Tech Tip: Canvas Notifications

Canvas notifications has been a great help to me this semester since I just downloaded the new revamped app as well. I also get their notifications on my school email. Getting notifications about when a teacher sends out an email or personal one is very helpful along with grade updates and assignment notifications. Sometimes I'll forget to do an assignment, but I'll be notified and reminded to do it so I don't get a big fat zero.

Tech Tip: Canvas Dashboard

To be honest, when I first started using Canvas I was not its biggest fan. I wish the everything wold just go back to the way things were with Ozone, but as time went by I grew more fond of it. The dashboard in particular is quite neat and nice. I can customize it to my liking, which I do a lot every semester now. I tweak the color of each class to match what I want. I can even change the names of these classes to make it more easy for me.

Reading Notes (Extra Credit): Brothers Grimm (Ashliman) Part A

For this extra credit reading I took it upon myself to read out of the Grimm Brothers Children's and Household Tales. This particular translation was done by Ashliman. The story I took most interest in was the one called "Little Red Cap". This is all too familiar with the story of Little Red Riding Hood. In this rendition almost everything was exact as the story I heard growing up and continue to hear. These are, however, minor detail changes here and there because of course this isn't the American version, instead it is the European one. In both versions the Wolf is the main villain and he is seen as the one who tries to eat Little Red Riding Hood. In my rendition I would turn it around. I know there are multiple versions of this story, even the one that I'm suggesting but this version will be told in my own voice. The Wolf would be the victim instead of the villain and the Little Red Riding Hood would be the antagonist. However, I might have to change the actual character of the Little Red Riding Hood to someone who is more villain like.  

Brothers Grimm by Ashliman, link to online reading

(Little Red Riding Hood & Wolf, Source: Getty Images)

Reading Notes: Grimm (LibriVox) Part B

In the second part of this unit's readings, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the twelve huntsmen. In this story there lived a prince and his father, the king. The prince was happily married to a bride when he caught news of his fathers illness. He told the bride that when he was named king he would come back to her and left on horseback. When the prince arrived at the palace, the king was near death and his last dying wish was for the prince to marry a handpicked maiden. Not knowing what he was saying, the prince agreed and the father died. The prince, now named king, married to a new queen. The true bride caught news of this and ordered her father to bring her maidens that looked like her and eleven of them. He found them all around and brought them to the true bride to be clothed like a huntsmen. They were then sent away to the king whom accepted them with open arms. The king had a lion, however, and this lion warned the king that these were not men, but instead women. The king put them to the test multiple times including having them walk on peas and look at spinning-wheels. The huntsmen had an ally on their side who was a servant of the king. He informed them of these challenged and thus they all passed. One day the king was informed that his queen would be arriving shortly. This made the true bride faint and fall to the ground. The king went to her and took off her gloves. Then he realized that this was his former bride who he married before his father died. When she woke, he told her that she was the only one he loved and informed the queen that she was no longer needed. In my story I would take it a bit further and have the ex-queen become jealous and exact her revenge of the kingdom in some form or another.

Grimm (LibriVox) by Brothers Grimm, link to online reading

(The King and his Lion, Source: Twelve Huntsmen)

Reading Notes: Grimm (LibriVox) Part A

For this unit I decided that the story "The Frog Prince" was the best suited for me if I decided to retell it in my own words. The story goes that a princess goes out one night with her toy ball and is continuously throwing it into the sky. She throws it higher and higher until suddenly she throws it so high that when it comes down, it bounces into a spring. She cried and weeps and even says that she'd give away all her belongings just to get the ball back. Upon hearing this a frog emerged from the spring and told her that he would get the ball for her if she let him sit next to her, eat off her plate, and sleep on her bed. The arrogant princess she is, said yes, but once the frog retrieved her ball she sprinted back to her castle in joy and forgot about the frog. The next morning the frog appeared at her door, but she freaked out and worried her parents. She told her parents about the night before and they told her that she must respect her promises, so she let the frog hop on her chair and sit next to her. She let him eat off her plate until he was full and once that happened she took him up to her bed to sleep. The same thing happened the next day and the next day. However, on the final day the frog turned into a handsome prince and asked for her hand in marriage. She agreed and they lived happily ever after. This reminds me a lot of the Disney movie "The Princess and the Frog". In my own version I would make the frog's three things to break the witches curse be something more interesting instead of just sitting, eating, and sleeping for three straight days.

Grimm (LibriVox) by Brothers Grimm, link to online reading

(The Princess and the Frog, Source: Richard Crouse)

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

I used to have the older version of the Canvas app on my iPhone, but it lacked a lot of features so I got rid of it. However, they revamped the Canvas app and now I have it re-downloaded. It has so many more features now that it almost mimics the actual Canvas website. It does have some limitations though such as not being able to see class averages on assignments and tests. Another downside it you can't manually input in a "fake" score on one of your assignments just like you can on the actual Canvas, so that you can see what you need to make on the assignment to make a certain grade. Overall it is an amazing new app and I use it almost every day.

Reading Notes (Extra Credit): English Fairy Tales Part A

In this weeks extra credit reading, I decided to go ahead and read the unit on English Fairy Tales. The great thing is that a lot of these stories I grew listening to and reading about, so I have a lot of background knowledge on them. One in particular was "The Story of the Three Little Pigs" and how the wolf tried to blow down all the houses, but couldn't blow the brick house down. In Joseph Jacobs version it goes on a little bit further and tells the tale of how the wolf cunningly tried to get the pig to go outside the house so he could eat them. If i retold this story I would make the pigs the bad guys and the wolf the victim. Another story was "The Old Woman and Her Pig" which mimicked the familiar story of "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly". It was told as a nursery rhyme. In "Cap o' Rushes", there is a girl who is thrown out of her home for doing something small. She covers herself in mud and other nasty stuff and goes on to find herself a new home. There are three dances that are thrown, but the girl doesn't want to go and instead stays home. Eventually she gets ready for the final dance and ends up meeting her master's son. He finds out her true identity and they live happily ever after. It sounds a lot like a Disney tale to me. 

