Story: Ovid's Metamorphosis

The world had become corrupt. Men and women from all nations had turned against the Gods and were beginning to challenge them. Jupiter the leader of the Gods began to grow tired of his creations rebellion, he began to see the need for change amongst them. So he made his decision and with the help of his brothers, Gods of the Sea and of the Land, they began to destroy the earth.

Flood waters rose, earthquakes began to destroy everything they had built, homes, temples, monuments were wiped off the face of the earth. And within a matter of days the world was reduced to nothing, with no sign of ever having life. Creatures both guilty and innocent far and wide were destroyed, but in the wake of there destruction Jupiter had a plan.

In the wake of all destruction he saved two sets of men and women, his plan was devious, but would bring balance back to the earth. Decillion, Pyrnna, Ossiccus, and Mirranha were the only humans to survive, but they wished that they had not, for in the wake of destruction Jupiter had come to each of them and had told them of his plan.
"Today there shall be nothing remaining, except for you, my good and faithful servants. I have chosen you to start the world anew, but your purpose will not yet be fulfilled. On this earth I have saved two others, very much like you, whoever among you survives will be given glory and whoever among you dies will face suffering that which the likes have never been felt before."

This grieved and terrified both pairs of couples, but each pair new what had to be done. Each group began to prepare for what was to come, until the fateful day when the four met.
With the Gods watching on, in awe of Jupiter's mighty plan, they could do nothing for all feared the wrath of Jupiter, for even the Gods fear him.

(Gods looking down below)

So the pairs began to attack one another, seeing the desperation in each others eyes. Decillion and Pyrnna against Ossiccus and Mirranha. They fought for glory. They fought out of fear. They fought for each other, not wanting themselves to suffer the fate that Jupiter would laid upon them if they were to lose. In there fight they had forgotten one thing, the Gods who had put them there, this is precisely what Jupiter had intended. The ones to remember the Gods and to seek them out for help would be the true winners, and gain the right to recreate the human race. Then it happened, Ossiccus who saw his true love Mirranha struggling to hold her ground against Pyrnna fled to her aid knowing that he had made himself vulnerable. He saved her and brought her to safety, but in his moment of aid was struck down by Decillion. Mirranha who saw the horrid fate of her love, and knew of hers to come cried out to the Gods to let her be with the one whom she loved. She begged and pleaded with them and in the end asked to have the horrible fate that Jupiter had promised. In that moment, right before she was to be killed, a great flash and the sound of a thousand thunders struck right around her, and she knew that this was it. In a only a moment though, she stood up, not knowing what had occurred only to see Ossiccus standing before her along with Jupiter who told them of there sacrifice and that they had truly stood the test that was given. And so these lovers were given the gift of life and were put to the job of rebuilding this world, with the help of the Gods of course. And so it was. The true test of the Gods was known, to love fiercely both the Gods and those around us.

Author's Note: I changed this story quite a bit from the original. The original story told of a flood that was formed by the Gods to wipe out everything but two people had survived and were found faithful to the Gods, so they were spared. They sought the Goddess Themis for wisdom and to understand what to do next. Through them they recreated the population of people and animals after seeking continued wisdom from Themis. They sought to work hard and to rebuild what they had known in a better form. Through this they recreated the world to be made better through hard work and faithfulness. I liked the idea of showing the true battle that was to be won, and what the God's might have intended. I wanted to make this story a little more dramatic as well, so I added a competition between two pairs of lovers, to show the sacrifice that one should take for those they love. Throughout the original story it talks about the wrath that was placed by the God Jupiter. My story shows the true meaning about what the Gods had intended for people. This story fits the theme of love and sacrifice.

Bibliography: Ovid's Metamorphosis: Deucalion and Pyrrha translated by Tony Kline; link to reading

Portfolio Guide

οικογένεια (Family); link to the reading
This story shows the sacrifice that a great warrior makes for his family.

(Wrath of Achilles)

Sinbad Third Voyage: The Giant; link to reading
This story tells of a courageous crew who would take on evil giants and of the sacrifice for the safety of the crew.

(Giants fighting)

Wisdom's True Heart; link to the reading

This story shows that choosing family is the wisest decision one can make.

(Icy Mountain)

The Giant Elk; link to the reading

This story shows the friendship of two warriors fighting to save their people and the ultimate sacrifice one makes for his friend.

(Two friends)

Ovid's Metamorphosis: Deucalion and Pyrrha translated by Tony Kline; link to reading

This story shows the fight of life between two groups of people who were saved from destruction from the Gods.

(Gods looking down below)

Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm, part B

Reading the second half of this unit I came upon a story that was strange and stood out to me. It was the story of the Traveling Musicians. One thing I love about this story is it shows teamwork between the most unlikely creatures. So one thing I would like to do is change the animals around some to make it even stranger that they would appear together. Another thing I would like to add is that all the robbers would come back to the house and the animals would have to band together to get rid of them once and for all. This would include some sacrifice that one animal would make for the others out of a new love and respect for them.

(Animals on top of each other)

Bibliography: The Brothers Grimm stories by multiple authors; link to reading

Reading Notes: Grimm stories, part A

I loved this section of reading and a story that stood out to me was the Fox and the Horse. It is quite different from the rest because it does not fall into the typical fairy tale story line that the other stories are falling under. A few changes I would love to make of this story is to make it more about love. I would like to make the farmer old and tiresome and can't fend for himself. The horse seeing his master struggling to provide for himself leaves abruptly to go and find food. The master gets very sad thinking his horse had left him, but when he comes back bringing food he is delighted with his dearest friend. I would like to have a new storyline when the horse is in the woods.

