Reading

Okay this is me just being goofy, but I had to use it as my reaction to the readings. I tend to get goofy when I don't know how to react to something, and that's how I felt on many readings. They went from happy to sad to funny. this is a very good thing though. The readings were diverse and need to stay that way! Exposure to diverse things is very important I feel.

I liked the Alice In Wonderland Readings the most. It laid the ground work, creativity wise, for my entire project. Imagination brings the thing most essential to existence, emotion. Everything we do is based on how we feel. Sometimes we act on emotions even when we shouldn't, but that's real life. That's is why I like Alice In Wonderland so much, imagination inspired.

Honestly, all writing strategies were helpful so I won't elaborate on those too much.

My main thing for balance on writing, commenting, and reading was that I feel there was too much commenting. What I mean is, I like the commenting, but I didn't feel like I could give a genuine enough comment with as many we did each week. So maybe just keep the 150 word comments and get rid of the 60 word comment ones? I like the focus more on the reading and writing. This way we aren't so overwhelmed with reading a ton of comments and this balances out the comments we get from our professor. :) We just have more time overall to really dig into the comments this way without spending the majority of the time reading every other comment we have. So, keep commenting, but just decrease it a little bit.

My only advice would be to jump into the reading. Come with an open mind!

Reflections

This picture sums up my semester. I just got this headshot taken for my acting for camera career I'm pursuing. This class has made me believe in the imaginary and belief in dreaming more than before. I have learned to bring things to life in my portfolio and in turn, my real life. No joke my character development has sky rocketed. This is why I am most proud of my portfolio stories. I didn't have as much time as I'd like, but I dreamed huge. I made an epic storyline and was more creative than I have ever been. I think people saw that. I left so much out due to time constraints, but you may see this in the future. Who knows! I feel like I created something truly original. Obviously, there'd be trouble with a script like this in real life for copyright purposes, but I feel like I created something like never before. This is why I am most proud of my portfolio stories. 

My most valuable take away from this class is knowing professional structures. What I mean is, if you want to be a professional writer, know all of the rules. If I want to be an actor, I need to know the ins and outs. A person needs to know all of the essentials so they don't mess up on something elementary. Then expand from there beyond your wildest dreams. Know the rules and then expand your horizons.    

The End

(God 

Beowulf yells, "Close the gate!"

The whole town runs around in fear. Beowulf, Adam, Eve, Mr. Rabbit, and Alice all run to the top of the front gate as fast as they can. They all are knocked left and right from the sporadic crowd. Beowulf, Adam, and Eve make it to the top of the front gate. Alice and Mr. Rabbit get separated from them. 

"What do we do?" Adam and Eve cry to Beowulf. 

Beowulf picks up his sword and says, "WE FIGHT. Do not be afraid. God is on our side."

Then he yells, "Come on! Archers get ready! Fire when I say so!"

The army of devils approaches quickly. They are all in a dead sprint toward the castle. 

Beowulf tells the archers, "Wait! Wait!"

The army is nearing the castle about four hundred feet away.

Beowulf continues, "Hold! Hold!"

The men's arms get tired from holding their bows. Their aim gets more difficult. The army is two hundred feet away now. 

Beowulf gives the order, "Send these beasts back where they came from! Fire!"

Arrows knock down devil troops left and right. It looks like their attack is failing, and the castle is holding! Beowulf's army's hopes are short-lived though. The army makes its way for the castle door's main entrance. 

Eve yells, "We must make for the gate!"

Beowulf nods in approval. He and Adam follow Eve to the gate. 

Adam yells, "To the gate, men! We must fight for our lives!" 

Boom! The gate rattles. All on the inside stand behind the gate ready to give their lives. 

Beowulf looks at the men and women. They all have fear in their eyes. 

Beowulf raises his sword."With God as my witness, we will win this battle today. We shall save the town. Ready your arms and do not fear. It is time to show them what real power looks like!" 

The whole army cheers in agreement. The gate booms again. Men, women, and children cry, holding onto their last moments. One more shot at the gate and it will fall. 

A loud boom rings out as the last hit to the door clangs.  The army rushes in. They start tearing through the crowd. Beowulf, Adam, and Eve fight, keeping the battle focused on them in the middle. All of a sudden, they see a portal open up and out come Mr. Rabbit and Alice with the evil Queen of Heart's army from Wonderland. The Queen's army of cards seeks to deal the enemy a different hand this day. 

Mr. Rabbit yells, “Charge!”

Alice yells, “After them!”

The Queen of Hearts yells, “If anyone is going to cut someone's head off, it will be me Satan!”

All smile and look above the portal as it closes. They all see God winking back at them. Satan’s army is getting pushed back!

Beowulf leads the charge with his sword that magically starts flaming. He takes it and stabs it in the ground as hard as he can yelling, “Thou giveth and thou taketh away!”

Boom! A line of fire is set between Satan’s army and the castle. Satan’s army flees from the castle.

The crowd and Lord’s company are yelling shouts of joy. The whole castle can finally lay down their weapons.

God appears suddenly and says, “Beowulf, Adam, Eve, Mr. Rabbit, and Alice, you have finished your duties. It is time to go back to your homes now. “

Beowulf says, “I don’t know if I want to.”

God replies, “What?”

Eve replies, “ Yeah, I’m with him. We’ve been through too much together to call it quits now."

Eve smiles. Adam, Mr. Rabbit, and Alice nod in agreement.

God says, “ Okay then, I will watch after you. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me.”

God disappears and the heroes turn around to face the town. Cheers ring out and a large festival begins.

