Week 6 Storytelling: The Invisibility Cloak

Harry, not having slept the night before from trying to crack the next clue for the following round of the Triwizard tournament, started to doze off in Professor Snape's class. Instead of taking notes during Potions class, he kept on trying to write down thoughts as to what the next clue of the Triwizard tournament could be.

A golden egg...a golden egg..., Harry thought.

Snape continued to lecture and lecture, but quickly observed that Harry was not focusing on his teaching.

"What is this, POTTER?!", Snape asked.

Snape glared down at Harry and snatched his notebook out of his hand. He tore out the page Harry had been scribbling notes on about the golden egg clue for the Triwizard tournament and crumpled it in his hand.

"Not taking notes on my lecture I see," Snape said. "I'll see you for detention after third period."

At this point, the whole class was staring at Harry including Ron and Hermione. Hermione just shook her head at him. Ron glanced at him and then looked away.

"This is just what I needed," Harry thought as he was reminded about all the work he had to do on solving the next clue for the Triwizard tournament.

After class was over, Harry ran to catch up with his friends.

"Harry, you can't let this tournament take the best of you," Hermione said. "You have to focus on your studies."

(Hermione talking to Harry. Source: Flickr)

"Yea Hermione, I know but I have to solve this clue before the next round of the Triwizard tournament. I don't have much time, I've got two days. I've got to figure out a way to get out of detention today.," Harry said.

The three friends were on their was to Professor Trelawney's Divination class...it was not Harry's favorite class to say the least.

"Harry, there's no way we can get you out of detention. You know how Snape is.," Ron said.

"Well...I actually may have thought of a way.," Harry said.

Ron and Hermione both stopped walking.

"What?," Hermione asked.

"Okay, I know this might sound a bit much but after third period, Ron, if you could run up to the boy's dormitory and grab my invisibility cloak under my bed and get it back to me. And you, Hermione, meet up with Ron, use the invisibility cloak to sneak into Professor Snape's office and cast a spell on Professor Snape and distract him.," Harry said.

"Are you kidding, me?! Harry, all the trouble we could get into for using magic on a professor!"

"Hermione, he wouldn't know what was going on if you distracted him!," Harry assured her.

"O c'mon, Hermione! You know you would want us to help you if it was the other way around.," Ron said.

Hermione pondered this idea for a second.

"Fine, Harry, but promise me that you won't let this tournament continue to get the best of you," Hermione said.

After Professor Treelawney's class, Harry went to Professor Snape's office. Professor Snape turned around in his chair.
  
"Ah Potter, nice to see that you showed up. Have a seat., " the professor said as he pointed to a chair in front of his desk.

"Now pull out a piece of paper and write a summary over chapter three of your textbook.," Snape said.

Harry sighed as he pulled out his notebook. He was hoping in the worst way that his friends would come through for him.

Harry heard a slight thump in the room. He sort of hoped that it was Ron.

All of a sudden, Harry saw a head of curls peak out of the corner of Snape's room behind Harry's invisibility cloak. Hermione pulled out her wand and yelled, "IMPEDIMENT JINX!" as her wand shot out a bright light towards Professor Snape.

Snape froze almost as if time had stopped in its tracks.

"HARRY, RUN!", Ron shouted as he peaked his head outside the invisibility cloak.

Harry ran out of Snape's office and Ron and Hermione pulled him under the invisibility cloak with them. They ran through the corridors of Hogwarts, not even glancing at the professor's office behind them.

Author's Note: I based this story off of Mr. Fox is Again Victimized from Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings by Joel Chandler Harris (1881). In Mr. Fox is Again Victimized, Brer Rabbit decides to ride Brer Fox like a horse in order to try to impress the ladies in town. Brer Fox got tired of this and decided to seek revenge on Brer Rabbit. He got mad at Brer Rabbit and chased him into a hole. Brer Buzzard comes along and Brer Fox tells him to watch the hole while he is gone. Brer Rabbit tricks Brer Buzzard into thinking that there is a squirrel in the hole and if he came around to the other side of the tree where there is another hole to where Brer Rabbit and the squirrel are (which there really wasn't), Brer Buzzard could catch the squirrel. When Brer Buzzard came to the other side of the tree, Brer Rabbit darted and ran home. I thought I could somehow relate this to a story about Harry Potter because Ron and Hermione are always trying to help Harry get out of trouble. They are willing to do whatever they can for their friend (even if that means they might get in trouble as well), and in this case this was to help Harry get out of his punishment so he could solve the clue for the next round of the Triwizard tournament. This wasn't actually a story in Harry Potter (although the Invisibility and the Triwizard Tournament were both parts of the series), I thought it would be cool if I told a story with the Harry Potter characters because instead of Brer Rabbit tricking Brer Buzzard to escape home, Harry Potter had the help of his friends.

