Thoughts about Comments

I really enjoy comments that are more specific. Although I like to have freedom to edit my posts however I think it best, comments make more of an impression on me if they mention specific aspects of my story. For example, would really stand out to me if they not only mentioned that they liked the ending, but if the comment said specifically what exactly they liked about the ending. I also like to hear about common experiences that the commenter might share with me! That's a really great connection to have.

I think I could improve my own comments by being more specific as well. I could also improve by reading the comments before me so I can either agree with them in a more helpful way, or give some new insights that others haven't.

Week 5 Storytelling: Dan and Gladys Forever

Lightning struck the giant tree not even thirty yards from the house, and it immediately burst into flames for no more than five seconds before the torrential downfall extinguished the fire. Dan was scared. “I don’t want our house to catch on fire, even if it is only for a second,” Dan said to his fat grey cat, Gladys.

Gladys said nothing in return; she was only a cat.

The storm stopped in the early morning, and Dan went outside to look at his yard. There was more than one tree damaged by the lightning, but there was no damage to his house. He looked at Gladys and said, “I’m glad that you, me, and the house are safe. But I wish the place looked nicer since my brother will be here before too long.”

Dan was a laid-back guy with not much going on in his life. He loved his cat, he liked his job as a book critic, and he didn’t like things that made him have to leave his house or go out of his way. He was happy when family members, like his brother Brian, came to visit him because it meant that he didn’t have to go to visit them.

Around lunchtime, Brian knocked on Dan and Gladys’ front door. “Hey bro, how’s the hermit life?” Brian asked his older, shorter, and balder brother.

“No complaints,” said Dan.

Before an hour had passed, the brothers slipped into their routine. Brian was looking around the house, fixing little things that he found that had fallen into disrepair since his last visit, while Dan was cooking dinner and playing with Gladys.

“How old is that cat getting to be?” Brian asked Dan.

“Oh, she’s old alright, but she’ll probably hold out for a few more years at least. She likes it here better than she did at the old place,” Dan answered. He tended to be more motivated to talk when he was talking about Gladys, something his talkative brother never understood. Dan continued, “Oh and by the way, I’ve got to go to the post office tomorrow to pick up this quarter’s new book releases so I can start reviewing them. Will you be okay here with Gladys?”

Brian looked at Gladys and said, “Oh sure, me and the cat will be just fine. As long as she doesn’t croak on me.”

The next day while Dan was gone, Brian heard someone yelling outside. He looked out of the window and saw a woman with a basketful of kittens. Brian asked her what she was doing.

“I’m just exchanging any old, grey cats for brand-new white kittens. I thought I saw an old cat around here. Do you want a kitten?” the woman said.

“Yeah sure! That would be great!  Here, go ahead and take this old one. We won’t be needing it any more!” Brian was excited about doing something nice for his brother.

Once Dan got home and saw the new cat, he asked where Gladys was, since it was her usual dinnertime.

“Check out this new kitten!” was Brian’s only reply.

“Yes, I see the kitten, but where is Gladys?” Dan persisted.

Brian explained, “I exchanged her for a brand-new little white one! There was just this woman walking around offering to switch, and I thought it would be nice to have a new pet.”

Dan was shocked. “What? Why would you do that? What is your problem? Gladys was my best friend! You can’t preemptively replace her with some kitten from the street!”

Brian really didn’t understand anything about his brother. Who would rather have an adult cat than a cute little kitten? “Hey man, I’m really sorry. I really thought I was doing you a favor. I’m sure I can find your old cat. The woman trading them out can’t be that far away,” Brian said, trying to placate his brother.

Brian did eventually find Gladys, and she and Dan continued to live together for many years. A few months after Brian left Dan’s house, the two brothers made up. Dan and Brian had been brothers for all their lives after all, so they were fairly accustomed to never understanding anything about each other.

