Robbie Johnson's Mythology and Folklore Blog

 I looked at the tech tips and found them very useful. One that I use more is the multiple browsers. Not only is it useful for this class, but using multiple browsers has helped me in all of my classes as well as enrolling. For some reason, when I enroll some browsers do not work. I constantly have to switch browsers in order for it to work properly for me. 

 I like how this story starts. Dante places us right in the thick of it with him and avoids any backstory that would take up time. This is an interesting way to start a story because I am so accustomed to reading the backstory of a character first. I really like this method because the reader gets to know the character as the story goes on rather than having a general idea of the character before the story starts. I also like how the author has Dante meet Virgil. Furthermore, he has Virgil explain his life story which gives the reader some back story on this new character. I like how we know a more about Virgil than we do about Dante at the beginning of the story. This was a very interesting read and I learned a lot of writing skills from it.  ( Descending Through Dante's Inferno ) Bibliography:  Dante's Divine Comedy , translated by Tony Kline (2002).

 The Robin Hood stories were very interesting. When reading these, it reminded me of high school because of the poetry. I have not had to read any poetry in college so this was a wake up call for me. I always remember not liking poetry in high school so if I were to rewrite this story, I would probably do it in a more traditional way. I liked the content of the story and it was done very well; however, I am not the biggest fan of poetry I would rather them say what they want to say and not try to make things rhyme or seem like a mystery to figure out. Overall, great read and I learned a lot from it.  ( Robin Hood ) Bibliography:  The English and Scottish Popular Ballads  by Francis James Child (1882-1898).

 This story was much different to read than any of the other stories I have read this semester. It was written as a poem in structure and it had a rhyme to it. I thought this could be a very interesting way to write a story, but also very challenging. I think because it would be such a challenge, it would make the story so much better and more impressive. It would take a lot of effort and encouragement for me to write a story like this but I just might end up doing it. I liked how they made it a rhyme but also ensured that no content was missed out on and the story was still easy to follow. Overall, this was a great learning experience.  ( Robin Hood ) Bibliography:  The English and Scottish Popular Ballads  by Francis James Child (1882-1898).

 Not as long ago as you would typically think, the possum was by far the coolest animal on the planet. The possum was the superior house-pet and was considered to be a luxury to own. While these animals were not the smartest by any means, they had these luxurious and beautiful tails covered with hair in intricate patterns and colors. Only the wealthiest people could afford these incredibly expensive animals.  One winter morning, a little girl asked her mother for a possum for Christmas. Her mother kindly told her that she did not think they could afford these animals because they were not a wealthy family. The little girl did not understand what life was like as an adult, so she got really angry and sad. All she wanted was a possum because all of her friends had one. The little girl went back to school and told her friends that she could not get a possum like them because her family could not afford it. Instead of being good friends and trying to raise money or let her play with their

 This story was very interesting to me because I absolutely hate possums. I do not know why I am so afraid of them because they are helpful to the environment by eating ticks and mosquitos, but I just think they are the creepiest looking animals. One thing that makes them even more creepy to me is the weird naked tail. I thought it was very cool that this story gave a background explanation on why their tail is this way. I thought it was very clever how they wrote the story and made the tail bare. I liked how they created a backstory on how the possum used to have the prettiest tail of all of the animals and was so proud of it. This was an interesting story and I could see myself rewriting it with my own twist.  ( possum ) Bibliography:  Myths of the Cherokee  by James Mooney (1900).