Portfolio Guide

Anansi the Spider

Anansi the spider is a full of wisdom and knowledge to be shared, but he is also a little bit of a trickster. Although he has traveled from West Africa to Jamaica, this story follows Anansi on a new adventure to America in the pre-Civil War era where he warns of evil lurking.

The Adventure of Lewis and Clark

You may know a little about Lewis and Clark and their travels across America, but their next adventure in West Africa may split them up! Will one find treasure and the other misery?

The Terrapin Turtle's Great Escape

This story introduces some Cherokee Nation culture through a folktale about a Terrapin turtle that escapes a pack of wolves after killing a member of their pack.

The Voyages of Baham

Following in his father's footsteps, Baham goes on another adventure across the seas in his pursuit for family fortune, but suddenly his journey takes an unexpected twist! Will this be the last adventure for Baham?

Famous Last Words: Dead Week

The Last Words Spoken By Famous People - BoredPanda.com
Link

     There has been a plethora of information about writing styles, editing styles, how/when/where to write, and more, when it comes to doing the work through this class.

     My Famous last words are:

"Work diligently and meticulously, slacking and excuses never got me anywhere"

     I have faced many of things that made me feel as if I wasn't able to work through this class or unable accomplish tasks due to personal issues or lack of time. But the one biggest thing I learned/took away from this class was not something that I learned from the course, but learned from within myself. It sounds so cliché, but I learned that when life serves you lemons, you make lemonade. So, after my car accident, loss of a friend, and loss of a family member, I made like Beyoncé and got in formation (information?) I found that through all of what life was throwing at me with school work, attempts to graduate on time, personal struggles, etc. etc. etc. (because the list truly does go on), I've learned that if I want to be this badass Mama Jama now and in the future, I've got to persevere and find the strength within myself to get it done. 

This in no way is meant to reflect the feelings of other students or encourage students to do things outside of their realm of possibility.

Class Improvements

Ahhhhh.... The end is near

The duration of my time in this online class has been both interesting in more ways than one, educational on various platforms, and ultimately creative.

I think the first option of changing Review Weeks to Planning Weeks is an excellent idea. I don't have much more to share because I think that it is already well rounded in its intent.

For expanding the Story Planning option, I think this is a MUST starting next semester. I never really took advantage of the opportunity, primarily because I am a single draft kind of person, but it is an awesome critique. My suggestion would be to actually make students go through the planning process the first couple weeks in order to have them become accustomed to drafting before submission. I think it will alleviate a lot of grammatical issues and encourage students to continually reread and edit their assignments. But for students like myself, it also feels like busy work. Just some food for thought!

I'm not a fan of audio recording/tutorials on writing. But I am also a Gaylord student so I feel as if I have already been put through the ringer in types of writing and editing challenges. Maybe make this a bonus option in certain weeks and have students write a blog about it?

Best of luck with the additional changes and next semester!

-A

Story: The Terrapin Turtle's Great Escape!

A Diamondback Terrapin Turtle - 2016
Link

The Terrapin Turtle's Great Escape!

The Terrapin and the River Rat go together every morning to collect persimmons from the tree tops. The River Rat scampers up the tree, picks the fruits, and flings them to the Terrapin down below. The Terrapin picks them up from the ground, puts them in their bag, and keeps them safe. But on this morning as the River Rat tossed the first large fruit he found into the air, a Wolf came from behind the bushes and snatched it from the Terrapin. Without noticing, the River Rat continued to pick the fruit and tossed it to the Terrapin.

"WAIT!" yelled the Terrapin.

"Mister Wolf, do please find another set of species to torment. The fruit, here from this tree, is not for you," said the Terrapin.

"Ha," barked the Wolf, "I run across these marsh lands every day searching for easy food. Today just so happens to be your unlucky day."

