Essay: Children's Stories

This week I read the Hans Christian Andersen unit. In it were several stories I remember from my childhood; The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor's New Suit, and of course The Little Mermaid. The Disney version of Andersen's most widely known piece was quite different from the original. The other two stories were essentially the exact same as what I grew up reading. Looking back on these stories I find it comical that such dark and terrible stories become beloved children's books or movies.

The Princess and the Pea is such a terrible story for children because it has no meaning to it. Its sole purpose is about finding a true princess and the only way to do this is to have her sleep on 20 mattresses with a single pea beneath them. This essentially teaches kids that to be a princess and get everything you want out of life you need to be a spoiled brat!

In The Emperor’s New Suit all of the town’s people fall victim to the trick of some swindlers. They do this simply because they don’t want others to think they are not worthy of what position they hold or that they are stupid. Even the Emperor falls victim to the trick. He pretends to see a set of clothes when in fact there is nothing there. In the end only a child stands up and points out the fact that the Emperor isn’t wearing any clothes. It does teach the moral of thinking for yourself and not succumbing to peer pressure however, it is such a ridiculous story!

Lastly is The Little Mermaid. It’s a story we all grew up loving because of Disney’s rendition of it. This however, is far from what was originally written. Ariel doesn’t get her happy ending with the prince in Andersen’s version. The story was sugar coated to make it more suitable for children. While I do love the movie and I think it is great for children I also think it would be good for kids to hear the original. It would teach them that life isn’t fair and we don’t always get what we want in life.

Overall it was really neat reading stories that I grew up knowing. They don’t make the best children’s stories but they will always be classics!

Children's Stories

Week 13 Storytelling: The Little Mermaid

Gathering around their grandmother, the children were bustling with excitement. Tonight she was going to read them a new story. She found an old dusty book deep within her closet and it told the tale of a magical world with mermaids. It begun with the story of a little mermaid…

 Ariel was the youngest daughter of the mighty King Triton, who was the son of the God Poseidon. Triton had inherited the throne from his father in place of his sister, Ursula the Sea Witch. Poseidon made it very clear throughout their childhood that Triton was his favorite. Ursula held a great deal of jealousy within her heart and because of this she became very wicked. Her domain was in the fiery depths of the sea vents where no other creature was brave enough to venture. 
 

King Triton ruled his kingdom in peace for many years and even gave his top advisors regions to govern themselves. Though his father created his base in the waters off the coast of Greece, Triton developed his kingdom in the Atlantic Ocean. He did this in order to be able to reach other regions of the world more easily. He enjoyed the immense amount of power he held over all the seas but there was one thing he loved even more. His family.

His wife unfortunately lost her life in a horrific incident. She became entangled in a net and was pulled up onto the deck of a ship. The crew killed her in hopes to take the mermaid to their queen for a reward. Little did they know that when a mermaid dies their body dissolves into sea foam. Shock and disappointed overtook the men. This however could not compare to the terror that gripped them once King Triton discovered what became of his beloved wife. The waves Triton procured engulfed the ship and pulled the men to the deepest depths of the ocean. For years ships could not sail across the Atlantic without facing great peril.

Triton’s anger subsided over the years as his daughters grew. In particular his youngest, Ariel, had a special place in his heart. She was very young when her mother passed but she could not have been more similar to her. Triton saw his wife in Ariel more and more with every passing day. She had her mother's wild spirit, never-ending curiosity, and her beautiful scarlet hair.

On her fifteenth birthday, as customary, Triton allowed her to venture up to the surface as long as she didn’t stray too far. Arriving at the surface, Ariel couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. She quickly became entranced with all things from the land above the sea. One night she came across a ship. As fearless as she was, Ariel swam right alongside it and hoisted herself on a small shelf along the exterior. She watched the crew dance and listened to the music. Then she watched beautiful color explosions in the sky. In that moment she saw him, the most attractive being she had ever seen. Captivated she wanted nothing other than to grow close to him.

Her father received word of how close she was to the humans so he conjured a great storm. The waves grew tremendously and rocked the ship. It did not take long for the party to become a place of panic. Soon enough a monstrous wave overtook the ship and broke it into hundreds of pieces. All Ariel could think about was finding the man she had seen earlier and saving him from the storm. Floating amongst some debris she spotted him barely hanging on. Ariel wrapped her arms around him and swam to shore as she could. She knew he was still breathing but he had yet to open his eyes...

