Week 15 Review: Staying Creative

My favorite item from some of the recent announcements is this picture showing 29 different ways to remain creative.

29 ways to stay creative; Week 13 Announcements

I think this is a great graphic that can help motivate people to find ways to harness their inner creative beast. Sometimes people lose motivation or run out of ways to think outside of the box, which is a normal thing that occurs to everyone now and then. This image can help kickstart the imagination and potentially help get the creative juices flowing. I know there are a few tips on there that I use myself in order to elevate my ability to think outside the box.

Famous Last Words: Week 15

Well, we've finally arrived at the final week and final day of the course. Naturally, I've procrastinated to the point where I'm up late at night finishing up the last few assignments needed in order to me to reach an A in the course. It's been a frantic dead week so far, with all my final exams being this week instead of next week (when finals week is actually scheduled to be). But I'm thankful to be finishing up with finals earlier than anticipated because I am so completely done with school. I honestly checked out of the semester a couple weeks ago and have barely been getting by the past two weeks. I'm definitely looking forward to my long awaited gap year while I wait to hear back from the optometry schools I will be applying to at the beginning of July.

My other classes have went well too, with only a short paper remaining for my communications class. Other than that, I'm done for the semester! It looks like I'll be ending my years as an undergrad pretty strong, since I managed a 4.0 this final semester. I'm proud of myself for sticking to it this semester and not letting my procrastination get the best of me. I gave myself a great chance to succeed this semester by getting my work done. I'm looking forward to summer break, although I'll be studying for the OAT and retaking a class. My family is planning on going on vacation to this summer so it will be a nice mini break until I'm back hitting the books. I also plan on shadowing and working in an optometry clinic this semester in order to gain more experience in the field. It was nice being in this class and getting the opportunity to learn more about other cultures and about the other students in this class. Have a great summer break!

Graduation is here; Flickr

Wikipedia Trail: From Divergent Thinking to Cerebrospinal Fluid

Divergent Thinking - I decided to search this term as I went back through the assignments and came across an image detailing two different types of thinking: divergent and convergent. According to Wikipedia, divergent thinking is a method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. It is spontaneous and free-flowing.

Divergent thinking; Wikipedia

Convergent Thinking - After searching divergent thinking, I thought it was only right to also know what convergent thinking was. Convergent thinking generally means the ability to give the correct answer to standard questions that do not require significant creativity, according to Wikipedia. You can refer to standardized tests as examples.

Convergent thinking; Wikipedia

Electroencephalography - Next I came across this term, abbreviated EEG for short. Basically, it is a electrophysiological monitoring method used to record electrical activity of the brain. I thought this was interesting because it is so widely used in the medical field and also a vital part of many research studies.

EEG readings; Wikipedia

Cerebrospinal Fluid - After EEG, I came across CSF, which is a clear, colorless fluid found in the brain and spinal cord. It acts as a cushion or buffer for the brain, providing protection to the brain inside of the skull. It also is vital to many other important functions that the brain and nervous system are a part of.

Vials of human CSF; Wikipedia

Learning Challenge: Health/Happiness Cartoon

Advice from a tree; Learning by HEART

After looking through the images, I found this one above to be my favorite. I like it because it focuses on nurturing oneself and having a positive image of who you are. I think it also gives good advice on how to keep your mind in a state of peace when everything around you may be chaos. Life can be serious, but it can also be fun and enjoyable if you let it be.

Growth Mindset: Growing in All Classes

I see a lot of similar challenges between my classes at OU. Obviously there's the challenge of staying disciplined and turning in all work on time. By refraining from procrastinating, I have been able to get my work done in all classes in a timely manner, at least for the most part. I've also challenged myself to be more vocal and active during class discussions and participate more thoroughly. It's been a challenge that has applied to all my classes, not only this one. I think this is a great challenge that encourages you to improve in more than one way.

Growth mindset; Flickr

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

I downloaded the Canvas app onto my iPhone last semester and it has been one of the most helpful apps on my phone. It's so convenient to be able access whatever materials you need for the class so easily. It's also come in hand in class when my laptop has died, and I need the lecture notes to follow along. I can just access the notes on my phone through the app! It's been quite the resource over the past year and I think I can say that Canvas is way better than D2L in terms of ease of use and accessibility.

Reading Notes (EC): Khasi Folktales

The Tiger and the Monkeys

I thought this was a nice little entertaining story about how the monkeys had outwitted the tiger. This story could definitely be the basis for a retelling, as it's got a lot of components that make it so good. My favorite part was how the monkeys decided to trick the tiger by dressing up a fake clay figure. It's quite bold and genius if you think about it. I didn't understand how the tiger could so easily "fall in love" with the singing of a tiny insect. I thought it made him blind and rash, which ultimately led to his beatdown by the monkeys. I thought the story highlighted the tiger as almost being the villain, due to his arrogant and self-centered nature. I think this story could be retold from the point of view of either the tiger or the monkey, which would give a new perspective and greater insight into their thoughts.

The Legend of the Lei Tree

I thought this was another interesting story in this unit about a tree that threatens to take over the livelihoods of people in the surrounding area. After much consideration, a handpicked group of men were sent to the tree in order to cut it down. No matter how hard they worked, all progress they had made was reversed at night as the bark regenerated. A bird comes and tells them that the reason that the tree keeps healing so quickly is because a tiger comes by to lick the trees wounds because he does not want it to be cut down. It helps him hide in the shadows when he hunts for prey. This story would also be a good one for retelling because there are multiple directions for the story to branch out into.

Hokenakal monkey; Wikimedia

Bibliography

Khasi Folktales by K.U. Rafy 

Portfolio Index

1. The Blizzard - A retelling of the classic tale of Noah's Ark.

2. Notscha vs. Sun Wu Kung - A story detailing the epic fight between Prince Notscha and Sun Wu Kung, the immortal monkey king.

3. Left Behind - An extension to the Apache creation stories with a wicked twist.

4. Mouse Escapes - A continuation to the Brothers Grimm stories with a taste of revenge.

Course Improvements

I kind of like the review weeks. It gives me a chance to catch up and evaluate how well I am doing in the class at the time. However, I can see the benefits that come with adding planning weeks into the schedule. I guess the preference would vary from student to student and I personally think the schedule is fine the way it is. The review weeks work out perfectly, at least for me. I do like the idea of including more audio recordings! I think that's a great idea. I was also wondering if there are any cartoons or little episodes that depict the stories. I think watching these myths as vidoes would be another fun way to learn about the different stories that comes from different cultures around the world. Tutorial videos would also be pretty helpful, but I think your instructions and links to helpful websites are already really beneficial. I don't see the harm in having tutorial videos to people who really want to improve their writing! As for the thematic reading units, I think I would've enjoyed being able to pick from themes rather than locations. It also gives students more options (or so it seems). Overall, I think all these suggestions seem great and could help the class in some way or form! I would really just like to see more video options implemented into the course.

