By Lee, Ruby, Jasmine, and Tracy
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Profile Lover of many types of stories, but lack of talent to create any. The short poem written by me was inspired by the legendary created by John Ronald Lee
Reuel Tolkien, “The Lord of the Ring”. The figure beside the poem is picture of Nazgul.
What is Nazgul? Ask Google.
Ruby
A girl who lives in Hsinchu A girl who enjoys reading, traveling, and eating yummy food A girl who is ready to graduate from university, hoping to have a good life in the future
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Jasmine, who was born in Zhejiang, China, is a typical Buddha-like youth. She likes singing and drawing. In leisure time, she prefers staying at home. Sometimes, she will travel Jasmine
with her parents and take some beautiful pictures. She believes that it takes all sorts to make a world, and her motto in life is “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” Hello, I am Tracy. I come from Nantou. I like to have fun in my free time. I am in my third year of studying economics at National Central University. I believe that “Energy and persistence
Tracy
conquer all things.”
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Preface By Ai‐ping Liu For those who are reading the lines: Oh, you can’t imagine how time flies Remember we met for the first time? 108‐2 Reading Short Stories was your cup of tea Cause you told me you liked stories; you liked me Let’s get started with 3 very short, short, stories A warm-up, a peek at the bottom of their heart Searching for it, struggling through it Savoring, sickening, or even suiciding for it Of course you needed a bit of time to digest all For vocab stood just in the way to make you fall
“Read on,” I said, smiling and assuring “Enlighten yourself through reading As long as you do a bit of thinking Do think of it even when you’re eating” 4
It’s said that epiphany is true No one can easily go through Get ur reading done for a clue Sammy would like to be an unsuspected hero Haunted House shelters love and no sorrow Open the door for the poor Cat in the Rain Reach the bazaar; Araby isn’t really that far Tell‐Tale Heart is to listen to your own heart Shameful Affair is more than just a summer fling To Mildred, to be or not to be is always haunting Omelas or Lottery will be everlasting? Replay the time machine to find Braling It can also take you to Venus of storming Emily and her rose won’t be forgotten Short stories thrive in our lively garden
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Analytical Writing (Marionettes, Inc.) by Ruby In the story “Marionettes, Inc.”, I think there are some evidences of foreshadowing that Smith’s wife might have been a marionette. Started by Smith complaining “When you’ve been married ten years, you don’t expect a woman to sit on your lap for two hours every evening, call you at work twelve times a day and talk baby talk. And it seems to me that in the ‘last month’ she’s gotten worse.” Nettie becomes worse in the last month; in other words, Nettie becomes different than usual, which may mean she has become a marionette from then on. Second, Smith thinks,” Two months from now my ribs will have a chance to mend from the crushing they’ve taken. Two months from now my hand will heal from being so constantly held. Two months from now my bruised underlip will begin to reshape itself.” This paragraph points out that Smith physically hurts a lot in intimacy, which is quite confusing, because
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people, especially women, are not strong enough to do that mostly. That is to say, Betties has become a marionette, so it’s hard for it to control strength on touching Smith. Third, after Smith sees Nettie, mumbling “Sometimes it is impossible for me to believe you married me instead of that ‘Bud Chapman’ you once liked. It seems that in the’ last month’ you have loved me more wildly than ever before.” Here are two points that need our attention to focus. First, Bud Campman is another man, which Nettie used to love. Second, Smith emphasizes that Nettie loves him more in last month again, which correlates to Smith’s complaint with Braling.
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Fourth, when Smith finds there are ten thousand dollars missing and automatically blames Nettie “ I know! She bought that little house on the Hudson she’s been talking about for months”. The little house on the Hudson is somehow similar to Rio, for they are both travel locations, and they have both been desired for a long time. From my points of view, this may be the main reason why Nettie buys a marionette, just like what Braling had done. Finally, which is also one of climaxes in this story. Smith has heard the “Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick.” comes from Nettie’s chest. This strongly proves that Nettie is actually a marionette. 8
Analytical Writing (They’re Not Your Husband) by Ruby In the story “they’re not your husband”, Earl puts a lot of focus on Doreen’s body shape. As I see it, because Earl is feeling insecure, even having low self-confidence, he tries to use this to control Doreen. First, Earl is between jobs, and he is drinking. As a result, I guess he is fired by his last boss. He may be frustrated with his life. Second, he is strongly influenced by the two men in business suits, which may mean success for him. When they are laughing at his wife, he isn’t angry at them. Besides, he even totally agrees with their words. To my way of thinking, Earl seems to be a man who has low self-confidence and overly admires successful people.
