Week 6 Storytelling : The Kakis Tree (Revised)

Once upon a time, there was a crab. This crab was such a beautiful lady and a wonderful house wife.

One day, she met the monkey. The one with grumpy face and behavior of amateur. She exchanged her rice with the seed of kakis tree because she was a nice woman. She did not complain although it was certainly this monkey who took advantage of her kindness. Instead of getting angry, she decided to plan her seed. With her skills and love, a kakis tree was raised fast and healthy. By the time, the grumpy monkey came back to the town, a tree was fully grown with huge and delicious looking kakis fruits on its branch.

The kakis tree was thankful. He knew without the Mrs. crab's helps, he would never had grown this big.

"One day, I will be able to provide delicious fruits for the crab."

Although some of his fruits were ready to be served, he decided to wait for all of his fruits to be ripped. He knew if he started to drop fruits for the crab, some of the bad ones might be placed in her hands as well. However, the monkey came by and noticed the beautiful kakis from the tree. The tree knew who he was. After all, monkey was the one who gave him up.

"At least, he gave me to Mrs. crab. For that reason, I shall not hate him."

In fact, the tree did not mind him at all. He knew if he would have been nothing but a trash to the monkey. He was thankful that the monkey gave the seed of kakis to Mrs. crab regardless of his intention. So without the hate, he decide to just ignore the monkey. However, that was until the monkey decided to climb up his body and started to eat some of the kakis fruit. 

He thought about taking him down with his branch but he saw Mrs. crab, who was waiting for the monkey to drop ripe fruits. 

"As long as this monkey delivers my fruits to Mrs. crab."

He though to himself. However, it did not take a long time until he realized the monkey was taking advantage of the crab. Once again! It was that moment, Mrs. crab decided to act smart and fool the monkey. She tricked monkey to lift his hands up while he was holding all the fruits. When he did, he dropped all of them! Mrs. crab swiftly took fruits and threw all of them to her house. The tree saw what she did and laughed about it. 

"Oh, no!"

But suddenly, the angry monkey started to beat up Mrs. crab. 

"How dare you!"

That was the action that the tree could not stand. His mind started to filled with anger and hatred towards the monkey. 

"You shall be selfish! You shall trick others and take advantage of others! But you shall not hurt Mrs. Crab!"

The tree yelled. His branches grabbed the monkey. The monkey started to scream with panic. 

"Are you okay?"

The tree asked the crab. She could not answer. Fortunately, her friends came to help her. 

"You are going to pay for what you did."

The tree spoke while he was squeezing the body of monkey with his branches. The monkey cried and tried to escaped. A kakis tree made sure he would not escaped. With all his attitudes and behaviors, the monkey died in pain.

(Kakis Tree by PTorrodellas)

Author's note : This story is originally from the crab and the monkey from Japanese Fairy Tales. The main story is basically the same. The monkey exchanged his seed with rice, the crab planted the seed, and she got the big kakis tree by the time the monkey came back to visit her. The monkey asked the crab if he could have some of the fruits and the crab agreed as long as she would get good fruits from the tree as well. However, the selfish monkey started to take good fruits for himself and throwing down bad or unripened fruits to the crab. The crab was angry and decided to fool the monkey. The monkey was fooled by the crab and he actually beat the crab almost to where she would have died with her friend help. Even in original story, the monkey was killed by the friends of the crab. The main thing I focused was the personification. I was thinking if they would personify the animals why not plants? So I decided to write the story with personification of the kakis tree. Because the kakis tree was the one who actually punished in my story, the importance of the friendship and kindness is less emphasized in the story. 

Bibliography: Andrew Lang's Japanese Fairy Tales : The Crab and The Monkey

Week 6 Reading Diary : Japanese Tale Continued

From the second part of reading, what I have paid attention to most was the personification of the animals. Animals such as monkey, crab, or etc were treated just as a person.

From plot, of the story The Crab and The Monkey, this personification could be observed easily.

"There was once a crab who lived in a hole on the shady side of a mountain. She was a very good housewife, and so careful and industrious that there was no creature in the whole country whose hole was so neat and clean as hers, and she took great pride in it."

I thought this was interesting. I have seen animals act as humans in other mythology I read, so far. However, for Japanese Tales, it was more direct and more specific. The crab was even described as "a very good housewife" just like human. I think this is very interesting technique of the Japanese Tale, and I would like to use the method to rewrite any of the story for my future writing.

"One day she saw lying near the mouth of her hole a handful of cooked rice which some pilgrim must have let fall when he was stopping to eat his dinner. Delighted at this discovery, she hastened to the spot and was carrying the rice back to her hole"

I like this story because he expressed so many characteristics of human in one story.
From monkey, you could see selfish and ignorant person who takes advantage of others. From crab, you could see a viewer who are disgusted by his selfishness.

"In another moment he was swinging himself from branch to branch, eating all the ripest kakis and filling his pockets with the rest, and the poor crab saw to her disgust that the few he threw down to her were either not ripe at all or else quite rotten. 'You are a shocking rogue,' she called in a rage, but the monkey took no notice and went on eating as fast as he could. The crab understood that it was no use her scolding, so she resolved to try what cunning would do."
 