The grandmother was quite surprised. Apparently some of the pages within the book had been torn out so she had to think on her feet to not disappoint the children. So she continued…

After a very long nap the man awoke and instantly fell in love with Ariel! He asked for her hand in marriage and when she said yes he went off to find a magical fairy that could give the little mermaid some legs to walk on. Her father forgave her for mingling with the humans and even grew fond of his daughters groom. The two had the biggest and most beautiful wedding, all of the townspeople were invited. They went on to live happily ever after.

Satisfied with the happy ending the children willingly went to bed with visions of mermaids in their heads.

 

Ariel

Author’s Note: It’s not too hard to figure out that I retold the popular story of The Little Mermaid! I used Hans Christian Andersen’s version as my primary basis for the retelling. Other aspects that I added in were from previous knowledge, the Disney movie, and my own imagination! In Hans Christian Andersen’s version there is very little mention of King Triton. In the Disney movie however, he was one of the primary characters so I wanted to incorporate him back into the story. I knew that he was the son of Poseidon and that some people claim Ursula is his sister. Both of these tidbits were left out in the original story and the movie. I wanted to develop Triton’s character and really make him into a family man, which he is in the movie. I have no idea why Ariel’s mother is never around but I felt an explanation needed to be given. Neither the story nor the movie attempts to explain why. This would also explain why Triton has such a problem with humans. The Little Mermaid was a really long story so I had to find a way to only be able to tell part of the story, that is why I cut it short.

Bibliography: "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen, from Fairy Tales and Stories (1872). Web Source: Untextbook.

Reading Diary B: Hans Christian Andersen

The second half of the Hans Christian Andersen unit was entirely devoted to The Little Mermaid. I wanted to read this story because I grew up watching the Disney movie and because my Storybook project is focused on mermaids. I was always told that the original version was very different from the movie I grew to love. Disney has a way of always creating happy endings even when the original didn't! Although the original was different from the move, especially in the end, there were still many similarities. One thing that I was surprised while reading was the fact that the little mermaid was not rebellious like her Disney counterpart. She waited until she was allowed to venture to the surface of the water. In the movie Ariel frequently disobeyed her father to go up to the surface. The absence of King Triton was another factor that differed, The grandmother had more of a role in the original than the little mermaids father did. The ending was not what I expected it to be. I was under the impression that she was supposed to dissolve into sea foam. Instead she became a new being entirely and was given the chance to still obtain an immortal soul because of her good deeds. As much as you hate to see someone else end up with the Prince, you at least know that he was truly in love!

The Little Mermaid

Reading Diary A: Hans Christian Andersen

This week I chose to read the Hans Christian Andersen unit. I really wanted to read this one because the story of The Little Mermaid is in the second half of the unit. In the first half of the unit there were two familiar stories, The Princess and the Pea and The Emperor's New Clothes. I clearly remembered reading these stories when I was a child, but I did not realize how terrible they were. The moral in the first story is that Princess is defined by her spoiled nature. And in the second story a whole kingdom is fooled by two swindlers into claiming they see something when in actuality it doesn't exist. They just didn't want to admit they didn't see the clothes because it meant they were stupid... according to the swindlers. I really enjoyed the story of The Brave Tin Soldier. I found it very interesting that the whole story was written from the perspective of the toy. It was a very Toy Story-esque read. I wish the soldier and the little lady didn't have to burn at the end! I look forward to reading The Little Mermaid in the second half of the unit!

The Tin Soldier and His Love

Famous Last Words: Week 12

This past week was a relatively easy one. The only thing I really had to worry about was getting ahead on studying for a Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy test I have this week. The tests are pretty easy but it is a ton of information to memorize. For our previous exam in the class I had 122 terms to know for fill in the blank questions and 37 short essay questions. I make flash cards like crazy and this helps me to memorize all the information I need to know. Hopefully this upcoming test will go as well as the previous two!

My weekend was a pretty good one overall. I spent my entire night on Friday though sitting in front of the tv watching the news. I can’t imagine what the French people were going through. All I can say is thank God the bomber at the stadium was not able to actually make it inside. The eyes of the world were on Paris this weekend but we can’t forget that events like that are a daily occurrence in regions of the Middle East. People all over the world are in need of lots of prayers right now and we can’t forget that.

On a lighter note, how about them Sooners?! What a great win over Baylor this weekend. If we can win out hopefully we could be a contender for the fourth playoff spot. Everyone keep your fingers crossed! Lastly, I was able to be an extra in a movie  my Grandpa is working on. The movie is called “The Scent of Rain and Lightning” and is based off of a book. I was in a courtroom scene and sat just two row behind Will Patton! This was such an incredible experience to see the actors in action. Look for me on the big screen when the film comes out!