Famous Last Words: Week 14

It's the end of the fourteenth week and everything is chaos once again, just like the beginning of the semester. I procrastinated quite a bit this semester, a product of senioritis no doubt. However, I would like to say that I did make some progress towards alleviating my habit of procrastinating, so all is not lost. As the semester comes to a close, I found myself wondering how much better I could have done or how differently I could've done other things in order to make it an even more successful semester. But at the end of the day, I think I did pretty well considering it was my last semester ever as an undergrad. My other classes are going alright, although my Capstone course has been tough! It's way more difficult than I was anticipating, but I've enjoyed it nonetheless for the most part. It's a relief to almost be done. I can definitely say that I'm looking forward to my gap year! I'll probably be studying for the OAT and working full-time, but I like knowing the fact that I don't have to worry about grades, assignments, and exams for a whole year.

As for my writing over the semester, I think my most creative work was about Cat and Mouse and the little feud they had. The story that I enjoyed the most out of the ones I wrote was the when where the old couple get left behind in the underworld. I struggled a bit more this year than when I took Epics of India when it comes to getting assignments done on time. I'll barely be pulling of an A this semester, when in the other class, I finished it early and had extra time to study for finals. I thoroughly enjoyed this class though, I think even more than Epics of India, because I was able to branch out and read other stories that I wasn't as familiar with. I ended the week with a bit of bad news, but overall, great week!

How I feel studying during dead week; Flickr

Week 14 Review: Procrastination

After backing up my blog, I came across an interesting post in the announcements. It was an image about time management and it was titled Stages of Procrastination. I thought the image was pretty accurate and I got a kick out of it because I'm guilty of procrastinating all the time. It kind of made me feel a little better knowing I'm not the only one who goes through these stages, although it could be avoided if I just planned my time better.

Stages of Procrastination; Learning by Heart

Tech Tip: Create a Pinterest Board

I actually forgot this was even an option as extra credit for this class. I have used Pinterest before, but only because I took Epics of India a couple years ago and it was an extra credit option back then too. I enjoyed this option so I figured why not try it again, even though there's only a week left in the class. Better late than never!

Link to Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/parthjayaswal/mythfolklore-portfolio/

Reading Notes (EC): English Fairy Tales

Tom Tit Tot

I thought this was an interesting story that has the potential to be retold in a variety of ways. It was about a girl who was told to watch the pies her mom had made until they had softened again. The girl though, was impatient and ended up eating all five of the pies. The mother had no food to give the King, so he asks to marry the girl in exchange that she sows him things one month out of the year. The mother agrees and marries her daughter off to the king and for eleven months, the daughter is treated lavishly. At the beginning of the twelfth month, the king takes the girl to a room and tells her she must sow five things a day or else she will be killed. Unfortunately, the girl does not know how to see but a black creature appears out of nowhere and offers to sow for her as long as she can guess his name by the end of the month. She would have three guesses a day or else he would get to take her. So the girl takes this deal, but each day she got the name wrong and each day she got more and more nervous as the creature became more and more confident that she would not get his name. Then one day the king came by and said he had seen a tiny little black creature who had said his name was Tom Tit Tot. So on the last day, when the creature thought he had her, the girl told him his name and he took off, never to be seen again. I'm wondering what it would be like to tell this story from the creature or the king's perspective. It would be a cool concept to consider.

The small little black thing with a tail; UnTextbook

Bibliography

English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

Reading Notes (B): Brothers Grimm

The Queen Bee

This was a fun little story about two king's sons who go off in search of their fortune and life dreams. While away, they end up falling into a foolish life that prohibits them from going home. The third son, a dwarf, finds them and joins them on their journey through the world. Along the way, the two older brothers want to kill the ants, ducks, and bees they pass. However, the dwarf brother stops them from doing so. Eventually they arrive at a castle where an old man feeds them and allows them to sleep in his castle. The next day, the older brother is assigned to a task that holds the fate of  a lot of people in his hands. He fails, however, as does the second oldest brother. The dwarf brother, though, succeeds in completing the first task with the help of the ants he had saved from his older two brothers. He also completes the second and third tasks with the help of the ducks and bees he also saved from his brothers. The dwarf brother ends up marrying the best princess due to his heroic feat, while the other two brothers marry her two sisters. I thought this story was awesome because there were so many tasks to complete. I could use elements of this story for my story this week and create a fun little game show or something of the sort. I could also tell the story from the perspective of the old man who lives at the castle, which I think would be interesting to figure out.

The Twelve Huntsmen

I liked the idea of the all-knowing lion who kept telling the king that the huntsmen were actually girls. Everytime he tried to expose the girls, the servant would inform the girls of the upcoming task and they would fool the king deftly. I enjoyed the ending of the story because the king was finally reunited with his beloved first wife, whom he had only left because the previous king, his father, had asked him to marry another princess. This would also be an awesome story to expand or retell.

The King and his lion; HathiTrust

Bibliography

Grimm (LibriVox) from Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm

Reading Notes (A): Brothers Grimm

The Frog Prince

This was a story about a princess who lost her golden ball in a spring. She was so sad and upset she had lost it that she vowed to give up all her riches and clothes if she could get it back. A frog from inside the spring heard the princess wailing and offered to retrieve the golden ball for her on one condition: she would bring him to her house and let him eat from her plate and sleep on her bed. The princess was naturally wary of this frog, but she agreed to what he had said. However, once he had retrieved the golden ball, she was so overcome with relief and joy that she forgot all about the frog and ran off back home. The frog ended up showing up at the princess's house later that night and her father, the king, advised her to keep her word. So the frog ate from the princess's plate and slept in her bed on the same pillow she slept on for three days straight. On the third day, the princess was shocked to find that the frog has turned into a handsome prince! He explained how he had been cursed by a witch and now that he was normal again, he wanted to take the princess back to his kingdom and marry her. I thought this was a great story to build off of because I'm already familiar with it. There's so many modifications I could make to either make it more modern or to just continue the story.

