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.

Essay for Week 13: The Grimm Brothers' Dark Outlook on the World

Illustration by Walter Crane. Web Source: Un-Textbook

This week I read Ashliman's translation of some of the classic stories that came from the Brothers Grimm. One thing that almost every hears when they are told about these stories is that they are not as friendly as their Disney cousins. A lot of them are very gruesome and dark. People may get a happy ending, but the story is not going to be full of lollipops and gumdrops while getting there. Many of the stories I read this week had an especially negative outlook on the people of this world.

One such story is the Cat and Mouse in Partnership. In this story, a cat and mouse decide to live together, and they store a pot of fat in a church to save for the winter season. The cat, however, eats it all up before winter, then he eats the mouse. The story ends with the line, “that is the way of the world.” My jaw just dropped when I read that. How horrible! The little guy is going to get screwed over by the fat cats of the world and all we are left with is “that’s just the way it is.” However, the mouse should know not to trust a cat. Cats are the natural predator of mice. The moral could be salvaged and made into something like: be careful who you get into bed with; don’t partner someone who is known to be an enemy. This moral, however, could lead children to be overly distrusting of people.

Again, in The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids, the wolf was trying to deceive seven young kids (baby goats). He goes to the miller for help. The miller is scared of the wolf, so he agrees, even though he knows it is wrong. The story says “that is the way people are.” I again object to this moral. The miller feared the consequences of doing the right thing, so he helped the wolf. People cannot live that way; they must do what is right because it is right.

Perhaps these stories were written in this way on purpose. Perhaps the Brothers Grimm intended on me to find the moral disgusting. That way, I object strongly to them and do not become like the characters in their story. In this way, reading their stories could create a better world.

 

Storytelling for Week 13: The Fox and the Cat

 Reynard the Fox Web Source: Wikipedia

One day, the cat ran into a childhood friend of his, Mr. Fox. The fox had been away for several years, during which he devoted his time to his education. The cat approached the fox, who was carrying a large sack on his back, and greeted his old friend. However, the fox looked upon the cat with contempt. The fox considered himself to be greater than the cat, for he had spent his time learning hundreds of tricks for escaping predators. He the cat that he would consider the cat lucky if he knew but one of these tricks.

Indeed, the cat did know one trick. If ever he found himself fleeing from a predator, he would simply run up a tree and hide in the branches. He told this to the fox. The fox laughed and showed the cat the sack he had been carrying on his back. He explained that inside that sack were nearly a thousand tricks he could use, all of which would outperform the cat’s simple trick.

The cat became angry. He did not consider himself overly prideful, but he did not like the way his old friend had spoken to him. He decided to challenge the fox. The next day, they would open up the farmer’s fence that kept his many dogs from escaping. The dogs would immediately chase after the cat and the fox, and whoever demonstrated their trick the greatest would be the victor. The fox agreed and said that he would bring his sack and chose one at random to show that any of his tricks would be greater than the cat’s. The fox then went on his way.

The next morning, the fox and the cat met at the farmer’s fence. Already, the dogs were barking wildly at the two. They stood ten yards away while the rabbit, a mutual friend, waited for the cat’s signal to unlock the fence. The fox tried to open his sack to choose a trick, but could not untie the knot. What he did not know, was that, during the previous night, the cat snuck over and tied a knot around the bag so that it could not be opened. As the fox struggled with the sack, the cat told him to simply think of a trick from memory. However, the fox had not committed any of his tricks to memory; he only wrote them down and put them in his sack.

The cat then gave the rabbit the signal to unlock the fence. Immediately, the dogs began their chase. The cat found a nearby tree, ran up its trunk, and hid amongst its branches. As he looked down, he saw the fox still fumbling with his sack. He called out to the fox to hurry up and choose a trick, but it was too late. The fox could not think of a trick and was eaten by the dogs.

Author’s Note:

This story is based on The Fox and the Cat from the Brothers Grimm unit. The original story is basically the same as mine. However, I did add the part about the cat tying a knot around the sack. I like this story because it gives value to experience over education. Education is very important, but it is useless if not applied. The fox “knew” hundreds of tricks, but never did use any enough to commit to memory. The cat knew only one trick, but he practiced it often.

Bibliography

“The Fox and the Cat” from The Grimm Brothers’ Children’s and Household Tales translated by D. L. Ashliman (1998-2013).

Reading Diary for Week 13 Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)

Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)


Cat and Mouse in Partnership: Wow, what a tough lesson for the mouse. The reader would like to see justice done to the cat, but the writer instead instructs the reader that the world doesn't always work that way.


The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids: Agh! Again! The reader would like to see the Miller stand up to the wolf, but he was frightened and did not. The Brothers Grimm have a dark outlook on the people of this world. At least the kids ended up alright and the wolf met his doom


The Seven Ravens: This story was very odd and trippy. I'm glad the family was reunited, though

Rumpelstiltskin: It's always fun to read this story. But now I think of Once Upon a Time when I read his name.

The Fox and the Cat: Interesting story. The fox was pretty arrogant in his thinking. The story started with him metaphorically looking down on the cat, but the story ended with the cat literally looking down on him. This could be a fun one to rewrite, but it would need to be lengthened.