The River Rat overheard the discussion from below and pulled out the large bone that he carried with him. He picked another large persimmon from the tree, poked the bone through the center, and tossed it into the air to the Terrapin. The Wolf jumped up, snatched the persimmon into his mouth, and then fell to the ground and choked to his death. The River Rat shimmied down the tree squeaking with laughter.

"That'll show 'em! Try'n' take our fruits 'n' not asking. Leave his body here for Vulchas," said the River Rat.

"Be it fine by me. I'm going to cut off this ears first. I will let them bathe in the sun until they harden, then I will soon use them for hominy soup spoons," said the Terrapin.

The Terrapin cut the ears off the wolf before splitting the portions of the fruit with the River Rat and headed home.

---

After a long morning of gathering persimmons, they decided to call it a day. On their way home, the Terrapin stopped by his neighbor's house, the Opossum, and invited him over for some kanahe'na gruel.  The Terrapin and the Opossum then walked over to the Terrapin's house.

"Thank you for in the invitation. Where do you keep your leafy spoons for the soup?" asked the Opossum.

"Now, don't I have a treat for you?" said the Terrapin.

The two sat together and stuffed themselves with gruel using the ears of the wolf as spoons. Word of the delicious flavor of the Terrapin's gruel due to the ears of the wolf quickly spread across the town. All types of animals in the town began to interrupt the Terrapin's and the River Rat's morning routine and demand to taste his kanahe'na gruel with the wolf ear spoons. The Terrapin dismissed each rodent, bird, lizard, and creature that bothered him. But by the afternoon, a pack of wolves stopped the Terrapin on his way home. They captured him in a clay pot and brought him deep inside the woodlands. The wolves held a council meeting to decide how to kill the Terrapin. They quickly decided that they were going to use him to make a Terrapin Stew.

"If you roast me over the fire, I promise that I will break the clay pot beneath my feet," said the Terrapin.

"HA!" laughed one of the wolves. "You will fall into the flames of the fire and burn to a crisp."

"You fools. With my durable shell I will survive and crawl away to freedom," remarked the Terrapin.

The wolves pondered some more of the proper way to kill the Terrapin. They ultimately decided that they would would bury him alive in the deepest hole by the river. The wolves took the Terrapin to the river, dug a deep hole, and buried him.

"The Terrapin cannot survive the depth of this hole. He has no claws and will not be able to escape," said one of the wolves.

After being buried, the Terrapin felt the dirt around him turn to mud. He started pushing the dirt behind him and soon found himself escaping to the river. He surfaced to the water, swam across to the bank across from the wolves, and laughed as the wolves were struck with awe.

---

Some say the Terrapin was picked up again from the other side and thrown against the rocks and then his shell broke into a dozen pieces. But the Terrapin sang a medicinal song after the wolves had gone:

Gû'daye'wû, Gû'daye'wû,

"I have sewed myself together, I have sewed myself together!"

(Link)

And each piece of his shell came back together. That is why all turtles now have the scars on their shells.

Author's Note:
I wanted to keep the story theme and not alter the Cherokee culture throughout the story. I added more dialogue for more characterization to the characters. There wasn't much on the wolves and I didn't want to add to much dynamic to the story, because I wanted the main story to focus primarily on the Terrapin. I changed the persimmon hunting partner to the Terrapin, but in the original story it was the Opossum. I thought the River Rat would allow me to explore more characterization and be a character that juxtaposes the Terrapin Turtle. I also included links in this story so readers could learn more about the items and because I didn't want to take away from the story by adding more explanations of the different aspects. Like the soup, I figured it would be easier to click and follow the link to better understand in comparison to explaining it in the story and take the reader's focus away.
Fun Facts:

Coypu - 2016
Link

The River Rat is properly known as a Coypu. They are large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodents that live alone riverbanks in burrows (Wikipedia).

A Diamondback Terrapin is a species of Turtle native to coastal swamps of the eastern/southern parts of the U.S. They look much like their freshwater relatives, but with evolved traits to adapt to various salt levels in water/salinities (Wikipedia).

