Story: The Monkey King

(The Waterfall via Wikimedia Commons)

A long time ago, there was an island called the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits. At the very center of this island was an actual mountain there was a high rock at the mountain’s peak. Inside the high rock was a very small seed that possessed the power of heaven, earth, sun, and moon. One day, the high rock split open, and a small stone egg fell out. After a few months, the egg eventually hatched and a stone ape was born.

            The stone ape learned how to adapt very quickly over time, for he was able to walk and leap. Wanting to prove his power, he shot two streams of golden light from his eyes up to the castles in heaven, scaring the Lord of the Heavens.

            The Lord of the Heavens wanted to know what had produced the streams of golden light, so he sent two of the gods to investigate. Once they had returned, the two gods told the Lord of the Heavens that he had nothing to worry about – it was just the stone ape who was showing off his power.

            Eventually, the stone ape befriended the other apes that lived on the island, but they always knew something was different about him, they just could not figure out exactly what it was.

            One day, the stone ape was playing with the other apes near the waterfall by the mountains and he slipped and crashed into one of the bigger rocks that was sticking out of the mountain. This accident easily would have killed any of the other apes, so this raised suspicion amongst them.

            “How did that not kill you?” asked one of the older apes. He walked towards the stone ape and touched his arm, which was stone cold. “You do not have flesh! Are you made out of stone?” he questioned.

            The stone ape nodded shamefully, afraid that the group of apes might guess his biggest secret.

            “He probably has a heart made out of stone, too,” said another ape. Taken aback, the stone ape quickly ran away into his cave, full of sadness. Even though he did not have a real heart, he still had emotions. The stone apes biggest fear was not being loved, for he so longed to feel loved by the apes that surrounded him. He had made it this far without having a real heart, so he could not understand why it was such an issue now.

            “Even though I have a heart made out of stone and my body is not actually flesh, I am still capable of kindness, love, and compassion. It has not been an issue until now, so please just accept me as I am,” said the stone ape.

            “You have so much more power than we do,” said the elder ape.

            “This may be true,” replied the stone ape. “But I have never used that power against you, and I never intend to.”

            The apes realized that even though the stone apes heart was made out of stone, he had never done anything wrong. Because of this, they all agreed to continue to live in peace, regardless of what their differences may be.

Author's Note: My story starts off the same way as the original story, but I took my story in a completely different direction. I wanted to go more in depth for the stone ape character, so that is the direction I took my story. 

Bibliography: "The Monkey King" from R. Wilhelm's Chinese Fairy Book; link to the reading online

Reading Notes: The Monkey King, Part A

(The Waterfall via Wikimedia Commons)

-Island called the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits

-High rock

-there was a seed that basically had the power of the big bang?

-An ape hatched from a stone egg

-The ape grew up and came across a waterfall with the other apes

-competition to see who could face their way through the waterfall and the winner would be king

-Stone ape became the king

-300 hundred years passed

-The apes started sobbing about death

-Three beings were exempt from dead: the Buddhas, the blessed spirits and the gods

-The king was going to search for them, sailing through the Great Sea

-Came across a wood-chopper at work

-The master named him Sun Wu Kung

-The Master gave him a riddle to solve

-Sun Wu Kung wanted the Master to teach him grace and the way to eternal life

-He learned transforming arts and wanted to show it to his disciples

-This angered the Master so he treated Sun Wu Kung that if he did not keep his secret, he would lock his soul in hell

-Sun Wu Kung returned back home 

-The Devil-King of Chaos came

-Then the Dragon-King came

-Then the Dragon-Queen and her daughter came out

-To be continued....

Bibliography: "The Monkey King" from R. Wilhelm's Chinese Fairy Book; link to the reading online

Story: The Sultan, The Fisherman, and the Genie

("Foggy Lake" by Vicious)

A few centuries ago, a fisherman came across an abandoned lamp in a forest. There was some dust on the lamp so the fisherman rubbed the lamp with his forearm. All of a sudden, a genie appeared.         