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In the middle of the story. He tries to convince Doreen to lose weight. When Doreen is convinced successfully, he says “I’m a closer” to express his power. In addition, when people say that Doreen is too pale because of losing weight, Earl also says “but they are not your husband.” to control Doreen. Moreover, he uses this sentence to prove that he is right. This part illustrates that Earl not only wants to control Doreen, but also refuses to be criticized by anyone. Finally, after Doreen has been in shape, Earl asks other customer in the shop to comment on his wife. He wants to get good feedback from others, so he can be proud of what he has done. In my opinion, no one would want other’s comments so eagerly, but people with low-confidence. Because he doesn’t have his own idea, he just follows other’s voice. To conclude, I’m concerned that controlling Doreen is the way which Earl tries to keep his secure.
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Analytical Writing (A Shameful Affair) by Tracy In the story “A Shameful Affair,” the author Kate Chopin describes many events with subtle sentences to imply conflicts that Mildred deals with especially when it is related to her sexual desire. One of these events is that “His shoulders were broad and square and his limbs strong and clean. A not unpicturesque figure in the rough attire that bared his throat to view and gave perfect freedom to his every motion.” Another example is that “Ask the man if he will drive me to the church tomorrow.” The third event is that “She could have cried for vexation. Snubbed by a farmhand! a tramp, perhaps.” Obviously, we can see that Mildred likes Fred when she first meets him, and she makes her first step to pursue Fred. I think “throat” is a symbol of her sexual desire here, and she faces her desire directly. After Fred refuses her request, she begins to think that how dare he could refuse her. I think it’s one of major 11
conflicts. In her mind, she likes Fred, but on the other hand, she also thinks that he is just a farmhand, and doesn’t deserve her. However, she couldn’t banish his inexplicable look. As I mentioned above, Mildred does like Fred even with a little bit disgust. Nevertheless, there is a turning point in the part II of story. We can see that “Are you fishing?” and “Let me try a moment,” said by Mildred. The two examples also show that she likes him, and try to get his attention. The story continues, “He kissed her lips, and she did not know if it was ten times or only once. Mildred was not wildly indignant.” As Fred kisses her, she doesn’t feel being offended. Instead, the kiss is actually enjoyable. Since we can see “A hateful burden to bear alone until she could forget it,” she turns to be shameful later though she looks fine after being kissed. As being kissed, she doesn’t push him away. No matter how she feels actually, she should ask him 12
what the “kiss” means. After Fred runs away, she doesn’t confront him to ask why he kisses her. I think the reason is that Mildred doesn’t want to deal squarely with her sexual desire; she just inhibits it. That is, she tries to forget “the shameful affair” instead of facing it. We can see the proof in the story, “A fresh indignity! When the Offender passed her by she knew it, though her eyes were never lifted.” Although she thinks it’s a shameful affair, she enjoys it so much that she couldn’t banish it. Because “The sweet trouble of it banished her dream from her pillow.” She is a little bit happy, so the author uses “sweet” to describe the trouble. She just couldn’t accept that Fred just kisses her and runs away without any words, so she turns to be shameful. She could not admit that she falls in love with a tramp. In the last part, Fred says to Mildred, “I am the most consummate hound that walks the earth.” Fred tries to express how sorry he is. He wants to apologize. Mildred replies, “someday perhaps; when I shall have forgiven myself!” Clearly, Fred is her 13
desire, and she likes him; on the other hand, she couldn’t accept it. Therefore, she says she will forgive him when she forgives herself. As Mildred meets her sexual desire, she is a helter-skelter. Instead of facing it, she just constrains it. In the story, we can see Mildred does leave the Kraummer farmhouse to suppress her sexual desire. The main discussion in the story is that Mildred’s behavior doesn’t correspond with her mind, and mostly, they are conflicting. To conclude, Kate Chopin uses subtle sentences to imply the conflicts that Mildred faces when it is about her sexual desire. While Mildred meets her sexual desire, she always depresses it instead of facing. We can see that Mildred said, “someday perhaps; when I shall have forgiven myself.” It seems that the author still opens up a very positive characteristic development on Mildred, meaning that she will facing her sexuality directly someday. 14
Analytical Writing (Araby) by Tracy The setting of the story “Araby” reinforces the theme by using imagery of light and darkness, which illustrates how people often expect more than ordinary reality can provide and then feel disillusioned and disappointed.
