Story: The Mountain of Flowers and Fruits

The only species of talking monkeys have lived on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits for thousands of years. Scientists label them as more advanced than normal apes, but not as advanced as human beings. Everyone who has tried to kick this species off the mountain has failed miserably, with help from the Monkey King himself. His powers made him unstoppable and he could create a tremendous army of monkeys from nothing quicker than he could snap his fingers. The newly implemented government that had political supervision over the region, which included the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, had discovered the inhabitants of the mountain and decided they were a threat to society. They planned to wipe out the entire species, but this would be impossible with Sun Wu Kung's presence. However, something stood in the way of the monkeys' plans to save their village. Their beloved Mountain of Flowers and Fruits that the monkey species had been living on was in fact an active volcano that would erupt in a week's time.

Ape village on the side of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits; anonymous.

Long before, the saint called "The Discerner" bestowed magic powers on the Monkey King, Sun Wu Kung, unlike any other king in the history of their existence. He had the power to transform into any creature and he could make the impossible possible by merely reciting an incantation. One thing he was specifically proud of was if he chewed on a piece of his own hair, spat it into the air and yelled "Transform yourself," a plethora of little monkeys would appear. He also used a floating cloud to get from one destination to another, "somersaulting" across the Earth in a second. "The Discerner" granted these powers to the Monkey King because he was worthy of the saint's time, unlike past kings who have begged for that gift for over thousands of years. But now, the government supervised everything that happened on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits.
After days of fighting the humans, Sun Wu Kung fell into a trap and woke up in a government facility. He tried to make a cloud appear to get him out of the tiny cell, but nothing happened when he recited the incantation. Then, a man with a tiny American flag pinned to his suit opened the door to his cell.
"I heard you reciting an incantation. However, this vault has been designed to restrict your magic."
"What is going on? What am I doing here? I am Sun Wu Kung, the king of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits and I demand you let me go immediately."
The man stepped closer to the Monkey King and told him about the underlying geology of the king's precious Mountain of Flowers and Fruits. He told Sun Wu Kung how the mountain was in fact a volcano that would erupt sometime in the upcoming week.
"We cannot let you and the rest of your kind live on this planet anymore. You have had your chance, but you are a danger to society. This volcano will result in something the government has been trying to accomplish for years." With that, the man in the suit left Sun Wu Kung and didn't return for what seemed like months.
Sun Wu Kung could not let the other apes die and he had to escape the facility, no matter what the cost might be. The king's favorite power that he possessed was being able to make an army of apes appear by pulling out a single hair from his head. He was unsure how this would happen since his powers were useless, but he would find a way. All he needed was to step outside of the facility even for a second to recite the incantation and swarm the building with his army of apes.
Little did the guards protecting his cell know that the king had been practicing martial arts for as long as he had been alive. He stuck his hand through the three bars in the cell door and pulled the guard up against the bars. He grabbed the keys from his belt loop and slipped out the cell before anyone else could spot him. Once Sun Wu Kung was outside of the cell, he somersaulted to the summit of the volcano.
The Monkey King once told someone, "'All the elements are subject to me, and there is no place where I cannot go.'" This was absolutely true. He pulled out a hair on his head and yelled "Transform yourself!" Seconds later, an army of apes stormed the prison where the king was kept and left no survivors. By merely reciting the specific incantation, he sealed the volcano and trapped the lava underneath.
Sun Wu Kung had saved his people once again and appreciated his powers now more than ever. The US Government made a deal to leave the sacred species alone as long as they stayed on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, and so they did.

Author's Note: I based this week's story off of Richard Wilhelm's "The Monkey King" from The Chinese Fairy Book. There are many different chapters that involve various characters and plots, but my story line specifically focuses on Sun Wu Kung's magic powers. The original story ends with Sun Wu Kung having so much power that he decides that he is fit to be Lord of the Heavens. Buddha cast him back to his mountain and put a giant pile of scraps to keep him there. He was released after many years and then served for eternity under a Monk who kept him on a tight leash. I included some characters from the original story and kept most of the settings the same. Sun Wu Kung lived on the side of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits with all his children, family and friends. The name of this mountain sounds like a pleasant place to live, but I wanted to give a modern spin on the original story. The mountain wasn't a volcano in the original, but it added a sense of urgency to my story by including it. I decided to make the government the enemy and to incorporate evolution into it as well. I also made sure to incorporate a quote from the original story. "All the elements are subject to me, and there is no place where I cannot go," caught my eye immediately when I was first reading the story. It is such a powerful statement by the king and I thought it proved relevant in my rendition.

