Week 9: Famous Last Words - Accepting Defeat

I'm still recovering from my weekend. I was in the homecoming assembly (Wizard of Oz group, black chick in the front - maybe you saw me!) which was pretty darn exhausting, and don't even get me started on that devastating game Saturday. It just was not my boy, Money-cutt's day. But I've moved on from that! I mean, it's not like I've been sulking all weekend, dreading facing my co-workers on Monday (who, despite the fact that they live in NORMAN, are predominantly Pokes fans.) Nope, I've put on my big girl pants and I'm taking the advice on one Mr. Daniel Radcilffe.

Is there anything we can't learn from Harry Potter? (source: Flikr)

 

Anyways, all dashed Big 12 Championship dreams aside, this week has had a lot of highs and lows. This week has really been all about learning to accept defeat. I finally decided to cut my losses and go ahead and drop the Biochem class that has been plaguing me all semester. The thing was, since I changed my major to Biology Pre-PA (oh hey, guys, I changed my major to Biology Pre-PA) I didn't actually need biochem anymore and since I wasn't doing well in it (which is an understatement) the only thing it would do for me was drag down my GPA. I stuck it out as long as I could, but man, Kenny Rogers got it right when he said "you gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away." So again, I was forced to don my big girl pants and make a decision. That was bittersweet because though I hate, hate, HATE to admit defeat, not having that class killing me everyday is a huge weight off my shoulders. Now that midterms are basically done, I'm living in a sort of eerie calm until the next wave of tests hits. Hopefully, this time around will be less stressful as I am hoping to try out some new study techniques...and hopefully stay on top of my work so I don't go into that I have-a-week-to-learn-five-chapters-of-material panic. Remember, guys: all study tips are appreciated!

Week 9: Essay - For the Love of Reading

 

My dream realized (image source:Verbo.se)

I love reading. Sometimes I feel that I may love reading too much because sometimes, I read almost to the point of becoming antisocial. Reading and writing are both things that come naturally to me now, but it wasn't always that was. I was a bright child, according to my mom, but sometimes my brain seemed to function strangely when it came to certain things. My vocabulary was extensive, but my mother worried that I would never be able to tell time, because I struggled with it so much. I was a great speller, but if you asked me to read something, I would tell you that I did not know how. My mother was baffled. I went on "not knowing how to read" until one of my mother's friends explained to me the connection between spelling and reading.

"When you spell a word," she asked, "can you see the word that you are about to write in your head?"

I told her I did.

"Did you know that that's reading?" I had not known, but from that moment on, I was aware that I could read, for I had always been able to, I just needed someone to explain it to me.

Knowing that I could read is not what engendered the love of reading I have today. In fact, I was pointedly uninterested in books at all. My mom bought them for me and I cast them aside, preferring to watch T.V. or play with my toys. Then one day, my mom said she was going to stop buying books for me altogether, saying that maybe I just wasn't going to be a reader like she had been as a little girl. I don't know why, but this was insulting to me for some reason. It was as if she had issued a challenge and I couldn't back down. My mother hit me hard with the reverse psychology, and from that point on, I was a "reader." In a way, I suppose you could say that my love for reading stems from a innate desire to be like my mom.

Reading became a part of my identity then, and has remained as such today. I was that kid who could more often than not be found with my nose in a book. I would read on the bus ride to and from school rather than socializing with my peers. I've noticed that I have maintained this mentality of the years as there are times that I have to force myself to put down a book and go out and socialize. If given the choice of going to a party on a Friday night and staying home with a great book, I would choose the latter. Ironically, my mother, who lamented the fact that I didn't read the books she bought me as a young child, began to hate buying me books because I read through them so quickly (I've never been much of a library person - I like to own my own books), and thus bought me a kindle so at least I could get books for cheaper. I got funny looks in elementary school because I would use words like "vex" and "queer" which I had read in books and were not part of the typical eight-year-old's vocabulary. I do the same thing now, trying out interesting words I've found in books, and often mispronouncing them because I've only ever seen them written. Clearly, reading early on as made an impact on who I am today.

I've never quite understand people who say that they don't read, and I've come to realize that its because reading is such a major part of who I am. It pains me how little I get to read these days, but the fact that I don't get to read for pleasure very often makes what little bit of reading I do get to enjoy that much more of a treat.

Week 9: Storytelling - The Rabbit Brothers

Linus the rabbit had a large family. He had eight brothers and five sisters. With all those siblings, Linus often felt overlooked and unimportant, especially when his brother, Alexander, was around. It was no secret that Alexander was the favorite child of all Linus' siblings. He could jump the furthest and the fastest, he had the most beautiful, sleek coat that seemed never to get dirty, and he was very clever. It was well known in the forest all of the tales of Alexander outwitting and escaping all manner of predator. Mother and Father were always bragging to the other rabbit families, and any other animal that would listen, about what brilliant son they had, and you could be sure that they weren't talking about scrawny, perpetually muddy Linus.