Because the narrator admires Megan’s sister, he uses the
symbol of darkness to express that he is so down, when she doesn’t show up. One of the examples is “It was a dark rainy evening and there was no sound in the house.” Another example is “The career of our play brought us through the dark muddy lanes behind the houses.” In these two examples, we can see that once Megan’s sister doesn’t show up, the narrator uses a lot of imagery of darkness, which is closer to his reality. On the other hand, the narrator uses imagery of light, like his fantasy, when Megan’s sister shows up. For instance, “She was waiting for us, her figure defined by the light from the half15
opened door.” One more example is “The light from the lamp opposite our door caught the white curve of her neck, lit up her hair that rested there and, falling, lit up the hand upon the railing.” As I said, the narrator uses imagery of darkness and light to tell us how much he adores Megan’s sister. The narrator sees Megan’s sister as his goddess, so when she tells him to go to the Araby, he thinks that Araby must be a wonderful place, which also symbolizes his fantasy. Unfortunately, he finds that the Araby isn’t wonderful in the end, which means he is disillusioned. We can clearly find this symbol in “I heard a voice call from one end of the gallery that the light was out. The upper part of the hall was now completely dark.” To sum up, the main discussion in Araby is epiphany. That is, the narrator finds that everything he admires is fantasy in the end, and it is the opposite of his reality and ideals. 16
Analytical writing (The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas ) by Jasmine This article is about what happened in the city of Omelas. Though the author spends much of time describing how prosperous, beautiful and stable Omelas is. We can still see the city's fetid, hypocritical dark side in its apparent "happiness." The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas are those who still have conscience. They can't bear the darkness anymore, and leave for the true light. What I can feel most is the hypocrisy of Omelas. The author shows it from the following aspects: “I thought at first there were no drugs, but that is puritanical. For those who like it, the faint insistent sweetness of drooz may perfume the ways of the city, drooz which first brings a great lightness and brilliance to the mind and limbs, and then after some hours a dreamy languor, and wonderful visions at last of the very arcane and inmost secrets of the Universe, as well as exciting the pleasure of sex beyond all belief; and it is not habit‐forming.” It’s a description of "drooz". Although the article 17
says that drooz is not a drug, its effect undoubtedly means that it is actually a substitute for "drug" or simply "drug". The author has been emphasizing that Omelas has no "evil", but “drooz” is actually made to satisfy people's desire for drugs. This reveals the hypocrisy beneath the surface of Omelas civilization. “Often the young people go home in tears, or in a tearless rage, when they have seen the child and faced this terrible paradox. They may brood over it for weeks or years. But as time goes on they begin to realize that even if the child could be released, it would not get much good of its freedom: a little vague pleasure of warmth and food, no real doubt, but little more.” The poor kid is symbolic, like a collection of people who had been enslaved, mercilessly exploited by a higher class. It’s also full of irony. Although the young people feel wrong to put their own happiness above the pain of others, they still give up rescuing the child for their selfish desire. And this cheap sympathy makes them more hypocritical and shameful. 18
Analytical Writing (The Romance of a Busy Broker) by Jasmine As we can see from the title of the story, "busy" and "romance" are two key words linking each climax after another throughout the story. In other words, the third person narrator tells the story with layers of foreshadowing and a shocking ending with these two key words. The author ironically describes that Harvey forgot that he and Miss Leslie were married because he was so absorbed in his work. The previous part seems to have written the interaction between Miss Leslie and Harvey very vaguely. But in fact, between the lines has revealed the unusual relationship between Miss Leslie and Harvey. “Instead of going straight into the adjoining room, where her desk was, she lingered, slightly irresolute, in the outer office. Once she moved over by Maxwell's desk, near enough for him to be aware of her presence. ” By describing Miss Leslie's abnormal 19
behavior and her intimate actions with Harvey, it is implied that Harvey and Miss Leslie's unusual relationship, different from their ordinary relation between a boss and a stenographer. It also sets the stage for the truth that they have got married the night before. The reason why Harvey forgot his relationship with Miss Leslie was that his career was very busy and he was addicted to it. Therefore, the author focused on Harvey's busy life. “The machine sitting at that desk was no longer a man; it was a busy New York broker, moved by buzzing wheels and uncoiling springs. ” This sentence compares Mr. Harvey to a busy machine, which reflects Mr. Harvey's busyness and his enthusiasm for work. “On the Exchange there were hurricanes and landslides and snowstorms and glaciers and volcanoes, and those elemental disturbances were reproduced in miniature in the broker's offices.” All these have made a reasonable preparation for Mr. Harvey to forget all kinds of things and even his proposal to marry Miss Leslie. Harvey is the main character in this novel, for who is a very 20