            “Alas! You have freed me!” Exclaimed the genie.

            “Wait, are you a genie?” asked the fisherman. The genie nodded and smiled.

            “And because you have freed me, I am going to reward you,” the genie replied. He snapped his fingers and took the fisherman to a lake in the middle of the four hills, past the mountains. The genie explained that the fisherman could fish in the lake in order to capture the most incredible fish. However, the fisherman could only fish in the lake ONCE a day, otherwise he would be punished. With the genie’s instructions, the fisherman caught a net full of huge, beautiful fish.

            “Sell the fish to the sultan and you will never grow poor,” the genie said.

            The fisherman did as he was told. He went to the palace to sell the fish to the sultan, who was amazed by the fish.

            “Take me to the lake that produced these incredible fish,” the sultan ordered.

            The fisherman wanted more money, so he took the sultan past the mountain to the lake in the middle of the four hills.

            When they had arrived, a thick layer of fog was covering the lake. All of a sudden, the fog began to clear and they spotted a huge palace made out of dark black marble appeared just beyond the lake. There was an iron gate in front of the palace slightly ajar, so the fisherman and the sultan snuck through the small opening.

            Once they were inside, they walked into a huge room that had a long ruby velvet carpet, gold curtains, and tapestries all over the walls. Out of nowhere, there was a loud scream. The sultan and the fisherman hid behind a black marble column, hoping to hide from any danger. Then there was absolute silence.

            The two figured it was safe to explore the mysterious palace a little more. They began to walk down one of the long hallways and found a young man with the lower half of his body made out of the same black marble that the palace was.

            “What happened to you?” asked the fisherman.

            “I was selfish and I wanted to get more fish from the lake, so I fished twice in one day. The genie found out, and he turned me into stone to keep me as his prisoner forever!” said the young man.

            Terrified, the sultan and the fisherman sprinted out of the palace. They kept running until they were as far away from the palace and the lake as possible. The fisherman did not want to risk turning into marble, so he vowed to never come near the lake ever again. Thus, he enjoyed the riches that he had already gotten from the magnificent fish, and still never grew poor.

Author's Note: In the original story, there was a genie who was freed by the fisherman. The genie rewarded the fisherman by letting him fish in the lake and sell the fish to the sultan. My twist on the story was that the palace belonged to the genie and that the young boy was a prisoner for fishing in the lake twice in one day. I also had the sultan and the fisherman chicken out and never come near the lake again.

Bibliography: "The Arabian Nights' Entertainments" by Andrew Lang; link to the reading online

Reading Notes: Arabian Nights, Part A

(Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque)

-There is a genie and a fisherman
-Fisherman is being rewarded with amazing fish for freeing the genie
-Sultan is impressed by the fish
-Fisherman and Sultan go together to see the fish at a magical palace
-They come across someone who is half-flesh and half-stone?
-Basically the genie said the fisherman could use the magical lake for good fish every day but ONLY once a day otherwise he would be punished
-He was instructed to sell them to the Sultan who was very impressed and wanted to see the magical lake
-There are four hills past the mountains
-Sultan asks his guard if he has heard of the lake
-Just past the lake should be a magical palace
-black marble
-the gate was slightly ajar for some reason
-plush carpets, sofas and tapestres, golden ropes, blah blah blah
-Fountain with jewels
-Fisherman should realize it is the genie's palace
-Comes across a man who is half marble after screaming and he begins to tell his story
-Make it to where the genie turns those who use the lake for selfish reasons to marble


Bibliography: "The Arabian Nights' Entertainments" by Andrew Lang; link to the reading online

Reading Notes: Ancient Egyptian Myths and Stories, Part A

(The god Ra via Wikimedia Commons)

-The Great Father lived in a waste of water called Nu

-Ra was greater than Nu

-Shu was the wind god

-Tefnut was in charge of the rain

-Seb was the earth god 

-Nut was the goddess of firmament

-Ra created everything including people

-He acted as a man for centuries

-Ra had multiple names

-Serpent bit him

-Ra had to reveal his secret name for Isis

-Nut took the form of the Celestial Cow while the wind god carried Ra on her back

