10th Blog Post

In my Classical Cultures class, we have been examining several different myths this semester. The one that really caught my attention is Clouds. The moral behind this myth is very much relevant to our lives today. It is about moral order. In our society, we follow a set of orders or guidelines that keeps us stable. Without them we will be unstable and destructive. Clouds portrays the life of a man who tries to get the easy way out of paying in debts. He tried to use a bad judgement, and make a good one out of it. In life, there are people who try to justify wrongdoings no matter how bad they are, and this is one reason why Clouds is significant in regards to life. The man eventually realized that that was not the way to navigate his way around things. The moral of the story is, that we all learn from our mistakes.

The Woman Warrior.

Since this class, I've noticed that the literary texts we have been reading in regards to Chinese culture, has an underlying tone of feminism. These tales are very uplifting to women in the sense that they do not perpetuate the idea that women aren't capable of doing things that may seem unusual in society. The article portrays the story of a girl, who sets out to find her inner strength or warrior. She had to put aside a lot of things she love to accomplish that. Undoubtedly, this was not a very easy thing to do. She had to learn new ways of adjusting and coping with this new lifestyle. This story was made in reference to Mulan, who is said to be an "icon." Both of these figures challenge the norms within their society and therefore are seen as instrumental in the way gender roles are examined.

Trickster Tales

Tricking seems to play a pivotal role in fables and folktales. We as humans perform that same act in many different ways in our lives. Playing tricks can be a playful thing, and also a learning lesson. "The Wolf and the Mink." is one of my favorite stories that we have covered. I enjoyed reading about how carefully the wolf was able to cleverly trick the mink into thinking that he ate the fish, which in actuality it was the wolf himself. The morals behind these stories are often displayed and lived in our society today, and this is what makes them interesting to read.

American Born Chinese

Reading the graphic novel provoked my curiosity about the significance of the title to the story. My initial thought was that the monkey is trying to assimilate itself into a culture that he is not used to which is relevant and applicable to our society today. This story has relevance to our culture, even through past events, where people were not accepted even though they were well qualified or able. I think the moral of this story mirrors the idea that you cannot change yourself or "fate" in a way because these things are already pre-destined by a higher power or deity. In reading the other excerpt by William Bradly, I really enjoyed how he conveyed his thoughts through his experience of reading multiple works of art. He elucidates that although graphic novels appear as just mere story telling, there are different dynamics in which they fall beneath. I liked how he made note of this, because this is something I was unaware of.

Sandman

When reading the comic piece, I was very confused. This is one of the few comic books I have read. I could not understand the point of the comic book until I read the sand/wo/man article. This article reinforces many ideas that the comic piece failed to elucidate. This article touches on the bases of gender and sexuality and how it pertains to different characters. This article was basically an extended and well developed argument. It gave me a better understanding of what the comic book was trying to say.

American Indian Myths and Legends by Rochard Edoes and Alfonso Ortiz.

After reading this excerpt, I am more aware of Native American culture in regards to myths. I understand that they were very much into nature. In our culture, we may view this as pelicular, but it is very signicant to them as a whole. One thing that caught my attention was the information at the end of each story which states where the works were collected from. I think that this is very important when it comes to trusting sources. Giving that each work cited has a date and a author, I think that it's safe or credible. Another thing that I found interesting was in the story When Grizzlies Walked Upright, is where the girl was so curious that she went on a discovery. This concept can be related back to our concept where "curiosity kills the cat." Overall, this reading relates very much to our culture today.

Juan Bobo: A Folkloric Information System and Foreward.

After reading all of the folktales of Foreward, I realized that each one has a message or moral. I favored the Ant in Search of Her Leg, because even though it has a very comical aspect to it, the underlying message is that "God is in control." I really enjoyed the process in which the ant attempted to recover her leg. She went through many different outlets to find an answer. I thought the creativity in this story grasps the reader's attention. I was very intrigued after the first direction that was made to the ant. The main focus of this reading, is how folklore ties in with the culture of Puerto Rico. Juan Bobo is the focal point. He is known as a big time trickster. What is interesting and is highlighted several times in Juan Bobo: A Folkloric Information System by Sarai Lastra, is how a figure like Juan plays such a huge role in the cultural development of folklore in Puerto Rico. Another thing that is very interesting is the diversity in Puerto Rico that allows the stories of Juan Bobo to be told in many different tongues without changing the entirety or message of the stories. What is very interesting and is actually something that I learned from this reading is the different categories in which folklores are placed into. For example, Juan  Bobo's stories are categorized in a "k motif." Overall, both readings goes hand in hand as they focus on the same idea. One gives the examples and the other gives the history and the relevance and how it relates to Puerto Rico and folklore culture.

Living Folklore by Martha Sims/ Chap 2 of Craft of Research

Whenever I hear the term "folklore" I think of an old fashioned story that is usually told by grandparents. Folklore as being "old" is highlighted to be a misconception by Sims. After reading, I am more aware of the variety of things that constitutes what folklore is. Folklore is said to be found in informal interactions, this information is new to me, because of my prior belief that it is merely about old time stories. To my surprise, Sims mentions that folklore is about how we learn, and how we make meaning of the world we live in. Another thing that Sims notes that I find interesting, is that folklore touches every part of human experience. It can be found in many disciplines that we study in and outside of school. We learn things that we have never learned before from others and that is folklore. In terms of tradition, folklore has been surrounded and influenced by it. Folklore is shared through tradition which should always be continuous just as Sims mentions. Tradition is what we share and how or the process in which it is done. Both Folklore and Tradition are correlated as information is shared through others, and through different processes. Chapter two of The Craft of Research, highlights how a researcher should connect to his or her audience. It lists a lot of useful tips that can be used to improve one's research. One thing that a researcher should keep in mind is the audience which the information is presented to.

Blog #2 Prologue/Chap 1 The Craft of Research

Whenever I hear the word "research" I get very anxious as it can get very difficult at times, especially finding the right articles to support your argument. After reading the Prologue and the first chapter of The Craft of Research, I am more aware of the different ways to go about a research process. The most important thing when doing a research is to map out what you're going to be addressing or having a plan. "Thinking in Print" is very important because it allows you to explore different areas in your writing, that can eventually be improved. After reading Chapter one, I realize how important it is to do so.

Aesop Fables, and the Role of Fables in Human Life.

I found the fables given to be very interesting to read. With each fable, there was a lesson or moral to be learned. What I found interesting, was the variety of lessons that can be drawn varying from strength to power. Edward Clayton in his excerpt, mentions the importance of fables to Human society. Surprisingly, we have a lot in common with fables when it comes to morals, behaviors, and attitudes. We somewhat embody similar traits to the animals that were exemplified in the fables. What drew my attention was Clayton's mention of Aristotle belief that Fables are an "effective method of arguing." Aristotle also said that they are useful in politics, which makes sense because politicians often uses rhetoric as a form to persuasion to convince their audience why they are the right person for the position or to vote for them. Another thing that I found interesting was Clayton's distinction of animals and humans. As humans, we have the ability to reason, unlike animals who cannot refrain from their desires. Also as humans we can alter our way of life accordingly, while this may be a weak factor for animals. Overall, Fables explore moral discipline throughout all aspect of life.