Alexander the rabbit (image source: Grit)

"You would think that they had only one son!" Linus grumbled to himself, bitterly, as he watched his father animatedly retell the latest of Alexander's triumphs to his other siblings, who seemed content to worship Alexander like everyone else he knew. He burned with rage and envy and resolved to kill Alexander.

 "Let them brag on their dead son then!" he said with a smirk.

Early the next morning, Linus went deep into the woods to work on his plan. He decided that, rather than get his own paws dirty, he would create a helper that would kill Alexander for him. There was said to be an enchanted tree in the heart of the woods that not only itself had magical powers, but gave magic to everything that fell under its shade. Linus used the dirt from under this tree mixed with water from the little brook at its base to create a monster that he would be able to control. When the monster was finished, it had the face of a rabbit, with the sharp teeth of a wolf, the deadly talons of a hawk, and the long, muscular tail of a snake.

"Since this monster has the qualities of many of our natural enemies, Alexander will shake with fear!" Linus cried happily, "There will be no brave triumph in this story! He will die a coward's death begging the beast not to rip it apart with its claws, impale him with its teeth, or strangle him with its tale."

Now Linus need only command the beast what to do! He approached the monster with confidence, and no fear - why should the thing that owed its creation to Linus turn on its master? Just as Linus was about to open his mouth to give the command, however, Alexander appeared out of nowhere, jumping from his hiding place in a brush to surprise his brother.

"Ho-ho, so you aim to kill me, do you?" cried Alexander, "We shall see about that!"

Alexander prepared for a fight, but the shock of the sudden appearance of his hated brother combined with the fury at having his plan discovered was too much for Linus' weak, bunny heart. He died instantly. Seeing that his brother was dead, Alexander hopped quickly back home, leaving Linus' monster behind him.

When Linus didn't return later that day, his family began to wonder where he had gone. Not wanting to disgrace his brother's memory by telling of his planned betrayal, Alexander told his family that Linus had mentioned something about visiting the Enchanted Tree. The family set out to the tree to find the lost rabbit. There under the tree, they discovered the lifeless body of Linus while his very own monster nibbled at his remains. Not wanting this beast to harm the rest of his family, Alexander quickly sprang into action, catching the distracted monster off guard, and killed the thing. For weeks, all anyone in the forest was talking about was Alexander's heroic defeat of the dreadful monster. What a shame, though they said, that he did not discover the creature before it killed his brother, Minus. What a shame for Minus, indeed.

Author's note: this is a retelling of the story Nukunguasik, who Escaped from the Tupilak from the Eskimo Folk Tales unit. In the original, Nukunguasik one day discovers one of his brothers whispering to a Tupilak, a monster of the wizard brother's own creation, to go and bite Nukunguasik to death. I decided to make the characters animals just to give the story my own little twist. In the original story, it is not stated explicitly why this brother is bent on killing Nukunguasik so I decided to fill in the holes using a classic Cain and Abel type rivalry, telling the story from the perspective of the jealous brother so you could really understand how he felt about his brother. I also added the last bit, about Alexander's triumphant defeat of the monster being the talk of the community to create an element of irony in that Linus' plan to destroy his brother ended with the exact opposite of the desired result - Alexander continues to be great hero, and Linus is barely remembered.

Bibliography: "Nukunguasik, who Escaped from the Tupilak." Eskimo Folk Tales. Knud Rasmussen. 1921

Week 9: Reading Diary

Eskimo Folk Tales Unit
Part A: Favorites

The Coming of Men
This creation story was different from most of the other creation stories that I have read in that it leaves many phenomena within the story itself open to speculation. For example, in the beginning of  the story, the Earth falls down from the sky, but there is no account for how the sky came to be. From the earth came up little children who lived on the from the earth until a woman (no one knows from whence she came) sewed clothing for the children and brought them up, and so men grew to be a race. However, in these early days, man did not know how to die and there was no sun, so the Earth was crowded and dark as man grew old but no one died and there was no sun to give light. That is, until a great flood came and took out many of the men after which two old women saw that it was good that men could die. One of the women wishes for there to be light and that man would be taught how to die. Both of these things are granted. I think the ambiguity in some of the aspects of the story makes the story more interesting because it leaves room for storytellers to add in their own bits and pieces to the legend. Since this likely began as an oral history, it is possible this is what happened.