Bibliography:

Title: Myths of the Cherokee
Author: James Mooney (1900)
Link to reading

Story: Bugs Bunny and Laffy the Duck

Once upon a time and a forrest not far from Storybrook, there was a bunny names bugs and a duck named Laffy. The two grew up together and were inseparable. One day, they decided to take a journey together to the other side of the forrest. Bugs built a beautiful red carriage that hooked to the mice that Laffy found to pull the carriage.

During their journey, Bugs and Laffy ran into their old friend Elmer Fudd.

"Where are you fellers headed?" asked Elmer.

"We're headed to the other side of the forrest in exploration of the beyond," replied Bugs.

"Would you happen to have some room for me, too," asked Elmer.

Bugs and Laffy agreed to have him and continued their way to the other side of their forrest. As they made their way through the forrest, they also picked up a cat, a crow, an egg, and a millstone. The carriage being pulled became awfully heavy with everyone in it. But the mice decided that they would keep on with the journey in order to make it to the other side of the forrest.

After some miles, the mice grew extremely weak and needed to rest for the night.

"Just up here is Herr Korbes home, we came rest there," said Bugs.

When they reached the house, Herr Korbes was not home. So each of them found their own resting place within Herr Korbes home. The cat rested in the warm ashes of the fireplace. The grow perched above the kitchen cabinets. Bug fluffed his tail and curled up on the doormat. Laffy found a large bucket of water to crawl into to rest. The egg rolled her way around until she found a towel on the floor, where she rolled herself up to stay warm. And finally, the millstone laid down above the door and Bugs. They each fell asleep peacefully and soundly.

The next morning, Herr Korbes came bursting through the door. Bug yelled as Herr stepped on his tail, which caused the millstone to slam down on his foot. In a fit of pain, he ran to the cabinets to fetch his splint. The crow was started by the slamming of the cabinets and began to fly around the house cawing and clawing at Herr. infuriated, he ran to the living room and reached for the the pitchfork by the fireplace. Startled, the cat hissed and threw ashes into Herr's face. Blinded by the ashes, Herr ran to bathroom and grabbed a towel to wipe his face. The egg rolled out, cracked, and glued Herr's eyes shut. As he ran to the pantry to fetch the pale of water, Laffy jumped, honked his nose, and bit down on Herr's nose. Without a care to give at this point, Herr grabbed the bucket and dumped it onto his face. He released a loud yell as the water hit his face and everyone ran out of the house and all in different directions.

It was a hard day for Herr Korbes.

Author's Note:

I stayed true to the original story, but changed some of the characters within it. I picked Bugs and Laffy because they are more modern characters from Loony Tunes, which would help connect readers to their personality types and spark their interest into the story. I kept the egg, the cat, and the millstone from the original story and their role in the house. There was a duck in the story, so i just named his Laffy to add more of a tie in for readers an then I changed one of the characters from a pin to Bugs Bunny, because he is the counterbalance to Laffy. 

Reading Notes: Part B Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)

The Fox and The Cat
- this found be an easy story to retell, just adjust the dialogue a bit and explain the scenery and the characters more

Steinhowel's Aesop
LINK

The Little Lamb and the Little Fish
-  this would be a super interesting story to tell using a little more imagery and more depth. There isa link of a photo to be used. LINK

Simeli Mountain
- tell this story as two brothers separated at birth, and then how come up with a plot as to how the reconvene.

Lazy Heinz
-  tell this story from the angle of the sheep. Provide insight to the original story through the narrative of the sheep.

The Duration of Life
- adapt this story so that all the animals and men and women in the kingdom came forth in a line to receive their duration of life, but one man never went forth, turned into a sheep, and because afraid to tell God of what he had done. This will seem lengthy, but try to keep it short and concise.

