L Christina M

Being secluded from the rest of humanity was a feat that proved itself to be one of great pleasure for Monty. Monty enjoyed the subtle silence and overwhelming sounds of nothing but his own voice in his own head in his own land. The thought of regular social consumption seemed like the most evil of ideas man had created. Monty truly believed that he needed no other person but himself. He dreamed the idea of the outside coming in and only ever wanted to be in contact with himself and the small voices in his head that kept him company. The voices, he so nobly named 1, 2, and 3, were the wicked catalysts that pushed Monty to his aggression when his space was violated. Alone in a quiet cave in a desolate desert, Monty hated when the visiting tourists would get anywhere near his humble abode.  One day, a young girl and her family came to see the beautiful sites that Monty’s desert contained. The little girl was full of joy and excitement, for this was her first trip away from her o...

The second part of the readings stray a little bit away from Anansi and welcome new animal characters such s the tortoise, leopard, and rams. The intriguing part about a lot of these stories is that they are telling creation tales (such as How The Tortoise Got It's Shell). The stories are utilized to give background to everyday animals, facts, or phenomenons. That is one of the reasons why I loved listening to Uncle Baba's stories as a kid. I was a very imaginative child so these stories gave me even more reason to wonder about other seemingly "simple" life facts and creation. Here are a few facts from these stories: 1. Mauri (God) 2. Mauri sent his servants to collect different things: goats, cows, sheep, etc. 3. One of these servants/travelers was named Mr. Klo (the tortoise). 4. Earth and dust formed a hard caked shell on Mr. Klo's back, creating his "shell". (Smithsonian Channel - YouTube) Bibliography: Heritage History, 2017 https:...

Growing up in a multicultural family, I was often told stories from many different backgrounds. My uncle, we call him Uncle Baba (meaning father), is the resident storyteller in our family. I remember being very young and sitting around Uncle Baba's fireplace as he told us traditional African Tales. My favorites were always about the spider, Anansi. I can't lie, as I got older some of the details of the stories of Anansi has faded. But I as so excited to refresh my memory when I saw that this was a topic. Here are a few things that I learned: 1. Anansi (meaning spider) was given a task to bring three things: a jar full of bees, a boa constrictor, and a tiger. 2. The bees agreed to fly into the jar, proving Anansi's first assertion true. 3. Anansi tricked the snake into being taken back to Nyankupon. 4. The third task was completed through Anansi's cleverness. This is something that my uncle talked about a lot (just how clever Anansi was). 5. The comp...

I really enjoy the weeks we are able to do the Story Lab assignments. I always take the opportunity to take a deeper dive into some of the more philosophical and heartfelt opinions of storytelling, often meaning I am looking deeply into the Ted Talk options. I personally love Ted Talks as I talked about briefly in my last Story Lab post and this week some of the videos really served to give me a different perspective on creative writing. There were eight videos total and while they were all great in their own way, there were really three that spoke to me. Here's a little more about them. 1. What Makes A Hero? (Matthew Winkler) This story is one that speaks directly to our course specifically. The video starts with comparing popular modern day movie "heroes" with traditional mythological heroes. It then dives deeper into Joseph Campbell's studies of character development. Personally, I have studied a few of Joseph Campbell's works throughout high school and col...

The second half of these readings are focused solely on Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp. This story is more directly related to the Disney film (mostly through the characters) we all know and love but is a much more detailed account of the story. It begins with Aladdin meeting his "long lost uncle". Aladdin runs home o tell his mother who then prepares dinner for the guest and the story begins. Here are a few more facts that complete the story: 1. The man, upon learning of Aladdin's misfortune and inability to learn a specific trade, takes it upon himself to buy him a shop.  2. The Magician tricks Aladdin. 3. The "uncle" tells Aladdin of a treasure that he can have if he completes a specific mission.  3. Aladdin must retrieve the lamp.  4. Aladdin is promised a wife by Sultan.  5. The princess begins experiences weird "dreams" at night regarding her bed being taken elsewhere.  (Dr. Ian Ellis Jones) Bibliography:  June 2, 2013 ...

I won't lie. Short story time: I chose to read about Arabian Nights this week solely because of it's relation to Aladdin. My family and I love visiting New York and seeing broadway shows. This past month we went and saw three different shows on broadway that we all loved (American Son, Dear Evan Hansen, and Waitress). These shows were all amazing and it completely reignited my passion for the craft every time I sit in a theater. A few years ago however, I actually had the opportunity to go to New York with my high school theatre department and, aside from exploring the ins and outs of New York, see three other broadway shows (Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Kinky Boots, and Aladdin). The experience of traveling with all of my friends was incredible and each show we saw truly touched me in such a unique way. But there was something so very special about Aladdin. The huge opening number in the show is called Arabian Nights and is one of the most magical pieces of t...

As a young child, Jonathan always knew that he was destined for greater things. He was born in a small town in rural Kansas in 1970 and had a deep, rich desire to reach masses of people outside of his small town. His family was poor, ridden with disease and pain. The financial troubles often cause an immense amount of strains on his familial relationships. Despite being discouraged and put down for his radical thinkings and strange ideas, Jonathan didn’t waver from what he knew was right. Jonathan had a very revealing dream at a young age and was told by a wise man in his dream that he would one day change the world. He believed this prophecy wholeheartedly. He and his mother always had heated debates about why Jonathan always felt the need to spend night after night in deep mediation. The meditation was taxing on Jonathan but he knew it was all for a greater purpose. He knew that he must work to become the powerful person he knew he was destined to be. But his mother found this behav...