Week 6 Reading Diary B: More Brer Rabbit

Brer Rabbit and the Partridge Nest: I thought it was sad that Brer Rabbit decided to be selfish and steal Miss Bob's eggs. I also thought it was really weird that she believed everything that he said. I also thought it was really sad that she would sing about her lost children every night.

Mr. Fox is Again Victimized: I thought I could relate this somehow to Mean Girls since half of that high school felt personally victimized by Regina George and it could be my storytelling post for this week. I will work on that. I honestly can't believe that Brer Rabbit tricked Brer Fox into letting him ride him like a horse. Brer Rabbit must have brainwashed him or something! I also can't believe that Brer Buzzard fell for Brer Rabbit's trick and didn't try to fly after him when he darted for his home!

The Fate of Mr. Jack Sparrow: I thought I could somehow relate this story to Pirates of the Caribbean because when I first read the title I immediately thought of Captain Jack Sparrow. I would love to relate the two somehow, and I will look more into that so I can use this story as my storytelling post. I think my classmates would love it. It's a shame that Jack Sparrow ended up dead because he was just going to tell Brer Fox that he overheard Brer Rabbit saying that he was going to show Miss Meadows and the girls that he was the boss of him. It makes me sad that Brer Fox decided to eat Jack Sparrow instead of punishing him, because Brer Rabbit said that Jack Sparrow said that he was going to kill him and his family and destroy his house. It still amazes me how Brer Rabbit's friends always think he is telling the truth. I guess this story shows that you should just mind your own business and not tell on others.

How Mr. Rabbit Lost His Fine Bushy Tail: I think it's great that Brer Rabbit finally got what he deserved! I was actually surprised that he believed what Brer Fox told him and decided to stick his tail in the water. I guess the fish ate his tail, but I'm surprised Brer Rabbit didn't notice that they ate his tail! It doesn't really make sense to me that all rabbits have had short tails since then just because Brer Rabbit's was eaten, but maybe they all cut their tails off as a precaution.

Why Mr. Possum Has No Hair on His Tail: I still can't believe that Brer Possum believed Brer Rabbit that Brer Bear wouldn't mind that he would eat some of his simmons trees. I'm also surprised that Brer Bear, with all of the things that have happened to him and his friends because of Brer Rabbit, didn't ask him if Brer Rabbit set him up to this. I think it's weird that just because Brer Possum doesn't have hair on his tail because of an accident that his kids didn't either.

(Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings, by Joel Chandler Harris (1881), illustrations by A.B. Frost)

    

Week 6 Reading Diary A: More Brer Rabbit

The Creeturs Go to the Barbecue: I thought it was kind of mean that Brer Rabbit tricked his friends into thinking that there was a barbecue so that the dogs would chase his friends instead of him. I don't think that Brer Rabbit should've expected any less that the man noticed that some of his vegetables had been stolen and that he set his dogs to find him. I would imagine that Brer Rabbit's friends wouldn't trust him anymore.

Brer Rabbit's Frolic: I thought it wasn't fair that Brer Rabbit got out of being in trouble again by running off after he told his friends that he played the fiddle that morning. I was honestly surprised that none of the creatures tried to run off after him! I was also shocked that they believed Brer Rabbit yet again and went to Miss Meadow's. If I were them I would've told her that Brer Rabbit is the one that told them the dance was happening so he finally would've gotten in trouble!

(Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit by Joel Chandler Harris, with illustrations (1906))

Brer Rabbit Treats the Creeturs to a Race: I wonder if Brer Rabbit knew that Brer Dust and Cousin Rain would make all of the other creeturs dirty except for him. That would be a good storytelling post, to include his thought process. I am amazed that somehow Brer Rabbit always gets out of getting punished by the other creatures, and it also amazes me that they still continue to do what Brer Rabbit tells them. I don't really understand how dust could get caught in the mud, but I guess Cousin Rain ended up winning!

Brer Rabbit and the Gold Mine:  I guess we can assume that Brer Wolf didn't really find the gold mine, he just called Brer Rabbit to come over near him so he could finally get him back for all the things he had done to him! My guess is that Brer Rabbit just went home and never came back to the gold mine because he was afraid that Brer Wolf would get him! Or I wonder if Brer Rabbit lied about the gold mine being real just so they could tear up the land near Brer Bear's house. That would be a good storytelling post! To tell the story from the point of Brer Wolf when he found out there wasn't any gold!

How Mr. Lion Lost His Wool: I think it was mean that yet again, Brer Rabbit was trying to trick his friends into taking a bath with him so they would burn all their fur off. I guess it was better Mr. Lion than them, so that Brer Rabbit wouldn't have to worry about running off. I also suppose now the creeturs won't fear Mr. Lion ever again since he got all of his fur burnt off. They probably laughed at him and were thankful that the same thing didn't happen to them.

