Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm (Crane), Part B
Bibliography: "The Three Spinsters" from Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm translated by Lucy Crane. Story Source . Notes I like this story, it has Rumpelstiltskin vibes but the girl actually keeps her word which is nice and sure, she was lazy, but that can easily be rewritten as her just not knowing how to use a spinning wheel the spinsters are mvps and also probably fairies because come on that's some fairy nonsense hehehehe wingmen (Image Information: The Three Spinsters illustration by Robert Bell (1912); Wikimedia Commons ) -A.
Hey Arthur,
ReplyDeleteI really like the way you set up your introduction. I think it's great how you broke down the very aspects from which you are going to write. Specifically, I like how your provided us with background as well as a guide to some of the Cherokee language and caricature we are expected to see. Was there any particular reason you decided on a Cherokee storybook? I think using opossum as your main character is very interesting, I can definitely see how there can be parallels with a opossum and the notorious 'trickster' rabbit. I understand you said that opossums will be your main writing point but what if you included other animals as well ? Like the trickster rabbit for instance, you can use that throughout your story and still make the opossum the baseline. Since you don't have a story yet I don't have anything to say in that regard, but when you begin writing I really enjoyed extensive background you gave you should keep that up in your authors note as well. Keep up the great work, look forward to reading your story.
Arthur,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your introduction for the opossum tales! I love that you had said the stories that you are going to write about have some inspiration behind them from you growing up! I think you did an amazing job introducing your readers to what your storybook will be about. Covering some of the Cherokee language and culture before going into the stories was an awesome idea. You said you want to make the character of the opossum more consistent. Will this character embody the same characteristics as the trickster rabbit? Will the opossum be brought to the spotlight and have his own prominent characteristics? I don't really have any suggestions quite yet since there isn't a story to read, but I think you have a great start. I'm really interested in how this character will be portrayed and am excited to read some stories of yours in the future.
Hi Arthur!
ReplyDeleteI've really enjoyed your storybook so far - the structure is really elegant, for one. I think using the introduction to talk about the Cherokee language and introduce the salient vocabulary to the reader was both useful and gives the stories more life. By following this introduction with the story of how the opossum got its name was a beautiful structural move. I'm looking forward to revisiting your storybook and seeing how you further incorporate the language into your tales!
Additionally, the opening of your first story is well executed - establishing the state of the world, the relationships between organisms, and so on. The only note I have relates to how the opossum convinced the other animals to bet what they had - do you think it could be useful to expand on this using more dialogue? I thought this would be a nice opportunity to play with different storytelling devices like repetition, and could further convey a sense of the opossum's trickster-proximal qualities, or a better understanding of the character!
Hey Arthur,
ReplyDeleteI really am enjoying your storybook! I am Cherokee but have never had much exposure to my tribe or their traditions/myths, so I am learning quite a bit through this storybook already! I love the choice of Opossum as the character you seek to develop in your stories, as you can make the character your own in ways which an established character, such as Rabbit, may be harder to mold. One thing to note, I actually did not realize what the "new animals" were until I read your author's note, but I love the way you introduced a bit of realism into the story! Additionally, including the important number 7 into your story, as you mentioned that it was an important number in your introduction. One question I would ask is how you plan to create Opossum, will he be a stable character throughout your stories, will he develop and grow as a character throughout your stories, or will he show different aspects of his character in different stories? I can see any of these being viable and would love to see what you choose to do! Overall, I did really love your story and would love to see how else you develop this character!
Hi Arthur!
ReplyDeleteI like that you provided us with the translations of the Cherokee terms you are going to use. It is interesting that you chose to write about the opossum who you say is not as well established as other figures from Cherokee myth. Are you planning on making him more of a trickster, given that is what he often appears as? Or are you going to take the character in a different direction? Also, you refusing to play chunkey every again so that you can say you have never lost is both a good idea and extremely funny to me! I really liked your first story. The pacing was good, and the transitions were smooth. You had a few comma splices that sort of broke up the flow of your story, but other than that is was really good! I can’t wait to see what you will for Opossum’s next story!
