Storytelling for Week 2: The Frog that could be

Storytelling: The Frog that could be

Once upon a time there was a frog and a bull that lived in the same village, now the village was full of all different kinds of animals but there was no clear defined ruler. Though since the bull was the largest of all the residents, he felt that he could appoint himself as the ruler. None of the other residents agreed with this decision but because they were all scared of him and his size they just decided it was easiest to go with it.

The bull would strut around the village and pick on all of the other small animals and order them around. All of the residents did exactly as he said but only out of fear, that is all but one small frog.

One day the bull approached the frog and told him to go collect as many flies from the bull’s home as he could. There was to be no reward and he was forced to work all day and night long. The frog did not appreciate being treated like this so he decided that he needed to figure out a way to stand up to the bull.

                                                                                              Source: Flickr (The frog in his natural habitat)

The next night the frog got all the village residents together secretly and they held a meeting, this meeting was to plan an uprising against the bull. They all understood that they were individually smaller than the bull but they then realized that together they had more power than the bull. The next morning they were all waiting outside the bulls home and as he awake and came outside for his morning stretch he found them. He was angry but willing to listen, they explained how they all felt his ruling was unfair and that everyone’s opinions should be heard. He agreed that they were right and that this should be a place of equality, he handed over leadership to the frog and the village lived happily and peacefully ever after.

The End.

Authors Note: My story is based off Aesop’s story Frog and Fish, in this story there is a small frog and then a large bull that taunts the frog because he is so much bigger than him. As time goes on the frog realizes that in true the bull is really no greater than him and he realizes his true self worth. I followed the original story pretty closely but I did add in some other creative parts to the retelling of it.

Bibliography: Frogs and Fish from The Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs (1894)

Web Source: Frogs and Fish

Week 2 Reading Diary: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)

Below I have presented my favorite stories from Aesop's Fables (Jacobs).

Wolves: I enjoyed this overall theme to the story and I like that the wolf was able to possess both characteristics of good and evil. My favorite story was the one titled The Dog and the Wolf. I really liked this story because it taught a good lesson about how you have to work for things and that they will not always just be given to you. This story shows that there are lazy people in the world that just expect everything to come with no work but we need to teach that with work comes gain.

Dogs and Cats: Overall I find it interesting that the dog possess more “dark” characteristics and then that the cat possess more positive characteristics. My favorite story from this is title The Cat and Venus. This story was interesting because it was talking about how a woman fell in love and wed but then a temptation presented itself and she took it. I feel that the message that can be taken from this story is to not let temptations succeed when they are presented to us because we will most likely regret them later on.

Deer: In this section my favorite story was The Hart and the Hunter. I liked this story the most because of the overall message that it presented. As a society we need to be more aware and accepting of the qualities we possess and not be ashamed of them. In this story the final line is "We often despise what is most useful to us." I really like this quote because it is showing how we need to be confident in who we are instead of trying to hide and get rid of the things that make us unique.

Mice: One thing that I like and appreciate about this story is that the mouse represents different things throughout the mini stories that are present within the larger story. I think it is good to add in different personalities because then more readers can feel relatable. My favorite story within this was The Mouse and the Lion, I really liked this story because it shows that everyone can offer something no matter how small one may be. I think this is a good lesson to instill within those who are reading the story because everyone should feel that they can do things that are appreciated.

Frogs and Fish: My favorite mini story from this story was titled The Frog and the Bull. One of my favorite things about this story is the message that it is giving off, if you try hard then you can become anything you want. In the story the bull felt he was superior because he was larger but to his surprise the frog was able to puff himself up to be equal with the bull. Its important to remind readers that anything can be done if you put your mind to it.

Family and Friends: I like that this story is able to incorporate many lessons and both positive and negative themes in to one story. It is important to learn lessons from both sides because then you gain a better appreciation for the positive ones. My favorite story in this is The Man and His Two Wives. I really enjoyed this story because it preaches such a vital lesson to the reader: “you can’t have it all”.  This an important lesson to understand from a young age because there will be situations in life that occur quite often that show you that you can’t have it all.

Week 1: Introduction

Hello all, my name is Emily McLean!

I am a senior this year and I am majoring in Marketing, I am really hoping to get in to either medical supplies sales or pharmaceutical sales when I graduate. I am from Boulder, Colorado and really love everything about it!

Things that really interest me are all activities that are outdoors, I love to hike and camp. This summer I was able to climb a 14,000-foot mountain in Colorado called Mt. Missouri, the feeling when you finally get to the top is indescribable! The cool thing about climbing most of the 14’ers in Colorado is that once you reach the top you can see the peaks of several other mountains not far off!

(Image: Personal photo on top of Mt. Missouri in Colorado, 

photo from June 2014)

The most important thing that happened to me this past summer though is the internship I had. I was lucky to intern with a company based out of Denver, Colorado called Craftworks. This is the parent company that owns 15 restaurant/breweries that range all over the United States. I was able to intern with the Director of Marketing and it became a very educational and fun internship. I was able to take a lot from it and see how real world marketing applies to a range of levels within the food industry. At the same time I was also working in one of the restaurants in the Denver area so I felt it to be incredibly beneficial to see all levels of operation and gain a better appreciation.

I am involved in a sorority on campus and it has been a wonderful experience for me, I feel that I have gained so much from being a member and grown as a person. It was initially scary for me to come to Oklahoma from Colorado Freshman year knowing absolutely no one but the sorority I am in really helped ease that transition.

I look forward to getting to read all of your blogs throughput the semester and to get to know you all and your creative sides!

Week 1: Storybook Favorites

I really enjoyed exploring and looking over past storybooks that have been written by students. I think it is wonderful that we as individuals get to be so creative within this class this semester! The following are just some of the stories that caught my eye!

First off, the storybook that caught my eye the most was titled, Hotel California. This story really caught my eye initially because of the famous song so I figured I would check it out! I really like the idea of a creepy story so I was intrigued and ended up reading the whole thing. I feel that this was a really creative idea of what to base the storybook on.

The second storybook that caught my eye was titled, The Towers That Be. The thing that really drew my eye to this storybook was the simplicity of the design aspect that it entails. I feel that since the story involves castles so I feel it was a good decision to let them be the focus instead of trying to overpower them with the design.

The third storybook that really caught my eye was titled, Remember the Alamo. The main reason that this storybook caught my eye is because it is such a classic concept and story. I feel that retelling historical events is vital to keep the knowledge alive, so I think adding a creative aspect to it only enhances the overall story!

I feel that after looking over previous storybooks that other students have created I have gained several ideas on what kinds of topics people mainly go with and I feel that it has helped me to start brainstorming ideas. I also think that after looking at other examples I really now understand how important the design aspect is, you don’t want anything to overpower the actual story itself but instead you want it to complement the material.