Author's Note: In the original story Suicide and Salvation,  Adam and Eve both decided to die because of their sin against God by listening to the serpent. The serpent told them to eat the fruit from a tree that they are not allowed to eat from. Adam and Eve, disgusted with themselves, took their lives. However, God brought them back to life and took all of their sin and put it on himself. So, God then destroyed their sin and forgave them. 

In my story, God saves our characters from death as well by bringing an army from Wonderland. I chose to write it in third person narrative because it helped me develop the story better with different voices and views of people. The goal for this story was to have a surprise moment where everyone is saved from Satan's army. I thought that was pivotal and would make for a very entertaining short story. I built the story up to have this massive ending so I figured I needed a miraculous surprise. I wanted Alice and Mr. Rabbit active. I believe they were the biggest surprise of all. My last goal was to bring the message from Suicide and Salvation into the story. In essence, I wanted to show God saving the day in a small way. I didn't want him fighting the battle for them, but to assist them. 

Bibliography: Suicide and Salvation, The Forgotten Books of Eden, Rutherford H. Platt, (1926)

Essay: Our Fears

(The Two Corpses)

Table of Contents

The Two Corpses had one fear that is completely universal to all humans, death. Two corpses chase a soldier through a cemetery. The soldier has to choose between the two most common reactions humans would have in this situation, fight or flight. What I mean is, people either will either fight back or cave in under pressure. The soldier runs into a church and waits. The two corpses get into a fight and then the soldier sneaks out untouched. The soldier was smart and fought back waiting for the opportune moment to escape. The source of the fear in this story, and really any scary story, is how unsettling the circumstances are. Then naturally, a person reading this puts themselves in the character's shoes. So, when someone sees or reads a story like this with outrageous circumstances, most of their immediate thoughts are "Oh my gosh that would suck," which leads to "What if that were me!" The source of fear is in the unsettling circumstances that make it feel real. 

In The Witch Girl, death also is the fear displayed. Death itself isn't what makes it scary though. The fact that the death comes by a Witch, evil mythical forces, is what makes it scary. In the story, a witch comes by every house in a town at night time and kills whoever she wishes. The people never know when she will strike though. The setting, nighttime, makes it really scary. No one has any idea when she strikes. So, this one has a happy ending though with a guy that cuts her arm off leaving her useless. The guy who did this, like above, fought back in challenging circumstances. People want to overcome evil and these writers did a good job playing to that. I do not know why people like to read or watch stories like this. I guess the only logical conclusion is that people liked to be scared. 

Storytelling Week 14: Corpse Brothers

(Soldier)

One day a soldier is walking to his pickup location after the war is over. He finally can go home! It is a cold night and he is walking by himself when he suddenly hears something. It sounds like a voice. 

"Ohhhhhh naaaaaoooooo!!!!!," the voice yells. 

The soldier looks around, but sees nothing. Suddenly, he hears footsteps behind him. Before the soldier can turn around he is knocked to the ground. He sees it is a corpse that has come to life that knocked him down.  The corpse stick out its long tongue as it gets closer to the soldier. It keeps getting closer and the soldier has to make a move. He kicks the corpse in its leg causing it to fall. Boom! The soldier gets knocked down again by another corpse. 

This new corpse says, "Brother are you okay?" 

His brother responds, "Yes, just trying to catch us some supper."

They both look at the soldier and smile. 

The soldier looks at them and says, "Bring it."

The corpses run at the soldier, but he clotheslines both of them. They get up ready for more. They both jump at the soldier and tackle him to the ground. The soldier punches one in the face and kicks the other in the stomach. He makes it to his feet and both corpses let out a shriek that would rattle the gates of hell. 

The soldier gets a bewildered look on his face. Suddenly, all of the graves start shaking. One by one, corpses rise from each grave. The two corpses look at the soldier with a smile. The soldier now has a limp due to the beating he took. He turns around and makes a dead sprint for his camp he just came from. He's got a mile jog to out run the corpses. 

The soldier is running and looks behind him to pure terror with hundreds of corpses chasing him. 

The soldier yells to his camp, "Help!!!!! Help!!!!!" 

Nothing happens from his yelling. He is about one hundred yards aways. The soldier falls down. The corpses are feet from him. The soldier reverts to the fetal position. 

Instantly, corpses are getting shot down. 

The soldiers lieutenant yells, "Come on run! We have cover fire! Men fire at will!"

The soldier gets up and runs crying and screaming. Corpses inches from grabbing him, but getting shot down. 

The soldier yells, "Nooooo!!!!" 

He keeps dodging bullets and explosions. 

The corpses keep falling like domino's. The soldier makes it to camp  and jumps over the wire fence with a corpse still behind him. The corpse jumps after him, but the lieutenant shoots it in mid-air with a shot gun blowing it back to hell. The soldier made it and will wait to leave with his whole company to head home.   

Author's Note: I chose the third person narration style because its just easier for me truthfully. It feels more natural for me to write that way. My main goal for this story was to keep the happy ending with the soldier ending up alive, but make it much more difficult and dramatic for him to escape. 

In the original story,The Two Corpses, a soldier walks through a cemetery and gets chased into a church by a corpse. The corpse that chased him runs into another corpse in the church and they end up in a fight killing each other. Thus, the soldier escapes free easy. So, as stated above, I changed everything after the soldier's first confrontation with a corpse.  

Bibliography:The Two Corpses, Russian Fairy Tales, W. R. S. Ralston, (1887)

Reading Diary B: Russian Folk Tales

(The Witch Girl)

Table of Contents

The Witch Girl was such a great story! Wow, I never thought I would see what they were writing about. The most interesting thing I found about this story is the people's resiliency. A witch would come into a house and all would fear knowing a witch is coming at some point. The witch comes silently and kills. So, I wondered why the people just let this continue to happen. Their resiliency was very low. This made the hero, the Cossack, even better though! The witch comes in and he listens to his natural instincts, which is to protect everyone in the house he is staying in for the night. The witch came in and the Cossack cut her arm off. Everyone was alive and they went to search for the witch and found a little girl missing an arm. Finally, one person stood against her and ended this dreadful streak! I couldn't believe it took so long for someone to do that.