Rapunzel

This story is one that I'm very familiar with and it brings back a lot of childhood memories. This could be a great basis for another story this week. I read a story by another student last week that built off of this one and it was one of the best stories I've read all semester so I'm excited to see what I could do with this story!

Rapunzel; Un-Textbook

Bibliography

Grimm (LibriVox) from Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm

Week 13 Storytelling: Mouse Escapes

"What do I do now?" thought Mouse as he spiraled down Cat's esophagus and into his stomach. He bounced a few times upon landing before finally coming to a stop. It was dark and moist inside Cat's stomach and there was also a strong, putrid acidic smell emanating from all sides.

Mouse was upset that he had been foolish enough to believe Cat's false stories. He should have known that Cat was leaving the house to eat all the food they had stored up for the winter. Cat wasn't even his real friend, now that he had tried to eat Mouse. Not only did Mouse not have any food for the winter, he was basically almost dead! He was lucky that Cat had swallowed him in a hurry instead of taking the time to properly chew him up. Now he had to find a way out before the digestive juices in Cat's stomach located him and tried to break him down! There was surely no way to combat the acid without suffering severe burns. He decided the only way out was to continue moving downstream through Cat's digestive system. Down Mouse went, through the stomach to the small and large intestines, and finally near the bladder where he knew he could exit.

In the bladder, Mouse was met with another rotten smell. This time he knew exactly what it smelled like even though he tried his hardest not to think about it. All he knew was that he had to escape before Cat's body did something to him that would lead to a slow, painful death. He plunged into Cat's bladder and made quite some progress before he was met with a dead-end. 

"Now what?" thought Mouse as he became more and more exasperated. He had to find a genius way to escape from the depths of Cat's digestive system, but the only thing he could think of was to chew his way out from inside Cat's body. He was a mouse after all, and mice are fortunate to have sharp teeth that can gnaw their way through many different things. It was a long shot, but he had to try: his life depended on it. So Mouse did the only thing he could: he bit into the insides of Cat and started to gnaw his way through to the outside. It wasn't an easy or clean task (I'll save you all the gory details), but with a little time and patience, Mouse burst through Cat and landed outside, back in the real world.

At the same time, Cat felt a sudden sharp pain in his lower stomach as Mouse burst out and fell to the ground. Cat was astonished! He had never seen anything like this. But Cat didn't have time to be surprised. He had a hole in his stomach and was bleeding out!

"Help me!" Cat yelled to Mouse in obvious pain.

Mouse took one quick glance at Cat and sped off. Who did Cat think he was to take advantage of Mouse, steal their food, and eat him with the intent to kill and then still try and ask for help? Mouse chuckled and went off to search for food and shelter in order to survive the winter season.

Tom and Jerry; Flickr

Author's Note

The original story, called Cat and Mouse in Partnership, is about a cat and mouse who decide to live with each other through the winter season. Together, they round up some food to save for winter and then store it inside a church so that no one dares to steal it. The next day, Cat makes up an excuse that he is to be a godfather and has to leave the house all day. In reality, Cat actually sneaks off to the church and eats the pot of fat that they foraged for and stored for the winter. When winter finally arrives and they're no longer able to find food outside, they head to the church to retrieve the pot of fat. Of course, Cat has eaten it all and Mouse becomes extremely angry when he pieces it together and realizes what had happened. However, before Mouse can say anything, it's already too late: Cat leans down and swallows Mouse whole. This is where the story leaves off in the original text. I wanted to write about what happens after to the Mouse. I didn't think it was sufficient for the Mouse to die so pathetically, so I decided to add an epic escape from inside Cat. I also wanted karma to come around and get Cat for being cruel, so that's why I decided to have Mouse just take off after he escaped. The original story also reminds me of the show Tom and Jerry, so that's why I included the image that I did.

Bibliography

Brothers Grimm from Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales by Dan Ashliman

Reading Notes (EC): Brothers Grimm

Cat and Mouse in Partnership

This was an entertaining story about a cat and a mouse who decide to live with each other through the winter season. Mouse is good at heart, while Cat seems to be a little suspicious. Together, they both find a pot of fat that they hide in the church so that no one will dare steal. When winter comes and there's no food left to find outside, they will have plenty stored up in the form of that pot of fat. However, Cat is sneaky and everyday he leaves the house to go to the church and eat from the pot of fat. By the time winter comes around, the pot of fat is gone and the mouse ends up getting eaten by the cat too. I think this would be a great story to add onto or even modify. I liked how the Cat left the house saying he was to be a godfather, and when he came back he would say the name of the kitten was "Half-gone" or "All-gone", referring to how much of the fat was left after eating for the day. It was a very clever plan!

The Wolf and Seven Young Kids

This story was similar to the one about the wolf blowing down the houses of little piggies. However, there were a few major differences. Instead of blowing the houses down, the wolf decided to deceive the little piggies by changing aspects of his appearance. Eventually, this fooled the piggies and he swallowed them one by one. The mother found out and went looking for the wolf. When she found him, she cut his stomach open and all her kids were still miraculously alive in there. She refilled the wolf's stomach with stones and sewed him back up. When the wolf woke up, he was thirsty and went to the well for a drink. When we leaned over, the weight of the stones pulled him in and drowned him. I like the idea for this story because it's one about deceit and about the way "people really are". I could build off this story or rewrite it so it's more modern.

The cat deceives the mouse; Project Gutenberg

Bibliography

Brothers Grimm from Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales by Dan Ashliman

Reading Notes (B): Celtic Fairy Tales

King O'Toole and His Goose

King O'Toole was an active old man whose health eventually began to fail him. In order to make himself feel better, he got himself a goose that helped him do all his usual active daily tasks. This was all good and well until the goose itself got old and worn out from being so active. King O'Toole was once again sad and angry at his miserable old age. One day, a man approaches the King, who happens to be Saint Kavin. Saint Kavin offers the King to make his old goose new again, which makes the King extremely happy and excited. Before healing the goose, Saint Kavin asks for the land that the goose flies over and the King agrees to give it to him He stays true to his word, and after the goose is flying like new again, he tells the Saint that the last acre of land he has is his. This is when Saint Kavin reveals himself and blesses the King until both the King and the goose die. I think this story would be great to base my own story off of because I like the idea of deception for a good cause. I could definitely change it up to make it more modern, but I like the background of this story. I could make a more modern story of a undercover cop fooling an upstanding citizen or something of the sort. I'm not sure how I would incorporate a goose into a modern story, but maybe I could use another animal or object to take place of the goose. I could also throw in a big twist in the original story and have King O'Toole go back on his word and write about the consequences of that decision. I think that would be an interest side of the story to include. Overall, there are many ways for me to expand upon this story that I'm excited to see how it turns out.