English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, link to online reading

(Three Little Pigs, Source: Gathering Books)

Reading Notes: Canterbury Tales Part A

After reading Part A of the collection of stories known as the "Canterbury Tales," I grew to like the Pardoner's Tale the most. In olden times the person with the title of "pardoner" was a part of the church who would go around the countryside and sell pardons that would forgive the sins of the buyer. These pardons were signed by the bishop himself. In my opinion these pardons sound like they were fake and only were sold to make money for the church or even for the individual themselves. The pardoner in this tales starts off by mentioning a group of three troublesome and rebellious boys. All they cared about was drinking and having fun with no care whatsoever in the world. They did give back to their society or care about anyone in it. One day the group of boys eavesdrop into a conversation about Death and how he keeps killing the people of their village. The tavern keeper also drops the fact that Death lives in the village next door. This makes Death an actual figure and not a figure of speech. Much like my project where Death is personified and is a person, it seems like the same is being done in this tale as well. The group of kids come to the decision that they will take on the task and vanquish Death himself. On their journey to the next village they stumbled upon an elderly man, but knowing the arrogance of the kids they start to make fun of him. Now for some reason the thought that the man might be a spy for Death came across them and they started to intimidate the old man. They demanded to know where Death was. The old man tells them that the path ahead leads straight to Death. The group of men stumbled upon a pile of gold along the road. One of them is sent into the village to get food for the rest while they wait on the gold. They didn't want to be seen taking the gold, so they waited until nightfall. While they were all separated they all plotted in their heads to kill one another and take each others portions of gold. In the end they all end up dead which indicates that Death was their endgame. The ending of this tale had a very nice twist. I thought they would actually find the figure of Death, but instead found it amongst themselves.

Canterbury Tales by Eva March Tappan, link to online reading

(A Pardoner, Source: Alamy)

Reading Notes: Welsh Fairy Tales (Emerson) Part A

The Welsh (Emerson) unit was a really great read, but the language was a bit hard to understand since it is in Welsh. It's a lot different than English in that it's spelling is quite different. I chose this story because it was something that I've never heard about. After reading Part A I began to realize that this unit had many stories that revolved around fairies. I soon found out that fairies were more scary mythical creatures than I had previously known. I thought they were all like Disney fairies. I thought wrong. In the first of the stories there is a main character who is the queen of all fairies. She isn't the only character that is important in the story, but she has a big impact on the story. This story in particular showed the reader that fairies are very reasonable. They can use their magical powers for good or for revenge. The story is about the fairies who help the lives of two men and one of the men's sons. They are forever grateful and in return the son of the men aid the fairies in their quest to vanquish an evil witch. After their task is complete, the fairies grant the son a beautiful wife and they live happily ever after. If I were to retell this story I would want to keep a lot of the story the same. Except I would try to tell it from the sons perspective, this would give the story a new set of eyes and everything would be viewed differently. Even the emotions would be different. 

Welsh Fairy Tales (Emerson) by Peter Emerson, link to online reading

(Fairies, Source: Pinterest)

Week 12 Story: The Jealous Cheerleader

It was a Monday morning at Sunnydale High School. It was like any other morning except today was the first day of the new school year. You could see everyone excited to see each other after a long and hot summer. Especially Jennifer and her cheer-leading girls. Jennifer was the captain of the cheerleaders at school. She was top of her class and was liked by all the students, even teachers, at Sunnydale. Boys would go crazy over her. That all changed when Molly showed up. She was a transfer student from the north side. She was everything Jennifer, but even better. This got Jennifer very angry. She became obsessed with becoming the most popular girl of the school again. She became jealous.

Jennifer devised a plan to get rid of Molly once and for all, so that she could sit atop of the popularity scale in the end. Given Molly's rapid popularity at school, she was almost forced to join the cheer-leading squad. This wall all a part of Jennifer's devious plan. Now that she had Molly right where she wanted, all she had to do was wait till their first practice.

The day had come. Sunnydale's first cheer-leading practice took place after school. All was going well and everyone seemed to enjoy the practice so far. The girls then proceeded to the lifting portion of the practice and the girl of choice was none other than Molly herself. Jennifer was very eager to be one of the girls to lift Molly. Everything was going smoothly. All the lifters, including Jennifer, got Molly in the air, but once it was time for them to catch her everything went wrong. Jennifer was suppose to catch her, but instead "slipped" away and this leaded to Molly crashing down onto the grass. Molly was rushed to the school infirmary and was diagnosed with a broken foot from her landing. Jennifer was so excited to her about Molly's injury because that meant her plan to take her out was coming to fruition.

Little did Jennifer know that this injury caused the whole school to feel sympathy towards Molly. They teachers even took time out of their lectures and had all the students write "get well" cards for Molly. Many students even went to visit Molly in the infirmary and signed her foot cast. Jennifer's planned had totally backfired. Eventually by the end of the school year, all the students had found out that Jennifer was the one who purposefully didn't catch Molly and gave her the broken foot. Jealous Jennifer was never heard from again. Some say she transferred schools.

(Cheerleaders, Source: Forever Twenty Somethings)

Author's Note:
In the original story there was an uncle who took the every son that this family bore and killed him. He had killed 3 before a 4th child came into this world. He was kept a secret and the uncle's wife told him that they had bore a daughter and not a a son. However, the uncle found out anyways when he saw what was underneath his clothes. The uncle asked for the son and took him out to get some logs. They wandered out far into the forest where the son got caught in one of the logs. The uncle left him there to die and rot however he had tools with him that led to his escape. He gathered the log and left them in front of his uncles tent. The uncle was furious and tried to kill him many more times. Next was with ducks and eggs, then it was with clams, and then finally he made the nephew a box. He trapped the son inside this box and threw him into the ocean where he drifted from island to island until finally he halted. Two daughters found him on the shore and brought him back to their village where the chief decided to care and raise him. However, he began to miss his previous home and his parents, so with permission from the Eagle people, he flew back to the previous village. He brought them back a huge whale, but the jealous uncle took it all for himself and left none for the nephews parents. He was furious and took the uncle up into the sky and dropped him into the ocean. He couldn't swim for he drowned and died. The nephew got his revenge and took his parents back to his new found home where they all lived happily. I wanted to modernize this story and placed the setting in a high school and centered the story around two girls. One was the popular cheerleader of the school, Jennifer, and the other was a new transfer student who won every one's heart, Molly. My retelling changed a lot of things, but the main story is the same with the jealously playing a huge part.

Bibliography: "The Jealous Uncle" by Stith Thompson. Web Source

Reading Notes: Apache Tales Part B

In Part B of the reading, there were many stories that consists of a main character, the coyote. At first I thought he was the main character of each story, but I was wrong. He was only a support character. I also initially thought that these tales were connected in some way, but again I was wrong. In the first story the coyote is a trickster who plots to steal a poor man's wife. One day the poor man his household and when he returns he finds that it is an empty house. The coyote has stolen the wife and taken her back to his tipi. Eventually the poor man rescues his wife and when he returns he devises a plan to exact revenge on the evil coyote. He burns rocks till there are fiery hot and wraps in fat, so that the coyote can't resist them. This works and the coyote chows them down only to die in the end. In the next story, there is an owl who posses with him black arrows that can kill any man. The coyote in this story is greedy and wants them for himself, so he breaks the owls leg and steals the arrows. The owl is left for dead and now everyone knew the coyote was the one who possessed the arrows, so they were afraid. A pack of antelope aspire to fool the coyote an retrieve the arrows back. They get the coyote to put his quiver on one antelope and his arrows on another. This way two parts that equal a whole were divided. They told the coyote that this was a race to get his arrows back, but when they begin to run the antelope initiate their devious plan and run in different directions. The coyote is hopeless because he can't catch both. The next coupe stories involved the coyote again, but the confusing part was whether the coyote was the protagonist or antagonist. In one story is steals and another he is the victim. In my opinion, if I rewrote one of these stories I would make the coyote a adversary because coyote have a stereotypical appeal.