Roger Wilhelm's The Monkey King

Reading Notes: Wilhelm's The Monkey King, Part B

My favorite part about reading this story are the details that the author includes in every single chapter. Sun Wu Kung has gone on many different adventures and his bravery has only helped him with his success. One story that caught my eye was "The Lord of the Heavens" at the beginning of Part B of the reading. Unlike many fairytales. this book incorporates religion into the plot as well. When the Evening Star is trying to convince the Lord of the Heavens to let Sun Wu Kung into his realm, he talks to the Lord like he worships him. He sounds like someone praying to their god; and that was exactly what he was doing. The Evening Star begs the Lord to forgive the King for his sins and for him to be accepted into the Heavens. The Monkey King is then deemed knowledgeable and worthy of entering the Heavens.
When the author is describing floating on a cloud from the Heavens to the mountains, the story again has that familiar fairytale feel to it. I want to include the Monkey King floating on a colored cloud from the mountains to the entrance to the Heavens in my story. I like the idea of writing a story about someone going to heaven to "'look around there a little!'" Heaven is an ominous topic that not many people write about because there is no way to know what it is like in real life. There is also the controversy of if heaven even is real. Writing a story about a man going to visit heaven for a day could be very interesting and unique. It is important to write a story about something that not everyone else in the class is going to write about as well. The author of the original story introduces other characters in this story as well, such as the gate-keeper, stable-master and the Lord of the Heavens himself. I plan to make my own versions of these characters in my storytelling assignment for this week.


Painting on silk of the Jade Emperor, or the Lord of the Heavens; anonymous.

"The Monkey King" by Richard Wilhelm; link to reading online.

Reading Notes: Wilhelm's The Monkey King Part A

The title of the story, "The Monkey King," caught my eye immediately. I love animals and I enjoy reading stories about them, specifically when they take on human characteristics. The first sentence of the story begins with, "FAR, far away to the East..." This sentence in particular reminds me of the beginning of a fairytale. When I first started reading this, I was not sure if this was an actual fairytale or just a child's story. Then I realized that the title of the book was "The Chinese Fairy Book." I am excited to read the rest of this story and I am glad I chose this one because I do enjoy reading fairytales.
The main character, Sun Wu Kung, was named "Handsome King of the Apes" by the other apes; and I think I could do a spin on this in the story that I write this week. I have been incorporating modernization into most of the stories I have been writing and I could continue that trend in this week's storytelling assignment. The original story was written over a century ago, so the author's meaning of "handsome" might not be the same as the meaning that we would use today. "Handsome" used to resemble strong rather than good-looking, like how we use it today. I am thinking that I might write a story about a "handsome" leader who is attractive and is loved by all of his peers. He could be a football player or an important politician.
The character of the stone ape is the bravest of all the other apes so i want to incorporate that also into my version of the story. He is a tough guy who isn't afraid to step up and be a leader, but it might not work out as well as he thinks it will in the end. It depends on whether he uses his intelligence or his pride when trying to get through a situation.
It can be difficult to write a story about animals that have taken on human characteristics, but I think that I am going to give it a try this week. The monkeys in the original story are basically like humans, negotiating, wearing clothes and learning new things. I plan to keep the main characters as monkeys, but also possibly make them modern day high schoolers or young adult monkeys who have to overcome something that has happened.


The Monkey King or Sun Wu Kung; monkey picture.

"The Monkey King" by Richard Wilhelm; link to reading online.

