Famous Last Words: A Reflection On Week 14

It's Summer Time. Source: PublicDomainPictures

Reading for the Week:  I really enjoyed my reading this week.  It was fun to read more Jatakas and I think they are the most enjoyable of all of the stories I have had to read for the class.  They are short, sweet, and to the point and have a creative spin to all of their lessons.  It was nice going through and seeing a bunch of different author's takes on the stories and how they differ from one another. 

My Best Writing for the Week:  I think my best writing was in my Storybook project because I think I made my last story more clear and specific.  I think a good writing strategy is to just sit down and write what's on your mind and edit it later.  You may end up writing more than you need and you can trim it down to what you really want to say when you revise.

Other People's Writing:  I read a portfolio this week from class that had a really excellent layout for its stories and had nice emphasis on certain lines and dialogue.  It made their story have more impact and makes me think I should add some similar elements to my website. 

My Other Classes:  My other classes are all coming to an end an they all have final projects that I need to finish up.  It will be challenging, but I can get it done if I manage my time right.  The nice thing about this is most of those classes don't have finals, so it will be a pretty relaxing finals week this semester. 

Plans for Next Week:  I really hope to finish up this class strong next week and get all of the points I need to make an A in the class. It looks like I should just be able to do it if I do all of the regular weekly assignments. 

Week 14 Story: The Quail and His Farmer

A quail. Source: Wikimedia

The Giant Crab and Other Tales from Old India, by W. H. D. Rouse.

There was once a lazy quail that lived on a farm.  He would lounge around all day while the farmer worked and when the farmer was finished, the quail would meander around the field collecting food that had been churned up by the farmer.  It was an easy laid back life and the quail had nothing to worry about in the world.  One day, the quail decided that he no longer wanted to pick scraps from what the farmer would dig up during his work.  The quail wanted to taste fresh and new food instead of the same old stuff all the time.  He decides that he will go into the forest in search of fantastic new delights for him to feast upon.
He set out from the farmers land with a smile on his face and a skip in his step, thinking of all the delicious foods waiting for him in the forest.  On his way there he happened to be spotted by a great falcon.  The falcon sees the easy unsuspecting meal and decides to capitalize on the quail's situation.  The falcon swoops down and grabs the quail with his mighty claws in an instant.  Before the quail knew what was going on, he was up 100 feet in the air in the grasp of the falcon.  The quail started to scream out about his plight and what had led him into this situation.  If he hadn't been greedy and stayed on the farm, he would be just fine.  The falcon hears this and issues the quail a challenge.  The falcon wanted to prove that no matter where the quail was he could capture him.  He lets the quail go on his farm and tells him to prepare himself.  The falcon then flies up into the air and begins his nose dive towards the quail.  Just before the quail was to be captured again, the farmer stepped in and batted the falcon away.  The farmer was apparently quite fond of the quail and did not want him harmed.  When the falcon recovered from the blow he flew off in fear of being attacked again.  The quail never realized the farmer cared for him so much and was ultimately overjoyed that he now realized how good he has it on the farm.  The quail decides that he should never forget this lesson and be happy with the life he has, while he has it.

Author's Note:  I decided to give the farmer a roll in the story and to make the quail's lesson that much more apparent about appreciating what you have.

Reading Notes: The Giant Crab and Other Tales Part B

A falcon lunging at prey. Source: Pixabay

The Giant Crab and Other Tales from Old India, by W. H. D. Rouse

The Quail and the Falcon:

There was a quail who lived on a farm and would live easily off of things the farmers plow turned up.  The quail got bored of the the food the farmer turned up and decided he would search for food in a nearby forest.  While the quail was in the forest it was spotted by a falcon who immediately swooped down and grabbed the quail with its claws.  The quail begins to cry and say the falcon would never have caught him at home.  The falcon hears this and lets the quail go at his home to prove to him that he can catch him anywhere.  The falcon charges at the quail, but the quail dodges and the falcon runs straight into a clod and kills itself.  The quail is again happy and decides that he should stick to what he knows.