(Horse and fox)

Bibliography: Brother's Grimm by multiple authors; link to reading

Story: The Demon-King

After a short time had passed the Monkey King returned to his kingdom. He found it desolate and as barren as a wasteland. "Children, where are my children." Out from behind the rubble and among the rocks apes by the hundreds came to him with fear in there eyes. "What has happened here," the Monkey King questioned. "He came in the night. We fought as well as we could and were able to hold off most of the attacks, but he was able to capture many," the apes replied looking down in anguish. "Where, where is my wife." In the battle that had happened the leader of the evil forces, the Demon King had swooped down and taken The Monkey King's wife. The Monkey King had to get her back and was willing to risk everything for her safety. So with one mighty flip the Monkey King went to the mountain that held the lair of the Demon King. "Come out you foul beast and meet your doom," the Monkey King yelled. The Demon King, who came out of his lair, stepped up to the Monkey King and was so much larger than him that he bellowed a big laugh knowing that this was sure victory. The Monkey King with his magical spear in hand began to jump all around the slower Demon King. The Demon King could not keep up with the Monkey King and was slowly being injured each time the Monkey King struck him with a blow. While the fight was occurring and while keeping the Demon King occupied all of the monkey entered the lair and began to help the captives escape to safety. The last one out of the cave was the Monkey King's wife. When the Monkey King saw his wife he became distracted for a split second and it took only that for the Demon King to connect one blow and launch the Monkey King against the mountain. His wife belted out in horror, but had no way of helping her husband. The Demon King believing he was close to victory began to walk towards the Monkey King desiring to kill the king and take all that he had for himself. The Monkey King was running out of options. He  knew that if he was to be defeated the Demon King would kill of his family and his wife. In a moment, he glanced at his magical spear, in which all of his power was held. He had no time and a decision had to be made. In an instant and with all of his strength remaining he threw the spear with the force of one giving everything he has. The spear connected right at the heart of the Demon King piercing through the thick armor. The Demon King fell and was defeated, but in that sacrifice the Monkey King had relinquished his power and his kingdom. The spear that had once belonged to the gods and killed Kings and brought nations under its power had been wiped from existence. For in the last attempt at defeating the Demon King the spear had been destroyed. In his moment of regret his wife, who had been watching from the side, ran to her husband and gave him a hug that told him that all of his sacrifice was worth it. On their journey back the Monkey King and his wife had began to talk about their future. In the middle of the conversation the clouds opened and Buddha appeared to the Monkey King. "You have proved yourself worthy to yield this blade." While the Monkey King looked up at the sky a magical blade moved towards him. For within the blade was the power and strength to rule his kingdom.

(Monkey King battling the Demon King)

Author's Note: In the original story the Monkey King was able to defeat the Devil King with ease. I made the change of making it a little more difficult and added that his wife was taken by the Devil King. I also added the spear that gave him his magical power. I wanted to add something that would be hard to give up. In the original he was never bestowed with a sword by Buddha because he didn't have a magical spear. I added that to show that sacrificing for others with bring reward for yourself in some circumstances.

Bibliography:Bibliography: The Monkey King by R. Wilhelm; link to reading

Reading Notes: Pied Piper

The story that caught my eye was the Pied Piper. I had read it when I was a kid, but had forgotten about it 'til now. I would love to evolve this story to become my own. There are a few ways I would try to do this. One, I want to make the rat part very small because I would like to focus more of my story on the second side. I would like to do a part of what happened to the children afterwards. One child escaped the trance, but couldn't get any of the other kids to break free. Instead of running back to be with his family he devised a plan to stop the pied piper and to rescue the children and bring them home.

(Pied piper)

Bibliography: More English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs; link to the reading

Reading Notes: English Fairy Tales, Part B

The story that stood out to me this week was Mr. Miacca. I think that this story is one of a very clever boy that escaped deer circumstances by using his mind to outwit those who had captured him. I really enjoyed this story and while I was reading it saw the potential for changes to make it unique to me. One thing I would love to change are the ways in which the boy escapes. I would like to give the boy a friend who helps him escape, sacrificing his own safety to save his dear friend. This would keep up with my portfolio theme and keep the cleverness of the story the same.

(Mr. Miacca)

Bibliography: English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs; link to reading

Reading Notes: English Fairy Tales, Part A

I continue to use the English Fairy Tales because I think they are amazing stories and have so much potential to be changed through my imagination. The story that really caught my eye and that I enjoyed reading was The Old Woman and Her Pig. I think this story is very funny and the repetition shows and grows the story to continue to develop. I would love to change this story to fit my theme of sacrifice. This story could use so many different paths in the repetition that it has and I would love to use this to my advantage and change the pace and themes of the requests.

(Woman and her Pig)

Bibliography: English Fairytales by Joseph Jacobs; link to reading

Reading Notes: English Fairy Tales

The story about the Ass, The Table, and The Stick stood out to me a lot. This story has a lot of potential to be changed for my story. There can be three new things. I would also like to make the boy and his father have a good relationship and the reason the boy ran away was to gain wealth so that he could take care of him. So each time the boy came back with the wrong thing, it wouldn't be the father that ran him out, but because of his own shame he went out to get more. 