However, I was also surprised by how detailed explanation even on such a brutal scene.
"He peered about for the crab, but in vain; however, his eyes fell on the egg, which he snatched up and set on the fire. But in a moment the egg had burst into a thousand pieces, and its sharp shell struck him in the face and scratched him horribly. Smarting with pain, he ran to the bucket and stooped down to throw some water over his head. As he stretched out his hand, up started the wasp and stung him on the nose. The monkey shrieked and ran to the door, but as he passed through, down fell the mortar and struck him dead."

I could really use some characteristic that I observed from this reading.

(Crab by Rushen)

From Andrew Lang's Japanese Fairy Tales

Week 6 Reading Diary : Japanese Tale

From the stories of the Japanese Tale. I like about the story of the stonecuttter because the message it is conveying is so powerful.

While I was reading this story, I could agree no more that I wish to be someone else sometimes.

"One day the stonecutter carried a gravestone to the house of a rich man and saw there all sorts of beautiful things of which he had never even dreamed. Suddenly his daily work seemed to grow harder and heavier, and he said to himself: 'Oh, if only I were a rich man and could sleep in a bed with silken curtains and golden tassels, how happy I should be!'"

This is about satisfaction. Sometimes, I feel like I could be more happier with something that I do not have right now. When I get tired of studying and working, I just want to wish that I am rich so I do not have to do anything. It could be just me, but people dream about what they do not have, just like the stonecutter.

However, although you get what you wanted to, you will never be satisfied. That is the message of the story. In the stories,

"And a prince he was. Before his carriage rode one company of men and another behind it; servants dressed in scarlet and gold bore him along, the coveted umbrella was held over his head, everything a heart could desire was his."

He was not satisfied with being rich so became a prince.

"And the sun he was, and felt himself proud in his power. He shot his beams above and below, on earth and in heaven; he burnt up the grass in the fields and scorched the faces of princes as well as of poorer folk."

Then he came sun to be mightier, then cloud, then rock. He desired more and more as he obtained the strength of his desire, but the stories lead the stonecutter back to what he was.

"And a man he was, and in the sweat of his brow he toiled again at his trade of stone-cutting. His bed was hard and his food scanty, but he had learned to be satisfied with it and did not long to be something or somebody else."


The important message from the stories was the real happiness is not about being rich, not about being mighty, not able to being strong, but real happiness lies in the heart of himself/herself. This story had a lot of meaning.


I would like to rewrite the story based on the message of this story, but more straightforward with different materials.

(Rocks by Jos van Wunnlk)

From Andrew Lang's Japanese Fairy Tales

Thoughts about comments

The interesting thing about comments is how people think about my story. Some people comment on their favorite part of the story or even favorite format, and some people comment on their questions over the stories. I think that really makes me engaging. I find it interesting and fun how people focuses on different things while they are reading my story. Some people focuses on the way I write, some people focuses on the background of story, or some people may just focuses on my story itself. Also I like how people show their interest and hobbies when they are reading my introduction. I feel like it is creating a bond when someone likes the same stuff that I like. People do not hesitate to reveal that their favorite movies and books are same as mine. I really like it. I think my comments have been a little too cold. While I was reading my comments I found how interesting it is to communicate with the writer, so maybe I can improve my comment by trying to focus on the writer as well rather than just focusing on their stories.

Week 5 Storytelling : Tea party

In the center of the forest, few animals gathered. There was a huge round table. On the left side of the table, a wise monkey and a goose with golden feathers sat. On the right side, a rabbit and a goose with white feather sat. They were facing each others.


"Welcome to my tea party."


A monkey started the conversation.


"Today, we will talk about the stupidity, anyone have a story to share?"


A wise monkey asked. A golden goose raised his left wing as if he was eager to share his story.


"Yes, a goose with beautiful golden feather. What is your story?"


"I want to talk about this stupid mother, whom I pitied from the bottom of my heart, before "this" happened."


The goose started a story. He explained how he wanted to help a poor family as a favor.


"Greed is the most terrifying stupidity. It makes your mind to go blind, so you will no longer see what is there for you."

The golden goose said angrily. The goose with white feathers agreed.


"I cannot agree more. This 'greed' thing is absolute non-sense. Somehow it turns our 'favors' to their 'rights'. They think what we are giving them is something they deserve."


The white goose pointed at his stomach. His stomach was stitched up as if someone had cut his belly. He was a goose who laid the golden eggs for humans, until they wanted more and decided to cut through his stomach to get more golden eggs.


"My poor duck friends!"


Rabbit shouted.


"We are not ducks"


Both Geese yelled back.


"Duck, goose, whichever you are. I pity you guys, but I do not agree with your greed thing is the most stupid thing in the world."


Rabbit spoke. The geese then asked, what was the stupidest thing in the world. Rabbit replied with the word "gullibility"


"This turtle, who came out to surface and tricked me, wanted my liver. I said I left my liver in my house, and he believed it. Of course, a slow turtle like him would have never seen my shadow after that day."