King O'Toole's goose; Wikipedia

Bibliography

Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

Reading Notes (A): Celtic Fairy Tales

Connla and the Fairy Maiden

Connla is approached by a fairy maiden from the Plains of the Ever Living. She describes this place as one of neither death nor sin, where there is always joy and never any problems. This maiden sounds great, right? Well unfortunately, Connla was the only one who could see the maiden, as his father Conn the King, was perplexed by his son's behavior of speaking to himself. The fairy maiden replies that she is in love with Connla and had come to take him back to where she lives. The King is worried about what he hears, even though he cannot see her, and seeks help. Coran performs a spell in the general direction of the unseen maiden and she disappears, but not before she throws an apple towards Connla. It was an apple that regenerated every time he was hungry. He ate nothing for a month except for that apple. At the end of the month, the maiden returns and successfully woos Connla to come with her. I think this would be an interesting story to build off of for my storytelling assignment this week, especially the part about where she comes from.

The Field of Boliauns 

Tom Fitzpatrick comes across what seems to be a leprechaun with a bottle of beer in the bushes. The beer is made of heath according to the leprechaun, which makes Tom keen to try it. Unfortunately, the leprechaun refuses and Tom gets angry and demands money from the leprechaun. The leprechaun becomes frightened and agrees to take Tom to it. The money is buried under a boliaun, but Tom doesn't have a shovel so he takes a chance and runs back to his house to grab one. Upon returning, he realized that the Leprechaun tricked him and that there were too many boliauns to dig under all of them. This is a great trick that I could write my story about this week. I may associate this trick with modern day times in order to make it more relatable to everyone.

Leprechaun; Wikimedia

Bibliography

Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

Week 10 Storytelling: Left Behind

The old man watched as one by one, people ascended into the upper world. There were four ladders placed in position for people to climb up, each of a different color. As more and more people went up, the makeshift ladders began to wear down until there was only one ladder left. By the time the last of the people had gone up, the last ladder, too, was worn out. The old man looked at his equally old wife and wondered what they were going to do. They were too old to make it up these ladders into the upper world, and even if they could, there were no working ladders left to make it safely.

"Take us out!" yelled the old man. "Don't leave us here!"

The people stopped and looked back at the old, feeble couple but did not make an effort to take them out. After all, they all thought the couple wouldn't survive the journey upwards anyways so it was a lost cause. They kept on walking and began to explore the new world without any more thought of the old couple.

The man looked at his wife in disbelief, fuming over the fact that they had been left behind. "Why would they do that? Why were they leaving us behind in this godforsaken underworld?" he thought to himself.

The old woman called back up to the people, "You will come back here to us."

The people who heard the woman wondered what she meant. Surely they would have no reason to go back to the awful underworld. They took the old woman's words as nonsense and paid no more attention to the old couple. Little did they know that the woman was a witch who knew spells that could do unimaginable things to people. She had lived happily in the underworld with people she trusted, so until now, she had no reason to use spells or even let people know she was a witch. Things had changed today, though, and the old couple knew that the others were not to be trusted anymore. It was time to take action and get even.

While the others were up exploring the water-laden upper world, the old lady was hard at work preparing her spell. While the others knew what water was, they had no idea what rain was or why the upper world was covered in so much water since they had lived in the underworld their whole lives. The witch, however, knew of stories that talked about great storms causing lots of chaos. She wanted to cast a spell that would cause a storm so bad that the others would be forced to back down in order to survive.

Twenty minutes later, the spell was complete. "Make the storms rage and batter the upper world until the others have no desire to stay there!" she exclaimed as she finished the spell.

In the upper world, the people noticed that the sun was rapidly vanishing behind a wall of thick, dark storm clouds. To them, this was a novel experience and had no idea they were in for the biggest scare of their lives. As the clouds grew darker, the wind began to pick up until it was howling. Then came the sheets of rain just being dumped from the sky. Thunder rumbled across the sky as it was lit up with blinding lightning strikes. Within seconds, the people were soaked with no shelter in sight. They were bewildered that water was pouring down from the skies. As they looked up in shock, large balls of ice began to fall and knock people out. They yelled out in pain, trying to protect their heads from the painful onslaught of hail. In the distance, a funnel-shaped cloud was beginning to descend to the ground, and with it came strong winds and lots of debris. In fact, there was so much debris and so much wind that people were picked up into the air and thrown hundreds of feet into the air before landing in a crumpled heap.

The only option was to go back into the underworld if they wanted to survive. The remaining people fought their way back to the entrance of the underworld just as the tornado was about to swallow them up. They closed their eyes and jumped blindly back into the underworld. The fall was so deep that most ended up being knocked out upon contact with the ground. After opening their eyes, the first thing the people noticed was the old couple calmly drinking tea as if nothing had happened. The old man looked like he was clueless,  almost as if he was under the spell of the woman. The old woman had a creepy smirk on her face as if she was amused.

"I told you that you'd be back," she whispered to the people before letting out a wicked laugh.

Tornado; Wikimedia Commons

Author's Note

In the original Apache creation story, people in the underworld discover a mountain that has reeds that grow up into the upper world. Unfortunately, four girls go to the top and tie the reeds in knots so that they stop growing. This leaves the people unable to reach the top. However, they have four ladders that they use to get to the upper world. After all the ladders have been worn out, an old man and woman are still left in the underworld. They call out to the others trying to get them to help, but ultimately they are left behind. At this point of the story, the old couple is left behind and eventually become rulers of the world of the dead. The manner in which they become rulers of the dead was not mentioned.  I wanted to focus my story on them and how they felt about getting left behind in the underworld. I also wanted to portray them as sinister and wanting to get revenge for the selfishness of the others. I thought it was fitting to make the old woman's character an undercover witch so she could use a spell. Also, since we are now right in the middle of tornado season, I thought it would be a great idea to somehow incorporate that into story for this week. Ultimately I decided to have the old lady/witch cast a spell in order to cause a tornado that would drive the others back into the underworld. 

