Week 8 Reflection

So far this semester I have enjoyed being able to read and write stories. It had been fun being able to read books that aren't just regular textbooks filled with information for class. Writing stories has definitely been challenging and time consuming because it is something new that I've never had to do for a class before. It definitely isn't easy for me to use my imagination to come up with a new version of a story I have already read. There have definitely been a couple stories I wouldn't have chosen to read if I knew what they were like ahead of time, but I also enjoyed the biblical stories I have read, as well as Homer's Iliad. I think I have done a good job with taking notes like a writer would, but there are definitely a lot of improvements I can make as well. I definitely need to start taking more detailed notes in the next couple weeks and pick out specific characters and locations that stand out to me so it makes writing my story an easier process.

(Photo from: Pexels)

Storytelling Week 7: It's All Fun and Games..

"Have fun kids, remember not to go North of the pond!" said Peggy rabbit. 

"We won't!" replied all six young bunnies. 

Patrick, Paul, Parker, Pam and Payton set off for a fun Friday adventure. The bunnies were used to their over-protective parents not letting them take off too far from their little nook. Every Friday, all the bunnies were allowed to go hang out with their friends and have some fun after dinner. This week, they were planning on meeting up with the local family of turtles for a game of hide-and-seek. 

They all agreed playing hide-and-seek wouldn't be any fun unless they played near the pond where there was plenty of shrubs, plants, and stones to hide behind. They set the rules for the game:

1. No going North of the pond 

2. Whoever finds the one hiding gets to hide next

3. No climbing or hiding in places the turtles weren't capable of getting to

4. No opening your eyes while the one hiding gets to their spot

5. Maximum of 5 minutes allowed to find hiding spot 

In the first round, they decided it was only fair that the oldest one in the group got to hide first. Paul set off into the bushes as everyone else counted down the seconds until they could search for him. They looked in all the bushes, under the logs, in even in the garden of tulips. Eventually, they found him wedged between some fallen tree branches. 

That made it Tony, one of the turtles turn to hide. He walked toward the nearest group of stones and decided to take advantage of being a turtle. He wedged his head, arms and legs into his shell and sat patiently while he waited for them to spot him within the group of stones. The 2 girl bunnies were the first of have the same though process as him, it didn't take them long to notice with rock didn't belong. 

Since Payton was the first to spot him, it was her turn to hide. She took off running to save time finding the ultimate hiding spot. She circled the pond and didn't see anywhere that looked like a good enough place to hide. Just a few strides North of the pond, she saw a hollowed out tree that would be perfect! She knew she wasn't supposed to be on that side, but since it was still pretty close by she figured it would be ok. She settling into the tree, peering out periodically to see if she could see her friends coming her way. She stayed very quiet, not wanting to reveal herself. She stayed still in her spot for what seemed like eternity while she waiting to be found. She heard some rustling nearby and was getting hopeful she would be found soon, since sitting in the tree wasn't exactly as exciting as she thought it would be. Suddenly, she sees the nose of an animal peek into the tree. She jumps with fear and is snatched away by a fox! She felt the wind flowing through her hair and the fox teeth burrowing into the fur on her neck as he carried her farther and farther away.. 

The Family of Rabbits 

(Photo by A.B. Frost)

Bibliography: Brer Rabbit by Joel Chandler Harris

Author's Note: Brer Rabbit had a lot of different animals as the characters, but I knew I wanted to write my story about rabbits. They are an animal that don't associate a lot with humans, so I thought giving them human characteristics would make a unique story. The family of rabbits consists of the two parents, 4 boys rabbits and 2 girl rabbits as the children. When setting off for an afternoon of freedom, one bunny decides to stretch the rules and ends up in a conflict. I decided to end my story on a cliffhanger, so readers could decide how the story ends. I believe this children's book style story teaches a lesson and it is up to you to decide just how much trouble the bunny ends up in.

Reading Notes Week 7: Brer Rabbit, Part B

I found Part B of Brer Rabbit much more enjoyable than part A because I was getting used to the dialect and style used in the short stories. After reading a few, it became easier to understand what the characters were talking about. In part B, the frogs are introduced. Uncle Remus talks with a gurgle and no one can really tell what he is saying. They are speaking to one another through bubbles, like what it sounds like when you speak with water in your mouth. 

If I were to write a story based off Brer Rabbit, I would either use frogs as the characters, or the concept of a fox and a rabbit. I think it would be interesting for a strong friendship to be formed between two unlikely animals.

In part B Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox are playing tricks on each other. Brer rabbit goes fishing and notices the fox staring at him. He bribed Brer Fox to jump into the well he is fishing out of, so it pulls up Brer Rabbit out and leaves the fox stuck in the water. I thought this was ironic because usually foxes are known for being tricksters, but in this case, the rabbit tricked the fox. 

(Photo by: A.B. Frost)

Bibliography: Brer Rabbit by Joel Chandler Harris

Reading Notes Week 7: Brer Rabbit, Part A

The first thing I noticed when reading the story was the unique dialect. I found it difficult to read so I read some of it aloud and listen to the rest with the audio recording provided. Even the recording spoke in an accent when reading quotes from the characters. Without it, I don't think I would've understood much of the story at all. My favorite part about this story is Brer Rabbit's sassy attitude. I think it is kind of ironic how the main characters of this story are a rabbit and a fox, since these two animals clearly don't get a long very well. I was also confused why every animal had the term "brer" in front of it in the story, so I looked up the meaning of brer and found out it's just an informal title, similar to the term brother. I like how all the characters in this book are animals, but with human characteristics (the ability to speak to one another). 

