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?