Apache Tales by P.E. Goddard, link to online reading

(Coyote, Source: National Geographic)

Reading Notes: Apache Tales Part A

After reading the collection of Apache Tales I was very confused. The stories themselves were clear and the plot was understandable, but the use of their language was very confusing. Mainly it was the use of pronouns that caught me off guard. If I use one of these stories to retell then my main objective will be to make the stories more understandable for the reader to follow. One of the stories about Naiyenesgani utilizes the colors blue, yellow, black, and mixed colors. These colors are a very integral part of every story that keep reappearing. The story goes that Naiyenesgani goes to hunt down a swamp monster and save the people of his tribe. The integral colors are used in his hoops that are used to drain the water and kill the monster. I can see that the colors are very important to every story, so making sure I utilize them in my own story will be very important.

Apache Tales by P.E. Goddard, link to online reading

(Apache Tales, Source: Tales of Faerie)

Week 10 Story Planning: The Jealous Uncle

After reading the story about the jealous uncle I want to retell it my own words. This story is set in the past where tribes and villages were still relevant. It also involves an uncle who takes the sons of his people and kills them. However, one son who he tried and tries to kill somehow outwits him every time. Eventually he exacts revenge on his uncle and kills him by dropping him into the ocean where he cannot swim. The son then takes his mom and dad away via means of eagle-like abilities.

In my retelling of this story I want to change a lot about the setting, characters, emotions, etc. But I will still keep the same moral and have a similar plot line. Instead of it being set in the past, I want my story to be modernized to a middle school. This way whoever reads my story can relate to it better and build a connection to the characters since most of us went to middle school. I also want to change the characters such as the jealous uncle and the son that he tries to kill. Instead, I would like a jealous and popular middle school girl and a new girl from out of town. This will eliminate the aspect of death from the original story. The story line will essentially be the same where the jealous girl will try to bully the new girl and pull stunts on her. The new girl will rebuke all attempts and in the end get her "revenge" and everyone will like her. 

Although I have everything planned out and the overall backbone of the story set, I still haven't figured out what the jealous girl will do to the new girl. In the original story the jealous uncle tries to kill the son by trapping him in a log and leaving him to die, trapping him in a clam, pushing him down a hill, and even encasing him in a wooden box and throwing him into the ocean. These are all extreme cases of trying to get rid of the son, so I will have to tone down the events and make it more petty and something a middle school girl would try and do.

(Middle School Classroom, Source: Responsive Classroom)

Bibliography: "The Jealous Uncle" by Stith Thompson. Web Source

Reading Notes: Native American Hero Tales Part B

Just like for Part A of the reading, Part B consisted of four stories. The story that stuck out to me and intrigued me the most was the one about the jealous father. This story was about a son who was born to the wife of the jealous father. He had two wives. One day he saw that the son had been on terms of intimacy with one of his wives. He then took the boy out to fish for eggs and once the son left the boat, the father turned around and deserted him on the island. He called for help and cried for hours. A walrus finally came to aid the son. He told the son to let him know if there was any lightning for he had to go underwater if there was. The boy lied which led to the walrus's death, but the son made it back to the island safely. The walrus was from the mother and the thunderstorms were from the father. On the island, an old woman from the mother came to aid the son. She gave him an animal disguise and he went into the forest. He stumbled upon two blind women who had bones sticking out their elbows. The son fooled them both into thinking he was sitting between them and had them stab each other to death. Next the boy came upon a pile of bones and a hut where dogs and people were. He dug a path underneath all the bones, but somehow managed to rustled the bones. This alarmed the dogs and the people so they went to search for him. He fooled them once again and made it back home safely. He burned down the world along with his father, but saved his mother. They both turned into birds and flew off.

Native American Hero Tales by Stith Thompson, link to online reading

 (Blue Jay, Source: Pinterest)

Reading Notes: Native American Hero Tales Part A

There were a total of four stories in Part A of Native American Hero Tales. My favorite of them all had to be the one called "The Jealous Uncle". This story was about an uncle who took the every son that this family bore and killed him. He had killed 3 before a 4th child came into this world. He was kept a secret and the uncle's wife told him that they had bore a daughter and not a a son. However, the uncle found out anyways when he saw what was underneath his clothes. The uncle asked for the son and took him out to get some logs. They wandered out far into the forest where the son got caught in one of the logs. The uncle left him there to die and rot however he had tools with him that led to his escape. He gathered the log and left them in front of his uncles tent. The uncle was furious and tried to kill him many more times. Next was with ducks and eggs, then it was with clams, and then finally he made the nephew a box. He trapped the son inside this box and threw him into the ocean where he drifted from island to island until finally he halted. Two daughters found him on the shore and brought him back to their village where the chief decided to care and raise him. However, he began to miss his previous home and his parents, so with permission from the Eagle people, he flew back to the previous village. He brought them back a huge whale, but the jealous uncle took it all for himself and left none for the nephews parents. He was furious and took the uncle up into the sky and dropped him into the ocean. He couldn't swim for he drowned and died. The nephew got his revenge and took his parents back to his new found home where they all lived happily. I like the story of death and revenge. It reminds me of high school or even middle school where a girl would get jealous of someone and try to ruin their life. If I choose to do this story I would modernize it into a school type story and leaving out death. 

Native American Hero Tales by Stith Thompson, link to online reading

(Native American Eagle, Source: Snow Owl)

Week 9 Story: Wukong The Strongest Of Them All

My name is Yang Oerlang. Son of the Lord of the Heavens. There have not been many in my lifetime that have come close to matching my strength. That held true for thousands of year until a monkey born from stone came into this world. I'm here to tell you his tale leading up to his unfortunate death.

Long ago on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, there laid a rock. Undisturbed for years until one day the rock split in half and there laid a monkey in the core. He was destined for greatness. He lived among the apes and monkeys of his kind until one day they proposed a challenge. One who could pass through the waterfall in the middle of the mountain, come back alive, and tell them what was on the other side would be named their king. And so the monkey, born of stone, took this challenge upon himself and made it to the other. This is where is tumbled upon a cave within and an iron bridge to walk across. He went back to tell the other apes and they named him their rightful king. He then proclaimed himself the Handsome King of the Apes. 