I liked the story "Why Mr. Possum Loves Peace" the best out of all the stories in part one. Brer possum played dead when avoiding a situation he didn't want to be a part of and he gets in an argument with Brer Coon (a raccoon). 

Brer Rabbit 

(Photo by: A.B. Frost) 

Bibliography: Brer Rabbit by Joel Chandler Harris

Storytelling Week 6

The bond that can be built between a man and his dog is unlike anything else. Dogs can love you and stick by your side better than a human ever could. Thomas and his dog Tito were the epitome of best friends. Tito was a German Shepard who was loving, energetic, and extremely curious. Thomas loved to take him everywhere he went; the grocery store, vacations, and of course the dog park. They traveled to the beach, hikes in the mountains, and even went to see the snow in Colorado. No matter what Thomas went through in life, between breaking up with his girlfriend, losing his job, and continuously struggling to find his place in the world, Tito thought he was the best man to ever walk this Earth.
One day last August, Tito and Thomas were exploring the riverbank outside of their backyard and Thomas noticed Tito struggling to do some of the things he normally did easily. He was running through the shallow river bank and stumbled, looking lost and disoriented. Thomas called him over and decided to take him home for a nap. He knew they had a long day and thought that was why Tito looked a little off.
The next few days, Thomas went around town applying for jobs, getting groceries, doing laundry and anything else he could think of to try to get his life in order. Tito stayed home mostly watching out the window for Thomas to come home, he hated being home alone. When Thomas arrived, they played ball, went for a short walk and went to bed.
Since Thomas had been gone more than Tito was used to, he decided to take him to the dog park to visit his friends. When they got there, he noticed Tito lying around and not wanting to socialize with the other dogs, which was the complete opposite of how he normally acted. Having an uneasy feeling about it, Thomas trusted his intuition and took Tito to the vet and demanded they run some tests.
He took him home and gave him extra treats that night, anxiously waiting the results from the vet.

Thomas's phone rang and he ran to answer it. The vet said "You need to being Tito back in for surgery as soon as you can, we found a tumor and have to remove it immediately."

Stressed and emotional, Thomas took Tito in the very next day. He sat in the waiting room at the vet until they came back and he asked to see his dog. They said, "We are so sorry, Tito didn't make it through surgery today, he passed away during the process."

Thomas was in complete shock. He didn't know how to live life without his best friend by his side. He left the vet that day feeling empty. He didn't want to go home alone.

After grieving for days on end, Thomas had a change of heart. He had been moping around at home, with no motivation to do anything. He realized that is not what his dog would've wanted in life, so he went for the life he would've wanted for him. Thomas went in that very day for a job interview, then headed to the lake with his friends for the rest of the evening. He wanted Tito to be proud of him and continue to see the world.

He ended up scoring his dream job and began traveling the world for meetings and growing the business. He went to places he never dreamed of seeing, and thought of Tito every time he was in a new place.

Thomas continued to work his way up in the business and eventually became the CEO. After a meeting in London one afternoon and say the most charming girl he had every seen walking her German Shepard in the park. He quickly knew she was the one for him and began a relationship with her and of course, her dog Riley loved having a father like him.

Although they are animals, dogs can be so motivating and encouraging. They get so excited about what life has to offer, and Thomas took Tito's bravery and curiosity and built the life he always imagined having. 

Tito

(Photo from: Pixabay)

Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang- The Envious Neighbor 

Author's Note: I based my story off The Envious Neighbor from Japanese Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang. Since the dog is the focus of the story, I thought I would make it the focus of mine as well. I think dogs have such strong relationships with their companions and are so lovable. I decided to make my story this week a tribute to a dog's wonderful life. This story is completely made up so don't worry, this isn't about a real dog who actually died.

Reading Notes Week 6: Japanese Fairy Tales, Part B

The story The Crab and the Monkey was interesting to me because I like reading stories about animals. I want to write a story from a perspective under the sea something with fish and sea creatures as the characters. 

My next favorite story was The Magic Kettle where the kettle morphs into the animal tanuki. I think it would be fun to write a story about an object turning into something else. I think I would write about a car turning into a person or maybe an animal. Each of the stories in this book are very unique and enjoyable to read. They are all easy to understand and kept me engaged and wanted to read more. 

(Photo From: Japanese Fairy Tales- Schippeitaro)

Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang

Reading Notes Week 6: Japanese Fairy Books, Part A

I think frogs can be placed into stories in many different ways. I think writing a story about frogs would be fun because I could steer away from the typical frog/price theme and turn it into anything I want. In this story, two frogs go on a journey together and they realize they are exactly alike. I really enjoyed reading the Japanese Fairy Books because unlike the other books I have read for this course, each of the stories were about different things, rather than continuing the same story in each part. The second story is about a stonecutter with many tools. He was a hard worker who lived in a small house. It inspired me to want to write a story about a small cottage with a deep, meaningful story behind it. I also think a scary story about a creepy, eery cottage would be fun to write about since I haven't written a horror story before. In this story, there was also a golden umbrella. It intrigued me because of it's significance. The stonecutter made a wish to become a prince so he could have gold things and to his surprise, his wish was granted. Even as a price, he was still greedy for more. It made me think of the term, "be careful what you wish for." Some people with so little are the most grateful ones in the world, and those who have it all are constantly wanting more.

(Photo from: Jon Sullivan)

Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang