Brittany's take on 1,001 Nights

I agree with what most people said about the character of Caliph. It was a bit difficult sympathize with a character that seemed to have been just thrown in there (since we only read selections from it). I also agree with what many other people had said regarding 1,001 Nights and our understanding of tales. It definitely fits the criteria of a tale, since it had the magical/mystical element,  there were real-life elements (like jealously, lust, and adultery) but they were taken to exaggerated extremes, and one could argue that there were lessons (regarding the aforementioned real-life elements) that we could learn from. Also, in regards to bodies, the males were not really described as well as the females, and the females were described in great detail and were depicted as a great beauty and goddess-like creatures.

I like to look for these things when I read, and I noticed that setting plays a great role in the body of the actual tale. When Shahrayar's wife cheated on him, it was in the garden, and that event is what completely changed the path of the story. Having the climax take place in the garden is extremely important to shaping the novel. Gardens represent fertility, growth and peace, and ironically, the event that had Shahrayar killing people "like an insane gardener, he severed every other head and body, as if he was chopping every stem inthe garden", and by doing this, created chaos and prevented any type of growth or fertility since he began killing a good chunk of the female population. Also: the women are often described as flowers, and the translator/author (how are we referring to this person?...) uses  phrases like "white as a jasmine flower" "day filled with gardenia" and  "blossoming lady"-- to name a few that I remembered-- to describe the female characters. The symbolism and imagery of the garden also represents Shahrayer's eventual growth; Shahrazad's stories allow him to grow as a person and king, thus bringing it all full-circle (as we learned from the film)

Speaking of Shahrazad: I am also weird when it comes to names in stories. I'm not sure if this was just the translation of her name, but the way this particular version is spelled is kind of telling as itself (can names shape a body of a story? I don't know. I'm just going to pretend it does). "Shah" was a title given in the times of the Persian empire, specifically to men only. It is kind of like the title "Caesar", meaning ruler or king, and often is put in one's name (Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Augustus Caesar, Shahzaman, Shahrayer, etc). I thought it was interesting that Shahrazad has the title in her name. No other female character (that we've read anyway) is named this way. This gives the reader a sense of her character, and by giving her a name with Shah in it implies that she is a character of power and that she is Shahrayer's equal (as we later find out from the video, her stories have power over Shahrayer and she is able to change his ways). She is his intellectual superior.

Just a few thoughts. I could be reading WAY too much into this. I was just trying to make my contribution a bit different from all the other insightful ones from my classmates that I read.

Discussion

1001 nights is quickly becoming a piece of literature that i find myself really enjoy reading. To stray away from what i normally think of as tale, and immerse me in a world where there isn’t always a happily ever after, or when every thing doesn’t always  end up good for the main character is quite appealing. Quite often I find myself gasping in shock in between the stories i read because of its raw story telling with no censor and its very climatic style storytelling.

. The story with the one sister and her other sisters was intriguing. It fought the simple lesson of learn your lesson. The sisters would always rebel against their mature sister and it ultimately led to their doom. 

. By far my favorite story was the one with the two kings. Granted it was the first 1001 nights story i read, this was the story where i said “Wow , this is a tale”.

Thoughts on 1,001 Nights

1. While reading The Resolution of the Porter and the Three Ladies I was sometimes confused as to what direction the story was going to take. I had to look over some parts of the tale again to be sure to understand the wording of the sentences. Similarities in the names of the characters and the amount of characters to keep track of also led to some confusion.
2. Bodies play a large role in all of the tales from 1,001 Nights, but I think the idea of bodies is most prominent in The Mistress of the House's Tale. The connection between the three sisters and the two dogs was revealed- the two dogs are two more sisters. This fact connected this tale to The Porter and the Three Ladies. I also thought that the idea of bodies was present through the importance of the feathers. It was important for Azraq Blue's feathers to remain intact and unharmed, otherwise he would lose his powers and not be able to fly. The reference to the feathers I view as a way to show the importance of how body must be a certain way in order to function.
3. The emotional connection to the reader during these tales is more prevalent in the third and fourth readings than in the first and second. Although the "dogs" are whipped in the second tale and many would feel sympathy for the "dogs," when the "dogs" are revealed to be two additional sisters, the emotional connection with the story increases dramatically. When I was reading the story and found out that these two sisters were being whipped by their own other sisters, I felt very negative emotions because I have two sisters. Having two sisters of my own, I felt as though I could connect to the sense of hurt and pain that all of the sisters experienced because I know how bad I feel when my sisters are in any pain.

Thoughts on One Thousand and One Nights Tales

1. The tale that confused me the most out of the two was "The Resolution of the Porter and the Three Ladies" because I wasn't sure who was telling the story and how it related to any of the previous tales we've read until I went back and re-read it. In "The Mistress of the House's Tale", I was more easily able to understand who was doing the storytelling and it also answered questions that arose from "The Porter and the Three Ladies" tale.

