Analyze a Folk Tale

  In "Coyote Kills the Giant", Coyote saves the people who are trapped in the Giant's stomach from starving and from being digested by the Giant. First, he walks in the cave to find a starving woman, and then he meets a bunch of starving people. He is very smart, and can immediately adapt to the situation, and he saves the woman and bunch of people who are about to starve by carving the meat and flesh off the Giant's stomach. He knew that they could eat the Giant's meat and flesh, so it was Coyote's ability to adapt that helped him and the people. Next are his observation skills and his courage. He knew that the volcano was the Giant’s heart, and he bravely went and attacked the heart, and told the others to run out. He also knew that when the Giant dies, he will only open his mouth one more time, and then close it forever.
  This teaches us that people need all these traits to become a successful person. This is the moral of the story. They need to be able to quickly adapt to their surroundings and situation, and also courage to do things that others aren’t able to do.

Compare and Contrast

Here are 2 questions comparing and contrasting the two stories "By the Waters of Babylon" and "Coyote Kills the Giant":

• What purpose does John and Coyote, the two main characters from the two stories, have for going on their journey?

•  Both John and Coyote went on their journey to accomplish something big and important. For John, he went to the Place of the Gods because of his strong dream and his identity as the son of a priest, and also because of the signs shown to him that tells him to travel to the Place of the Gods during his journey. On the other hand, Coyote went on his journey to kill the Giant, because he believes that the Giant is not a big threat to him, and that he should help other people by killing the Giant.

• What similarities and differences can you find between the settings of the two stories?

•  First, both stories have settings that include geographical features. In "By the Waters of Babylon", there are "caves" and forests, and in "Coyote Kills the Giant", there is also a "cave", and a volcano. However, both "caves" are created with different purposes. The first cave was created by humans who lived before John, us, while the second cave was created by the Giant, who wants to eat. A main difference between the two is that in "By the Waters of Babylon", there are many man-made features, while in "Coyote Kills the Giant", it is the inside of the Giant's body, and there are no man-made features.

Conflicts - Internal and External

  In "By the Waters of Babylon", the main character, John, faces many conflicts as he went on his journey to the Place of the Gods. He is afraid of the place, and also the sacred river. He is afraid that the spirits and demons that reside in the Place of the Gods will pull his soul away and eat him up. This is his main internal conflict. John has to try to face and overcome his fears - being afraid of going into the Place of the Gods and their tall towers. Many other outside events forces him to go into the buildings of the gods. These are the external conflicts he faces. The first external conflict is that he needs a place to sleep - he needs a shelter against nature. Therefore, this is a conflict against nature. The second external conflict that forces John to enter the house of the gods is because of the dogs that are waiting to hunt him. The dogs threaten to eat him up, but John, being the smart person he was, slipped into the house and slammed the door in the dog's face. After John overcomes both his internal and external conflicts, there will be a resolution to the story.

Unfamiliar Place

  The first time I went outside around my school, I was afraid. But the funny thing was that, I wasn't afraid of the environment around me. Instead, I was afraid that I would get lost and not be able to walk back to school. I followed closely behind my friends. Sounds of sellers and merchants shouting and talking resonated through my ears. Adults and kids walking through the crowded streets holding food and drinks that looked so appealling to my mouth. The smell of fried chicken slowly entered my nose as we entered a small, narrow shop that was also crowded with seas of people. There were green walls around me, I noticed, as I sat on one of the small, white, tall stools. As I waited for my order, I heard the TV blasting behind me, and I listened intently to my friends talking. When I placed the French fries into my mouth, I tasted a salty, spicy taste. And I loved it.
  Now, I am all familiar with the noisy environment everytime I walk around the block, and I'm not afraid anymore. Now, the familiar smells of food being baked and fried tempts me to buy them to eat. I always savor the taste that triggers my taste buds. Now, the block feels even more like my home...

Quickwrite - By the Waters of Babylon

  "Meet Me Halfway" is a story written by "inkjacque", and anonymous fanfiction writer. It's a story that features two couples from Bleach, Hitsugaya Toushiro x Kurosaki Karin and Kurosaki Ichigo x Inoue Orihime. The main character is Karin. She is a tough, strong girl, and also the captain of her football team. But one day, an incident changed her life. She was beaten up badly and almost raped. Fortunately, her father saved her before the incident happened. When she turned the criminals in, people had wanted to interview her because there were also previous cases. To escape from the mess at her town, she transferred to her brother, Ichigo's school. There, she met Toushiro, and she slowly changed from a fierce girl to a soft, caring girl.
  The other person who changed is Orihime. She's just another girl on the road going to the same school as Karin and Ichigo, but her cab broke down at the middle of the night and she has two wait for 2 hours until help comes. Fortunately, Karin's car passed by and offered her a ride since they were going to the same school. When she met Ichigo and his friends, she slowly opened herself up. She changed from a closed, friendless, and always person to a cheerful, happy person with lots of friends.

  What types of changes do you wish to happen to you?

Making Time Move Slowly

  Time passes by without us knowing. Even if we say "now", another second has already passed. Time is something that depends on your mood and what you do. When you are happy and enjoying something, time always seem to fly by. But when you are anxious for time to pass, it tortures you by going so slowly that every minute feels like 10 minutes, and you feel bored. So how can a writer make time pass slowly in their story? A few factors are suspense, anxiousness, and anticipation for something. When people feel these three emotions, the author usually add more descriptive details, trying to help us portray a picture and letting us understand what and how the character is feeling.

  By the way, I hate it when time passes slowly...

Values

  Everyone values somthing in their life. Here are some important values that most people would agree to:

• time
• self
• family
• money

  Everyone's values are different. For many people, family is often more important than friendship. However, for me, friendship is more valuable than my family. Here is my list of my values:

• time
• friends
• self
• money
• family

  For me, time is most valuable. This is because without time, nothing can be accomplished. Secondly, friends are more valuable than myself. In my early childhood, I didn't have any friends, so now I value friends a lot. Next on, of course, is myself. I should show myself respect and live the way I want to live, comfortably. Money is another important value. Without money, we cannot live in a comfortable environment with food and shelter. The last is my family. No matter how much I dislike my family life, family is essential to everyone. I hope that one day I will be able to appreciate my family life.

Picture Description

  Have you ever seen the movie House of Flying Daggers by Zhang Yimou? If you have, then you might remember that there was a scene where a woman was standing in a bamboo forest that was illuminated by the sun. In the trees, there are 4 men who were holding daggers in their hands, falling vertically, upside down, from the trees. The picture appeared to be very vertical because of the bamboo, with the ground acting as the horizon. The green color of the scene gives us the feeling of "action", along with the Bo (a staff used in come martial arts, made of bamboo in this scene) the woman was holding. The fog at the background in the forest blocks us from the view beyond the forest, creating a quite mysterious atmosphere, and also the feeling of suspense.

Collection I - Human Stories

  "There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before"
                                                                - Willa Cather

  Common stories of all people - these are stories that every person experience and go through during the course of their life. Some examples of these common stories are birth, death, experiences of love, and experiences of hate. They continue to repeat themselves. As one story ends, another new story begins - this is a never-ending cycle. Reading the quote above from Willa Cather once again, I believe that she is referring to the stories of birth and death. A life begins from a single cell, and it ends as a fully grown and aged adult. Death is something that is inevitable for all living organisms. It is nothing but a matter of time. People die young or die old.

What do you think Willa Cather is referring to?