Reading Notes Week 2: Anthology

Moon Picture: Source

"The Man in the Moon" Story Source: Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson (1899).

First, I really enjoy origin stories, as I find it intriguing how cultures explain existence. I thought "The Man in the Moon" was actually interesting to read, but that is not why it was my favorite. There was a simple line when the blacksmith spoke to Wiseman that made me bust out laughing - "It looks cool" (when referring to the moon). Maybe I am not used to informal writing such as this but I found it very entertaining for some reason. I also like how the blacksmith represented human nature, always wanting more and having that "grass is greener on the other side" mentality. I enjoy stories that contain lessons within them, and I think this one certainly has that aspect within it. 

"The Indian Who Wrestled with a Ghost" Story Source: Myths and Legends of the Great Plains by Katharine Berry Judson (1913).

I found this story interesting because it was prefaced with saying that it was a typical ghost story. I am assuming that most ghost stories have very descriptive language similar to this. The man seemed to be scared at first, but later met the ghost and didn't seem to be afraid anymore. He also defeated the ghost in the end by finding its weakness. I am not entirely sure what typical ghost stories entail, but I will use the structure of this to format my mental image of the "bones" for the rest of my ghost stories. (Not sure if you like puns but I love them!) Similar to the last story, this one seems to have a theme in relation to conquering fears. I really enjoyed both of them and am looking forward to retelling them.