three-dimensional character. The author describes the quandary of Harvey’s proposal, since He is too busy to ask for marriage. On the one hand, He is utilitarian and ugly, which is easy to be seen from his "proposal": I haven't had time to make love to you in the ordinary way, but I really do love you. Talk quick, please— —those fellows are clubbing the stuffing out of Union Pacific. This sentence is the punch line：Harvey's gaffes, his distortions of fame, are exposed even at his proposal ——such an important moment ——he still thinks about his job! Addicted to the financial world, Harvey is so fanatical that he completely forgets whether he is married and who his wife is. On the other hand, he is also a single-minded man, full of yearning for love. “They're calling me for the 'phone now. Tell them to wait a minute, Pitcher. Won't you, Miss Leslie?" It shows that whether he has forgotten or not, his heart has always belonged to Miss Leslie. What’s more, he is so eager for an answer that he is willing to hear it even 21
though he is losing his time. Finally the story reveals both its climax and Miss Leslie’s reply to Harvey’s proposal at the ending. Through Miss Leslie’s facial expressions from amazing to beatific, we get the truth: “We were married last evening at 8 o'clock in the little church around the corner." This is an obvious O Henry ending. Although it seems unexpected, combined with the previous foreshadowing, everything is reasonable. However, the short, sharp twist at the end still strikes and amazes all readers. 22
Analytical Writing (The Storyteller) by Lee In opening, I would like to discuss a question about “story teller” written by Saki. The story indicate that the young bachelor is a better story teller than the aunt of children, but in which way does he prove his advance skill? From my point of view, it is the interaction between everyone in the cabin that has made that story told by bachelor attractive to children. There should be no doubt that the bachelor doesn’t take telling a good story as a purpose; however, to stop the kids from annoying him is all he wants. This might be the reason why he doesn’t illustrate the story by a traditional way. In contrast, the bachelor provide the window of opportunity for the kids to imagine the world in the story. When he receive any feedback from those children, he can realize what story those kids are eager to hear. According to the story, the beginning of the story told by bachelor and the aunt show no differences. It is the time when questions are asked by little girl that the bachelor leads the 23
story into an unknown area. It is notable that the story is given more details every time kids raise a question, whether the answers are reasonable or not. Based on the conversation of the bachelor and children, this story has been finished. As mentioned above, the bachelor understand what part of story that kids are interested in the most by conversation. This indicate the biggest difference between him and the aunt, that he is willing to mitigate himself into a more suitable storyteller for kids. The questions asked by children show that the logic of them has plethora of differences from the two storytellers. The differences were the key of capturing children’s interest that the aunt never tries to figure out. For example, the sophisticate details about garden and saviors demanded by kids is ignored by the aunt. In conclusion, from my perspective, the bachelor is indeed an extraordinary storyteller compared with the aunt. In other 24
words, he constructs this story with children’s view of world at the mean time as he answered the questions. As a result, the story is appreciated by the kids.
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Narrative Writing (Araby) by Ruby When I was in sophomore, my life was filled with the activities which society seems promising. Such as business competition, heavy school class, coding program group… etc. In that period, I often had meetings with my co-worker until midnight. Actually, going to bed after 3 p.m. was not a big deal for me then. The biggest problem I needed to deal with was that I didn’t have enough time to finish those things, I worked hard from day to night, and I seldom had time to relax. Every time I tried to relaxed, I would feel horribly guilty, because I knew there were still a huge of assignments waiting for me. I really learned a lot of skills at that period of time. However, that was the worst period in my life. I couldn’t help but always feeling anxiety, I seldom felt happy even I tried to do things that made me look happy, such as eating yummy food, watching funny videos. Not to mention that I always felt negative about, not only this world but also myself. This is truly a horrible period for me.
