Storytelling: The Prince and the Rose

Once upon a time there was a princess. She had reached the age to be wed. Her father was very sick and did not have long to live. She would soon be Queen, and she needed a King to help her run her kingdom. She wanted to marry a prince, but she wanted him to be a real prince. He would need to be strong, brave, charming, and sincere. The princess had found plenty of brave, charming princes, but none of them were sincere. She would have one of her maids woo the princes, and the princes would never stop the maid’s advances despite the potential of marrying the princess.  The princess would see that they were not sincere and decide they were not worthy to be her husband.

One day the princess found a prince she really loved and wanted to marry him. She found out the day of her wedding that he, like the others, had not been sincere. Devastated, she ran out of the prince’s castle and into a garden by the castle. Still in her beautiful wedding dress, she collapsed from sorrow and wept. Would she ever find a prince who would actually love her?

“Hello dear, why are you weeping?” an old voice asked.

The princess looked up to see an old, wrinkled woman in tattered clothing.

“I was supposed to be wed today, but no man has been sincere. I fear I will never find a prince that will love me,” the princess explained.

“How could someone not love such a lovely girl like yourself?” the woman asked.

The princess blushed and smiled slightly. “Thank you. You’re very kind,” the princess answered.

The old woman smiled and said, “I have a way for you to find a prince who will truly love you.”

“How?” the princess asked enthusiastically. “Please do explain. I’ll do anything!”

“You are to hold a series of events. You must do them exactly as I explain,” the woman explained.

The princess nodded. She was willing to do anything to find a faithful man to help her run her kingdom.

“You will have men bring you a present. The one who brings the present fit for a princess will be your husband,” the old woman said.

“How will I know which present is the one of the fairest prince?” the princess questioned worriedly.

“The man to bring you a red rose will be the one who is fit to marry you,” the old woman stated.

The princess was overcome with excitement. The next day she announced the competition for her hand in marriage. The princes would have one month to bring a gift worthy of the handsome princess. Princes came from all over and brought her gold, jewelry, and the finest animals, but no one brought her a red rose. The last day of the competition was coming to an end. The princess felt she would never find a husband. As she was about to announce the close of the competition, a homely man walked into her court. He had a wrinkled face and was hunched over and could not stand up straight due to a large hump on his back. His hair was long and untamed. The guards began to seize him for fear he was attempting to bring harm to the princess. The guards began to escort the man out when the princess saw a red rose in the man’s hand.

“Stop,” she commanded, “release him.”

The guards immediately listened to her and released the ugly man.

“Have you brought a gift for me?” the princess asked the man.

“I have brought a red rose for none is as beautiful as the rose except you,” the man explained.

“You have brought a gift worthy of a princess,” the princess stated. “You will be my husband.”

The wedding was held the next day. Many people came to the wedding. “How could she decide to marry such an ugly man?” the people wondered. They gossiped as they saw the man at the alter waiting for the lovely princess to arrive. She walked down the aisle. She was as gorgeous as ever. She glowed with happiness. She did not care that the man was ugly. She was excited to finally find a man that would love her and be sincere.

The end of the wedding ceremony came, and the joining of the two was signified by a kiss. When their lips touched, the prince began to glow and transformed into the most handsome man in the entire kingdom. The princess looked at him, amazed. She could not believe what had happened.

“Only true love could break the spell,” a familiar voice said. “Only the one who was willing to look passed the surface was worthy to marry the prince.” It was the old woman from before. She had brought the two together and they lived happily ever after.

 

The Ugly Man

Author's Note: I was inspired by the Princess and the Pea and another story that I read last week about an ugly man the woman will marry being transformed into a handsome man.

Reading Notes: Hans Christian Andersen-Part A

I decided to read Literary works by Hans Christian Andersen. These include some of his works from his Fairy Tales and Stories selection. 

The Princess and the Pea: I loved this story as a child! The absurdity of it is funny and entertaining to me!

The Emperor’s New Suit: I remember reading this story as a child! It was always entertaining for me, and I enjoyed reading it. I like that it so greatly demonstrates the group think that happens so much in society.

The Brave Tin Soldier: This is a strange story. I am not completely following the story. I think they are toys that come alive at night.

The Brave Tin Soldier (cont.): This is an interesting love story. I don't really get the point. I guess love will prevail.

The Wicked Prince: I liked that God was greater than the prince. I didn't really like this story other than that.

The Little Match-Seller: This is a terribly sad story! I wanted to cry when I read it! It was so sad!

Little Girl

Reading Notes: Italian Popular Tales-Part B

I am continuing reading Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Crane. I really like these fairy tales!

