Warriors Through Culture - Brainstorm Styles Sesh

Topic - The honor of the sword and shield is the truest thing among a certain class of people - the warrior. History is shaped by the blood of warriors. The antagonists. The protagonists. The heroes. The villains. The in between. The legendary ones, and the ones history forgot. Honor. Life. War. Humanity. Bravery. Conflict. Competition. Glory. The code. It can be comprised of anything, depending on the culture. Honor and Glory are defined differently by different cultures. 'Savagery' or a 'warriors way?' Heroic or idiotic? Scalping is glory. Beheading is glory. Taking ones life in defeat is glory. From fight club to the Spartan to the gang Coney Island gang the Warriors. Actual or fictional. That is not the matter, but rather the exploration of the warrior.

Bibliography - Rama in the epic Ramayana:

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/07/myth-folklore-unit-ramayana.html

the hero Yamato from Japan:

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/06/myth-folklore-unit-japanese-mythology.html

Makoma the warrior from east Africa:

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/06/myth-folklore-unit-african-stories-from.html

Kut-O-Yis the Blackfoot warrior:

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/06/myth-folklore-unit-blackfoot-stories.html

Manobozho the Ojibwa warrior:

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/06/myth-folklore-unit-mississippi-valley.html

Beowulf:

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-beowulf.html

King Arthur:

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-king-arthur.html

Styles - (Haiku) This style could cater nicely to the many stories I want to do and the many type of warriors I want to describe. I could do an upwards of about 15 of these and all be just as beautiful and dynamic as a set. I could cover a large area of content and have some describe the warriors physically, probably multiple actually, and then some describe war generally in a beautiful dramatic manner, and some in a harsh manner. This option is versatile in content but fixed in organization. 

(First person) I almost imagine a warrior waiting at the edge of a field or behind the gate, only his heartbeat heard in his head, and visions of swords clashing right before he rushes the enemy. I could write from each warriors point of view. Composing a very sensory driven, emotionally charged style would be the goal.

(Converging) A style or direction rather in which multiple stories and multiple warriors converge that could climax in many different ways. Maybe a story where multiple endings are written? Just brainstorming. The way swords clash with other swords so to could the re written fate of famous or fictional warriors clash.

(Weapon POV) Imagine a go pro on a darting arrow or slashing katana? Dope idea right? I could write stories in the perspective of the warriors weapon. "And as my warrior planted his foot firmly into the hard ground and torqued his body on a horizontal axis, providing optimal power, I cut through the air and slid my way through our enemies belly, watching his intestines spill, quickly afterwards, being lifted in victory." Wow haha.

Warriorz

Essay - The Helpless & Foolish

I found one reoccurring theme in the four stories I highlighted in my Aesop's Fables (Jacobs) Reading Diary posts... and that was the theme of the 'helpless and foolish'. I am quite surprised and proud I found this re occurrence as I had to ponder, compare, and contrast these stories for a bit and then take a step back and connect the dots. At first I thought they all had death, but that wasn't a certainty, as some stories ended rather open ended. Another quick connection I thought I might have was that in most Aesop fables there are animals. So all must have animals. But nope two of mine did not so that connection quickly came and went in a dash. I then came to the universal them of the helpless and foolish and this is how.

In the story The Wolf and the Kid, you guessed it, a wolf and a kid come across paths. The kid talks mad shit to the wolf while atop a roof, safe and sound, and the wolf simply walks by and says anyone can be brave from a safe distance and shuts the kid up and keeps on strolling by. I re-wrote this story in poem form and titled it the boy who stuck his chest out too far, but in my version the boy falls and has to pay for his foolish confidence. You can guess what happens to the helpless boy after that.

The Lion in Love is about a lion falling in love with a beautiful human lady. Her parents don't want to anger the lion by saying they can't be together so instead they tell him to declaw and de-teeth himself so he will be safe and not accidentally hurt their precious daughter. The lion, blindly in love, with cloudy logic, removes his teeth and claws. After this foolish act he is helpless, and will never be the lion he was. Causing insult to injury he is also tricked by the humans and is still not granted the daughter. So sad.