Nukunguasik, who Escaped from the Tupilak
I noticed that this unit, unlike other units, does not seem to follow the story of one or even a few central characters - we meet many who, although share some characteristics, have distinct stories. Here we meet Nukunguasik, who is one of many brothers and has no wife. One day, he stumbles upon one of his brothers creating a monster - a Tupilak - which is to kill Nukunguasik. Nukunguasik sneaks up and takes his brother by surprise, literally frightening him to death. When the brother does not return from his hunting, the other brothers become worried and set out to find him. They find him and the spot where he died being nibbled on by the Tupalik. Nukunguasik goes on to live for many more years. This story was a bit macabre but I found it entertaining nonetheless. It is unclear from the reading alone why exactly Nukunguasik's brother set out to kill him, but it is implied that it is due to some sort of vengeance.

The Woman who Had a Bear as a Son
I think I can say that this story is my favorite that I've read so far. The story begins with a hunter who we are told occasionally brings home a bear so that he and his wife frequently eat bear meat. He one day asks if she would like to have a bear cub. I was unsure if the man meant for the woman to eat the cub or if the hunter felt guilty at likely having killed the cub's mother and meant for his wife to tae the animal in as her own. Whatever the man's intention for the woman, she does the latter and grows to love the bear cub as her own. It becomes something of a sort of town pet, played with by all, until the bear grows so big and strong that it can no longer play without hurting people. This is when the men of the town decide to make the bear their hunting companion. They soon learn that they will have to disguise the bear's scent to protect it from other hunters, so they make the bear a collar out of plaited sinews and the bear becomes a wonderful hunting companion. The woman cautions her bear to always be kind to man, and not to seek to harm them unless he is harmed first. One day, the bear comes home with a dead man. His fellow hunters say that the men belonging to the dead man's hunting party encouraged  the bear to kill the man because he would not let the bear alone. The woman begins to fear for the bear's safety if he stays with her and tells him sadly that he must leave her. Before the bear leaves, she streaks one side of him with oil and soot so that she will always know him when she sees him. I like that this story encompasses the many facets of human nature - the kindness of the women, the empathy of the hunter, the greed of the man that opposed the bear - it shows that man has many faces. Men are not completely good or bad.

Qalaganguase, Who Passed to the Land of Ghosts
Here we meet an orphaned boy named Qalaganguase who is a sickly boy with no strength in his legs so he must remain in his home while others go hunting. While he is alone, he is often visited by ghosts who always leave before the hunters return home. Among the ghosts that visit him in his solitude are his sister and his parents. His parents convince Qalaganguase to come with them so he goes with them to the spirit world and is never seen again. This may have been to show how death is a better fate than loneliness or missing one's family.


 The Insects that Wooed a Wifeless Man
This story was a little strange but it was entertaining to read. There were a few parts in the story in which I was a bit confused about what was happening. We are first introduced to a wifeless man. The idea of the wifeless man has been a recurring theme in this unit. I am not sure what implications this title has associated with it in this culture, but I think it's fair to assume that it is not a title of honor. This wifeless man in particular was known for chasing down girls who fled from him and sleeping too late to go hunting.  One day, waking at sunset, he hears a man yelling for help and rushes to rescue a man who has overturned his boat. The man turns out to be magical, and repays the wifeless man by granting the man the ability to hunt one beast of his choosing. As long as the man keeps a secret the origin of his skill in hunting this particular creature, he will possess the ability to hunt it and well. So the man becomes a skilled seal hunter and eventually takes a wife who is, at first, impressed by his hunting ability, but soon grows weary of only ever having seal. She nags him endlessly asking why he only brings home seal and he ultimately tells her, which of course, looses him his ability to hunt. The wife runs off when the man can no longer provide for her and he runs after her. Here is where I began to get confused with the story. She escapes through a crevice and he waits for her. While he waits a series of insects come out and ask him to take each one of them as his wife, but he refuses them all, mocking them. Eventually, his wife calls to him and he squeezes through the crevice to her and they are husband and wife again. She lulls him to sleep, and when he wakes, he is alone again. I was not sure what to make of the insects and the wife escaping again other than that it added an interesting twist to the story.

Part B: Favorites

Papik, Who Killed His Wife's Brother
There is a little bit of a murder mystery in this story. From the title, we assume that Papik did indeed murder his wife's brother, but it is never explicitly stated in the story. The two men, Papik and his brother-in-law, Allaq, are hunting companions though Allaq's talent far surpasses that of Papik. Papik grows jealous as the days pass and here the story basically says that one day Allaq disappears. There may be doubt in the reader's mind about whether or not Papik actually committed the crime implied, but there is no doubt in the mind of the old woman who is Allaq's mother and Papik's mother-in-law about what has happened to Allaq. She vows revenge and then drowns herself in the sea so that she may take her revenge as a ghost. Some time passes, and Papik grows to forget his mother-in-law's curse and he returns to his hunting. He has taken position at an ice hole when a monster overtakes him. He knows the monster is Allaq's mother. He and a group of people from the nearby town are able to escape but the monster relentlessly pursues them until finally it falls on Papik, ripping him limb from limb. This is supposed to show the proper consequence of killing other men without due cause. Murder is something this culture does not take lightly, apparently, which is a great contrast to the flippant attitude toward death many of the other mythologies seem to take.

