Reading Notes: Beowulf, Part B

(Stories of Beowulf Slave Stealing Golden Cup: Wikimedia Commons)

I like how the story sets up Grendel’s first appearance. It’s so ominous and eerie which makes me want to know what happens even more. I also didn’t know that Grendel could cast spells which is a nice surprise because it makes him an even bigger threat for Beowulf.

It must have been terrifying for Beowulf watching Grendel eat one of his friends. The spell made it to where Beowulf was kind of frozen which couldn’t have made matters any better.

I like how the epic fight between Beowulf and Grendel was in silence and had no witnesses. It would be funny if Beowulf declared he had Grendel’s arm, but the others didn’t believe him or something.

I knew that the king and queen praising Beowulf was going to jinx everything. Nothing ever goes well when characters celebrate too early.

It’s good to see that Unferth had a change of heart and gives Beowulf his sword.

Beowulf has to be one of the bravest people alive to go into that lake alone. I like much respect everyone has for him because normally they would try to stop a person from doing this.

I love how the Beowulf had to basically get lucky in order to beat Grendel’s mother. I was expecting Beowulf to just somehow find strength and defeat her, but the tiniest moment of relaxation from his mother gave Beowulf an opening.

I don’t like how the Danes left because they lost hope of seeing Beowulf again. I would’ve been a little mad about that if I were Beowulf.

It is fitting that Beowulf became king. I don’t think anyone else deserves it more than him.

I like how even though Beowulf almost died he still wants to have another adventure like that.

I honesty expected Beowulf to be like okay guys I can do this on my own don’t worry. I thought it would be similar to when he fought Grendel’s mother.

Never mind, he does go alone. It’s interesting how Beowulf knows that this will be his last adventure. It’s sad at the same time.

I just realized that all of their swords have names. I think I could make this a humorous aspect in my retelling.

It’s actually really sad how Beowulf dies. His men deserted him, but he forgave them before he died. Beowulf might be my favorite character from all the readings so far. 

Bibliography: The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs, with illustrations by Henry Pitz (1933).

Reading Notes: Beowulf, Part A

(Siegfried, the hero of the North, and Beowulf, the hero of the Anglo-Saxons (1909): Wikimedia Commons)

I already like this story from the first paragraph. It makes me picture the Spartans from the movie 300.

I like how the warriors have a soft side to them. I feel like a lot of the time we don’t see both sides, but only see their serious side. It makes them more human in my eyes.

The comradery and family vibe everyone gives off is pretty great to see. You can tell how close they all are to each other.

It’s interesting how the race between Beowulf and Breca lasted five days. I can’t even imagine how tough that would have been.

I feel like this is the first time I have read a story where the main character wanted war. It’s kind of funny how Beowulf is sad how he can’t test his strength properly.

The Wanderer’s song is a really pivotal part of the story. I’m assuming this song makes Beowulf want to go defeat Grendel and test his strength. If I retell this part I will need to incorporate something like the Wanderer’ song.

I could possibly make the moment where Beowulf announces he’s going to defeat Grendel a humorous one since it’s kind of awkward how he does this and the reaction of the everyone else in the room.

I like how they made such a big deal when Beowulf was leaving. However, if I retell this part I might make it to where it’s like a really short farewell ceremony or not have one at all to be funny.

I’m surprised that none of the sea monsters attacked their ship. I would think that maybe some sort of conflict would happen.

For some reason I wish the Guardian of the Beach would have messed with Beowulf. Like maybe telling him he has to pay a certain fee or solve a riddle, but then telling him that he’s just messing around.

I like how desolate and ominous the forest is. It really sets the scene and I could picture it. It’s like something from a zombie apocalypse type movie.

It’s sad how the Danes can’t enjoy the banquet since they haven’t had anything to celebrate in twelve years.

I’m really curious to see Beowulf’s reaction to Unferth calling him out. I would be pretty mad if I were Beowulf because this guy is trying to embarrass him in front of everybody. 

I love Beowulf's response. It really puts Unferth in his place which is great because he is a very unlikable character.

Bibliography: The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs, with illustrations by Henry Pitz (1933).

Reading Notes: King Arthur, Part B

(Statue of Excalibur, Kingston Maurward: Wikimedia Commons)

I like how the knight knows he’s not the best but basically says “Screw it” and puts the shield on anyways.

I wonder why the mysterious knight had to hurt him in order to get the shield from him. He proved his point, but I feel like he could have done it a different way.

I feel bad for Lancelot. I don’t know much about him, but he seems like a good guy. I like how he realizes the errors of his ways though.

