Week 11 Storytelling: Oh The Irony!

"irony"

~~

It was the beginning of another semester at Central High School. All of the students were ready to see each other after a long winter break. Mr. Baker's class had a special assignment over the break. Each student was assigned to bring something that could contribute to the map of the United States being painted for the school art fair that year. Some of the supplies included were paint, brushes and stencils. As the students filtered in the classroom, they placed their supplies at the table in front of the board. 

Mr. Baker: Good morning, class! I see you all remembered the project I assigned to you over the break. Except... where is the stencil of Oklahoma?

Mr. Baker fumbled through the list of students and the requirements given to each one. 

Mr. Baker: Let's see who... had... Oklahoma... hmm... Ah! Cody and Jake! Why did you boys not bring your stencil?

Now, Cody and Jake were not the most well-behaved students in the school. Their father was a very wealthy businessman and the largest donor for the school. That being said, the students felt entitled and did not follow the rules. They also cared little for what teachers had to say to them. 

Cody: Ha! I forgot about the dumb project. You expect me to remember that while I have more important things to do over the break like play video games?

Jake: Yeah! We were too busy with more important things. Not this dumb project!

Mr. Baker was infuriated, but he remembered who the children's father was and had to bite his own tongue. After the rude conversation with the boys, Mr. Baker thought it might be best if he left the classroom to retrieve the stencil the boys did not bring. He opened the door and headed down the hallway to the school store in hopes they would have it in stock. Before he left, Mr. Baker clearly stated that no one was allowed to touch the materials on the desk and everyone must stay in their seat. 

As soon as Mr. Baker left the room, Cody and Jake caused a ruckus. They got out of their seats and poured the paint all over the floor, broke the brushes, and threw the stencils. Their fellow students were appalled. Ed, a top notch student, got out of his seat to stop the boys.

Ed: Stop it! Didn't you hear what Mr. Baker said? Go sit down!

The boys were so busy destroying the materials that they did not hear Ed at all. The rest of the class soon joined in and yelled at the boys to stop and get back to their seats. At this point, the whole class was standing up out of their seats in hopes of getting the two boys to sit back down. 

At this moment, the boys realized everyone was out of their seats and quickly returned to their desks. Unfortunately, right as the boys sat down Mr. Baker returned. He found the class a mess and every student out of their seat except Cody and Jake. Enraged, Mr. Baker assigned everyone who was out of their seat a week's worth of detention. All of the students were shocked, but there was nothing they could do because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Ed, being the good student he is, could not stand for this. He went straight to the principla's office to fight for his fellow classmates and himself. 

The principal's name is Mr. Harkins. Mr. Harkins, unlike many of the teachers at the school, is a no BS man. He does not answer to anyone. He believes what's right is right and what's wrong is wrong. 

Ed: Mr. Harkins, please, you have to believe me! None of us made the mess in our classroom! It was Cody and Jake!

Mr. Harkins: Do you have any proof of this, young man?

Ed: Well... um... sadly no.

Mr. Harkins: Well... how about we find out together if you're telling the truth. Right now.

Ed: What do you mean?

Mr. Harkins was aware of some specific upgrades to the school that no other faculty member knew about. The school had recent renovations to the classroom which included cameras for added security measures. All of the updates were thanks to the father of Jake and Cody. How ironic...

Mr. Harkins reviewed the tape and found Ed to be telling the truth. Being the no BS man Mr. Harkins is, he assigned the two boys to detention and cleared Ed and his classmates from the punishment. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE
This story was based off of Inayat's tale about the guilty dogs. In the original, there were two dogs who lived among royalty. They were considered royal dogs. Rather than keeping these characters dogs, I thought changing them to two spoiled, entitled students would suffice. The two dogs ate a saddle that was on one of the royal horses. Once the king found out he ordered that every dog in the city be executed, but this only applied to normal dogs, not royalty. I changed the dogs into the students of a classroom and instead of being executed, which would be a very dark story, I made them go to detention. After finding out the news, one of the dogs went to the king to defend himself, his fellow dogs and claim their innocence. The king found out that the royal dogs were the ones who committed the act and relived the normal dogs of the punishment. I thought I would make the brave dog into a person that everyone liked and is also a top notch student. Also, I made the king into the principal of the school. I felt that in a high school the 'king' of the school could be considered a principal.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Inayat. Twenty Jataka Tales

Reading Notes: The Guilty Dogs

"student sitting"

~~

Basically, a summary of this story is two dogs who are favored by a king commit an act that would lead to the death of every dog in the city except the royalty. I thought this was a very interesting topic and I believe it can be expanded on in creative ways. 

Instead of having dogs, I can have them be students in a classroom. There will be two boys who believe they can get away with anything they want because their father is a large donor to the school. Usually, the teachers would let them get away with whatever they wanted in fear they would lose their job. One day the teacher would step outside of the classroom telling all of the students to not touch a project they had been working on. The two boys would eventually ruin this project. They would lie about who ruined the project and blame the other kids for doing so. Unfortunately, when the teacher returns to the classroom they find the students around the project and the other two boys sitting in their seats like they had no part in what had been done. 