(Boy and his father)

Bibliography: English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs; link to reading

Reading Notes: English Fairy Tales, Part A

One story that stood out to me was was the story of Mr. Fox. I thought this was a gruesome story, but an interesting one to tell. I would like to keep this pretty close to the original. There are a few things I would like to change. One, she would not have the hand of the lady that Mr. Fox had brought in, so no one of her family believed her. Second, her family would push for her to marry Mr. Fox. After the marriage her and Mr. Fox left, but a man who had loved her so much followed to make sure that she was safe. He saw that she was not and fought Mr. Fox to protect and he kills Mr. Fox and they fall in love and live happily ever after.

(Large Castle)

Bibliography: English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs; link to reading

Reading Notes: English Fairy Tales, Part A

I love old fairy tales and one that stood out to me was Cap o' Rushes. I thought this was a cool story that had a Cinderella appeal to it. I would like to make it more appealing to readers in our generation though. I would like to make it more modern. So I will keep the father and his three daughter. Instead of him asking how much they love him he will ask them to do chores around the house to help with his busy schedule. One daughter did all of the chores, but her older sisters lied to their father and told him the youngest didn't do any of them. So he took her car away, so she was forced to walk to school. The star QB for football would see her everyday walking to school and think she was the most beautiful girl, but he could never find her. Then I would change how the father finds out that she was the daughter that would do all of the chores and she would be rewarded and find true love.

(Girl walking to school)

Bibliography: English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs; link to reading 

Reading Notes: Apache Tales, Part A

This section was very entertaining and one part stood out to me a lot and that was the killing of the monsters story. I think this could be a cool story to make my own as I can change the monsters that the man killed and how he kills them. One change I would love to make is instead of an elk, who I see as a peaceful creature, I would choose the monster to be a bear. The man can lure the monster in with food and then jump from a tree above to drive a spear into its back. Then the second monster I would like to make a wolf. This monster though, is more wise and does not give in to tricks as easily. So to kill this monsters the man and his companion devise a plan to slay the beast by using a decoy. I want to leave out the rest of the story and add a little sacrifice of the one of the men while killing the wolf monster. This would keep with my theme and show love conquers all.

(Bear and Wolf)

Bibliography: Apache Tales by Jicarilla; link to reading

Reading Notes: Marriage, Part B

This second part of this section was very good and one part that stood out to me was the Dog-Husband. I did not enjoy very much the second half of the story after they had left the girl behind but I enjoyed the first part and believe I could do something with it. First, when the girl becomes pregnant I would make the parents be angry at the dog, but afterwards the dog changes to his human form and shows the parents. The parents were still ashamed, but did not kill the dog. So the village stayed with the girl, but became increasingly angry at the situation. After the birth of the children the villagers would revolt against their house and ask for the dogs life or all would die. I want to show the sacrifice of the dog for his wife and his children. And have a deeper meaning about the love that is shared between a family and that the man of the house would give his life to protect them.

(Woman and her dog)

Bibliography: Native American Marriage Tales, Part B; link to reading

Reading Notes: Marriage The Fox Woman, Part A

These stories are a very beautiful example of the love between a man and a woman. One story really stood out to me. I feel like there are a lot of different angles that I can take this story. One change that I would love to make would be initially I would like to add a fight between the man and woman and that is why the man left. When he comes back he expects the woman to be gone and she is. He would carry on with his normal daily activity, and his house would begin to be a mess. One day he would come back and find his house is in perfect order. Then he would find the wife. She came back because she had missed her husband and had used the skin of a mouse and had hid within the walls of the house to surprise him.

(mouse)

Bibliography: Native American Marriage Tales; link to reading

Storytelling: The Giant Elk

There once was a small village so deep in the woods that no one could find it. In this village lived a peaceful tribe who lit the night sky with fire and who sang beautiful songs of adventures and love. This village lived peacefully for hundreds of years before tragedy struck. From the forests far to the west lived an elk. This was no ordinary elk. It was giant and ferocious, feeding on all who had joy in the world. The elk had been traveling and had come upon this village only by accident. It heard the songs of the villagers with the drums beating to steps of dancers. The elk charged in and took the village by surprise, eating up all it could before heading away for its sleep. The village was in a panic. They had never faced anything of such evil before. The leader of the tribe, Sunyain, and his trustworthy friend Ugai knew that something had to be done to defeat such evil. So they followed the footprints of the elk up to a great field where they found the beast sleeping out in the open. The men hid behind some trees, not daring to get close to the elk with fear that they might wake it. "How can we kill this beast when we cannot get close enough to strike it down," questioned Ugai? As if it was listening to their conversation a leopard appeared. "I can help you my friends.

(leopard)

You see I am very quick and if you get on my back I can run to it so that you may strike it down before it hears us. That elk killled my cubs and I will do whatever it takes to help you," the leopard insisted to the men.

"It is very gutsy and we still have no weapons to strike the beast down," replied Sunyain.

"Maybe I can be of service," said a porcupine that had snuck up from behind them.

