Reading Notes: Alaskan Legends Unit Part A

For my reading choice this week, I chose to do a story from the Alaskan Legends unit. As I was reading through the stories, I truly liked the idea of the Raven’s Creation. In this short story, they show how a man came from a pea pod, and transformed into a ma; it is also shown how a Raven transformed as well. Throughout this story it shows how the Raven feeds the man, turns clay into animals, and give him companions. I would change this story to the Raven not transforming, but being able to communicate to the man still. The Raven would try and still make companions, but only the Raven would see what it was trying to create. The man himself, would only see clay. While the Raven was doing his best to comfort the man and make him things to bring the man pleasure, only the Raven could see its creations. The man would only sit back and laugh at the Raven for not making anything real. While the man was watching the Raven slave over making things for him, he would not appreciate any of it. He would sit in silence, except for the laughter, and watch him fail at making him things. By the end of this story, the man would have nothing- no friends, no food, and no animals. The Raven on the other hand, saw everything; and while it would try and convince the man to enjoy his products, it decided to leave the man alone. All of the animals, food, and friends the Raven thought it made would vanish. Because if no one can see the items the Raven made, then they would vanish.

Raven

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This story is part of the Alaskan Legends unit. Story source:Myths and Legends of Alaska, edited by Katharine Berry Judson (1911).