1. PROCESS/DO How can I better understand my identity as an Asian?

2. THE SOUL OF THE GREAT BELL by Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904)

3. Folktales are oral narratives that do not have a singular, identifiable author. Expanded and shaped by the tongues of tellers over time, and passed down from one generation to the next, folktales often reflect the values and customs of the culture from which they come. Because folktale plots are generally concerned with life's universal themes, they also transcend their culture of origin to reveal the commonality of human experience. This ancient form of narrative communication for both education and entertainment, not only offers a window into other cultures, but also can be a revealing mirror of the comedy and pathos of our lives.

4. Act. 3: Vocabulary Overload Go over the following terms or expressions taken from the Soul of the Great Bell. Read them to yourself and figure out the meaning of each italicized word using context clues. Put a check mark in the circle of your chosen answer.

5. In the Tower of the Great Bell: now the (1) mallet is lifted to (2) smite the lips of the metal monsterthe vast lips inscribed with Buddhist texts. A mallet is _______ a hammer an axe a saw To smite is to ________ hit touch caress

6. All the little dragons on the high-tilted eaves of the green roofs (3) shiver to the tips of their gilded tails under that deep wave of sound. Shiver means to _______ fall on ones knees tremble at the loud sound be destroyed by the gilded tails

7. All the green-and-gold tiles of the temple are vibrating; the wooden goldfish above them are (4) writhing against the sky. writhing means ________ twisting pointing leading

8. Therefore, the worthy mandarin Kouan-Yu assembled the master-molders and the renowned bellsmiths of the empire, and all men of great repute and (5) cunning in (6) foundry work. cunning means _______ innocent expert skillful foundry means _______ act, process, art of making plastic act, process, art of casting metals act, process, art of painting metals

9. Therefore, the molds had to be once more prepared, and the fires (7) rekindled, and the metal remelted, and all the work tediously and (8) toilsomely repeated. rekindled means_____ lighted again set on fire again stopped the fire toilsomely means_____ with difficulty lightly unmindfully

10. 9. Gold and brass will never meet in wedlock, silver and iron never will embrace, until the flesh of a maiden be melted in the crucible; until the blood of a virgin be mixed with the metals in their fusion. What does this mean? Gold, brass, silver and iron will never be fused together by a virgin maiden The blood of a virgin maiden mixed with gold, brass, silver and iron Gold, brass, silver and iron will fuse when mixed with the blood of a virgin

11. And even as she cried, she 10 leaped into the white flood of metal. Leaped means to _____ squat jump run

12. 11. And still, between each mighty stroke there is a long low moaning heard; and ever the moaning ends with a sound of sobbing and of complaining, as though a weeping woman should murmur, Hiai! There are words with similar meaning in the given statement. What are they? Between, low, end, stroke, ever Moaning, sobbing, complaining, weeping, murmuring Stroke, long, low, murmur, sound

13. THE SOUL OF THE GREAT BELL by Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904)

14. What are you willing to sacrifice for your family?

15. Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) Hearn was an American journalist whose parents were Irish and Greek. He spent the latter part of his life in Japan later marrying a Japanese girl. His interest in the Oriental culture inspired him to write the English version of well-loved Chinese and Japanese folktales. When he became a Japanese citizen, he took the name Yakumo Kaizumi. As you read, try to understand the values and traditions of the Chinese as reflected in this folktale.

16. THE SOUL OF THE GREAT BELL by Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904)

17. Act. 4: Spin A Story Wheel Answer the questions in the story wheel to get to know more about the folktale.

18. Who are involved? Yong- Lo, emperor of Ming Dynasty Kouan-Yu, official from the city of Peking Ko-Ngai, daughter of Kouan Yu

19. Where did this happen? A long time ago in the city of Peking, China during the Ming dynasty

20. When did this happen? Ancient China, during the Ming Dynasty

21. What happened? Yong-Lo, the mighty emperor of the Ming Dynasty commanded the Kouan Yu, one of his officials to cast a great bell of an enormous size that the sound could be heard for one hundred li. The bell should be made of brass, gold and silver. Furthermore, he ordered that the bells lips should be engraved with blessed sayings.

22. What happened? Though all the master molders were tasked to cast the great bell, all the metals would not mix well. The bell they casted was cracked, fissured and split. There was even no uniformity in the sound. The mighty emperor heard of it and he was angry. He gave one final order that if the bell wouldnt be done, Kouan Yu had to die.

23. What happened? This worried his beautiful daughter, Ko Ngai who asked for a fortune tellers advice to help his father. The advice was for the bell to be casted perfectly a virgin blood must be mixed with the metals. Ko Ngai sacrificed her life and leaped to the furnace. After that, the casting of the great bell was accomplished.

24. How was the story told? *The story was told in a third persons point of view that of a narrator/author. Most folktales are told in a third person point of view.

25. Why did the author tell this story? To emphasize strong family devotion among the Chinese To show that obedience was imperative among the people of ancient China To come up with a legend for one of the great bells in China

26. Act. 5: RING THAT BELL You have just read the Soul of the Great Bell. Have you noticed the descriptions of the bell? Fill out the bells description on the corresponding columns and answer the questions that follow.

27. Description of the Bell Before KoNgai leaped to the furnace (Indicate paragraph number where you found your answers) After KoNgai leaped to the furnace (Indicate paragraph number where you found your answers)

28. PROCESS QUESTIONS: 1. Why was it entitled the Soul of the Great Bell? 2. What other Chinese traditions involve bells? Compare and contrast these traditions with Filipino traditions. 3. Do Filipinos and Chinese have similar values? What makes you think so? 4. Has the story helped you understand your identity as a Filipino and as an Asian? How?