MULAN

Main Piece:

A lot more melancholy than Disney made it – no talking cricket and dragon and shit. Was basically more realistic – cause it was real – I think.

In song form / a long poem / more rhymes + metaphors you wouldn’t get in a movie such as metaphor, beat, and rhythm.

Pushed very heavily in China because the government used it as a way to push their agenda – women equality.

Basic Premise: In the beginning a father/son has to be recruited for the war – and it was assumed as it was back then if you go to war you would die – so it was this woman who went instead for the male figure and it was a sacrifice. She fights for them in the war and comes back home safe – happy ending.

Background Information:

Why do they know this piece?

Because of school. Also his father talked about it a little bit growing up – he was a lot into history – and his sister really enjoyed the story as well.

Where/Who did they learn it from?

School mainly, some from father.

What does it mean for them?

I guess it’s just like when I was younger…now it’s different but back then it made me realize that damn, sometimes women can be like men – but I think that’s because back then, how I was raised, I thought guys was stronger and girls was weaker….so maybe that’s why the story really stuck out for me back then….but as I got older that story kind of faded for me.

Context of Performance:

Sitting inside friend’s room just talking.

Thoughts:

It was interesting to me to hear how the story of Mulan, the original story of it, is much more melancholy (and in a way darker) than say, the Disney version (much like the Grimm Tales).

I also find it incredibly interesting that the story’s message of gender/sex equality was used by the Chinese government as a propellant/medium to advocate gender/sex equality to the public – and I was also interested in how my friend was deeply affect by this in his childhood – and that through this story he was able to view his sister in a different, more equal way – that these stories do have power to change us into perhaps better versions of ourselves, or at least open our eyes a bit wider.

For another version/annotations of Mulan:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Mulan

JONAH AND THE WHALE

Main Piece:

Biblical story where Jonah was sent to Genovia or something and they were very sinful there so he gets on a ship and try to escape but a whale swallows him and he’s there for 3 days in his stomach and then he realizes that he has to go because God wants him to go.

Background Information:

Why do they know this piece?

Significantly I remember growing up going to Sunday school we would watch Veggie Tales movies – vegetables reacting stories about the bible – and this particular story was from a Veggie Tales Movie.

Where/Who did they learn it from?

Veggie Tales Movie

What does it mean for them?

Personally it means that sometimes you have to things you don’t want to do – and that goes with your normal life – you gotta do homework and you gotta do it and even if you avoid it you still end up doing it. Kind of reminds me like hey, just do it! If you do it fast enough you’ll have more time later for yourself!

Context of Performance:

Sitting inside friend’s room just talking.

Thoughts:

Again, it is interesting to me how folktales can be learned in such distorted mediums (that may still be accurate to what they were before originally) such as Veggie Tales, and that some people learn about this folklore/tale only through this medium and may not have any idea of the original story/version.

PINOCCHIO

Main Piece:

So this is a story basically its this man creates a puppet and he comes alive (don’t remember how, maybe a fairy grants him magical powers?) and starts living a normal life but he ends up hanging out with the wrong crowd and lying – and whenever he lies his nose gets bigger and that was very significant to me because it kind of tells you your lies will always be present and seen.

And so he becomes a real boy, and he gets swallowed by a whale and he lives there for a bit and then he comes out and then I think he becomes a real boy at the end.

Background Information:

Why do they know this piece?

Disney Movie

Where/Who did they learn it from?

Disney Movie

What does it mean for them?

Just whenever you lie, your lies don’t go away, your lies are on you and they show on you and eventually everything falls apart because you just cant fix it sometimes so its better not to lie – also reminds me of the boy who cried wolf – when there was actually a wolf no one believed him – so I think that and Pinocchio really reinforces not lying – probably showing this to kids to help them do the right thing when they grow up – like why would Pinocchio’s nose grow?

Context of Performance:

Sitting inside friend’s room just talking.

Thoughts:

I believe it is interesting that these stories that we learn when we are young can be ingrained so deeply within our psyche (after all, the narratives we hold is what defines our identity as humans) that it molds the way we behave through carving our morals, ethics, etc.

BLOODY MARY

Main Piece:

So I think there’s a lot of different versions of this story but this is a story about a woman who had specifically three children and these children  – it depends on the version – some popel say they were just murdered and some people say that they killed them herself tis just a scary story your family kinda tells you and the thing is if you say – her children died obviously – but when she died her ghost is present in the world so whenever people say her name three times she comes up and haunts you/kills you.

I think it’s in front of a mirror (if you say her name then) cause you have to see her ghost or something.

Background Information:

Why do they know this piece?

Again, from family, they’re always trying to scare you in some way –I remember family gatherings at night the cousins try to scare each other as much as possible at night with ghost/scary stories.

Where/Who did they learn it from?

Cousins, at the end of a party, family birthday party, my 10^th birthday party.

What does it mean for them?

Honestly I think it’s just about passing on stories because this significance doesn’t bring up anything particularly for me – I wasn’t really scared of her – but I just played along with the story because everyone did but its just something that our family would do – the adults would be doing something and the children would gather together and tell ghost stories – not sure if this is just a South American thing but we tell a lot of these stories – this was one of the more significant stories we told each other and now it just reminds me of those family gatherings we had.

Also reminds me of / reflects my belief in ghosts/the supernatural – I always believed in ghosts and I always think of tortured souls and souls that could never pass on to peace because they were left with something and it kind of reminds me of how there’s still supernatural activity in the world.

Context of Performance: Sitting inside friend’s room just talking.

Thoughts:

I, too have heard of the story/folklore of Bloody Mary and just like the subject said, you’re not supposed to say Bloody Mary three times in front of a mirror (I might mention that for my case of Bloody Mary, you’re also supposed to do it in the dark, in the middle of the night).