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Thankfully, in junior year, I had a chance to be an exchange to student in another country. During that time, I studied the class I enjoyed, I traveled to the places I was interested in on my own, and I stopped doing the things which seem good for the future. I did all the things that I wanted but not society wanted. It was the happiest period I had never ever experienced. I love those days, and I love myself during the time. I got an epiphany: success on career (or money) wouldn’t absolutely make me happy; they are not the most important part in my life. 27
Narrative Writing (Araby) by Ruby The boy in “Araby” is absent-minded in the classroom. This experience recalls me that when I had chemistry with my boyfriend (he wasn’t my boyfriend then), I was easily influenced by any of his behavior. One day, we went to library and studied. I shared a song with him by using the same headset. because I thought the melody of this song was suitable for studying. However, I forgot that song was a “love song”, whose lyrics is about admiring another person’s eyes, eyebrows…etc. The song even talked about hoping another person to be one’s lover. I remembered all his reaction when he heard this song. At first, his eyes became big, his face turned quite confused and shocked. And then, his face changed to shy. At this moment, I eventually found something strange with this lyric. However, I couldn’t do anything until he finished listening. After the 28
music stopped, my boyfriend gave my headset back with a meaningful smile. From then on, I couldn’t focus on my textbooks anymore. I tried to study, however, I couldn’t help but reflect on his reaction and his every tiny facial expression. My shy emotion controlled my mind, not only feeling my face turning red and hot, but also hearing my heart bumping. The only thing I wanted to do at that moment was running far away from library, and forgot what just had happened. In fact, I was trapped by that small chair, pretending nothing happened in my best. After one hour, I didn’t finish reading even one page, I was totally absent-minded. 29
Narrative Writing (A&P) by Tracy I was a member of the “Chunyu” which was the Central Region Alumni Association. We would hold an activity for Taichung’ s elementary school students in the winter vacation. It was a five-day winter camp, and it was for free. There were many groups, and one of the groups was called “Life Group” which was in charge of food for the camp, and I was in that group. Our group decided to go to the Carrefour at night in order to buy food we needed. It was a rainy day. However, when we were arrived in the Carrefour that was open 24/7, we found that it was closed! Because it was under disinfecting, it would be done for just one time in the whole year. “Luckily” for us, we just met the “one time”. Though there was nothing we could do about this, we determined to come the next time. We took a photograph in front of the “closed” door. Then we went to have the late night snack, and we were 30
chatting and playing for fun. Suddenly, someone proposed to see the midnight screening later. Some people wanted to see a kind of horror films, but I said no. I was really afraid of those movies. I proposed to see the THOR3 by the MARVEL. Nevertheless, there were three people who had seen the movie already. Finally, we chose the movie called Justice League made by the DC. The movie really sucked. I was tired of the non-stop blast effects. The three people who had seen the THOR3 said that they should have voted the THOR3. To see one more time was better than to see the awful DC movie. In the end, we went back to school at 5 a.m., though we had a sports competition at 9 a.m. As I recalled these special memories every time, I still thought that we were so youthful to do such crazy things. 31
Narrative Writing (A Rose for Emily) by Tracy There is a YouTube channel called “Emolog”, and there are two female hosts in the channel. Though they are homosexual couple, they don’t care how other people think, and they just want to record their life and to share with fans. One day, I was watching their live broadcast. One of the twogirls, Semo, prepared to play a trick on the other girl, Emo, and she wanted to see her reaction. First, Semo colluded with fans to lie to Emo together when Emo went out to get some drink. After Emo came back, Semo began to cheat Emo that someone said they were so disgusted because they were lesbian and kept reviling them. In fact, no one did, and it was a trick. Emo comforted her instead, and let her feel not so sad. Obviously, Emo was fooled. Emo talked to the audiences in the live broadcast. She said “if you don’t like us, all you can do is turn the live off instead of saying anything bad. No matter how you think, 32
I love the person called Semo, and she is a girl just like me. Everyone has their own choice. Love has nothing to do with gender.” Semo was very touched. She told Emo that it was a joke, and no one said anything bad. Since Emo was afraid of Semo being hurt, Emo breathed a sigh of relief after she heard that it was a joke. I was very touched by the words Emo said because we could see the strong belief in their love from the conversation. To be honest, no matter what, two girls can be together, and there is love between them. As the saying goes, “Age is not a problem, and height is not a distance.” Therefore, gender couldn’t be the problem, and love is the most important thing of all. If people see love differently, one man and one woman could be unhappy in their relationships. Hence, gender isn’t vital. Love is. 33