Hi Arthur!
ReplyDeleteThis is super ironic because I just finished reading someone's story book about King Arthur lol. I find your storybook to be interesting already because I think opossums are cute. Your introduction was very good and let me know as a reader what I should expect in regards to the Cherokee tribe. My grandpa is Cherokee but he never really talked about any of their stories or traditions. What is cool though, is that I am in Native American Music this semester and I learned about the game stick ball and I had to do a reading on how animals played the game before the people did. Since I already knew about this game, I found your story really interesting and easy to follow. I also like that in your authors note you tell us that you have actually won a game of stick ball! I will definitely be coming back to your story book in the future!
Osiyo Ashten,
DeleteMy grandma was Cherokee as well. She spoke fluent Cherokee but never passed the language down to my dad (I assume because it was still banned in schools back then). She died before I was born so I never got to learn Cherokee from her. I am glad I can help teach what I do know of the stories and culture.
Hello Arthur!
ReplyDeleteI read your Introduction and first story, "How Opossum Got his name."
I found the introduction image very interesting, as I've only seen possums in tiny, days old infant stage or as a full-blown adult. Never this juvenile, hopping a ride on mom's back stage, lol. Cool! I really like how you're including some Cherokee history and language into your storybook. I think learning a language can often be made easier by funneling it into a tale, so double thumbs up on that! WOW on the audio introduction! I think this is the first student voice I've come across in this class so that really makes your site unique. Also, very cool that you're creating these stories from scratch. The sentence structure and choice of words gives this tale a very Native American vibe. So awesome to see the amount of work and thought you are putting into this project. Keep it up!
Hi Arthur,
ReplyDeleteI read your introduction and I must say you went all out on this project! Your introduction covers so much detail and i love that you made your story about Opossum. It is creative and I also love that you did not made Opossum a trickster even though its appearance deemed it otherwise. I think my most favorite part of the introduction is the definition of the common words/phrases and the audio of the pronunciation that you attached. Your introduction is the most thorough I've ever seen and wow it is impressive that you crafted this story inspired by Cherokee legends. I don't have a lot of feedback for your introduction because it is so well done. I like the image as well and will you make your story a microfiction or storytelling? Either way, I can't wait to read your stories about Opossum at another time!
Hi Arthur! Your Introduction page is so cool! I love how you give us a brief but thorough dive into Cherokee culture in such a short space. Giving us a set of Cherokee words and their definitions provides your Storybook with a really cool authenticity. And the audio introduction is such a great idea! I found everything in your Introduction to be very helpful, especially since I'm not too familiar with Cherokee culture. I did have trouble for a moment with the Cherokee words in your first story, since for example I didn't remember what "Osiyo" meant for a moment, and I had to go back to the Introduction to check. Maybe there's somewhere (like maybe the Author's Note?) where you could give a refresher of the words to readers? I definitely think you should leave in the Cherokee words, because they're so cool, but apparently my short term memory isn't always the best! Overall, though, your first story was quite fun to read!
ReplyDeleteHey Arthur!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your intro and the first story! I thought it was very cool of you to provide a video with all of the words you were talking about in your introduction. I really learned a lot there. Your story "How the opossum got his name" was really well written. I could tell exactly what type of personality the opossum had through the entire story. Trying to visualize a pig throwing a spear was pretty funny too! With all of the new terms introduced, I found myself forgetting a few of them. maybe you could provide a refresher in the author's notes of each story? Other than that I loved your story and I am looking forward to reading more Opossum Tales!
Hi Arthur!
ReplyDeleteI see opossums all the time, but I don't really know much about them, especially their presence in other cultures. I am really excited for your storybook, as it seems like it will be an immersive experience in Cherokee culture! The mini language lesson is really cool! Are you fluent in Cherokee, or have a family member who primarily speaks Cherokee? I like the third person POV that you took when writing. It helps the reader feel like they are actually there for the story! The way you told the origin story of the opossum's name is really cool, and I like how you described where the idea actually came from. All in all, your first story was amazing and I am looking forward to more!
