Comments: I'm very excited about this unit. I chose to do Nigeria for all of my topics because that's where my parents were born so that's where my family is from. I grew up hearing some Nigerian folk stories and I can't wait to read more. The majority of stories I've heard always involved some kind of animal so that's why I chose to delve deeper and explore more of those kinds of stories.
Possible Stories: Some stories that stick out are: Why the Bat Flies by Night, The Fish and Leopard's Wife, The Elephant and the Tortoise, The Bush Cow and the Elephant, Concerning the Hawk and the Owl etc.
Sample Story: The sample story I chose for this is called Concerning the Hawk and the Owl. I always like reading the moral of stories at the very end of fables. As I was reading this story, I wondered what the moral would be even as I neared the end. I enjoyed the simplicity of the plot and how it still carried an interesting meaning. The first phrase that I thought about when I finished reading was "silent but deadly."
Bibliography: Sample Story: Concerning the Hawk and the Owl
Book Title: Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria
Book Author: Elphinstone Dayrell
Year: 1910
 |
| "African hawk-eagle" Source: Mythology and Folklore UnTextbook |
Topic: Why the Sun and Moon Live in the Sky
Comments: I always thought stars, the sun, moon, and planets were interesting things to study. I even, at one point, thought about studying astronomy. I chose this story because it tells of the sun and the moon and how they came to live in the sky which I really enjoyed reading about.
Possible Stories: This story is a specific one but there also seems to be another story called Why the Moon Waxes and Wanes which could possibly be incorporated somehow.
Sample Story: I very much enjoyed this story because of the story line and how it ends. The Sun and Moon, who are married, made certain sacrifices to let their friend the Water and his friends come to their house. In the end, their extreme hospitality is what causes them to live in the sky where they stay forever. This is a cool folk story that plays on the why of the sun and moon's position which I never would've thought of.
Bibliography: Sample Story: Why the Sun and Moon Live in the Sky
Book Title: Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria
Book Author: Elphinstone Dayrell
Year: 1910
Topic: The Disobedient Daughter who Married a Skull
Comments: I've heard, and seen (in Nigerian movies), of this type of story. After reading it, it felt like I had read the story before, just with different characters and a slightly different plot. I think I'll enjoy being able to work with this type of story since it seems familiar to me!
Possible Stories: This one is also a specific story from the Nigerian Unit, but maybe there are more stories elsewhere that have a similar story line.
Sample Story: I don't only like this story because of it's familiarity, but because of interesting turn of events. When I was little, I thought stories like this one were really scary. (Some of them still are to me), but it's still intriguing. It takes the Human world and Spirit world and blurs the line between them which also stuck out to me.
Bibliography: Sample Story: The Disobedient Daughter who Married a Skull
Book Title: Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria
Book Author: Elphinstone Dayrell
Year: 1910
Topic: Kings and Nigeria
Comments: I decided to do this specific topic because it also seems that a lot of African folk stories have some with kings, queens, and royalty in them. I'm interested to see how they will be incorporated in this unit as the ones I've heard in my past usually have some twist to it.
Possible Stories: From the titles, some stories I could use are: "Of the Pretty Stranger Who Killed the King, The King who Married the Cock's Daughter, The King and the 'Nsiat Bird, and The Election of the King Bird.
Sample Story: The story chosen for this particular topic was The King and the 'Nsiat Bird. This story is about a king who marries the 'Nsiat bird's daughter knowing that there was a strong possibility that she would give birth to twins which was not allowed in his place (the twins would have to be killed). I like how this story has sort of a happier ending. The twins and mother are not harmed as they were supposed to be, instead they and their family went to live in the trees as birds. My favorite part was the end when it connects the birds we see to the story and how it relates to it.
Bibliography: Sample Story: The King and the 'Nsiat Bird
Book Title: Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria
Book Author: Elphinstone Dayrell
Year: 1910
No comments:
Post a Comment