Reading Diary (Week 11): Faerie Queen

Faerie Queen


Sir Guyon - I LOVE THIS OPENING STORY! I am already in love with the plot. The readings are a bit longer than previous stories I have read, but I think each section has a lot of good details and aren't boring at all so they don't seem like long stories.

The Magic Mirror - I liked this section from the start. I love Britomart's response to the Knight because she wanted to be more than the "typical maiden". I really admire her for that. I like the background stories behind each character as well.

Britomart's Quest - I really like Britomart. She is brave, ambitious, a bit pretentious, and independent. However near the end of this story, Britomart is a bit more feminine. She is pretty much dreaming about a dude. A great contrast to her persona in the beginning of the story. I am stuck in choosing which story I want to write about this week.

 How Britomart Ended Her Quest - After reading this story, it kind of reminded me a bit of Disney's Mulan. Even though it was the end of the story, it ended with the start of another story.  It seems like all the knight stories in this unit were about either fame and glory or a beautiful lady. I still enjoyed it. I suppose each story is fairytale-esque.

Week 10 (Reading Diary): Tejas Legends

Tejas Legends

I really like this unit! I like this more than the Cherokee unit because it is easier to understand and the content is a bit more....realistic? I am not sure if that is the right word. Nonetheless, this is a good unit to read!

When the Storm God Rides - I really liked this reading because it had great content. I liked the descriptions used in here a lot and it is very interesting. I think I can definitely make a really good storytelling out of this! The storm god kind of reminded me of a Pokemon from the first generation. Hahah.

The Plant that Grows in Trees - The thunder bird comes back in to this story. This story was about how the mistletoe started to grow on trees. Inanimate objects have their own dialogue in here, which I have found common in a few Native American stories.

Why the Woodpecker Pecks - I remember reading this story from someone else's storytelling. I cannot remember who, but the retelling was very good. The original story is a bit more gruesome, but it is still an interesting story.

The Cloud that Was Lost - I really liked this story! This may be my favorite from the unit. I love the personifications within this story. It really adds to the story and made me feel more sympathetic for the little cloud while reading the story. It is such a cute story!

Week 9 (Storytelling): The Sweet and Sour of Love and Strawberries

When the Earth was just an infant, there was only one couple.


“Why do you always act like this?!” yelled the man.

“Why do you always ACT LIKE THIS?!” responded the woman.

“You are always so overly sensitive and self-centered. You never consider my feelings over yours.”

“You are always so stubborn and indolent. I cannot do this anymore. Good-bye.”


Then, the woman stormed out of the couple's home. She looked at the sky. It was just after dawn. The new Sun was hardly above the horizon. Angered, the woman headed towards the East, where the land of the Sun was.


“I cannot believe him. He is so arrogant,” she thought to herself.


Three hours passed.

Still heated by the argument from this morning, the woman continued on her journey to the East. Not once did she look back.

However, the man was solemnly sitting in his home. He had been grieving over their fight. The man felt so alone without his wife.


“Why am I an idiot? I should not have let her leave. What if she never comes back? What if she is in danger, but no one is there to save her? I cannot be without her. I must find her and bring her home.”

The man got up and raced towards the entrance of his home. He loved her. He did not want to be without her because of a silly argument. He was determined to bring her back to him.

Then, he heard a mysterious, deep voice say, “Do you love her? Do you want her back?”

The man looked around. He did not see anyone. Nonetheless, he replied, “Yes! Yes, I love her dearly. I do not want to be without her.”

The voice said, “Very well. I will help you.”


At that point, the sun shined brighter than ever. The man realized that he was speaking to Une'`länûñ'hï, the Sun. He was very grateful for the kind act and continued towards the East where his wife had gone.

Meanwhile, the woman continued to walk. She was still upset. Une'`länûñ'hï saw this. He devised a plan for the couple to be reunited so he shined his light on a large patch of delicious huckleberries in front of the woman. However, the woman did not pay attention to them. Then, Une'`länûñ'hï shined his light on the ripest blackberries in front of the woman, but she still did not pay attention to them either. Une'`länûñ'hï continued to shine his bright rays on more berries in front of the woman in order to tempt her. Yet, the unswerving woman still ignored all of them and continued to stride with anger for her husband in each step. Finally, Une'`länûñ'hï shined his light on a patch of delectable strawberries. The woman stopped. This was the first time she had ever seen such a delicious-looking fruit.


“I have never seen an exotic fruit like this!”


Her stomach growled. She realized how hungry she was. The berries were plump and juicy. The sight was mouth-watering. They were screaming for her to eat one.


“I suppose I could take a small break now. I must try this wonderful fruit.”


She swooped down and grabbed a few strawberries. She ate them and indulged in their juicy goodness. While the woman went to grab more, she accidentally looked towards the West. This act caused her to remember the man. Suddenly, a wave of grief fell over her. She missed him dearly and decided she could not live without him. So, she gathered more strawberries and started back towards West. Somewhere along the path, the man and woman found each other.