Reading Notes: The Giant Crab and Other Tales Part A

A field mouse. Source: Pixabay

The Giant Crab and Other Tales From Old India by W. H. D. Rouse.

There was a mouse that had a great amount of hidden treasure in a hidden hole in a field.  The farmer who owned the land the mouse lived on would be nice to the mouse and give him cheese sometimes even though he didn't know about the treasure.  The mouse wanted to repay the farmer so every day he would give him a golden sovereign and the farmer would buy meat in town and give some to the mouse.  The mouse soon got very fat.  This attracted a lazy mouse who wanted to eat him.  The mouse agrees to give him the meat the farmer would give him and soon the mouse became thin.  The farmer asks him what is wrong and the mouse tells him his situation.  The farmer gives him an ink vile to hide in and when the mouse refused the cat the next time the cat ate the ink vile with the mouse and died.  The mouse crawled out of the vile and lived happily with the farmer the rest of the his life.

Week 13 Story: Golden Goose

Golden Goose. Source: Wikimedia

The Golden Feathers, from Twenty Jataka Tales by Noor Inayat

Once there was a poor family who lived in a small hut in the forest.  The father of the family decided one day that he was tired of scraping by  and watching his wife and children struggle, so he decides he will go out and seek wealth to bring back to them so they didn't have to live such a hard life.  The father tells this to his family and bids them farewell.  When he had gotten far down a forest path and had been away from his family for some time, a fairy appeared to him.  The fairy asked him what he was doing and why he was all alone in the forest.  He told the fairy his quest to bring his family comfort and how he had to leave them to find a way to help.  The fairy was moved by the man's devotion to providing for his family so he turned the man into a golden goose.  The goose's feathers were made of gold and he shimmered brilliantly as he moved from place to place.  The man, now a goose, immediately went back to his family.  He decided to help his family he would return periodically to them to give them one of his feathers for them to go into town and sell.  He gave them a feather and then left after he had explained his plan to them.  This continued for some time where he would return, give them a feather, and then leave.  One day the wife explained to the children that they must capture the goose and pluck all of his feathers in case he leaves one day and never returns.  The kids were sad about it but had to agree to their mothers plan.  So, when the goose came back the next time to give them a feather, the kids all jumped on him and held him down as the wife plucked all of his feathers.  They then threw the goose in a barrel to save him until his feathers grew back.  The feathers they had plucked had a problem however, because they all turned to white regular feathers when they had finished their terror on the goose.  As it turns out, the fairy had put a charm on the goose that if his feathers were ever taken from him by force, that they should revert to normal and he would never grow golden feathers again.  This shocked the wife and made her regret her rash decision.  The goose grew back his feathers and in time returned to his past human form.  The wife was shocked one day to find her husband sleeping in the barrel where the goose once was.  It was then she finally understood what the goose was doing and why it had come to them and she became inconsolably sad. 

Author's Note:  I decided to change the end of this story to make the husband turn back to normal instead of staying a goose.  I feel like it helps his wife in the story better realize the gravity of her mistake. 

Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales Part B

Buffalo. Source: Pixabay

Twenty Jataka Tales, by Noor Inayat

The Patient Buffalo:

There was a buffalo lazing by a tree.  A monkey saw him there and decided he wanted to make him angry so he jumped on his back, swung around his horns, and trampled his grazing grass but the buffalo did nothing.  The monkey continued to bother him for some time until a fairy appeared and asked him why he put up with the monkey.  The buffalo says the money is weak and stupid so it is not worth it to make him unhappy for the buffalo's own happiness.  The fairy is pleased with this answer and gives him a charm that will prevent anyone from bothering him again and drives the money away. 

Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales Part A

Picture of golden goose. Source: Wikimedia

Twenty Jataka Tales,  by Noor Inayat

The Golden Feathers:

A father wants to provide a good life for his family so he tells them he is going to go out and seek riches to make their lives more comfortable.  When he sets out he enters a forrest late at night and is confronted with a fairy, who when hearing his plan, turns him into a golden goose.  The father seeing this decides he will fly to his family every so often to give them a feather to sell.  The wife gets greedy one time and decides to pluck all of the goose's feathers.  The feathers turn to normal white feathers however because the fairy gave the goose a charm that they would do that if they were taken from him.  The goose grows back white feathers and flies to the forrest to live the rest of his life happy. 

Week 12 Story: Bhima vs Baka

Picture of Bhima. Source: Wikimedia

Mahabharata The Greatest Spiritual Epic of All Time, by Krishna Dharma

After Bhima married Hidimbi he went with her and stayed in the mountains to give her a son.  After seven months Hidimbi had a son who was a virtuous Raksasa.  He grew up unnaturally fast and soon requested that he should leave home to go explore the world.  Bhima granted him this wish and soon he would leave with the rest of the Pandavas to continue their quest to combat Duryodhana.  After they had left Hidimbi for some time they were approached by a stranger who said he would lead them to a safe place to stay.  He led them to the house of a local Brahmin where they were safe from harm and they could care for their mother Kunti.  One day Kunti overheard the Brahmin talking with much distress to his family members.  The town had apparently made a deal with a Raksasa named Baka that if once a week they would deliver food and a human offering to the Raksasa he wouldn't attack them and would protect them.  It was the Brahmin's turn to be an offering next and the family was grieving with their father.  Kunti overheard all of this and is swept with emotion.  She decides that the Pandavas will do anything to help the Brahmin and his family.  She offers an alternative to them that Bhima should go to Baka and take him out for them instead.  They are very grateful for the offer and Kunti tell Bhima so he can prepare.  The next day Bhima goes to the Raksasa and confronts him.  Baka attacks him immediately and Bhima counters every blow.  Eventually Bhima grows tired of the fight and kills Baka with one blow.  He warns all other Raksasas in the vicinity that they should leave and never devour humans again unless they want to end up like Baka.  The Raksasas all flee and the towns people cheer for Bhima.  After a little more time had passed and the town had not been attacked again Bhima decided he wanted to go back to Hidimbi.  The fight made him realize what was important to him.  He told his brothers to just call him whenever he was needed so they could win back their throne.  His brothers agreed to Bhima's request and he left them to return to Hidimbi.

Author's Note:  I wrote this story based on chapter 1.8 of the Dharma Mahabharata book.  I changed the end of the story so that Bhima returned to his wife, which I like better because he just leaves her there in the original story.  I also left it open to him helping his brothers when the time comes so he doesn't betray his family with the choice. 

Reading Notes: Dharma Mahabharata Part B

Bhima beating Baka. Source: Wikimedia

Mahabharata: The Greatest Spiritual Epic of All Time,  by Krishna Dharma

1.8, Ghatotkaca Born and Baka Slain:

Bhima had just defeated Hidimba but Hidimbi was still left.  She decides shes in love with Bhima and wants to marry him.  Yudhisthira appreciated Hidimbi's religious knowledge so he approved of Bhima and hers marriage.  They gave birth to a chile Ghatotkaca.  He was a Raksasa but was virtuous by nature.  When their son was old enough to leave, Bhima and the Pandavas leave Hidimbi and stay at a Brahmin's house.  They have a problem with a annual sacrifice of young men to a raksasa.  Kunti offers Bhima as a sacrifice over the Brahmin's son.  Bhima defeats Baka and end the cycle of tribute.

Reading Notes: Dharma Mahabharata Part A

Bhima fighting the Nagas. Source: Wikimedia

Mahabharata: The Greatest Spiritual Epic of All Time,  by Krishna Dharma

1.4, Duryodhana Begins His Evil Schemes:

Duryodhana is raised as a prince born to be king.  He is arrogant and proud and many prefer his cousins the Pandavas who were much more humble.  Duryodhana schemes with his brother to kill Bhima, one of the greater Pandavas, by poisoning him and throwing him into the ganges.  After Bhima was poisoned they all went to the river to play.  Bhima fell asleep by the river bank and was bound and thrown in. Bhima was carried to the domain of the nagas, which were fantastical giant snakes, and their poison healed Bhima.  He was brought to the snake king who gave him a drink that would permanently give him the strength of 1000 elephants.  Bhima came back to the palace stronger than ever where Duryodhana tried to poison him again to no avail. 

