Famous Last Words Week 7

Well, it's been another one of those weeks where I didn't get as much writing done for this class as I wanted to. But I got tons done for another class! This week was spent working on a rather large paper for one of my major lab classes. Unfortunately, I spent so much time focusing on that paper alone that I didn't get much reading done for this class (or assignments for any class, for that matter).
The paper was due Friday, so after that was turned in I treated myself to the extended edition of the Lord of the Rings! I had never seen the extended edition before, and it was wonderful. Really long, but what else is to be expected from a film of one of the most epic trilogies of all time?
I think my favorite scene in the Fellowship is when our travelers venture into Lothlorien and Frodo meets Galadriel. When I saw the movie for the first time in theaters, I was transfixed by her ethereal beauty. Watching the movie now, that same wonder and awe still holds true (but some of the effects are really outdated and it takes away from the magic).  I remember wanting to be her for Halloween once, but I think I changed my mind at the last moment to be a zombie instead. Oh, the fickle mind of a child.

Who wouldn't want to be an Elven queen for Halloween?

Image: LOTR Wiki

Looking ahead, some thing I'm really excited for (as I'm guessing most everyone is), is spring break! My friends and I plan on going to Miami and I'm super excited because I've never been before! Of course, I think everyone will still be studying while we're down there. Maybe that way I can get some actual writing done! 

There's still a lot of work to do before I can hit the beach, however. The week before the break I have an exam, a group project, and yet another big paper due. Yikes. Thankfully, we're coming up on week 8 in our unit and have time to take a little bit of break so I can prepare for the upcoming hell week. Maybe I can squeeze in a few episodes of Lost Girl too, while I'm at it. 

Now that I think about it, I haven't commented about all the snow we've had this weekend. Honestly, the roads here are so much worse compared to Colorado, but that's probably because Oklahoma doesn't prepare for the Snowpocalypse. I went out and walked around for a while, enjoying all the white, but I couldn't sled or ski in it. I'm ready for the warm rejuvenating breath of Spring. 

Extra Reading Week 7: Nigerian Folk Tales

This time I read some stories that were completely foreign to me - folk tales from Nigeria. I have never read folk tales from Africa (except for the ones about Anansi) and was pleasantly surprised to find these stories so original and strange. Here are notes on just a couple of stories, but I highly suggest everyone go and give them a read here!

The Rebellious Daughter Who Married a Skull:
This tale reminds me a lot of the one I read earlier this week about Anansi and his friend Nothing going into town to get wives. Both of these stories show just how foolish it is to marry someone without first actually getting to know them - something I would think is common sense, but apparently needs to be re-iterated in a folk tale.
This girl is the daughter of the king and is the most beautiful in all the land. She won’t take any man’s hand in marriage who isn’t beautiful like she is. This poses a problem because there isn’t any man in the country who can counter her beauty.
So this skull - yes, a skull - from the spirit land decides to go get her hand. He borrows body parts from his friends and creates a pretty attractive meatsuit and goes off to get the princess’ hand in marriage. She agrees upon seeing his beautiful face, but her parents are hesitant. Eventually she declares that she is going to live with him in his own country. Of course, once she’s there he sheds all of his borrowed parts and she sees him for what he truly is - a skull. Mortified, but helpless, she resigns herself to her fate.
Like all good wives, she takes care of his decrepit mother. The mother grows fond of her and knows the spirits of the land will eventually come to get her, so she asks a rogue wind to take the girl away back to her own home. The wind complies, first coming as a tornado and then a soft breeze. When the girl is back home a party is held for 8 days, celebrating her return.
I suppose the true moral of this story is, ‘don’t trust a book by its cover,’ but really. I think the best moral found here is to be kind and respectful to your elders. You never know just how they might be able to help you.

The Elephant and the Tortoise:
This story was very bizarre. This is a story explaining why the elephant has such small eyes in proportion to its body. I would think it’s because living out in the savannah, with so much sun, it would be more beneficial to have small eyes that couldn’t so easily be burned. But that’s not the case.
The elephant comes to feasts held by the king of the land and always eats too much. In that time, the elephant had huge eyes, much more fitting for the proportion of his body. The tortoise sets about to put a stop to this by tricking the elephant into letting him cut out his own eyes, claiming that they are a sweet treat. Thus the elephant goes about blind for a few days, asking fellow animals to lend him their eyes, but of course they’re like, “Uh, no. I need my eyes.” So then, a worm comes along one morning and greets the elephant. The elephant, being blind (but not deaf) replies with another greeting. The worm is flattered that so mighty a creature would pay attention to him, that he agrees to let the elephant borrow his eyes for a day. 

