Week 13 Storytelling: Facing Your Fears to Accomplish Your Dreams

Natalie knew that she didn't want to live in Dallas her whole life and she was willing to do whatever it took to move out of the state to Chicago. She began to think about what she would have to do in order to establish herself in another state. Graduate from college, earn some money for the move, and sell some of her things.

She was the most worried about one of the courses that she would have to take before she could graduate from college. One of the courses that she still had to take was Statistics, and she had been putting it off until the last minute. She didn't understand math. It was like trying to understand a foreign language to her. However, Natalie knew that she couldn't continue to put off this class any more if she wanted to graduate.

On the first day of Statistics after class, Natalie approached her professor.

"Professor, I don't mean to keep you from doing what you need to do, but is there anyone you can recommend for me to seek tutoring from for your class?" Natalie asked.

Natalie's professor smiled and jotted down the name and contact information of the TA for the class before giving the piece of paper to her.

"Taylor would be more than happy to help you," he said.

The next day, Natalie called Taylor and scheduled a day each week that she could meet him for tutoring. By taking multiple practice tests and going over sample problems, Natalie understood Statistics more and more. Natalie took the extra step and spent many late nights in the school library studying for her Statistics exams. Natalie's hard work ended up paying off as she received a B as her overall grade for the semester. Natalie approached her professor on the last day of class.

Natalie's professor smiled as she approached him.

"For a student who struggled with math so much, I'm very impressed with your hard work this semester," her professor said.

"Thank you, Professor. If it hadn't been for your suggestion to meet with your TA I don't know if I would've done nearly as well this semester."

"Natalie, congratulations on graduating. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors," Natalie's professor said.

Natalie left her Statistics class for the last time grinning from ear to ear, and suddenly graduating in May and moving to Chicago seemed closer to her now than ever.

("Chicago skyline at dusk". Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note: I based this story off of "The Little Mermaid - Part 3" by Hans Chrisitan Andersen (1872). My story relates to "The Little Mermaid - Part 3" because Ariel, the youngest mermaid, was willing to do whatever it took to have the possibility of marrying the prince—even if that meant visiting the sea witch so she could help her out. Ariel greatly feared the sea witch because she thought she was scary and evil.
Like Ariel, Natalie was willing to do whatever it took to graduate and move out of state—even if that meant having to face her fears of taking that Statistics class that she had put off since she entered college. Like Ariel, Natalie was willing to put in some hard work even if that meant she could accomplish her dream. Just like Natalie had to suffer through weeks of tutoring sessions and many nights that consisted of long hours of studying, Ariel was willing to have her tongue cut out and endure the feeling of stepping on knives if that meant that she could have legs. Although the two girls went through completely different situations, they both learned that they could do whatever they wanted to do if they worked hard.

Week 13 Reading Diary B: Hans Christian Andersen

Little Mermaid - Part 1: I thought it was interesting to hear that each one of the sisters had a different perspective and experience of the world above. I think the youngest sister's experience in the world above will be very unique compared to her sisters'. I bet she will fall in love with a prince just like in Disney's version. I bet she will do whatever it takes to stay in the world above just so she can be close to him.

Little Mermaid - Part 2: I thought it was so sad that the prince never found out that the mermaid was the one who saved him. I hate that the mermaid went into a deep depression over a boy. That was a little silly. I'm really glad that she ended up telling her sisters about the prince, and I'm also happy that one of their friends was able to tell the youngest mermaid where he lived.

Little Mermaid - Part 3: I'm glad that the youngest mermaid's grandmother was able to give her some insight on how she could become a human. If I were to write a Storytelling post this week over this, I would write a story about how someone was willing to face their fears in order to accomplish their dreams and goals some day.

("The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen (1872), illustration by W. Heath Robinson)

Little Mermaid - Part 4: I thought this was a rather frightening scene to picture the sea witch's home. It all seemed so evil. I hate that the witch said that she would have to cut off the mermaid's tongue in order to create this potion so she would be able to walk. I haven't seen the Disney movie in a long time, but I think that the mermaid was turned back into her original form if she could not get the prince to love her instead of dying. 

Little Mermaid - Part 5: This part of the story was really depressing because I realized more and more how dumb she was for being willing to give up her own life just to have the possibility of marrying the prince. I wish she could tell him that she was the one who saved him, and then he might realize that he loves her more than anything.

Little Mermaid - Part 6: I knew the ending of this story was going to be much unlike the familiar Disney version. I had a feeling that the mermaid would end up dying instead of getting married to the prince. I feel so sorry for her, but at the same time I don't feel that bad for her. She knew that there was a great possibility of never being able to get married to him.

Week 13 Reading Diary A: Hans Christian Andersen

The Princess and the Pea: I was expecting this story to be unlike the original that I had heard since I was little. I think it's crazy that she was able to feel a pea under twenty mattresses! I can relate to the princess because I am unable to sleep that well unless I have just the right amount of pillows and blankets. I hope that she wasn't mad that the queen and the prince wanted to make sure that she was a real princess by possibly causing her to sleep terribly! I think a great Storytelling post for this week would be to tell a story about how someone couldn't sleep well unless they were at home.

("The Princess and the Pea" by Hans Christian Andersen (1872), illustration by Edmund Dulac)

The Emperor's New Suit: I was also expecting this story to be different from the version I have heard my whole life. I hate how the swindlers charged the emperor all of this money only to not give him any new clothes at all. I thought that was so rude that they used him! It seemed that all of the people in town couldn't see the new clothes so they were being tricked as well! I think a good Storytelling post for this week would be to tell a story about these two people who made a scam and tricked everyone in town. However, one of the citizens was brave enough to turn them in!

The Brave Tin Soldier: I had actually never heard of this story until now. I now know why I had never heard of it before. This story was incredibly sad. I thought it was going to have a happy ending when the soldier found out that he was back in the same home that he had lived his whole life. I thought it was also sad that the little dancer melted into flames as she tried to save the tin soldier. This story reminded me of Romeo and Juliet because I believe that the dancer and the tin soldier were star-crossed lovers as well.