Reading Diary A: Life of Buddha

(Prince Siddhartha and his encounters)

I really like the episodes about the encounters that Buddha had with life. What really interested me about these particular episodes in this storybook is that Prince Siddhartha's father tried to shelter him from the bad things in the world. The reason the King had done this is because Prince Siddhartha has lived a sheltered life of luxury and was not aware of the evil and bad things in the world. One day he finally leaves the palace after he is an adult. When Prince Siddhartha would go on his daily ride on his chariot, the God's responded with the Prince still seeing some of the bad things in the world. One of the first was old age. Prince Siddhartha learned that he would one day grow to be old and he became depressed and did not want to continue his ride on the chariot. Upon his other sighting the King again tried to shelter the Prince when he left the palace, but the God's revealed a sick person on the second sighting and a corpse to represent death during the third sighting. After the sighting the Prince was sad about these sightings and thought about them often even when the King tried to cheer him up. Prince Siddhartha then began to think about the ways that he could help the world not suffer from all that he had seen. 

Life of Buddha

Week 3 Storytelling: Love Triangle

In the beautiful land of Israel, there was a king by the name of David. He seemed to think he could get whatever he wanted, including women. One day, King David was walking the land when he saw a woman bathing and could not keep his eyes off of her. The woman was the most beautiful he had ever met since his last four wives. He then walked a little closer to see that the beautiful woman was none other than Uriah's wife Bathsheba. King David thought to himself "I will have her!" Although he did know it was wrong to go after a married woman, King David sent for Bathsheba to come to his living quarters, and that night they made love together, and Bathsheba was to soon carry King David's child. 

Several months later, Bathsheba's husband Uriah returned to Israel after fighting in a war. She was so nervous to tell him that she was with child. Bathsheba cooked her husband Uriah a very big meal that night in preparation of telling him about King David's child she was carrying. 

"Uriah, are you ready to eat?" said an antsy Bathsheba. Uriah appeared in the doorway, and noticed that his wife seemed like she was flustered. 

"Is there something wrong, Bathsheba? Because you look like you have something on your mind," said Uriah as he sat down at the table to eat and also worried about his wife. "Actually, Uriah, I do have something to tell you." But Bathsheba was interrupted by a knock on the door. Bathsheba got up and went to open the door and saw two of King David's guards. 

"King David will speak to Uriah right away!" said the one of the guards. Bathsheba wondered what King David would want with Uriah, but she went and got him from the dinner table. "Uriah, King David would like to speak with you, this instantly!" Uriah then made the trek to see King David right away. When Uriah finally made it to the castle, King David greeted him.  

"Hello there Uriah." said King David.  

"Good evening, King. What can I do for you?" said an eager Uriah. 

King David sighed, contemplating whether or not he should tell Uriah about the baby or let Bathsheba tell him. After thinking for a short time, the selfish King David decided to tell Uriah anyway.  

"Bathsheba, you wife is carrying my child." said a forthright King David. 

Uriah stood in place, utterly shocked with no words. He felt a mix of emotions. He felt angry and hurt that his wife would stray while he was off fighting in a war, but he also understood that she was lonely. Uriah loved Bathsheba with all his heart, and he wondered why King David decided to tell him. So he voiced his concern. 

"Why have you told me this, your Highness?" said Uriah. 

"Because I want you to leave Bathsheba, so I can make her my fifth wife!" King David said boldly. 

Uriah was furious. How dare King David take his wife from him? So Uriah defiantly responded "I will not leave my wife, because I love her, and she will remain with me." And so Uriah left to go home to Bathsheba. He did not speak to Bathsheba about his conversation with King David or her infidelities because he had to go back to fight again. He planned to talk to her when he returned, but little did he know he would not be living much longer. 

Uriah died during the war, at the hands of King David putting him in the front line to be killed. Bathsheba mourned her husband's death, and in this moment of weakness King David married Bathsheba. The Lord heard Bathsheba's cries and learned what King David had done all in greed. To pay for what King David had done, Bathsheba lost their child, and they were both sad. Later they had a wise son by the name of Solomon. 

