Dr. Shabbir Mian: Folktales from Bangladesh(#12)

This was another of my favorite professor presentations. Although he, Dr. Mian, was a professor of physics at our school, his cultural knowledge was interesting. His family is from different regions of Bangladesh, which is right next to India. He spoke to us about the folktale tradition of Bangladesh and from his childhood. Like most adults, he vaguely remembered specific fairy/folktales he was told by his mother. He did however explain to us how, similar to the Rama of the Hindi tradition we talked about during Dr. Alles presentation, the tales usually involved spiritual characters, which eventually were taken to be real incantations of their belief systems.
I also learned that in Bengali, one of many languages in Bangladesh, that to say "fairytale" is to say "rupkotha". Broken down, "rup" means 'beauty' and "kotha" means words or speak. Therefore, put together, it translates to beautiful words spoken; precisely what a fairytale is in my mind. We also discussed the typical themes of "rupkotha" which were, good/evil, greed/generosity, and vice/virtue, similar to fairytales in any cultural tradition.
i enjoyed this presentation because he not only taught us things, but we were able to express to him what we'd been learning during the semester. I enjoyed how he always introduced a new slide of his presentation with a question to us. It was a more conversational class than just simply a boring lecture, and that's usually how the class would run. So, i learned more, i think, because of the conversation element we shared as a class.

Cinderella: From Rags to Riches(#8)

Cinderella is one true example and model for the "rags to riches" motive. I truly believe it's possible to gain riches and success through magic and marriage. Now, magic of course can translate to simply having "good luck", but it appears as magic just the same. Most people, now days, consider this idea, however, to imply that no work is necessary at all. They'd call people "gold-diggers". Anyone who believed this motive to hold any truth, they'd be frowned upon because everyone is supposed to work diligently and fervently until they can work no more.
I believe life is not supposed to be that way. Life is full of magic and impossibility. But because we're so busy, and our culture is one of passive aggression, no one takes the time really, as i say, to "look up at the stars". With this, i mean, no one believes in the wonder of the world anymore, except for children who see with different eyes. That's why we tell children these stories; not only to teach them a lesson, but also with the hope that they'll never lose sight of the impossibilities and wonders such as magic. Getting married, is always a great thing. It should be magical. Therefore, the fact that these two ideas put together create something so surreal is excellent.

ASL Story-Telling....WOW!?

This class, we had two of our Deaf studies professors come through and give us a presentation on ASL story telling. I figured i'd already known the basics as far as ASL goes because my little brother is hard of hearing and signs. However, i never knew that ASL story telling was so different than speaking story telling. It almost seemed better, in my opinion. Dr. Rust and Rose explained to us how signing a story was the same as watching a movie. You'd have to pay attention to the different focuses of the tale, and really project a visual aid, using your hands. Its way more interesting to actually see a story than to plainly hear it...especially when Dr. Rust is signing the story! He was so passionate while he was telling his story and it was very entertaining!!
They also told us how the deaf community makes jokes about hearing people...?? I found it funny actually. Because if you think about it, hearing people don't have to really use their senses equally, nor to their true potential. So, the Deaf community pokes fun at the fact that hearing people are figuratively speaking, blind to things around them.
I loved this in-class presentation. It had to have been my favorite class period thus far....

Hans Christensen and Oscar Wildes Fairytales...

To begin....Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales definitely epitomize the children's brain, in my opinion. With his tales, it is evident that each tale, specifically The Little Mermaid,  was created with a romantic child in mind. The Little Mermaid, to me focused more so on the pre-pubescent child. It spoke of a certain kind of longing and desire to go beyond their circumstance. This tale also discussed the importance and beauty of self-sacrifice. In The Red Shoe, as well as The Little Mermaid, the female protagonist went through physical suffering in silence in order to achieve true love.

