Story Week 11: A Man and His Rabbits

Rabbit by Martin Owens 

There was once a man roaming the plains. He was hungry and willing to kill anything to eat even if It was a cute fuzzy rabbit. He soon came upon a burrow in the middle of the plains. He looked to see if anything was inside. He soon realized there was nothing inside. He stepped on the entrance and making the burrow inaccessible. He sat and waited until what lived in the burrow came home.

                Soon a family of rabbits came looking for their home and saw the man sitting at the entrance. The man explained to the rabbits that he had accidentally stepped on the entrance. He told them he would help take care of them this evening and help to build a new burrow tomorrow. The rabbits agreed to his generosity.

                The man soon got a fire going with the grass and twigs he could find around him. While gathering these items he also found a rock that he would use to strike the rabbits. While the fire the fire was going the rabbits would dance around it and so would the man. He would occasionally hit one of the rabbits in the head with the rock and then explain that the rabbit must be tuckered out but should wake in the morning. He did this until there was one rabbit left. This rabbit noticed the rock and tried to run but the man threw the rock this time and hit it.

                The man after killing all the rabbits skinned them and left their meat to dry out in a nearby tree. He returned to his fire and fell asleep. Later in the evening a few vultures saw the meat hanging in the tree and came to take the meat. They took all the meat except and especially small piece from the smallest rabbit.

                The next morning the man awoke and went to get his meat. He climbed the tree and the first piece he saw was the smallest piece and he threw it down thinking it was to small to care about. he continued to climb until he realized all his meat was gone. He soon climbed down to find the small piece he threw in the dirt. It was all covered in dirt, but the man was starving and ate the piece whole.

Author notes : I made this story for “Coyote Kills Prairie Dogs”. I change coyote to a man and I changed Prairie dogs to rabbits. It the story coyote told the prairie dogs to lock their doors so when they realized he was killing them they couldn’t go back home. I made it where the man made no entrance to their home and they had to follow him. In both stories the weapon of choice is a rock. In the original the prairie dogs realize their being killed but have nowhere to run but in mine they are all killed until one is left. In the original and mine the meat get stolen except for the smallest piece which get tossed aside and then they are forced to eat it because that is all that is left.

bibliography: Coyote Kills the Prairie Dogs By P. E. Goddard

Reading Notes:Myth-Folklore Unit: Apache Tales, Part B

Rabbit by Martin Owens 

The story that caught my eye today was “Coyote Kills the Prairie Dogs”. This one caught my eye because in all the stories I read coyote missed out on his chance at something. In this one he misses out at a meal chance. When I rewrite this story, I would make the coyote a man that deceives some rabbits. I would have him destroy the entrance to their burrow. But then be nice and offer to take care of them for an evening until the next day where they could make a new burrow. Then I would have him make a fire and kill them while they danced and celebrated his help. When they realize he is not helping they would have nowhere to go. I would then have the man cook them and hang them high in a tree while he slept the rest of the night away. Then I would have a vulture come and take all the rabbit’s meat except the smallest one. The next morning the man would reach up for the meat and find that one and throw it away saying its to small. But after realizing the meat was all gone he would have to eat the small one he threw in the dirt.

Bibliography: Apache Tales by P. E. Godard

Reading Notes:Myth-Folklore Unit: Apache Tales, Part A

creature from wiki  

The story that caught my eye today was “the swallowing monster”. This story seemed short and quick, so I believe I can do more with it. I will start my story with people who are out on a hunting trip. Then I will give the experience of seeing the monster for the first time and give details of what it looked like. Then I will explain their escape plan. After this I will explain how their escape plan works out. I m will end the story different than how it is written. I will either make it to where all the people escape for the creature or I will make it to where there is an eerie cliff hanger at the end. This is my plans for this story if I write it.  

Bibliography: Apache Tales by P. E. Godard

Week 10 Story: The Mountain Lion Cub

               

mountain Lion By Wikipedia 

                There was once a couple who live in the mountains. They lived in a log cabin midway up a mountain. There was a general store about ten miles from where they lived. The would go there to get basic essential such as spices and tools. The way they got their food is the husband would go hunting. Once a week and bring home a dear, bear, or several small animals.