-Ra forgave all of the sins of men

-Osiris was born

-Ra grew old and went to heaven while Osiris took over the throne to rule Egypt 

-Osiris created laws, decrees, and judged with wisdom

-Isis was the queen consort and had great wisdom

-Osiris passed away

-Isis gave birth to her son Horus

-Set imprisoned Horus and Isis

-Isis went on a journey 

-Set began to rule Egypt and punished people for following Osiris and Isis

-Osiris became the Judge and King of the Dead

Bibliography: Mackenzie's Egyptian Myth and Legend; link to the reading online

Feedback Focus

("Swiss Railway Clock via Wikimedia Commons)

The following list is how I would rank the three strategies in terms of their usefulness:

1. Copy-and-Delete

2. Reading Out Loud

3. Use a Timer

I was very surprised by the way these different strategies impacted my reading. For the Reading Out Loud strategy, I was able to really focus on what I was reading. For the Copy-and-Delete strategy, I was able to write down my thoughts as I was reading the stories. For the Use a Timer strategy, I was able to stay on track with the clock. I will definitely utilize the Copy-and-Delete method in the future. I would avoid using the Use a Timer method because I was more stressed about focusing on the time than I was actually paying attention to the story. 

Story: Aladdin and the Genie

(Illustration by Walter Crane)

            A long time ago, in a far away land called Lampella, there was a teenage boy named Aladdin. When the boy was very young, his father grew ill with disease and passed away. His mother, who worked really hard, but was very poor, raised Aladdin by herself. Aladdin was a good child but his fellow classmates often teased him because he was not as wealthy as they were. Alas, Aladdin was still kind and did everything he could to help his mother earn some money.

            One day, Aladdin’s uncle came into town to visit him and his mother. When the uncle arrived at their hut, he hugged the mother and gave Aladdin a dusty, old lamp.

            “What is this?” Aladdin asked.

            “Something that you might find great joy in someday – if you use it wisely,” the uncle replied. Aladdin shrugged and tossed the lamp onto the ground, unsure of what exactly his uncle meant.

            Aladdin, his mother, and the uncle spent the next few hours catching up, eating a small meal of bread and wine that the uncle brought, and then went off to bed. For some reason, Aladdin just could not fall asleep that night. He tossed and turned for an hour or so, thinking about what his uncle had said to him earlier that day. He then remembered the dusty, old lamp that his uncle gave him. He popped out of bed and scurried over to the lamp.

            Trying to see if he could get some of the dust off, Aladdin rubbed the lamp with his right hand. All of a sudden, the lamp began to shake, glow, and sparkle. To Aladdin’s surprise, a genie appeared. Aladdin had heard of genies in the past, but this did not seem like a normal genie. Genies were supposed to be really old, but this genie was a young and absolutely beautiful girl. Aladdin was basically in shock.

            “Where am I? Who are you?” The genie asked.

            “Uh, I’m Aladdin. And you are on the outskirts of Lampella,” Aladdin replied. “Who are you?”

            “My name is Jasmine. I am the Sultan’s daughter, but I have been kidnapped and stuck in this lamp for three years,” she said.

            “Well, I am glad I found you then! The whole kingdom has been looking for you for years! Can I help you get back home?” Aladdin asked. Jasmine nodded and the two made their way back to the palace. They had a long journey ahead of them, as Aladdin lived on the very outskirts of Lampella, and the palace was located in the heart of the land.

            Over the next few days, Aladdin and Jasmine really got to know each other and started falling in love. Jasmine began to worry because she was only allowed to marry a prince in order to remain a princess, and Aladdin was definitely not a prince. However, when they had arrived at the palace, the Sultan was so thankful and relieved that Jasmine was finally home that he decided that he would let Aladdin marry Jasmine so that they could stay together. Aladdin’s mother also got to live in the palace, so they all lived happily together.