2. "The Mistress of the House's Tale" explained why she was whipping the dogs in "The Porter and the Three Ladies" which was what I expected from this tale. In "The Resolution of the Porter and the Three Ladies" I did not know what to expect because the first story being told within this tale was one we haven't heard yet.

3. I think the body's role in "The Mistress of the House's Tale" is very prominent because of the way the mistress feels about the jinni, which is mainly involving his physical appearance initially because he a bird that turns into man, and how beautiful his feathers are. It also plays a role in "The Resolution of Porter and the Three Ladies" because of the described beauty of Su'ad.

4. These tales tell us that stories are passed down because of the retold tale "Shahrayar and Shahrazad" and the story told in the beginning of "The Resolution of the Porter and the Three Ladies".

Thoughts

• I definitely agree with everyone with the confusion in the Resolution of the Porter and the Three Ladies tale. I also found that it was really difficult to keep track of the characters because of their names. There were a few times where I had to re-read some paragraphs over and over just to understand who was who.
• I think that The Mistress of the House’s Tale is a perfect example of what a tale should be. It contains the mythical aspect with the man who can fly and lives in a palace in the air. Another mythical aspect is when the man turns the two sisters into dogs.
• Bodies definitely play a big role in these tales. Especially in The Resolution of the Porter and the Three Ladies tale. I think it’s interesting how the characters in these tales fall in love at first sight without knowing anything about one another. The governor in the Porter tale is overwhelmed by Su’ad’s beauty and orders her husband to divorce her so he can marry her.  

Mario's thoughts on 1001 nights

The Mistress of the houses tail: Definitely my favorite. I would've loved to see why the women of the house decided to speak their minds even after the rule of the house was broken. I absolutely love these stories. The deep routed religious aspects are also a great contributor to the aspects of the characters. The purity of the Mistress was instantly shown when she asked for forgiveness too her God when her own innocence was taken away. The characters express their body so well. drawing back to when the porter was describing the women, their movements are sown and told to be lustful also. it is amazing to see how well this type of story can be conveyed. I didn't understand the line where the Mistress asked her husband to not change her sisters but that just made his power stronger. that just confused me.  

The resolve to the porters story: This was different. Mostly because it went from saying that the porter was a great story teller to having someone else tell the story. I felt very out of place. Also when i placed it in context to what was happening in the porters main story it really didn't attribute to the idea that the men were tied up in the house of the three women. The story just kind of expressed that there are good women in the world. That is what i got from it. It seemed strange but to an effect it would've probably resonated to the King listening to the tail in the main story. Though once that one is over it feels like it breaks the fourth wall and talks about the predicament that is unfolding in the main story. I just attributed this to the build to the end of the book. 

Thoughts-Kendra Besemer

1) I definitely have to agree with a few of you that have posted about the Caliph confusion. I found myself unable to take in the story with just one reading. I went and looked back at the previous stories and saw no mention on this character, but I did notice that the stories are not sequential within the book (the page numbers on the bottom). So, is Caliph introduced in another story somewhere in the middle? I don't know about anyone else but I find it difficult to relate/understand/sympathize for a character if I haven't been properly introduced. Once reading it a second time, I was able to focus less on the disconnect and more on the story itself. But still, I wanna know who this is?

2) As for meeting the criteria for a tale, I believe that The Mistress of the House's Tale did an excellent job. Many of the aspects (i.e. the man whom is a bird, the cursed sisters, lovers turmoil, death of parents, etc.) fell right into the cookie cutter of "tale". However, the neglect of the "happily ever after" made me feel like this is an adult version of a tale. Yes, I still appreciate the "happily ever after" as much as the next person, but when a book or story doesn't end the way one would expect or harsher than disney makes me appreciate the book/story more (even if the end is upsetting). It makes the characters more realistic (even if the faults or tragedy's are fantastical).

3) Whenever a new female character is introduced (in all four stories we've read), they're perfect. They're beauty is unparalleled and makes men weak in the knees (literally). Women are held on a pedestal, if they're beautiful men will literally kill another to claim her as her own. On the flip side, whenever a male character is introduced, they are described by their possessions and social status. I can't recall a physical description (except for the jinnis) of any male character, but correct me if I'm wrong.

4) Reading these kind of reminds me of an adult version of Aesop's Fables. Why? I don't know. But I do know that these are refreshing to read after constantly having true love prevail and characters living happily ever after. It makes the characters more relatable (even the fantastical ones). Love is a powerful force and one to be reckoned with.

Molly's Thoughts on the Reading

• For Mistress of the House's Tale, I actually found it interesting to find out why the sisters had the two dogs and why she whipped them.  I also thought it was an interesting concept that the jinni/genie had feathers and that was how he appeared and disappeared. To me when I think of a genie, I think of a ghostly figure. So reading that it was a bird was find of interesting.