Death's Messengers
- I feel like this would in a way relate to the previous story, but make the messengers a search party looking for the sheep

Eve's Unequal Children
- not a fan of this story at all. It just doesn't provide any depth of interest to rewrite.

The Gift's of the Little People
- This story is LONG with details. I wouldn't suggest trying to rewrite it.

The Hare and the Hedgehog
- another long story, but worth considering. You will need to cut down on the dialogue and be more concise in your paragraphs in order to keep it under a 1000 words, all while still providing a descriptive experience for the audience to connect.

Bibliography:
Dan Ashliman's translation of Grimm Brother's Children's and Household Tales (1998-2013)
LINK

Reading Notes: Part A Grimm Brothers (Ashliman)

Cat and Mouse Partnership
- could be told from the side of Tom and Jerry to make it more modern

The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids
- haven't read or heard any stories like this before, but it was interesting. Would need to cut down the length when writing it.

Little Red Cap
- would be something to rewrite, but would need to find an interesting twist or a better way to describe the story.

The Elves
- use this story but change the main character from a shoe maker to like, something that could possibly tie in with Pinocchio, and maybe how he became a real boy?

Herr Korbes
- change the characters to Bugs Bunny and Laffy and have them exchange dialogue

Illustration by Walter Crane
LINK

Rumpelstiltskin
- tell this story about a girl who invades cinderella ball and wishes to marry the king and how she is able to spin straw into gold and have rumplelstiltskin enter and teach her the ways and she live happily ever after... or would she? since she now owed Rumple a favor that will indent her forever.

Bibliography:
Dan Ashliman's translation of Grimm Brother's Children's and Household Tales (1998-2013)
LINK

Reading Notes: Cherokee (Part B)

Reading Notes of the Cherokee Myths (Part B)

Turtle (photo link)

The Terrapin's Escape from the Wolves would be a really good story to retell! It offers a good amount of detail, it's lengthy and it would be easy to change up the characters. I like the overall story and how it is presented, but I would be able to cut it down a bit to be more concise and clear.

The Race between the Crane and the Hummingbird would be a good story to retell, but from the Turle and the Hare perspective (round 2!) It a story that readers will know, but can share another story about the characters.

The HuHu Gets Married is a goos story to use to retell because it is full of dialogue and easy to retell. But it doesn't have a whole lot of excitement to it, maybe find a way to provide more excitement. It does have a good amount of dialogue though to provide the readers the ability to connect with one character or another.

Âgän-uni'tsï's Search for the Uktena is a lengthy story worth retelling. There would need to be a lot to note in the author's note or in a preface of the story so that the readers are able to engage and connect more without having to do outside research for understanding of the context. The Red Man and the Uktena would be an interesting twist or way to build upon the previous story.

Title: Myths of the Cherokee

Author: James Mooney

Link to various readings

Reading Notes: Cherokee (Part A)

Reading Notes over Cherokee readings (Part A)

I choose this section because I have Cherokee blood. Enough to actually have a registered Native American Indian Card and such that gets me to the clinic and what not. I seldom ever use it or talk about my ties to the Cherokee tribe because I'm not super involved with the nation. So I figured this would be a good week to learn more about the types of stories they share.

Use the story of the water beetle, but make it about a water spider that cascades across the surface of the water. Or use the story of the water beetle and introduce a new character (the water spider).
The water spider could be his companion in creating and forming earth. Think of them using the sun as a way to dry the mud quicker and moving it outward to prevent scorching.

The story of the Pleiades and the Pine would be good. Its about ornery boys who trouble their mothers end up leaving to become stars, but one is sent below the earth and sprouts into a pine. It will be tricky to adapt this story, but I do like the nature of it and the theme.

The story of the sun and the moon would be a good add in to the first story of the creation of earth and what not. It would be a good addition because it is the creation of all things and it's not really detailed enough with characters to retell, unless I was able to add more to the story.

