Here are a few of my favorite stories from Fables of La Fontaine
The Frog and the Ox This story tells the tale of a little frog with a big ego! One day, while sitting in the swamp, the frog sees the ox and says to his sister that the ox looks about the size of the frog. Huffing and puffing, the frog inflates himself to try to match the the size of the ox. The frog, however, doesn't reach this size, and instead explodes.
The Dog And His Image In this tale, a dog enjoying a juicy bone goes down to the stream where he sees his own reflection. Mistaking his reflection for another bone and not his own, the dog drops his bone to grab the other. In the end, the dog's greed leaves him empty handed as his bone splashes into the stream.
The Fox and the Grapes In this story, the fox comes across a bunch of grapes high above his head. Eying them to eat, he jumps with all this strength to reach the grapes. When they prove to be too far, however, the fox declares that the grapes must be sour, and that he never really wanted them anyways.
The Tortoise and the Two Ducks In this story, the tortoise, envious of the ducks, yearns to fly. Agreeing to help, the two ducks tell the tortoise to bite down on a stick, which they will grab and take off into the air. While in mid air, the tortoise attempts to speak, sending here back down to the ground where she is smashed to bits.
The Frog and the Rat This tale tells of a frog and rat who, while traveling together, decide to tie their legs together for safety. When they come across some water, however, the frog decides to dive deep down, causing the rat to trash about. This commotion attracts the attention of a kite, who swoops down and eats them both.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Essay for Week 12: The "Bad Guys" of English Fairy Tales
Throughout English Fairy Tales, many treacherous and evil characters can be found. These "bad guys" share many traits with each other, but their tales often end in very different circumstances.
In the fairy tale Mouse and Mouser, the "Mouser," or the cat takes on the role of villain. At the start of the story, the mouse goes to visit the cat, who he finds spinning yarn behind the hall door. After making some small talk about the trousers the cat is making, the mouse begins to tell a story which the cat does not take kindly to. The mouse says that while sweeping his room, he had found some money and decided to buy himself a meat dish. He goes on to accuse the cat of swiping it from the windowsill on which he set it to cool. The "bad guy" cat admits to his crime, saying "and I'll eat you," before devouring the poor mouse whole.
In the fairy tale Mouse and Mouser, the "Mouser," or the cat takes on the role of villain. At the start of the story, the mouse goes to visit the cat, who he finds spinning yarn behind the hall door. After making some small talk about the trousers the cat is making, the mouse begins to tell a story which the cat does not take kindly to. The mouse says that while sweeping his room, he had found some money and decided to buy himself a meat dish. He goes on to accuse the cat of swiping it from the windowsill on which he set it to cool. The "bad guy" cat admits to his crime, saying "and I'll eat you," before devouring the poor mouse whole.
(Cat: Wikimedia commons)
Much like the Mouser, the "bad guy" in Mr Fox preys on the weak and innocent. Unlike the Mouser, however, Mr Fox does not get away with his crimes. In the beginning of the tale, the fair Lady Mary, in spite of all her other suitors, picks Mr Fox as the man she shall marry. Mr Fox was brave and gallant, although no one knew much about him. One day, near their wedding day, Lady Mary decides to seek out Mr Fox's castle while he is away on business. Mary enters Mr Fox's castle, and much to her horror, finds a closet full of beautiful young women that Mr Fox has murdered. Just as Mary discovers this, she looks out the window to see Mr Fox dragging another one of his victims into the castle. Mary escapes, and informs her brothers of his crimes. The next day, this "bad guy" meets justice at the sword end of Mary's many friends and family.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Week 12 Reading Diary: English Fairy Tales
Here are a few of my favorite stories from English Fairy Tales.
The Old Woman and Her Pig In this tale, an old woman finds some extra money one day while sweeping around her house, and decides to go out and buy a pig. However, on the way back, she comes across a stile which the pig will not cross. She decides to seek a dog to bite the pig to encourage it over the fence, but the dog doesn't comply. Her problem compounds and compounds until she finally finds someone to comply with one of her requests, which sets off a chain of events until the pig eventually jumps over the stile.
Mouse and Mouser In this story, the mouse goes to visit the cat, who he finds spinning yarn behind the hall door. The mouse tells the cat that while sweeping his room, he found some money and bought himself a meat dish, which he set on the windowsill to cool. The cat plays coy throughout their conversation, until the mouse accuses the cat of stealing his treat. Upon this the cat replies "and I'll eat you," and pounces on the mouse.