One day as he sat on his throne in the cave beyond the waterfall, he thought to himself that he would die one day. Scared of the day to come he sought out immortality and ventured off to find it. He ventured far and wide until one day he stumbled upon a wood cutter who showed him the way to a saint. This saint was his key to immortality and many other magical gifts and abilities. This is where the monkey born from stone got his famous name: Wukong. He studied under this master as his apprentice and soon learned the ways to immortality. That was not the only thing he learned. He learned to somersault half way across the world in one jump, incantations and spells, and other to shape-shift into 72 different forms. But this was the beginning of his downfall. He began to become arrogant. This lead to his expulsion from the temple. 

After this event he became worse and worse, but at the same time stronger and stronger. He defeated many foes such as the Devil King, the Dragon-King, the Ten Princes of the Dead, and even Notscha the son of our beloved general Li Dsing. With every win he gained he became more and more arrogant. This came to an end when he met me. 

One of the gods from the heavens, Guan Yin, came to grandfather and suggested that I go down and put an end to Wukong's reign. I accepted this challenge immediately since it been while since my last battle. I went down to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and called for Wukong. He came to me with confusion for he did not know who I was. I told him that I was Yang Oerland and that I had come to apprehend him. He immediately began to attack me, but I fended him off easily. He stood no chance against me. Our battle took hours with over 300 rounds. Soon Wukong realized that he couldn't defeat me and tried to make a run for it. Foolish was he for I had the gods from above help me in his defeat. One of the gods, Laotzse, has a circlet of diamonds that he used to knock Wukong in the back of the head. He fell to the ground where he took his last breath. I stood above him and told him of all his wrong doings. After I finished up his lengthy list, I put an end to his life. The battle had come to an end and I emerged victorious. 

That the end of the infamous stone monkey, Wukong. 

(Yang Oerlang, Source: Ali Express)

Author's Note: 

In this reading, the story of Wukong is told in third person but I changed it up and decided to tell the story from a first person perspective. It is told by one of his foes, Yang Oerlang. Wukong is born on a mountain from a rock and it named the king of the apes on that island. After many years he begin become restless and seeks out immortality. He does so with a saint he finds and learns of other great abilities. He is then banished from this temple for his arrogance. Soon he defeats many enemies such as the Devil King and the Ten Princes of the Dead. He also acquires his golden rod from the Dragon King and Queen. After letting Wukong roam freely on Earth, the Lord of the Heavens takes notice to him and wants to have him punished. However, his advisers suggest otherwise and appoint him a lowly position in the heavens of stable keeper. He finds out the meaning of his position and rebels. He goes back to his mountain and the heavens send down Notscha and Li Dsing to bring him back. However, Wukong is too strong for anyone and defeats all his opponents. That is until Yang Oerlang, the grandson of the Lord of the Heavens, comes down and catches him. They bring him back up to the heavens and try to burn him to ashes but he escapes and reeks havoc in the heavens. Buddha is recruited and after tricking Wukong, traps him in a mountain and seals him away. I didn't want to include the latter half of the story and opted to end Wukong's life because of his arrogance. 

Bibliography: "The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung" by R. Wilhelm. Web Source

Reading Notes: The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung Part B

Picking up where we left off in Part A, this section begins with the Lord of the Heavens concerned about Sun Wu Kung and his arrogance and his cannibalistic ways. He plans to punish the ape harshly, but the Evening Star insists another course of action. He brings Sun Wu Kung up to the heavens and bestows upon him the role of a stable keeper. He soon finds out that this is a lowly position and is furious, so he goes back to his homeland. Li Dsing and Notscha come down and try to fight the Monkey King so that he may be brought back and punished for his crimes. However the Monkey King is too strong and no one can defeat him. The Evening Star once again suggests that a higher position be bestowed upon him so that he may be satisfied and not revolt. He is then put in charge of watching over the garden of the Queen Mother. However he eats most of the fruit in the garden. The fairies come for him, but are frozen in place by him. He sneaks back to his island and this time Yang Oerlang is sent for him. He is a match for the Monkey King and after countless matches the Monkey King loses and is taken back to the heavens. They try to burn him to ashes but are not successful, so he escapes. The Lord of the Heavens asks Buddha to help him take down the Monkey King and he is successful. He traps him in a mountain for many many years. In this story Sun Wu Kung is very arrogant and takes things too lightly. He is a very ungrateful person and wants what he doesn't have. In my rendition I would like to humble him some more and possible change his fate in the end.

The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung by R. Wilhelm, link to online reading

(Sun Wu Kung, Source: Wikipedia)

Reading Notes: The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung Part A

For part A of this unit it was a very fun and very linear read. The plot line is very straightforward and is easy to follow along. I was engaged the whole time I was reading it. The story starts off on an island where a stone ape is born out of a stone that is split open. The ape matures and grows up on this island with other apes. Soon the other apes dare each other to find out who can cross the waterfall unharmed and so the stone ape steps up to the challenge and gets through. This is where he finds the iron bridge and the cave castle. After 300 or so years of living in peace and harmony, the stone ape thinks that death is surely to come for him while he idly waits so he seeks out immortality by traveling the seas and meeting different religions. He stumbles upon a wood-chopper who shows him the way to a saint. The stone is give the name Sun Wu Kung. He studies and becomes the masters apprentice. He learns of different incantations and develops many abilities one of these is flying. Eventually he learns the ways of immortality and can transform into anything he wishes. He is then banished from the establishment for exposing his teachings and goes back to his home island where his ape family awaits. He finds out that the Devil King has come and taken away most of the children so he goes and fights the Devil King. Defeating him and taking his weapon as a prize. The children return safely, but as time goes on Sun Wu Kung is scared that they are weaponless and are vulnerable for future attacks, so he goes out and find weapons for the entire ape population, but he grows old of his own weapon. He seeks out the Dragon King and Queen for a stronger weapon. They give him an enormous iron bar that he can make small or big. He then demands for armor as well, which they also provide. Finally he goes back happy, but one night as he is sleeping he dreams of the Princes of the Dead dragging him to Hell. He scares them off and demands to see the Book of Life. He takes off the apes names so that they can live forever. However, he is suddenly awoken from his dream. 