A couple of these stories had a lot of "origins of" and what not about how things were created. The best way to do the next blog is to find some fun things to add to the creation of the earth and what not. It'll provide a cultural experience for readers and the more insightful understanding of the Cherokee Nation.

Title: Myths of the Cherokee
Author: James Mooney
Link to the various stories

Story: The Voyages of Baham

The Voyage of Baham

Illustration by Dulac
2016

--October 1st, 1637--

     I am Baham. I sailed the seas from the Persian Gulf through the Arabian Sea, to the East Indies and around the Pacific. I saw the things that many sailors have dreamt. I saw mythical Rocs with large wings and sharp claws that would make a sailor reach for the nearest bottle of wine. I followed in my father's footsteps growing up, learning the trade of merchants.
     While wandering through the maze of merchants in the market, an officer of the Caliph approaches me. He asks me to set sail with a message and a gift for the King of Serendib. In return, a fortune to keep my family happy and prosperous for many generations. We are to set sail a week from now.

--October 7th, 1637--

     Suddenly, as we are closing in on the wharf of our destination, pirates come up on our port-side. Their boat is quick and catches us. They board our ship and seize our fortune. They kill those who resist and imprison those who mercifully surrender immediately. I am one of those. The pirates take us far from our destination and leave us stranded on an island. The sand is different here than the sand at my home country. It is not soft on our feet and does not dance across the seafloor as you walk to shore. 

--October 10th, 1637--

     With three days of no food and no water, we have sat on the beach dying. We are sweating through our clothes in the beating sun and a heat that whispers sinful thoughts to our ears. We hear something coming from the forest behind us. Men approach dressed in simple and bare clothes with guns and spears. We try to talk to them and they refuse to engage. We submit and they tie us by our hands. Connecting one person to another they chain us together and lead us to their village. Once we enter the village, we are locked away in a highly innovative construction of wood. A large man casts a shadow over the door frame as he approaches. He orders our release and pays the guards in gold. His face is aged, his chest large and his hands strong. There stands before me a rich merchant.

     "What is your name?" He glares down at me.

     "My name is Baham. I come from Baghdad"

     "Can you use a rifle?" He smirks.

     "Does the sun set to the West?"

      Over time, he continually nourishes us, teaches us about the wild elephants that he hunts, and makes us work his land to build our strength. One night, he takes me into the forest where we shoot the elephants, bury their bodies by a river, and dig up the remains of previous kills. Their tusks are worth more than my life. He brings the tusks to the merchants on the docks and is paid in handfuls of gold, silver and glittering jewels.

-- December 16th, 1637--

     Two months have passed and there has not been a day that I have not killed an elephant. Night is approaching and I have not seen a single elephant. Suddenly, with a hard slam to the tree, I fall from one branch to another. There stands an elephant on the other side. Again, another hard slam to the tree trunk as I brace myself. The elephant stares at me with full focus.

     What is going on?

     I pull my rifle from behind my back and load the gun. A stampede of elephants hollering with their tusks raised are coming my direction. With another hard slam by the elephant below me, my gun escapes my hands and falls to the ground. He lets out a loud holler and slowly pushes his front legs on the tree trunk sending a series of cracks up the trunk. The stampede is encroaching the tree and roaring from the top of their snouts. I am crawling my way to the center of the tree when the largest elephant emerges from the herd. The herd drops their trunks. The largest elephant is missing an eye and has claw marks across his forehead. With a smooth and slow motion, he wraps his trunk around the center of the tree.

     What am I to do?

     With a mighty tug, the elephant uproots the tree and brings me crashing down entangled in the tree limbs. He picks me up by the waist and sits me on his back. I grab onto his side and do not move. We move deep into the forest. Night is coming and the elephants have not made a sound since the tree was brought down. The elephant picks me off his back like a flea on a dog and sits me down in a pile of bones. The bones are large. They vary from skulls, to huge femurs... to tusks. It's their burial ground.