How Brer Rabbit Got a House: I thought it was funny that the other creeturs finally got back at Brer Rabbit and hid him underneath his bed. I don't think it was very smart of them to leave the gun, the cannon, and the tub of water in Brer Rabbit's room, but I guess they didn't think of what potentially could have happened. I'm surprised that none of them decided to come back a few days later and tell Brer Rabbit that they wanted their share of the house back.

Thoughts about comments

Something that makes a comment really engaging to me is when a comment tells me what I did well, but it also tells me what I could've done better. What makes a comment really vivid and memorable to me is when people tell me parts of my story that they connected with. The comments that really speak to me and leave an impression are those that just are honest with me and tell me how I can improve my website and continue to become a better writer.

I've been doing pretty good with taking time out of my schedule to read the comments people post on my stories every week. It is something that I look forward to doing. Most of the comments I have gotten back so far just focus on things that they wonder that happened outside of my storytelling, so it was nothing I really could improve on since I have already published the storytelling post.

Week 5 Storytelling: The Life of an Ant

One hot summer day, Chase ran outside his house. It was the summer break of his freshman year of high school and he had a lot of time to spare. He brought his basketball outside with him to shoot some hoops. He saw a black ant scurrying alongside the sidewalk carrying a cracker crumb on its back. Chase hated ants.

Just as Chase lifted his worn-out Converse to smash the ant, he heard a little voice calling him.

"HEY!"

Chase looked around. No one was there. He looked around to his left and his right. There was not a person in sight.

"HEY!", that little voice called to Chase again.

This time he looked at the ground. Sure enough, it was the black ant who was trying to catch his attention. He couldn't believe it.

"An ant talking to me? Am I dreaming?," Chase thought.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you!", the ant yelled.

 "What do you want? Nothing?," Chase laughed.

"I...I...I," the ant trailed off.

"Now where was I? Ohhhhhhh....that's right! Back to killing you!," Chase exclaimed.

Chase once again lifted his Converse to smash the ant.

"This will teach him," the ant said as he quickly dodged Chase's shoe and bit his leg instead.

"OWWWWW!", Chase yelled.  

Chase felt his whole body tingling. This was so strange. He didn't know what was happening. He looked around himself as the trees, his house, and the whole world around him seemed to be growing in size.

Was he shrinking?

All of a sudden, he was the size of that ant!

Chase turned towards the ant.

"Why did you do this to me?", Chase yelled.

"To teach you a lesson."

"About what?"

"That every creature is important no matter how big or small. Now follow me," the ant said.

Chase followed the ant through some grass to an ant colony. The ant went right inside and ushered Chase in.

Chase looked around him to see a least five hundred ants around him working hard to keep the colony in tip-top shape.

"Over on your right you'll see the scavenger ants, they constantly draw new maps of the best places to get food outside the colony. Over on your left you'll see the architect ants. They constantly make new designs of ways to improve the colony's longevity. And straight in front of you, you'll see the queen ant's office. Her assistants do all of her work for her. We never see he come out of her office.," the ant said.

Chase was in awe. He couldn't believe what he was seeing! All of these ants were working so hard. They all had important jobs.

Chase suddenly felt badly for wanting to kill the ant earlier.

"I want you to meet my family," the ant said.

Chase followed the ant down a long path in the colony to a small hole in the wall. The ant crawled in and Chase did the same.

"Kids, I'm home!", the ant exclaimed.

Two small ants came out of the back room and ran into their dad's arms.

Chase smiled.

"Oh honey, I'm so glad you're finally back home," the ant's wife said as she emerged from the back room after the kids.

"Oh yeah, everyone this is Chase. I brought him home because I wanted him to meet you all," the ant said.

Chase was surprised that none of the ants looked at him weird or were afraid of him.

"Umm...hi," Chase said.

"Now let's all eat dinner. Chase, you are more than welcome to join us of course," the wife said.

The ant took the cracker crumb he had found outside of Chase's house and brought it to the table. He divided it amongst the five of them.

The wife passed a pitcher of water around the table.

Chase was having such a great time with the ant and his family. They were telling stories and laughing. Chase oddly even considered them his friends now.

All of a sudden at the dinner table, Chase began to feel very full and sluggish. He didn't want to be disrespectful to the ant and his family, but he was fighting to keep his eyes open.

The ant and his family seemed to become really fuzzy as Chase gently set his head down on the table.

When Chase woke up, he was right back where he was earlier that day: outside his house with a basketball in his hand. He stared down at the same ant traveling along the sidewalk with a cracker crumb on its back.

"Every creature is important no matter how big or small," a voice inside his head said.

He smiled and walked away and began to shoot some hoops.

