Famous Last Words-Week 12

This is my first time posting a Famous Last Words blog post. I decided to write one this week because it is getting close to the end of the semester and things are getting a little hectic. I thought it would be nice to sit back and think about all the things I have done this week and not the things I was supposed to do and did not get to.

I did not get a chance to write a storytelling post this week because I was so busy in other classes with tests and presentations. I am hoping to get a little ahead later tonight in this class as I have a very busy couple of weeks coming up. I have a capstone presentation in a couple weeks that my group and I are not prepared for. We have lots to do this upcoming week to get ready. We can get it done it is just going to take a few long nights in between to do so! I am very ready to get this project done as it seems like its really the only thing standing between me and graduating. It will be a major relief once April 22nd is over with!

I'm almost to this point! (Meme Guy)

For this class, I am currently writing up my third story for my storybook project. I have really enjoyed writing this storybook and am excited to finish up. I feel like I have finally got a little creative side back that I haven't been able to work on in my classes the last couple of years! I really enjoyed writing and making up stories in high school so I'm glad this class has given me an opportunity to explore that a little bit near the end of my college career. It is probably the most writing I have done since freshman year but I have really enjoyed it.

Extra Reading: Celtic Fairy Tales

I decided to do an extra reading this week and I chose the Celtic Fairy Tales unit to do so. I chose this unit initially because in the description it mentioned leprechauns, fairies, and ghosts. After a long week of studying I wanted something that could entertain me! I kept some notes while I read and these can be seen below. I tried to focus on my favorites throughout while reading.

The Field of Boliauns

Since the mention of leprechauns is what first caught my eye when choosing this unit I should have known a story of a leprechaun would end up being one of my favorites. I felt like the whole time that the leprechaun was taking Tom Fitzpatrick to the place where the pot of gold was supposed to be you almost felt like a trick was coming. Then you knew Tom was about to be tricked when he let the leprechaun go as he went to fetch a shovel to dig for the gold.

Leprechaun (Villafanart)

The Sprightly Tailor

I found this story to be very amusing as it showed courage but also mixed with a little ghost story. I would have liked a little more backstory as to why Macdonald wanted the tailor to sew his garments in the old, haunted church but I guess that isn't to important to the story. I like how at the end there is something that tries to validate the story as it alludes to the handprint still being on the walls of the gate outside the castle.

Reading Diary B: Beowulf

I finished reading the Beowulf unit for this Reading Diary. I was really excited to read about Beowulf and his encounter with the monster Grendel so I was glad to see that the tale would come early on in this reading. As always, I kept some notes about my favorite stories and what I thought could be used in my storytelling post.

The Battle with Grendel

This is what I was excited for since reading the previous half of the unit. Once again, the vivid details used by the writer were inspiration to try and use the same detail in my writing. I felt like the writing gave way to lots of action packed writing and I was really impressed with the author's ability to create so much action with just their words. The part I found most amusing is that when all the people of Heorot awoke and heard a racket they looked up to see Beowulf and his men on the rooftop holding up Grendel's bloody arm. I could just imagine the look on their faces!

The Arrival of the Dragon

I liked this story because I thought it did a great job of setting up future stories. Having a slave, with no name, tell the story about what he saw in the dragon and the many spoils that he slept with was a great way to lure the reader into wondering what was true in his story or if they could even trust what he was saying. This also led to Beowulf being skeptical until the slave pulled out the jeweled cup which he had taken from the dragon's lair.

The stranger stealing the jeweled cup from the dragon (illustrated by A.R. Skelton).

Reading Diary A: Beowulf

I chose to read the Beowulf unit because it mentioned that it was the full story. I wanted to read a story that showed the entirety of the story behind the main characters. I vaguely remember reading Beowulf in high school and I felt like it would be good to revisit this collection of stories.

Beowulf's Resolve

While reading this particular story I really noticed the description and attention to detail used throughout. I first noticed this while the writer described the scene as Beowulf became enraged at the thought of Grendel terrorizing the land. I would really like to try and incorporate this detail in my storytelling post this week. It made the scene extremely easy to visualize in my mind. I think this is very important because the reader can more easily see what you pictured as you wrote the story.

The Word's of Beowulf

I was glad that Beowulf stood up for himself and set the record straight about his race against Breca within in the sea. This story had caught my interest throughout this first half reading but I thought that it was just something used sparingly and would never actually come out. I liked how it was alluded to throughout and finally was told in the overarching story. I still wish there was a complete story about this race as it seems like it could easily be a lengthy story in itself. Maybe I could use this and write about it for my storytelling post.

Beowulf sailing to Daneland (Wikipedia Commons).