Bibliography

The Emergence from Apache Tales by P.E. Goddard

Reading Notes (B): Apache Tales

The Supernatural Person in the Lake

A woman gives a boy a present that will make him the medicine man. With nothing to eat, the boy leads the men into corralling antelope into the river so they could kill them for food. After three days, the women tells him to stop since they have enough food and asks to have the present back. I thought that was absurd because who asks for people to give their presents back?! He tells her he gave it to the supernatural one and she curses him. He left to his own country and lived at the bottom of a lake in a tent.

Apache medicine man; Wikipedia 

The Man Who Travelled with the Buffalo 

One person survived the heat but was dying from thirst while out on a war expedition into enemy territory. He falls asleep and upon waking up, he hears Ravens talking about these men who had killed the buffalo. They mentioned the killing of very many buffalo. The man was very thirsty and set off to find water. A prairie dog gives him some and he is off following the buffalo and sleeping with them at night.

Coyote Steals a Man's Wife

A coyote steals a man's wife. The man then chases after them in order to get his wife back. Each camp of theirs he passes by, nearby dwellers tell him he is getting closer and closer. Finally, he finds his wife and orders the Coyote to swallow hot stones wrapped in fat. After swallowing four of these horrible stones, the Coyote falls dead while running. The husband tells his wife to bathe. After obliging and finishing her bath, they leave due East. I thought this story would come in handy for the storytelling assignment this week. It's almost a comical concept of this Coyote stealing a man's wife, although I'm not sure if it was intended to be portrayed in that manner.

Bibliography

Apache Tales by P.E. Goddard

Reading Notes (A): Apache Tales

The Emergence

This story begins in the underworld, which I thought was pretty interesting. The people then come up from the underworld to the earth that we know today. I found it to be pretty unique that the Apache believed that people originally began in the underworld before coming up and inhabiting the earth as we know it today. The people used ladders to climb a great mountain into the upper world. As they climbed up, the ladders wore out, leaving an old couple behind in the lower world. I noticed that the number four was mentioned multiple times in this beginning story. I'm beginning to think it's a theme that the Apache believe in.

The First War

Again, I'm seeing the number four pop up multiple times throughout this story. It may be a traditional number that is sacred to them that has a specific purpose. It may be auspicious is some regard. I could use this theme in my story for the week and build off of it. A grandson kills his grandfather in the first war because the grandfather initially shot the grandson in the arm with an arrow,

The Culture Heroes and Owl

Two companions ask their grandmother to make them something to play with, She defers to their father, who seems to be the sun, and they go to visit him. He makes them a hoop and pole game with arrows and warns them not to roll the hoop toward the north. Of course, they roll the hoop to the north and it ends up in a fire at the house of Owl. The Owl chops up the kids and cooks them in a pot of stew to eat, but the kids seem to be alive and fine! The Owl lets them go with their hoop and pole and they continue to play until sunset. This was interesting, although I didn't know if there was supposed to be a point to this story. Definitely good material that I could use for my story this week. I think I know what I will be writing about!

An owl looking into the distance; Wikipedia

Bibliography

Apache Tales by P.E. Goddard 

Reading Notes (B): California and the Old Southwest

Origin of the Sierra Nevadas

At a time in the world in which there was nothing but water, Hawk and Crow were perched on a pole that stuck far up out of the water. They would take turns sitting and knocking each other off the pole for ages. They created other birds that prey on fish, while also creating Duck. Duck died with mud from bottom of the water in her beak. This mud is what Hawk and Crow used to begin making the mountains. Crow's mountain range was bigger than Hawk's. This is why the Sierra Nevada Range is larger than the Coast Range.

Legend of Tu-Tok-A-Nu'-La (El Capitan)

Two boys go down to the river for a swim. Afterwards, they fall asleep on a boulder near the banks of the river. They sleep so soundly that they don't realize that the boulder has been growing each and every day up until the point that they graze the surface of the moon. Their village and family members can't find them no matter how hard they look. All the animals try to jump as high as they can in order to bring the boys back down, but to no avail; they all fail. Then comes a tiny measuring worm who steadily climb up the boulder until he has traveled much farther than the lion's highest leap. At last, he reaches the top and awakes the two boys and brings them safely back to the ground. The rock is then called Tutokanula, the measuring worm or El Capitan.

The Children of Cloud

A gorgeous young woman gives birth to twin sons. Their father is Cloud, who lives far away. One day the boys question their mother about their father. She tells them of the Cloud being their father. The boys travel to the house of Wind, who is their uncle, so they can visit their father. Wind says to go to the next house, where Cloud lives. Cloud sends them back to Wind and tells them that he has something to tell them. This repeats four times before Cloud tells the twins to prove that they are his sons. He tests them and they prove they are his sons. They are thunder and lightning. This would be a cool story to build off of and has some unique ideas that I could use for my story this week.

Clouds with thunder and lightning; Public Domain Pictures

Bibliography

Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest by Katharine Berry Judson.

Reading Notes (A): California and the Old Southwest

Three Coyote Creation Stories

Coyote began the creation of Earth, but Eagle completed it. Coyote and Fox created man; ultimately men die. Coyote also brought fire into the world in order to save the Indians from freezing. Coyote killed nine out of ten moons in order to save the Indians from freezing at night. He also killed all nine out of ten suns in order to save the world from burning up. There's only room for one each. A flood came and destroyed everyone and everything except Coyote. He planted feathers at each Indian village and there trees sprouted that turned into people. This is how the world was inhabited once again. This is a good idea for my story this week. I could make up my own creation story and use bits and pieces of this one in order to help it flow.

The Creation of the World

An Earth Doctor creates the world, including the trees, mountains, water, grass, etc. The sun and moon are made of ice. He also created the stars and the entire Milky Way galaxy.

Stars in the Milky Way; Wikimedia

Spider's Creation

A spider creates two women from two parcels by singing. More people appeared, as well as animals, birds, and insects. The spider continues to sing until the creation is complete. The two women are were mothers of all. Utset is the mother of all Indians, while Nowutset is the mother of all nations. The people are divided into clan by the spider. The spider also creates the cloud people, lightning people, thunder people, and rainbow people in order to create rain on the new Earth. The two women create the sun and the moon and also the star people so they can light up the world at night when the moon is not so bright.

The Great Fire/The Origin of Light

A man loves two women and wished to marry both of them. The women laugh at him and he proceeds to build a tule boat so he can escape before he sets the world on fire. It's a massive fire that only Coyote is able to put out after much work.