Narrative Writing (The Lottery) by Jasmine Yesterday, the temperature was still unchanged at night， with hot waves floating in the air. After dinner, my brother suddenly proposed to buy lottery tickets, I was a little surprised. After all, he is less than 8 years old. He took out ¥30 from his piggy bank, gave me ¥10, and graciously asked me to buy a lottery ticket. At the lottery, the air dropped about 10 degrees. The sweat suddenly changed from damp to cool. My brother bought the big lottery (the one with a set of Numbers), and I chose five scratchers. He took a pen and paper, sat down on the next table with mom, held the pen nervously. Brother thought for a long time and scrawled a few Numbers on top of paper that was already slightly soaked by sweat. After finishing writing, he pretended to be very confident, sent the paper to the shopkeeper with a strong voice: "grandma, here you are!” By this time, I had already cashed the prize and won 7 yuan. When 34
the shopkeeper told him that the lottery would not be run until 9 p.m. the next day, he was a little worried and a little upset, said: "that will wait a day...” Then we walked out of the lottery. On the way home, my brother never stopped talking. He kept telling us with gusto that he would buy a fancy car if he won ¥10 million, and his eyes were full of bright light shining all the time. 35
Narrative writing (A Haunted House) by Jasmine When I read this article, though the title "A Haunted House" seems scary, I feel warm. Whether the ghostly couples are afraid of disturbing the owner of the house, or the new owners showed tolerance rather than fear, all shows their tenderness. This tenderness makes me think of
the
Japanese
animation
"
Natsume’s Friend Account " (夏目友人帳) , where demons and ghosts can also get along with humans, with kindness and warmth. Perhaps people are blinded by their fear of the unknown things, and they look at these things with a bias. But in fact, the ghost’s hearts and people’s seem to be the same. They laugh, cry and have their own feelings. Sometimes they are even better than us. I am a person who does not believe in ghosts because I have never experienced them. But sometimes I feel like they do exist in this world. Because my friends and the bloggers I follow all 36
share their own experiences, through them I learned a lot. In their experiences, ghosts are not as horrible or as sinister as the conventional impression. Most of them are not vicious, either. They just a bit like to play little mischief. On the other hand, most of the time we humans just do not know about each other, or do not want to understand different things. As the result, the gap between each other gets deeper and deeper. However, I don't think that's a reason to fear or stigmatize those who we don’t understand or who are different from us. Since there are plenty groups of people who have a very different way of living and thinking from we do, I think we need to be inclusive and understanding. This is a basic respect for each other. 37
Narrative Writing (The Storyteller) by Lee Though I am not a good storyteller, I still enjoy collecting stories from different regions and forms. Therefore, I would like to illustrate my perspective of storytellers from the various myth and legends. The prominent feature of the story “Storyteller” is the difference between two storytellers. Therefore, to fit the topic, I would try to illustrate how stories I read deal great impacts on me. As mentioned above, instead of being a storyteller, I play as a role of story lover in my lifetime. My parents removed television from my home in order to keep me and my siblings away from watching blend, poor-designed programs broadcast by it. As a result, my childhood was full of fantastic novels and sci-fi fiction. Also, as I grew up, the stories brought by comics and movie attracted me. However, I prefer to enjoyed stories by playing video games since I gained a myriad of knowledge and fun from it. 38
When I was still a kid, I never get tired to play a game called “Civilization III”. That was the main reason why I started to find interests in history. Though this game is not made to tell any story of history, many basic mechanics about government and politics. In my opinion, students in Taiwan are commonly lack of these knowledge. I am not saying that my intelligence was beyond the average of Taiwan since my childhood, but I would say I am really lucky to meet this game which made me widen my cognitive. Few years later, I began to enjoyed games called Crusaders’ Kings and Europa Universalls. They are all more complicate than Civilization. Moreover, their maps and gaming systems are all built with real world. It was hard for me to imagine why any student do not like to dig in history. The legendary from worldwide I learnt from them show secrets of how a country rise and fall. Understanding of 39
why reformations in different ages and regions are necessary grew while I stay out late in order to survive from the horrible neighbors and rebellions in the games. Reconquista of Asturias, bloody succession in royal families, arguments between numerous of classes… Apart from these stories that are not taught in class, I learnt many knowledge which are definitely be seen as useless. For instance, duchess of Tuscany was still single in 1066, identity of electors in Holy Roman Empire during 1444, ancient
Persian
allow