• For the final Porter story, I was completely lost until the third page. I thought that it was a random part of the story and didn't know why were reading it until it started talking about Shazarad...but I didn't understand why that was mentioned but the title referred to the Porter.

• I think the role of the body in reference to women is power. As we had said before in class that the women in these tales tend to have the upper hand in these relationships. It seems that they use their bodies and beauty to gain control.

Thoughts on The Mistress and The Resolution Tales

1. As far as confusing aspects and questions go, I thought The Mistress of the House's Tale was pretty easy to understand and read. I was able to tell who was telling to story and follow along pretty well. However, as others have pointed out, I definitely found The Resolution of the Porter and the Three Ladies to be harder to understand. I think it was a mixture of the story being disjointed with the other parts of the book we've read and just not knowing immediately who was telling the story. It was also so short that the reader didn't have a lot of time to ease into that transition.

2. I don't think that The Mistress of the House's Tale completely matches how we think of tales today. It's the opposite of the “happy ending filled with true love and a happily ever after” tale that we're accustom to hearing these days. Which I personally liked. To me, there's something about a story that doesn't end on a happy note that just makes it seem more realistic (despite the obvious addition of genies and other stuff.) In a world filled with all these amazing powers, it seems like there would be more misery and heartache than bliss.

3. The role of body is present in these stories. The Mistress of the House does a complete 180 when she see's how beautiful the genie is. At the same time, the genie is willing to make a huge sacrifice by giving up his family to be with her. He wants to spend every moment with her and even spends the night instead of going with their original plan. The Mistress compares kissing him to being in heaven. There's definitely a lot of physical influence to their decisions.

4. I think this story tells us that despite finding a great person that your both physically and emotionally attached to there are forces that can tear you apart. In this story it was family but there are certainly other forces which could create an equal amount of strain on an otherwise ideal relationship. The stories continued the idea of a “never ending story” which I really liked. I think it makes the stories seem more natural and allows you to feel like the storyteller is telling these stories to save all the women. It makes it seem more realistic to me. 

Discussion Response

I also have to agree that linking all of the stories together got really confusing-- especially at the beginning of " The Resolution of the Porter and the Three Ladies." I had to reread that specific story more than once because I couldn't really figure out what was going on and who was telling which story and why. There are so many characters and stories within the stories that we read that it became quite difficult to follow at times.

Whenever I think of Tales, I always think of the mystical aspects and the lesson that was taught. "The Mistress of the House's Tale" had both of those elements. The tale has obviously been passes down through many generations and all around the world. All of these elements were described very vividly that I felt the magical aspects. I found myself wanting to read more and more. I just couldn't put it down.

I think that the role of body is very literal through all of the tales we have read. From the passion and murders of "Shahrayar and Shahrazad" to the the love and transformation of the characters into animals in "The Mistress of the House's Tale." It's taken in a very literal and physical way and is presented in a way that is interesting and appealing to readers.

Thoughts on 1,001 Nights- Morgan Moran

• I agree with Marcus about the story The Resolution of the Porter and the Three Ladies. I was very confused reading the first two pages, and I didn't really understand who the characters were and what was going on. 

• Tale: The Mistress of the House’s Tale matched my expectations of what I thought a real tale was. This tale included life lessons, a love story, and non realistic characters. From the Jinni flying in the air to turning the two older sisters into dogs, it gave the story a supernatural touch. I also thought this tale was interesting and I couldn't stop reading it. The Jinni also really caught my attention because he left his Jinni brothers/ world to be with a human. Lastly, the way the Jinni's wings were described in this tale was magical. 

Confusion

While reading all the tales I only found one to be confusing, The Resolution of the Porter and the Three Ladies. You could not tell who was telling the story, it seemed that with each paragraph a new person was telling the tale. 

I enjoyed reading The Mistress of the House’s Tale it was the exact tale that we have talked about in class. I liked that it was short and the story moved quickly. Although the characters were not explained very well, it was still a good tale.

Thoughts - Marcus Andersson

1. One of the confusions I had was when reading The Resolution of the Porter and the Three Ladies. It didn’t become clear to me who actually told that story, and in what context. I suppose it was the Caliph Haroun Al-Rashid, whoever that is? For the story, I didn’t really need to know that, but just the fact that I didn’t know who this person was made me alienated from the story. I couldn’t really connect with it because I knew nothing about the characters. Anyone else felt the same way?

2. The Mistress of the House’s Tale did match with my expectations of a tale, in many ways. The feelings were very strong, both high and low, which made it clear and easy to understand. It had a magical touch to it with the flying bird that turned into a man and the sisters who turned into dogs. It changed quickly and dramatically from happiness to sorrow.