Bibliography

Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest by Katharine Berry Judson.

Tech Tip: Blog Profile

For this assignment, I completely removed the profile on the sidebar. I didn't think it was necessary to keep and thought it took away from the main point of the blog, which are the stories and other posts. Other than that, I like how my blog is set up so I didn't change anything else!

I think online identity is important. There's also a lot of potentially vulnerable information posted online that almost anyone can access these days due to technology. That being said, I think the less information stored online, the better. It's also good to frame your online identity in the way you want others to perceive you. It's one of the keys for getting a good job since potential employers are known to search social media to see what kind of person you are. So in summary, it's good to limit the type of information included in your online identity to the things that really matter (which is different for everyone).

Week 8 Reflection

Hey all, I hope everyone's semester is going well so far! I've enjoyed this class as the semester has gone on and am looking forward to reading more great stories. I decided to take this class as a follow-up to Epics of India, and I have to say, I have not been disappointed. I think the reading notes are extremely helpful in the sense that they help get ideas flowing through the brain. When I read stories each week for the reading notes, I automatically start thinking to myself about the different ideas and styles that I can use in my own stories. Needless to say, I think it's an integral part of this course that helps students write great, successful stories. I think my favorite reading so far has been about the immortal monkey king, Sun Wu Kung, and his extremely eventful life.

I'm pretty happy with the stories I have written so far this semester. They could all use some improvement, but with all the excellent feedback I have been receiving, I think everyone plays a big part in how great the stories ultimately turn out. As a writer, I've learned that it helps my relax and unwind. It's one of the assignments that I actually enjoy doing out of all the classes I'm taking this semester. There's just something about stories that I think can be extremely moving and influential and that's why I think I love reading for fun so much. They have the ability to take the reader some place else and just entertain people. I'm really looking forward to reading the Native American units in the upcoming weeks because I know they think really abstractly which makes me want to think outside the box more. I can't wait to finish off the semester strong and read more amazing stories as the semester comes to an end!

Writing; Pixabay

Week 6 Storytelling: Notscha vs. Sun Wu Kung

Notscha could not just stand and watch the heavenly warrior sent by the Lord of the Heavens get beat down so quickly by Sun Wu Kung. He would not let this childish ape win and get away with this! How could Sun so easily dodge and maneuver his way around this so-called elite warrior? It was incredible but at the same infuriating for Notscha, who had spent his whole life training to become one of the best warriors of the Heavens. Notscha snapped out of it as the warrior fell next to him and took his last breaths as warden of the Heavens. It was now time for the prince to take charge.

Notscha stepped up and cried out in a loud voice, "You wretched ape! I am Prince Notscha and I have been commanded by the Lord of the Heavens himself to take you as prisoner! You will stand no chance against me."

Sun Wu Kung couldn't help but giggle a little bit as he looked the prince up and down. He couldn't have been more than sixteen years old, but he showed resolve that not many people could muster in the face of battle. He could see the fierceness in the young warrior's eyes; they were unrelenting.

"Time to get serious," Sun Wu Kung thought to himself.

Before he could even ready himself, Notscha was upon him, swinging his sword with a force that would've taken off Sun's head had he not ducked in the nick of time. Sun Wu countered with his own sword, swinging it up and to the left. Blow after blow after blow, both fighters could not get the best of each other. The whole world could sense the fight going on. Each time their swords clashed, the ground trembled and quaked. Every time that Notscha thought he was gaining an upper hand, Sun Wu would lash back with even more finesse and power than expected.

Sun Wu was slightly impressed. He had a feeling this kid could put up a fight, but he wasn't expecting this.

"I need to end this soon before I get tired and sloppy," thought Sun Wu as he danced around Notscha trying to buy a little more time so he could figure out his next move.

Sun Wu glanced around, looking for anything that would give him an edge against this kid. A few feet away, he saw something glistening in the light. It was a sharp rock! One that could easily end this fight. All he had to do was get to it without alerting Notscha.

At the same time, Notscha was getting overwhelmed. He could not keep this up much longer even if he wanted to. He could feel his legs burning from darting around trying to avoid Sun Wu's quick moves. Ever so slowly, momentum was shifting towards Sun Wu.

"What do I do now? Do I give up? Do I surrender? I can't keep up no matter what I do," thought Notscha.

Doubt was clouding Notscha's mind, so much so that he was beginning to lose focus. Fatigue and inattention was a recipe for death, and Notscha knew it. He took a quick moment to shake his head to rid the negative thoughts from his head. In that split moment, Sun Wu took his chance. He dived to the ground and scooped up the stone with his free hand, all in one motion. He turned towards Notscha, and with all his might, drove the stone clean through his shoulder. Blood spattered everywhere!

Sun Wu Kung spoke fiercely, "Take this as a warning and never come back again to find me. I shall let you live this once. Next time you feel the urge to come after me, think of this pain and you will no longer desire to cross paths with me. I am the Great Saint Who Is Heaven's Equal and I will not be defeated".

And with that, Sun Wu Kung was free to live peacefully and reign over his mountain.

Sun Wu Kung at a Beijing opera; Wikimedia

Author's Note

I chose to take the story of the immortal Monkey King, Sun Wu Kung, and elaborate on the epic fight between Notscha and Sun Wu Kung. In the original story, Sun Wu feels disrespected after he is given a job as stable master in heaven. After hearing that it is a worthless job, Sun Wu becomes infuriated and flees heaven to go back to the mountain over which he reigns. The Lord of the Heavens sends warriors to catch him as prisoner, but Sun Wu has other ideas. An intense battle between Prince Notscha, the prince of heaven, and Sun Wu ensues. I didn't stray from the original plot of the story, but I did add my own twist to the fight between the two characters. I added dialogue in order to capture the words exchanged during the fight and I also tried to highlight each character's thoughts as the fight was occurring. I also wanted to depict Notscha as inferior to Sun Wu when it came to battle. However, I also wanted to portray him as an up and coming warrior who never backed down from a fight. My intention was to glorify the battle in order to highlight its importance because I thought it was brief and rushed in the original story.

Bibliography

The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung taken from Wilhelm's Chinese Fairy Book.