("An ant carrying a leaf on a branch" Source: Freestockphotos)

Author's Note: I based this story off of The Elephant and the Ants from the Folklore of Santal Parganas by Cecil Henry Bompas (1909). In The Elephant and the Ants, an elephant looks down at some ants and says that he bets that he can beat them in a race just because he is bigger than them. The ants agree and the elephant keeps running, but every time he stop running he saw ants on the ground. He kept running and ended up dropping dead from running himself to death. The ants that he decided to race never ended up moving, but the moral of the story is to treat every creature with importance no matter their size. I also based this story off of Alice in Wonderland, because like Alice drinking the potion and shrinking, the ant bit Chase and he shrank. I also based this off of Marvel's Ant-Man because Chase gets to see that ants are friendly just like Ant-Man does. I also based the quote I repeated throughout the story "every creature is important no matter how big or small" off of Dr. Seuss's famous quote "a person's a person no matter how small." I thought it would be fun if I changed the main character to be a person. I also hope my story inspires more people to look at ants differently.

Week 5 Reading Diary B: Santal Folklore

The Tigers and the Cat: I liked that this story told a lot of background of why tigers and cats do certain things. It made me mad that the tigers wanted to eat the cat just because he didn't come back very quickly. I didn't realize that tigers and leopards eat dogs, so that was a very scary thought. I'm glad that the cat was able to stay safe in the village.

The Elephant and the Ants: This story made me sad when I read it. I thought the elephant would be the good creature in the story. I was almost certain that elephants were praised in Indian culture; that they were considered smart and gentle creatures. I think this would be a good Storytelling post because I could relate it a kid threatening to step on an ant and then the ant saying, "Why would you do that? I'm just trying to provide for my family." And then somehow the kid would shrink down to an ant's size and the ant would show him around the ant colony, and the kid would never step on an ant again. This would be different from the original story, but it would say the same thing: that we should never think that something is of less value just because it is smaller than us.

A Fox and His Wife: When I first read that Mr. Fox and Mrs. Fox were comparing how much wit they each had, I pictured Mr. Fox smirking when Mrs. Fox told him how much wit she had. It makes me sad that men often times will doubt how smart women are sometimes. It is funny that Mr. Fox did not know how to escape from the tiger, so Mrs. Fox ended up saving all of their lives. I pictured that after the tiger left Mr. Fox apologized and thanked his wife profusely for saving their lives. This would be a good Storytelling post for this week because I could somehow relate it to the TV show, The Big Bang Theory. A lot of the male characters on that show constantly make fun of Penny for how she doesn't have that much of book smarts, but she has a lot of street smarts. I could make this my Storytelling post by having Penny save them all from a situation.

(The cast of the TV show, The Big Bang Theory. Source: Flickr)

The Hyaena Outwitted: It made me sad to read that the animals decided to outwit the hyaena by killing him. I was just hoping that they would throw him outside the jungle or something like that. I guess the animals decided to kill him because they were jealous that the tiger decided to make him his dewan instead of them. I don't think that hyaenas would have learned a lessons from this experience. I think they would have just said that the other animals were jealous and would have taken revenge on them instead.

The Brave Jackal: I thought it was sad that the jackal got injured even though he was just trying to help his friend. I think if anything, the leopard should have been the one that got injured! I also found it impressive that a goat was able to scare away both a leopard and a jackal. I think that would be an interesting Storytelling post-- to tell the back story of the goat and tell how he got so brave!

The Jackal and the Leopards: I hate that the jackal was able to get away with being rude! I hate that the crocodile was too dumb to fall for all of his tricks. If I used this for my Storytelling post, I would base my story off of the jackal and the crocodile, but I think I would somehow tie it to the cartoon Tom and Jerry. Tom and Jerry always liked to play pranks on one another, so I figured this would be something that was relatable to this story!

Week 5 Reading Diary A: Santal Folklore

Ledha and the Leopard: I thought it was so sweet that Ledha decided to go back and take care of the buffalo after he got married. I feel like when most people get married, they don't really care to return to the ways of their past and they just end up starting a new life instead. I thought it was great that Ledha built a new palace in the jungle (I hoped he didn't hurt any of the animals while he built it) so he could have a place to be near the buffalo. That would be a great Storytelling assignment for this week. I could tell the same story but add in the part that when he was building his palace, he ended up harming and threatening some of the animals' habitats, and they tried to kick him out of the jungle.

The Monkey and the Girl: This story was very sad to read, I wish that the girl hadn't killed herself when she saw that her father and the other men in the village killed the monkey. This story really reminded me of Romeo and Juliet. That would be a great Storytelling post! I could tell this story like a modern Romeo and Juliet and relate it back to this story.