Author's Note: The original Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp story from the "The Arabian Nights' Entertainments book is about a boy named Aladdin who was an "idle boy" who basically did not do anything and was well on his way to becoming a complete failure. Because of this, his father died from grief and disappointment, so his mother was left to look after him. Then, a man who claimed to be Aladdin’s uncle came along. Aladdin’s mother knew that her husband had a brother, so she did not question this for a minute. However, the “uncle” was actually a magician who was an imposter. The uncle convinced Aladdin to come along with him on a journey to give him better clothes and such. On this journey, the magician tricked Aladdin into getting the lamp/genie for him. For my version of the story, I changed how the father died, the uncle’s role in the story, and made Aladdin a good guy instead of “idle.” Furthermore, I made the genie a princess who was actually trapped in the lamp. I got her name from the Disney movie. I wanted to make the genie/princess a girl so that she and Aladdin could fall in love eventually because I like my stories to have happy endings.

Bibliography: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang; link to the reading online

Reading Notes: Arabian Nights, Part B

(Illustration by Walter Crane)

-Aladdin was a tailor's son

-He was so idle that his father died from grief

-His uncle who was a famous African musician came along

-Aladdin's mother thought he was dead

-Uncle asked what his trade was - he didn't have one, so the uncle took him to get a shop set up

-Background story stuff happens, the uncle tricking him to get the lamp, blah blah blah

-CHANGE- make the genie a girl

-Make Aladdin a good guy because that's the way he was when I was growing up with the story

-He falls in love with the genie

-little did he know, the genie was actually a trapped princess

-The Sultan's brother captured her because he couldn't be Sultan and he was angry

-Aladdin has to figure out a way to make her human again so that he can be with his family

-plot twist- Aladdin should be super close to his mother so he has to choose between the princess and the mother. make it a happy ending of course

Bibliography: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang; link to the reading online 

Story: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche

(Diana and Cupid by Henry Townsend, Wikimedia Commons)

In a land far away, past the magical forest and the snowy mountains, there was a kingdom with a huge palace. In the palace lived the adored king and queen, with their three precious daughters. The first two daughters were of average beauty, but very intelligent. However, the youngest daughter, Psyche, had immense beauty. Some claimed that she was as beautiful as Venus, Goddess of love.

Venus was considered to be the most beautiful thing in existence, so people had to see the young girl for themselves in order to believe it. People traveled oceans just to see Psyche’s beauty in person. Once they laid eyes upon her, they would all agree in unison that her beauty was in fact comparable to that of Venus.

Eventually, Venus heard word of the girl’s beauty, and found out that people were comparing them to each other and she became furious.

How can a mere mortal be as lovely as I? I am Venus, Goddess of love, and known for my beauty. Surely she is not as beautiful as the other morals have claimed.

Venus paced her room, trying to think of a solution. After a few hours, she jolted up from her throne with excitement.

“CUPID,” she shouted. Within seconds, her dearest son fluttered in with his bow and arrows. Cupid was very mischievous and had a habit of destroying relationships and marriages on a daily basis simply because he had the power to.

“Yes mother?” Cupid replied.

“I am in need of a favor, my dear,” Venus said.

“Anything for you, mother,” Cupid said.

And with that, Cupid and Venus came up with a plan on how to deal with Psyche.

Per Venus’s instructions, Cupid flew to the kingdom where Psyche and her family lived. When Cupid had arrived at the palace, he tried to find Psyche.

Within a few minutes, he came across a large gathering of people, surrounding a girl. He could not actually see the girl because she was caught up in the ruckus, but he assumed she was Psyche since everyone was admiring her. He glanced around the rest of the room and noticed a queue of people, waiting in line just to see Psyche. Cupid scoffed at this, rolled his eyes, and decided to wait until midnight to deal with her.

Several hours later, the moon was high up in the sky and it was finally midnight. It was time for Cupid to follow through with the plan: shoot her with one of his arrows so that she would be cursed with a life without love. This meant that no matter how beautiful she was, nobody would love her and she would die alone.