What I found challenging for me was the structure of the story. I’m so used to regular Hollywood love stories, regular storytelling – where love wins in the end. The “forbidden love,” that is some sort of overarching theme in the first tale, is a very classic theme. But here, everything ends in disappointment and tears. I like how unpredictable the storytelling is. Even if there is only one page left, one knows that it can end either way, which I can appreciate a lot. It’s refreshing. I feel like we all are so used to the “normal” structure of a story nowadays – with a peak, a problem, and a way to solve the problem.

3. Just like in other tales we have read so far, I feel like the writer doesn’t focus much on the embodiment of the characters in these two tales.  Even if we know that both Azraq and Su’ad are extremely beautiful, and that Azraq has wings, we don’t really know many details. Their beauty is almost presented as God-like which creates a distance and a mystery. “Who is the main character?” is a question I don’t usually ask myself in the end of regular stories. I feel like the shortness of tales makes writers focus more on the plot than the characters.

4. It teaches me that stories can be told in a different way but still be a good read. I also think it can teach readers other lessons. One of them could be how love kept tearing the sisters apart and in the end it is love that ruins the whole family, when two of them turn into dogs. What can we learn? Love can be powerful, love can be dangerous.

Tales Word Cloud (from class discussion wednesday)- better view available on ANGEL under Class Notes

Hi All,

Again, I am sorry for the last minute changes to the class today. Despite that, I am looking forward to our "virtual" discussion here on the blog. I see many of you have opted to post later today. Pat, Taylor and Richard have provided great starting points for discussion. Please feel free to develop comment threads off their posts engaging their questions and observations and/or start your own post. I am going to limit my comments until more of you are directly engaged with each other on the blog. Otherwise, I find students get frustrated because I might unintentionally "steal" the insight or idea they had intended to post :-)

1) Has anyone else noticed that the women in these tales are often compared to animals? This gives into the idea that women are the lower sex and have to do as the men tell them. I hope by the end of the story, the women are seen as equals.
2) I believe these stories match up with how women were perceived during this time period, and are an accurate representation of the subtle ways that women retaliated back then. The Storyteller is slowly changing the view of women throughout the tales so that the king can grow fond of women and will no longer see them as vile animals.
3) The bodies of women are used to bring out the sexual desire in men throughout the stories, which leads to the women taking advantage of the men, through sex. The men in these stories have vague descriptions because their bodies aren't seen as important during these times, it is their knowledge(a knowledge which women weren't allowed to have) that is vital to these tales.
4) Storytelling allows us to express the importance of morals and integrity to people of all ages without lecturing others. I'm just going to put this out there- people don't usually withhold information from lectures that are typically boring and dense, which is why stories have such a phenomenal impact on society.

1) I think the only confusion I had from the text was the changing of protagonists and the shifting of stories..which also blend together.  I have only read a few novels (even though this is a tale) that have a few stories within one overarching story.
2) The Mistress of the House's Tale matches up with the broad definition of a tale that we had discussed in class the other day.  It is short, the action comes fast, and it concludes quickly.  There is no great depth to the characters other than brief explanations so the undeveloped character also alludes to this story being a tale.  The only difference one may have in the argument of it not being a tale is the fact that it does not end on a happily ever after situation that we are all used to.
3) The body plays a large role in the tale, more specifically physical love.  The story uses words such as "passion" and something along the lines of "love of my life" which also tells the readers that another aspect of the body that can be seen in the text is the heart for the mistress of the house.  The characters and where they live are beautiful; their land is beautiful, the mistress and Azraq Blue are defined as beautiful and they are of great wealth and live very comfortably so when the story comes to conclusion we are left taken aback that something that was going so greatly ended so negatively.
4) Something that may be taken away from this story could be something as simple as making sure that you hold on to what is dear.  In this case, love.  Also, do not become complacent with something or someone even though you believe that it/he/she is always going to be a part of your life because something as simple as a feather can ruin everything that you held of value. -Pat Seiberg

Hey! Mackenzie Kaiser

Hi! My name is Mackenzie Kaiser and I am a Inclusive Education(Special Ed) major with a concentration in English. I am from Rochester, NY, and I've loved reading since I was little and first learned how to read. I took a lot of English classes in high school so I am glad I can continue taking them now.

Hey- Dananir Arafat

Hello my name is Dananir I'm a Public Relations major with a minor in writing. i'm originally from Williamsville which is close to Buffalo. I live here with my sister, our two cats, Zink and Tennyson, and my dog Poe. My life revolves around him. He has the ability to shit in the house while no one is looking. I hate people and cantaloupe. The word cantakerous isn't one of my favorites. I really enjoy writing and reading I think it started in high school. Fun Fact while I attended I was informed that I was the number one reader in the district. I know that this is all very random but thats just how I am.

