Story Lab: Week 10

Empo Word:
Chapter Two Reading Notes:

- "We're all stories in the end" has a lot of different interpretations and so do many of the things we write
- Narration is how we convey our stories and there's different techniques to that, such as plot.
- Scope is the boundaries of plot (so like what you'll be covering); sequence and pacing is the order of the events and the amount of time you give to each event (this determines how the reader sees the story)
- Remember the elements of plot
- Different ways to structure plot, but it needs to be there
- Point of view is very important to your story, along with the tone
- Building characters is vital to the story, they are needed to bring your story forward
- Stories can be multi-media or multi-genre stuff
- Overall the article reminded me about the basics of storytelling and how I need to be putting more thought into each layer of my story and how it'll best be portrayed. Even small things like what POV works best for the story can really change how it turns out in the end.

Snape Writing Meme from Source

https://www.writerswrite.com/writingmemes/

Week 10 Reading (Extra Credit): Jakata Tales Babbitt Part B

The Wise and Foolish Merchant

- A thrifty merchant ended up buying wears to sell and a stupid young merchant bought goods in the same city. The started at the same time

- The young merchant goes first because he thinks he'll get the first pick of everything

- The thrifty merchant is okay with that because he'll smooth out the roads

- A demon sees the merchant and wants to overcome him so he empties his water

- The foolish merchant empties the water completely and there was no water to be found

- The demons meet the thrifty merchant as well and doesn't throw away his water

- the demons don't bother the thrifty merchant and he leaves with the foolish merchant's goods

The Elephant Girly-face

- Girly-face is named because he is so gentle, good and looked so kind

- Robbers break into Girly-face's home and plans to kill Girly-face's owners

- Girly-face learns from the cruel robbers and he kills his keeper the next morning

- He keeps getting fed but no one will approach him

- A wise man discovers that Girly-face learned from the robbers

- They plant some good men to tell Girly-face how to act and it works

The Banyan Deer

- There was a deer that was golden in color, that looked beautiful. 

- The King of the county liked to eat deer meat

- A deer park is made so the King can hunt

- He allows the Deer Kings to live

- The two deer kings talk about how they need to save themselves

- They give one deer up a day

-One day the lot falls on a mother with a young baby

- The Kings aren't kind and forces her to die

- The King of the Banyan Deer goes in her place

- The King sees the Kings sacrifice and stops hunting deer

The Princes and the Water-Sprite

- 3 princes: Prince of the Stars, Moon Prince and Sun Prince

- The queen is given whatever boon she wants

- She asks for the youngest son to get the kingdom, but the king refused

- He worries for the older two princes so he sends them away until he dies

- The youngest prince goes with them

- A water-sprite was given the pond and if people could answer "What are Good Fairies like?" they weren't in her power

- The Sun Prince tries and gets carried into the cave, so does the Moon Prince

- The Prince of the Stars answeres it correctly and he gets one of his brothers back 

- He asks for his youngest brother

- His answer means that both brothers come back

- The eldest brother inherits the throne once his father dies

The King's White Elephant

- Three carpenters are approached by a limping elephant

- They help him remove his splinter and wash his wound

- He goes to help the carpenters

- Once he's too old, he asks his son to help them instead

- His son is the white elephant

- His son would play with the carpenters children

- The King sees the white elephant and takes him back to palace and he lives a good life

The Ox Who Never Envied the Pig

- There's an ox and his brother called Big Red and Little Red

- the pigs are ordered to be fattened for the wedding feast

- Little Red is jealous the pigs are being fed well

- Big Red tells his brother why

Grannie's Blackie

- a man gave a woman a baby elephant and she takes good care of him

- The Elephant is called "Granny's Blackie"

- Blackie plays with the children

- Blackie never does work, only plays

- Blackie wants to help Granny with money

- Blackie works to pull wagons to get money for Granny

- The man only pays Blackie half of what she is owed and he's upset

- He doesn't move and Blackie is paid what he is owed

- Granny is pleased with Blackie

The Crab and the Crane

- A crane tricks fish into "going to a new lake" when they really get eaten. The crab notices and tricks the crane instead and the crane dies

