Flash Fiction Essay

Hi there.  Hey I’m over here, next to the corn. You see me? Ya. Hi, my name is Claire. I am a crawfish. You’re probably wondering how I’m dead but still talking to you. It’s kind of a funny story. Well, that’s the thing; I’m not actually dead.  I’m only pretending, unlike all of my not-so-lucky friends around me… poor things.

            I guess I’ll start off my story by telling you a little bit about myself. As I said before, my name is Claire. I’m originally from Louisiana (Go Saints), but now I’m here with you. I have, well I guess had, two brothers, Crawford, and Chris, and three sisters, Crystal, Crispy, and Creola. I feel sort of guilty for not feeling bad about their deaths but how can mourn the loss of someone you never knew? They were all so much older than me that I never even got to know them, and I guess I never will. Oh, I’m sorry, I got a little bit carried away.

            Today, I woke up, took a swim in the through the mud like I always do but something felt off.  As I began to crawl to school I heard a loud noise and I looked around me only to be trampled by the freakish squirming all around me. I don’t remember much after that. However, I awoke to the sound of shrill cries of desperation and longing to get away from that giant, pot of boiling water. I don’t know how, but I guess they skipped me or else it was on purpose, maybe it was a sign from the universe that I have bigger things to do in my life.

            We are crawfish, mudbugs, cockroaches of the sea, dirty creatures so why is it that we are so sought after? As a crawfish, we live our whole life worried that tomorrow is our last day. We all know it’s coming but it’s uncertain how or where, most go during the summer. Summertime. A time when the sun is shining, family gathers together, and children laugh and play outside. Summer is a time that all human enjoy, but not my kind. We aren’t that lucky to enjoy this relaxation, in fact it’s quite the opposite. Summertime is a time when we run, scared for our lives, a time when we wake up and half of our family and friends have been taken, by them.

            I am unsure of how my life will turn out as of now. I don’t know if I am able to escape this tragedy and be able to live with myself knowing all of my friends and family are dead. If I leave, I may never be able to forgive my self, but if I stay, I know I couldn’t.  Both dying and escaping are dangerous feats, but one must be done. Wasn’t it fate that allowed me to live so that I might help my kind escape this ruin? But now that you know my story I guess the real question is, will you help me?

            

“And Repeat.”

Blog Post #3
Teddi Driver
9th period
                                                  “And Repeat.”

        

Noticing repetition in literature is very important, and even more so when almost every story shares certain parts. When we think of the most well known write, whom do we think of? Well, most would say William Shakespeare, and the others are all liars. Shakespeare’s stories are the essence of repetition in literature. They are the basis from which we “copy”.

Now considering that he is the best, or at least the most well know, wouldn’t one expect that he had a huge impact in the literary world? However, many are surprised to find out that many of his stories, that many they claimed to “hate”, not only because misinterpretation, but also the old English used in the dialogue, make up some of their favorite stories. So many of our favorite movies, lines, art, music, etc. are actually things taken from Shakespeare.

One example of a piece of Shakespeare used in the film world is She’s the Man. An adaptation of Twelfth Night, this movie came to theaters in 2006, starring Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum, and it did quite well. Now what did you say about hating Shakespeare?

However, this isn’t the only movie made out of a Shakespeare tale. In fact, one of the greatest musicals of all time, West Side Story, is a musical adaptation of the time-honored, Romeo and Juliet.

 

Although there have been allegations that he did not write many of his stories, I think of Shakespeare as being the smart kid in the class that everyone cheats off of, because, honestly, that’s what he is. He’s the guy that everyone “steals” bits and pieces of his plots, and why not? His works, whether you like old Engligh or not, are some of the most eloquently written stories ever to brace the literary world. He sets up many of his stories in ways writers could only wish of having. He knew the key to literary success, and that is …..the potential for struggle.

However, its not just the plot that is used to their extremes, but the dialogue too. Whether we know it or not, we hear lines from Shakespeare everyday such as, “all the world’s a stage”, “to beor not to be”, and even, “Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou Romeo.”

His plays are truly works of genius, valuable pieces of history and literature, that without, the stories we love and hold dear to our hearts, may never have come into being. And that’s ALL thanks to William Shakespeare. IF one is able to look deeper and truly try to learn and understand what is being said and conveyed, they COULD learn to love it. Personally, I hated Shakespeare, but when we started reading As You Like It  in play righting class I learned to enjoy the works of Shakespeare. Something that I very much admire about this man is not just his talent with plots or dialogue, but the way his stories still hold truth. They still have meaning and enough relevance to incorporate them into our daily lives. AND THAT IS WHY I LOVE SHAKESPEARE.

"Wow. That's Original"

Chapter 4 Blog Post
Teddi Driver

“Wow. That’s Original”

Repetition. Literature is filled with repetition. The themes, plots, characters, underlying historical allusions, etc. are the major aspect of repetition in literature. To a trained eye these repetitive aspects may seem very obvious, but to those with no literary backgrounds, it may not be evident unless otherwise stated.  

         One must attain knowledge of literature in order to understand these references. Once we learn them we start to see patterns and references in everything we read.