marriage between siblings. Games also increase my imagination. The earth we lived might be different in plenty of places if some certain events ended up with other consequence. From my perspective, play more games instead of preparing examination every day help your growth of intelligence. Everyone should try if they have window of opportunity. 40
Narrative Writing (A Haunted House) by Lee What would a blind be if an opportunity of gaining vision appeared? That feeling might be as same as when one fell in love. Like moths chasing fire, no human being can resist the light of love. My soul had been lost since the Grim Reaper visited my home. Every time I experienced happiness, my mind would be occupied by the scene of funeral. In other words, I couldn’t stop myself imagining death of my friends and families right after any wonderful interactions between us happened. And then I met her. For the first time, the blind was able to feel the light. As she smiled at me, the sun light shed on depth of the abyss. I could not tell if I was falling in love, but I felt that my soul 41
was cured. I could still remember the first time we met. My sight was trapped. How could I ignore such a gorgeous lady? I was afraid. My behavior might keep her away from me. I was encouraged. No individual could resist to be complete. Surprisingly, I built a conversation between me and the lady successfully. The magic in her eyes captured almost all of my attention, she was so attractive that I could not notice when I reached my destination. The first meeting had ended but the story is not. I hope the next episode of this story is joyful experience. 42
Creative Writing (The Storyteller) by Ruby After Cyril grew up, he became a boy who tried to fight against being good. His mother sent him to one of the strictest boarding schools. Nevertheless, he never put focus on studying, just spending all his time monkeying around with a certain group of students, who the teachers called ‘bad guys’. In this group, there was a little girl named Betty, and they both hated being good. As a result, they became super good friends. As the time passed, one day, a transferred student came to Cyril’s school. When Cyril had a first glance at her, Cyril thought” she is so beautiful and shy; she even had a sweetest voice I never ever heard in my life. Not like Betty, Betty always wore ugly and laughed loudly, last night, she even said swear word which I thought is too bad.” Cyril fell in love with the transferred girl. He tried all his best to make her notice him. However, the transferred girl was so shy, she just noticed people in her class, a gifted class. Despite the fact that Cyril used to hate being good, to get close to transfer girl, he must be good in order to enter the gifted class. 43
This time, he tried his best to study. In the medium exam, he became the top 5 in bad guy class. He surprised found that his teacher started complimenting him with cookies, and his classmates started flattering on him, even buying him little candy for borrowing his homework. “Being good is not that bad.” Cyril mumbled to himself. However, Betty was confused with him, but now Cyril didn’t care about her, he thought, Betty is not good enough to become his super good friend, because only that transfer girl deserved it. Cyril studied harder and harder. Now, he could get at least 10 candy and 10 cookies from teachers and students in one week, and he hadn’t talked with Betty for more than two months. “Wait for me, transfer girl, I will be the top 1 in the final exam and transfer to your class!!” Cyril encouraged himself. May 30 was the final exam. Cyril finished his last subject, walking into a bathroom. He 44
felt proud about himself, he could even imagine that transfer girl become his girlfriend. But suddenly, a mass of candy was throwed from outside into the bathroom. “ouch-ouch-ouch-ouch, it hurts!!! Who is outside?” he tried his best to avoid being hit by candy. Actually, they were rocks covered by candy package. Unfortunately, the floor was wet, so he fell. His head hit the toilet. Suddenly he heard that sweetest voice he never ever heard in his life again” sorry for you, you are horribly good. People said you are the best student in this school; however, I don’t think so, only I deserve the ‘best student ’.”there are still some words, but Cyril couldn’t hear it anymore. 45
Creative Writing (A Rose for Emily) by Ruby When Emily’s father was still alive, one day, a kid was born in this house; he was the outcome between Emily’s father and his negro maid. Everyone regarded him as a shameful affair. He had no name, and all people in the family just called him “Negro”. As long as he could communicate with people, he became a servant for Emily. Before the sun came up, he needed to wake up from the cold floor, started to boil water for Emily to take a morning shower, preparing breakfast with the Emily family’s chef, cleaning all the surroundings…etc. And on top of that, if he had even made a tiny mistake, he would be scolded by Emily. Negro never complained about these things. In his mind, his race was born to serve his master. Sometimes, in the midnight, Negro thought “If I could accomplish this life’s mission perfectly, maybe God would turn me into a Caucasian Gentile in my next life as a gift.” As time passed, Negro gradually grew up. He turned to be a husky man, who had a thick curly hair, big 46
brown eyes, and muscles. One day, Emily brought a man into her room secretly, who seemed quite different from his master. This man looked similar to him, but his skin was brown, not black. Besides, he was not Negro; he had a name, and his name is Homer Barron.