The Two Corpses was a very interesting story. Its about a soldier that escapes two corpses that come alive and chase him. The corpses end up getting into a fight and fall lifeless leaving the soldier to leave safely. The most interesting thing I found about this story was the shock value. The story was flowing like normal and all of a sudden you hear that a corpse is chasing the soldier. That freaked me out pretty good. Could you imagine anything worse? You are headed home in the dark and get chased by a corpse? It would be terrifying. I thought the writer did a very good job in making this a frightful piece. 

Reading Diary A: Russian Folktales

(The Dead Mother)

Table of Contents

The Dead Mother was a very depressing story. A mother dies giving birth to a child, but then comes back as a ghost feeding the baby every night. The baby cries all day long and is soothed by the dead mother at night. The husband sees this and then finds that the baby is dead. What I find most interesting about this is that someone chose to write about this topic. Who would want to write about this? I think its someone trying to express their pain they have experienced. That's what I find most intriguing. I hope, whether the story is true or not, that individual who wrote this has found peace in some way. 

Friday had a happier ending thank goodness. A mother did not honor Mother Friday resulting in a consequence. Mother Friday came into the mother's house and filled her eyes with dust to where she couldn't see. The mother then passed out and woke up in shock. She cried out to Mother Friday for a pardon and Mother Friday cleared her eyes. I chuckled a little bit reading this because it seems like someone got in trouble with their mother! That's what's most interesting to me! How even a story about filling someone's eyes with dust can be frightening if your mother is involved in the punishment. If mom isn't happy, no one is happy. 

Both stories were polar opposites, but I think held great value. It is amazing what people will write about. I especially wonder what inspired many of the writings. 

Portfolio Guide

 Alice and Rabbit in Eden
Alice runs into Mr. Rabbit and they suddenly fall into a new world. They see they're in the Garden of Eden. They discover their true calling and fight for survival. The world is in their hands.

Finding Beowulf
Alice, Mr. Rabbit, Adam, and Eve run into Beowulf. Beowulf has lost his kingdom due to a dragon that has taken everything from him. Alice, Mr. Rabbit. Adam, and Eve help Beowulf by delivering a gift from God that will help him defeat the dragon so he can lead God's armies. They plan to strike at dawn.

Battle Inferno
Alice, Mr. Rabbit, Adam, Eve, and Beowulf find the dragon, but find out things aren't what they seem. The enemy has been waiting. Beowulf must look within himself to find courage to fight for his friends. It's either win, or die trying.

The Deep Silence Before the Plunge
The whole crew is shown another world after defeating the dragon. However this time, the real Devil shows himself. The fight comes to our heroes Beowulf, Adam, Eve, Alice, and Mr. Rabbit in a castle that offers no escape. Let the greatest battle of time commence.

The End
Satan's army of Thirty million crashes into the castle. It is overrun, and hope looks bleak. The heroes must fight with all their might and pray for a miracle.

Storytelling For Week 12: The Tortoise and the Two Ducks

(15th Century Illustration)

One day a tortoise was walking and saw her two duck friends. They all walk up to say hello and see how each other are doing. The tortoise tells the ducks she doesn't want to have to walk to the market and might be late for her family dinner tonight. The ducks get an idea. They tell the tortoise that they can help. The offer to fly the tortoise. She responds to both ducks in laughter and looks at them like they are crazy. The ducks go and find a stick to show the tortoise what they mean. The tortoise tells them that she doesn't fetch like a dog. They just tell her to bite onto the stick and as she does so she slowly lifts of the ground.

The tortoise can't believe it. She looks down and all three start cheering, as much as possible, for what they accomplished. The ducks tell the tortoise she'll be back in plenty of time. Suddenly, something zooms past them. They look back, but se nothing. They look to their other side and see a group of hawks flying in attack mode. The ducks yell to hold on. The hawks fly by left and right causing the ducks to loose grip on the stick. 

The tortoise can't hold on any longer and falls screaming. She falls down, down, down. The ducks no longer see the tortoise and fear the worst. Suddenly, they hear a yell to the hawks telling them to go away. It's the tortoise riding a hawk fighting back! The tortoise gets in front of the ducks to help protect them on her hawk. Three hawks fly straight toward them. The tortoise drops down at last second and the three hawks are close lined by the stick. The hawks get angrier now and come full force. 

The ducks and tortoise decide to head back home because it is too dangerous. The hawks file in one after another after them. The chase goes on closer to the ground weaving through trees and bushes. The hawks no longer see the ducks or tortoise. Suddenly, the ducks family shows up out of nowhere and starts an all out attack. The hawks, although larger, cannot handle their numbers and are forced to leave. Everyone laughs in celebration and the tortoise jokingly tells the ducks she'll just walk next time. The ducks laugh back and invite the tortoise over for dinner since she wasn't able to make a trip to gather food. The tortoise agrees and enjoys a feast as well as the spoils of victory. 

Author's Note: The Tortoise and the Two Ducks I wrote in third person narrative form because it allowed me to focus on the action in this story more than I normally wanted to. That was the man goal for this story was to add more action to change the fate of the tortoise that originally dies from riding the stick with the ducks. The only change is the reasoning the tortoise falls. Originally it is because of the tortoise cheering to a crowd beneath her while she loses grip on the stick in her mouth. Everything up to the tortoise gripping the stick is true and the rest I changed. 

