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.