                One day while out hunting the husband killed a mountain lion that was particularly aggressive. After killing it he notices why. It was protecting a single cub. Knowing he had already killed one thing that day he did not have the heart to kill another, so he decided to take the mountain lion cub back to his wife. When she saw it, she was so happy and decided to adopt and raise it as her own.

                The cub started out so small and was easy to raise at first but after a while it started to grow. When she first had the cub, it would play with paper towel tubes but after a while it became to big. So, she got it scratching post but after a while it became to big and destroyed it. So, she made the now full-sized lion play with the trees outside. She would scratch and tear at the trees, but they were old, big and sturdy, so o could not destroy them.

                After a while the husband ask the wife if he could take it hunting for it would be a great companion. The wife agreed. After taking the mountain lion one time they realized how good of a hunter she was. So, to make use of it the husband would constantly take her hunting with him. Finally, after a while the mountain lion would go out and hunt on it own and bring back food to the couple.

                They lived happily with their lioness companion for a while. It all changed one day when it came home with a body. The husband immediately recognized the body was of the general store. He went to investigated what had happened. When he was down there he figured out the store owner had seen the mountain lion and tried to kill it. He could tell the lion only killed him in self-defense. He went back home and explained this to his wife and they sat down and discussed a decision.

They decided to report the store owner as missing and they needed to let go of the mountain lion. So, they did just this. The decided to put a collar on the lion with a blank tag in hopes people would leave it alone. The couple drove deep into the woods, so that they let the lion go away from civilization. They cried as they told it to leave but the lion understood and ran off into the woods.

                To this day people who travel deep into the wood will say they see a mountain lion with a collar, but it will not attack them for some reason. The husband and wife never saw the mountain lion again though.

 Authors notes: the original story “The Woman Who had a Bear as a Foster-Son” was about an eskimo woman who fostered a bear cub that grew up and would hunt with the men. I changed the people from eskimos and the cub to a bear but kept the story similar. Her bear brought a dead man who challenged to kill the bear and she decided to let it go after that. In my story the lion killed the store owner and brought them home. The eskimo let he bear go in the end and I did the same with my story.

Bibliography: The Woman Who had a Bear as a Foster-Son by Knud Rasmussen

Reading Notes:Myth-Folklore Unit: Eskimo Folk Tales , Part B

Money From Istock

The story I loved today was “Papik, Who Killed His Wife's Brother”. This was a fantastic story fill with envy then fear and finally death. I would love to rewrite this story with my own touch. I would set it in the big city. I would make it to where the person who has envy is because of a relatives money. Then I would have him kill the relative to gain an inheritance. I would change it up where there is no ghost but the Peron who had envy thinks there is one. He would tear himself apart and in one of his attempts to flee for his life accidentally kill himself. The lesson would be to not kill someone you know and then regret it after.

Bibliography:  Papik, Who Killed His Wife's Brother by Knud Rasmussen

Reading Notes:Myth-Folklore Unit: Eskimo Folk Tales , Part A

mountain Lion By Wikipedia 

The story I found most intriguing this week was "The Woman Who had a Bear as a Foster-Son". I loved this story for the reason of I had a great thoughts of how i could make it my own. I have always wanted a mountain lion of my own but knowing they are to Dangerous but nothing stops me from writing a story about it. I would change the setting to in the mountains. I would have a husband bring home a kitten that turns into a mountain lion when grown up.I would still stick to the original ending where it is just to big and I have to let it go. This is a story I really want to write and have been waiting for the opportune time.

Bibliography: The Woman Who had a Bear as a Foster-Son by Knud Rasmussen

Week 9 Story: The Lonely Centaur

Centaur by Marc Camelbeke

There was once a girl who lived in big city full of skyscrapers. Out of all these skyscrapers one was fifty stories taller than any of the others. This one was in the dead in the middle of the city and stood out. One day the girl was out in her backyard messing with her garden when a freak storm swooped in out of nowhere and picked up the girl. Being very scared the girl kept her eyes shut the whole time.

When the storm disappeared, and the girl opened her eyes she found herself at the top of the cities tallest sky scraper. She looked around and saw a man approach her that was also on the roof. He asked her if she would marry him and she said no. The man said that she would be on the roof until she said yes. He gave her some clothes, food, and showed her where there was a garden that she could work in if she felt like it. Then he climbed down a ladder on the side of the building to the story below. He removed the ladder so that the girl would not escape.