Hello- Jack Erhard

Hi, my name is Jack Erhard and I am from Syracuse, NY. I am an 18 year old freshman majoring in liberal arts(meaning that I haven't decided my major yet, but hopefully I will soon). I attended West Genesee High School, and I am also a huge fan of Syracuse University athletics, specifically basketball. I run Cross Country as well as Track and Field for the school, and running is a really big part of my life. I have been doing it since I was about 9 years old, so for about 10 years. The picture is of my younger sister and I last May. My major memory of literature was when I was in fourth grade and I read "The Hobbit" by J.R.R Tolkien for the first time. This was one of my first experiences with reading an adult book, but I loved it immediately. I couldn't put the book down, and ever since I have been a huge fan of literature and just reading in general. I'm hoping I can benefit from the literature we read in this class!

Marcus Andersson says hi!

My life always feels so empty when I have to fit it into a few paragraphs, but I will give it a good try. Hi everyone! Hej allihopa!

My name is Marcus Andersson and I came to Fredonia last fall from Örnsköldsvik (good luck pronouncing that) in Sweden. I came here to play on the hockey team, to study journalism, and to get an experience of studying abroad. After one semester here, I know that it was a good decision to come to the States and I hope that my college experience is something I’ll always bring with me. I love to travel and meet new people, so I hope to become friends with all of you.

I have had some good reads that influenced me when growing up. I can recommend you to read “Öga mot öga med Zäta” or maybe “Kinesen” by Henning Mankell. No, but in all honesty, I’ve been reading a lot of books in Swedish when growing up but not too many books written in English, so this class will be a great experience for me.

In addition to that, when growing up, my grandpa always told me stories about his travels around the world, and I think these stories influence me more than I first imagined. Today, I study journalism in a foreign country and I write for a Swedish hockey magazine; I search for good stories wherever I am. Now, I’m here to create my own life story, and let’s help each other out to make all of our life stories interesting to listen to when we grow old! See you in class!

Hi, everyone! I'm Amber!

Hello everyone, I'm Amber Klusek. I am a freshman English Adolencence Education major. My hometown is Salamanca, NY, which is about 45 minutes South West of Fredonia. I have an obsessive love for reading that began when I was really young. My love for books actually began when with my love for The Wizard of Oz. After I learned there was an entire series that Oz is based off of, I had to read them and it grew from there. Throughout high school, I took Advanced English classes, which is where I realized that I want to be an English teacher. I want to share my crazy obsessive love for reading with others, and I can't wait to broaden that obsession! (:

Hello! I'm Mario Marrazzo

My name is Mario Marrazzo. I am an English major with hopes of becoming a philosophy minor on a pre-law track. I really enjoy classes where I can speak and learn about new things. I love debates on important topics, I love meeting new people, and I hope that I can advance my knowledge though this class. A book that has influenced me would be Looking for Alaska by John Green. I found it very powerful and it made me think about the importance of coping and understanding drastic change in someones life. I am From a smaller town in NY called Orchard Park, and I absolutely love it there. You may know it because it is the home of the Buffalo Bills stadium. Now that I am going to Fredonia I hope that I will gain the skills and understanding to become a very influential and sought after attorney.

Hi - Josh Abbate

Hey everyone, I'm Josh. I am an English major in my junior year. I've just transferred to Fredonia from a community college. I'm from Silver Creek which is about 20 minutes away and live within a 5 minute walk of Lake Erie. I've worked for a carnival which travels around the New York area for seven years now and it affords me a lot of time to read during the summer. Between regular operation and rainy days I'm able to get a lot of books read. I would have to say the first story that influenced my life is The Phantom Tollbooth because it showed me at a young age that reading could be fun and all the interesting ways you could use words. However a close second would be Where the Wild Things Are. Unfortunately neither of the film adaptations were up to par for these books. In High school I had an excellent teacher who got me to like Hamlet, which would probably be one of the first times I really enjoyed complex literature. Today my favorite books include Kafka on the Shore, Catch-22 (which also has a horrible film adaptation), House of Leaves and The Book Thief.  

Rachel Iafallo-Hello!

Hello, my name is Rachel Iafallo and I am from Hamburg, NY.  I am a sophomore education major with a concentration in math.  My hope is to someday own a daycare and give children the love and nurturing they need. Some of my earliest memories of books are from when my parents read to me as a young child.  My favorite book was The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. I loved having books read to me when I was younger, but unfortunately I lost interest in reading as I got older.  Now that I am in college, I have found a new appreciation for books.  Last year, I took a children's literature class, it showed me how important reading truly is, especially for children. Looking back, I can now see how much reading has truly helped me and how much it can help children expand their knowledge and imagination.  Now, I enjoy reading and look forward to sitting down and relaxing with a good book.  I hope to expand and build on my new found liking of reading during this class.

     

Hiya from Roni!