Howdy Arthur,
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoyed reading your introduction and first story! I love opossums so I was definitely looking forward to reading some folklore about them when I saw the title in the project listings. I really appreciated the Cherokee language lesson. I've tried incorporating a foreign language (Russian) into one of my stories, but I don't think I did it as well as you do. I really like your dialogue-heavy writing style in your first story. I think it is perfect for the style of stories you are trying to tell. I liked your incorporation of the game "chunkey" into your first story. Getting to learn about that in addition the story itself was really fun. I can't wait to read more opossum stories and will definitely be coming back here in the future!
Hi there Arthur!
ReplyDeleteI have to start by saying that I loved your introduction! I am familiar with a few words and I can't remember where I learned them. Must be from when I was a small child. I like that you provided common words and phrases for your readers. The audio clip is a wonderful addition as well. I was able to go in to your story understanding the words and how they are pronounced. Your first story was a blast to read. The dialogue kept me wanting to read more. I was able to learn while reading your story which is one of my favorite things while reading someone's story. I have never heard of the game 'chunkey'. It was fun for me to visualize all of the animals playing the game together. I am glad you are keeping the possum as a consistent character. I have always thought of possums as sly and cunning, but I must admit that I am a little afraid of them. I am excited to read more of your stories.
Hi Arthur, great job with your storybook so far! I was excited to read it since I just finished reading all the stories in the Cherokee unit. I love how you incorporate Cherokee language into the introduction and story—I'm trying to do that more with my storybook. I especially like the audio you included in the introduction. Since you're talking about linguistics and pronunciation, it's really helpful to actually hear it. Listening to that recording helped me get the stress right in the Cherokee words that I couldn't have gotten just by reading the introduction. It's also nice to put a voice to your storybook. When I clicked on the first story, I noticed that the font/spacing was different, so you might want to standardize that throughout the website. Your story sounded like a myth straight out of the unit I just completed. I was impressed to learn that everything was original—great writing! I also never knew that opossums had 50 teeth! Overall great work. I don't have many suggestions other than maybe do the short and sweet writing challenge to get rid of some extra wording. That one helped me a lot with mine.
ReplyDeleteHi Arthur!
ReplyDeleteI read your story about how the Opossum got his name. You added so many details in your story about Cherokee culture, I genuinely feel like I learned so much just from that story! The detail of the sacred number 7 is so cool and I am thankful that you included explanations of all the details in your author's note. I also think the use of the picture helps the reader visualize the game. I was unfamiliar, so it was helpful to have that picture in my mind. I suggest adding the image note closer to the picture as I was unsure what it was at first. This story was such a creative way to tell about Cherokee history and culture. I am impressed that you were able to include so many details that relate back to Cherokee. I can't wait to see what you will tell about Opossums next! Perhaps you could tell a story about why the O is silent in its name. Great job!
Hi Arthur!
ReplyDeleteI think that it is so cool that you decided to tell Cherokee stories based on legends that you grew up hearing. What a fun and personal way to share your experiences and world! I love your introduction post. It gives information about what drew you to the stories, why you chose to write about what you wrote about, and plenty of background information. The opossum is an interesting and unique animal to be featured in legends! It seems to me that stories are often about rabbits or turtles. I like the variation!
Also, my favorite part of your introduction post is how you included some words and definitions. Thank goodness you included the video - I could not do any of the words justice on my own. Are you familiar with the Cherokee language? I would love to see some more information about how you connect personally to the Cherokee legends, as they seem to have been a part of your life before this class.