For the next few days the man returned by putting the ladder back and brought the girl food. Then he would ask if she had changed her mind and she kept saying no.

One day in hopes that someone would notice her on the roof the girl threw her original clothes over the edge hoping someone notice where it came from. She lucked out for the person who saw her clothes was her brother. Wondering where the clothes came from the brother went home to think that evening.

The next day the man did his normal routine but forgot to take down the ladder. As soon as the girl noticed this she climbed down to a door that was locked. The door had a small window in it though. She looked through it and to her surprise the man was on the other side but changing into something. At the end of the transformation she saw that he was a centaur with wings. She banged on the door to get his attention.

He came over with fear for she had seen what he truly was. He opened the door and told her that she was free. She did not move though. She beckoned the centaur to the roof. When up on the roof they talked.  there she discovered that he was lonely and thought this was the best way to get her to love him. She said what he did was wrong but was willing to start things off with him slowly and didn’t care what he was. She wanted to make things work out for she thought he was a beautiful creature that deserved love.

Right after they finished talking the girls brother showed up on the roof. Seeing the creature his first thought was to kill the creature with the gun he kept on him. Before he could get a shot off the girl jumped in front of the brother and the centaur. She explained that he was a misunderstood creature that made a mistake and had not harmed her. After hearing this the brother put the gun away. He was just happy his sister was safe.

A couple of days after the event the brother and sister invited the centaur to live with them. Since they both knew what he was the centaur was able to take his true form in their home. After many months together, the girl decided to marry the centaur since she had finally had the chance to properly get to know him. Form there they all lived happily ever after.

Authors note: The original story was The Maiden Who Was Stolen Away. In that story a girl was taken to the top of a tall pagoda. She had a man telling her to marry him or be locked up at the top. After a while she threw her clothes off and a passerby took the clothes to her brother because they recognized them as hers. Before her brother arrived to get her the girl figured out the man was an ogre. When the bother came for his sister he threw and ax at the ogre and cut off its arm. Then he saved his sister. My story ended much different and had different creature.

Bibliography: The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens 

Reading Notes:Myth-Folklore Unit: Chinese Fairy Tales , Part B

Centaur by Marc Camelbeke

The story that caught my eye today was The Maiden Who was Stolen Away. this is simple tale and i want to make it my own. I will make the story take place in modern city in america rather than in a city china. I would keep the story the same where a girl is in her yard then swept away by a freak storm. She will wait at the top of a skyscraper taller than any other in the city by far. I will change the ending and the creature though. I will make it a happy ending for all rather than kill the creature. In my version the creature will be a centaur with wings. I will have the brother try to kill the creature but in the end the girl fall in love with the centaur and save it from being killed. This is what I plan to do with the story.

Bibliography: The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens 

Reading Notes:Myth-Folklore Unit: Chinese Fairy Tales , Part A

business suit by Gentlemanstalor

The story that caught my eye this week was Why Cats and Dogs are Enemies. I loved this story for there are so many direction that i could take it. I as always will modernize the story for it something i like to do to make the story more relate-able. I think I will go in the direction of a mathematician and a business man. I will make the business man gain all the reward like at the end of the old story while the mathematician gets fired at the end. I think I will make it to where they seek out a way to save a business and are successful but the business man get all the credit as previously stated. I know there is not a whole lot of information here but I know the story will come together.

Bibliography: The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens 

Week 8 Progress

I think that I am making progress in the class at a steady healthy. I have set a weekly routine that allows me to get done early in the week or finish up last minute if needed. I give my self leeway for all of the assignments. I believe for my first blog things are going well and it is as I want it to be. I like being able to write my stories every week and am proud of the stories that I write. Everything seems to be going well in the class so far for me and I do not want to change my routine for it has no issues.

The weekend is a metaphor for winter break and I need to stay strong.