Week 11 Story: The Grateful Elephant

Elephant carrying logs for a man. Source: Wikimedia.

source: The Kings White Elephant, from the Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

There was once a small carpenter community that lived on a river.  On the opposite side of the river bank was a large forrest where they would gather their wood from for their work.  One day, as they were working, a large old elephant came to them limping.  It appeared the elephant had a problem with its front foot because it couldn't manage to put weight on it for more than a split second before it would wince in pain.  The carpenters went up to the elephant and inspected his damaged limb.  When they got close, they saw that the elephant had a large splinter right in the center of its foot.  The carpenters immediately get to work at removing the splinter and in no time they have it removed.  They even went as far as to bandage and wash the wound so that it would heal properly.  The elephant was taken aback by the carpenters kindness because he had never met people so generous and caring for other beings besides themselves.  From that point on the old elephant made it his mission to help the carpenters wherever he could to pay them back for this great service.  He began to carry heavy logs for them, roll logs down to the river for transport, and he would even bring them their tools if they needed ones they didn't have with them.  The elephant loved the carpenters and they loved him too for the service he gave them.

The old elephant had a young son that was beautiful and white.  He decided that his son should learn to help the carpenters too.  The elephant taught his son everything about helping the carpenters and the carpenters quickly grew to love the elephants son as well.  When the old elephant died, the young elephant filled his spot for the carpenters without skipping a beat.  The young elephant would also play with the young carpenters children in the river all the time when he wasn't helping the carpenters.  One day a king came walking by the riverbank and noticed the brilliant white elephant playing with the children in the river.  He was immediately impressed and wanted to buy the elephant from the carpenters for a large sum of money.  The carpenters considered the offer, but decided to turn it down for their love for the elephant was too strong and he was almost like family to many of them.  The children were overjoyed that the elephant wasn't sold and the elephant lived happily with the carpenters until the end of his days. 

Author's note: I decided to change the end of this story to where the carpenters didn't sell the white elephant in the end.  I thought it was pretty lame for them to sell him like that after all he and the old elephant had done for them. 

Reading Notes: Jataka Tales Part B

Elephant lifting logs for the carpenters. Source: Wikimedia.

The Kings White Elephant, from Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

There were some carpenters that lived near the forrest and would go in daily by boat to harvest wood.  One day an elephant came to them limping and showed the carpenters it's swollen foot.  The carpenters saw that there was a large splinter in the foot of the elephant.  The carpenters removed the splinter and washed the foot so that it would heal.  The elephant was so grateful to the carpenters that he took it upon himself to become their helper.  He would deliver tools to them, help take down trees, and eve roll felled trees down to the river.  He had a white elephant son that he would eventually train to help the carpenters as he had.  The white elephant learned to help and enjoyed playing with the carpenters children in the river.  One day, the king walked down to the river and saw the elephant playing with the children.  He bought the elephant from the carpenters for a large fee and took care of it for the rest of its days.

Reading Notes: Jataka Tales Part A

A large ox. Source: Wikimedia.

The Ox Who Won the Forfeit, from Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

A long time ago a man owned an ox that was so powerful that he wanted everyone to know so he made a challenge to his village and said that he would give away 1000 pieces of silver if his ox could not haul 100 wagons.  They set it up and the owner of the ox began to whip the ox and call it names.  The ox refused to move.  Stunned, the owner went home with his ox and with 1000 silver less.  He asked the ox why he didn't move the carts and the ox told him that he was too harsh and that if he was nice next time, he would do it and win the man back his silver.  The owner put a wreath of flowers around the ox and they went back to the village and completed the challenge with ease.  The townspeople apologized and gave the man his silver back.