Ello everyone! My name is Veronica but you may call me Roni (^o^). My hometown use to be one of the seven National wonders of the world; the small town of Niagara Falls, New York. I am currently a Liberal Arts major but the plan for sophomore year is to begin my dual major in English and Business Administrative! (WOHOO). My dream job that correlates with my majors is publishing. Getting payed to read new literature and give feedback to growing authors sounds like a dream! Since I was a small child I have always been hooked on reading. I remember all the scholastic book fairs I use to go to and walk out with books stacked to my chin. The one experience that was most influential to me has to be my advanced placement classes I took in high school. Many of the top know authors that I read today were introduced to me through my amazing teachers. Also it allowed me to work on my analytic and critical thinking when it comes to reading more into the text. Through the group discussions we use to do it made me feel more at ease to add to the discussion and share the thoughts I had on the text. (Oh and by the way, I love the works of Mitch Albom, John Green, and Jane Austen!)

Amber Topor- Hi!

Hey everyone! My name is Amber and I am a sophomore majoring in Biology, and I am from Syracuse, NY. So far, in all of my reading experience, I have not come across a novel that has impacted or influenced me significantly. Although I do love to read, I haven't read a book in a very long time, however I have many on my "to-read" list. One of my favorite book series is the Shiver trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I do hope that by taking this class I'll be able to find the book that will really impact me in some way and I can't wait to get to know everyone!

Hi there-Bella Mullen

Hi there, my name is Bella and the picture above is my brother congratulating me on one of my greatest accomplishments. I am a sophomore, Theatre Major and I am a "nerd" about books, TV shows/movies, and Theatre. I live with my mother, brother, and adorable dog in a small town, four hours away. One memory of a story that influenced me is that my mother would always read the book, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Pat Hancock to my brother and I. I guess the reason why this story stands out to me is because it is the only book that my brother and I both loved listening to when we were young. My mother had said, and I quote; "Because you and your brother both loved it when I read it to you. BOTH of you ... which is so rare with you two....and with both of you....your eyes would light up and you would get these huge grins when I read "Good night moon". Seeing how happy it made you both...filled my heart with happiness.....which made it my favorite." I guess, just how much that meant to her, was a reason why it is an important story to me now. An educational experience I have had with literature has to do with the book  The Giver by Lois Lowry. The lessons the book gives are so incredibly perfect and accurate to me. The lessons that memories, no matter how painful or happy, are important and needed.  Delight and pain go hand in hand, and you cannont truly be happy about something if you have never experienced pain, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The past is important, but you shouldn't live in the past. However, you should understand it and remember it. In addition to that, everyone is important, and uniqueness should be valued. The last lesson I deem important in that piece of literature is that there is no perfect world out there, no matter how hard anyone tries to make one. 

Intro- Taylor Mulligan

Hi, my name is Taylor and I'm from Rochester, NY. I am a freshman education major with a concentration in English and I've always enjoyed reading more than most people that I know. My earliest memories of reading are when my parents would read to me before bed and that was my favorite time of the day, to get to experience what was happening in those stories as if I was the main character. Some of my favorite authors are Kathy Reichs, JK Rowling, James Patterson and Francine Pascal.

Brittany Perry - Hey everyone!

Hi all! My name is Brittany and I'm from Syracuse, NY (GO ORANGE!). I am a senior journalism major with a minor in criminal justice. People have often described me as "extremely nerdy," so I guess you can be the judge of that for yourself.

I've always been a huge introvert, so reading has always given me a sense of belonging and has been my escape for as long as I can remember.  My favorite authors are Jane Austen and John Steinbeck (fun fact: I have a tattoo based on a theme from Steinbeck's East of Eden).

The Harry Potter series, Susan Kay's prequel to Phantom of the Opera, East of Eden, The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak and the Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery are my favorites and have changed my life in one way or another.

Intro Post ~ Meghan McClelland

 

Shalom! My name is Meghan McClelland and I am from Rochester, NY. I transfered to this school after obtaining my Associates degree at a Community College. I'm an English major and am minoring in Visual arts & New Media. I enjoy literature of all kinds but primarily have a serious love for poetry. As I am an arts minor, art plays a huge role in my life. I came to this school as the English and Arts department are phenomenal. I am very excited for this class as I enjoy the theme of bodies, and the role it plays within literature. I am also very excited for a lot of what we will be reading. One memory that always sticks in my mind when it comes to my relationship with reading and my love for it are my memories related to the author Chuck Palahniuk. He is famous for his novel "Fight Club" but as I got older my taste for blunt, shocking, in your face literature grew. This author is all about that, he has been labeled as a "shock writer". Many of his novels, including my favorites "Haunted", "Survivor", "Rant" and "Snuff" stick in my brain. I still remember the words on the page, the feeling of the book in my hand. This author and his work 'caused me to more deeply analyze literature, to feel the atmosphere of it's aesthetics and to enjoy it all more. This love for reading that I found through this author is one of the reasons why I became an English major when I came to this college.
If anyone is interested in seeing more of my artwork, check it out here.