Rabbit said proudly. Monkey clapped and laughed.


"This crocodile thought I left my heart in my house. I agree, gullibility is the stupidest thing in the world!"


The geese shook their heads. They could not agree. All of them started to argue to decide what was the stupidest thing.

Their argument lasted quite awhile. They decided to ask someone else to decide. They found a wolf who had a body of fish in his mouth. They stopped him and asked which was the stupidest thing in the world; gullibility or greed.


The wolf stared at them for a second. He shrug his shoulders.


"I do not know which one is more stupid, but I can tell you the stupidest thing you can do is to ask a wolf to divide a fish."


His eyes pointed at his fish. As he left with laughter.

(A wolf by Jordan Crowe)

Author's note: Three of these characters or animals are from the stories of the Jakata's Tale. Two of the animals such as a rabbit and the goose were from the other folktale from other culture. However, although characters are different type of animals, the stories from both culture is very similar. The monkey tricked the crocodile with his heart and the rabbit tricked the turtle with his liver. Both geese produced something golden for their humans but humans wanted more, which eventually made them lose what the geese were offering to humans. The wolf is the story that I have never heard of similar story with. For his story, he went out to haunt a fish, but when he got there two otters asked the wolf to split the fish for them because they could not decide who should get the better part of the fish: the head. In the original story, the wolf took entire body of the fish and gave them the head and the tail. Only head and tail without any meat of the body! I thought that was hilarious and I thought those otters were quite stupid. I wanted to write the story over the similar characters gather to have a chat. 

Bibliography: Jataka's Tale written by Ellen Babbit

Week 5 Reading Diary : Jataka's Tale continued

This is a diary over continues reading for a Indian tale: Jataka's Tale. This tale has a lot of stories. I have selected few stories that I really like.

First story is the golden goose. Just like the crocodile and monkey, I know a tale over the goose which laid an golden egg. Both story is similar, where a poor family had a goose who brings them the fortune. However, the greedy of a person or human always ruined what they already have. From the paragraph,"But one day the mother said to her daughters: "Let us not trust this Goose. Some day he may fly away and never come back. Then we should be poor again. Let us get all of his feathers the very next time he comes." This is what happened to a goose with golden eggs. People wanted more, people thought they deserve more although it was a goose who were providing them with its favor.

"Now the Golden Goose has strange feathers. If his feathers are plucked out against his wish, they no longer remain golden but turn white and are of no more value than chicken-feathers. The new ones that come in are not golden, but plain white."

Eventually a goose ran away in this story, and a goose die in the other story. But from both stories we could learn that greed will ruin what you already have.

The second story I love is the Otters and the Wolf. I have no other story that is similar to that but I like how smart wolf was. I liked how it is not a conflict between wolf and the other animal, where wolf has to haunt them down but he used his smartness to obtain what he wanted.

"The Wolf was pleased and said to himself, as he ran toward home, "Now I have fresh fish for my mate." His mate, seeing him coming, came to meet him, saying: "How did you get fish? You live on land, not in the water." Then he told her of the quarrel of the Otters. "I took the fish as pay for settling their quarrel," said he."


I would like to write a story over a goose and wolf or other animals from the other stories where they might have a tea party and share their story.

(A smart wolf by Mark Dumont)

From Jataka's Tale by Ellen Babbit

Week 5 Reading Diary: Jataka Tales: The Monkey and the Crocodile

This is the reading diary over the Indian reading unit. The story had full of mini-stories or sub stories. There are few stories that I like.

The first one is monkey and crocodile. I am familiar with this story. I am from Korea, and Korean folklore had one of the similar story. Instead of crocodile, it was a turtle, and instead of monkey, it was a rabbit. I found amused how two different region had such a similar story.

I loved the part where monkey lied to the crocodile. In Korean story, instead of heart it was a liver of the rabbit that turtle wanted. Rabbit said the same thing that monkey said in this story, that he or she left his or her liver in the house and turtle took the rabbit home and rabbit escaped.

"I wish you had told me you wanted my heart," said the Monkey, "then I might have brought it with me." "How queer!" said the stupid Crocodile. "Do you mean to say that you left your heart back there in the tree?" "That is what I mean," said the Monkey. "If you want my heart, we must go back to the tree and get it. But we are so near the island where the ripe fruit is, please take me there first."

However, for the rabbit and turtle story, there was no continuing story. I liked how they continued the story to emphasized the stupidity of crocodile.

The second story I liked was Ox Who Envied the pig. This story had the special meaning in the story. First, I loved ho they gave name to the oxen. "ONCE upon a time there was an Ox named Big Red. He had a younger brother named Little Red. These two brothers did all the carting on a large farm." Then I liked how much deep meaning was in the story. "Yes," said the little brother, "we can go on eating plain food for years, but the poor little Pig ate the food of death and now he is dead. His feed was good while it lasted, but it did not last long."


I would like to write a story over many animals gathered and talk about their life since all these stories had animals to act like human.

(A Crocodile on the rock by Tambako The Jaguar)

From Jataka Tales by Ellen Babbit