“I am so sorry for being stubborn and arrogant,” said the man.

“I’m sorry for considering only my feelings. I love you very much,” said the woman.


Then she showed him the new fruit she had found. The man’s eyes opened wide because he had never seen such a fruit. He tried one hungrily.


“These are delicious! Let us go home so that we may enjoy these together.”


The couple lived happily ever after.

Author’s Note - The original storyline is The Origins of Strawberries from the Cherokee Myths unit. I remember reading this story beginning of the semester for the proofreading assignment. I really liked the story and it is partially why I decided to read this unit for this week. So, I decided to write my own version of the story. In the original, the story is strictly third person narrative. I added dialogue to give the characters more personality and life. I also wanted to add a different dynamic to the original plot. The dialogue is a bit modern so it may not fit with the storyline, but I felt that it is the easiest for readers to understand. Other than that, I kept the story pretty much the same. I felt that it is already an interesting story so I did not want to change it too much. I also chose this story because I love strawberries! I thought it was sweet that the "origin" of strawberries came from a love story since they kind of look like hearts! Hence, that is why the picture I chose is of heart-shaped strawberries. Not to mention, strawberries are sweet, yet tart. Relationships happen to be like that as well.

Book: Myths of the Cherokee

Author: James Mooney

Year Published: 1900

Web Source: Project Gutenberg

Week 9 (Essay): My First Memories of Reading

(Little Boy Reading Book)

My first memories of reading are from my elementary school days. I do not remember any times my parents read a story to me in my early years, but I remember reading a lot of books. My classmates and I were always trying to rack up as many AR points as we could so that we could trade them for candy or yo-yos or a $25 check! I think I almost had 300 points in my last year. I thank the Harry Potter series for that! I remember how proud I was of that because I was never really the best reader. I liked to take my time and enjoy each of the pictures while I was reading. Even now, I still do. I used to work at a library as a library aide for the last three years until I finally quit. When I shelved books in the Children’s section, I would always read through some of them and look through all the pictures. I love how the illustrators put so much work and detail into their pictures and how they gave a precise image of what was happening in each part. Just the imagination they put into their work really amazes me. 

Back in the day, I preferred fiction books. I still do now as well. I do not have a particular favorite genre. However, I found a new appreciation for nonfiction books. Who knew the real world could as interesting as an imaginary one? When I used to shelve in the nonfiction section, I would find myself browsing through all kinds of different books. I would look through cooking recipes, religion texts, and even sports books. I found a lot of new and interesting things to read. 

Unfortunately, I do not get to read as much as I did when I was younger because I can never find the time. I tried to read some books last semester, but I would only get through the first few chapters and then stop. Now, I am mostly reading textbooks, which is not always as interesting. Hopefully, when I am done with schooling, I can find more time to read at my leisure!

Week 9 (Reading Diary): Cherokee Myths

Cherokee Myths

How the World Was Made - Well this was interesting....I have never heard of a creation story like this! The world was basically made my little insects, which makes sense because Native Americans were very in touch with nature. Then men and women came. The first man impregnated a woman by smacking her with a fish.....

The First Fire - I really liked this story. I initially thought that it was going to be similar to the Greek-Roman Myth story. However, it was very different. It explains how the Earth received fire for the first time and it describes why some animals have black on their bodies. It is very creative!

The Moon and Thunders - The first part of the story was really cute. I can definitely see myself writing a storytelling over it! The other parts were interesting as well, but my favorite is the first section.

Tobacco and Strawberries - I remember reading the second part about strawberries during the first week of school. I really liked it because it was so different and it is definitely one of the reasons why I chose this unit. I liked the tobacco story as well.

The Owl Gets Married - Sometimes, I can't tell if a Cherokee story is supposed to be funny or not. I found this story a bit humorous, but the ending is a bit morbid. Maybe that is just the humor of Native Americans?

Huhu Gets Married - This is similar to the previous story. I tried to imagine what a huhu is, but I couldn't find an image.

Snake Boy and Snake Man - Some of these stories are difficult to follow because they are so strange and because there are a few terms that I don't know about. This stories definitely caught my eye though.

Youtube Tech Tip: A Personal Tour of the University of Oklahoma

Week 8 (Reading Diary): Review Week

Half way through the first quarter, I did not realize that we did not have to comment on all of the stories. We just had to comment on our favorites. For Diary notes, I usually write down why I liked the story and what was unique about it. Sometimes I compare the story to more familiar fairy tales or other readings I have done. I try to stay consistent with my Reading Diary format and style each time. I like consistency and it helps me stay more organized. I try to write at least 100-150 words for each diary note for each story. I may start doing my diary posts as notes instead of short segments. I think that may help me see the similarities and differences between each story. I also will try taking notes while I am reading the story instead of reading all of it and then writing something at the end.