(Porcupine)

"My quills are very sharp and will serve as excellent weapons for you to strike down the creature." The group devised a plan and it was agreed upon. The two men plucked the giant quills from the porcupine's back and hopped onto the leopard. Zoom!!! They were off. They were heading full speed towards the elk with the quills aimed directly at the heart. When they were only feet away the leopard tripped and sent the men flying forward and their quills, missing the mark. The quills only injured the beast. The elk shot up with pain and sent out a bellow that could be heard throughout the entire forrest. The men, now terrified, took off running hoping that they could hide from it in the forest. The elk, after his bellowing, was now filled with anger. It charged the men and gained ground very quickly. The men had no hope of escaping. "The only chance our village has of surviving is if we kill this beast once and for all," said Ugai. With Sunyain agreeing, the two men took up their quill spears and prepared to charge the beast. Sunyain yelling out "charge" at the top of his lungs took off, but before he could get anywhere he felt a sharp pain in the back of his leg. He turned to see Ugai pulling the quill out of his leg. "I cannot let you die here. You are our leader. The people... they need you to survive, and let's face it, they don't really need me." Before Sunyain could say anything Ugai took off continuing to run at the beast. He ran past the point beyond the sight Sunyain and then as Sunyain was crying out all noise fell quiet. Sunyain stopped and listened, but heard nothing. "Ugai!!! Ugai!!" Sunyain called out, hoping to hear the voice of his dearest friend. But there was nothing. Sunyain hobbling as fast as he could came upon a sight he wished he had not seen. Before his eyes was the elk and Ugai both dead with an antler piercing Ugai through the heart and a quill piercing the head of the elk.

(Elk)

Years later, Sunyain still remembered his dearest friend Ugai. The story of his bravery had become a song that was sung every night in memory and thanks to the bravest of them all. The man who had sacrificed his life. 

Author's Note: The original story, an Apache story, tells of a single man, Jonayaiyin, who with the help of a clever lizard and gopher was able to take down an elk and an eagle that had been terrorizing their village. It tells of Jonayaiyin and his trek to where the elk and eagle both were, respectively. He is able to kill the beasts and return to his village a hero. This story has also has an influence from a God-like character who helps the village by sending a hero to kill the beasts. My story follows closely with the main idea, but I changed a few areas. I added a friend for the main character to accompany him and in the end sacrifice his life for him. I also changed the animals that provided help and used a different angle on how their plan played out. In the original it does not go into the future, but I wanted to show the impact that the friend made and his joyous celebration. 

Bibliography: Native American Hero Tales: The Killing of Monsters by Stith Thompson; link to reading

Reading Notes: Native American Hero Tales, Part B

This second half of the reading was very interesting, but what caught my attention the most was the story about the Red Woman. What interests me the most is the two boys. They have many different stories about when they disobeyed their father. I think this could be an interesting point to change within my story. I could make new storylines and also could tell a tale of one of them saving another from an evil they had found. There are many new angles that could be taken from this, but I have not thought about specifics. One thing in particular I do not like and will change is the mother rising out of the dead. I would like to show maybe a sacrifice the mother makes that ends in her death. This could be for the two children and it could be against red woman who in the original killed her before birth. In my story she would live and meet this woman after years.

(Indians gathered for a story)

Bibliography: Native American Hero Tales by Stith Thompson; link to reading

Reading Notes: Native American Hero Tales, Part A

I liked this section of heroes very much. One of my favorite parts of the story was Jonayaiyin. This hero stood out to me because I believe he made the most difference by killing the great Elk and great Eagle. I think this part of the story would fit great with my repeated idea of sacrifice. One way I would like to change this story would be to add a sidekick for him. Someone who helps him make decisions and is equally as brave. This could add a portion for the sacrifice. I would love to add the sidekick giving his life to save that of his hero. Another thing I think could be changed are the animals helping them get to the great Elk. The story tells about a lizard and gopher. I could make any other two animals that could provide assistance. I think these changes would improve and make the story original.

(elk)

Bibliography: Native American Hero Tales by Stith Thompson; link to reading

Week 8 Growth Mindset

This semester has been an amazing area of growth in my life. I think I am beginning to recognize that the end is near and I graduate in a little or a semester. Because of this I am having to grow in so many areas of my life. So many of the areas that I thought were weaknesses I am beginning to develop. Some of those are asking lots of questions, taking a long term view, and being ready for things to change. These are areas that I struggled with the most and let's face it, so many other college students do too. As I am coming to the end I have been working much harder on these areas because I know that they will help me find success and help me grow as a person when I am out on my own. This class has helped me to gain on these areas because it allows me to be creative in my writing, but also ask questions about what would make my work better. I am understanding that what I write might not be in its best form and that I have to be willing to change the work from the comments of others.

I am ready for the second half of this semester to continue to challenge myself. I know that it will be getting tougher as other classes begin to get into finals and stressful situations. So keeping ahead of this class and preparing the work earlier in the week will help me in so many different ways.

(Inspirational quote)

Week 8 Reflections

So far this class has been such an enjoyable time for me. I have loved reading old stories and getting to see the writing styles of so many amazing authors. During my readings I believe I have been doing a good job in "reading like a writer". One of my favorite readings so far has been the the Two Brothers story. I love the simplicity of the story, but that it also has an amazing theme. I have been able to find good time to read. I usually do so in the mornings in a quiet room so that, I can focus on the story and not be distracted.

I have loved the writings so far. I see how my writing style comes off of who I am as a person. One aspect that I hope to improve on is the flow of my stories. Usually when I re-read or get ideas from others it has to do with my flow and things that I can do to improve it. I hope to master the run-on sentences in my stories. These are my biggest problem and I know that I can improve a lot in this area.

When looking at the stories of others I love to see the overall themes that each person has. I feel like without even thinking about it we tend to fall into the same ideas over and over again because it is what we gravitate to. One thing that I have seen in a lot of stories that I hope to avoid is rushing through situations without having a lot of descriptions.