Bibliography:The Tortoise and the Two Ducks, The Fables of La Fontaine, Elizur Wright, (1882) 

Reading Diary B: Fables of La Fontaine

(Illustration in Steinhowel's Aesop)

Table of Contents

The Frogs Asking a King was very interesting to me because it was about frogs asking their king for a favor. The thing is though, they were too afraid to ask. The most interesting thing I found about this story is why the frogs are afraid of the king. When I picture being afraid of an animal king, I do not think of something like a frog. I think of something like a lion or panther. So, the fact that a frog was feared is interesting to me. It shows in the story the king's distasteful personality and I think that sells the character. I still think to myself though that he's just a frog and not a physical specimen that couldn't be dealt with. So, overall that was an interesting route I think that the writer took. 

The Tortoise and the Two Ducks

In this story, a tortoise takes two ducks up on an offer about flying. The tortoise bites onto a stick they are holding and then they take flight. The tortoise while flying sees a crowd and they cheer "the tortoise queen!" The tortoise replies in affirmation, but this leads to her death. Since, she spoke she lost grip on the stick and fell to her doom. So, the most interesting part of the story to me is when the tortoise falls. It tells me to always be thinking and stay on guard. You never know what action might be your last. We all think tomorrow is assumed. Be thankful for what you have and continuously recognize that. 

Reading Diary A: Fables of La Fonatine

(illustration by Salomon)

Table of Contents

The Horse Wishing To Be Revenged On The Stag was an interesting story because it tells how horses were before they were used by men. A horse sought to help a man and does so, but the man requests that the horse stays with him. The man wanted this because of how useful the horse was. The horse out of grief stayed, but ended up dying in  his stall after living a long life. The horse regretted staying wit the man. The most interesting part of the story to me was the human-like qualities of the horse. The horse understood everything and communicated with the man. I think this concept, even though animals don't talk, stays true today. What I mean is, that animals read what people are doing and many are treated unfairly. We tend to not think of animals as their own person. We think we own them. I think this story shows to respect animals or they will live a dreadful life. 

The Ass and the Dog tells a similar story as above. A donkey seeks to rest while a dog seeks to eat. The thing is their master is sleeping on the donkey and neither can get caught resting or eating. The dog tempts the donkey to let him eat while the donkey lays down a bit. The donkey doesn't let the dog eat, but gets caught in the process of resting when his master awakes. The master disciplined the donkey for resting. Again, We forget animals have souls too. I think this story shows, like above, that people need to put animals regards into their minds. In other words, treat others how you would like to be treated, even if its a non-threatening animal. 

Essay: Magic and the Supernatural

(Excalibur, by Howard Pyle)

Table of Contents

The Sword Excalibur 

In this story, the major magical element that happened was when King Arthur and Merlin go to get the sword they have been longing for. Again, I already stated this in one of my posts earlier, but I expected Arthur to pull the sword out of a stone. What actually happened was that a hand magically appeared and was grasping a sword coming out of the water. this was rather shocking. Later on in the stories you learn that there is even more emphasis on finding the holy graal. This makes me think that the sword appearing to the men this way was from spiritual forces. I personally think God was aiding them in this story so they can fulfill their journey.  I thought it was really cool because it literally seems like the hand of God was in their favor. They were apart of something miraculous! 

The Adventure of Sir Bors

In this story, Sir Bors is a man that is completely pure, but is tempted along his journey to break that trend. Bors runs into his brother and they enter into a fight. They exchange blows for quite some time and then Bors decides that he is going to kill his brother. Right when he is about to strike, both of their shields light on fire, smoke fills the air, and each fall unconscious. This is supernatural work again I believe. Whenever I read it, I saw this as God looking out for his son and protecting him in a time of weakness. It is really cool because if you believe in a God, it makes you think about your life and what supernatural instances might have occurred. For instance, I almost went with my sister in her car one time, but I decided not too because she was emotionally distraught. She wrecked and the passenger side, where I would have been, was wrapped around a telephone pole. I would have died. I believe God gave me that wisdom to not go that time. My sister came out fine and is safe. 

Storytelling Week 12: Brotherly Love

(Sir Bors Illustration)

Sir Bors is a man that has lived his life completely pure and is on his way to recieve the holy graal. Bors runs into a man on the way though that is even more upright with righteousness than himself. The good man tells Sir Bors that in order for him to receive the holy graal he must confess his sins. Sir Bors does this and allows the good man to cloak him with some linen to remind him to stay pure. Sir Bors gets back on track and heads fir the holy graal. 

As Sir Bors travels, he runs in to his brother John by chance in a town square. Bors asks why John is not at home watching over the family. John tells Bors that he left to come help him on his journey to the holy graal. Bros breaks out in anger. He yells at him calling him a fool leaving the family with no protection when the enemy army katars lurks through the land without any warning. John tries to explain himself, but their voiced exchanges become even more heated. Bors commands John goes back home now. John refuses the command. 

John and Bors look at each other and run with all their might towards the other. They both throw their bodies in the air and collide. They fall to the ground and start hitting back and forth. Bors breaks John's nose. John gives Bors a black eye. Suddenly, an arrow lands at their feet in the ground. They both look up to see they are surrounded by hooded warriors. John and Sir Bors take refuge behind their shields. Once the warriors were out of arrows, the brothers looked at each other with a smile thinking the same thing, "our turn." The brothers charge and fight for their lives. Back to back they fight with enemies closing in on all sides. John rolls over Bors back to protect his weak side. Bors yells for John to duck as he throws a dagger at an oncoming attacker. There are three men left and both brothers throw their swords at two killing them. Sir Bors grabs his bow and with careful aim waits patiently for his shot to clear of the fleeing attacker. Its clear and he releases a perfect shot. The brother look on the cloak on one warrior to see why they attacked. They had papers that are Latin, but read "Graal Elite." The brothers continue on their journey. 