         Nothing new is original. In the past 10 years almost every movie that has come out is a recreation of a past story, which is also a recreation or a spin-off of another story. No one creates anymore; they just alter and steal. Some writers take bits and pieces of the story; some take the characters or the whole plot entirely. However, no one creates new stories that don’t have allusions to some older story.

         A prime example of an adaptation of a well-known story is that of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and the story of Christ’s crucifixion. As mentioned earlier, writers often shape their characters after those of well-known literature. For example, the character of Aslan is shaped after Jesus Christ. His character gives his own life to the white witch in return for pardoning the Pevensie children’s deal with the white witch. This is an allusion to Jesus giving his life for our sins.

               

         Another example of an adaptation of a classic story turned new is Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. In 2006, the movie She’s the Man, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s story was released.  Many didn’t realize that this classic story was turned into what was thought of as a new storyline. Many of the characters’ names were kept the same as in the play. It is interesting to see that self-proclaimed Shakespeare critics and those who claim to “not understand the tough language” were able to understand and even praised the movie without any knowledge that the story was a Shakespeare spin off.

The newly popular superhero movie Thor is derived from ancient Norwegian mythology. Although life has definitely changed over the thousands of years this story has been passed down through, it hasn’t lost its enticing thrill and ability to enthrall audiences. Stories like Thor keep their excitement, and ability to keep the attention of their readers, and now the action movie infatuated decade.

                     

         Nowadays we receive a history lesson every time we go to the movies because of the classic storylines adapted into modern day scenarios. However, the sad part is that if we have no current knowledge of the stories and concepts put in our movies, we never would’ve known that these stories have survived all of these centuries and are still relevant today.

         Despite the wars, and separations/organizations of new countries and civilizations, it is imperative that we are able to enjoy and understand the allusions that are made in present media because time is likely to repeat itself again and again. I believe that the more we know the backstory and the history, the more we can enjoy these patterns in life. It draws us in and connects us with people we never met, nor lived in the same century as, with the repetition of words and feelings. We must know how issues and hardships were faced in the past can teach us what to do and not to do in similar, or even identical situations. We must first understand the past in order to understand the future.

         

Teddi Driver- 06/24/14

“To Quest or Not To Quest”

Chapter 1 Post

                             What would a story be without some kind of self-discovery? Without some kind of trip or quest where he or she discovers or learns a valuable life lesson? Well, there being only so many hypothetical situations one can draw from, we aren’t able to find many stories that go beyond these ordinary plot lines. However, with each of these typical scenarios come some pieces of self-discovery the character has to learn through a journey.

                              For example, in the book, Anne of Green Gables, Anne, the quester, has to discover how to fit in and get along with her adopted family, and her new surroundings. She finds it difficult to get on Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert’s good side after learning that they had asked to adopt a boy, and not a girl. Having to overcome the feeling of being a burden or a mistake, Anne realizes in the end she is exactly where she needed to be. She also has to come to the conclusion that although Marilla and Matthew waned a boy to begin with, they aren’t angry that she isn’t a boy, but thankful to have such a conscientious child who always “tries” to help out, even when she doesn’t.

                              Anne also has to overcome her innate disappointment with her hair color. Claiming that nobody could love her because of her red hair, she believes that her parents gave her up for adoption because of it (which is extremely false).  She has to overcome her unhappiness and self -conscious spirit, which leads her to believe that her whole life was a mistake. However, she believes this because of her immaturity, and misunderstanding that has caused her to feel as such. She overcomes her insecurities and realizes that by going on her “quest”, and that by becoming a part of a family, she has truly discovered her self in a different light.

                              Another example of a story of self-discovery through a quest is in The Glass Castle when Jeanine and her family go across the country to escape the law. As she grows up, she begins to learn that the only way to escape your problems is to run from them. However, later on in life she sees the error of her parent’s ways. She begins to see that this life isn’t her only option. Finally, she is able to escape her parent’s scamming and lazy ways of life, and moves to New York City with her older sister. There she gets a job and works hard to pay her way through college and becomes successful. Through her “quest” she is able to learn from her parents mistakes, and make her life better. However, she is still able to reflect upon the good family times they had together when traveling across the country with almost nothing.

                              Her biggest problem she faced that made her go on a “quest” was when her dad stole her money she was saving for New York, and spent it on alcohol. She then had to come to the realization that her father was no longer her hero, but a crook. Having always looked up to his “clever ways it wasn’t easy her Jeanine to accept that facts that were before her. Although, when she admitted them, she realized that he was only holding her back.

                              Chapter 1 states that, “She reaches the point where she either must break down, reduce to nothing, or stand straight and rely on herself. And to do that she first must find the self on whom she can rely.”  Both characters are perfectly described by this quote. They both have a point at which they have to decide to move on but they cannot without first becoming the right person for the job.

One question I had in this chapter was whether every trip is a quest or not. Well, I personally think that yes, every trip is a quest because whether it be minute realization or an incredible discovery, wherever we go we are always learning. Therefore, if we are always learning something then we are completing a quest for knowledge that we lacked before.