(reflections of a kitten)

Story: Wisdom's True Heart

Once there was a man named Father Carlotta. He possessed all of the wisdom within the world and people from all over the land would seek him out for wisdom and advice.
He was not easily angered, but there was a group of men who were able to anger him. They would come to him with questions and instead of taking his advice would decide what to do on their own. Father Carlotta saw this and felt as if his wisdom was being thrown away. Because of this he decided to no longer share his wisdom, but that he would hide it away from everyone. So he began to collect all of the wisdom that he had given away, plucking it from those who needed it most. This left people afraid and questioning every decision that they made. When Father Carlotta had succeeded in collecting all of this wisdom he sealed it in a jar and put that jar around his neck.

(Jars)

Now Father Carlotta had a daughter, Arya. Arya loved all the people of the land and they loved her back. She began to notice that the people were acting very strange and saw so many decisions that were not taken with wisdom. So she snuck into her father's room and saw the jar of wisdom around her father's neck. She did not know what to do. She could not confront him, so she began to follow him.He took the jar into the mountains and began to climb as high as he could. He began to struggle to climb when the ice had become too slick. Again and again he tried, but always he failed. Angered he did not know what to do.

Suddenly Arya jumped out from around the side. "Father, here, try this," and she showed him how to climb the ice. She showed him the metal shards she had stuck to her shoes that helped her stick to the ice and be able to climb. "And here I thought I had all the.."

The ice began to shift and collapsed below the feet of Arya. She began to fall into a chasm when her father, using the jar and the string around his neck, reached out to grab her.

(Chasm)

She grabbed the string just in time and was soon hanging over the edge. "Father, the string is about to break," Arya screamed out in terror. Father Carlotta had only an instant to decide. He could save the jar that held all of his wisdom and all the wisdom throughout the land or he could reach for his daughter saving her from certain doom. The string snapped and the father, reaching out, grabbed the sleeve of his daughter, throwing her to safety, in the blink of an eye, all while the jar containing the wisdom fell and fell to the bottom of the chasm. "Why, why did you save me? I thought nothing was more important to you than your wisdom." The father looked at the tears flowing down his daughter's eyes. "I made the wisest decision I could have ever made and I would make it again just to know that you are safe." Without the notice of the father or daughter the jar had reached the bottom and shattered. And with that shatter all the wisdom within the jar spread throughout the land giving to all who lived there wisdom.

(Icy Mountain)

Author's Note: The original story tells of a trickster-spider who had all the wisdom in the land. His role was to give wisdom to those who sought it out. Out of anger he collected all of his wisdom and devised a plan to hide it forever. A place where I made a change is in the original the wise man had gone into the woods and tried to climb a tree so he could hide the jar of wisdom in a place to where no one could every get it, whereas my story goes to the mountain where he tries to climb very high. In the original Anansi's son gave the father advice about an easier way to climb the tree. In my story I added a daughter instead of a son, but each proved to be wise without wisdom from the father when they showed their father a better way to do something. The original story Father Anansi became angry because his son made a wiser decision than he had and in his anger threw the jar of wisdom on the ground. The jar broke, spreading the wisdom all through the land.

Bibliography: West African Folktales: How Wisdom Became the Property of the Human Race by William Barker and Cecilia Sinclair; link to reading

Wikipedia Trails: From Storms to Ghost Sickness

So I am sitting here trying to figure out what to start with and there is a storm happening so I googled storm and that is how I began. From there I saw a particular kind of storm called a dustdevil. This is sort of like a tornado but much much weaker. From dustdevil I saw how it became named and that led me to the chindi which is a Navajo word. From there I was reading and I saw that the Navajo believed that anyone that came in contact with a chindi had ghost sickness. This sickness has weakness, loss of appetite, dizziness, nightmares, and terror attacks. It was interesting to see how just thinking of a simple storm has led me to see Navajo traditions and beliefs that a ghost interacted with a human causing a sickness to occur.

(Storm)

Bibliography:

Storm; link to reading

Dustdevil; link to reading

Chindi; link to reading

Ghost sickness; link to reading

Reading Notes: West African Folktales, Part B

This section of the story was very interesting, but one part I liked a lot was the leopard and the ram. It is about how the leopard and the ram became wild and domesticated respectively. There are a few things I would love to change to give this story a new idea. One thing I would like to change is the ending part of the story. So after the leopard finds out how the ram kills his prey he becomes very nervous around him. I would like to make that justified. So after the ram hears about the leopard finding out how he kills his prey, he decides he has to kill the leopard so no-one learns of his secret ways he hunts. One night the ram shows his pre-attack motion. The father leopard seeing this aimed at his son yells at him to run away as fast as he can and jumps in front of the attack. The father leopard would be killed, but his son would escape into the woods. So same basic idea just adding a little love and sacrifice in there to keep up the theme of my portfolio.

(Watchful leopard)

Bibliography: West African Folktales; The Leopard and The Ram by William Barker and Cecilia Sinclair; link to reading

Reading Notes: West African FolkTales Part A

I really enjoyed these stories and loved the variety and the applications that each one gives. Through reading these I am looking for ways in which love can takeover as the main theme. One part I particularly liked was the way in which humans received wisdom. This story shows the stubbornness of the person who contained all the wisdom of the world. His son though proves himself to be wise which angers the father. I would love to change this overall theme. I want the son to prove himself out of love for his father. And in a "passing of the torch" so to speak the father then gives the son wisdom because of his deeds and his love for him. In this his son decided to share that wisdom with everyone, that they may feel and help their loved ones.