The continuation of the story starts with Siddhartha's departure from his father's palace. The story immediately begins to employ dialogue between Siddhartha and Kanthaka, a common device I've noticed being utilized in the story of the Buddha. Also, personification is continues in this section as well stating closer to the beginning of the story, "Kanthaka was a magnificent animal...". Here are some other notes I took while reading through these next few stories: 1. I hope to keep the utilization of dialogue consistent in my stories as well but do hope to engage other forms of language. The dialogue is very heavy in this story and although effective can be somewhat difficult to read for long periods of time. 2. Imagery is very prevalent in these parts as well, especially "Siddhartha Deserted By His First Disciples". 3. There is a large section in the above mentioned part about food. Maybe it would be a good idea to change the foods in my story and ma...

Growing up I did not know much about Buddha. Luckily, a friend of mine in high school and her family were Buddhist and I had the opportunity to learn more about Buddha himself as well as the traditions and customs of the faith. I find it so interesting how so many faiths can exist around us. I went to high school in an area where multiculturalism was very prevalent. With different cultural backgrounds comes different religions and often this can be a huge cause of conflict in many areas. However, where I lived there was such a large understanding of the importance of respect and tolerance. I loved having the opportunity to learn a little about Buddhism in high school through my friends experiences and was so excited to learn more when I saw that this was a topic in our reading for the week. Here are some additional things I learned about the background of Buddha: 1. Queen Maya is an influential part of the development and early emergence of Buddha. 2. The story of Siddhartha is told...

Here is the link to my Storybook Project: Feral Children

Personally, I am a huge fan of Ted Talks and find myself falling into the endless loop of midnight binges when I probably should be asleep. So for this assignment, I was very excited to have the opportunity to watch these Ted Talks related directly to storytelling. This first one I watched by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie I had actually seen previously on one of these midnight session it begins with her giving a detailed anecdote about her bringing and the way that reading and storytelling began to impact her life at an incredibly young age. This impact was not always positive, however. I see myself a lot in this Ted Talk. As a young black kid, I remember opening up books and reading about little girls and boys who looked nothing like me. At the time I didn't realize how impactful this would be for me. I though it was normal. In the public eye, it is the white child that is recognized as important, tal;ended, smart. Those children who look like me are meant to fade into the background. ...

Part B of the reading begins with direct details relating to Achilles. The first reading "The Rising of Achilles" details the gruesome nature of the battle for the body of Patroclus. I really appreciate the detailed imagery that the story includes, albeit a bit gory. In my own story I hope to include imagery similar to this. I believe that imagery is a fantastic way of drawing the reader in and allowing them to feel apart of the story as much as possible. Furthermore, I would like to point out the characterization in this story. In one of my other classes, we are learning about character spines, or personality traits, facts, themes, and events that happened in a character's life that dictates the way they act, feel, and respond in certain situations. I feel as if this story does that incredible well. Paints a clear and distinct image of each character through the dialogue and actions. Here are a few notable facts about the story: 1. Attempting to gather the body of Patr...

I had never read Homer's Iliad before this specific assignment. I haven't always been a big fan of mythological stories and tend to steer clear of them in my own personal reading. But I was pleasantly surprised by this story. Homer's Iliad is a story about the Trojan War (I'm sure we've all heard of this story in high school or even middle school history) but is told in such a different and unique way focusing directly on the Greek character, Achilles, and Trojan character, Hector. Here are few key facts: - The story begins with a quarrel and right of the bat the readers are able to sense the immense amount of tension between the characters. - Achilles is the first to state that out of anger he refuses to participate in the war. - The King of Sparta's daughter's name is Helen. - Helen marries a man names Melenaüs. - When Helen's father dies, Melenaüs became King of Sparta. - Paris ran off with Helen. - Menelaus and the men who made a promise to t...

Learning to give and receive constructive critiques and feedback is a skill that many of us learn too late in life. As a high school student, one of my teachers made sure to instill this skill in her students. she stressed the importance of having tough enough skin to receive negative feedback and enough empathy to give constructive criticism. I like learning about different ways to give feedback in ways that others will see as helpful and beneficial. There are a few tips in the articles that i would like to reiterate, 1. Ask probing questions. Many times, it is easy to get someone to change their minds or see things in a different light just by engaging in a well-thought out conversation. Knowing what questions to ask and how to ask them is the basis of all good conversations. 2. Put aside your initial reaction. THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK. Often times we end up changing our wording, tone, or attitude just by thinking about what we say before we say it. This can save you a lot of hea...

Story 1: Adam and Eve (Bible Stories) A popular biblical story, the story of famous bible couple, Adam and Eve paints a picture of the beginning and subsequent fall of human purity and perfection. The story is one that most individuals know of regardless of their own religion. I think this story would be quite interesting to tell and even retell with slightly different facts. Furthermore, I look froward to clearing up some commonly incorrect ideas pertaining to the story. Story 2: Danielle "Dani" Lierow (Feral Children) Stories of feral children, or children raised by animals or in complete isolation, date back for centuries and centuries. This modern day tale of 6 years old Dani, who was severely abused and neglected for the first six years of her life. The neglect left her seemingly with the mind of a much younger child and she was incapable of accomplishing simple tasks perceived easy for other children her age. I think it would be interesting to bridge the gap betwe...