The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung by R. Wilhelm, link to online reading

(Sun Wu Kung and his Master, Source: Wikipedia)

Reading Notes (Extra Credit): Dante's Inferno Part B

In the second half of Dante's Inferno we resume with Dante and his guide, Virgil, as they descend down further in the seventh circle of hell. They continue to meet mythical creatures, poets, etc. Before descending down into the 7th circle they meet the Minotaur and inside the 7th circle they meet the Centaurus who guide them further. Further inside the 7th circle are rings and inside those rings they meet Capaneus, the Harpies, the Old Man of Crete, and Geryon. Geryon is a mythical creature that has the face of a man and a body of a dragon. They use Geryon to descend down into the eighth circle. They meet many more people in the 8th circle such as Jason, the Demons, Caiaphas, Ulysses (Odysseus), Diomede, the Giants, and Ugolino. All tell Dante and Virgil their stories of how they ended up in the Inferno. Lastly, they go into the center of Hell where they meet Lucifer, the Devil. He has three faces, 6 wings, cries tears of blood, and is stationed in a icy underworld.

In my project I want Charley and Death to only visit three of the circles of hell. I'll briefly mention other circles as they make their way down to certain ones, but not in detail. Unfortunately I will not be able to meet Satan in my project, but he can be mentioned briefly by Death. I like the idea of Geryon as a means of transportation for Dante and Virgil, but Death and Charley will have a different type of transportation.

Dante's Inferno by Dante Alighieri, link to online reading

(Dante's Inferno, Source: OWHL Guides)

Week 8 Progress

My progress has been great so far, except for last week. Because of last week I am now behind in points and need to catch up by utilizing extra credits opportunities. I have a weekly routine of doing both readings on Monday, story on Tuesday, project on Wednesday, and feedback comments/blog comments on Thursday or if anything on Friday. The class project I enjoy the most is the storytelling one because it allows me to unleash my creative mind and write my own rendition of the story I read for that week. It keeps my mind fresh and always thinking of new possibilities. I have only recently started pursuing the extra credit opportunities, but after form this week on I will definitely do as much as I can.

Looking forward to the second half of the semester I would like to get ahead in points and by week. Optimally I'd want to be ahead by a week because I am quite busy this semester, so anything could come up and I could easily fall behind. That way I'd have a cushion if I do. Extra credit will help me with that part.

(Motivation Monday, Source: Natalie's Health)

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

The feedback that I've been receiving from fellow students is very supportive and most importantly helpful. All comment that I've received have been helpful, but the part of the feedback that aids in my story telling is the detailed feedback that helps me with my actual storytelling. On the flip side, I believe my comments are good, but not amazing right now. I believe that as I progress as a storyteller I will also progress in my feedback as well. There are a couple times where I've been inspired by certain stories that I read from other students.

Every introduction that I've read is great because it really helps me connect with them since this is an online course where there is no face-to-face interaction. Some introductions are very passionate and personal as well which helps even more with connecting. As far as my introduction post, it serves well in getting to know me. The comments that I've received on support this and many people relate to me as well.

As of right now, I feel no need to change up my blog or its format. However that may very well change later on. It's always good to keep this fresh and new. My feedback so far can improve and this can be done by giving more detailed feedback. Sometimes I'm unsure what to say because I see nothing wrong with the story so I become vague, but there's always something that people can improve on and it'd help if I find that something and be specific about it.

(Feedback Components, Source: BlogSpot)

This image caught my eye because it includes all important aspects of feedback that makes that certain feedback helpful and great. I could improve my own feedback by implementing certain components listed on this image. 

Week 8 Reading and Writing

Overall, this semester has had the most writing I've ever done. The stories I pick out each week for my readings are amazing and they easy to read plus they are entertaining. Each week with the reading notes I take, the stories I write come out beautiful in my opinion. Taking notes helps me a lot because sometimes I don't write the story on the same day, so I have something to look back on and it helps me with the process of writing the story. The class project that I've been working on this semester is coming along perfectly. The feedback is great and it only helps me better my work. Although I only have an introduction for my project right now, I think that it is my greatest accomplishment this semester. I am over proud of the introduction.

(Dante's Inferno, Source: Wikimedia)

The image above is one that I picked out for my comment wall. This here is one of many depictions of Dante's Inferno. The picture helps the people who come to my project and want to leave feedback a sense of what they're about to read or get themselves into . It shows the sinners of hell and the black and white conveys a dark aura. 

Look forward I would like to spend more time researching and coming up with my stories weekly and for my project. I'd like more time to immerse myself in the stories I choose to read and take more detailed notes, but this semester has been the busiest one for me since I'm about to graduate and apply to medical school. I believe I can get ahead in the coming weeks and that will allow me more time to come up with bigger and better stories in the future. 

Week 7 Story: Finding His Happiness

In the distant past, there once lived a stonecutter. He was a well-renowned craftsman who knew exactly what was needed for certain items. Although he worked day and night t gain the reputation he had, he went to bed every night with a certain emptiness to him. 

One morning as he was chiseling away at the mountain for stones, he overheard two weary travelers talking. One said to the other that there was a ancient spirit that lived in the form of a woman. She lived atop the very mountain the stonecutter had been chiseling away at! She granted the wishes and brings happiness to anyone who seeks her help. When the stonecutter had heard of this he immediately gathered his belongings and started traveling up the mountain in search of filling his empty void. 

Eventually the stonecutter reached the top of the mountain. There lied a cave and inside was the very woman that the travelers were speaking of. The stonecutter introduced himself and asked the spirit to become a rich prince who had everything in the world. Alas, the spirit made the man a rich prince and when he returned home he returned to a castle as high as the skies with everything he could imagine. 

One day, the sun above scorched the lands he lived in. It was so hot and bright that the stonecutter reused to go outside and stored himself away in the depths of the castle. Every day he would look outside to see people up and about, embracing the heat. This made him yearn to become the sun, so he trekked back up the mountain and asked the spirit to make him the sun. And so he became the sun above all. 

His happiness soon faded when the day came where the clouds hid the suns rays. He had begun to become very bored of shining down on the lands, so when the clouds came to hid his might he became very upset. He cried from above to the spirit to make him a cloud, so that he may always be seen in the sky. The spirit below heard his cries from above and granted his wish and so he became the clouds.

Days and weeks went by and the man became weary again. Becoming the clouds between the lands and sun was not enough for him again. He became sad and rain poured down on the land for days. Towns and villages were destroyed by his unhappiness. When he looked down and saw that the mountains held their shape through all this rain, he began to wonder. He wondered if the immovable, strong, and calm mountain was the key to his happiness. And once again he begged the spirit to become the mountain below him. Once more the spirit turned him into a mountain. 