Reading Notes: The Voyages of Sindbad, Part A

Before reading this story, I had heard of Sindbad but I hadn't actually read any stories about him. He went on seven separate voyages throughout the entire story, each more terrifying than the one before. My favorite voyage was the second one when Sindbad was stranded on an island and ended up being picked up by a giant bird called the Roc. He stumbled upon the Roc's egg, which was huge and soft. Once the Roc scooped him up, Sindbad tied himself to its leg, which was the size of a tree trunk. He stayed in the nest until the next morning when the Roc landed on ground once again and Sindbad untied himself and was set free. The adventures and horrors that Sindbad has to face throughout his journey are tragic and unlucky; however, Sindbad uses his quick thinking to devise a plan every time. Since my favorite voyage was the one about the Roc, I am planning to write my own version of this story in this week's storytelling post. I want to keep the character of the Roc and Sindbad in my story, but make a different ending that is completely different than the one told in the original story.

Sindbad tied to the leg of the Roc. Illustrated by H. J. Ford.
http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/06/sindbad-second-voyage.html

The Voyages of Sindbad by Andrew Lang.
http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/06/myth-folklore-unit-voyages-of-sindbad.html

Feedback Focus

Every time I read an assignment, especially for this Mythology course, I read it out loud. I tend to skim over things more quickly when I am reading it in my head. I feel like I am a part of the story when I am reading out loud. Understanding complex readings can be difficult especially when they aren't always exactly something you want to be reading about. It can make it more interesting and fun by reading out loud, plus you don't get as bored. This is most definitely my favorite technique when reading and understanding reading assignments.

The "Copy and Delete" technique is a little bit more difficult, considering it takes a little bit longer to finish an assignment when doing this. I like to have a piece of paper handy so that I can write down anything that comes to my mind right when it does, because I know that I will forget later on. That is information that is valuable for my posts so I want to make sure that I am fully retaining all of the information.

Using a timer is a smart way to make sure you really take in all the facts. I do think it is a good idea to devote time to the story you are reading, because sometimes reading it only once doesn't give you the full potential to write a good blog post or commentary about it. It is also important to read the information about the author because it gives more background on not only the author, but the story itself.

Reading out loud or even to a dog or family member can be extremely helpful in making sure you are retaining the information you are reading.

https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2014/12/22/dog-therapy-101/

Reading Notes: Ziya'al-Din Nakhshabi 's Tales of a Parrot, Part B

My favorite aspect of the book itself is that the stories that the parrot tells Khojisteh are so captivating that she can't miss a single one. The parrot is an impressive story teller and even though Khojisteh wants to go see her lover, she can't seem to get away from the parrot's enticement. There is shape shifting in many of the stories, and I want to include that in my version of the story that I write this week. In the story "Of a King and His Sons, and of a Frog and a Snake," the characters Khaliss and Mukhless are actually a snake and a frog that have taken on a human form. They acquired this power when the prince carved out a piece of skin for each of them. They also use their original animal form to help people with tasks that would otherwise be difficult. Mukhless jumps into the water to fish out a ring that fell in and Khaliss cured the King's daughter after she was bit by a snake. The characters that the parrot's stories include are typically manipulative and intelligent in their own ways. The fate of Khojisteh in the original story is unfortunate, especially since, after all that time, Khojisteh never even got to see her lover. Her husband also put her to death.


"The Parrot addresses Khojisteh" by Mir Sayyid Ali and Abdus Samad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutinama

Ziya'al-Din Nakhshabi's Tales of a Parrot http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/06/tales-of-parrot-of-king-and-his-sons.html

Reading Notes: Ziya'al-Din Nakhshabi's Tales of a Parrot Part A

The story Tutinameh or Tales of a Parrot by Ziya'al-Din Nakhshabi is about a parrot that prince, Miemun, purchased. The parrot tells stories to the prince's wife, Khojisteh, to keep her from committing adultery and cheating on her husband with another prince. Some of the individual stories in the reading are stories that the parrot tells Khojisteh. For my story this week, I am thinking about telling either my own versions of the stories that the parrot tells, or change the ending of them a little bit. The parrot is also extremely smart and can foresee the future. In my story this week, I also might incorporate the parrot's ability to see the future.
 