Ramai and the Animals: This story reminded me of The Charmed Ring that I read last week, except that the father killed the rest of his son's animals and that his wife and the palace were never stolen. I like that this story was much shorter than The Charmed Ring, but it basically told the same story. I understand that the Ramai turned down the Raja's gifts. He did not want to become famous and wanted to blend in with the rest of the public.

The Raibar and the Leopard: I thought it was nice that both the Raibar and the leopard ended up being nice to one another. I thought it was interesting that the leopard decided to return a favor for the Raibar. I think a nice Storytelling post for this week would be to take this story but add in that the Raibar was able to successfully proceed with the marriage of the two families, but ran into some trouble at first and asked the leopard for some help.

The Raja's Dream: This story reminded me of the Disney Channel TV show, Wizards of Waverly Place, because the three sons were fighting to be the heir to the throne. In Wizards of Waverly Place, Alex, Justin, and Max were fighting to all become the family wizard. I think that would be a good Storytelling post for this week because most of my classmates have probably heard of Wizards of Waverly place. Only one of the sons becomes the heir to the throne, and only one of the siblings becomes the family wizard. This could be a fun story!

(The cast of the TV show, Wizards of Waverly Place. Source: YouTube)

The Tiger Cub and the Calf: This story made me very sad that the tigress decided to eat her friend. I liked that her cub disowned her and ran off with the calf to the jungle. I think a good Storytelling post for this week would be to tell the same story but tell what happened when the cub and the calf went to the jungle. Did they ever get married? Did they just stay friends? Did the tigress ever find them? Those would be some great questions to answer in my story this week!

Week 4 Storytelling: That Modern Family episode

After a long day at school, Haley plopped down onto her bed and opened up her diary. She needed an outlet to vent to and she knew that her diary was the only one who would truly understand. She began to quickly scribble a note.

September 8, 2012

Dear Diary,

Today I met the cutest guy at school! But I don't know if he would ever like me back. He's kind of out of my league. I guess only time will tell, but I plan on getting to know him better. Gotta go! Mom is calling me downstairs for dinner. 

Sincerely,

Haley Dunphy 

September 10, 2012

Dear Diary,

Today Dylan and I sat next to each other in class. We passed notes back and forth and I think tomorrow he might come over to study together for our Biology test. I know that Luke and Alex will do their best to embarrass me in front of him when he comes over, but I have to assure mom and dad that I'm not interested in him. Who knows if they'll believe me, but it may be the only way I can hang out with him. Wish me luck.

Sincerely, 

Haley Dunphy

September 30, 2012

Dear Diary,

I apologize that I haven't written you in such a long time! That day Dylan came over went great! Luke and Alex made fun of me as expected, but I just did my best to ignore them. I think mom and dad had their suspicions too, but whatever. I like this guy and I'm going to go for him. Dylan texted me earlier today and told me that he had a surprise to give me tomorrow, and I have a feeling that he's going to ask me out on a date! Okay I'm not 100% sure but a girl can hope, right? I'll let you know how things go tomorrow. 

Sincerely,

Haley Dunphy 

October 25, 2012

Dear Diary,

Okay, okay...I'm sorry I never let you know how that day went until now! So...I was right. I showed up for school the next day and Dylan gave me some flowers and asked me if I wanted to go on a date. Of course I said yes! On our date, he brought out his guitar and played a song that he wrote for me and asked me to be his girlfriend. Of course I said yes again! My parents wanted him to come over for dinner the other night and my parents asked him a thousand questions during dinner. It was awkward and I could tell that Dylan felt like he was under pressure. I kept on looking over and saw that my dad looked like he was judging him. I can tell that he doesn't like him for some reason. It's probably because he comes off as being rebellious and he thinks that he's being a bad influence for me. I know Dylan really likes me, but I hope my dad doesn't scare him off. Please pray for me that everything will be okay. 

Sincerely,

Haley Dunphy      

November  18, 2012

Dear Diary,

Today Dylan came over to hang out with me and he saw that Luke was practicing baseball in the backyard. He went outside and started helping him and I could tell that my dad liked that. As I was helping my mom do the dishes after dinner, I saw my dad and Dylan talking in the living room. I could tell that my dad has been warming up to him and my mom too. My mom told him tonight that he is welcome over for dinner any time. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think my family is finally starting to like him! I'm glad that they're starting to see that he can be a good guy, and that he treats me well.  I haven't been this happy in a long time!