Image by Pinterest

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

The feedback from other students in the class are useful in seeing the way I could adjust my writings. I have tries to change the way I write with the advice given through the first half of the semester. I have tried to listen to what others say without taking any of the comments as attacks but as constructive criticism. When leaving comments for others I try to leave the most constructive comments that I can. I have seen the way other people write and try to adjust my writings throughout the semester for I see that some of the ways others write are superior to my own. I have gained more from seeing the way others write then from the comments they leave me. I feel like the introductions to other is a nice short way to get an introduction to the others in the class. I believe this is something that is good for the class because its online and we never physically had met each other. I believe that I am doing the best in the feedback to other students in the class and the other are doing their best for me. We all just need to keep the spirits up and keep moving forward. 

This images speaks to me. It shows that we are human and are not. We do things imperfectly so that we can correct with the help of other. This is why I chose this image.

image by Growthmindset 

Week 8 Reading and Writing

My thoughts so far on the writings that I have done have been up to par for my capable skills. I have noticed a trend that i like to modernize most of the stories that I rewrite. I believe there is nothing wrong with this.though for i think my stories stand out and are interesting. I have also believe my blog style stands out from others in the class, for none of the others look like mine. I am also happy with its layout for it is simple to navigate. I am also happy with my story set up. The site is simple but it works for the story I am telling. i have noticed that my proof reading skill need to be worked on for I make lots of mistakes that I miss even when I reread the stories.This is something I will work on. I have made myself proud so far and want to continue with my progress and write great stories.

Satan in the ninth level of hell

Image site: image by Dave Melvin

This has been my favorite image so far because it has a powerful meaning for my story. It is the image of Satan of the ninth level of hell which is the final thing Dante experiences in the Inferno. It also looks great. So This is why it is my favorite.

Week 7 Story: The Cable Mans Dreams

Larry the Cable Guy

Image by Steve Snowden 

There was once a man who cable installer. He was happy with his job and he would always do the best job possible. Then one day he had to do an install at a tri level mansion. Seeing everything that was in this house made the cable installer sad. He finished the job and left. Though this time when he left the job he felt unsatisfied with himself. He wished he had all the riches that the man who owned the house did. Then right after he thought this a voice in his head said,” Your wish is my command.”

Later that evening he arrived home in shock. His small one-bedroom house had turned into a tri level mansion. He loved it. Seeing that he had become rich he quite his job and started a new life. He felt unsatisfied with his new life style after a while though. He wanted to do more. He was watching T.V. one day and saw the CEO of a company giving a speech and showing power over the company. The man than though to himself that he wished he was a CEO. Once again, a voice came over and said,” Your wish is my command.”

The next day the man awoke to being named the CEO of a new business. He did not abuse his power while in the is position but like with be rich he soon became bored. Now the man had a taste of power he wished for more so that he could control nature. He thought to himself that he was the moon so he could control the oceans. Once again, a voice came over and said,” Your wish is my command.”

The man then became the moon. He controlled all the waves of the ocean. But as before he became bored but also, he was tired of having so much power. He saw fish every day in the ocean and thought their lives were simple. So, he thought to himself that he wanted to be a fish in the sea. Once again, a voice came over and said,” Your wish is my command.

The man loved being a fish with nothing to do and freedom to swim around all day. One day though the man got caught in a fishing net and was being taken to a fish cannery. Before he dies as a fish the man thought to himself he wanted to be a cable man again. From that day on the man appreciated everything that he had and never wished for anything to complex again.

Author notes: The original story is “The Stonecutter”. It the story he first wishes for the riches of a wealthy person and their lifestyle. Then he wishes that he could be a prince. Then he wishes that he could be the sun. Then he wishes he could be a stone and a stonecutter came along to cut him and he wishes to be a man again and realized his stonecutter life was just fine even if he didn’t have it all.

bibliography: source story and author: The Stonecutter by Andrew Lang 

Reading Notes:Myth-Folklore Unit: Japanese Fairy Tales (Lang) , Part A

Stone image by NA

The story this week that intrigued me was the story “The stone cutter”. This story is simple and nice. It teaches the lesson that you don’t always need more than you already have. Just be happy with what you have. To make the story my own I would change it in a few ways. I would first add a modern touch. Along with the modern touch I would add multiple different situation to story to keep the same flow with the modern touch. I would make the man an accountant. Then I would make him wish he was rich. After this I would make him wish he was the CEO of a company. Then I would make him wish he was the moon. Then I would have him wish that he was a fish. Then finally make him a man again. It simple changes but these changes would make the story my own.

Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales Retold by Andrew Lang