Brainstorming Topics: Styles Week 2

Stories in Black Magic: Styles Brainstorm

Topic:

My storybook will be about witches/ evil villain in the Grimm fairy tales. My goal is to identify witches in the Grimm fairy tales and how they use their evil magic on their victim. One story that I enjoy and is something I would want to include is Hansel and Grethel. Another story I would like to share is Rumpelstiltskin. I think people can relate to these two stories because they have been passed down for generations. I think it would be interesting to retell them with a twist using a different style.

Bibliography:

Hansel and Grethel translated by Margaret Hunt (1884) from Household Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm.source

Rumpelstiltskin translated by D.L. Ashliman from The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales.

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Illustrated by Walter Crane

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Possible Styles:

Villains as Storytellers: Many times stories are told from the victim’s point of view. I think it would be unique to use the villain or witch to tell the story. The audience would get the “other half” of the story in a sense. I think this is a good choice for this topic.

Stories based on social ranking: Most of the time a witch or evil villain attacks someone of a higher ranking, such as the Queen in Rumpelstiltskin. I think it would be creative to use this style to create a witch seeking power. Most of the time a witch or villain is an outcast of the city that uses black magic to make the rich suffer.

Bibliography: a story about how the witch or villain came to result in such an evil character. I think that using the witch to tell about personal conflicts or trials that he or she faced would be entertaining. Showing the life of the enemy may make for a softer and sympathetic tone for the story, which is different when dealing with a villain. I do not see this style used often and I think it would be effective.

Holidays: Most stories have a time frame of importance. For example, on the princess’s eighteenth birthday she would be locked up in a castle. I think using a time frame or holiday could base the story around the whole purpose. Birthdays and Christmas are usually big settings for an awful scene to happen. Another importance factor, which I would put in this category, is the victim’s age. Most of the time the young are the targets or witch’s black magic.

Topics: Brainstorming

Topic: Heroes and Heroines

Comments:

One of the topics I chose was heroes and heroines. I like movies and stories that have a hero. A couple of my favorite movies as a child were Spiderman and batman.  I think I could relate to this topic fairly easy. I like stories that have someone that comes in to save the day.

Possible stories: In Greek Mythology there is usually always a hero, and if not there is a villain that has taught a lesson. I found several resources for Greek Mythology. Wikipedia shows several results for Greek Mythology.

Sample story: The story of Odysseaus and his long journey home is a story I am familiar with and one I enjoyed.

Bibliography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odysseus

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 Topic: fairy tales and nursery rhymes

Comments:  I loved nursery rhymes when I was younger. I also enjoyed fairy tale books. The Grimm readings interested me in the readings so I think I would like telling stories like this. Hansel and Gretel was one of my favorite stories as a child, which is why this topic interest me.

Sample story:  Jack and his Comrades

Bibliography: “Jack and his Comrades” by Joesph Jacobs from http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/jacobs/celtic/jackcomrades.html

Topic: Historical Legends

Comments:

I really have an interest in history, especially American history. There is so much to learn here and so much to tell and use your imagination with to create a unique story.  I think a good topic for telling a story with this topic would be a war story or using Columbus and his finding of the new world.

Sample Story: George Washington and his Hatchet

This story is something that we hear often when learning about the leaders of the country. I think we are taught that even great leaders have imperfections because we are all human.

Bibliography: “George Washington and his Hatchet” retold by James Baldwin. From Fifty Famous Stories. Link

Topic: Ballads.

Comments: I think it is something I would be interested in writing about after reading others post and seeing how people interpret the ballads differently.  I believe there are several different ways to look at a ballad, which is where the creativity comes from when writing about ballads.

Sample Story: The wife of the Usher’s Well

The ballads can be dark, which makes them different from other topics. For instance in this ballad the mother did not want to believe her sons were gone and they would never be on Earth again.

Bib: “The wife of the Usher’s Well” By Francis James Child from English and Scottish Popular Ballads. Link

Essay: Parents of the Aesop Fables

I chose to write about the family relationships in the Aesop (Winter) Fables. An example is the Mother in The Boy and the Filberts. The mother tried to teach her son he had more than what he needed. If he would only take what he needed, then he would not feel the punishment of his hurting hand. I find this to be one of those fables I myself was taught from as a child. Often our parents tell us to “be thankful for what you have.” Another story I thought I could relate to this topic is The Boys and the Frogs, they were endangering a family of frogs and the oldest and bravest is the one that spoke up. Most people look to their father for protection and guidance. The moral of the story was to watch your actions because even though they may be fun for you, it might not be for others. I think this is another lesson we are often taught as children, to play nice with each other and be considerate of others. Another message taught by a mother was in The Boy and the Nettles. The mother did not feel sorry for her son when he was stung, which showed that he was growing up, even though the moral of the story was to do something with all of your potential. While reading the fables that had to do with parental roles I found it was often the mother that was doing the disciplinary action and the father was not in the picture. I think this is because the father was always at work during the time that the fables were written and the woman was left to maintain household duties and take care of the children. I thought it was interesting to see how things used to be perceived in family roles and how they are not the same way today. 