Illustration by H. J. Ford
2016

   

     The elephants surround me.

     What is happening?

     The elephants begin to stomp. The ground shakes and the bones vibrate beneath me. I turn in circles looking around and struggle to stand on the pile of bones dancing around my feet. The biggest elephant stands there calm before me while the others parade around and stomp the ground. He looks me in the eyes and raises his trunk. The herd stop their stomp and stand where they are. The largest elephant slowly reaches out his trunk just in front of my face. He blows a gust of breath through his trunk that knocks me on my back. He approaches me further until his feet are just before my feet. The bones beneath his feet are crushed to dust. He lifts his trunk once again, but the elephants do not move nor make a sound. I am at a loss for my mind with no words to be fathomed. He raises his leg and brings it above me.

     The night bursts with colors and a deathly pain.

THE END.

Author's Notes:

     The name 'Baham' I found on Wikipedia under Arabic Star names. I originally was looking got something elephant related or relating to wanderer or traveler, but I liked this one as well. According to the Wikipedia page, S'ad al Biham (Baham) means 'Luck of the Young Beasts'. Although he does not get away in this story, typically Sindbad makes an escape from whichever adventure he is on. So I found it to still be appropriate.
Link

     I completely changed the ending of this story into something more menacing. The story originally has the main character returning home again and escaping death as he always does, but I wanted to make this literally his "last voyage" of his seven voyages that are all different parts of the book. Making this his last voyage was difficult to do in terms of demonstrating the passing of time, making the story told in present tense, and truly avoiding making this seem as if it were a diary.

     The original story says that the elephants brought the main character, named Sindbad, to the deep parts of the forest and leave him there in an elephant burial ground where he escapes and lives happily ever after back at home with his family and lots of money. But I researched more into the spiritual and mythological meaning of elephants. They are seen as the wise chief who impartially settles disputes among the forest creatures. Wisdom is represented by the elephant in the form of the deity Ganesha, one of the most popular gods in the Hindu religion's pantheon. Similarly, the African elephant is seen as the wise chief who impartially settles disputes among the forest creatures in African fables, and the Ashanti tradition holds that they are human chiefs from the past.
Link

So, in relation to my story, they end Sindbad’s life because he is disrupting the prosperity of elephants in the region. They are heavily hunted for their tusks, so I was able to make this Sindbad’s “last voyage” and essentially restore balance to the forest.

Bibliography:

The legend of Sindbad the Sailor is just one of the many delights contained in the book known as The Arabian Nights or the 1001 Nights. This reading unit, drawn from Lang's Arabian Nights' Entertainments, includes all seven voyages of Sindbad the Sailor as told in first-person by Sindbad himself.
Link

Story: The Adventure of Lewis without Clark

Maharaja of Indore
2016

     Deep within the Nyungwe rainforest, Lewis and Clark were on a journey together in exploration of a river that they had heard of. It runs the opposite direction of any other river in Africa. They traveled for weeks and were running short on supplies. They stopped in the shade near a riverbank to rest for the night and to count their rations.

     When Lewis had awakened, he went to the river to collect some water in his jug. Clark was shortly behind him.

     "We should continue to head East across the river," said Clark.

     Stumped, Lewis pulled out his compass and looked at Clark.

     "Clark, you must be delusional from this tiring journey. East is the other direction."

     "I believe you to be mistaken, Lewis. My compass has never led us astray. Look!" Clark brought over his compass.

     Lewis looked at the compass and gave it a rattle.

     "I think your compass has you confused. For the river runs South and the moss on those rocks grow North."

     Perplexed, Lewis and Clark then realized they had found the Nile! The river was running the opposite direction. They celebrated joyfully and danced along the riverbank. Clark bent down to drink from the water when he noticed a rock on the edge that read:

     "Traveler, we have prepared an excellent banquet for you to replenish your goods and your bodies. To obtain it you must cross the river that runs strong, pick up and shoulder the lion carved in the marble on the other side, trudge through the prickly thorns of the forest up the mountain and bring the marble to the gates of our kingdom surrounded by beasts of robust vigor."