All of the students would get detention except the two boys. One of the kids that got detention would fight for him and his fellow students. He would go to the principal’s office and beg that he believe they had no part in the act. Ironically, the downfall of these boy's would lie with their father's money. Recently the school would have been renovated and cameras would be placed in every room. No one but the principal is aware of this fact because it is such a new building. The students would be relieved of their detention punishment and never have to worry about the two boys again. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Inayat. Twenty Jataka Tales

Reading Notes: Kumbhakarna Awakens

"addiction"

~~

I found inspiration from another story in the same source I used previously in the week. The story of Kumbhakarna was very interesting and many things came to mind when I read of his upbringing. Kumbhakarma is an ugly giant that cannot stop eating food. He has the appetite of well... a giant. I thought I can turn this story from a folk tale to a struggle story about addiction. 

Instead of a giant my main character will be addicted to some type of drug. I would name him Kumba. Kumba would not be able to get enough of the specific drug he is addicted to. He would be raised in a dark part of town and pick up the habit at an early age. However, he would be able to start a family and live a normal life, but his family will be in the shadows not knowing about his addiction. In the original story the giant is eventually put to sleep (literal sleep, not killed) and he is given one day every month to go eat what he likes. 

In my possible story, I can make it to where the drug addict is caught and sent to a rehab clinic. They would be able to visit their family once a month. I would rather make his 'food' equivalent seeing his family instead of getting more drugs. I like happy stories. Eventually the addict would make a full recovery, however, I can make up some hardships along the way. 

For example, meeting some inmates that taunt him with the very drug that he adores. However, his love for his family will help overcome the addiction. This is a very different topic from the original, but just hearing that story made me think of how drugs are addicting and some people cannot help themselves. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wilson. Indian Story Book: Kumbhakarna Awakens Part B

Reading Notes: Rama's Quest

"Johnny Bravo"

~

I thought the story Sita told Rama while they were wandering the forest was very interesting. She spoke of a young hermit that ended up meeting his own demise by treasuring a weapon similar to Rama and his bow. Sita is fearful of Rama because his power attracts enemies. This could make for a very interesting story.

I could write about a young man who all of the women at his school adore. He is a very cocky fellow and believes he is at the top of the food chain when it comes to looks. His weapon, instead of a bow, would be his hair. He could get any girl to go out with him on at least one date with his handsome looks. He would have no care in the world whether the girl was taken or single. Not shallow at all right? 

Naturally, the other groups of men that attend his college would notice this man. They will hear their girlfriends always talk about how amazing this man is. They will speak of all of the things he does to sweet-talk them and win them over. Of course, the other men will get jealous due to the young man's naturally charming ways. Also because these women are taken, and the fool knows of it.

The boys would meet up and devise a plan of how to ruin this person’s chances with their girlfriends. They finally figure out that they need to take away the one thing that he truly cherishes, his hair. This in turn can lead to the men shaving the man’s head in his sleep. After the altercation, the boy will be left with a head none of the girls would dare to approach. This follows the whole aspect of setting yourself up with your own demise by cherishing something that attracts conflict.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wilson. Indian Story Book: Rama's Quest Part A Section 4

Week 9 Storytelling: The Fisherman

"setting of story"

~~

It was a dark, gloomy day in the town of Caro. However, this did not stop a hopeless fisherman from going to the local river and casting his rod. Sam, the town's worst fisherman, visited the river every day in hopes he would finally receive some luck. Day after day Sam would return home in disappointment and have no fish to take with him as a reward for his patience. As Sam approached his usual spot by the river, he noticed a young woman wearing a large hood standing across the way. The woman seemed to not notice Sam's presence, so he continued to mind his own business. This did not last long. The woman took off her hood and Sam was astonished by the beauty he saw with his eyes. He bolted from his spot and hid so he could bask in her beauty. Her hair was long and beautiful. Her eyes were the color of the deep ocean. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Sam is not a very graceful human being so the woman noticed him right away as he scurried to hide behind a rock. The woman took off quickly without saying a word. Sam was so awestruck by the woman's beauty he completely forgot about his fishing endeavors and vowed to return to the river in hopes to see her again. Sam returned home and slept a happier man. 

The next day Sam returned to the river and did not see the woman. He was devastated. Sam thought he scared her away, or possibly came off as a creep because he was staring at her from behind a rock. Sam cast his hook in the river in hopes to get his mind off of her. After a few minutes of sitting and no nibbles, he heard a voice from behind him. 

"Um.. Hi."

Sam quickly sprang to his feet, and to his surprise it was the beautiful woman from yesterday.

"Oh... Hello! I saw you yesterday and couldn't help but notice... you.. have.. pretty..nose.. very.. uhh.."

"Hahaha. Well..thanks?"

Sam is also awful with women.

Sam eventually found out the girl's name was Lisa. They talked for hours by the river. They were really hitting it off. One topic after another, they loved talking to each other. So, they decided to meet at the same place every day to see each other. After a couple of years, Sam and Lisa decided to get married. However, there was one condition to the relationship that did not sit right with Sam. In order for them to be together, Sam could never ask Lisa what she was doing at the river the first day he saw her. He agreed to the terms in hopes she would eventually tell him herself. 