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Storytelling week 2: Katrina the Cat

There once was a girl named Katrina. Everyone in the neighborhood called her “Kat” for short. Kat had few friends and was socially awkward. She was a freshman in high school and had never had a boyfriend, or a boy who was even a friend. Walking home from school one day Kat was contemplating how to make more friends. She was very intelligent; she had never received less than an A in any class. She decided she was going to put her brain to good use and offer tutoring to her peers to gain friends. Kat made flyers that read “Free Tutoring,’ she knew that several people were struggling in her chemistry class and thought she would ask the teacher if she could advertise the flyer for the students that needed help. The next day before class Mrs. Ridge, the chemistry teacher, stood in front of the class and informed them that Katrina was giving free tutoring and everyone who was having difficulties should seek her for guidance. Katrina waited in the library after school for three hours and not a soul showed up to study with her. She told herself that since it was the first day people probably needed time to rearrange their schedules. There was a certain boy Katrina had hoped would show up, which was Jeremy. Jeremy was the captain of the football team, student body president, and the cutest boy in school. Every day they passed each other in the hallway, but they never spoke. After three days of waiting for people to show up for tutoring, Kat was ready to give up. The library closed at six o’clock so at 5:45 she started to pack up her things for another unsuccessful day, when she heard “excuse me, Miss?” Katrina froze because she had heard that voice so many times but it was never directed to her. She turned around to see Jeremy staring back at her. “Do you think I could get some help on my chem homework?” Jeremy asked. Katrina managed to utter a “surrre” out. Jeremy exchanged his schedule with Katrina and made plans to meet her the next day to go over a study guide for the next test and do his homework. They continued the tutoring into the next week. After a week other football players started to show up and Katrina found herself almost too busy to do her own homework. Katrina thought she would talk to Jeremy about feeling stressed because she thought he would understand she needed to focus on her own grades too. “Hey Jeremy I think it would be best if we only studied a couple nights a week, instead of every day because I have homework too,” Katrina casually mentioned during their study session. Jeremy responded with “Well actually Katrina, I really need you to study with me every day because if I don’t pass this class I won’t go to a Division 1 school to play football and then I will never have a shot at the pros!” Katrina then felt obligated to keep studying with him. Weeks went by and Jeremy was passing chemistry with flying colors. Prom was coming up and Katrina was sure that Jeremy was going to ask her because he had been asking if anyone was taking her. Katrina passed by Jeremy in the hallway with Tiffany, captain of the cheerleader squad. She heard Jeremy ask Tiffany to go to prom with him. Katrina was devastated. She could not believe that she had given up so much for him and he could not even see it. She was constantly there for him when he needed something. Right then and there Katrina realized she was not helping Jeremy any longer. She also lost all of her love she had once felt for him because of his personality.

Author’s Note: I read the Aesop (Winter) Fables and enjoyed the lessons from them. I feel like this was a lesson taught by many fables. In The Cat and the Monkey, the cat was being played by the monkey to get him roasted nuts out of the fire. Katrina was the cat in this story because her feelings were being hurt, much like the cats paw. Another lesson taught here is that popularity is not everything. I used this fable because I thought it was something everyone has experienced and can relate to. source

 

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Bibliography 

"The Cat and the Monkey." Joseph Jacobs. From The Aesop for Children (1919). 

Reading Diary B Aesop Winter Fables

I started my second reading on the Aesop (Winter) Fables because I was very entertained with the first ones I read. The first story that grabbed my attention was Mercury and the Woodman. I found that it even related to biblical stories. My favorite character was the honest woodman because I feel like honesty is something we do not see often.  The next story to gain extra attention was The serpent and the Eagle. I liked that it used a human as the hero that saved the eagle. The short fable The Wolf and the Shepherd had a very significant meaning to me. I think people often condemn others for things that they have done before or they have done worse. I liked the advice given by the Fox in The QuackToad. “If you can cure yourself of that blotchy skin and that rheumatic gait, someone might believe you. Otherwise, I should advise you to try some other profession.” I have found that fables can be easily related to a real life scenario.  I liked the message taught in The Boy and the Nettles. By the mother not feeling sorry for her son, it showed that he was growing up, even though the moral of the story was to do something with all of your potential.  I liked the ant character in The ant and the Dove because something so small was able to make a big difference. I enjoyed the second reading of the Aesop fables just as much as the first.

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from The Ant and the Dove 

Reading Diary A Classical Aesop Fables (winter)

I enjoyed the Aesop Winter Fables. One of the things brought to my attention very quickly is how they all have a meaning and a lesson that can be applied to real life. One of my favorite characters was the kid in The Wolf and the Kid. I also noticed how different the language was in the stories. The plot in The Eagle and the Jackdaw is something I would like to mimic in my own stories. I like the lesson taught by The Monkey and the Cat. While reading it I was thinking about how I felt like the cat in life, always getting burned for the benefit of other people. The Wolf and the Shepherd had a very meaningful plot to me that stood out. I tend to find myself in the shepherd’s position occasionally. I can be too trusting of people and end up suffering a great loss when I turn my back for too long. Another fable that got my attention was The Peacock and the Crane. I know several people that think if they have materialistic things it will make them seem more attractive or better than others. When in reality if you do not know how to work well with what you were given, you will not succeed. The best quote I found was from a villager in The Astrologer, “This may teach you to pay more attention to what is right in front of you, and let the future take care of itself!” I cannot say that I read a fable I did not like in this unit. My favorites were the ones that I could relate back to my own life or reality.

(From The Astrologer)I liked this image because I think it shows how people can be fixed on things they do not know instead of what they actually have.

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