Patussorssuaq, Who Killed His Uncle
This story, too, demonstrates the consequences of killing someone unjustly. A man by the name of Alataq is married to a woman named Kugkat, who is known to be very beautiful. Alataq's nephew, Patussorssuaq, who is also married, livees with Alataq and his wife. Patussorssuaq greatly covets Alataq's wife and plots to get rid of Alataq in order that he may assume his wife. Alataq, decides one day to go on a great journey and to take his wife with him. Patussorssuaq, overcome with fury at the idea of Kugkat leaving, kills his uncle on the spot. Kugkat sees this and flees to the land where her parents live. Patussorssuaq gets it into his mind to also kill his wife so that she is out of the way, but she flees, leaving Patussorssuaq without either of the women he feels belongs to him. Eventually, however, he does track down his aunt and takes her as his wife, but she soon dies. His misfortune is soon doubled when he attacked by a fox, who is really the spirit of his vengeful uncle. Patussorssuaq is killed brutally, thus (hopefully) deterring the reader from the act of murder without cause.

The Wife who Lied
This is not the first story to involve a lying wife. Such a character appeared briefly in a story from the first half of the reading, and she met such a immediate punishment, that from the title, I knew this was not going to be a good story for the uAntrue wife. Navaranapaluk was married to a man from a different tribe than hers and is taken to live in her husband's land. She decides to go, one day and visit her people, and she fabricates a story to make her people believe that she is treated badly in her marriage. It is not stated why she does this - the story never implies that her marriage is an unhappy one, so it is unclear why she seeks to destroy her husband. Her people, taking pity of her, set out for her husband's land and kill the women in the area (the men were out hunting) there save three women who had hidden themselves cleverly. When the men return to see all of the women dead, they devise a plan to kill the people responsible. They slaughter Navaranapaluk's people and two of her enemies carry her off, dismember her, and leave her to die. This may seem a harsh punishment for lying, but I think it shows how speaking falsely can ultimately cause despair and anguish in many forms.

Atdlarneq, the Great Glutton
In a different story, we see a woman who is punished for her infidelity, while her lover is left off the hook. This story shows, however, that this culture recognizes that not only women are to blame for infidelity. Atdlarneq is a great hunter and always bring home seal from his hunt. One day while out on the sea, he sees three beautiful women emerge from a house, and he resolves to go to them. They receive him warmly giving him a great feast. Then, the husband of the three young girls returns home. This is where the story gets interesting. Instead of killing Atdlarneq on the spot (which is what I was expecting to happen) the husband sustains the role of welcoming host, serving Atdlarneq more and more food that he is obligated by the husband to eat. He would have eaten himself to death had he not preceded the meal with a grass stalk. Nonetheless, Atdlarneq learns his lesson and never ventures that way again.

Angangujuk
The thing that stuck out about this story to me was not the actual plotline, per se, but rather a small detail. In the beginning of the story, a woman looses track of her son. What stuck with me, though, is that she doesn't really seem to show much concern for the child, Angangujuk, but rather fears her husband's wrath upon losing the boy. This, to me, demonstrates the view of women and children as property belonging to a man rather than person. Ultimately, we discover that the child has been taken by a couple who and the boy's father happen upom their dwelling as they are arguing about whether or not to keep the boy. The father quickly retrieves his son, but when they return home, they are greeted by nothing and no one.

Tungujuluk and Saunikoq
I liked this story because it was a bit more light-hearted that many of the tales up to this point. I feel almost as though the  unit is getting darker and darker as I read, so this was a refreshing change. Both Tungujuluk and Saunikoq are shape shifting wizards and can turn themselves into a walrus and a bear respectively. Saunikoq soon grows jealous of Tungujuluk because he had a son and Saunikoq does not and he begins to plot evil against Tungujuluk. He sets out to kill the son of Tungujuluk and just as he is about to, the son runs home to his father. Saunikoq follows in his bear form, frightening Tungujuluk before he remembers that his neighbor can change himself into a bear. To get back at the bear-man for mocking them, Tungujuluk steals Saunikoq's bladder float basically out from under him in his walrus form. He brings it up at meal time that evening and all present have a good laugh, but Saunikoq is so ashamed that he is never seen again. This story was a bit difficult to follow and I found myself having to read several parts over and over again, but still I enjoyed it. No one was murdered (though it was intended) and I love a good trickery.















Kanagssuaq