As for Oscar Wilde's stories, to begin he was never known to be a fairytale author. I found it interesting that through his fairytales, there are some Christian motifs. For example, in The Selfish Giant, in the end, the giant ascended to heaven with a little boy whose hands and feet were pierced as if by nails, in the name of love. Another example is that of The Happy Prince. God commanded his angel to gather up the lead heart of the happy prince and the dead swallow that they may join Him in Heaven. It appeared that through Oscar Wilde's interpretations of fairy tales and imagination, there was always some connection to the subconscious and one's God. Unlike normal fairy tales, where the happily ever after is between the people involved in the story, Wilde's idea of happily ever after is reduced to Heaven or a more religious sense of gratification.

Dr. Ochieng' K'Olewe: Kenyan Folktales

In class this week, we had a presentation on Kenyan traditional folktales by Dr. Ochieng'. He is typically a professor from the Education department here at school, but he took time to regale our class of his culture and their folktales. He not only presented information to us that was congruent with the class, he made it interactive so that everyone played an integral part in the story-telling. He told stories, that sounded similar to those from "Anansi the spider" from an earlier lesson in the week; however the main difference with that it was "Kolulu the hare" that was always seemingly the main character. Each tale involved animals that were not just dumb, but had a complex thought process like humans and could talk. They'd commune with each other, trick each other and play together as humans would. I also found it interesting how Dr. Ochieng' would do this call and response type of thing with us before telling the story. He'd say "Ba-oo-kwa" and we'd respond "Pa-ko-wah". This was a way to begin the story and, to me seemed like a call to attention. After that, he'd begin his story, which was usually witty and complete with a moral. Unlike most of the fairytales we'd been introduced to, there was usually a specific time frame, location and specific important characters. Also, after each tale, he'd say "and this is the end of my story"; it was always "happily ever after" type of ending comparing this to the stories we'd been reading before. He also explained the main functions of story-telling within the Kenyan community; 1).entertainment, 2). morals, rules, and 3). connection between the old and young. Of everything that was different, i could clearly see that this recurring theme traveled everywhere around the world. It is important for story-telling to remain alive, because it is through this tradition that we are able to not only learn things we should, it keeps our minds fresh and quick.
I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation as much as the ASL story-telling presentation. I loved the fact that Dr. Ochieng' not only taught and gave examples, but we learned through  class participation. I think that's an important method to truly grasping and understanding information. It was soooooooooo much fun!!!!!!

African-American Folktales

     Today in class, a presentation was given by our very own Dr. D. Johnson-Ross. She is one of the most prominent minds on our campus. She came and spoke on African-American folktales and the whole story-telling tradition within this community.
     Although this lecture may not have revolved around specific stories from this culture, there were specific events in American history that we discussed. She stressed the importance of American history and its influence on our story-telling traditions as a nation. It felt like a refreshers course of American history; we went over, specifically, the Harlem Renaissance and W.E.B DuBoise. It was amazing and eye-opening to learn also about the Brownie's magazine of their time. I found it to be similar to Highlights children's magazine of our time. It not only came with children's stories and activity sections but also sections for adults and the two age groups combined. This was one of many ways to keep the "connection" between the ages and the family connected as well. I was so glad to have this seemingly, refresher course on American history; especially when it's taught by a professor such as Dr. D.J.R.
     I truly enjoy the in-class presentations when other professors from other departments come through. I definitely look forward to the next one...

The Butterfly Lovers; My Poem...

So, we had a speaker today and she asked us to write a poem in response to the Chinese tale of The Butterfly Lovers. What made it more interesting, she asked us to do within about 45 seconds!...I was a little worried, but here's what i came up with...

He is She, or is He

I do not understand

Love could be for you, for me

But not with my brother, a man

He is She, or is He

There's something being concealed

Why compare us to the wife &husband or ducks

if who you say you are is not real

He is She; Yes, isn't She?

What else could all this mean

A sister, a twin, supposedly just like "Him"

Oh, what a fool i've been

So....what do you think??