Myth-Folklore Fall 2017

Edit: This story has been transferred to my  Portfolio . Click  here  to view the most up to date version.         There once was a sweet old woman who lived in a cabin in the woods. One day, there was an impatient knock at her door. She hobbled over, undid the lock, and swung open the heavy wooden door. There was a nervous-looking man shifting from foot to foot. She smiled up at him and asked what she could do for him. He explained that a crazy woman was chasing him and asked if he could come inside. She was sympathetic and allowed him into her home.         She introduced herself as Mable and asked him to elaborate on his story, but he said that there was no time. The woman chasing him would be arriving at her door any moment and he really needed to hide. This was a red flag for Mable, but before she could question him further, there was another knock. She glanced at the door, and when she turned back around, the man was gone. Mable pulled a shotgun from under the bench by t

In the first section of Part B, I enjoyed the loyalty and friendship between the three creatures. I also liked the irony that the snake a frog, who were once locked in a matter of life and death, were able to get along to help the man who helped them. I liked the next story, but I'm not sure if I completely agree with the parrot. Only one man put his life in danger for the girl because only one had been given the chance. The other two did not possess the skills for this particular task, but that doesn't mean that they wouldn't have done the same for her. The next story could easily be transformed into a modern non-magical one. There are many stories and movies out there now about people disguising themselves as the opposite sex to get what they want. I could rewrite it as a woman wanting to have a manager position in a business. When her boss makes it clear that such an opening would only be available for men, she disguises herself as a man and blows others away with th

For the first story, I think I would focus more on the bird than the couple's love, although I could make a new story just from their relationship. Instead of a parrot, I would use a magic 8 ball. Its answers would be far more detailed and accurate than those of any magic 8 ball you've ever used. It would help my protagonist, and prove its value, in a similar way to the parrot. The next part is very short, so if I wrote about it, I'd likely combine it with the first section. A little girl would see a cute boy and when a magic 8 ball, though not THE magic 8 ball, told her he was bad news, she'd crush it. (Image Information: Magic 8 Ball Source: Wikimedia Commons ) I liked the idea of the wife's friend begging her husband to forgive her. I could rework this into a story of an unfaithful husband whose best friend begs the man's wife to forgive his adultery. In my version, the woman would not forgive the cheater. Why would someone forgive another person

I consider myself a fairly reasonable and logical person, but there's something about this that really throws me off. "Your fate lies with a dead man," was what she said to me. I never would've gone to see a psychic on my own. My friends basically had to drag me into her shop. I try to shake it off and get on with my night. Our group of friends wanders around the carnival for a little while longer before parting ways in the parking lot and promising to see each other at the hospital tomorrow. I'm driving home, when I spot two cars on the side of the road. They're grotesquely smashed together. No one else is around and I can't see anyone moving in the cars. I call 911 as I get out of my car and race to my trunk. As a nurse, I feel obligated to help others in situations like these, so I keep a first aid kit with some gloves in my car at all times. I explain the location and situation to the operator. Approaching the cars, I see that there's only one pe

I think I could turn the first story into something really interesting. I would bring the story to modern times. My protagonist would go to a psychic for fun with friends one night to receive the chilling fortune that she will marry a dead man. This would obviously disturb her, but she'd try to shake off the bad feeling. A bit later, she'd come across a car crash. She'd help one driver who temporarily stopped breathing. Later, another woman would claim to be his rescuer. (Image Information: Car Accident Source: Wikimedia Commons ) For the next story, I would twist it a bit if I rewrote it. Women are often portrayed as nagging and selfish. Maybe the wife was a good woman, and her husband abandoned her for no good reason. My story would be of a woman whose husband leaves her and, with the help of his friend, seduces another woman who is younger and more attractive. In my story, the wife really would go after the (ex)husband and the friend. After all, hell hath no fur

The first two parts were cute and sweet. I admire this child's bravery and determination. Fear is not something that many seek out. I am not sure that what the youth found was fear. I think it was more surprise. Rewriting this would be fun if I altered what the youth sought after. Something many people search for is happiness. I could write a story of a young boy or girl who relentlessly looked to find happiness. They'd be showered with gifts and feasts, but nothing would bring them happiness. They'd eventually give up. And after that, they would find a partner and create a family. Unknowingly, they'd find the most perfect happiness. (Image Information: Family Source: Wikimedia Commons ) The first part of the next story reminded me of Rumpelstiltskin. Why do people promise off their children to shady people? There's a lot going on with this story and it feels like several have been laced together into one. I would choose one bit and make it into my own. I w

Here is a link to my Portfolio Project . This post is to be the comment wall for that project. Thanks for reading and know that I appreciate your feedback!