Reading Notes (B): The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung

The Lord of the Heavens

Due to his unruly conduct, Sun Wu Kung is almost taken prisoner by the Lord of the Heavens. However, the Evening Star comes to his defense and explains that Sun Wu Kung is an immortal made from the purest powers. So instead, Sun Wu Kung is offered a position as stable master in heaven! For my story, I could tweak this story and describe the journey to heaven from the stone ape's point of view. I could also elaborate on his new position as stable master as part of my story this week.

The Great Saint

At dinner one day, Sun Wu Kung asks about his title of stable master. He is expecting it to be a very official title, one of the highest ranks. But alas, that is not true. His friends tell him it's not an important title at all. Sun Wu Kung then gets very angry and feels he has been mistreated. He leaves heaven is a flurry and returns home to his mountain where he is a respected King. His new title becomes the "Great Saint who is Heaven's Equal",

Notscha, Son of Li Dsing
Upon hearing of the escape of Sun Wu Kung, the Lord of the Heavens orders Li Dsing, his son, Notscha, and a heavenly warrior to find Sun and take him prisoner.  Sun Wu Kung easily defeats the heavenly warrior and laughs at him for even trying to fight him. Then an epic fight between Notscha and Sun Wu occurs and it is one for the ages. Ultimately, Sun Wu Kung wins and Li Dsing return to heaven to tell the Lord of the Heavens of their defeat. Once again, they are speechless. The Evening Star once again returns and suggests giving the title of the Great Saint who is Heaven's equal to Sun Wu Kung. It was an empty title, after all. The Lord of the Heavens agrees and summons Sun Wu Kung once again. I think retelling the story of Sun and Notscha's would be an entertaining story to write for this week. It's a good idea to work with!

Sun Wu Kung; Wikipedia 

Bibliography

The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung taken from Wilhelm's Chinese Fairy Book.

Reading Notes (A): The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung

Handsome King of the Apes

The King of the Apes was born on a mountain out of a special rock. This rock was filled hidden power from the heavens and earth and sun and moon since it originated from the beginning of time. One day, the rock bursts and out comes an egg. From this egg hatches a stone ape who eventually becomes the King. There was a waterfall that was basically the entrance to a cave. He told his ape friends what he found and then led them inside the cave. There they found  pots and pans and other utensils that were only made of stone. From then, the stone ape was named the Handsome King of Apes. I like the idea of there being a waterfall covering an entrance to something grand. I can potentially use this in my story for this week.

The stone ape and the waterfall; Wikimedia

The Great Sea

In this story, the King of the Apes breaks down at the thought of death. A wise, old ape speaks of three different kinds of living creatures who are exempt from Death's powers: the Buddhas, the blessed spirits, and the gods. Only these three categories can skip death and live as long as the heavens.

Sun Wu Kung Gets His Name

At the Mountain of Heart, the King of the Apes comes across a workman who tells him of a saint named "The Discerner". This saint gives the ape who came out of stone a name: Sun Wu Kung.

The Master

The master offers many different things that Sun Wu Kung can learn but he desired to only know how to attain eternal life. The master became irritated at his negligence and hit him across the head three times. However, the master was not irritated. Instead, the three blows to his face was an indication to meet him during the third watch of the night in his chambers. At the proper time, Sun Wu Kung excitedly made his way to the chambers and exclaims that he is ready to learn.

Bibliography

The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung taken from Wilhelm's Chinese Fairy Book.

Reading Notes (A): Tutinameh - Tales of a Parrot

Miemun and Khojisteh 

The parrot that Miemun buys for a large sum of money apparently has the ability to see the future. He is very pleased with his purchase. Miemun also purchases another bird as a companion for the parrot. This is a good idea that I could possibly build my story around this week.

Khojisteh and the Parrot

Miemun leaves for business, which leaves Khojisteh aching for his return. She neither slept of ate while he was away. In order to make her feel better, the parrot would tell pleasant stories throughout the day. While he is away, a prince comes by, and instantly, there are sparks between him and Khojisteh. He sends her a proposal in which if she gives his four hours of the night, he will give her a ring. Khojisteh is flattered by this prince, and in a daze, she sends back an answer to come at midnight. Wearing all her finest apparel that night, Khojisteh asks the sharuk (the other bird) for her advice. The sharuk replies that she should not commit such a lowly deed and stay faithful to her husband. Engulfed in love, Khojisteh begins to rage and kills the sharuk. Next, she asks the parrot for his advice and he basically says he has her back. He begins to tell a story to elaborate on his advice.

 The Parrot of Ferukh Beg 

This story is about another parrot who decided not to tell his master of his wife's cheating. However, his master finds out from another neighbor what his wife is doing and he kicks her out. Naturally, the wife blames the parrot and almost kills him while throwing him outside. The parrot nurses himself back to health and threatens to curse his master's wife unless she shaved her head and fasts for forty days. He tells the wife that he will make amends and proceeds to do so. In the end, all three characters end up together in the same house and live happily ever after. Khojisteh, happy at hearing this story, feels relieved. However, now she is too tired to meet the prince and decides to sleep.

Khojisteh and the parrot; Wikipedia

Bibliography

Tutinameh, or Tales of a Parrot by unknown.

Reading Notes (A) - Jataka Tales (Shedlock)

The Spirit that Lived in a Tree 

A king wanted to tear down a Sal tree to use it as the sole column for his palace. The tree spirit living in this tree was afraid that if he was cut down, the little children would also perish. He's not worried about himself, but his children. The king is awed by his sacrifice and decides not to cut down the tree.

The Hare that Was Not Afraid to Die

This time, Buddha is reborn as a hare, and again, he is willing to sacrifice himself to help others. The hare and his three friends, Otter, Jackal, and Monkey, believed that the moral law should be observed and that holy days should be kept. This moral law was to give alms to the poor.  In this story, all four friends offer their own food to a Brahmin that asks, who was actually Sakka, the King of the Gods. The hare has no food to offer other than himself, and proceeds to do so when asked. I like the idea of this story, and the fact that Sakka disguised himself to prove something. It's an idea I can use for my story.

The Parrot that Fed His Parents

Buddha is born a parrot and once again shows his willingness to help others. This time he is the leader of a flock of parrots. He takes them to get food, and after they have all eaten, he brings extra food back to his parents so they can eat. He says he is repaying a debt and doing only what is right.

The Man Who Worked to Give Alms

Buddha is reborn a merchant to works to give alms to the less fortunate. Sakka becomes jealous of him and suspects Buddha of plotting to take his spot. Sakka takes all his alms and fortunes so Buddha cannot give anymore. Buddha does not let this stop him, and mows grass in order to sell to get alms. Sakka is amazed by this and restores his fortunes and allows him to distribute alms.