In The Man and the Wood a man walks into a forest begging for branches from the forests trees. The trees in their good-nature helped the man out but this was a foolish mistake as the man came back to the helpless trees and cut them down one by one with the new axe he had made from their branches. Quote from the original story: "Then the Trees saw how foolish they had been in giving their enemy the means of destroying themselves."

The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner is a story in which a battlefield trumpeter is captured by the opposition. The helpless trumpeter begged his life be spared as he had no weapon and was of no threat. He was foolish because he was still apart of the war, still the enemy, and in some opinions was more dangerous than a man with a gun as patriotic music sparks inspiration into the heart of his fellow soldiers.

These are stories of the helpless and foolish...
Learn from them :)

Mr. T thoooo

Week 3 Storytelling - the boy who stuck his chest out too far

The Wolf and the Kid

an Aesop fable

The original story // Inspiration:

A Kid was perched up on the top of a house, and looking down saw a Wolf passing under him. Immediately he began to revile and attack his enemy. "Murderer and thief," he cried, "what do you here near honest folks' houses? How dare you make an appearance where your vile deeds are known?"

"Curse away, my young friend," said the Wolf:

"It is easy to be brave from a safe distance."

____________________________________________

the boy who stuck his chest out too far

Inspired by the original Aesop fable:
The Wolf and the Kid

A young boy climbed atop his roof in his boredom
He was a rude little boy with a little heart like a toy
plastic and only so alive

He wore some overalls
He climbed a lot to never fall
Like many boys he thought he was the man

A young buck amongst beast
In a forest he ran atop his two feet
But for the most part he climbed up tress and long vines

Tarzan he could be called
He might turn appalled
As he would say he was greater than that stupid jungle man

As you can see this youngster was kind of mean
Arrogant and full of childish ploys
He had a mouth on him
He was a rude little boy

As this boy was atop his roof he saw in the distance a thing
This thing had no mane
so no it was not a lion
but instead another fierce creature

On his four legs he traveled ever closer to the boy
He walked with a presence of beastly prestige
He was bold, fierce and a great beast
He was the rule in the forest on all he could feast

The boy shouted vile words to the wolf
Taunting a creature far more powerful than he
And with a fatal mis step he fell
From his mouth now only plea

He screamed and shrieked in horror
Trying to take back his evil words
He was no longer the brave boy with his chest puffed out
Rather more helpless than a little baby bird

The wolf charged the boy
Not another scream was heard
As the wolf clamped down on his jugular
From the boy to the ground, blood profusely transferred

Thou shalt not talk shit if thou cannot back it up

He's not Cruel He's just a Survivor 

_______________________________

Author's Notes

My story is inspired by an Aesop fable named The Wolf and the Kid found in Myth-Folklore Unit: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs). In life many people talk a lot and do not prove their claims. We all know the cliches. Actions speak louder than words. Talk shit get hit. Talk is cheap. So on and so fourth. This story proves that moral. I tried a new form of writing by spontaneously adding some rhyme in my broken up passages. It was fun. Be dope. 

Reading Diary B - Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)

Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)

The Man and the Wood
A Man came into a Wood one day with an axe in his hand, and begged all the Trees to give him a small branch which he wanted for a particular purpose. The Trees were good-natured and gave him one of their branches.

What did the Man do but fix it into the axe head, and soon set to work cutting down tree after tree.

Then the Trees saw how foolish they had been in giving their enemy the means of destroying themselves.

Thoughts

What a sad truth. Foolish trees but it's hard to fault them for their kind acts. But I guess a moral could be, always stay on guard, or stranger danger haha. I imagine Lord of the Rings like trees, but those were aggressive. Men carry on this tradition of the destruction of nature till this day. It is a reoccurring fact on this earth. Maybe one day our demise? 