Sincerely,

Haley Dunphy 

(The cast of the TV show, Modern Family. Source: Flickr)

Author's note: I based this story off of one of the Indian Fairy Tales, The Prince and the Fakir by Joseph Jacobs. In this story, a princess sees a prince below her window and knows that she has to marry him. When her father, the king, invites all the men in town to have to chance to be chosen by her, she chooses to marry him even though he is wearing a Fakir's clothing. A Fakir is seen as someone who rejects worldly possessions and is not seen highly by many Indians. I'm not exactly sure why the prince decided to wear the Fakir's clothes. Maybe he wanted to blend in with normal people. The princess never tells her father that he is not a Fakir, so the king never approves of their marriage but doesn't say anything. In the end, the prince and the king connected and he began to like his son-in-law. I wrote my story from the perspective of Haley Dunphy, a character from the TV show Modern Family, because her parents don't like her boyfriend, Dylan, but they begin to like him in the end. The king is similar to the dad from Modern Family, because he never tells his daughter, Hayley, that he doesn't like her boyfriend. I thought this would be a good way to retell the Indian Fairy Tale in a modern setting. 

Week 4 Reading Diary B: Indian Fairy Tales

The Talkative Tortoise: I liked this story because it reminded me of the fact that if you say something mean to someone who said something mean to you first ,then you are just as low as they are. It was hard for me to picture a tortoise splitting in two, but I could honestly see the Buddha having people gather around him to tell them this story. I could imagine the people becoming humans of few words from then on out. I feel like I could retell this in my Storytelling post this week by telling a story of a mother trying to teach her children a lesson.

The Prince and the Fakir:  I was shocked when I read that the prince killed the Fakir. I was also shocked that the princess didn't tell anyone that the prince really wasn't really a Fakir. I'm surprised that the king didn't try to protest his daughter's marriage. I did like that he accepted his son-in-law in the end. That made me smile. I could see this story being told in a modern setting. This would make a great Storytelling post for me to do for this week.

Why the Fish Laughed: I think this story was unnecessarily long, but I liked it. I wondered at the beginning of the story if the young man was really foolish. I thought it was funny that the father's daughter said that he was extremely wise and ended up making her dad look like the fool. I thought it was odd that she was the only one who understood why the fish laughed, but I liked that the young man was able to save his father's life.

How Sun, Moon, and Wind Went Out to Dinner: I really liked this story because it explained why so many people still to this day don't like the sun and the wind. I think it was very generous that the moon brought home dinner for her mother, but I don't think it was fair for the star to expect her children to bring home dinner for her. I thought it was great to finally come across an Indian story that explains the origins of the sun, moon, and the wind.  

(Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, illustrations by John D. Batten (1912))

Week 4 Reading Diary A: Indian Fairy Tales

The Broken Pot: I liked this story because it reminds me a lot of The Goose With the Golden Eggs that I read last week, because the man starts getting overly greedy and then destroys everything he has. The only difference between this story and The Goose With the Golden Eggs is that the Brahman is thinking all of this in his head and the man in The Goose With the Golden Eggs actually decides to kill the goose and cut it open to see what is inside. Therefore, the man is crazier than the Brahman!

The Magic Fiddle: This story reminded me of Cinderella immediately when I read it because she transformed into a bamboo plant. I imagined writing this for my Storytelling post this week and relating it to Cinderella transforming before the ball when she saw the prince. I also would relate this story by changing the boy who watched her to the prince searching the whole town to see if the glass slipper fit. Instead of her being bitter that her step mother and step sisters punished her, I would have her decide to be grateful that she was no longer in that situation.

The Tiger, The Brahman, and The Jackal: I really liked this story because even though the tiger kept saying how foolish everyone else was, he was the foolish one in the end! I like how the jackal pretended to be stupid in order to help the Brahman trick the tiger. I could see the Brahman being shocked when the jackal closed the gate on the tiger, but I imagine that he was very happy!

The Charmed Ring: I really liked this story because it had a lot of characters and also because it seemed so similar to The Lord of the Rings to me. It seemed so similar to The Lord of the Rings to me because everyone is fighting over a ring because it gives them magical powers. I think this would be a great story to do my Storytelling post over!

(Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, illustrations by John D. Batten (1912))

Storybook Topic Styles: Canterbury Tales

Topic: As discussed in my previous Storybook brainstorming assignment, I think it would be cool to do my project over The Canterbury Tales. I would like to feature all of the seven stories of the pilgrims in my project. I would also like all of their voices to be heard. I think the only difficulties of this project will be really getting into the mindset of all of the pilgrims. I will have to really get into character to tell each of their stories well!

Bibliography: Canterbury Tales,  from The Chaucer Story Book by Eva March Tappan (1908).


Possible Styles:


Animals/Humans as Storytellers: After browsing through the Canterbury Tales on the UnTextbook, I found that the pilgrims are both animals and humans. My original style idea that I talked about last week was telling this story like a CSI episode. As I also talked about last week, my idea with the Canterbury tales was basing it off of a CSI episode because the agents are trying to figure out who committed the crime (based on who tells the least convincing story). With having the animals and humans as storytellers, I imagine mainly focusing on the pilgrims telling their stories and the agents just being there to interrogate them. I think this is the style that I would like to go with, but I am open to other ideas if you think something would fit better!

