Week 10: Famous Last Words

I can't believe it! Week 10 is over already. In just 6 more weeks, the semester will be over and winter break will begin. Although, I think for many of us, winter break will really just be the beginning of the December intersession! The busy life of the college student, eh?

Another round of testing has passed, so this week has been a little bit slower. I've been trying to use this additional time to finish up my second story for my storybook, but I've had a little bit of writers block. I think I know where I want the tale to go, but it has been difficult to come up with the appropriate language to direct it there. Hopefully with some coffee and a little luck I can get it finished up.

(Coffee: Wikimedia Commons)

With the Principles of Physiology test out of the way, the normal lectures have resumed. This Thursday, however, we are supposed to have a guest lecturer. I am excited to see what they have to add to the class, but it has also been strongly suggested that we may have a quiz that day; something I am not so excited about.

With OU Texas canceling physics lab two weeks ago, and the lab practical last week, this week has been the first real physics lab I've done in a while. It was an interesting lab measuring the angles of reflection from different types of mirrors and through quartz crystals. The lights in the classroom had to be off for the experiment to work properly, but this did made it a little difficult to set up.

Organic Chem lab was short and sweet this week. Although I have to go directly to work after class, getting out of class early allowed me to get off of work early, which allowed me to go to sleep before 2am.

Essay for Week 10: Tricksters and Fools of Myths of the Cherokee

Throughout most folkloric tales, one can find numerous examples of both tricksters and fools. The Myths of the Cherokee are no exception to this trend.

In the Cherokee tale The Rabbit Goes Duck Hunting, a story is told of a rabbit who was so boastful that no matter whatever he saw anyone else do, he would claim he could do it as well! This trickster was even known to devise schemes to convince the other animals of his lies. The boastful rabbit one day sees the otter diving down deep into the water and eating fish, and decides to claim that he can do this as well. This tricky rabbit convinces all of the other animals of his ability, however, the otter claims that he also eats ducks, and the rabbit immediately claims to do the same. When the trickster rabbit attempts to fulfill this bet by placing a noose around one of the ducks necks, it takes off into the air, taking the rabbit along for the ride. In the end, this former trickster only shows himself to be a fool.

(The Cherokee's Ultimate Trickster, the Rabbit: Wikimedia Commons)

We see the rabbit once again take on the role of trickster in How the Rabbit Stole the Otter's Coat, albeit this time more successfully. In this story, the rabbit hears that among all the animals, the otter had the finest coat of them all. The rabbit soon hatches a plan to steal the otter's coat. The rabbit locates the otter on his way to a council meeting and travels with him. When they come to a place that the rabbit calls The Place Where it Rains Fire, the rabbit warns the otter that he should place his coat on a nearby tree limb so that it does not get burnt during a fire storm in the night. The trickster then throws hot coals over the otter in the middle of the night, shouting to him"it's raining fire!" When the otter runs to the water for cover, the rabbit steals his coat.

Week 10 Reading Diary: Myths of the Cherokee

Here are a few of my favorite stories from Myths of the Cherokee
  

The Rabbit Goes Duck Hunting This tale tells of a rabbit who was "so boastful that he would claim to do whatever he saw anyone else do" and "so tricky that he could usually make the other animals believe it all." One day, the boastful rabbits sees the otter diving down deep into the water and eating fish, and decides to claim that he can do it as well. This trickster even manages to convince the other animals of his ability! However, the otter claims that he also eats ducks, and challenges the rabbit to do the same. When the rabbit attempts to put a noose around one of the ducks necks, it takes off into the air, dragging the rabbit along for the ride.

How the Rabbit Stole the Otter's Coat In this story, it is told that among the animals, it was said that the otter had the finest coat among them all. Upon hearing this, the rabbit devises a scheme to steal the otter's coat. The rabbit finds the otter, and travels with him for a time. Eventually, they come to a place that the rabbit calls The Place Where it Rains Fire, where the rabbit warns the otter should place his coat on tree limb so that it does not get burnt during the fire storm. The tricky rabbit throws hot coals over the otter during the night, shouting "it's raining fire!" When the otter runs to the water, the rabbit makes off with his coat. 

How the Terrapin Beat the Rabbit This story tells the tale of a boastful terrapin (turtle) who challenges the rabbit to a race. Knowing that he would be unable to beat the rabbit, the terrapin instead gathers several of his identical friends to position themselves along the race track, pretending to be the single terrapin. The tricky terrapin cheats his way to a victory in the race.

The Owl Gets Married This tale begins with the story of a widow and her daughter. The widow tells her daughter that any man she marries must be a great hunter able to providing for her and her family. One day, a man appears, claiming to be a great hunter, and wins the daughters hand in marriage. Despite this, he consistently only brings back scraps from his "hunts." Suspicious, his new wife follows her husband down to the river where she witnesses him change into an owl! The young woman angrily drives him from their home when he returns that night.

The Snake Boy This story tells of a boy who bird hunted each day, bringing the gains of his hunt to his grandmother. This, however, made the rest of his family jealous, who then treated him badly.  Angry at his family, the boy sets off into woods without breakfast, returning that night with only a pair of deer horns. At daybreak the next day, the grandmother finds that the boy has turned into an uktena (horned serpant). The boy-serpent slithers away and plunges into the river, where the grieving grandmother soon follows.

The Snake Man This tale tells of two hunters forbidden from eating squirrel or turkey meat. After a long day of hunting, one of the hunters begins to prepare several squirrels he has killed for his supper. The other hunter warns him that if he eats the squirrel, he will turn into a snake. Sure enough, after he eats the squirrel, the hunter turns into a serpent and slithers to the river bank.