My Grandma and I on Set

Extra Reading: Looking Glass

I decided to do extra reading for this assignment instead of the essay. I chose to read the second half of the Through the Looking Glass unit since I read the first part of it last week. I love the Alice and Wonderland stories since I grew up watching the Disney movie. This second half of the unit is quite different from the movie I grew up with. In the beginning Alice watches a battle between a red and white knight one claims to be holding her as a prisoner while the other is trying to set her free.  The white knight ultimately went on to win the battle. Then Alice gets into a situation with the Red and White Queens and she herself finds a crown and becomes a queen. She begins to shake one of the queens until she grows smaller and smaller and eventually turns into a kitten. This is the point when Alice awakens from her crazy dream. She was actually shaking her own kitten. Such a weird story…  

The Red and White Queen

Week 12 Storytelling: The King and the Dragon

Long ago there was a mighty warrior who was known far and wide for his heroic deeds. In his youth he travelled to a foreign land to defeat two monsters that were wreaking havoc on the locals. This astonishing feat was the start of him being regaled as a hero. He returned to his homeland and became king after his uncle passed away. He spent many years in relative peace. Every so often a new challenge would present itself but it was nothing in comparison to his challenge he faced years ago.

One day while the people of his kingdom were presenting their problems to their ruler a peasant from a distant part of the realm presented him with a new dilemma. A dragon had attacked his village and was living in the neighboring mountains. The king was skeptical of the peasant’s claims but intrigued at the same time. This would finally be a chance for him to relive his glory days and have an opponent worthy of his skill.

The king assembled a small group with only the best warriors his land had to offer. The mountains would be difficult to maneuver with an army and he wanted to surprise the dragon. The men set off on their journey in good spirits knowing their warrior king was leading them to what they felt should be a victory. He had never lost a battle before after all.

The men located the dragon and got quite cocky because the mighty beast was asleep out in the open. The king called off his men and went to kill the dragon himself. Foolishly he woke the dragon. In a bit of rage the dragon breathed a mighty breath of fire that instantly killed half of the king’s men. A great battle ensued between the king and the dragon. The king’s shield was effective in blocking the beast’s flames but he soon grew weary. The years had not been kind to the king and he was not the strapping young man he once was.

The king was cornered and with one mighty swipe of its tail the dragon flung him into a pile of boulders. When turning to face its attacker, the dragon left its vulnerable soft belly exposed. One of the quick thinking men ran in and thrust his sword straight into the heart of the beast. It let out a mighty bellow and fell with a heavy thud. The remaining fire within the dragon died out and smoke wafted out of its nostrils. The man ran to his king as he breathed his last breaths. Both the dragon and the king perished in the epic battle but the kingdom had a new hero to praise.

The King and The Dragon

Author’s Note: This is a retelling of the story Beowulf. I included bits and pieces from the whole unit, with a primary focus on the end with the battle with the dragon and Beowulf’s death. I chose not to use Beowulf’s name within my retelling because I was hoping my readers could guess this was his story. For the same reason I chose not to mention Grendel or his mother specifically. I felt this story was ultimately a very brief summarization of the classic story Beowulf.

Bibliography: "The Story of Beowulf" by Strafford Riggs, (1933). Web Source: Untextbook

Reading Diary B: Beowulf

In the second half of the Beowulf unit, Beowulf finally met and battled Grendel. He became an instant hero in Heorot. However after Grendel was killed an even worse monster became angered, Grendel's mother. After Beowulf killed Grendel everyone was finally able to sleep peacefully without a guard. In the night his mother sought revenge for her son and killed all the men within the Great Hall. The queen knew it was the work of Grendel's mother so Beowulf set off to kill her. He accomplished his task and at last the Danish people were safe. Beowulf then returned home to Geatland with all the treasures the Danish people had given him. He eventually took the throne in Geatland after his uncle passed. The story skips forward a couple of years, during times of peace. Eventually a dragon comes along and a great battle takes place between the mighty beast and Beowulf. They both end up perishing from the battle but Beowulf did not kill the dragon, his companion Wiglaf did after Beowulf had been struck down.