     "Lewis, look what I have found!"

     The two read the carvings in the rock aloud.

     "I don't think this is such a good idea," said Clark.

     "But think about the adventure that lies ahead and the fortune that will come with it," said Lewis.

     Lewis was prepared for the next adventure, but Clark was afraid that this road might lead them to the end of their travels forever. They ultimately decided to go their separate ways and for Clark to return this way once he replenished his resources. Lewis and Clark had split the rations and went their separate ways. Before Clark had disappeared into the forest, Lewis stripped down and began wading his way across the Nile.

     Lewis made his way across the river successfully, picked up the marble stone and placed it upon his back to begin his journey through the forest. It was dark and creepy within the forest. It was armed with prickly thorns that cut through his clothes and wild animals rustling throughout the journey. After some miles, he rested for a moment at the bottom of the mountain. The blood and sweat had come through his clothes. Not far from where he stood, he heard the wild laughter of the hyenas closing in as the day ended. So he picked up the marble again and continued to make his way up the mountain. He was fearless and determined.

     When he reached the top of the mountain he gazed at the entrance to the palace that was promised. The marble lion on his back began to rumble. As he grew closer and closer to the gates, the lion shook harder and roared with fury. Lewis was trembled as he ran to the footsteps of the gate. Once he reached the gates, he threw the marble lion to the ground. It rattled and roared until it suddenly stopped when the gates began to open.

     People began to flood the streets from their homes to the gates. They ran toward Lewis as fast as they could. He was astonished. He begged them to explain the meaning of such honors as they took the last of his clothes off his back and dressed him in regal robes, placed gold at his feet and offered him the most precious of spoils.

     "Whenever our king dies, we place a stone across the river in hopes that one day someone with such bravery and skill will cross and accept the mission before him. Thus, we are always assured the most suitable king with fearless courage and a strong heart.

     "We, the noblemen of this city, crown you today, as our king!"

Author's Note:


     Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson with a crew as the first group to explore westward across America. It was commissioned shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Many people may not know the original purpose of their expedition was to find the most direct and practicable means of water networks for communication efforts in that time as America was expanding. 
     So for my story, I thought that it would be cool to use American people that readers would know a little bit more about. Although Lewis and Clark never explored Africa, who is to say they would have if offered? While doing some research on Lewis and Clark (LINK) I learned coincidentally of their purpose with the water networks, so I thought it was a perfect fit! 
     I stayed true to the events of the original story. There wasn't much dialogue in the original story, so I added some to create more personality of the explorers for the readers. I believe that the original story demonstrates how bravery can be rewarding. Although a lot of the stories in this book of fables were animal-related and had a lot of menacing endings, I picked one that was simple and would allow plenty to write about and explore more in depth. I kept the ending of the original story because it was a happier ending compared to my previous post and compared to the other fables.

Bibliography:

Title: The Two Travelers  from  The Tortoise and the Geese and Other Fables of Bidpai

Author: Maude Barrows Dutton

Link

Story: Anansi the Spider

     Back in the day when slavery was booming and plantation owners were everywhere, a young man with a large inherited fortune began to grow his plantation. His plantation grew large very quickly with a variety of different crops as the seasons changed. He took good care of his slaves that worked his fields day in and day out for long hours. The master of the plantation made sure that he provided shelter and food for his slaves and in turn they worked hard.

     One day, he decided that he would venture into growing a new crop. That crop was more difficult to grow than his other crops. No one in the area had ventured to grow the gub-gub peas anymore because so many people tried and failed due to poor soil, poor timing in the season and random pests eating up the crops. But with a growing fortune and plantation, the seasoned plantation owner decided to give it a try and be the first successful gub-gub pea grower.