Cupid fluttered into Psyche’s room, and was immediately struck by her beauty. Cupid tried to shake it off, but he could not believe how gorgeous she was. He physically could not shoot her with the cursed arrow. Confused by this odd conflict, he decided to wait until she woke up.

Surely she isn’t a genuinely good person at heart, so it’ll be easier to deal with her when she is awake and when her beauty does not blind me.

The next morning, Psyche woke up to find Cupid fluttering over her.

“Hello there,” Psyche said.

“Hi. My name is Cupid and I can see that the rumors are true. You really are absolutely stunning,” he replied.

Psyche looked sad all of a sudden and Cupid grew curious.

“What’s wrong with being beautiful?” he asked.

“Nobody likes me for who I am inside. They only come here to see what’s on the outside,” Psyche almost shouted.

For some reason, Cupid felt pity for the poor girl. He got the feeling that maybe she was a good person at all, and could not get himself to shoot her with his cursed arrow. They spent the rest of the day talking about life and their histories and what they wanted to do. Cupid felt this weird butterfly sensation in his stomach. He just wanted to get to know her even more.

The two spent days, then weeks, then months talking and spending time together. They eventually fell in love and wanted to get married. Venus was furious that Cupid hadn’t dealt with her, but since she was the Goddess of love, she could see that Cupid was truly in love and had had a change of heart. Venus gave Cupid permission to marry her and they have been happily married ever since. From that point on, Cupid vowed to not only love her with all of his heart, but to also help others find their own kind of love, rather than trying to destroy it. 

Author's Note: My story is spinoff of Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche, where a group of robbers and an old lady have a horse, a goat, and a young woman in their possession. The old lady eventually tells the story of Cupid and Psyche, where Psyche is a beautiful girl who is being compared to Venus. Venus is filled with anger so she curses Psyche to only be with bad and crooked men. In my story, I wanted Cupid to end up as a good character by having him fall in love with Psyche.

Bibliography: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche; link to the reading online

Reading Notes: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche, Part A

(Donkey, fifth-century mosaic)

-Backstory: a man was turned into a donkey and is being used as a pack mule for a group of robbers and an old woman. The group also kidnapped a young woman and have a horse
-Donkey is eating leftover food. He is starving so he is inhaling everything
-Robbers bring in the girl... maybe change that to rescued? They could have been searching for her...
-They originally were taking her from ransom but maybe her parents could have been keeping her locked up in a room for a while
-The old lady could be a fairy godmother
-Maybe has something to do with the servants
-Include dialogue where she’s happy to be away from captivity
-Give her and the donkey a feast
-Make sure cry from joy instead of sorrow
-She goes into her childhood and engagement – make this a forced engagement possibly
-Have her being rescued on her wedding day
-Old woman begins to tell a story about Psyche
-Beautiful girl (Psyche), being compared to Venus
-Venus gets Jealous
-Might make them long-lost twins or something…
-Cupid was bad?
-Basically cursed her with bad men
-Make Cupid fall in love with her or something

Bibliography: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche; link to the reading online

Feedback Thoughts

("Feedback" by Karl Horton)

The article that I read that was most useful to me personally was the "Be a Mirror" article, because it explained how different mindsets can impact how people learn. One specific strategy that I read about in that article that I am going to use in the future is to take myself out of the feedback and keeping the focus of the feedback on the writer. In my feature writing class, we had to do group peer editing for a lot of our main stories. That class helped me realize how crucial good feedback is for writing. When people say pointless things about a story or piece of writing like "oh, it's good" or "yeah, I liked it," that does nothing to help you grow and improve your writing and your story. I'm used to getting feedback, both good and bad, so getting negative feedback doesn't bother me at all. It just helps me more in the long run. I had one professor who always gave us two negative pieces of feedback and then one positive. She would always start off with something negative, but end it with something positive so you know that you're at least doing okay even if you still have room to grow.