CSI agents as Storytellers: This storytelling idea would basically be the same idea as the one I mentioned previously but just flipped. I would focus on the CSI agents part in the story and not focus as much on the pilgrims telling the story. I would still have the pilgrims tell their stories, but would focus more on the agents' thoughts as they were telling their stories (example: "Agent Benson glanced at the friar as he rambled on. She could see that he refused to make eye contact with her or any of the other agents. 'He must be lying,' she thought.")  

Campfire style: I imagine this style to go more along the lines of all of the pilgrims gathering around one night on their boat overseas and telling their stories. I imagine some of their stories being told better than others and other of the pilgrims having more people listen in on their stories. I think this would also be a cool idea, because I imagine pilgrims telling stories to pass the time on their voyage to America.

Contest style: With using this style, I imagine there being a storytelling contest in town a couple months after the pilgrims arrived in America. I imagine a crowd gathering and whichever pilgrim tells the best story gets a cash prize! I think this would be a fun style to use for my project because the pilgrims know they are up against each other.

(CSI New York Poster source: Flickr)

Week 3 Storytelling: The Man Who Won the $1.5 Billion Dollar Jackpot

On the day of the drawing of the $1.5 billion dollar jackpot, Alex walked into the local gas station outside of his neighborhood.

"Here goes," he thought.

He walked to the back of the convenience store and began scribbling his numbers down on a piece of paper. He joined the twenty other people in line to reach the counter. 

"LOTTERY TICKETS! EVERYONE STAND IN THIS LINE IF YOU HAVE LOTTERY TICKETS!," the clerk yelled. 

Everyone who was standing in line shuffled to the right. Alex bumped into people in the process.

"Sorry," he mumbled. 

After he got his ticket, Alex started up his car and began making his way back home. He began to think of all the things he would do if he won the $1.5 billion dollar jackpot. Alex was a poor college student and could think of plenty of ways he could spend the plentiful jackpot. He realized his chances were slim on winning the money, but he knew that he had a small possibility. 

"Paying off all my loans would be nice...a new car too, maybe a nicer home for my family...," he thought. 

After coming home, Alex sat down on the couch to watch the news. He knew that every news channel in Tucson would be announcing the winning numbers.

And here it was, 10 p.m. Alex frantically flipped over to Channel 5 News. 

"And here are the numbers everyone has been waiting for," the female news anchor said. 

"8, 12, 22, 36, 44, 19." 

Alex glanced at his lottery ticket and then back at the screen again. He did a double take. Those were his numbers.

Was he going to tell his parents? They weren't home. He had to tell his parents. They were his parents.

Alex's heartbeat sped up. What was he going to do?

He immediately took off in his car and headed to the Arizona state capital. He didn't need to tell his parents. He could tell them later. 

Shoot, Alex had so much money that he didn't need to ever return to college...or that's at least what he thought. 

After claiming his jackpot prize, he immediately blew the money on a mansion in Florida, on a brand new Audi, and invited the coolest people in Miami over for parties every night at his new pad. He was like the Jay Gatsby of Miami. Everyone loved him.

Even after blowing his money on his expensive new taste, Alex was sure that he would still have enough money leftover. Or so he thought.

One brisk morning after a night of partying, Alex walked into the kitchen of his new bachelor pad. 

Various rooms of the mansion were filthy. They were trashed with bottle of alcohol, glasses, and trash.

Alex's butler approached him.

"Sir, the electricity and water bills." He gave Alex two envelopes.  

Alex tore open the white envelope and began glancing at the sheets of paper.

$15,000. 

"Sir, I'm afraid you don't have enough money in your bank account to cover this," the butler said. 

"What do you mean I don't have enough money to cover this?! I always have enough money," Alex yelled.

"Sir, I am sorry but I'm afraid you don't."

"What are they going to do? Kick me out of my own house?,"  Alex yelled.

"Suit yourself," his butler said as he left the house. 

The butler never returned. 

Alex did end up getting kicked out of his house and was forced to beg for money on the streets of Miami for the rest of his life. His parents didn't want anything to do with him because he foolishly spent all of his money and didn't share any of his fortune with them. He spent his winnings on himself first and others second.  And because of his poor life choices, Alex ended up dying a very poor man.

(Avarice (2012), by Jesus Solana Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note:  I based my story off of the Aesop fable, The Goose With the Golden Eggs. In the original fable a man's goose keeps laying golden eggs, and one day he decides to kill the goose and slice it open but doesn't find anything inside. I thought it would be fun to put a twist on the original fable by relating it to this year's world record-breaking jackpot. Most jackpot winners usually blow through their money very quickly and end up broke. I thought my story was very similar to the original fable but set in modern times. 