Death's Messengers: I read this story interested in how they would portray death. I wasn't a fan. He just seemed like a bully who picked on the little guy. However, he did say that he favors no one. Also, people don't understand death most of the time, so it makes sense that the man did not recognize death's messengers.

The Hare and the Hedgehog: "And if they have not died, then they are still alive." Haha, what a fantastic line. I really like this story. The Hedgehog should be kinder to his wife, but, overall, it is a fun tale.

Essay for Week 12: Robin Hood

Often times, I find myself getting bored with some of the stories I have to read, especially the lengthy ones. I am to blame for most my boredom, because I usually wait to the last minute to read the stories and I’m tired and grumpy. The unit of Robin Hood seemed even more troublesome as I began it, since the stories were written as ballads. Poetry and song-type literature can become very dull when simply read in your head. They require tune and rhythm to be fully enjoyed, otherwise they are dry and lifeless.

One thing that I really enjoyed when I read the Robin Hood unit in the Un-textbook was the video added to the ballad of Robin Hood and Little John. This was a particularly long ballad, but, instead of reading the ballad, the unit provided the option of listening to a man sing it accompanied by his acoustic guitar. This helped the story flow much more smoothly and held my interest much longer. I ended up retelling this story in my Storytelling blog post. Not only did the song help me enjoy this particular ballad, but others as well. I then had a tune in my head to which I could read the other ballads, which helped keep me moving along and stay interested in the story.

Bottom line, I think this was a great tool to add to the Robin Hood unit. I know that there are also some units that provide audio recording so that one can listen to the story instead of reading it. This can be especially useful for someone who is tired from a long day and does not want to read several stories. Instead, they can relax and listen and think about what they find interesting in the story. This helps motivate creativity when it is their turn to write the story.

Robin Hood and Little John by L. Rhead

Storytelling for Week 12: Little John

Little John

Author’s Note: This week’s storytelling assignment is based on the ballad of Little John from the Robin Hood unit. I decided to take this same story and place it into another setting. I’ve been watching a lot of The Walking Dead recently, so I thought it would be fun to set Robin Hood and his merry men (referred to as weary men in my story) in a zombie apocalypse (zombies are called Hungerers in my story). This is a different type of story than what I usually write, but I thought it would be fun try it out. Enjoy.      

Robin Hood and his weary men had been traveling for nearly two weeks without a decent meal to fill their bellies. When they reached the edge of a forest, Robin Hood instructed his weary men to rest while he entered the forest to hunt for food. The weary men protested and warned Robin that the forest could be overrun by Hungerers and would be too dangerous to travel through alone. Robin Hood quickly assured his men that would not be alone, for he would have his trusted bow and quiver at his side. He also added that if he were to find himself in a spot of trouble from which he could not escape, he would blow on his horn; at the sound of his horn, his weary men would run to rescue Robin Hood.



The weary men were still unconvinced, yet they could not stop Robin from entering the forest. Robin Hood entered the forest alone to hunt, but the game was sparse. He had managed to catch a few squirrels before he reached a brook in the middle of the forest. Not too far was a narrow bridge, where Robin Hood spotted a stranger fending off several Hungerers. Thrice Robin saw a Hungerer nearly bite the stranger, but the stranger was a large man and a savage fighter with his staff. Robin Hood ran to the bridge and nocked an arrow and drew his bow, but before he released the arrow, he heard the stranger call out to him.

“Oh, come on! Don’t spoil the fun with your bow and arrows! Pick up that pole over there and let’s see how you fair against me in fighting these monsters!”

Robin Hood spotted the old street sign that the stranger was referring to. He set his bow down and picked up the sign and began to bash it against the heads of the Hungerers. Robin and the stranger were fighting hard, yet more and more Hungerers were coming to the bridge. Soon, Robin Hood found himself overwhelmed by a crowd of Hungerers and was forced off of the bridge and into the brook. He then reached for his horn and gave it a hard blow, for he knew that they would not last long like this.

The noise attracted a several Hungerers to him, but the stranger jumped down from the bridge and helped fight them off. Robin Hood and the stranger then fought back to back while the weary men ran towards them. When the weary men reached their leader, they let loose several arrows that each met their target and the battle was finally over.

As the fighting stopped, the stranger thanked Robin Hood and his weary men for their support. He introduced himself as Little John. Robin Hood applauded Little John’s capability against the Hungerers and asked if he would like to join him and his weary men. Little John agreed and traveled onward with Robin Hood and his weary men.



Robin Hood and Little John by L. Rhead



Bibliography

"Robin Hood and Little John" from

The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child (1882-1898).

Reading Diary Week 12: Robin Hood

From Robin Hood Unit in the Un-textbook

Progress to Nottingham: What we learned about Robin Hood is that he does not like to be insulted, he is really good with a bow, and he knows it. Don't mess with Robin Hood
Little John: This one was very long, but the video of the song was great! I liked how they started as enemies, but then gained each other's respect. I think I will rewrite this story.
The Shepherd: Wow. What a great pride story. Robin and Little John definitely underestimated their foe. This would be a great story for my Storybook