He stood tall and mighty every day. The sun and and rain could not move him one bit! And so he finally found his true happiness... but not for long. One day as the sun was bright the man heard something beneath him. He looked down and saw the very man he used to be: a stonecutter. He then began to realize that nothing he wished for would bring him true happiness because the stonecutting man was the key to his happiness. He took for granted his occupation and life and never appreciated what he had. Although he knew that he had asked so much from the spirit, he tried once more and asked to be reverted back to the man he once was. The spirit having realized that he discovered his true happiness, turned him back to a stonecutter in an instant. 

The stonecutter awoke back inside his household. Everything was the same as it used to be, as if nothing had changed except one thing: his happiness. He felt very grateful and in debt to the spirit, so he traveled once more to the top of the mountain. When he reached the top he expressed his gratitude and thanks to the woman. She was happy to help the man find his true happiness and disappeared back into the mountain in the form of a spirit and the man lived his days in eternal happiness. 

(The Stonecutter, Source: Pinterest)

Author's Notes:

The original story was very similar to my own. There was a stonecutter who also wanted to be something more. At first he wanted to be rich, then a prince, then the sun, the clouds, the mountain, and finally back to being a stonecutter. The spirit of the mountain granted him his wishes and turned him into whatever he desired. In the original, the stonecutter felt very selfish and didn't appreciate what the spirit had done for him, so I changed that in my own story. Also I gave the spirit a physical form and gave it a place atop the mountain. This rendition was more about finding the stonecutter's true happiness and provided a more detailed background and ending for the reader. 

Bibliography: "The Stonecutter" by Andrew Lang. Web Source

Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales Part A

There were 6 fairy tales in Part A of this reading and one of them really stuck out to me for a possible storytelling idea. This is the story of the Stonecutter who is never satisfied with himself. First we becomes a rich man, then a prince, then the sun, then the clouds, and then the mountain. Finally, he revert back to a stone cutting man with whom he is satisfied. In this story he seems like a very selfish individual and always wants to be something else, never satisfied with what he has. I would like to change that in my rendition and provide a sense of humbleness for the stone cutter. In this story the stone cutter is transformed by the mountain spirit who he takes for granted. I would like for him to be a grateful person in the end. I want to also make a mountain spirit an actually person or animal because a spirit is hard to imagine. That way the reader can relate more to the mountain spirit and it will give it a sense of purpose and meaning. Everything else I would keep the same because I do enjoy what the stone cutter wants to become and in each succession. It makes sense in that order.

Japanese Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang, link to online reading

(Stonecutter, Source: The Henry Brothers)

Reading Notes (Extra Credit): Dante's Inferno Part A

In Dante's Inferno the visual cues are very strong in each aspect of the comedy. Details are given at key moments to show the reader what it is that Dante is seeing at the moment. For instance, the part where Dante and Virgil come to the gate leading to hell they see a cave with an inscription at the top basically saying "abandon all hope, ye who enters". I love the visual cues and I want to try and replicate that in my project. This will help the reader get a better sense of the environment.

Another aspect of Dante's Inferno is the character of Dante himself. Dante is basically having a midlife crisis and is lead to the path towards evil and hopelessness when Virgil steps in helps Dante, guiding him through the circles of hell. Even throughout his journey, he is constantly afraid and saddened by what he sees. I want my character, Charley, to embody these same emotions when he travels through hell with Death. However, in my version, Charley will be taught a "lesson" for his constant sinning, so the emotion of scared and afraid will play a huge part in my rendition.

The wide array of fictional characters, hero's, gods, goddesses, poets, beasts, etc. is very eye opening to me because that gives me free reign when picking my own people for Charley to visit. The endless possibilities is very assuring because I can pick and choose anybody in recent history or current history. Not just ancient history like Dante did.

Lastly, I like the structure of hell itself. First there is the gateway to hell where there is a ferryman who takes them on a boat to the first circle of Limbo. Each circle goes deeper into the Inferno and with each decent there is an increase in wickedness and evil. I want to keep this aspect of the original story in my own. It creates a very easy visual cue for readers to imagine as my character makes his way down to the center of hell. However, since I'm only doing 3 stories, I won't have time to visit all 10 circles of hell, so I'll have to cut it short and visit only 3.

Dante's Inferno by Dante Alighieri, link to online reading

(Circles of Hell, Source: Pinterest)

Week 6 Story: Bedtime Story Lesson

The father put his son to sleep, but after he tucked him into bed and headed for the door the son asked for a bedtime story. The father reluctantly agreed to read his son one and only one bedtime story before bed. The father knew that the son was giving the mother difficultly this morning and decided to teach the boy a lesson through one of the oldest stories in time. It began...

There once lived Sun, Moon, and Wind. These were the children of their mother Star, who had just sent them off to dine and feast with their beloved friends. Sun and Wind were the oldest of the three children and were at times greedy and thought only of themselves. Moon on the other hand was humble and selfless. All three had enormous amounts of fun with their friends all the while eating exquisite foods. Sun and Wind ate until their stomachs gave out, but Moon was humble and selfless. Moon knew that their mother, Star, was waiting at home all alone for her sons to come home. With this in mind Moon brought back a little bit of everything for their mother. When the sons arrived back home, their mother asked them what they had brought back for her. In ignorance, Sun and Wind told their mother that nothing was brought back for her because they were out with their friends to have a good time and not think about home or what to bring back. Moon, on the other hand, brought back a little bit of everything for their dear mother. Star saw what kind of children she had brought to this world and cursed Sun and Wind to all of eternity. Sun was to be high in the sky where its rays will burn anything it touches causing people to avoid it. Wind was to blow through the hot and scorching weather, shriveling and parching all things in its path. She then turned to Moon and told her that she will be high in the nights sky. She will be bright, cool, and beautiful for people will always say that Moon is blessed.

(Sun, Moon, and Wind, Source: Kidsgen)

The father had finished the bedtime story and begun to close his book. He looked into his sons eyes and told him that there is a lesson/moral to every story. The son did not understand what the father was talking about, so the father told him that in this story the Sun and Wind did not appreciate their mother and thought nothing of her in times of fun. However, for Moon she thought of her mother and was very sincere, bringing food back for her. The lesson was that even when you grow up, or have fun, or get mad at your mother, you must always think of her because she is always thinking of you. After hearing this, the son got right up out of bed and ran all the way to his mother. Hugging her tightly he apologized for his bad behavior earlier that day.

Author's Notes:
The original story was exactly the same as the bedtime story told in this rendition. Nothing changed except for how the story was told. The lesson behind this story was very strong in my opinion and can be applied to most people who grow up or get anger at their mothers. In my version, I had the father tell his son the story of Sun, Moon, and Wind and how they went out with their friends to dine and feast and have fun. The son had caused problems for his mother earlier that day and I wanted this story to be told to him as a lesson.