(Bathsheba, King David, and their son Solomon)

Author's note: This story was inspired by the King James Bible (1611): 2 Samuel 11. I chose to retell this story because I thought the original story was very interesting and different from other Bible women stories. My goals for this story were to keep the general theme, but put a little twist on things. In the original story King David sees Bathsheba bathing naked and lays with her. She is then carrying his child, and when her husband returns, King David tries to get Bathsheba's husband to quit fighting in the war to be at home, but Uriah does not enjoy the comfort of being at home while the army is still fighting. Uriah feels it is wrong to stay at home, and does not comply with King David's wishes. King David then has Uriah killed by giving him a letter to give to his general that says for Uriah to be killed. When Uriah dies, King David marries Bathsheba. The Lord learns of what King David has done and punishes him, with Bathsheba losing the baby. They soon have another son by the name of Solomon. I chose to change the story by making King David a selfish man who is not concerned with other's feelings and who is only out to get what he wants. I also wanted to make Uriah more a part of the story by showing the he loved and understood Bathsheba, even though she made a mistake, and it ultimately cost him his life.  

Essay: Assessment of Arabian Nights

I really like the Arabian Nights storybook. The first and second half were both really good, but I would have to say I enjoyed the second half better. The first half of the reading I really enjoyed the episodes up until the three old men. I though the writing style for this half was well put together, and it kept me reeled in much like the Sultan. Each story left me wanting to read the next. There was not much background information that I would have liked. I would say maybe to have more dialog between the grand-vizers daughter and the Sultan. I also did not think the episodes in this first half needed notes. They were pretty straight forward and pretty easy reads. The same can be said for the second half of the reading about Aladdin. It was pretty straight forward, and I didn't feel like I needed any notes or additional information. This series of stories was my favorite because I am a 90's baby and I love stories that inspired Disney movies. I genuinely enjoyed this unit about Aladdin. I kept wondering what was going to happen next and what the ending would be. The only thing I thought that could have been different was the abruptness of the ending. I felt the end was like Aladdin killed the magician and then boom happily ever after. With all that happened in the story, I guess I expected more. Somethings I learned from this unit is how to develop a story from a story. This writing style makes me want to use this style for my own writing portfolio. I was surprised at how this story kept my interest. When I first read it I was taken aback by the beginning of the story and thought I was not going to like, but I am glad I kept reading. I think others will enjoy this too.

(Little cartoon Aladdin)

Reading Diary B: Arabian Nights

(Disney's Aladdin with the lamp and genie)

I really am a sucker for stories about Disney movies. This was literally my childhood though, so I think am justified to be. Anyway, this story was interesting. A little different from the Disney movie with their being more than one genie, but the story generally follows the same theme. Aladdin is poor and he lives with his mother. Until one day as magician posing as Aladdin uncle tricks him into getting a magic lamp for him, but left Aladdin with a ring. Aladdin rubbed the ring and a genie appeared and was bound do make any wish that Aladdin commanded. So Aladdin asked for food and other things that he could sell so that him and his mother could eat. Shortly after Aladdin falls for the Sultan's daughter and retrieves the lamp so that he can pass himself off as prince by asking the genies to  build a palace. Aladdin marries the princess after almost being sneakily married off to another boy by the Sultan. The magician learns of Aladdin and plans to take his palace away from him while away. He does so and takes the palace to Africa. The Sultan learns of this and want Aladdin's head. Although, Aladdin bargains with the Sultan to allow him forty days to find the princess. When he does find her, the princess trick the magician and he end up dead. They then ask the genie to move the palace back to China. Little did Aladdin know that the magician has a younger brother who wanted to avenge his brothers death. The magicians brother disguised himself as a woman that everyone loved. The disguised magician went into the palace and attempted to trick the princess into  defeating Aladdin, but the genie warned them the magician brother was out for them. Aladdin found the brother of the magician and killed him and Aladdin and the princess lived happily ever after. 