Edit: This story has been transferred to my Portfolio . Click here  to view the most up to date version. As an employee of a space exploration company, I was sent out on a quest into the relatively unknown. I reluctantly hugged and kissed my loved ones goodbye and began my journey. My company specialized in experimental pharmaceuticals using ingredients from space. Their task for me was to collect samples and explore nearby planets for possible ideas. Nearly a decade later, it was finally time to return home. I looked forward to seeing all of my loved ones. I'd missed them terribly, but I was able to carry on knowing that my findings would make a difference. It was sad to think about all of the life events for which I'd been gone. (Image Information: Space Source: Pexels ) I programmed my ship to transport me back to Earth and went to sleep in the ship's resting chamber. Sensing my restlessness, the chamber released a small amount of anti-anxiety gas to calm me

For the first part, I can imagine turning this into a science fiction type of story. An astronaut lands on his home planet which he finds to be desolate and ruined. In his grief, he returns to his spaceship to rest. He is placed into a deep sleep, and only awakens hundreds of years later. He glances outside his ship to discover his planet has been regrown and now flourishes. This actually reminds me a little bit of the 1968  Planet of the Apes movie. (Image Information: Dessert Wasteland Source: Wikimedia Commons ) In the next story, I would be interested in using the prophet and the foolish man who would not heed the prophet's warnings. I'm not yet sure of the details for the story I'll craft around them. This could definitely be a fun topic though. I like the idea of an unseen force creating mischief among the cruel. I would recreate this story as one of a beautiful woman who is kidnapped. She is a widow and the ghost of her husband protects her from all dang

In the first story of Noah and the flood, I was drawn to the character of Og. He amused me, I think, because he reminds me of a very large child. I could see myself transforming this into a story of children fighting over who can play with whom. Og would be a large boy of trickery who tries to play with a group of girls led by Noami (see what I did there?). I really enjoyed the second story. It reminded me of several other stories. Beast from  Beauty and the Beast,  Scrooge from A Christmas Carol , and Prince Edward from The Prince and the Pauper all went through similar transformations. I could write of a rich woman who turned away those in need. She would be changed into a poor woman by a witch. After experiencing life in this way, she would become humble and kind. The next story of the first cat and dog was very interesting. I think I could come up with a different reason for their bickering. I'd like to change the part where they are friends at first. It doesn't make se

The first article I read, Be a Mirror , I did not relate to very much. I thrive when given praise. It gives me the confidence to go the extra mile. I have the will power to get done what I need to get done. However, I generally only go above and beyond when I know someone will appreciate it and they have told me that they do. This article focused a lot on the wording of praise. The best way I can describe this is "extra." I don't see it making a large difference. I understand Carol Dweck's work and I can see what she is saying, but this post took even the smallest wordings to another level I found unnecessary. Next, I read Presence not Praise . I enjoyed this one quite a bit more. Just the other day, my mom was asking me if I had pride in my work or if I relied on the praise of others to feel good about myself. I do hold pride in my work and the things that I do. But it always feels good to have someone tell me I'm doing a good job. I think a lot of kids just wa

Originally, I was planning on using ghost stories as the topic for my project. Unfortunately, I do most of my writing for this class late at night, and I was creeped out just doing research for my Topic Brainstorm post . I think I could've had a lot of fun with that topic, but I don't want to torture my future self. Now, I think I'd like to focus in on the Brothers Grimm. One story I would be interested in using is called Snow-White and Rose-Red . I was drawn to this story due to the title and its similarity to the Disney movie. There were no obvious links other than the name, which was fine with me. Instead of animals and dwarves, I’d like to use humans with similar physical and personality traits. In place of the bear that comes to the door, I’d like to use a large, hairy, scary-looking man. From this story, I would like to take that man who turns into a prince and have him save a woman from danger the way the bear did.  (Image Information: Snow White and Rose Red wi

