and lives in a small hovel, but the fisherman finds a magic fish. Throughout the story, the wife tells the husband to return to the fish to ask for things to improve their living status. The wife’s greed is insatiable, and the husband reluctantly goes back to the fish each time the wife has a new request. This can be seen as an example of many husbands’ need to fulfill their wives’ desires.

                In the Robber Bridegroom, we can see why it is important to really know someone before you agree to marry them. The robber bridegroom and his pals were a horrible lot, and would have led the miller’s daughter to destruction if it was not for the help of the old lady. The miller promised his daughter to the robber bridegroom because he “knew nothing to his disadvantage.” The miller should have been a tad more selective and gone past first impressions.

                KingThrushbeard was another favorite of mine. In this story, we see a princess who is too prideful to take a suitor. She believes that not one is good enough for her. This story shows us that we can’t expect perfection from our potential spouse; everyone has faults.

                Finally, The Three Spinsters was a humorous tale. I thought it was funny how the girl and her mother lied the girl’s way into marriage with the prince. Not only that, but the girl suffered no consequences for it. I did not find a moral to this story, but it is an example of how funny the world can be at times.

The Three Spinsters by Walter Crane. Web Source: Un-Textbook

Storytelling for Week 14: King Thrushbeard and the Beggar

There once was an old king who had a daughter who refused to be married. She was the most beautiful woman in all the land; however, she was full of pride and conceit. In her eyes, there was no man good enough for her, and every eligible bachelor who came to ask her for her hand in marriage was sent away with the sound of laughter and mocking.

The king even put on a grand ball, in hopes that one suitor would sweep his daughter off her feet. However, the princess would not dance with a single one of them; she found something wrong with each man who asked her to dance: one was too fat, another was too skinny; one was too short, another was too tall; etc. There was one handsome, noble king whom she made a big mockery of. She claimed his chin was pointed like the beak of a thrush bird. The name, King Thrushbeard, stuck with him from that day on.

Thrush Bird. Web Source: Wikipedia

 

The old king was furious with his daughter. He apologized to his guests and politely dismissed them. Then, in his anger, he swore that he would marry his daughter off to the first beggar that came to the castle door.

It was not long before a man dressed in rags came to the castle asking to play a song for the king and his daughter. The king agreed, and the beggar played beautifully on his small harp and sang a lovely song. Then he asked for a small sum for reward. The king did not offer the beggar money, but instead offered his daughter’s hand in marriage. The princess was in complete shock. However, her father could not break his word. A wedding was held immediately and the princess became a beggar’s wife.

The beggar then led his wife out of her old home. She asked him where his carriage was, but was saddened to find out that they would be travelling on foot.

The two passed through a large forest. The beggar’s wife asked him who owned the forest. He explained that it belonged to King Thrushbeard, and it could have been hers if she had taken him for a husband. She could tell by the tone of his voice that he knew of her mockery of her suitors.

The two passed through a beautiful, green meadow. The beggar’s wife asked him who owned the meadow. He explained that it too belonged to King Thrushbeard, and it could have been hers if she had taken him for a husband.

The two then passed through a large city with many fine building. The beggar’s wife asked him who owned the city. He explained that it was King Thrushbeard’s kingdom, and it could have been hers if she had taken him for a husband.

Finally, the two came to a very small cottage. The beggar’s wife asked him who owned the wretched hole, fearing the answer he would give her. He explained that it was his home, and it is now hers that she has taken him for a husband.

 

Author’s note:

This story is based on part one of King Thrushbeard from the Grimm Brothers Unit. The story continues and has a surprising ending. I do not wish to spoil it here, because I plan to include both parts in my storybook, Pride Cometh Before Destruction. I really enjoyed the original, so I only wished to condense the story and not edit any further.

 

Bibliography:

King Thrushbeard from Household Stories by the Brothers Grim, translated by Lucy Crane (1886)

Reading Diary for Week 14: Grimm Tales (Crane)

Grimm Tales (Crane)


The Fisherman and His Wife: I can relate to the fisherman a bit. While my wife is content and happy with our apartment unlike the wife in the story, I can tell that she has more of a desire to buy a home than I do. I would be fine living in the apartment for many years, but like many husbands, I want to fulfill my wife's desires and so we will probably buy a house sooner rather than later. However, while my wife would probably ask me to ask the fish for the cottage, that would be the end of it. She does not want anything extravagant like a castle or power over the moon and sun, just a nice home to call our own.




The Robber Bridegroom: What an evil little group of men. I like how she kept repeating, "Sweetheart, the dream is not ended," while she was telling her story. I was imagining the bridegroom nudging her to stop talking throughout the story.


King Thrushbeard: This unit definitely seems to have a focus on marital problems. This story really surprised me! I did not expect the beggar to be king Thrushbeard. This may be the one I rewrite. It would make for a nice ending to my storybook. Death could end with encouragement that you can learn from your mistakes and learn to humble yourself.


The Three Spinsters: This story was pretty funny. I loved the way the prince told her not to spin anymore in fear of her becoming like the three spinsters. I bet her mother is furious with the situation, though. That the daughter was constantly rewarded for her laziness.