Week 3 Reading Diary B: Aesop (Jacobs)

The Crow and The Pitcher: I liked this one because the crow used his brain to get the water in the pitcher. I liked that he didn't give up and decided to keep on trying until he was able to reach it. I picture the crow getting the water and then not giving up on other things in his life.

The Fisherman and The Fish: I liked this one because the fisherman knew that he wasn't going to catch anything better in the brook that day. Maybe he was frustrated because he's had prior experience where he's been unsuccessful? That would be a cool back story to do as my Storytelling post.

The Man and the Wooden God: I really liked this post because it relates to modern times. People idolize celebrities and money. We say that certain celebrities are our idols, but is it really good to worship someone who has as many faults as you do? This would be a great Storytelling post. It would be great to start the story off with someone who worships a celebrity but then gets frustrated when this celebrity goes down the wrong path.

 The Man and His Mother: I feel like I was really able to connect with this story because I have heard of modern crime stories where the person who committed the crime blamed his parents for how he was raised and for his wrongdoings. In a way I think that is the wrong way to look at things because you are the only one who is in charge of your well being. On the other hand, your parents raise you to be the person you are supposed to be.

The Old Woman and the Wine-Jar: I really liked this story because I was able to connect with the old woman. Fresh cookies coming out of the oven reminds me of my childhood. I always remember the smell of the cookies in the kitchen while they were baking. I remember I was always happy when cookies were being made. I remember how warm and freshly baked cookies always tastes.

The Goose With the Golden Eggs:  I really liked this fable because it was a fable I knew from my childhood. I think this would be a good Storytelling post because you could relate it to someone winning the $1 billion lottery and becoming overly greedy, and then spent so much of their money all at once that they lost it very quickly and ended up broke and on the streets.

(The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs, illustrations by Walter Crane)

Week 3 Reading Diary A: Aesop (Jacobs)

The Lion and The Statue: I really liked this story because I truly believe each story is different depending on who is telling the story! That is why this class is so interesting-- we each have a unique way of telling stories. I could picture a snooty lion telling the man that the statue would have looked differently had a lion made the statue.

The Lion in Love: I could easily picture a lion doing whatever he could do for the person he loved and just getting his heart crushed anyway. It is so sad to picture that because we can all relate to heartbreak at one time or another in our lives. Going through a heartbreak is one of the worst feelings in the world, but it makes us grow as a person. I could see myself easily choosing this story to write about for my Storytelling post. I could picture having the lion grieve over the loss of his love but eventually moving on and loving someone else.

The Fox and the Stork: I could easily picture a fox and a stork having dinner and not wanting to accommodate to each other's needs. I could see the stork being bitter for not accommodating to her and getting him back when he came over for dinner. What goes around comes around. Karma always serves justice to the people who deserve it.

The Fox and The Lion: What I got from this story is that if you ignore someone and then all of a sudden you are friendly with them, that won't be received very well. I could picture the fox ignoring the lion for several days and then approaching the lion. I could also picture the lion trying to be friendly and talk to him but also trying to give him the same treatment he was dealt.

The Wolf and the Kid: I could picture a child on top of a house trying to scare the wolf away, and the wolf telling him that it is easy to be brave from a distance. It really is easy to be someone you are not from far away. Usually only the people who become close to you know who you really are. I could picture myself using this story to write my Storytelling post. I could picture the child being frightened and running back into his house to get his parents' help.

The Dog and the Shadow: I could easily picture a dog wanting food and trying to snatch its reflection's but loosing his food anyway. I could see myself using this for my Storytelling post as well. I could go on with the story and say that the dog tried and tried to find his food in the puddle but was unsuccessful in doing so. I could also picture the dog trying to find another source of food.

Mice in Council: I could also easily picture myself using this fable for my Storytelling post. I could picture a bunch of mice living in a house and saying mean things about the cat who also lived there. I could picture the cat being oblivious to what the mice were saying. I could picture them laughing at the cat and this continue to be an ongoing thing.

The Horse and the Ass: I could picture a donkey saying how nice it is to be an animal that is seen as one that is so majestic. I could also see the donkey the next day looking at the dead horse and saying it is better to be someone who is not sought after. I thought that was a very mean thing to say. I guess the donkey wasn't really the horse's friend after all.

The Hart and the Hunter: This fable was very sad for me to read. I could picture the deer getting his antlers caught and all of a sudden hating them even though he had just admired them a minute previous to the tragedy. I could picture the hunter approaching the deer and the deer realizing that his life was coming to an end.

The Hare and the Tortoise: This fable was my favorite to read out of all of the fables I've read tonight. This fable was one that I remembered from my childhood. I think I would like to use this one for my Storytelling post but put a different spin on it. Maybe the tortoise sees the hare get injured but continues the race anyways? Maybe tell it from a TV show point of view? I guess we will have to see. Slow and steady wins the race!

(The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs, illustrations by Walter Crane)