Bibliography: "How Sun, Moon, and Wind Went Out to Diner" by Joseph Jacobs. Web Source

Reading Notes: Indian Fairy Tales Part B

In the Part B of the Indian fairy tales there were a total of 7 stories. Ironically, the last story was the most enjoyable of them all. This was a story concerning the Sun, Moon, and Wind. Their mother, the Star in the sky, let them out to have a feast with friends. However, none of them thought of their mother in their time of fun except the Moon. The Moon brought back a little bit of everything for Star. The mother cursed the Sun to burn so hot that people would have to avoid it and the Wind to blow during the heat to parch and shrivel all things. What really stood out to me was the moral/lesson of the story: even in times of fun you must be humble and not forget who got you where you are. A son or daughter should not forget their parents, especially their mother who gave birth to them. It's easy to forget where you came from, but that's the whole point of this story. I love the story overall, but in my rendition I would change what the Sun, Moon, and Wind were going out for. Maybe instead they grew up and went on with their lives leaving their mother behind, instead of going out to hang with friends. I might also change the characters themselves to something entirely different.

Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, link to online reading

(Sun, Moon, and Wind, Source: MainLesson)

Reading Notes: Indian Fairy Tales Part A

This week I chose to read a collection of Indian fairy tales. There were 8 short stories in Part A of the reading, but only one story really stood out to me and caught my eye. This was the story of "The Tiger, The Brahman, and The Jackal". This story was very fun and engaging. The language, words, and grammar used was easier to comprehend than the other readings. I like the story, but I don't like the characters. I would keep the tiger because of it's dangerous presence, but would change the Brahman and jackal. To replace the Brahman would be a hunter instead because a hunter would understand the dangers of letting out a tiger and would make more sense in this story and for the jackal I would replace it with a rabbit or bunny like Bugs Bunny. The beginning of the story doesn't expand on how the tiger came to be in the cage, so I would expand more on that. Also, expanding and changing why and who the hunter talks to before returning to the tiger would be best. I would keep the obliviousness and deceiving nature of the jackal however since that was a crucial component of the story.

Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, link to online reading

   (Bugs Bunny, Source: Wiki Characters)

Week 5 Story: The Unsolvable Riddle

There once was a kingdom far from others and in this kingdom lived a king by the name Clever. Clever was known for his undying love for his people. He was not your typical king. When the weather was bad and the crops would not grow, Clever would come down from his castle and help the people sow seeds into the ground. He would go and help the elderly to the best of his ability. He was no ordinary king. He was the people's king.

On day at the break of dawn, a wandering traveler came to the footsteps of King Clever's kingdom. He begged to be let in for he was in dire need of the king's help. Once Clever heard of this he ordered that the man be brought into the lands, be fed, and dressed in the finest clothes. He then had the traveler brought to his chambers and ask him, "Dear traveler, you have wandered a great distance judging by the conditions of your attire. What brings you all the way to my beloved kingdom?".

The traveler answered, "Your highness, I have indeed traveled a great ways to find you for I have heard of the kindness in your heart. You must help me retrieve a body from a cemetery. I would do this myself, but I am not allowed anywhere near the body. Will you please help me? I have brought all my treasures for you. Gold, silver, diamonds, anything you want you can have.".

The king was shocked at the fact that he traveled so far to him find him only to ask that he bring back a body. And so the king told the traveler that he would accept his request and travel with him to the cemetery to aid in the retrieval of the body. They wasted no time at all and by the time the sun came down and the moon shined above, they were already on horseback riding to their destination.

It took 3 days to reach the cemetery. King Clever was a man with the nerves of steel. Nothing had ever scared him and nothing was going to change that night. The weary traveler stop at a willow tree and told the king that this was as far as he was allowed to go. He said, "The body is ways down this path. Just keep following it and you'll see the biggest headstone of them all. That is where the body lays. Please bring the body back to me.".

And so the king set out to find the body. When he finally reached the headstone, it was nothing he'd ever seen before. It stood taller than he himself. He walked over and saw that the grave had already been dug open and down below the casket was already open. Although suspicious, the kind did not hesitate and gathered the body over his shoulders. He began walking back to the traveler when he heard a voice coming from the body. It said "O king, you have traveled so far for such a rotting corpse. Let me entertain you as you carry this heavy body back.".

King Clever, with nerves of steel, asked who lived inside the body. It replied, "It is I, the goblin of the cemetery. I inhabit all bodies that are taken away from their graves. Now let me tell you of my riddles. I will give you many riddles and if you know the answer to them then you will tell me. Once you have answered my riddle correctly I will be teleported back to the grave you found me in. If you do know the answer and choose not to open your mouth then your head will be split into a million pieces. If you do not know the answer then you may take the body all the way back.".

So they went on their way back to the traveler. Again and again the king answered the goblins riddles. And again and again he would have to travel all the way back to the grave to retrieve the body. After twenty-one riddles and twenty-one answers, the king grew tired of the goblins tricks and using his cleverness told the goblin this, "O Goblin say no more as we talk our walk back again. I propose to you a riddle of my own. Instead of my answering one of your riddles you will answer one of mine. I call this riddle 'The Unsolvable Riddle'. No man or woman in my kingdom has ever gotten it right. If you know the answer to it then you shall speak and we can continue with your riddles. But if you are stumped then you will allow me to take the body back to the traveler.". The goblin reluctantly agreed.

(Goblin, Source: Pinterest)

The king began the riddle:
"I turn polar bears white
And I will make you cry.
I make guys have to pee
And girls comb their hair.
I make celebrities look stupid
And normal people look like celebrities.
I turn pancakes brown
And make your champagne bubble.
If you squeeze me, I'll pop.
If you look at me, you'll pop.
Can you answer this riddle, dear Goblin?"

Alas, the goblin was finally stumped. He could not utter a single word. And so the king kept walking and walking, but as he almost approached the willow tree of the traveler the goblin finally spoke and said, "O king, you have definitely fooled me. As a token of your reward I will tell you this truth. The traveler that you are seeking this body for is using you. He will sacrifice you to the gods to become king himself.". The king was filled with disbelief at the goblin and went on his way to the traveler. He set down the body and the rest history because as it turns out... the goblin was right.

Author's Notes:
In the original story, there was a monk who approached the king and every time he gave him a gift. Inside the gift was a gem and once the king found out he asked the monk why he had been giving him so many gems. The monk wanted the king to help him carry a body. The king helped the monk and inside the body was a goblin. This goblin kept telling the king riddles as he would walk back to the monk and each time he answered a riddle correctly the body would teleport back to the tree. Finally there was a riddle that the king could not answer and so the goblin told him that the monk was tricking him and to ask him how to lay on the ground so that he can cut off his head. The king did this and killed the monk. I changed the monk to a traveler and the background story of the traveler. I also skipped all the riddles and had the king tell the goblin a riddle instead. The goblin would not get it right and the king would be able to take the body back. The goblin would warn him, but the king filled with disbelief would not hear it. This marked the end of the kings days. I put a twist of the ending instead of the original.