Why the Owl is Not the King of Birds

- A tale about owls and crows

- Everyone chooses kings to rule over them, so the birds must choose

- The birds decide to make the owl the King of Birds

- The crow points out how sour and cross the owl looks

- They fight and have been enemies ever since

- Turtle Doves are chosen as the king of birds

Source: Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt (Image too)

Girly-face being Examined from Source (see above)

Week 10 Reading: Babbitt Jataka Tales Part A

Monkey and the Crocodile:

- We read this story as part of week 1 of reading
- This version it's the crocodile's mother that wants the heart of the monkey
- Monkey agrees to crocodile's ride
- Crocodile lets Monkey breathe just to tell him he's going to kill him
- Monkey tricks Crocodile into thinking that his heart is a fruit
- Crocodile finds Monkey later
- the Crocodile pretends to be a rock and the monkey calls for it
- When Crocodile answers, the monkey says hello to him
- The Monkey convinces the crocodile to open his mouth so his eyes close
-He jumps over the crocodile

How the Turtle Saved His Own Life

- the princes get scared of the turtle in the lake, thinking it's a demon
- The king orders the demon be caught and killed
- An old man who's scared of water suggests throwing him in the water
- The turtle begs not for that one and is thrown into the water, only to be safe

The Merchant of Seri

- merchant goes from town to town selling brass and tinware with a second greedy man
- There was an old women who has a golden bowl who doesn't know it's a golden bowl
- the granddaughter begs her grandmother for something and suggests she trades the bowl
- The greedy merchant pretended not to be interested in the bowl so he leaves it
- the other merchant sees the bowl and tells them he can't buy that bowl
- He buys the bowl for all that he has and then crosses the river
- the greedy merchant comes back to find the bowl is gone


The Turtle who Couldn't Stop Talking

- There was two geese who befriend a turtle and ask him to fly back home with them
- They devise a way for the turtle to be able to fly but it only works if the turtle doesn't speak
- Kids make fun of their way and the turtle goes to defend his friends but he falls to his death
- His geese friends keep going

The Ox Who Won the Forfeit

- There was a strong Ox and an owner who constantly bragged about him
- They tie 100 wagons to the ox
- The owner whips his ox and treats him badly so he refuses to go
- The owner loses and has to pay a ton of money
- The ox askes the owner why he whipped him and called him names
- the owner apologizes and the ox offers to do it again
- The owner wins his money this time

The Sandy Road

- A merchant reaches a road that has very hot sand so can only be traveled at night
- They make camp during the day
- The pilot says they will be out of the sand in one more night
- however, the pilot fell asleep and the ox keep going
- when he wakes up they're out of water and lost
- they eventually find water
- they continue on their way

The Quarrel of Quails

- A man earns his living by catching and selling quails
- He can make the same noise as the leader of the quails
- The leader of the quails devises a way to stop so many from being captured
- It works and the man can't catch the quails
- The quails divided themselves into two groups after a fight and neither group wanted to lift the net
- Their fight let to them being sold

The Measure of Rice

- Valuer is an honest man in a dishonest kings court
- He set the price of expensive thing
- the King knew if Valuer was dishonest, he would be richer
- the Valuer gets fired and a new peasant is hired as Valuer
- He buys 500 horses for a measure of rice
- The horse-seller gives the Valuer a present and tells him to tell the king what a measure of rice is worth
- The new Valuer sets the measure of rice as the price of his whole city
- He's laughed out of the city

The Foolish, Timid Rabbit

- The rabbit thinks the world is falling apart and slowly pulls more and more animals into his frenzy until the King Lion stops him and shows him it was merely a coconut that fell from the tree.

Source: Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt (for picture too)

Monkey from Source (see above)

Wikipedia Trails: From Uttar Pradesh to Magh Mela

Start: Uttar Pradesh


- Uttar Pradesh is located in the northern part of Indian and also has extremely warm temperatures. It has animals like the Gharial that live there and also is a mostly Hindu population that speaks mainly Hindi. It has a rich history as well.


Next: Allahabad District

- The Allahabad District is the mostly populous district in Uttar Pradesh so I clicked on it to learn more about it. It has a population of 5 million which is close to the population of Denmark or Missouri, but only the area of 5000 square kilometers. The district also has a high literacy rate compared to the national average.