Kendra Besemer-Hi Ya'll!

(I'm on the left)

I'm a junior childhood education major with an English concentration. I've been on the dance team since freshman year. I've been dancing ever since I could walk and reading before that. I would pick up books and "read" them before I knew what the words on the page meant. My first "big kid" book was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I began the Harry Potter series in second grade and I've been a Harry Potter nerd ever since (but shhh don't tell anyone, it's a secret). I don't really have a favorite genre but I'd have to say anything dealing with history is my least favorite. 

I'm from the Binghamton area specifically Endicott, but no one ever knows where that is so I'm from Binghamton. I grew up in the country between a cow farm and a goat farm and I love cars (so I'm kinda a redneck). And coffee, coffee's my favorite. Oh, and I'm really sarcastic. And that's me in a nutshell :)

Richard Bisso - Hi

Hi, I'm Rich, and I'm from a small town called Horseheads in southern NY. I'm currently a sophomore at Fredonia, and I love comedy movies. One of the books/series that I loved reading growing up would have to be Chronicles of Narnia. I mostly read news now, but enjoy the occasional book. When I'm not reading, I'm usually catching up on Family Guy episodes or watching House of Cards.

Morgan Moran- Hello!

My name is Morgan Moran and it's my second year at Fredonia. I am a education major with a concentration in English, and I love it! I am from South Buffalo, and I have been Irish dancing for 15 years. I have one brother name Pat and we both like to read. My favorite books are To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee and Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. One memory I have involving reading literature is when I read Anne Frank in high school. I rememeber it was the first book that ever made me cry, and it made me realize that books can make human beings feel emotional. I am very excited for this class, and can't wait to read the books Dr. McGee selected!

Arline O'Hearon- Hello!

Hey everyone! My name is Arline and I’m a freshman business administration major. Growing up I always viewed reading books as a chore. My mom is an elementary school teacher so she always made sure I was reading something when I was younger. It wasn’t until I was much older that I started to find books that I really enjoyed. Some of my favorite books are The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. One memory I have involving literature was in junior high when I read Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. It was the first time that I was genuinely interested in a book and really empathized with the characters. 

This is a picture of my friends and I at a music festival. (I'm the one on the left standing on the grass)

Daequan Starkes-Hey!

Hey everybody! My name is Daequan and I am from Rochester, NY. I am also a Junior and English major. I can't wait to graduate, but I want to be a English professor so I will still be in school for awhile even when I do graduate from Fredonia,..but I look forward to the future and all it has and can't wait for the next chapter in my life. One memory I have form literature is the first book I read that had a huge impact on me which was Tricks by Ellen Hopkins. It made me feel so many emotions and really made me aware of some things that go on in the world that I never really thought about and even though it was a fictional book the author received ideas from real people, and the fact that people really went through some of those things was a complete shock to me when I was younger. That book will always be the one to have a long lasting impact on me and the one that made me really start reading. And the last book I read(still reading) outside of school is The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

MacKenzie Brooks- Intro

           My name is MacKenzie Brooks, I am from Orange County New York which is just outside of New York City. I am a sophomore here and am looking to being a Public Relations major with a Leadership minor. I am not a big reader so I don't know if I could say any literature has had an influence on me. I'm hoping this course will change that. If I had to choose I would say I have more of an interest in non-fiction stories. I think true stories can relate to others personal lives and can also allow people to experience someone else' actual experiences.

Hi- Ally Williams

This is a picture of my siblings and I- I am the second one in from the left!

Hey everyone! My name is Ally and I am from Rochester, NY. I am a sophomore Medical Technology major. I have enjoyed reading since I was little, and really enjoyed reading to my three younger siblings before they knew how to read! One of the English classes I took in high school involved class discussion about novels, much like this class will, and I remember discovering and understanding these novels more than any other novels I have read. I learned that incorporating other people's perspectives of the novel allowed me to have a greater understanding of the novel as a whole. I can't wait to get to know you all better and think the class discussions will be very beneficial to understanding the novels we will be reading this semester!

Austin Curreri. Yo.

Hey everyone. My name is Austin. I'm a Communication major with a minor in English. I want to be a director of movies, and I would like to work in animation. I can't draw, so I want to write the stories. This is because I feel that animation is a direct connection to the mind, and the artist is directly connected to the concepts from his/her mind...I mean, you can draw whatever you want. Your mind can imagine whatever it wants. The two go hand in hand in allowing the possibilities to flow and flourish. Animation allows entire universes to be created directly from the artist's hand.
I love this about writing...using words to communicate various ideas and allow your mindset to connect to whoever is willing and able.