Author's Note: I chose third person narration as the storytelling style because it gives this parable a more epic feel. My main goal for this story was to change the way Sir Bors and his brother get out of fighting one another while keeping Sir Bors pure. 

In the original story, The Adventure if Sir Bors, Sir Bors (pure  in heart man) meets a good man that has him confess his sins so he can receive the holy graal. Sir Bors in his travels has his purity tested while getting into a fight with his brother. When Sir Bors was about to kill his brother without good reason, both brother's shields burn  falling to the ground. Both become unconscious and wake up with no memory of the event. Sir Bors then continues on his travels. 

The main difference my story had was just bringing the brothers together in my story through protecting one another (God's Plan). 

Bibliography:The Adventure if Sir Bors, King Arthur: The Tales of the Round Table, Andrew Lang (1902)

Reading Diary B: King Arthur Unit

(Gawaine, by Howard Pyle)

Table of Contents

Sir Gawaine and the Hermit

This story was very interesting because Gawaine and the Hermit are turned away from the Holy Graal. They are not let in because of their sins and are warned by a floating hand that the Holy Graal will bring them much dismay. They decide to believe in what they are told and leave. This strikes me as very odd. They go through every difficult circumstance, work hard, and just give up. I do not understand that. I think that it is good that they listened, but if they are as sinful as the mystical hand suggested, wouldn't greed take over their hearts? I feel like they would press onward. I will say though that I am glad they end up being safe. IT is a happy ending for them. That's the other interesting thing. Most of the time when a story is written, it has a happy ending. This one does and it makes it appealing to the reader. Maybe there's another correlation in our next story! lol

The Adventure of Sir Bors

The most interesting thing I found about Sir Bors in this story what happens when he runs into a good man. The man told Bors to he must confess his sins and live a pure life. So Bors confesses to the good man his sins. Next, the good man gives Bors a shirt to wear that is a sign of purity. Bors is sent to live a pure life and he gets tested. He almost hits his brother, but a voice tells him not too and both of their shields burn. Neither are harmed. I think that this was God being portrayed in the story to show how mysterious he is. It also shows you that he is always there with you. I do not think it means God will literally show up with smoke. It just means he is omnipresent. So, God saved him. I think it is very interesting because God could transport these men immediately to the Holy Graal with power like that. God understands the importance of the journey to the Holy Graal and that it in order to receive something holy you must prepare yourself by experiencing that holiness. The men not killing each other above is a prime example of this. 

Reading Diary A: King Arthur Unit

(Excalibur, by Howard Pyle)

Table of Contents

The Sword Excalibur

So, the thing I found so interesting is how the sword was found. In my mind, I was picturing Arthur pulling the sword out of a stone. It did not play out this way. Arthur shows up with Merlin and suddenly a hand grasping a sword comes out of the water. Neither Merlin or Arthur react like this is a strange thing to happen. It was like they are comfortable with seeing things. I am not criticizing the writer, but I feel like there needs to be a more shocked reaction for when the sword comes out of the water. 

The Coming of the Holy Graal

This story was surprising because it was extremely sad. I pictured a bunch of men getting together and deciding to go after the holy graal in huge uproar and vigor. I pictured men clanging drinks together, singing, and dancing. This was not the case though. The king announced their journey for the holy graal in a positive manner and his close friend spoke up. His friend gave the king a realistic outlook. He told the king to think about his wife and his friends. The king realized he would lose many lives, possibly his. He thought about his wife and what it would do to her if he did. However, the king still decided to go on the journey. Here's the thing though; they all left the next morning on separate paths for the graal. The king was deeply saddened. I would never have thought a quest for something so amazing would end so sadly.  

The Deep Silence Before the Plunge

(Hero Commander)

Beowulf falls down with the dragon and he bodyrolls. 

The dragon looks at Beowulf and utters his last words, "This isn't over."

The dragon lets out an ear-piercing scream. Suddenly, the time travel portal opens again. 

They hear God's voice saying, "Come on! Run, you fools!"

Mr. Rabbit, Alice, Adam, Beowulf, and Eve jump into the portal without question. They all are screaming as they are weightless and have no control. All of a sudden, boom! They all hit the ground after falling out of the portal. 

Eve yells to God, "What is the meaning of this? We have done what you have asked."

Mr. Rabbit follows her lead. "Yes! I am homesick and wish to go back now." 

God speaks, "You have one last task. You must defeat Satan's army."

Adam says, "We know bu-"

God replies, "No buts. If you do not defeat him, we all will perish. When you killed the dragon, you saved one of my worlds. Satan has control over every world currently but that one you just saved. The only way for Satan to be in total control is for you to lose the battle against his army. I waited to send you on this journey late into other realms so you could pass through them unsuspected since he leaves once he's conquered land."

Alice, "So where are we? What do we do, God?"

God says, "Follow this road you've landed on to the castle. Satan will arrive at dawn for battle."

Beowulf looks up and says, "Will we hear from you again?" 

God says, "Only if you need me. I am never far off."

God closes the portal and leaves them. 

Beowulf says, "Okay, let's move out."

They walk to the castle and are very tired by the end. 

The castle guard yells from the top of the wall, "Who goes there?"

Beowulf responds, "God's chosen company. I am Beowulf and this is Alice, Mr. Rabbit, Adam, and Eve."  

The guard eagerly opens the door. When it finally opens, a cheering crowd meets them. The whole crew is greeted with phrases like "The last warriors!" "Saviors!" "Finally, at last."

The whole crew is taken to the king of Mecken, the final free realm. He greets them with joyous laughter, "Finally, the ones who will save us!" 

Eve responds, "Sir, Satan is coming and we must act quickly before he catches us off guard."

