Reading Notes: "The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackal" and "The Lion and the Statue"

"The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackal" was a story I enjoyed when reflecting the writing style due to the simpleness in conversation. All of the things said by the characters were simple in the sense that they made it very clear how one of them felt with showing emotion as well. I think a good way that this is conveyed is through the repetition of the Jackal. The writer keeps a good pattern in say "Yes...." and this allows for the point to get through yet its not too descriptive so it doesn't lose the attention of the reader. Another thing I enjoyed about this story was the similes used. For example I enjoyed the "look as miserable as a fish out of water". This allows for a easy depiction of how worried the Brahman was. I think that it is important to use similes and metaphors because readers can relate better with the emotions or the actions of the characters involved. The author also does a good job of describing characters emotions which also sets the stage well for how these characters truly feel by using descriptions of what has been done unto them. I also think the climax of the story was very smooth in the sense it was put more into an action than what is said making the reader able to visualize what is being done. The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackal

I also enjoyed the writing style of "The Lion and the Statue" because I enjoy the simplicity of fables. Although this story is short it makes complete sense through the conversation. The conversation not only sets the stage of what is being performed but it also is what I like to call the "kicker". As everything is being said between the two it ends in a statement that expresses the entire meaning or lesson behind the short story. I would like to learn how to lead a story through the character's words rather than actions because in my opinion this makes it feel as a reader like you are the one performing the conversation. Although I am confused whether the writer of the story put this or not, I also think it is important to put the meaning of the story in a short statement at the end to express the entirety of the meaning within a few words. I also think italicizing the words allows for more impact because the difference in font shows the power behind it. The Tiger and the Statue.

Tiger meme posted on Flickr by Meme Binge

Reading Options that I personally found interesting.

My mother is an English teacher and has been since I've been alive. She always made a strong point to teach me how to love literature and stories and she did an amazing job carrying this love over to me. What my mom didn't realize however was that she was teaching me to love music without even knowing it. As I have mentioned in my past blog Introduction to a Future Dentist I have a love for artists like Eminem and Johnny Cash. The reason I love them so much is how they can tell simple stories in their songs that go about with an almost perfect rhyme scheme.

Eminem Picture on Flickr by Scott Kinmartin

I attribute my love for them due to a book my mom would read and make me read every night as a child. This was a book of nursery rhymes and I couldn't get enough as a child. Due to my love for nursery rhymes I immediately went to these type stories on the Untextbook page Nursery Rhymes. Although I didn't recognize most of them (which I'm actually happy about so I could read them) I did recognize a few. For example I read the Little Jack Horner one. I also recognized The Crooked Man even though I fully hadn't remembered it. 

I also was attracted to the Homer's Odyssey section due to all of the years I've taken Latin. I started taking Latin in the sixth grade due to my mom's influence and never really looked back. I took Latin every single year of school from then on until junior year of college. In Latin class the Odyssey was brought up hundreds of times and especially the grand story of the terrifying Cyclops. I've always loved these mythology stories because of one teacher I had in high school who probably taught us more mythology stories than she did the language of Latin. This is why for this class I fully intend on reading all of the Cyclops sections along with more Greek mythology stories. 

Another section that caught my eye was the section of Saint Francis of Assisi in the Saints and Animals tab. I was interested in this because in the 6th grade I moved to private school for the first time in my life and it happened to be a Catholic school. Before this my family never really pressured any religion on me. The school taught me all about the different saints and in 6th grade we even had  school play where I dressed up as Saint Francis of Assisi. I wish I had a picture of me back then for it because it looked really funny to see a sixth grade boy dressed as him with a head piece to make me look bald and everything. Overall I think his story is very interesting plus I love animals being a Biology major here at school so I plan on diving into these stories as well. 

Saint Francis of Assisi 

I'm sure that I will get into more than just these but these were the ones I read about and will continue to read through out this class. I'm looking forward to these three because they are all a little different but still attract me to them due to some of my past interests.