After months of marriage, Sam could not take the curiosity any longer. He asked Lisa why she was at the river that day. Her answer shocked him. She was there to end her life. Her family had recently disowned her, and she had no friends to converse with about her issues. Sam was the first person that seemed like he actually cared for her. Her life was miserable.Lisa was so ashamed of the past, she vanished without telling Sam where she was going. After this heartbreak, Sam waited by the river every day and night in hopes the love of his life would return. 

Days passed and Sam was beginning to lose hope. The river was a lonely place without his former lover. The sound of the water running reminded him of the day he was blessed to meet her. One night, Lisa finally returned in an attempt to end her life once more. She was wearing the same large hood as the first day Sam saw her. Sam called out her name and she turned away in shame. He voiced his love for her and how he would never judge her for how she feels. He said he would always be there for her no matter what the circumstance. Lisa, finally receiving the loving attention she needed, had a change of heart. She returned to Sam and the two were reunited again. As they were talking and expressing their love for one another, there was a sound Sam had never heard before. It was the sound of his fishing pole hitting the rack he braced it on. He grabbed the pole as quickly as he could. 

Sam had finally caught a fish. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE
My story is loosely based on the story of King Shantanu and his wife. In the original story, the king falls in love with a river goddess and asks her to marry him. However, the only requirement to them getting married is that the king could never question her decisions. I decided to make my story similar to that, but instead of a river goddess, I decided to make her a woman whose beauty is incomparable. Also, instead of having her decisions be the deciding factor of the marriage, I made the reason she was at the river be the deciding factor. In the original story the river goddess kills the children of the king. In my version I left this detail out, but I incorporated a suicide with Lisa. I thought it would still have the same dramatic effect that the death of the king's children did. Lastly, in the original story the river goddess leaves Shantanu and never returns. However, I like happy endings so I decided that Lisa would return and they would live happily ever after. I also thought the fish was just a neat thing to add due to the main setting being a river.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution Part A - Epified TV

Week 8 Growth Mindset

"motivated stick figure"

~~

After reading the list of strengths and weaknesses I could definitely say that my weaknesses would include, focusing on grades, being a perfectionist, and comparing myself to others. My strengths would lie in pushing myself to go further, being ready to spend time practicing and asking lots of questions. I feel like this class has helped me stop focusing on grades. That is not bad thing by the way! I feel as if I focus primarily on learning new material. This class is very creative and the stress of it is just that, the creativity. The grades are not the primary focus, that is why if you complete an assignment you make a 100, regardless of the quality of your creativity. I like that aspect because it helps me focus primarily on the interesting material related to the topics we are reading about that specific week. I also feel like this class has increased my ability to spend time practicing. I have never been a strong writer. However, by writing a story every week and being forced to write creatively I believe this class has helped me immensely with my writing. It used to be so difficult to write long papers, but now I can write non-stop without having to think about what to write about for hours. It has been a great learning experience thus far and I am excited to see the final result. 

Week 8 Reflections

"reflection"

I am definitely happy with stories I have written over the semester. I have never had to do this much creative writing in a class and I am really enjoying it. I have learned that I am capable of writing much more creatively than I imagined. At first, I thought this class would be very difficult because I never thought I could be creative enough. However, I have found that writing stories has become easier and easier as the class progresses. I believe in order to further the creativity in my writing I need to keep thinking of new ways to change up the original stories. A tool that could help me with this are childhood stories. Childhood stories can be molded to fit a lot of different story types. I have found them to be very useful with my storytelling. They help make difficult plots seem simple. 

Week 7 Story Planning: The Fisherman

"couple"

~~

My story would be about a young man named Sam who loves to fish. He is an awful fisherman, however, it has always been his favorite past time. Each day he would go by a nearby river to fish. One day while he is out on his daily fishing run, he would notice a young woman by the river. He instantly falls for her beauty and feels obligated to know her. Each day he would be more and more excited to visit the river to see the beautiful woman from before. The women is oblivious to Sam's presence until one day Sam actually catches a fish. The women approaches Sam after seeing him catch such a fine fish. They talk for hours and eventually decide to keep meeting on other occasions. Eventually the two become best friends. However, the women states that the only way she would stay is if Sam does not ask what the woman was doing at the river all of the days she never noticed him. Sam complied and the woman stayed with Sam. 

Day after day the curiosity would eat at Sam's mind until he could not take it any longer. He would finally ask her why she was at the river all of those days. The woman, devastated by Sam's question, tells him the answer. She was there to kill herself. Her family had thrown her out and she had no friends to consult with. Her life was miserable. She was so ashamed and did not want anyone to know of her situation. 

She was so ashamed she vanished without telling Sam she was leaving or where she was going. After this heartbreak, Sam would wait by the river every day and night in hopes the love of his life would return. One night, she would return to the river in an attempt to finally end her life. Sam would catch her in the act and express his love for her in hopes to change her mind. The woman finally receiving the loving attention she always wanted, would change her mind. The two would eventually get married and live their lives together forever. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution Part A - Epified TV