Skip to main content

reading notes: goblin city and the cunning crane and the crab

My personal favorite of the stories was Goblin City. Something to note about this story is the similarity between the Rakshasis and Sirens from Greek mythology. If I recreate this story, I want to use the Goblins to my advantage. I think there is a lot I could do with them to add an eerie element to whatever story I choose to write. They make things appear better than they are to lure in unsuspecting men, which is kind of a feminist power move. So, for a story using the Rakshasis, I would keep their identity completely the same but make it less obvious that they're goblins to add suspense. I could create a flash fiction with a surprising plot-twist ending in which reveals the true identity of the woman.
(Image information: photo by W. Robinson
obtained from The Jatakas)


The second story I liked was The Cunning Crane and the Crab. For this, I want to look at the crane versus the crab. The crane's greatest strength would be his persuasiveness, whereas his greatest weakness is his greed. On the other hand, the crab sees through the manipulation the crane has pulled on the fish, so he is even more persuasive and cunning than the crane. As with many stories told by many different groups of people, this is a very hare versus the turtle kind of story--a story of karma, sort of. This would be something interesting to work with in a story, and it could even tie into the Rakshasi's story plot, too. 

Story information: The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W.H.D. Rouse. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

introduction to an aspiring teacher

Hello! I'm Katelyn Callahan, a soon-to-be 21 year-old senior at the University of Oklahoma. Originally, I'm from Tulsa, OK, and I have lived in Oklahoma for the majority of my life minus about three years when I lived in Kansas. I'm an enneagram type one, so do with that what you will. In college, I'm studying Language Arts Education in hopes of becoming a middle school English teacher. As you might be able to presume from my major, I love to write. I especially love all things technical about writing, especially grammar.  Aside from my love for writing, I love cats! In fact, I love cats so much that I have a memorial tattoo for my childhood cat, Jasper. Below are some pictures of Jasper and the tattoo I got in his memory. Another fun fact: I got this tattoo in London while I was studying abroad! (Image information: personal photo of my late cat,  Jasper, July 2016) (Image information: personal photo of my tattoo  of Jasper by Georgina Liliane ,

comment wall

Please check out my portfolio,  Binsa's Journey . I appreciate all of your feedback! (Image information: The Churning of The Ocean of Milk obtained from  Rear-View-Mirror .)

week two story: family traditions

It was my first day at a new school in a new place, and I was not looking forward to it. I had never attended a public school, but my mom told me it was time.  "Rish, you're seventeen now. You know you have to do this to carry on our family's traditions," my mother pressured. "Mom, I know," I say, slipping the fresh canvas backpack over my shoulders.  I have never carried a schoolbag before, so this was different. My outdated textbooks weren't the only thing weighing me down, though. You see, the women in my family are all rakshasis.  If you don't know what rakshasis are, we're creatures with the ability to lure people in, then eat them when we feel it's right. Naturally, we aren't the most attractive, with two huge fangs protruding from our mouths and a not-so petite figure.  Luckily, we have the opportunity to shape shift into whatever we want. This makes luring even the least gullible very easy for us. In my family, w