Next: Prayag Kumbh Mela

- This was described as a big Hindu event so I clicked on it to learn more about it. It takes place at the meeting point of the Ganga, Yumana, and mythical Sarasvati rivers in Allahabad. The full festival is held every 12 years and the half ceremony is held every 6. The 2013 celebration was the largest religious gathering ever.


Finish: Magh Mela

- This is an annual festival held in January/February that every 12 years coincides with Prayag Kumbh Mela. It's said to be a pilgrimage for past mistakes religiously. This festival is actually mentioned in the Mahabharata.

Kumbh Mela from Source

Week 9 Story: A Smart Women

A Smart Women

There was once an extremely wealthy family that consisted of a husband, a wife, a daughter and a son.

One day, the husband got extremely drunk and started to gamble with his brother. Before he knew it, he had gambled everything he owned away. His house, his cars, his money, and all his possessions. All that he had left was his wife and his children. When he returned to his wife to tell her, she just took a deep breath and was determined to fix the mistakes her husband has made.

Immediately, she knew began to work to fix the problem. She allowed her children to stay at her grandparents house so they wouldn't have to deal with the consequences of her husband's actions. The two of them moved into an extremely small studio apartment to try and live off the few dollars they managed to get.

Then, one morning, she woke up to find her husband completely gone. Instead of going to find him, the wife moved on. She packed up all her things and stopped paying rent on the studio apartment. She then moved back in with her parents and save money for  her family there.

Months later, she heard a rumor that her husband was a nearby Uber driver. First, to test the theory, she let her two children take an Uber to the nearby store. The man was disguised but after a few questions, then children were quickly able to tell that the man was in fact their father.

Hearing the news, the wife rolled her eyes and let her husband be an Uber driver for another week before making her move. She then simply ordered an Uber to the next the local store. The whole drive, she let her husband keep up his act and it wasn't until she reached the store she finally revealed she knew it was him the whole time. She asked if he would like to come back and live with her instead of pretending he was no longer around.

He acted all embarrassed and begged for her forgiveness, but she remained strong and ignored his words and once again invited him to live with the family again. He finally accepted and they worked together as a family to get all their fortune back.

Family from Source

Author's Note:

I read the story of Damayanti and really liked how she kept preserving through the hard times but I didn't like how weak she came across in the story. I liked how she was supportive of him and loved him regardless, but he did her wrong over and over again and never complaining. So in my rewrite I made the wife (Damayanti) a lot stronger. The original story was Damayanti from Nine Ideal Indian Women

Week 9 Reading: Nine Ideal Indian Women Part B

Uttara
Source: Nine Ideal Indian Women by: Sunity Devee

- Story from the beginning about the three sisters who all approach Vyasa
- The eldest daughter approaches with her eyes close so her son is blind
- The middle daughter approaches with a pale face and has a pale son
- Youngest is not ashamed because she isn't noble and gives birth to Bidoor
- Goes through the families whole story but in summary form
- The Panduvans go into exile because of the dice game
- They go to Birat Rajah and Princess Uttara is their pride and joy
- Arjun teaches her and after he's discovered Uttara marries his son
- She's really young? Like plays with dolls young?
- The battle for land begins
- Uttara's never been sad or serious
- Her husband jumps at the chance to fight
- Uttara is crying when he finds her and begs him not to fight
- She helps him get ready but sobs the whole time
- They have a very tearful goodbye
- He dies saying Uttara's name
- Uttara faints hearing he's dead
- Krishna offers to be Uttara's child to comfort her
- Uttara doesn't recognize herself
- Parikshit is born
- She wants to die but she's told to take care of Parikshit
- Uttara was a great mother and finally gets to die