Arthur,
ReplyDeleteThis week we were supposed to focus on images, and I thought the images you provided fit your stories very well! I liked how you included a picture of the stones in the story that talked about the game. This allowed me to visualize and better understand the game and what that might look like. Is it the same opossum in each story? Was there a reason that the Pig is the leader of the animals? I like how you chose an animal such as the opossum and now are doing stories about how its tail and name came to be. I love stories like these, and I'm excited to hear what story that you have next. I also love how they incorporate Cherokee culture! It's such a fun way to express creativity but also teach people about the culture of the Cherokee people. Good job! I think it's so cool that you were teaching us some about the Cherokee language as well!
Hi Arthur!
ReplyDeleteI really like and also appreciated your introduction post. If you would have hopped straight into your stories without any explanation, I think I would have been completely lost! I think it's so cool that you're able to incorporate your heritage and the language into your storybook – it's such a unique aspect and a personal touch that not a lot of us could have added. I love how your goal is to expand on a character not always talked about, and I think your stories do a great job at just that! Reading through your stories, your author's notes are one thing I really appreciated. You do such a good job of always keeping the reader informed with what is going on by explaining the new words that are introduced throughout the story, making it easy to read while also being informative! Really good stories so far – I'll definitely be coming back to see your last one!
Hi Arthur! First off, I have loved reading your stories! I was only going to read the first one but then I got so invested that I read them all! Your writing style is so unique and the Cherokee language being incorporated in your stories is so creative. I do want to know more about why you decided to incorporate that in your stories. Is that a part of your own family history? Your introduction was very nicely done and gave lots of clues to what the stories would have and I appreciated that. You really decided to dedicate time to one character which was a nice spin compared to other stories from other students I have read. Why did you decided to do this? I really can not wait to read more stories from you in the future and I will definitely re-visit your page! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHi Arthur! I love how you incorporate many Cherokee elements into your story - the words, the names, the games that the animals would play and even the foods that they would bet and have to give up if they lost!
ReplyDeleteThere is a shift in the timing of your verbs when the dialogue starts. The beginning of your story "How Opossum Got His Name" says "Long ago, when the world was new, Opossum was called 'Siqua.'" Then the story leads into how he is now called opossum. However, whenever the dialogue starts, it switches to present tense - Pig "says" to opossum the next day, Opossum laughs in return to the question for his name, etc. Does that mean that it is in modern day? Like the name change from Siqua to opossum just happened? Or is it like a flashback to the events leading up to the big change? I think clarifying that for the reader would help a lot. Great work on the story!
Hi Rachel,
DeleteGood catch on the verb tense! It is a style choice I have made to make the story feel like, well, a story. When storytellers will tell the myths, they start off in past tense to establish that the events are happening in the past. In fact, "when the world was new" is basically like the Cherokee storyteller version of "once upon a time." Once the narrative actually starts, the storyteller sort of becomes the characters (acting out their motions, using different voices, etc.) and therefore switches to present tense. It is meant to immerse the reader into the events gradually, like a "flashback" as you put it, or more accurately, like a play. If you'll notice, I do the exact same thing in my second story.
Hi Arthur, I enjoyed reading your introduction and stories in your storybook! Your introduction is well-thought out and intricate. I had never really heard of the Opossum character as I am mostly familiar with characters such as Coyote or Rabbit, but your introduction does a great job of explaining more about the character itself as well as the culture it came from. Your audio introduction is also super helpful because honestly although I can see the words written out on my screen, it would still be difficult to pronounce without hearing it first. As we are supposed to focus on paragraphs for feedback this week, I thought that your paragraph structure was very well-written. With dialogue, making sure that each character starts on a new line helps with clarifying exactly who is speaking and that is exactly what you did here. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your storybook as it has a very original and unique concept!
ReplyDeleteHi Arthur! I just finished reading your storybook, and I'm so impressed! I have a friend who adores opossums, so this project caught my eye. Reading through your introduction presented me with so many facts about the Cherokee language that I was unaware of before! I also think that incorporating audio was brilliant, and it really added to the experience. Your stories are very well done, and I love that you use your author's notes to inform your readers about Cherokee language. Very good job!
ReplyDelete