Italian Popular Tales

The Language of Animals: I like that this is like a reverse gender role Snow White.

An Incident in Rome: I'm not sure about the carter and him turning to stone, but

The Story of Crivoliu: This was a strange story. I like that you can see the Roman Catholic influence. It makes the story interesting to read.

The Sexton's Nose: I'm not a fan of these "go get this, before I give you this" stories. They are kind of boring and don't seem to have much meaning.

The Cat and the Mouse: I already read this story. I think it was in a different unit, but it was the same story. I didn't really enjoy it. It was like the story above.

A Feast Day: I read a story similar to this one already. It is silly, and I don't completely understand the moral.

Buchettino: I like that the character is able to take care of himself! This was an interesting story.

The Three Goslings: Ryan Goslings? This is the story of the three little pigs! I always thought this story had a nice moral. It was nice to read again!

The Cock That Wished to Become Pope: That was a terrible ending! There was no moral other than don't have high aspirations because you'll get eaten. I did not like that.

Famous Last Words: The end is near, but not near enough

I have really been struggling the last few weeks. My groups' capstone paper is due on Tuesday, and we have spent about 8 hours a day working on it for the last 8 days. I am so ready to just be done. I want to sleep so bad! The end is so near, but not near enough. I just want to stop and graduate and hope for the best, but I know I need to keep trying. The finish line is so close, and I am continually limping and crawling toward it. I think it's just about over, and I have another stressful week.

How college actually feels

This passed week, my laptop charger got severed so I have been without a laptop for 5 days now. I ordered a new charger, but it is running late. Apparently, Wal-mart and other technology stores do not sell chargers anymore. Best Buy has a universal charger, but it costs $65. I do not have that kind of money to spend on a charger. I ended up buying one on amazon for $8. I have been able to get a lot done because I am not able to work in my room so I have less distractions-like my bed. I still can't wait for my charger to come in. I hope it will get here soon so I can resume my normal college life-studying and working on things while I lie in my bed surrounded by junk food and pillows.

The struggle I experience daily

I am super excited to graduate! I took my senior pictures and sent out all my graduation announcements! It was such a fulfilling moment! However, it has unmotivated me from doing too much this week, other than working 24/7 on capstone. I have had a hard time keeping up with my other classes this week-including this class. I'm hoping to finish up capstone and move along to a more relaxed time!

Personal Photo by Dylan Cunningham

Storytelling: Marigold

Once upon a time there were four friends who were neighbors. They were all girls around the age of 14. One day while they were gathering fresh berries in the forest, they noticed a beautiful garden they had never seen before. The four girls wandered into the garden in awe. The flowers were more beautiful than any they had seen before. One of the girls reached out, mesmerized by the garden’s beauty and took one of the flowers. She wanted nothing more than to have the beautiful flower for her own. As soon as she pulled the flower from the bush an ugly witch appeared, cackling and holding the wrist of the girl who had taken the flower. The other girls were able to escape except the one who had taken the flower. 

“How dare you take what isn’t yours!” The witch screeched. “Your punishment shall be death.”

“Please, no! I’ll do anything! Please don’t kill me!” The girl begged.

The witch thought for a minute and then demanded, “Bring me your first born child when it reaches seven years of age.”

Eager to save her life, the girl agreed.

Many years passed and the girl forgot about the deal she had made with the witch. She had a beautiful daughter that she named Marigold because her hair was as golden as the marigold flower.

When the girl was six years old, she happened to wander into the same garden her mother had. The witch was in the garden in disguise as a lovely young woman. 

“Well, hello, honey.” The witch said to Marigold.

“Hello,” Marigold responded. “I these are pretty flowers.”

 

“They are, aren’t they?” The witch responded. “What would you think about coming to my garden again tomorrow?”

“Yay!” Marigold let out an excited squeal.

“Marigold, I am your aunt. Tell your mom she has to honor the deal she made with your aunt in the garden.”

When Marigold returned home, she told her mom what the witch had said. Marigold’s mother was terrified. She loved her daughter and could not bear to see her taken from her.

“Don’t go see your aunt again, Marigold.” Her mother demanded.

The next day, Marigold was playing in the forest and the witch appeared again.

“Why don’t you come visit my garden?” She asked Marigold.

“My mom said I wasn’t allowed to see you again,” Marigold explained.

“So she does remember,” the witch huffed under her breath. To Marigold she asked, “Dear, how old are you?”

“I am six,” Marigold said proudly.

“Wow! When is your birthday?” the witch questioned.

“Tomorrow!” Marigold said excitedly.