"Khojisteh and the parrot" by Mir Sayyid Ali and Abdus Samad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutinama#mediaviewer/File:Indischer_Maler_um_1580_001.jpg

Ziya'al-Din Nakhshabi's Tales of a Parrot. http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/06/myth-folklore-unit-tutinameh-or-tales.html

Story: Scarlet and Flynn

It's August in Los Angeles and the heat is unbearable, not to mention it's the first day of school today. One person in particular who has been dreading this day ever since she moved to LA in the beginning of the summer is Scarlet. She rolled over and hit the snooze button for the fifth time on her alarm clock. It was her senior year at a new school where she knew no one. Scarlet is shy around new people, so she is especially nervous for a walking into a school where she knows no one. Her mom always told her that she got her looks from the Greek Gods and not from her parents. But do looks really matter if no one wants to be your friend?

A few streets down a boy named Flynn was getting ready to leave for his first day at a new school too. There were so many thoughts going through his head as he walked out the door to meet his sudden fate at a place where he knew nobody. He wants to make friends, but it's so hard considering it is senior year. He has always been told that he was a beautiful child, but that didn't seem important because Flynn was lonely all the time.

Scarlet walked up to the front doors of the school and pushed them open. Everyone turned and looked at the new, exotically beautiful girl. Her wavy red hair draped all the way down to her lower back. She had no makeup on; her mom always told her that her natural beauty was enough. Scarlet walked through the hallway with everyone's eyes on her, but then all of their eyes shifted back to the front door. Out walks Flynn, a long, chiseled face hidden behind curly brown hair. The girls couldn't keep their eyes off him, and the boys couldn't keep their eyes off Scarlet.

The first bell of the day rang and everyone bolted to class. Scarlet and Flynn bump into each other as they both try to make it inside the classroom before they are counted late. Scarlet dropped her books and Flynn quickly bends down and picks them up in one fell swoop. They sat at desks next to each each other in the back of the room, but neither of them spoke a word the entire hour. As they walked out the door to go to their next classes, Flynn calls to Scarlet. "Hey, I'm Flynn by the way." He walked away and little did they know that would be the start of these soulmates' story together. 

This picture of a statue of Psyche and Cupid represents the love that they share and the love that Scarlet and Flynn share.

"Psyche Revived By Cupid's Kiss" by Antonio Canova.

Author's Note: I based this story loosely on the story of Cupid and Psyche. Psyche was the most beautiful girl to ever set foot on earth, yet no one wanted to marry her. It wasn't until Cupid came along and shot himself with his arrow that Psyche met the love of her life. Scarlet and Flynn represent Psyche and Cupid and although their story is much more modernized, it still is a romance story about two young lovers.


Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche; http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-apuleiuss-cupid-and.html

Reading Notes: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche Part B

I love the power that Venus carries with her. She is the goddess of love and she doesn't think that Cupid should be with someone like Psyche. Venus is incredibly protective of Cupid and that is kind of why I chose to use this picture. Psyche's character is the most interesting to me because she is strangely beautiful, yet the only man to ever fall in love with her is Cupid. The series of events that happen because of Cupid and Psyche's romance are nothing less of unfortunate. Venus does everything in her power to set things back to the way they were and to get Cupid back. In this week's story, I also really want to focus on the imagery and descriptions like the author does in the original story.


"Venus Chides Cupid" by Giordano.
https://www.uni-erfurt.de/fileadmin/user-docs/spz-latein/materialien/apuleius/psyche-giordano.pdf

Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche; http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-apuleiuss-cupid-and.html

Feedback Thoughts Week 2

Throughout my teenage years I played volleyball and had many different coaches. At first I was uncomfortable with straightforward criticism, but I soon grew accustomed to it because what they were saying was right. Obviously feedback for writing is different than in sports, but it makes you better. It teaches you things that you didn't know before and can give you options to things that you didn't know existed. My advice for giving feedback, however, is to be firm, but relatable, especially when giving feedback to peers. When people get feedback, they want helpful and nice feedback that is to the point. Everyone should do as they would want for themselves.


It is true that the person giving feedback should give some criticism, or else it is unhelpful.
http://quotesgram.com/img/constructive-criticism-quotes/13774181/