The King Who Saw the Truth 

Buddha is born as a king who gives away his eyes to a blind man, which is actually Sakka.

Buddha; Pixabay

Bibliography

Jataka Tales by Marie L. Shedlock

Week 3 Storytelling: The Blizzard

Noah looked at the almost-finished cabin shelter that God had instructed him to create before the blizzard came. God gave Noah explicit instructions on the size and shape of the shelter, and how to build it in order to keep the cold snow out. Now that it was almost done, Noah couldn't help but admire how nicely it had turned out. Large clouds loomed overhead, threatening to shovel tons of snow until everything was buried underneath its cold weight. The wind had begun to pick up, showing signs of how frosty it was to become in the near future. In fact, the first flakes of snow calmly began to fall, warning Noah that time was sparse and immediacy was critical.

Noah rushed off to see how the finishing touches to the cabin were coming along. Along the way, he ran into his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who were ushering the last of the eligible animals inside. How did they know who to let inside? Well, God had given them explicit instructions for that as well. They were to round up two of each animal, male and female, in order to preserve the species. The animals who came up to the entrance and took a bow were allowed to enter, as they were deemed respectful, while the rest were denied entry for not living up to God's expectations. At this time, the wind picked up and became incredibly sharp. The snow began to sting as it pounded against Noah's face. Noah told his sons to speed this process up as they were beginning to run out of time. In a short amount of time, it would be impossible to see due to the wind and snow flying around. Anyone left outside would inevitably freeze to death, a miserable death if you ask me.

As Noah began to walk around to the back of the shelter, his wife ran up to him yelling that shelter was finally finished and everything was ready to go. Noah breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried this whole time that they would not finish in time. Could you blame him though? All their lives depended on him finishing the shelter on time, and God had trusted him with this monumental task. Just in time as well, because the snow was now falling in sheets and it was becoming hard to walk and see. The snow was piling up quickly and the temperatures dropping just as fast. It wouldn't be long till everything was a barren and desolate world of snow. Noah and his wife met up with their sons and the rest of the family and ushered the final stragglers inside. All the animals had made it safely. Noah took a deep breath and one last look at the world as he knew it. In seven days, God said the snow would stop. However, it would take 150 days for all the snow to melt and for the trees and plants to begin growing back. They had a long "winter" ahead of them. Noah closed his eyes and prayed that they had enough food and that all of them made it through this "cleaning" of the world. Even though he had followed God's instructions exactly, he couldn't help but worry. Noah opened his eyes and closed the large shelter doors as gusts of wind pelted them with snow. The snow raged on throughout the night as the Noah and his family and the animals could do nothing but wait.

Barren aftermath of the blizzard; Pixabay

Author's Note

I chose to write a different, more modern version of the story of Noah and the Ark. In the original story, God is fed up with man and his wicked ways so he decides to flood the world to flush out the bad. He instructs Noah, a good man, to build an ark that will fit his family and two of each of all the animals in the world. This ark must be strong enough to withstand violent waves and lots of water for over a hundred days. In my story, I changed the flooding to a blizzard that freezes everything and leaves a barren wasteland. I thought the idea of another ice age would be an extremely harsh way to punish man, which is what led to me write this story. Instead of an ark, Noah is instructed to build a cabin shelter that keeps out the cold snow. I didn't go into much detail on the blizzard, but mainly focused on Noah and his thoughts and actions immediately before it begins. All the characters were similar, as well as the rules that God had given Noah. The only difference was the method in which God decides to end all life. 

Bibliography

Noah and the Ark (Genesis) by Louis Ginzberg

Tech Tip: Twitter Follow

For this assignment, I decided to follow OU President, David Boren, Professor Gibbs, and OU Global Brigades. I chose to follow David Boren because I think he's a class act, and a good way to keep up with what he's doing is to stay up to date with his personal social media accounts! I know he tweets quite a bit, especially when it's regarding important matters that affects us students. I also chose to follow Professor Gibbs because I found a lot of interesting articles posted on her timeline and it would be a cool way to communicate ideas for this class. Finally, I chose to follow OU Global Brigades because it is an awesome organization! I was able to go on a couple of trips with them the past two summers and help out in developing countries and it was definitely a humbling experience. Although the account is a little outdated, there's lots of good information on it.

Tech Tip: First Tweet

Hey everyone, I've been using Twitter for quite a while now so I'm fairly familiar with how to use it. I mainly use it to keep up with current friends and family, but I've also found that it's a good source for trending news across the globe! Now it's one of my go to social media outlets when I want to know what's going on currently; everything is just a Twitter search away. It's also easy to share links and videos with people instantly, another nice feature that comes in handy A LOT. I used Twitter when I took Epics of India and it worked well for me, so using it again for this class should work just fine.

Reading Notes (B): Noah and the Ark

The Holy Book

Samael asks Eve to watch his son, which he happily agrees to do. However, Adam is fed up with the screaming and kicking kid and accidentally ends up killing him. The corpse still continues to kick and scream however, so Adam and Eve cut up the child, cook him, and eat him...pretty disturbing, but I think I could use this for my story this week! Samael returns, but Adam and Eve deny the whole incident. Adam fasts in order to speak to God and when he does so, God gives him the Torah. Jealous of all the knowledge he gains, the angels steal the book and throw it in the sea. Adam once again seeks God, who calmly tells him not to worry and recovers it from the sea. Noah was given the book in order to build the ark before the flood appeared and from then onwards, the book was passed down to many people so they could gain great wisdom.

The Inmates of the Ark

The ark was completed according to the instructions given in the Book of Raziel. God ordered the animals to repair the ark, while Noah was instructed to filter who was allowed into the ark and who wasn't. The animals which laid down at the entrance were granted entrance, while the others were not. The animals that were denied chaotically try to get in, but the rain begins to pour down, scalding hot. These animals throw their kids into the flood water in order to save themselves, a selfish move if you ask me. The rest of this story then goes on to describe some of the animals aboard the ark.

The animals working/waiting on the ark; Wikimedia

The Flood

Noah's biggest task was to provide food and shelter for the animals for however long the floods persisted. This story details the struggles Noah, his family, and the animals went through aboard the ark during the flood.

Bibliography 

Noah and the Ark from Legends of the Jews, by Louis Ginzberg.