The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner
A Trumpeter, prisoner made,
Hoped his life would be spared when he said
He'd no part in the fight,
But they answered him: "Right,
But what of the music you made?"

Songs may serve a cause as well as swords

Thoughts

I love poetry like this. Such short passages that still make one think and decode them with every selection of word and diction. This is a story of war. There was an earlier tale I read in which I'm sure the trumpeter was executed as he was treated just as if he was a soldier. He was on the battlefield after all. He may have supported the cause. At least a noble death could have fell upon him if he did not reason as to not being a warrior of his land. Those might be medieval thoughts though haha. Is the trumpet a weapon? Are war cries and war songs deadlier than the sword? Perhaps. Inspiration can breath fire into a man. If many men feel the passion an army could win by spirit. Perhaps the trumpet really is more dangerous than the sword.

Sword (trumpeter)
Axe (man & the wood)
Combo

Reading Diary A - Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)

Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)

First thoughts while reading these classical stories were - 1) how curious I was to find out the difference between English (my first 'Reading Diary' Aesop author) and Jacobs (this 'Reading Diary' Aesop author). They are actually quite similar, and I love these little stories just as much. 2) These are easier to read than English haha. 3) They share similar stories, some only slightly manipulated, but it is a good surprise when you find the slight differences. The story I most notably remember from both English and Jacobs was the lion and the three bullock (English) and the four oxen and the lion (Jacobs). You can see the difference in the titles and catch on from there. Still a great story.


The Wolf and the Kid
A Kid was perched up on the top of a house, and looking down saw a Wolf passing under him. Immediately he began to revile and attack his enemy. "Murderer and thief," he cried, "what do you here near honest folks' houses? How dare you make an appearance where your vile deeds are known?"

"Curse away, my young friend," said the Wolf: "It is easy to be brave from a safe distance."

Thoughts

This story made me go towards the wolfs side, as I usually would if a wolf or lion are involved. The kid was all show and no go. We get a lot of those in rugby. My story would have the kid slip off of the roof and have to face the wolf mano a mano haha. We know how that ends. Gulp!

The Lion in Love
A Lion once fell in love with a beautiful maiden and proposed marriage to her parents. The old people did not know what to say. They did not like to give their daughter to the Lion, yet they did not wish to enrage the King of Beasts.

At last the father said: "We feel highly honoured by your Majesty's proposal, but you see our daughter is a tender young thing, and we fear that in the vehemence of your affection you might possibly do her some injury. Might I venture to suggest that your Majesty should have your claws removed, and your teeth extracted, then we would gladly consider your proposal again."

The Lion was so much in love that he had his claws trimmed and his big teeth taken out. But when he came again to the parents of the young girl they simply laughed in his face, and bade him do his worst.

Love can tame the wildest

The Lion in Love (poem)
Though the Lion in love let them draw
All his teeth, and pare down every claw,
He'd no bride for his pains,
For they beat out his brains
Ere he set on his maiden a paw.

Our very means may defeat our ends

Thoughts

A love story with a lion in it. Melted my heart haha. Also kinda made me agree with the Weekends new album and basically say no to love. It's deadly. I really like how there are two versions of the one story, the short story version, and the small poem version. I prefer the "Our means may defeat our ends" moral however. Its just more epic. Love cannot tame the wild. Wild is an instinct. That's why even men are sometimes dogs in the sense of love lust and passion.

Final Thoughts
Wolves and lions are what I most relate to still. They are usually the aggressors, but come with some nobility, honor when honor is deserved, and relentless when survival is at hand. My favorite quote, possibly a note from my wonderful professor Gibbs, is:

"The wolf has no sense of injustice, yet the point of these stories is not so much that the wolf is unjust but rather that it is foolish to expect otherwise from a wolf."

What I have to comment about this amazing quote is - The men who strive for glory many times are perceived as the villain. But they do not mind. They relish this instance. But are they really the villain, or are you too weak to recognize the hunger to succeed. Thank you.

Wolf