I am not a fan of the part with Sir Percivale. There isn’t really anything exciting and I found myself bored the whole time. I won’t be retelling this part of the story.

It’s interesting how Lancelot keeps getting reminded how he is pretty much not fit to seek holy things. Once again, I feel bad for him, but he needs to start changing his ways.

 I like the mysterious aspect that this story includes with the random voices, visions, and other weird occurrences. I could try to incorporate this into my own retelling.

Sir Bors is a nice contrast to the other knights because he is cleansed of his sins and is trying to change his ways. I feel like he will definitely make it to the end.

I think it’s weird how Galahad doesn’t ask any questions, but blindly follows this random woman. I would like these guys to be a little harder to persuade. It seems like he heard her say the word adventure and he didn’t care what else came after it.

I like how some of the knights get reunited. It is nice to see them with so much joy when seeing each other for the first time in a while.

It’s sad how the voice tells Galahad and Lancelot that they will never see each other again. This is probably especially hard for Lancelot since Galahad is his son.

Although I like the dramatic and intense ending, I didn’t really like part B as a whole. Part A was a lot better in my opinion so I will probably choose to retell something from that section. 

Bibliography: King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H. J. Ford (1902).

Reading Notes: King Arthur, Part A

(King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table: Wikimedia Commons)

I like the idea of having basically a competition to see who can be the King. I could have fun with this simple concept and modernize it.

The fact that Arthur nonchalantly takes the sword out of the stone is great. He didn’t even know the implications of what he was doing. It also shows Arthur’s character when he doesn’t like how his father and brother kneeled before him. He seems like a humble person.

The scene where Merlin tells Arthur his future is really interesting. He says it so confidently that you don’t doubt him. Now I am wondering how it will happen since Arthur knows his fate and might try to change.

I didn’t know how much Merlin helped Arthur. I’m familiar with this story, but I thought Merlin was just a wizard and he’s basically acting like Arthur’s guardian angel.

I really like the part where Merlin tells Arthur he has to ask the Lady of the Lake nicely for the sword. It’s seriously like Merlin is his dad who is looking out for Arthur.

I like the origin story of how Arthur got the Round Table. I didn’t know the background of the Round Table before this. I also like the part where he makes Tor a knight. Tor wanting to be a knight reminds me of the movie A Knight’s Tale which I could retell.

I feel really bad for Merlin because he loves this woman, but she uses him and makes fun of him. It’s strange to me how he doesn’t have the willpower to say no to her though. It’s messed up how Vivien uses the magic that Merlin taught her to bury him.

I think Morgan le Fay goes overreacts by trying to kill Arthur. I understand that he killed the man she loved, but it’s still her brother and he was protecting their kingdom. I like how the Lady of the Lake saves him from the enchanted mantle.

I wish it would have been explained how the squire actually got stabbed. Was it a dream or did those events actually happen in reality?

I’m curious as to why Arthur couldn’t just stop the knights from leaving. I would think that he has more power over them then to just let them leave and neglect their duties. 

Bibliography: King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H. J. Ford (1902).

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Week 11 Story: 30 for 30: The Iron Stomach

Updated Version: https://sites.google.com/view/davidrportfolio/30-for-30-the-iron-stomach

(ESPN Logos: Wikimedia Commons)

What if I told you that the greatest competitive eater got his start in middle school? That he has no fun while eating, but does it for the thrill of winning? That he is actually a fictional character from the movie Matilda? This is the story of Bruce "The Iron Stomach" Bogtrotter.

(Matilda (1996) - Bruce vs. Chocolate Cake Scene (4/10) | Movieclips)

"My name is Bruce Bogtrotter, and I'm the number one ranked competitive eater in the world. I hold the record for basically every food out there: hot dogs, Twinkies, honey butter chicken biscuits. If it can be eaten, I will eat the most of it in record time without a doubt. It all started when I was like 12 years old. We had this crazy principal named Ms. Trunchbull. She was absolutely nuts. In hindsight, the police should have definitely been involved from all the acts of child abuse she committed against us. Many of us had to go to therapy... Anyways, she made me eat an entire chocolate cake in front of the whole school. This cake was massive, and at the time I was really self-conscious about my weight. The only thing that got me through it was the whole school started cheering me on. They were all like 'Bruce! Bruce! Bruce!' and their cheers gave me a rush of adrenaline. I felt like death when I finished, but after eating that cake I was a hero in school. All the girls wanted me. Well, they wanted to see me eat, but whatever it's the same thing you know? It was from then on that I decided to commit my life to competitive eating. To be honest, I don't even like it, but I love the competition. It's something that I'm good at and the rush after a win makes everything worth it. But like any other sport, it starts taking a toll on your body."

