Final Thoughts :-)

Reflecting on my spring semester, I had the most enjoyable time in Folk and Fairy Tales than my other courses. It was nice to read fiction for a change of pace. After reading all these tales and analyzing them, I feel more confident in my critical reading and writing skills. It is easy to doubt yourself as a student (unfortunately), but my positive time in this course made all the difference. I also found stories I want to share with the little ones in my life and my future children. Beauty and the Beast and Tselane and the Marimo have stood out to me this semester as two stories I cannot forget and want my future children to hear. I am a sucker for true love and beauty being skin deep themed stories, and with Tselane, I love how her mother was the one to rescue her. I want my future children to know that their mother will always save them in their time of need just as Tselane’s mother did. I also could not get enough of Oscar Wilde’s stories. I did not key in on the religious aspects, but the overall messages of kindness, gratitude, and the importance of giving. The Selfish Giant made me happy and sad at the same time. It made me smile when he opened his garden for the children to play in, but I was sad when he died. But then again, he got to live in total paradise with Jesus so I guess it all worked out for the giant!

I admit, I did not always prepare the best I could for class. I wish I dedicated more time to the stories to really digest them. I truthfully enjoyed the material and assignments though. I never saw them as a chore. In fact, it was refreshing to sit down and read stories and write personal blogs after hours of political philosophy research and taking notes on ethics (so tedious!).

Overall, I will not forget my time in this class and will hang on to the books forever! There are too many good stories in them to ever get rid of these books.

                 

Spirit Possession

Dr. Valk’s and Dr. Lyngdoh’s presentations were FASCINATING! I wish they could have come to our school so we could hear their lectures in person instead of over skype. The possessed people of India differ from the tales we have read because these are real life people—we as the audience were able to see photographs of them and match a face to the Sangkini. Instead of simply reading about spirit possession folktales and dismissing them as purely folktales, it is very much alive within the culture. In our modern society, folktales are for fun, but the Sangkini abide by them and have developed their livelihoods around the tales. My knowledge of fairytales has been enriched further! I want to know more and more about spirit possession. Firsthand accounts bring the stories to life and instill the realism element.

Native-American Tales

I enjoy reading Native-American stories more than European tales. The Native-American tales introduce conflict, but the resolution involves cooperation and spiritual elements of nature and the heart. The Native-American tales we read also do not include violent accounts like the European tales do. I get tired of the European fairy tale tropes so reading stories from the Native-Americans is very refreshing. In addition, I really love how women are depicted. For example in “How Men and Women Got Together” the women are illustrated as not only beautiful, but intelligent and resourceful. “What a good life they’re having! They have fine tipis made of tanned buffalo hide, while we men have only brush shelters…And look what fine clothes they wear…Really I made a mistake putting the women so far away from us” (68). Not to mention, love is represented in a true pure form, also from “How Men and Women Got Together”, “The women quilled and tanned for the men. Then the men hunted for the women. Then there was love. Then there was happiness. Then there was marriage. Then there were children” (72).  The whimsical and harmonious aspects of Native-American tales makes me smile. I genuinely love reading these tales.

                                  

Peer Reflection (blog 9)

 

My first impression of Dani’s blog is PROFESSIONAL! Her layout is easy to read and the colors are not too loud. Mine on the other and is bright and maybe too vibrant—after seeing Dani’s blog I want to edit my theme to look more like hers. Her content is original and she shares her own one of a kind ideas. I like that Dani calls it how she sees it! She is upfront in saying that Cinderella is not realistic and is not shy in calling western fairy tales cliché in comparison to the more exciting Kenyan tales. The only qualm I have is that sometimes the spacing is off or a typo here and there, but it does not take away from the content of her entries. As said by Dani in blog 7, “the Kenya fairytales have a significance of celebrating wit and quick thinking. They create a common understanding of phenomena and sustain the history of a people/community. Memories are shared because memories of a community can relate to a story because of shared experiences. Nevertheless, the community in Kenya continues to thrive and grow so I think we should implement some of the tactics to our tales we read.” I could not agree with her more—she said it better than I could!