(Father embraces son)

Bibliography: West African Folktales: How Wisdom Became the Property of the Human Race by William Barker and Cecilia Sinclair; link to reading

Wikipedia Trails: From Pumpkins to "The Battle of Magh Tuireadh"

I started with pumpkins because why not. It is fall time and I really want to carve a pumpkin. From there I went to jack-o-lanterns because that is what we call pumpkins after we carve them here in the US. From jack-o-lanterns I went to Samhain, which is a festival of harvest which was also called Halloween. And lastly from Samhain I went to "The Battle of Magh Tuireadh." It ended with this because Samhain is an Irish festival so when I went to that page it began talking about Irish mythology and about this book and the myth of this specific battle in ancient times. 

(Pumpkins)

Bibliography:

Pumpkins; link to reading
Jack-o-lanters; link to reading
Samhain; link to reading
"The Battle of Magh Tuireadh"; link to reading 

Reading Notes: The Monkey King, Part B

After reading part B of this story one situation stands out to me. That would be the meeting between Buddha and the Monkey King, when the Monkey King believes he should be the Lord of the Heavens. This incites a challenge from Buddha for the Monkey King to complete just the simple task of jumping from his hand. In the original story he cannot do it, but what I would like to do is to change the result of this situation. I would like to have the Monkey King to complete this task that was thought to be impossible. This would prove that he is worthy to be the Lord of the Heavens. But I want to add a few more challenges that are required of him to attain this position and to satisfy him. He can complete all of them, but one, which requires him to bring wrath on a certain village that had been inciting evil on its neighbors. The Monkey King could not complete this task because of a heart for the village, but in this he learns of his true power and of true compassion.

(Monkey King completing a challenge)

Bibliography: The Monkey King by R. Wilhelm; link to reading

Reading Notes: The Monkey King Part A

I really enjoyed this story especially the brave and powerful Monkey King. One aspect of the story I loved and would like to play around with by adding new parts is the Devil King storyline. I would like to keep with the theme of family love. So after saying that I would like to add that the Devil King also took the Monkey King's true love. Then I want to add in some sacrifice there, whether the Monkey King has to sacrifice some of his dear friends or some article that is extremely important to his Kingdom. This would add some suspense and some real connections with the characters. I would like to make this more of a battle than a fight, this way more sacrifice and loss can be added to make it more emotional for the reader.

(Monkey King and Devil King fighting)

Bibliography: The Monkey King by R. Wilhelm; link to reading

Reading Notes: The Two Brothers, Part 2

This is where the chunk of my story will take place. This part of the story leaves a lot for reinterpretation and for changing the theme behind it. One minor change I want to deal with is the brother did not get away and get split by a river, but the older brother caught the younger brother. Instead of the truth being presented there, he let his little brother flee and vow to never come back. The major change I want to add is that the older brother after a few years finds his wife with another man and all truth is then brought onto him about his brother. He leaves everything he has, sacrificing his wealth, his land, and his servants to go and find his brother. For months he searches for his brother and soon finds him. I want to show the forgiveness that the younger brother gives and the acceptance of him into his new home with great gifts.

(Two brothers)

Bibliography: Egypt: The Two Brothers, Part Two by Donald Mackenzie; link to the reading

Reading Notes: The Two Brothers, Part 1

I chose this story because I think it has a lot of potential to continue on the theme of love and sacrifice that I have been doing for these stories. The language is difficult to read so my main change will be in the grammar to make it easier for people to read and understand. One other big change is I want to tell more of the bond, maybe from childhood that these two have and tell of a moment where the younger brother was true to his word and did not go against his older brother. This would play into the later part of the story and lead to the older brother finding out about his wife and believing his younger brother a true man. This would show the love and trust between them. Another thing I want to show that is different is the struggle the younger brother had deciding between being loyal to his brother or betraying him. This will add to the sacrifice that he would make for his brother.

(A man working oxen)

Bibliography: Egypt: The Two Brothers, Part 1 by Donald Mackenzie; link to reading

Feedback Focus

These feedback ideas were very helpful. The one I thought was the most helpful and that I will definitely use the most is the copy and paste idea. It helped me focus in and not get ahead of myself before writing comments. This slowed me down and gave me more focus on giving better feedback through each individual paragraph. My second favorite was the reading aloud idea. This is one of my biggest problems, just speed reading and not gaining a true gist of what is happening and how the story could be improved. This concept kept me at a good pace and I was able to catch things that didn't make as much sense to me and allowed me to help with the flow of the paper. My least favorite, but still helpful idea was the timer. I don't have a problem focusing on a paper, and this timer made me nervous and kind of forced me to speed read through it. But this was helpful because it kept me under a time and helped me not to drift away for too long or spend much of my time in one section.

Overall these techniques were very helpful and I will use them all the time when giving feedback, not just in this class but in all my other classes as well.

(Cats being goofy)

Story: Sinbad Third Voyage, The Giant

The storm was growing stronger and stronger, and it continued to pull us where we did not want to go. Through the night we ran about the ship trying to keep it under our control, but that was worthless. Our ship was wrecked in the harbor of what looked like a deserted island.

(Deserted island)

When morning struck we looked around trying to see if where we had crashed and if there was any evidence of inhabitants, but to no avail. As the day grew longer and our repairs to the ship seemed pointless we began to understand that there was no escaping and that we would have to make our home here. To learn the land and to get to know where the best place to make camp would be we split up into two search parties. One went to the west and my group went to the east, agreeing that we would meet back at the beach where our ship was along the sand. We took off, not knowing what we would find, but staying as positive as anyone who has lost everything. As we continued to search we found something that was quite strange. We came upon what looked to be a deserted castle with towers reaching up to the skies and with doors that took two men pushing as hard as they could to open.

