Reading Notes: Filipino Tales Part B

1. The difference between the stories from this section and the previous readings is that most of these stories are creation stories, or why things are the way they are, or they're about animals. I happen to like stories that involve humans as the main characters, because they're more relateable and provide an easier story and background to understand.

2. I like the story "Why the Sun Shines More Brightly Than the Moon," even if it pits two females against one another. The story is short, though, and doesn't give the characters much depth. Buwan's sister isn't even named, and I would like to see her side of the story more than it being told from a third person point of view, where you can't really tell what's going on. The story was pretty objective, so it told you what happened and what was the result. There was no fanfare, which I prefer in my fairy tales.

3. The story explaining why the cow has loose skin freaked me out. That's it.

4. The story about the fingers was interested because you're quite unlikely to find a story where fingers are named and talk amongst one another unless they are part of a children's tale. The idea that the thumb is a thief is interesting to think about, and this story is probably one of the more interesting ones that I've read while I've been in this class.

5. All in all, I think a lot of these stories would be better if someone gave the character's more depth, and allows the readers to be able to relate and understand what they are reading. Most of the stories don't have a lot of detail either - they need setting descriptions, character descriptions, and the like. Adding more detail, as long as it's not too much, helps readers to connect with the story and it allows them to understand where the characters are coming from and what is going on.

Now that this is done, it's time for me to sleep for 4324320 hours!

Yoda sleep meme. Found on Awesome Inventions.

Bibliography: Filipino Popular Tales by Dean S. Fansler (1921). Link to online reading.