Week 11 Essay

While I did enjoy the readings (my favorite of which being the Mahabharata), the Untextbook is definitely one of my favorite options. I think what makes the untextbook option so much fun is that there is so much variety with that option because you are able to read so many different stories.

This week I read the Santal Folktales. I thought some of the stories were interesting and entertaining, but this was not my favorite unit thus far. My personal favorite was definitely the Indian Fairy Tales. The stories were not too long and not too detailed but they were incredibly fun and entertaining. I wish that I were able to read them again and do another storytelling from this unit because I just loved it so much! I had read them once before last semester for Mythology and Folklore and did, what I consider, one of my best storytellings from that unit.

Back to the Santal Folktales… I am not quite sure why, but for some reason I had a difficult time deciding what to do for my storytelling. I had to have written at least the beginnings of three different stories and I still could not decide on which one to do. The stories were just not as exciting as some of the previous units and I found them to be more difficult when thinking creatively. Unfortunately it did not meet my expectations for this week, which was a little disappointing. Usually while I am reading I will be in the middle of a story and my mind will just start coming up with a storytelling. It is like a zap or like something within me just takes over, in a creative way of course! This one unit in particular did not seem to have as many connections as previous units I have read, but they were not bad.  

Busy Street in India (Source)