I didn't always think this way, though. I loved English, but it wasn't until I had Creative Writing in high school that I fell in love with it. I had a certified hippie chick as my teacher, and she always put us in circles and introduced us to various forms of poetry, story genre, or whatever we wanted. I learned a great deal in that class, and she always critiqued our work honestly, cultivating whatever she saw in us and allowing it to grow. It was an awesome time. ^_^ I look forward to working with all of you and getting better at this medium I love!

My favorite works of writing are To Kill A Mockingbird, The 5 People You Meet In Heaven, and the  musical works of Paul Simon, John Denver, and Passenger. (I love a lot more, but those are my favorite.)

Hello from Molly Carriero

Hey everyone! I'm Molly and I'm a sophomore Dance major. I'm from a little country town outside of Buffalo, NY.  I go to my friends, who are big readers, to find out what are good books to read. I enjoy casually reading (fiction of course) but don't get to do it as much as I like to do to my busy schedule. At an educational standpoint I always loved reading the dramas and plays because I was/am big into theater. Junior year we read The Crucible and in spring our drama club put on the production. It was exciting playing the part of Mercy having the analytical understanding from class as well as the emotional, theatrical part of it.

Tracy Jimenez

My familia~2011

The 411 on ME!

• I'm a 42 year old mother of 3 boys- 24, 19, and 16 years old.
• This summer I became a mother-in-law.  
• I've been married for 18 years.
• We currently have four "fur-kids"- a 5 month old "Pittweiler", 4.5 year old Rottweiler, and two bad-ass felines.
• After working as a teacher aide for over 11 years within the Dunkirk City School District I decided to quit my job and pursue a degree in teaching.
• Including myself, there are three college students in our household. 1 @ JCC + 1 taking JCC courses in H.S. + ME= 3!
• I was an 18 year old single teen mom who didn't, doesn't, and won't let statistics dictate who I am!

Growing up in a small town with not much to do I'd often ask my parents to drop me off at the local library and from there I found my escape.  I gravitated towards books that were not traditionally geared towards girls, books such as: "My Side of the Mountain" and "How to Eat Fried Worms".  I would spend hours upon hours inside that library yet it never seemed to be long enough.  I've always found comfort in the scent, texture, and words within an old book. 

Madi Lisker- Bonjour!

Hey all! I'm Madelyn Lisker, but everyone calls me Madi!
I'm a sophomore Business Major and I was born and raised in Buffalo, NY.
I love my dog Cali, and I miss sleeping in bed with her when I'm at school.
My dad is a retired librarian so reading was always influential and a big part of my life, especially when he would read to me before I could read myself.
Can't wait to get to know everyone!

Hilton Weeks- Hello

My name is Hilton Weeks, i grew up in New York City in the borough of Brooklyn. I still live in NYC but reside in Fredonia now.  I am 19 years old and am currently an English Major. One story that influenced me that i read was one book i read recently. Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. It gives you a different perspective on the ideas and the most widely received notions about success. It teaches you more about opportunity and gaining every chance you get to increase your chances. Ive always been fond of literature since i was a kid. Graphic novels and a little bit of a novel is involved in my daily curriculum now.

Hello-Pat Seiberg

Hello, my name is Pat and coffee is good.  Also, I have no idea how to turn this photo around.  I am a Senior and don't have a clue what I want to do after I graduate.  One memory that comes to mind with all of the fiction reading that I have done is what my high school librarian told me back in the day; she said that it's not that certain people do not like to read, it's just that they haven't found what they like to read about yet.  Although it may sound dumb, it is the reason that I enjoy reading mostly fiction/science fiction novels.  As well as mythological tales.  It is also the reason English is my minor.

Welcome

Welcome to your blog site for Novels and Tales (ENGL 209). We will use this blog as a virtual extension of our class space. You will all be added as authors to the site so you will have full access to post on the blog. Although I may occasionally chime in, this blog is primarily a space for collaboration with your peers.

This site has been created in order to

• ·         Extend learning opportunities beyond the confines of the scheduled class time and space, blurring rigid barriers between academic, campus, and community discourses

• ·         Provide a space for those less easy with speaking in class to have the time to process ideas and contribute to the ongoing discussions of the course

• ·         Encourage a habit of writing as a collaborative act of communication and dialogue in which students may discuss writing notes,  brainstorm papers, plan projects, ask questions, get feedback on rough drafts etc…

• ·         Provide a place where visual mediums such as photos, videos, diagrams may be easily shared as well as hyper-text and web links

• ·         Expose students to alternative viewpoints and experience amongst peers as well as the opportunity to see how other students are working with and making connections with the course materials

• ·         Encourage students to form relationships built around academic work

         Please be aware, I will not post course information such as reading schedules,assignment descriptions, due dates, or the syllabus on this site- Please refer to ANGEL for this ongoing course information.