If I were to ask you what the most dangerous sport is you would probably guess football or some other contact sport, right? Well you would be wrong if you answered that. Competitive eaters have the highest mortality rate out of all sports. Bruce has seen many of his dear friends be taken away too soon by the sport they love. He's even cheated death a couple of times himself.

"After my 10th heart attack I took a step back and had to reevaluate my life. The one thing I am good at in life is literally going to kill me if I don't stop. There were many sleepless nights, I was a shell of my former self, and my stoke tank was at an all-time low. So I asked myself, 'What would Paul Walker do?' I knew the answer. Paul Walker wouldn't give up. Even after losing his first race to Dominic he still got with his sister. If that's not inspiring then I don't know what is. So a couple hours after I was released from the hospital I started training for the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest which is hosted every Fourth of July."

It's Fourth of July at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. Number one versus number two. Bruce Bogtrotter versus Joey Chestnut. The stage is set and the crowd is growing restless.

"Joey and I are neck and neck near the end of the contest. There's maybe thirty seconds left and I'm pushing myself to my limit. I felt like I was about to pass out from the pain, but then the image of Paul Walker came into my head and everything went black. When I came to I was holding up the championship belt and everyone was going wild. Joey told me he was going to retire. He was the only other eater that could even come close to me. I realized at this moment it was time to pass the torch onto the next generation. I left my mark on the competitive eating scene. I knew Paul Walker would be proud of me."

Author's Note: The origin folk tale this story is based on is called “Atdlarneq, The Great Glutton.” In this story, Atdlarneq is a great seal hunter who always manages to catch multiple seals every time he goes out to hunt. Then one day while he’s out hunting, he sees a house with a lot of women. He decides to go to the house and the women treat him well. Then Atdlarneq finds out that the master of the house is coming home soon so he decides to hide. When the master comes home Atdlarneq reveals himself and the master treats him well too. However, the master makes Atdlarneq eat a lot of food or else he will beat him up basically. Atdlarneq ends up nearly dying from overeating and decides to never go South again. For my retelling, I chose to tell it kind of how ESPN does their 30 for 30 series. I also incorporated a character from the movie “Matilda” into it who was forced to eat a huge chocolate cake in front of his whole school as a punishment. I thought of this movie scene immediately when I read about how Atdlarneq was forced to keep eating. Once again, I added some aspects from the San Clemente City Council Meeting about the Paul Walker statue. It’s a callback to one of my previous stories and I thought it would add some more humor to students who had read that story earlier this semester.

Bibliography: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).

Reading Notes: Eskimo Folk Tales, Part B

(Inuit Man 1906: Wikimedia Commons)

Papik
It’s interesting how Ailaq’s mom kills herself to avenge his death. I feel as though she could have gotten back at Papik some other way.
Papik dies in such a gruesome way, but I could see it coming.
I like how this is like a ghost story one would tell kids to make them not kill others.

Patussorssuaq
The theme of both of these stories has been envy. I could incorporate envy into my own retelling if I choose to retell this story.
He kills his uncle pretty early in the story which surprised me.
I wish the story explained how he ended up with his uncle’s wife. It just happened without any explanation and then she dies.
Another theme is murderers being punished for their deeds.

The Wife
It’s crazy to me how one person could start a war between tribes. It reminds me of Helen from The Iliad.
She suffers a pretty terrible death because of the war she started by lying. I could try to think of a way to incorporate this into a retelling.

The Eagle

It’s funny how the brothers suggested the sisters marrying an eagle and a whale because they get swept away by them. I could see the brothers freaking out after this happens.

This story ends abruptly and I am not sure what the point of it was.

Atdlarneq

The fact that he had to keep eating reminded me of a scene from the movie Matilda where one of the kids has to eat a whole chocolate cake as punishment. I will probably retell this story with that movie 

as my inspiration.

Angangujuk

I don’t like how angry his father gets at the mother for losing him. I understand that he’s your son, but you shouldn’t threaten to kill your wife. I don’t really know the point of this story either.

Atarssuaq

I like how the son avenges his father’s death. Overall, I liked the story because of how amazing the son is at diving, but I do not think I will be retelling this story. 

Tungujuluk

I honestly did not like this story because it didn’t really tie the loose ends. Saunikoq tried to kill Tungujuluk’s son but he never even found out. I wanted there to be some intense battle, but instead Tungujuluk basically just played a prank on him.

Kanagssuaq

This story has a really nice ending because the favor is paid back, but I didn’t really like the story as a whole. I do not think I will be retelling this story. 

Bibliography: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen with illustrations by native Eskimo artists (1921).