Some might say that Bill and Jessica rushed into their marriage. Jessica would say it was love at first sight. Those who were close to Bill knew that when he saw something he wanted, he'd stop at nothing to get it. And he wanted Jessica. They eloped after only knowing each other a few months. After, she moved into his beautifully large home. As a doctor, he had plenty of money, and he spent a lot of this money on his dog. He had a massive purebred German Shepherd. It was a mean dog and didn't take well to this new house mate. He was always peeing in her shoes or ripping up her things. Bill continuously made excuses for the dog because he adored him like a child. (Image Information:  Aggressive German Shepherd Source: Wikimedia Commons ) Several weeks later, the couple offered to host Jessica's family's Christmas celebration. It was a beautiful party with a large variety of food and beverages. The dog circled the partygoers like a predator, giving out warni

The first three sections of Part B make up a single story. I thought it started out interestingly, with the lustful man, the kidnaping, and the brutal rape/mutilation of Philomela. However, the murder of Procne's son was too much for me. The cruel actions of Tereus had a purpose: to make him a horrible villain. Procne's actions were to be those of revenge, but the fact that she killed her own innocent son to get back at Tereus makes her no more righteous than her husband. If I were to rewrite this story, I would have to make the boy a product of Tereus's infidelity. The child would be grown, terrible, and hateful to Procne. Another option would be to have her kill off his favorite hound or something of that sort. I'm also not entirely sure why the cutting out of the tongue was necessary. She was already isolated. I would not have her tongue removed in my version, as I don't see the point. (Image Information: The Rape of Philomela Source: Wikimedia Commons )

The first four sections of this unit are continuations of one story. The first part is a woman using her son to manipulate others for her own benefit. I think this could be a nice touch for my own story. Then, an innocent girl is kidnapped by a man. She is snatched right out from underneath her mother's nose. The mother is obviously distraught and lashes out at others. She would next turn to law enforcement in search of assistance of getting her daughter back. Keeping with the original story, the officer she turns to would be her ex-husband and the father of her child. He would brush her off and try to suggest that their daughter is better off where she is. (Image Information: The Kidnapping of Persephone Source: Wikimedia Commons ) The next two stories of Arachne saddened me. This could be used as a story of two teenage girls. One is popular and all but worshipped while the other blends in with others and is not properly acknowledged for her achievements. They both excel

The first article that I read for this post was  Silence the Critical Voices in Your Head . I realize I am one of the world's worst when it comes to accepting criticism and positive feedback. With criticism, I often feel defensive or it tears down my confidence. All situations are different, but sometimes a single person's comment can bounce around in my head for days or weeks. This is always worse when it comes from someone close to me. A lot of times, I let positive comments roll right off of me. I regularly expect work from myself which elicits positive comments from others. They're no longer something special. It just feels like I did what I was supposed to do. Sometimes I minimize small comments unrelated to my work. "You look really nice today Casey" or "I really like what you had to say on that topic" can cause me to think that the person was just being nice or they want my help with something. I know that these are not healthy ways to handle feed

The first topic that I chose is Ghost Stories. Of the topics I selected to write about, I am most excited about this one. I love scary movies, but scary stories tend to have a more intense effect. I have always believed that a movie cannot possibly show a monster more wicked than your mind can conjure. When I was reading storybooks for a previous assignment, I noticed that I was drawn to these kinds of stories. I already have a few ideas for specific stories and I think this could be really fun to write, even if it gives me nightmares. I'd love to find some true stories to base my project on. During my research for this assignment I came across an incredible storybook called Ghost Stories of Europe . If you like scary stories I seriously suggest you check it out! I looked into some possible sources and Oh Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad sounded like a possibility. I like the idea of a haunted object found innocently which brings danger to its keeper. (Image Informat