(Castle)

We ran inside yelling with joy and feeling that we were the luckiest men alive. Then we heard what sounded like thunder. But looking through a window we saw a blue sun-filled sky. And again we heard a BOOM! Confused, we huddled together against each other. We sat there hearing each boom get closer and closer. Then in the blink of a moment the doors, which took two of our men, swung open with ease. In came the most hideous creature. It stood probably fifteen feet high with one eye and a face crawling with disgusting things so that I couldn't even imagine where it came from. Not knowing what to do, we tried to walk around the creature and out the door without it noticing. With one swoop of its giant hand it grabbed the man right next to me. It brought him up to its eye and in a quick fit of rage tore him into two and began to peel off the meat like it was a chicken leg. Struck by fear we froze in our places as the giant walked calmly back outside. Not knowing if there were more outside we decided it best to stay inside. This continued for two days. It would come in and have a lunch of one crew mate then leave until nightfall. The third night we began to devise a plan, or at least the half of men remaining did so. And so we put our plan into place and waited for the giant to return for its night of sleep. When it did the crew and I waited for it to fall asleep. Our plan worked to perfection. We were able to stab the eye of the giant leaving it blind and also tying its feet together for it to trip. We ran as fast as we could to the door and back down to the beach to find a sight we did not expect. Four ships were waiting in a harbor with guns pointed. We ran and ran as fast as we could and turning back we saw five giants chasing after us and gaining ground. Canons began to fire and falling around us was debris from the explosions. The giants still running had the strength to deflect the cannon balls, but more kept flying. The giants searching for something to attack the ships with began pulling out full palm trees near the shore and chucking them towards the boats, sinking two in the process.

(Giants fighting)

The two ships left continued to fire killing four giants, but one still stood. The crew was giving everything they had firing at will and trying to keep their ships afloat. The crew realized they weren't going to kill this giant.

(Ship)

One of my crewmates, noticing that the giant was about to sink another ship, stopped and turned around. Not knowing what he was doing we stopped, yelling at him to come on. He looked at us with tears in his eyes and said "Tell my wife I love her and that I died with honor." In that moment he charged the giant with nothing but a sharp stick for a sword. We ran only looking back to see our comrade picked up by the final giant and eaten whole. But his sacrifice was not in vain. In that moment of pause for the giant to feast on the man, a cannonball that was perfectly aimed drove itself right into the head of the giant. With a loud thunderous boom, the giant fell, dead in his tracks. We reached the ships stunned by what we had just seen. We and the men whose ships had been sunk were swimming towards the ships. The ships not wanting to wait for any more giants to come their way took off with what was left of my crew, myself and a few other men who had survived. Looking back we knew we would not have made it if not for the love of our crewmate. We will never forget his sacrifice and we will live each and every day with the heart of two men.


Author's note: I devised this story from Sinbad's third voyage, the Giant. This story tells of the capture of Sinbad and his crew after a storm had washed them on an island. The original had a beginning portion of the story that included little trolls that delivered the crew to the island with the giants, but for the sake of word count I omitted this section and just had the crew crashing on the island with the giants. It tells of an evil giant that one by one ate member of the crew until the crew devised a plan to escape and injure the giant. One change that was different from the original was that there was a battle at the end of this story between ships and giants. I thought this would be a more action packed plot than the original story where they escape on rafts that they had built with wood from the jungle. I wanted to throw in some skills and strength, like being able to throw trees, the giants had and help the reader understand the difficulty it was killing a giant. Also I added the sacrifice to keep into play the idea of love and sacrifice that can be given for those we care about.

Bibliography: Sinbad's Third Voyage by Andrew Lang; link to reading 

Reading Notes: Sinbad Third Voyage, Part B

The second part of this story shows the plan and escape of Sinbad and his crew. I would like to put more emphasis on the plan and strategy of how to escape and maybe throw in something else that would bring more suspense to the story, maybe adding a little battle or traps set by the men that tricked some of the giants. Then when they landed on the other island, I want to use a different beast than a snake, something that brings more terror and haunts the crew and the readers. I think some more description can be used to tell of the giants and creatures instead of wasting time writing about waiting in the castle and being eaten by the giant. That has already happened once so I would like something new to happen.

(Many giants trying to kill the crew)

Bibliography: Voyages of Sinbad, 3rd Voyage by Andrew Lang; link to reading

Reading Notes: Sinbad Third Voyage, Part A

I chose Sinbad because I heard all about Sinbad growing up and a vaguely remember seeing a movie about his voyages. I thought it would be interesting to read them for myself and get to choose my favorite with which I can add a little of my own taste. One thing in this first half of the story that I would like to change is that the men were not restrained to leave the castle, they could've left at anytime the way they came in. I also would like to add a little more description of how the captain was eaten with a little something that the giant does to provoke more fear and suspense for the reader. I really want to hone in on the giant, his appearance and the purpose for the dwarfs bringing the sailors over made a little more clear.

