Author Archives: mujahidn

The Fox and the Rooster

Nationality: Pakistani
Age: 73
Occupation: Homemaker
Residence: Bahadur Khan, Attock, Pakistan
Performance Date: 04/23/2020
Primary Language: Panjabi
Language: Urdu

Context: The following is a story told by the informant, my grandmother, when recounting to me a story she had heard during childhood. 

Background: My grandmother heard this story from her older cousin when chatting after school. She remembers it because unlike most stories she heard, this one was from someone closer in age to her.

Main piece: 

Once there was a fox that lived in the forest. Seeing a rooster sitting in a tree, the fox was eager to sink her teeth into it. Thinking about what a nice meal it would make, the fox decided to come up with a plan to get the rooster out of the tree. After thinking long and hard, the fox approached the tree and called out to the rooster, “Rooster! How are you doing today?”

The rooster responded, “I’m doing just fine, thanks to your prayers.”

“Did you know that there has been a new change in the forest?” the fox asked sneakily. 

This was news to the rooster, who hadn’t heard anything, so he asked in return, “No, what do you mean?”

“A decision has been made that from now on, everyone in the forest will live in peace and harmony. You don’t have to be scared of me anymore. Come, get down from that tree and let’s just sit in the shade and chat,” said the fox, greedily eyeing the bird.

“Oh really?” replied the rooster. “That’s great! Actually, I see that someone is coming over quickly.” Hearing this, the fox became frightened and looked around cautiously.

“Someone is coming? Who? Tell me quickly!” the fox said, afraid a predator might be approaching.

Seeing her reaction, the rooster was confused and said, “It’s just some hunting dogs, and they’re closing in fast. Why are you so frightened? Now that everyone is living in peace and harmony, we can all sit together and relax. Come, let’s wait for them to get here.”

Knowing her plan had been foiled, the fox could only grit her teeth and mumble an excuse that she had somewhere else to be before darting off into the forest, stomach empty.

Analysis: This story has the common trait of a more “evil” character that wants to hurt, or in this case eat, the “innocent” character, but has their plans ruined, either by being outwitted or mere happenstance. In this case, the narrative is quite open to interpretation as to whether the rooster actually did see the hunting dogs coming, or was clever enough to conjure up that tale to scare the fox off. Also, knowing the age of the storyteller to be quite young, it is no surprise that this tale focuses more heavily on entertainment than teaching a lesson or moral, although this could also be due to the way it was retold, perhaps being told to the girl in a different manner or emphasizing different parts of the tale.

Earthquake on a Bull’s Horns

Nationality: Pakistani, American
Age: 53
Occupation: Computer Programmer
Residence: 11048 Washington Blvd Apt 306
Performance Date: 4/25/2020
Primary Language: English
Language: Urdu, Punjabi

Context: The following is an account from the informant, my father, that was told to him in a casual setting during his childhood in a Pakistani village.

Background: The informant was recounting some sayings and stories that his eldest aunt used to tell him and other children during the day, sometimes while she was working. This particular piece was collected soon after an earthquake occurred. As a child, he recalls being captivated by such fantastical stories, although he is not sure whether the adults actually believed them or merely told them to children to entertain them.

Main piece: 

Informant: (After an earthquake) How can an earthquake happen? The whole ground was shaking!

Aunt: You should know that the earth is held up by a huge bull. He supports the whole world by balancing it on one of his horns. When he gets tired of holding it up, the bull switches the earth to his other horn, causing an earthquake to occur.

Analysis: This story is fascinating to me because it isn’t immediately apparent how such a myth was introduced to the area my father was growing up in. After some digging, it appears there may be a basis for this story in medieval Islamic cosmography, the unorthodox ideas relating to the structure of the universe held by some scholars of the time period. It has also been claimed that this could be derived from the biblical Leviathan. There is also a very similar Bosnian-Slavic myth, Tur, which tells of a giant bull that lives underground, causing earthquakes when he moves his horn, and even similarities to the Greek myth of Atlas holding up the world on his shoulders. 

For a very similar relation of this myth, see chapter 5 in the book Developments in Earth Surface Processes volume 17, Earthquakes and Coseismic Surface Faulting on the Iranian Plateau: A Historical, Social and Physical Approach.

Coronavirus Joke

Nationality: Bangladeshi, American
Age: 25
Occupation: QA Tester
Residence: Aletta Blvd, Culver City, CA
Performance Date: 04/05/2020
Primary Language: English

Context: The following is a joke told by the informant, my friend, in person when hiking before the trails were closed. 

Background: For a while early in the lockdown period, my friends and I continued hiking while maintaining social distancing rules set by the state. While doing so, one of them told us perhaps the most common and overused joke since the pandemic began.

Main piece: 

Q: What goes great with a Coronavirus?

A: Lyme disease

Analysis: The joke plays on the fact that Coronavirus has the word ‘corona’ in it, a common brand of beer, and that ‘Lyme’ sounds like ‘lime’, which is commonly put in beer. Although it is merely a joke, there was some concern about Corona beer according to some surveys, although Corona itself claims that is misinformation and that their business is doing very well. This joke is a bit dark in that it directly uses serious diseases for it’s punchline.

Coronavirus ‘Inside Joke’

Nationality: Pakistani, American
Age: 17
Occupation: Student
Residence: 11048 Washington Blvd Apt 306
Performance Date: 04/22/2020
Primary Language: English
Language: Urdu

Context: The following is a joke told by the informant, my youngest sister in a relaxed setting at home. 

Background: After work and classes were canceled, my youngest sister told my family and I this joke that she heard from her friend online. This was in the earlier days when everything had just closed down and many people were still quarantining to ensure that they hadn’t come into contact with the disease and wouldn’t spread it further unknowingly.

Main piece: 

Q: What types of jokes are allowed during the Coronavirus?

A: Inside jokes

Analysis: The joke here is obvious, with the answer of ‘inside joke’ referring to remaining inside, quarantining, and social distancing during the Coronavirus pandemic. While this is a joke about the Coronavirus, it is not one that is especially controversial or dark, focusing more on our response and measures taken than the disease itself.

Corona Lisa Meme

Nationality: Pakistani
Age: 42
Occupation: Surgeon
Residence: CMH Residence, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Performance Date: 4/22/2020
Primary Language: English
Language: Urdu

Context: The following is a meme from the informant, my maternal uncle. It was meant as an attempt to be humorous while showing the drastic changes in life due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Background: My uncle, being a surgeon, shared this meme that had been circulated by his fellow medical professionals. Since they work in a hospital, the Coronavirus has had a very significant impact on their lives.

Main piece: 

Analysis: This meme attempts to present a jarring image with the famous Mona Lisa presented in a gas mask. Along with playing off of the similarities with ‘Mona’ rhyming with ‘Corona’, which combined with the ridiculous appearance of a mask covering half of the painting aims to invoke laughter, the meme could also be making a more serious attempt to show just how much impact this virus has really had on our normal lives, and the lengths to which we might have to go in order to combat it.