Unfortunately, the elephant’s eye sockets seal shut around the worms tiny eyes, and worm is blind forever and the elephant has tiny eyes in proportion to his body.

The elephant and his tiny eyes

Image: Wikipedia

Reading A Week 7: Anansi

For this reading I chose stories about Anansi from the West African Folktales Unit and got to know the trickster of African legend a little better. Bottom line: he's pretty much a selfish jerk.

How Wisdom Became Property of the Human Race:
In this short story, the people of the world upset Anansi and so he vows to punish them by taking wisdom away from them and hanging it up high in a tree. He puts all the wisdom in a pot and tries to climb the tallest tree he can find with the pot hanging in front of him. Of course, this gets in the way and he finds himself frustrated because he can’t get more than a little ways up without becoming hindered.
His son, Kweku Tsin, watches for a while and then says, “Did you ever think about hanging the pot on your back?”
Anansi, irritated and tired, throws the pot on the ground out of frustration because apparently his son has more wisdom than he does.
And that’s how the humans acquired wisdom. See, it’s okay to be a smart-alec every once in a while. Look how it benefitted us!

Anansi (MrPsMythopedia)

Anansi and Nothing:
This story was clever in its own little way. In some ways it reminded me of the myth of Odysseus and his men tricking the cyclops and escaping, but not entirely.

Anansi lives in a crappy little hut while his neighbor, Nothing, lives in a great palace. Somehow they’re friends they decide to go get wives from a nearby town one day. Nothing, of course, is decked in full regalia. Anansi is in his rags. Because Anansi is Anansi, he convinces Nothing to let the two of them exchange clothes. Nothing does so, and when the two of them stroll into town, Anansi has women practically begging to become his wife. Nothing, still dressed in rags, has pity taken on him by a woman and she gives him his daughter. They all go back to their homes and Anansi’s wives are shocked to discover that he actually lives in a hovel. Nothing is greeted by his servants and his wife is looked upon with much envy.
After a few days, Nothing’s wife takes pity on the women because all they can afford to eat is unripe bananas and peppers (what a strange combo) and she invites them over for a feast. Of course, his wives decide to stay in the palace.
Enraged, Anansi enlists the help of his rat friends to dig a hole in front of the palace doors, where he then fills it with sharp knives and broken bottles. Then he tricks Nothing into coming outside, where he trips and falls into the death pit.
Nothing’s wife, distraught, mashes yams and feeds them to the children of the city to help her cry for her husband.
SO NOW… whenever a child is crying and they’re asked what they’re crying about, they say they are crying for nothing! See? Hahaha… cute little origin story right there.

Thunder and Anansi:
In this tale we learn that Anansi is greedy and selfish. After attempting to get some coconuts, Anansi throws himself into the sea rather than go home empty handed. He finds himself on the sea-floor in front of the cottage of Thunder. Thunder asks him why he has come and Anansi tells him that he and his family are starving. Thunder, taking pity on him, gives him a magic cooking pot.
Eager to test it out, Anansi brings it back onto shore and recites the magic words: “What you used to do for your old master, now do for me.” Lo and behold, food appears! He scarfs it down and thinks to keep it only for himself and not share any with his family, lest the magic wears off too quickly.
His family soon becomes suspicious as to why they keep getting thinner as Anansi gets plumper. His clever son, Kweku Tsin, rummages around Anansi’s room while he’s gone and discovers the cooking pot. He shares the pot with his entire family and to punish Anansi, they bring it down to the village to cook for everyone. The pot gets too hot from cooking all these meals and melts, so the family decides not to say anything about it.
Anansi comes home, can’t find his pot and, knowing his family had something to do with it, goes out to to Thunder’s place again, telling him a sad tale of why he no longer has the pot. Thunder, being wise and immune to false truths, gives Anansi a stick. This time when Anansi recites the magic words, the stick starts to beat him.
I thought this was a great story on the morals of greediness. As I read these stories, I find myself disliking Anansi more and more. How could you keep food from your starving family? I guess that must be a trait of tricksters.