Arabian Nights

Reading Diary A: Arabian Nights

(Queen Scheherazade by Sophie Anderson)

I really enjoyed the first half of this storybook! I love this writing style and it is something that I am considering for a theme for my portfolio if I decide to choose to do it. The first half of this reading tells a story about a Sultan who is a king and he is happily married, but then his wife deceives him and he kills her. Now the Sultan seemingly has serious trust issues and marries a new wife everyday, spends a night with her and than has her killed the next morning. This continues on until the grand-vizers daughter Scheherazade comes up with a plan to keep the Sultan from killing her. The grand-vizer is opposed of this because he does not want to kill his own daughter if her plan does not work. Although he eventually lets her marry the Sultan with hopes that he is not ordered to kill her the next day. When Sultan meets Scheherazade he feels she is the most beautiful woman he has every married. He also sees that she is sad and asks her what is wrong. Scheherazade then asked Sultan to let her sister sleep with them before she is to die, and he allows it. While the three of them are asleep, Scheherazade sister wakes her to tell her a story. The Sultan also wants to hear the story. Scheherazade then starts to tell a story about a genie and merchant. In this story the genies believes that the merchant has killed his son, and plans to kill the merchant. The merchant is given one year with his family and then he has to return to the genie. On this day, the merchant meets three old men, one with a hind and another one with two dogs. When the genie is getting ready to kill the merchant, the old man with the hind makes a deal with the genie that if his story is worthwhile then he will not kill the merchant. So then the old man and the hind begins to tell his story. But Scheherazade then tells Sultan and her sister that they have to wait until the next day to hear the story, and Scheherazade is spared and not killed to the relief of the grand-vizer. This theme continues on with a story happening within a story. 

Arabian Nights

Extra Reading Diary: Noah and the Ark

(Source)

For the Noah storybook I particularly liked the first three episodes about Noah and the Ark to After the Flood. As a young child I always found this story to be pretty cool. Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth found grace within the Lord, and followed the words of the Lord when he asked them to make an ark to protect themselves from the impending flood. And so they followed the Lord's instructions to build an ark strong enough to withstand the flood. When they were done, Noah was to also gather two (one male and female) of every animal and bring them onto the ark. He also brought along his wife and his sons wives, and they were to stay on the Ark for forty days and forty nights. When the forty day and night passed, Noah sent out a bird to check and see if the land was dry. It was awhile before the bird returned. However the land was not dry, for the bird could not find dry land to place its feet. From there, Noah waited another seven days and released the bird. The bird came back with leaves. At last, they were able to leave to ark because the land was dry and not flooded with water. Noah also let all the animals off the ark so they could multiply. Then the Lord said that he would not cause any more floods to smite the earth of all that is evil.

Noah and the Ark 

Reading Diary B: Bible Women

(Bathsheba, by Gerome)

The stories of women in the bible are very intriguing. The story of Bathsheba was not one that I expected. When reading a little about what it was about and how it was love at first sight, I expected a different story than what I read. The story starts off with David who sees Bathsheba while she is bathing and instantly falls in love with her. The crazy thing is she is already married, and while she is married she bears the child of David. David realizes that he is wrong and tries to convince Uriah (Bathsheba's husband) to say that the child is his own, but he will not do it. So David has him killed, and then marries the widowed Bathsheba. Because of this though, David is punished and Bathsheba loses their first child, but they have another child names Solomon. Never read a love at first sight story quite like this, but I did find it pretty interesting. 

(Susannah and the Elders, 15th-century)

Yet another good chapter in this storybook is about Susannah. Susannah was bathing while two elder were watching her. The elder then walked up to her and attempted to rape her, but she refused them. When she had her trial everyone believed the words of the elders and sentenced Susannah to death, but the Lord head her cries and Daniel rose up to prove that the elder had lied. This story kind of reminded me how everyone always says to respect your elders and that they are always right and truthful. I do agree that I should respect my elders, but I do not think they are always truthful. They can be deceitful and lie just like anyone else. This story made me think of a time I watched a show about this singers mom saying a lot of bad things about her daughters husband that were not true, but because she was the elder no one objected her opinion.  

Bible Women