https://danifolkandfairytales.blogspot.com/

Kenyan Folktales

Dr. K’Olewe’s stories were so much fun! It made me remember when I was in 1^st grade the class had a guest speaker from Africa share one of her favorite stories. I cannot remember where she was from, I was only 6, but I do remember how beautiful she was. She wore a patterned orange skirt and detailed beaded anklets with a matching orange head scarf. She told us a story about a dog and cat feuding over a ham. She was so animated in her story telling much like Dr. K’Olewe. She would incorporate Swahili words in the tale as well as dancing along to the song she sang that accompanied the tale. I do not remember too many details of the tale, but I cannot forget the song: “This ham is my ham my ham. This ham is my ham my ham…” After doing a key word search, the tale is told to explain why dogs chase cats. After 14 years I still remember the song and the voice she sang it in, even though I forgot the gist of the story, the memories are still there. Down the road as my exact recollection of Dr. K’Olewe’s tales fade, I will still remember “come story come”.

African folktales are different from others because traditionally they are not recorded, they are carried orally. The oral tradition allows the tales to adapt and be flexible with the teller, audience, and changing times. In addition, African tales include brief songs and call and response melodies. The tunes are hard to resist! Furthermore, African folktales are tool for explaining why things are how they are. They explain everyday happenings with a whimsical and captivating justifications. Hands down, I would rather listen to folktales than read them any day!

Cinderella- Rags to Riches

Rags to riches is a common motif in stories, films, and television. I see both sides of the coin when examining the motif. On one hand, there is nothing wrong with seeking love to change your life, but on the other, I can see how love is not needed when reaching goals. Looking at Disney’s Cinderella, young girls usually enjoy seeing the kind spirited working woman find love and have her happily ever after (I know I did and still do like the watching Cinderella). However, I can understand how it may not be the best message for young girls. A prince or partner is not needed to be successful—women are strong and resilient. I think there is nothing wrong with finding enjoyment in the Cinderella motif, but always knowing and embracing the strength of women. Cinderella stories can and do happen, it is a more traditional happening, but it occurs. I don’t think it is the best expectation to rely on marriage to transform your life, but if that floats your boat so be it. However, I do think that true love is real and can make you rich in terms of happiness and fulfillment. All in all, the Cinderella rags to riches is a fun fantasy for stories and such, but in real life, the true magic lies within ourselves, but support and encouragement from loved ones can most definitely help turn rags to riches.

Rammstein- Sonne

Comparing the Snow White versions we read in class to the Sonne music video, there are a bunch of similarities, but just displayed in a different way. In the music video, Snow White is fair with black hair and ruby red lips like in the stories and is wearing a Disney inspired ball gown. The music video also features the band members as the dwarves and has scenes of them mining. The Snow White in Sonne is not gentle and timid like in the stories, but instead she is dominating, seductive, and fierce. Instead of the dwarves serving as a father figure, Snow White is more of a mother figure but keying in on an oedipal atmosphere (she spanks the dwarves and is sultry when she interacts with them). In the music video, there is no evil witch plotting to kill Snow White, instead Snow White indulges in self-destructive behavior. She is shown snorting (glittery) cocaine and overdosed in the bathtub with a needle and syringe beside her. The witch’s motifs of the comb and the lace is still present with one of the dwarves brushing her long locks and Snow White flaunting her lacy tights. The apple is also present; however it is what appears to revive her, not kill her. The dwarves carry her glass casket up the mountain as they cry for their loss when suddenly an apple falls from the branch above and breaks the glass. Snow White catches the apple and immediately sits up, good as new. Perhaps Snow White only appeared dead, but was really just passed out?

The ambiance of the Sonne Snow White reminds me of the darker nature of Snow, Glass, Apple, but preserving the traditional motifs of the Grimm version with a twist. I have an appreciation for the original Snow White and the earlier versions, but I also enjoy new takes on it, as I do with all of the tales so far.

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