Author’s Note: The original story of Aladdin and his magic lamp with the genie inside has an interesting plot point where his wife falls into a trap set by someone jealous of Aladdin. The jealous sorcerer decided to advertise that he’s exchanging old lamps (like the one with the genie inside) for new lamps. When Aladdin finds out that his wife has traded his valuable lamp for a new, genie-less one, he sets out to bring back his genie and endless wishes. I thought it was really funny that the jealous sorcerer thought that the lamp-switch was a good idea, and it was even funnier that Aladdin’s wife fell for such an odd trick! I also wanted to tell a story with a lot of dialogue that begins in the middle of something exciting, like a thunderstorm. Although Aladdin has a lot of interesting magic, I wanted to tell a more realistic story. And who doesn’t love cats named Gladys? I also wanted to give a shout out to adult pets, since puppies and kittens usually get so much attention. I think that adult pets are more fun than young ones because then you can really get to know their personality and you don’t have to train them or spend all of your time entertaining them!

Bibliography: This story is part of the Arabian Nights unit. Story source: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).

Image Information: Grey cat

Week 5 Reading Diary: Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

illustration by Walter Crane

For an extra reading this week, I read part B of the Arabian Nights unit. Story source: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898). I have never liked most stories about love at first sight, but Aladdin has always been one of my favorites despite this! It was really interesting to hear the original. I liked how the mother and Aladdin worked together, and I liked that Aladdin wasn't quite as hopeless/helpless as he is in the Disney movie!

Another thing I really liked about this story was all of the trickery! It seems like things would be a lot easy if the characters in this story would stop lying to each other and just be honest, but that would make things so much less exciting! It was really great that Aladdin stayed humble and kind instead of becoming stuck up since he lived in great honor and wealth.

It seemed strange that that the villain was jealous of Aladdin. It seems like he should be glad that Aladdin wasn't dead after all. I was also surprised that the Princess fell for the new for old lamps scheme. Who would listen to a crazy old guy in the streets? And then when the princess also fell for the fake holy woman, I was surprised again! I was just glad that Aladdin and the princess lived happily. However, I was disappointed that he didn't free the genies.

Week 5 Reading Diary: The Life of Buddha Continued

Kanthaka

Kanthaka, the horse who took Buddha to his hermitage, really stood out to me in this reading. Horses are so special to so many people, that I think it was amazing that as soon as Kanthaka came home from taking Buddha, he immediately died. I like to think that he was old and knew it was his time after he had been in so many battles with Buddha's father, but his love for his family was so strong that he wanted to stay and help Buddha fulfill his life's purpose before he died. 

I also liked how much the women in Buddha's life stuck together after he went away. Their love for him united them, and I think that's very important. Once he actually became the Buddha, I thought the realizations he made were very important. These were the problems, such as death and sickness, that had led him away from his family. I liked his realization about each evil of the world being a direct response to a good thing.

Within this story from the Buddha unit; The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold (1922).t's also important that Buddha now go and illuminate the problems of others and teach them about his own realizations and how he overcame a sheltered and protected life in order to find truth in the world. There's a lot of different dimensions within the life of Buddha that could be made into really great stories.

Week 5 Reading Diary: The Life of Buddha

ascetic Buddha

This week I read about the life of Buddha from the Buddha unit. Story source: The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold (1922). I really liked reading about the Buddha's birth and youth because I always think it's nice to hear about a famous person's childhood. I think that's why most memoirs start out with a person's earliest memory; it's just so interesting to think of noteworthy people as babies!

I thought it was so funny how devastated Buddha was once he found out about all of the sad things in life like sickness, old age, and death. I don't know a lot about Buddha, but it was really interesting to read exactly how sheltered and loved he was. I think that it could be fun to retell this story with Buddha being a spoiled brat. Maybe he would see all these sad things and be convinced that they wouldn't affect him because he is rich and has a loving family.

I also really liked Buddha's adoptive mother, so I feel like I would want to include a character like this who loved Buddha so much and took over for her sister. Buddha has so much love and support in his life, it's truly amazing that he would be able to leave all of that in order to live the life of a monk!