Fairy Tales: Professor Zaru's Lecture

The thing that makes arabic folk tales and fairy tales is how many different types of fairy tales there are.  Because of the diversity in he arab world such as difference in dialects, customs, dress and food, the morals can be rather different and some virtues more important than others.  Folklore can also be told in many different ways like, dance, music and poetry.  There is an oral tradition though, and a necessary storyteller. There are 5 categories of Arab folk-tales, Kalila, Joha, Sirats, Fables of Luqman, and A thousand and one nights.  The interesting thing about A thousand and one nights, is that there are stories inside the main story.

Fairy Tales: jewish Folk tale Tradition

I find that Jewish folk tale tradition is mainly focused on religious aspects of normal life.  It compares the jewish religion to the christian and claims that jewish religion outdoes other religions.  Many of the tales had to point out the necessity of the hero being jewish.  Possibly because in older times the jewish people were disliked and oppressed by other people of different religions.  They, like the sign language community, had to create stories to make them feel better and that they had hope even though they were being oppressed.  Also like the african folk tales brings in wit and smarts to win the hero's tale.  They outdo their villains by being patient, smart, and clever.  Such as in" The Rabbi Who Was Turned into a Werewolf" which was a very great story which played on smarts and patience being the key to being the hero and ending the story rightfully.  However this story also laid out the moral not to trust women for they are truly greedy.  In other stories by jewish folk tale tradition it was clearly a tale to prove that the jewish people were stronger and smarter than the other religions.

Fairy Tales: Bluebeard

I believe my favorite Bluebeard story is "Fitcher's Bird".  The only reason I look it so much above the rest is because unlike the other stories the younger bride thinks of a way out and a way to change her future and the fate of her sisters.  She outsmarts the villain and I believe that is the thing you need the most in story.  Instead of waiting for someone to save you, you can definitely figure a way out yourself.  She thought about the situation and "put the egg aside, and then examined the house..." she found out another way to be curious and just dealt with the situation with pure thought and cleverness.  The other stories more or less let the young girl be rescued by pure chance and stalling.  The Fitcher's Bird I believe provided more of a moral to the story of Bluebeard, that there is hope.

Fairy Tales: Midterm Exam Story

Once upon a time, there was a young girl named Flower.  Flower was a beautiful kind soul with three older brothers.  One day she went into the forest to find roses for her mother.  Her brothers warned her not to go too close to the river, for it would catch her in it's waves and take her to the sea.  They told her to cross the wooden bridge and give the river some of her bread to satisfy it's hunger.  Flower went onto the bridge and threw a piece of bread into the river.  She quickly  crossed and went to find the roses her mother wanted.  When she came back she had no more bread to give, the river asked her to be with him always, craving the small child's youth and energy.  When he reached for her she threw in a rose and the thorns hurt him.  She quickly ran across and back to her home.  One day her eldest brother went walking across the bridge to cut down some wood for the fire, he gave a piece of bread to the river but the river ignored the bread and grabbed the brother within his waves.  The brother cried out for help.  His two younger brothers came running and tried to grab their brother.  Flower came running and threw a rose into the water.  The river yelled in pain and threw the brother from his waves.  The river cried, "It is so beautiful but hurts me so!"  Flower gently approached the water, "What makes you so hungry river?" The river replied, "I only wish to feel the energy I once had as a young stream, these banks are too small for me now."  Flower asked her brothers to dig deeper banks for the river.  Finally the river was peace and no longer hungered for Flower or her brothers.  Flower traveled many times to the forest enjoying the soft fall of water the river made.
The End