Mr Fox This tale tells of the the fair Lady Marry and her brave and gallant lover Mr. Fox. One day, right before their wedding day while Mr. Fox was away on business, Lady Mary sets out to find Mr. Fox's castle. Searching through his castle, Mary finds a closet full of the bodies and skeletons of other young ladies! Looking out the window, she spies Mr. Fox dragging another one of his victims. Mary escapes, and the next day has her brothers kill Mr. Fox.
Mr Miacca This story tells of Tommy Grimes, a very bad acting young boy. Tommy is warned by his mother that if his behavior does not improve, he will be snatched up by Mr Miacca. Tommy doesn't heed this warning, and sure enough is grabbed by Mr Miacca. Mr Miacca eats little boys who behave badly, and chops off Tommy's leg so that he can both eat it, and prevent Tommy from escaping. Tommy, however, takes a leg from the sofa and runs home.
The Old Woman and Her Pig In this tale, an old woman finds some extra money one day while sweeping around her house, and decides to go out and buy a pig. However, on the way back, she comes across a stile which the pig will not cross. She decides to seek a dog to bite the pig to encourage it over the fence, but the dog doesn't comply. Her problem compounds and compounds until she finally finds someone to comply with one of her requests, which sets off a chain of events until the pig eventually jumps over the stile.
Mouse and Mouser In this story, the mouse goes to visit the cat, who he finds spinning yarn behind the hall door. The mouse tells the cat that while sweeping his room, he found some money and bought himself a meat dish, which he set on the windowsill to cool. The cat plays coy throughout their conversation, until the mouse accuses the cat of stealing his treat. Upon this the cat replies "and I'll eat you," and pounces on the mouse.
Mr Fox This tale tells of the the fair Lady Marry and her brave and gallant lover Mr. Fox. One day, right before their wedding day while Mr. Fox was away on business, Lady Mary sets out to find Mr. Fox's castle. Searching through his castle, Mary finds a closet full of the bodies and skeletons of other young ladies! Looking out the window, she spies Mr. Fox dragging another one of his victims. Mary escapes, and the next day has her brothers kill Mr. Fox.
Mr Miacca This story tells of Tommy Grimes, a very bad acting young boy. Tommy is warned by his mother that if his behavior does not improve, he will be snatched up by Mr Miacca. Tommy doesn't heed this warning, and sure enough is grabbed by Mr Miacca. Mr Miacca eats little boys who behave badly, and chops off Tommy's leg so that he can both eat it, and prevent Tommy from escaping. Tommy, however, takes a leg from the sofa and runs home.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Week 11: Famous Last Words
The semester has gone by so quickly! Week 11 has already come and passed. As the temperature has dropped lower and lower this week, I have found myself looking forward to winter break more and more. Winter has always been my favorite season growing up. I hope it snows this year!
In physics lab this week, we continued our exploration into the field of optics. We used a light source and many different mediums to see how the travel of light changed depending on the composition of the material. Organic Lab was much more unfortunate this week, as our lab involved using diethyl ether, a very, very smelly compound. I don't think the stench will ever leave my notebook.
For my weekly reading in Mythology and Folklore this week, I chose to read the classic Ballads of Robin Hood. Next to Aesop's fables, this has been my favorite reading of the year. One of my favorite tales from this reading was The Ranger. In this ballad of Robin Hood, Robin Hood treks through the forest one day in search of a deer to hunt to bring back for himself and his merry men. While trekking through the woods, however, Robin Hood finds himself amongst a ranger, who informs him that the deer of the forest
belong to the king and threaten that if Robin Hood kills one of the deer, he shall attack. Robin
Hood rejects the words of the ranger, saying that he has hunted in the
forest for years, and will not be stopped. The two men engage in combat
with their swords, fighting evenly for three hours! How exhausting! Eventually, Robin
Hood's men appear, but instead of killing the Ranger, Robin Hood offers him a place in his ranks. I think my favorite aspect of this story is the two men becoming friends after gaining each others respect in combat.
In physics lab this week, we continued our exploration into the field of optics. We used a light source and many different mediums to see how the travel of light changed depending on the composition of the material. Organic Lab was much more unfortunate this week, as our lab involved using diethyl ether, a very, very smelly compound. I don't think the stench will ever leave my notebook.
(Robin Hood: Wikimedia Commons)
Google Timer Tech Tip
It's good to take a short break from studying every hour or so to digest what you have learned. The Google timer can be good to insure your short breaks don't turn into long ones!
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