Alice responds, "This is true. If you haven't fortified, you must."

Mr. Rabbit, "We are hilariously out numbered."

The king replies, "We are fortified. We have just been waiting on you friends!" 

Beowulf talks quickly, "Okay, well, lets talk fighting strategies then."

The king responds, "We have those in place as we-"

All of a sudden, they hear a loud boom! Everyone runs to the gate. Satan, a massive black figure with black armor, stands four hundred yards out with his staff in one hand. He pounds it on the ground again and a whole army of devils comes up out of the ground behind him. Satan lifts his staff up and forward signaling his army of thirty million to attack. 

Author's note: In this story I used third person narration because it is my favorite writing style. My goal for this story was to set the stage for the final last battle between God's heroes and Satan's army. The story needed a dramatic feel and entrance for Satan. I believe I delivered well on that point. My other goal was to try and boost the confidence of the heroes as they came into the castle. I wanted people cheering their names and making them feel like they are the answer to all the problems. They are about to face Satan after all! Finally, it happens. Satan shows up and they must face the greatest battle of their days.  

In the original story, The Sunrise and the Serpent, Satan is a snake and attacks Adam and Eve at dawn. He attacks out of jealousy, but is thwarted by God's power. 

In my story, it is just conceptually accurate with the original. Satan attacks at dawn out of jealousy towards God's power. 

Bibliography: The Sunrise and the Serpent, The forgotten Books of Eden, Rutherford Platt, 1926. 

Storytelling Week 11: Not Your Typical Homecoming

(illustration from Baby's Book of Fable's)

One day a man showed up to his house and a dog was going through his trash outside. The dog stopped and looked up when he saw the man standing there. The dog started growling and the man walked by the animal carefully to get in his house. 

The man thinking the dog is hungry going through the trash, fixes him some food. The man starts bringing the food outside and the dog sees him. The man and dog stare at each other, but the man keeps stepping forward. The dog starts barking at him. The man leaves the bowl of food and goes inside. 

The man watches from the inside and watches the dog eat. He wonders what someone must have done to him to make the dog react to people that way. The man decided for safety he should stay inside a while. 

The man is sipping coffee later and he hears the dog barking again. He walks to the door to see what the commotion is. A man is standing out there trying to get control of the dog. The dog evades him as the stranger starts yelling mean thing to the dog. Finally, the man from inside goes on his lawn and asks the stranger what he's doing. The stranger tells the man to mind his own business. 

The man looks at the stranger and sees him holding a stick. He starts poking at the dog to get him to move. The dog starts barking again. The man finally asks the stranger to leave. The stranger tells him to get lost. The stranger get more aggressive and hits the dog. The man runs at him and tackles him to the ground. 

They roll on the ground left and right. The dog continues to bark. People around the neighborhood hear the noises and start coming to the man's front lawn where the fight is happening. Men start pulling the stranger off the man. They create a barrier between the dig and the man. 

The man turns around and finds the dog standing very close to him. The dog looks at him with a snarl. A moment of silence passes as they both look at each other. The dog jumps and starts licking the man all over his face. The man takes the dog inside. 

Author's Note: In The Faithful House-Dog, I chose to change it with use of third person narration because it gave me multiple options. I could get into conversation if I wanted, or I could picture it like a movie and have just narration with no dialogue. The goal was to make a feel good ending for dog lovers. 

This was a fable, so the story was not too long. All that happened in the original story, is that a dog kept an intruder out of his house. 

In my story, I wanted to flip roles and have the dog outside the house and be saved by the homeowner.The only thing about the original story that stayed true in mine, is that its about the concept of a dog trusting a man. 

Bibliography:The Faithful House-Dog, The Fables of Phaedrus, Christopher Smart, (1887)

Reading Diary B: Aesop's Fables

(illustration from Steinhowel's Aesop)

Table of Contents

The Dog and The Wolf is very interesting because it shows two animals that just learn about each others lives. No one dies and the only thing gained is a good relationship. The wolf asks the dog how he is so fat when he is obviously the better hunter of the two. The dog show him his home and his owner that takes care of him. Then the wolf shows the dog how he lives. The brings the dog and shows him how he lives off the land. They both learn new things about each other and it feels like, if there were a sequel, they would have many adventures together. It is quite a unique ending having no one die. Most of these have ended in a sad way. It was nice to see animals, that are my favorite by the way, get along and get to know one another. 

The Faithful House-Dog is an interesting story that I think can speak to all people. A dog is found and a man takes him in. The dog is hesitant though because he doesn't know the man well. Here is the message in this story that pays off. I believe you should love everyone and be kind, but also, be cautious. I used to just trust blindly thinking everyone thinks the way I do. People do not think the way that you do. Be nice and courteous always, but protect yourself above all else. Do not be so quick to let someone in the door. Also, have you ever seen that dog's reactions to people are pretty accurate reflections of what kind of person they are? The majority of my dog's reactions are spot on and that I believe is why they are man's best friend. 

Reading Diary A: Aesop's Fables

(illustration by Osius)

Table of Contents

The Ass, the Ape, and the Mole is a short story. It is about a donkey that complains it doesn't have horns and an Ape that moans about not having a tail. A mole suddenly appears to both of them and says, "Were you, like me, deprived of eyes?" In essence, this story teaches one very valuable lesson. Be thankful for what you do have and do not wish for something that in the long run will not bring eternal peace. The mere want to have something new for a wrong reason is the insecurity in itself. When you actually verbalize that want is when the insecurity becomes a reality. So, be thankful for what you have!  

