Reading Notes: American Indian Fairy Tales, Part A
In the second story, a man is determined to fight the powerful north wind. He wins and the moral of the story is that "Cheerfulness and courage can overcome even the North Wind." I felt that the man was foolish to think he could overcome something so powerful. Everyone and everything fled from this force and he believed that he was better than all of them. I know that attitude and confidence go a long way, but they have their limits. I would rewrite this with the man losing and learning his lesson of being overconfident.
The third story is about two children who get stuck on top of a big rock. Many animals try to reach them, but are unable. The worm is able to reach them and bring them to safety despite the other animals' doubts. I like the idea of the small and the bullied saving the day. I would like to turn this story into one about a group of boy scouts. They get lost in the woods and none of the big popular boys are able to figure out a way home, but the skinny bullied kid volunteers to try and is successful.
The second story is of a girl who chooses to marry a man based on his heart rather than his appearance. Later, he becomes beautiful and they go to live on the Evening star. Their son gets into trouble and pulls them all back to Earth, but they are all still happy. I liked the idea of the girl looking past a person's appearance. She wanted a kind and good husband not a handsome one. I almost always turn animal characters into humans in my stories. I'm thinking about making these human characters into animals. I might use foxes or horses. A gender flip might also be interesting. I think men and women are both just as guilty of marrying for looks.
Image Information: Winter, Source: Wikimedia Commons
Bibliography: American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, link to the reading online.
The third story is about two children who get stuck on top of a big rock. Many animals try to reach them, but are unable. The worm is able to reach them and bring them to safety despite the other animals' doubts. I like the idea of the small and the bullied saving the day. I would like to turn this story into one about a group of boy scouts. They get lost in the woods and none of the big popular boys are able to figure out a way home, but the skinny bullied kid volunteers to try and is successful.
The second story is of a girl who chooses to marry a man based on his heart rather than his appearance. Later, he becomes beautiful and they go to live on the Evening star. Their son gets into trouble and pulls them all back to Earth, but they are all still happy. I liked the idea of the girl looking past a person's appearance. She wanted a kind and good husband not a handsome one. I almost always turn animal characters into humans in my stories. I'm thinking about making these human characters into animals. I might use foxes or horses. A gender flip might also be interesting. I think men and women are both just as guilty of marrying for looks.
Image Information: Winter, Source: Wikimedia Commons
Bibliography: American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, link to the reading online.
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