     The plantation owner went down to the market and ordered ten large boxes of the gub-gub peas.

     "You think that you're some hot shot, hot shot?" said the market man.

     "I think you only learn from failure," said the plantation owner as he patted the backs of his slaves while they loaded his truck.

     As soon as he got back, he ordered for the boxes to be put in the shed.

     "Once you finish, head out to the acre behind the barn and till the soil for seeding tomorrow," said the plantation owner.

     Little did the plantation owner know that Anansi the spider was tucked away within the boxes inside the shed.

     The next morning, the plantation owner jumped out of his bed, ran down the stairwell, slapped on his cap and went to greet his slaves at work. When he approached the shed, the workers were gathering around the front of the shed talking amongst themselves in nervous chatter.

     "What is going on here? Why are the seeds not in ground? Let's go! Let's go!" yelled the plantation owner.

     One of the slaves came out of the crowd and anxiously spoke, "Master... it's Anansi!"

     The plantation owner grabbed the startled man by the shoulders and shook him straight. "What are you talking about?"

     "Anansi is the spider of wisdom and knowledge. He represents the survival of the African people and he has made his way all the way here in America!"

     The plantation owner pushed his way through the crowd and approached the boxes of the gub-gub pea seeds.

     "Well, my, oh my. It's just a little spider. Stop the frantic behavior and get to the fields. You all have been through much worse experiences than to worry about some little ol' spider!" said the plantation owner as he turned to his slaves mumbling amoung themselves.

Water Spider

     "Listen to ma words as their importance could save you and your plantation here," spoke Anansi calmly. "The boxes here aren't jus ya typical gub-gub pea seeds. I laid in this here box for 'most a month or so 'til the day come that I mus' warn about the evil that lurks in this box here and the next couple boxes."

     With a swift hand the owner slammed his hat on the boxes to smash the spider. The spider jumped onto the man's arm and quickly scuffled up his sleeve and to his shoulder. The plantation owner not fazed looked to his shoulder.

    "I can't say I hadn't warned you wit the evil that be in da box. Take what you want, I done my part." Anansi jumped from the man's shoulders and scurried off into the barn.

     The plantation owner turned back to his slaves and furiously ordered them to begin seeding the soil. Each of the slaves looked at each other and shook their heads. The plantation owner began to shout and stomp about. He ran inside the shed to get his whip.

     As he walked back out from the shed with the whip in his hand he muttered, "I ain't once used this here whip, but today just might be the..."

     Much to the plantation owner's surprise, the slaves had gone running through his fields toward the fence and the forest.

Author's Note:

     The trickster spider, Anansi, is a famous folklore figure in West Africa. As slaves were abducted and brought to the Americas, the stories of Anansi came with them. Anansi was a symbol of slave resistance and survival because he was able to turn the tables on his powerful oppressors through his trickery. If you hadn't already checked it out as well as to what a gub-gub pea is, it is actually a modern -day peanut. When I did the reading of Anansi, it was best to read it aloud. There was a lot of Jamaica flare and jargon that was only understood by not reading it exactly as it's written.
     Instead of attempting to emulate the style in my portfolio piece, I decided to change the setting of the story and provided a different ending to the story of the gub-gub peas. The story originally was about Anansi as a man, who tricked an illiterate man with the master's orders in order to free himself and to tie up a passing lion instead.
      I immediately thought of dating it in the pre-Civil War era while brainstorming and thought it would be a good match. Anansi was such a prominent and familiar part of oral tradition from the Asante people of Ghana, who also were brought to America. Although slaves came from various places, the tradition spread about the wisdom and trickery skill that Anansi was capable of. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of Anansi and will use some of the themes in my next piece of writing most likely.

Bibliography:
This book of Jamaica Anansi Stories contains stories collected in Jamaica during the early years of the 20th century by Martha Warren Beckwith, a professor of folklore and well-known ethnographer.
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