The Old Lion is a story that show how a lion's actions came back to bite him. This lion would hunt, but keep all the food for himself. As he got older, the animals remembered this and taunted him all the time. So, I think it is safe to say that this week's stories teach a ton about life. The main lesson in this story is don't be greedy and treat everyone equally well. You never know when how you treat someone might come back to bite you. I am not saying go and save the world. I am just saying think about how you live your daily life. Also, I think it is interesting that the characters are all animals. It shows how humans can be at times truthfully. We are not above anyone or anything. 

Essay: Tricksters and Fools

(arctic fox, photo by Will Brown)

Table of Contents

Pâtussorssuaq, Who Killed His Uncle has a very interesting trickster in the story. The man, whose name is the first word of this paragraph, killed his uncle because he wanted his wife. This man who killed him though already had a wife. So, he thought all was fine and he would just keep living his life. In the following days though, something happened. He was attacked by a fox. The fox was his amulet. He survived the fox. That didn't last long though. The next day he was attacked by a bear and was killed. All of this happened because of his actions against his uncle. The trickster in the story was the man himself who thought he could get away with murdering his uncle. It turns out, he ended up being the fool as well getting himself killed. 

The Wife Who Lied had a similar outline. A woman is not satisfied with her life so she goes from her husband's tribe and back to her native tribe. She tells her native tribe a lie and they go to kill every woman in her husband's camp. They do this and when the husband's cap follows them for revenge, they kill them too. In the process though, the woman's native tribe discovers she lied. So, two men that laugh crazily drag her off while all the fighting is going on. The killed her without hesitation. This ending is similar to the story above. The woman is the trickster when she tells her tribe a lie and they believe her. The lie got her killed though, which makes her the fool in the story also. 

This is the first time I have seen that the trickster and fool are one character in two stories this semester. They are ind of sad, but very interesting stories! 

Week 10 Storytelling: Regret

(The Wife Who Lied)

One day a woman was in her village, but she was not satisfied with how her husband was treating her. He was gone for long hours hunting and she would get lonely. So, she thought of a way to fix her situation. She could not see things getting any better, so she went to her original tribe. 

She told them, "My husband has abused me physically and verbally." 

The men of the tribe then went to go find her husband's tribe. They traveled for a long time through the snow. Men were getting sick. They finally made it to the tribe though. They found only women there. The men killed every single woman to send a message to the woman's husband. When the husband's tribe got back and found all of the women slaughtered, they geared up to go find the perpetrators. 

The husband's tribe traveled back to his wife's native tribe. The lined the front of the wife's camp in the morning until the whole camp woke and saw the husband's tribe. 

The husband said, "Why did you kill all of our women?" 

The wife's tribe's leader responds, "Because this woman's husband abused her."

The husband replied, "I am her husband. This is not true. Do you see any physical marks on her that show I hurt her?" 

The wife's tribe checked her body and found no trace of abuse. 

Her tribe's leader says to her, "You lied!" 

The wife cowers in fear. 

The leader frustrated asks the husband what he wants. The husband responds, "I want her gone from both tribe's. She must fend for herself now in everything. "

Both tribe's send her into the wilderness. The woman was never seen again. 

Now, the tribe's stayed together that night and enjoyed one another's company at a huge bonfire. They danced and prayed to their spirits for healing. They started eating and the husband sees something. He looks in the woods and sees his ex-wife staring at the bonfire. The husband could not find forgiveness in his heart. The whole camp went to sleep. 

The next morning they woke they saw a totem pole that sends the message "I am sorry, and I know I deserve this sentence after what I've done. Please just never forget me. I am on my own now."

The camp knew this had to be a supernatural power because no one could lift, much less, make a totem pole in one night. So, they did remember the husband's ex-wife as a message to never act in the manner she did. 

Author's Note: The Wife Who Lied I wrote in third person narration to give more detail and description to the story. My main goal was to make the story's ending not so gruesome. 

In the original, the wife goes to her native tribe's camp and lies to them about how she is being treated. Her tribe then goes and kills all of her past tribe's women. Next, they kill everyone else at her old camp. Her native tribe finds out she lied though after all of that and kills her. 

In my story, the woman goes to her native tribe and she lies differently. She says her husband is treating poorly. So, her native tribe then goes and kills all of the women in her past tribe. Her husband's tribe then goes to attack his wife's native tribe where it is discovered that he did not abuse her in front of the whole tribe. The wife then is exiled from each tribe. Supernatural powers help her and she makes a totem pole that both tribes wake up to one morning. The message on the pole serves as a reminder of how not to act within the tribe. The story then ends. 

Bibliography: The Wife Who Lied, Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knad Rasmussen (1921)

Reading Diary B: Eskimo Folk Tales

(The Wife Who Lied)

Table of Contents

The Wife Who Lied is probably the most intense story I have read. There are Native Americans, way back when, that do eat people. This was a story about a whole tribe that did attacking one that didn't. The reason they attacked is because the main woman said her husband had done her wrong to he original tribe. So, her tribe went and killed all of her husband's tribe's wives. The main woman lied though so her tribe killed her. The thing that stood out to me the most in this story is the detail. It makes you think that this actually happened. Moving on, I believe this story was written as a message. This story is supposed to send a message to be careful of your actions because you never know what the repercussions might be. 

Pâtussorssuaq, Who Killed His Uncle is another very intense story. The most interesting thing I find about this story is how moral beliefs align with quite a few other beliefs in stories we've read already. Specifically, the belief I am talking about is karma. So, a man kills his uncle because he wants his wife. That man gets killed for his misdeed by his amulet which is a fox and bear. So, this reminds me of the stories from the Eastern part of the world that incorporated hinduistic ideals (karma). In a way, it's like they are all connected somehow. These stories, although intense, are great examples of how never to treat people. 