Bibliography: "Twenty-Two Goblins" translation by Arthur Ryder. Web Source

Reading Notes: Twenty-Two Goblins Part B

In Part B of the reading, the king and the goblin are still going at it with the riddles. Per usual, the king knows the answer to the riddle and the goblin is transported back to the tree. However, on the last riddle the king is stumped because he does not know the answer allowing him to take the body back to the monk. The goblin tells the king that the monk is rouge one and is using the king as a sacrifice to gain magical powers and become king of fairies. He tells the king to trick the monk into cutting his head off. I really enjoyed reading this unit because it entailed riddles that peaked my interest. I would change the riddles to moderns one instead because all of them are set in an older time period. Another possible outcome of my rendition would be to change the ending. Where the king tricks the goblin with a riddle of him own and this allows him to escape with the body back to the monk only to be tricked by the monk and used as a sacrifice. This would put a twist to the ending because we all expected the king to survive since he was doing such a kind and selfless deed. 

                                  Twenty-Two Goblins by Arthur Ryder, link to online reading

(Shiva, Source: Pinterest)

Reading Notes: Twenty-Two Goblins Part A

The story "Twenty-Two Goblins" is a very interesting read. I've always been a fan of riddles and it always excites me to read them and solve them. This story has a story predicament, in that, the goblin inside the dead corpse goes back to the tree every time the king figures out the riddle. This means that he has to go all the way back to the tree and retrieve the body all over again. Meaning that he's going in a circle over and over again. This is only Part A of the reading, but I would like to change the story and have the king be very clever and after many riddles from the goblin have him trick the goblin with his own riddle. His ultimatum would be that if the goblin can't figure out the answer to the riddle then he'd have to leave the body, so that the king may bring it back to the monk named, Patience. A different aspect of the story would be the riddles themselves. These riddles that the goblin tells seem very out of date, so I would like to replace them with modern day riddles that are more relevant to the present.

Twenty-Two Goblins by Arthur Ryder, link to online reading

(Goblin, Source: Deviant Art)

Comment Wall

For those interested in viewing my storybook this semester here is the link

(Dante's Inferno, Source: Wikimedia)

Week 4 Story: Eurylochus's Odyssey

It's been 8 years since we've set foot on our own soil. It's been 8 years since we've seen our wives and children. It's been 8 years since we've been able to enjoy a day without disaster at every turn. We seized and sacked the city of Troy only to be drawn to this never ending journey back home. Zeus and the gods have cursed and forsaken me and my fellow members. I've wanted to give up many times and dive head first into the bearing sea with no reason to resurface, but every time my mind drifts any further Odysseus, my fellow leader and companion, leads me in the right direction. He encourages all of us to keep pushing on, so that the day may come when we are able to see the faces of our wives and hold our children up high. 

We saw it in the blackness of the sky. Smoke coming from land afar. Odysseus told us that this was worth exploring since it was the second day that we were running low on rations and weapons. I told him to be wary and to proceed with caution for I knew that this was the land of the Cyclops's. Odysseus, a man capable of risk, headed my warning and we pushed onward in the night sky to an island of unforeseen dangers. 

When our ship arrived at the shores, Odysseus and I, along with 19 other men we ordered to leave the ship behind and go on an expedition to uncover the secrets of this island. As the smoke from the island started to fade, our men started to walk faster. The smoke was our only clue to what this island holds. It took us many hours, but we eventually made it to the origin of the smoke. It came from a cave as big at the mountains. We proceeded with caution and as we entered we saw riches in forms of sheep, water, endless amounts of food and drinks to last us years. We began to suspect that the inhabitant of this cave would come back soon. Odysseus decided to wait until they got back and ask for hospitality from them. I was skeptical. What if this person was a great threat to us? In the end, we made ourselves at home and began to eat and drink the sheep and wine. 

(Polyphemus and Odysseus, Source: Detsky & Nabytek)

It didn't take long for the Cyclopes to appear from his hunt of sheep. He was a big as the cave itself and towered over us. Looking at Odysseus he asked who we were. Odysseus answered that we were band of men that got lost at sea only looking for hospitality for our troubles. Polyphemus, the Cyclopes, answered with rage and took us surprise. He wept up my men and ate them. First their heads, then their legs, and finally their bodies. About 5 of my men died that night. Polyphemus settled down after feasting on my companions for he was full and needed something to wash down his throat. I was astonished at how fast Odysseus came to devise a plan in the mist of the rampage. He told us that while he would offer Polyphemus wine to wash down the food, the rest of us including myself would sharpen at spear to pierce the one eye of the Cyclopes, blinding him. 

We did as he told us and as we watched Odysseus offer the wine to the Cyclopes. We waited awhile before Polyphemus began to become impaired from the wine. That was our cue to spear him. We rushed out from behind the sheep and lunged towards his eye, piercing it with all our strength. Polyphemus yelled in pain. He shook the very foundation of the island with his feet stomping all around. While he was busy trying to get the spear out of his eye, we hid underneath the sheep so that we may escape his clutches. As he felt threw his sheep, looking for me and my men, we were all tied to the bottoms making it impossible for him to find us. We miraculously made it out alive and with all our limbs intact. I rushed our men back to the ship as soon as we had made way out of the cave, but as we headed back in panic Odysseus stayed behind. I could hear him shouting at the Cyclopes as I was heading back. I don't know what Odysseus said to this day, but whatever he said to the Cyclopes angered him so greatly that as we were sailing away from the island he heaved a rock so big that it almost made impact with our ship. We were all lucky to have survived that day. Although that was only one of our many troubles along the odyssey. 

Author's Notes:

Odysseus stumbled upon an island inhabited by Cyclops's. He and his went to go explore this island and found a cave filled with sheep and other riches. They decided to stay there and ask the cyclopes for hospitality, however when he returned he set a great huge stone in front on the entrance and began eat the men. Odysseus devised a plan to get the Cyclopes drunk with wine and blind him using a spear. Once he was blinded they tied sheep to themselves. The cyclopes moved the stone door and started to search for the men by shifting through the sheep. Once they made their escape, Odysseus shouted to the Cyclopes enraging him and making him throw huge stones at the ship. The only thing I changed about this story was the point of view it was told in. Instead of Odysseus, it was told from the point of view from Eurylochus, a close companion to Odysseus. I gave a little bit more of an introduction to give insight as to how the crew ended up where they were. 

Bibliography: "The Odyssey" by Homer. Web Source