Beowulf and The Dragon

Reading Diary A: Beowulf

For my reading this week I diverted from the reading plan I did a couple of weeks ago. I chose to read the Beowulf unit. I read it in high school and saw the animated movie with Angelina Jolie so this was a refresher. I enjoy rereading classic pieces of literature such as this. Plus, the story of Beowulf is such an intriguing one because of his battles against mythical beasts. In the first half of the unit Beowulf's background is detailed, he journeyed to Daneland, and he arrived at Heorot. Beowulf journeyed to this land so that he could defeat the mighty Grendel that was wreaking havoc on the Danish people (his fight with Grendel will be in the second half). Before this point many people doubted Beowulf on his stories, achievements, and his abilities. In going to Daneland and defeating Grendel he could prove himself once and for all.

Beowulf the Bada$$

Famouss Last Words: Week 11

This past week was a pretty hectic one. I had a lab practical in my Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy class. It was over the muscles in the shark, nectarus, and cat. This was definitely the most difficult practical we have had so far so my entire week was devoted to studying for it. Someone actually did the math based on how much we had to memorize and how little we were tested over. Only 12% of what we had to know was actually on the practical! I’m pretty sure doing that math is the ultimate form of procrastination, but at least I wasn’t the one who did it!

In addition to studying for the practical I also had to write an essay for my History of Science class. It was an analytical essay over John Buridan’s paper On the Compatibility of Earth’s Diurnal Motion with Astronomical Phenomena. This paper questioned whether or not the Earth rotated on its axis. This paper was of course written during the medieval ages before they knew the answer to such questions. The way he wrote this paper exemplified the classrooms within the universities during this time period. The manner in which he did this is called the scholastic method. This is the form of proposing a question based on an authoritative text then detailing the various sides of the argument. This was also how the classrooms during this time was conducted. It was an interesting read but slightly confusing. I didn’t even know what the Buridan’s stance was until I went to office hours to speak with my professor. He went back and forth so many times and proposed so many different argument that it was hard to figure out which point he agreed with.

Overall it was a great week that ended with a basketball and football win! That made me a very happy girl!

FYI the Earth Does Rotate On its Axis

Extra Reading Diary: Looking Glass

For today’s assignment I chose to do some extra reading rather than write an essay. Since I read the Alice and Wonderland unit earlier in the week I wanted to read the Looking Glass unit. I read the first half of it because it had the sections with Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, and the Walrus and The Carpenter. I remembered both of these sections from the Disney movie, but I never understood the desire of the Walrus to eat the little baby oysters. My child self couldn’t understand why someone could be so mean! One big difference between this unit and the movie I once loved was the addition of Humpty Dumpty. I guess he didn’t make the cut for the movie! Humpty grows angry with Alice because she knows the nursery rhyme of Humpty Dumpty so she knows what he is doing perched up on the wall. He doesn’t believe her when she insists that his story is within a book. I did love how they brought up the premise of unbirthays in this section! Overall it was pretty cool to see a part of the Alice story that I have not seen before. What made it even better was the fact that it was a popular nursery rhyme mixed in with this classic piece of writing.

Humpty and Alice

Reading Diary B: Alice and Wonderland

In the second half of the Alice in Wonderland Unit Alice has tea with the Hare and Mad Hatter, plays croquet with the Queen of Hearts, and takes part in a trial. At the very end of the unit, Alice wakes up and realizes her crazy adventure had merely been a dream. I don’t think I will ever quite understand this story. It’s very odd I don’t know how Lewis Carroll could have come up with such crazy ideas (without the help of drugs). My favorite part in this second section of the unit was the tea party, even though they didn’t sing a very merry unbirthday song. I think I enjoyed this section the most because of the banter between Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Hare, and the Doormouse. Alice is so rude! It was very comical to me to listen to her griping about them not having manners when she was being just as wicked. Now I am really in the mood to go watch the movie…  

A Very Merry Unbirthday to You

Reading Diary A: Alice and Wonderland

I chose to read the Alice and Wonderland unit this week. I chose to read it because when I was a kid I loved the Disney movie. I watched the movie awhile ago, wishing to reminisce about my childhood. Wow, did I not realize when I was young how weird that movie is. At the very start of it Alice "sees" a rabbit talking and reading a watch! This ridiculousness only grows from this point on. This movie was of course based on Lewis Carroll's book Through the Looking Glass. After reading the first half of the unit it seemed fairly similar to the movie I used to love. The book was definitely different for its time. A common question people pose when reading this is, "was Lewis Carroll on drugs when he wrote this?". I tried to find out myself, because this is definitely an interesting read. I came across some sites that said no he didn't, and some that said yes he did. Back during this time people took opium for headaches so it is likely that he might have. Either way, this guy wrote a pretty trippy story that has some how found its way into the hearts of children all over the world thanks to the magic of Disney.

Who Are You?