Reading Diary A: Eskimo Folk Tales

(makite)

Table of Contents

Makite 

Makite was very interesting. A Native American, Makite, decides to go live on his own, but encounters another man. This man wanted to kill Makite. Makite escaped though. Finally, Makite went and fought with some dwarfs. The thing I found the most interesting about this story is how much detail it held. You could tell that this story has been passed down from generation to generation. People I am sure say, "How could one believe in this?" I'm also sure that's what people say about me and my beliefs. Who really knows? My professor is Cherokee and he speaks of "little people" like the dwarfs in this story. He says they roam around and he is one-hundred percent serious. So, I find the content and detail extremely fascinating. 

The Giant Dog

This story was interesting. There is a giant dog given an amulet that protects it from death. The dog terrorized inland-dwellers and killed many of them. The dog also killed the mightiest dogs that the story says were "big as bears." I would be really afraid myself if I saw that! so, the most interesting part to me is that inland dwellers, from what I have learned in other classes, really are still afraid to this day of dogs. You want to know why this is so? It is because of these tales like The Giant Dog that have been passed down through generations. So, as crazy as some of these stories sound, they have a real impact on many. 

You see, I love dogs! 

Battle Inferno

(dragon illustrated by Henry Pitz)

Beowulf, Eve, Adam, Alice, and Mr. Rabbit walk to find the dragon. 

Beowulf speaks, "Be on your guard. I have seen this beast kill more than I wish. We must use caution."

The whole company walks for three hours. They pass through forests, an abandoned home, and finally come to a stony, desolate land. The air smells like dead bodies and the heat keeps rising. Everyone looks around with sweat drenching their bodies. They hear something. It is a loud bang every couple of seconds. 

Adam points, "Behind that huge boulder. That's where the sound comes from." 

Beowulf signals for them to stay put. He walks and sneaks up behind the massive stone Adam directs him towards. With his back against the boulder, Beowulf peeks around the corner to see what the commotion is about. He sees the dragon's tail making the sound. As the dragon dreams, it moves its tail. Beowulf signals for everyone to quietly come to him. They all tip toe to him. 

Alice says, "What do we do?"

Mr. Rabbit speaks, "Yeah, what now?"

Beowulf tells them, "In order for me to kill the beast, I'll have to get close enough to where I can pierce its heart. This means I am going to need a lot of distractions." 

Everyone gulps. They all stare at each other and hear another slam of the dragon's tail. 

Beowulf continues, "Mr. Rabbit and Alice, can you go to the dragon's tail? Pull it only once I've gotten close enough. When it stands with its belly off the ground, I will go for the heart." 

They both look back and nod their heads. 

Beowulf speaks his last words, "Adam and Eve, you are to watch my back. If anything is going wrong, signal me immediately."

Adam and Eve look back nodding their heads grudgingly also. 

They all move into position. Alice and Mr. Rabbit go to the dragon's tail, dodging it as it swings about. Beowulf starts walking towards the dragon, feeling its hot breath. Beowulf slowly walks step by step to not wake the beast. The dragon breathes extremely hard blowing Beowulf back. Everyone else watches in terror. The dragon shudders in a dream and Beowulf falls to the ground like he's dead, thinking it was awake. It's still asleep and Beowulf keeps walking. He signals to Alice and Mr. Rabbit to pull its tail. They do so and when the dragon stands, it disappears. It was a spell that the dragon used. All of a sudden, Adam and Eve feel hot breath on their necks. They turn around and see the dragon. It lets out a huge roar. Everyone runs for their lives. 

Beowulf yells, "I'm coming, Adam and Eve! Run!"

They run towards Beowulf and get behind him. The dragon sees his old foe. 

The dragon says, "Hello, Beowulf, any last words?"

Beowulf responds, "My last words will be the ones I say at your funeral." 

The dragon grimaces and becomes angry yelling, "Lets see about that!"

The dragon breathes fire at him left and right. Beowulf rolls and dodges with all of his might. 

Beowulf says, "You've gotten slow, old friend." 

The dragon keeps breathing fire. Beowulf keeps taunting him. 

The dragon yells, "Fine. If you won't come out, I'll go after your friends!"

Beowulf yells, "Wait!"

There is so much smoke the dragon cannot see Beowulf. 

Beowulf speaks, "You know how you killed my family?"

The dragon smiles. 

Beowulf continues, "You know how you're destined to burn in hell?"

The dragon responds, "No man will kill me." 

There is dead silence. The dragon looks through the smoke to locate Beowulf. 

Beowulf runs and jumps off a rock while yelling, "That day is today!"

Beowulf flies through the air with his sword in one hand. He loses his balance and his hands tire. He finally gets to the dragon and stabs it in the heart, hanging in mid-air. The dragon yells out a moan that rattles the gates of hell. 

The dragon dies yelling, "No!"

Author's note: Again, I chose third person narration because it offers many more options when writing. It lets you add so much more detail! My main goal for this story is to create tension and intensity from the time everyone meets the dragon until the time it dies. 

In the original story, Battle with the Dragon, Beowulf fights a dragon the entire time, but in the end it says Beowulf grows tired. It is initiated by a man disturbing the dragon. The man is in the wrong place at the wrong time and the dragon thinks he has come to steal his treasure. Beowulf goes to protect his people from the dragon. Beowulf actually dies during his fight with the beast. He wins the fight though, with the aid of his companion, Wiglaf. 

In my story, Beowulf does fight the whole time, but in order to save his friends. The dragon tricks them with a spell, which it couldn't do in the original, and surprises everyone. Beowulf then seeks to save Adam and Eve by having the dragon breathe fire at them so smoke will give them visual cover. Lastly, my story actually has a conclusion and it ends with Beowulf jumping into the air stabbing the dragon in the heart. 

Bibliography:Battle with the Dragon, The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs (1933)