Sati
Source: Nine Ideal Indian Women by: Sunity Devee

- Sati youngest of Maharajah Dasku's daughters
- She's her fathers favorite and wants to make the best match
- She devotes her life to Siva
- Her father is angry that's who she wants to marry
- She marries Siva against her father's wishes
- She lives somewhere very nice
- Sati and Siva are opposites but work well
- Daksha Raj is the last to attend an event and his son-in-law doesn't stand for him
- So he throws a party and doesn't invite Siva
- Her sisters arrive and Sati tells them she's not invited
- The sisters ask Siva to let Sati go with them
- Sati begs Siva to let her go and he agrees
- There home and Siva become sad when Sati leaves
- Kuber and his wife dress Sati
- Sati receives the warmest welcome from her mother and her sisters become jealous
-Her father is furious she's arrived
- She chastise her father and his head turns into a goat
- She begs for death and dies
- Siva furious when he finds out
- He nearly causes the end of the world
- Vishnu cuts Sati's body into pieces and wherever a piece falls become holy
- Without the body being a burden, Siva calms down

Uttara from Source

Week 9 Reading: Nine Ideal Indian Women Part A

Savitri
Source: Nine Ideal Indian Women by Sunity Devee

- Savitri is a very famous Indian women
- her parents are upset they have no son
- Savitri named after the goddess that let her parents have her
- She was educated
- She likes ashrans
- She visits a topoban and on the way back she rests and sees a young man dressed like a hermit
- They meet eyes and fall in love
- She finds the hermit again and learns his name is Satyaban
- Her parents realize she's in love with Satyaban and try to figure out how to avoid Savitri getting heartbroken since she can't marry Satyaban
- Narad reveals Satyaban is a good suitor but destine to die in a years time
- Savitri told he will die in a year and she stills wants to marry him
- Her parents beg her to not, for the good of the people, but she refuses
- She wins
- Prince Satyaban thinks Savitri is going back to the topoban with him
- Savitri asks to go too and he agrees
- Savitri gives up everything
- Everyone loves Savitri at the hut
- Savitri goes with Satyaban to get wood
- She knows the time he should die arrives and calls for him to come down from the tree
- He just kind of starts dying and she attempts to nurse him
- He dies and Yom, the Lord of Death, comes for him
- Yom cannot touch her because she's too good
- She follows death because she doesn't want to live
- Yom offers her a wish and she asks for her father-in-laws sight back
- She gets another wish and asks for her father to have a son
- She asks for sons and is given them
- She finally defeats death with her love for her husband
- Her father-in-law gets his kingdom back and shes a princess once more
- Savitri-brata is a vow Indian women make to see they are never widowed

Damayanti
Source: Nine Ideal Indian Women by Sunity Devee

- Bhimsen is sad because he had no child
- He's a good Maharajah who always listens to his people so he's promised a daughter
- The Queen gives birth to Damayanti
- Nal wants to marry Damayanti
- He writes to Damayanti because he loves her
- She gives her heart to him secretly
- She asks her friends for help
- The swan travels to bring their letters to each other
- One of her friends tells her mom who tells her dad
- He is summoned to the palace
- Four gods long to marry Damayanti as well (Indra, Agni, Yom, and Baruna)
- The gods disguise him to let him get in easily to tell the princess that they are interested
- She says she is honored but wants to marry Nal
- Nal tries to convince her otherwise
- The gods decide to test Damayanti's love for Nal with more disguises
- She picks the right Nal and the gods bless their marriage
- Sani befriends Pushkar, Nal's brother, because he's upset Damayanti denied the four gods
- He spoke poorly of Nal and he hates him
- They play dice and Nal loses everything
- Nal tells her he lost everything
- Damayanti isn't upset and suggests they go see her parents
- They go with Nal to the jungle
- Sani mad when he sees they are happy
- Nal gets tricked into leaving by Sani against his will
-Damayanti realizes Nal has left her and cries
- A hunter tries to get her to come to his house but she refuses
- She joins traders but elephants kill them all
- She goes to the Palace of Chedi and becomes a maidservant
- She becomes close to her aunt who bad talks Nal
- She gets discovered by a messenger for her father
- Nal gets lost for many days
- He gets disfigured by the fire and when he comes to his senses he feels like he can't return
- He becomes a driver
- Damayanti hears about his driving and creates a plan to find Nal by saying she'll marry again
- Damayanti sends the children to Nal when he arrives
- Damanyanti asks Nal to cook for her
- They are reunited
- Nal adopted by Damanyanti's family and gets his kingdom back after winning at dice to his brother
-

Damayanti from Source