“Tomorrow you’ll be seven,” the witch stated. “Come to my garden tomorrow and I will give you a wonderful present.”

Marigold was beside herself with excitement! She had such a desire to see the beautiful flowers again.

The next day Marigold went to the garden and the witch took her and locked her away in a tall tower with no doors or stairs. The witch loved the girl and raised her as her own; however, she kept Marigold locked in the tower with no company other than herself. When the witch would come to the tower to visit, she would tell Marigold to let down her long, golden hair and the witch would climb up her hair.

On Marigold’s eighteenth birthday, she decided she would leave the tower and explore the world for herself. She requested a special dinner from the witch that would require her to travel through the lands to gather the supplies for three days’ time.

While she was away, Marigold cut her hair and secured it to the wall, and then threw the rest out the window. She climbed down her hair and escaped into the forest. Marigold walked and walked until she finally came to a village. She was wandering through the village mesmerized by the people and environment. As she was trying to take in all her surroundings, she accidentally bumped into someone and caused all they were holding to fall on the ground. Marigold dropped to the ground immediately to collect the dropped items and return them to their owner.

“I am so sorry,” Marigold said as she stood up to return the belongings. As she was about to hand the items to the owner, her eyes locked with the most handsome man she had ever seen. She pulled her eyes from his and started blushing.

He looked at her with such a strange expression. “Milady, I must know your name,” he said staring at her beautiful blushing face. She was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. 

The two met every day for a long while, and their relationship grew stronger with every meeting. Finally, the man asked her to marry him. He revealed to her that he was actually the prince and always wanted to marry a woman who didn’t love him for his riches. Marigold had no idea of his fortune. She happily agreed to marry him, and the two lived happily ever after.

 

My vision of Marigold 

Author's Note: I decided to mix a few of the stories I read. I read the Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Crane. One of the stories was like a beauty and the beast story. I used the garden part from that story. Then I used the story from Rapunzel for most of it. I also liked the last story I read  The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser because it gives women such a strong, independent role. I really like the idea of that so I wanted Marigold to save herself and make her own way.

Reading Notes: Italian Popular Tales-Part A

I decided to read Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Crane because I love the story of Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty!

Zelinda and the Monster: I like how the story seems to have a little hit of Christian background. This is the story of the Beauty and the Beast. I'm not a fan that she only agreed to marry him to save her father, but I like that it turned out happy.

The Fair Angiola: This is the story of Rapunzel! I like this story so far! Love is my favorite!

The Fair Angiola (cont.): It's kind of annoying that they approved of her because she was so pretty. There didn't seem to be any other qualifications. 

How the Devil Married Three Sisters: This was a silly story! I liked that it was light hearted and happy.

Sir Fiorante, Magician: This is an interesting story. I like that they do love each other so much. I don't like that he just found another wife so easily. She sounded pretty fickle.

Water and Salt: Kind of a silly story. I like that the sisters actually like each other.

Catherine and Her Fate: This is sad for Catherine. I hope the story becomes happier.

Catherine and Her Fate (cont.): I'm glad the story ended happily. I'm sad Catherine had to suffer for so long, but it ended well.

The Man, the Serpent, and the Fox: I lked that the story was relatively short, but it didn't make much sense.

The Ingrates: I don't like the last story. It does not have a good moral.

 

Beast in rose bush

Reading Notes: Through the Looking-Glass-Part B

I will be finishing Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll this week.

My Own Invention: I'm not sure about this story. I kind of think I might incorporate something like this into my revision. I would like to introduce the Queen and explain her back story.

 

Alice and the Knights

My Own Invention (cont.): I like that the knight is pretty goofy and an entertaining character! I think he is very silly and fun to read about. I like his inventions a lot.

My Own Invention (cont. again): This character is rather ridiculous! I like reading about what she is learning and the place she is in.

My Own Invention (end): I like that this story has the same whimsical feel that the original Alice in Wonderland does, but with a few extra stories and twists.

Queen Alice: The new queens are pretty annoying. They talk a lot of nonsense which is a key element to Alice in Wonderland.

Queen Alice (cont.): I wonder what Alice will have to do for the examination of being a queen. I don't really like reading about the queens. They don't make much sense.

Queen Alice (cont. again): Is she dreaming now? I am a little confused, but that seems to be a common thing for these stories.

Queen Alice (end): Always so strange. I think it's funny that the food talked to Alice and she wasn't allowed to eat it if she was introduced to it.

Shaking and Waking: I think it's funny how everything just changes and she wakes up holding her cat. I like that nothing too crazy happened.