(giant preparing his food)

Bibliography: Sinbad's Third Voyage by Andrew Lang; link to reading

Portfolio: οικογένεια (Family)

Paris, a Prince of Troy,  looked at her with lustful eyes, his desire overcoming any love for his country. Helen, the Queen of Sparta, stood there with tense shoulders aware of his staring and malintent. Then he walked over to her waving his shoulders as if he was the King of Sparta. But before he could say anything she slapped him across the face so hard that it left a red handprint across his face and she fled back to her true love, the King of Sparta, Menelaus. Paris, filled with rage and unfulfilled lust, began to plan his revenge, and from the corner of his eye he noticed a child, Lucious, the child of Helen and Menelaus. In that moment, his mind was made up and in the blink of an eye he acted. Hector, the future King of Troy and brother to Paris, and the Trojans began their journey back unknowing of the kidnapped child in the lower deck of the ship. And soon they sailed far away before anyone noticed that the child was gone.

Menelaus, filled with rage, burst through the door of his brother's war room as Agamemnon was discussing battle plans with his generals. "He's gone. Those thieves took my child." This was the chance Agamemnon was longing for. He had been looking for the opportunity to attack the Trojans, but had never been able to get the Kings of Greece together to do so. He sent out messenger after messenger to all of the Kings of Greece asking them to fulfill their promise of protecting the Queen Helen and her child. And after months of preparation Agamemnon and the Kings of Greece set sail, with the largest fleet the world had ever seen, for the largest war the world would ever know.

Then there was Achilles, the greatest warrior in the world, and his cousin Patroclus whom he loved dearly. The war had been going on for three years now, the Greeks gaining ground slowly, but losing many men in the process. Achilles, who had been protecting his cousin from battle, knew that soon enough he would not be able to continue to do so. He knew that if he was to leave Greece he would be leaving his best chance at eternal glory. This was not an easy choice, but he knew what he must do. He was not willing to risk the life of his cousin Patroclus, whom he loved more than even himself. Patroclus was furious at this decision, believing he was ready to fight and if it be to die. He had been secretly training with soldiers in other camps and seeing the struggles of battle. Filled with grief at the sacrifice his fellow Greeks were making, he knew he could not leave and had decided exactly what he was going to do.

(Battle in Iliad)

The day before they were to leave, Patroclus snuck out of his tent and prepared for the upcoming battle that was to ensue. And so hiding himself among the battalion of troops he went to battle, not knowing of his fate and willing to give his life for his King. The battle began. Patroclus, kin of Achilles was a natural-born killer. He killed dozens and fought bravely, but the forces were outmatched and were slowly being pushed back by Trojans cavalry. Not willing to leave his friend behind, he stayed to hold off men while fellow Greeks were able to escape, and he was captured. Thrown with the other captives, he slowly was dragged back to Troy. The news soon returned to Achilles of the bravery of a long-blonde-haired soldier who killed bravely and was captured. He did not care though. He went to Patroclus' tent to let him know that it was time, but he found it empty. His mind was racing as to where he might have gone and then it hit him. Patroclus was the soldier. Achilles knowing of Patroclus' deep desire to gain glory in battle knew that must have been him. This grieved Achilles deeply, and he planned his rescue of Patroclus.

(shows men using weapons)

Achilles, taking advantage of the full assault planned by Agamemnon on the front gates of Troy, joined in secretly with the forces. Soon the battle began. For hours the armies fought valiantly until the Greeks with Achilles at the helm pushed forward and continued to do so, barraging the front gate of Troy with sheer force. Soon the gate was useless and broken in by the Greeks and they stormed into Troy. Achilles began his search and soon with his overtaking speed was far ahead of the Greek army and already up to the King's Palace. His ferociousness and rage driven emotion was overtaking anybody who was willing to stand in his path.

Then in the courtyard he saw his cousin standing in chains next to the heroic Trojan warrior Hector. Hector was waiting for Achilles as soon as he had heard that the cousin of Achilles had been captured. He knew Achilles would come for his beloved Patroclus. And the fight began, the fight that would be spoken of for centuries. Both soldiers so skilled with a blade, continued to lunge at each other with their swords, hoping to end the life of the other and receive eternal glory. Patroclus was fearful of what was to become of his cousin, but Achilles was better, faster, and stronger than Hector. After minutes of fighting, Achilles found his mark and with one swing of the blade struck Hector down.

(Achilles slays Hector)

He cut Patroclus free of his chains and they began to flee. Soon they had run all the way outside of the city. Both men, exhausted, embraced each other with the love that only family could have. Their fate was not yet decided, but what is true of these men was that the love of family could not be so easily destroyed and it shows how far one will go for those whom he loves.

Author's Note: This story was influenced by Homer's Iliad which tells the story of the war between Greece and Troy. King Agamemnon, obsessed with power, used whatever he could to attack Troy and baited Achilles to fight with the idea of eternal glory.  It tells of the great fight between Hector and Achilles and Hector's demise. And finally it tells of Achille's anger about Briseis, then reconciliation with Agamemnon after the death of Patroclus. This story shows the heroism of Hector and sacrifice for his family and of the great warrior Achilles. One major change I decided to make is the switch of family love between Hector and Achilles because I thought it would bring a different taste of the characters. I made two other important changes to this story. First, to make it show Achilles' love for his family I made Patroclus his cousin. Second, instead of Patroclus dying he was captured and used as bait by Hector to lure Achilles to him. I chose the image I did because it is simple and shows men fighting amongst each other. My overall goal for this story was to bring to life the idea of what we would do for our family and the sacrifice that I believe we would all be willing to make for those closest to us. I want this project to show the significance and desperation that love gets us. That will be the main theme of this portfolio and these stories when I change them: love and sacrifice.

Bibliography: Homer's Iliad by A.J. Church; link to story