Every time Barron entered Emily’s room, he would give
Negro some candies and smile at him when Emily was taking a shower. Negro loved those candies. It was so; sweet that he even felt pleasantly sweet in his mind. One afternoon, Barron gave him a candy as usual. But this time, Barron teared the package of the candy first, throwing it in his month, standing in front of Negro, hugging, and putting the candy in Negro’s month by his own month. “Don’t tell anyone. This is our secret.” Barron told him. Negro didn’t answer. His brain already shut down, but the only thing he remembered was the unique sweetness. From then on, Negro couldn’t help but looking forward to Barron’s coming. They kissed again and again. However, Negro couldn’t totally focus on his service anymore, so he was scolded 47
by Emily day by day. He even forgot to boil hot water one day. Surprisingly, Emily didn’t shout at him this time. She even smiled strangely at him, but Negro couldn’t feel any sweet this time. Moreover, he was scared with no reason.
Negro and Barron’s relationship became deeper and deeper.
However, this was a secret relationship. Barron said he had a friend, who also suffered from the same situation. He wanted to visit him for a period of time, and maybe he had some advice. Negro thought, “Actually, I’m very satisfied with this secret relationship; I am scared to live with Emily along for this long period.” But Negro didn’t say anything. It was a rainy day, and this was the day that Barron would come back. When Negro was cleaning the room, Emily stopped him and said “I heard from Barron that you enjoy candies. Well, I made some candies for you. Open your month, and tell me how it tastes.” Negro hesitated. Emily shouted, “Negro, open your month!” Negro 48
opened it right away. Candy was not sweet; it was spicy. He tried to say something, but it was hard when his throat started becoming really hurt. Suddenly, there was noise from the back door, for someone ran quickly to the Emily’s room. It was Barron, whose face was filled with panic. “Throw out that candy! Hurry!” But Negro’s throat was too hurt to do that. He started shaking. Barren stood in front of him, hug, and take away the candy by his own tongue. That was quite similar to their first kiss. Unfortunately, this time, Barron swallowed the candy in a hurry and accidently. He didn’t have chance to taste it and quickly fell down. 49
Creative Writing (The Lottery) by Tracy The morning of June 27th was sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day. Hundreds people of the village began to gather in the square to wait for the lottery. Evil plan came to them actually, but no one felt weird. Used to be a saying about “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.” Old man Warner said stoutly, the lottery was a Tradition that couldn’t be discarded. The ritual began, but everyone just wanted to end as soon as possible. Eventually, the poor woman Tessie won the lottery, and she Roared to Mr.Summers because she thought it wasn’t fair. Yet, no one wanted to help her. Even her son took few pebbles from someone. In the end, the poor Tessie was stoned to death by the villagers. 50
Creative Writing (Cat in the Rain) by Tracy Cat was in the rain, and an American woman had seen it. A kind of commiseration made her go down and want to take the kitty in. The woman’s husband, George, told her “Don’t get wet,” and went on reading. “It’s very bad weather,” said by the hotel owner. She liked him. She liked his old, dignity, serious, heavy face and big hands. She liked the way he wanted to serve her. Nevertheless, it was raining harder when she went out. It was the maid who brought an umbrella to her. Of course, the hotelkeeper had sent her. The woman couldn’t find the cat. The cat was gone, and she was very disappointed. However, the maid couldn’t understand the American woman. She told the woman that they should come back inside, or the woman would get wet. Eventually, the American woman went back to the hotel with 51
nothing. George was still Reading on the bed. She told him that she wanted the poor kitty very much, but he was reading instead of answering. A thought came to the woman. She wanted to let her hair grow out. Since George looked her clear neck, he said he liked her short hair. Clearly, they had an argument. In the end of the argument between them, George told her to shut up and get something to read. “Anyway, I want a cat now. If I can’t have long hair or any fun, I can have a cat,” she said, and George was still reading in the meantime. Nonetheless, the American woman got a big tortoiseshell cat which the padrone asked the maid to bring for her in the end. 52
Creative Writing (All Summer in a Day) by Jasmine Today a transfer came to our class. Her name is Margot, from earth. The sun, the teacher says, is a hot, glowing ball But we don't know what it looks like I envy her so much. She could see the sun every day Margot is a weirdo. She never plays games with us And won't sing with us The first time she took a shower, scared us all She sits in the classroom and mumble her poems every day I think the sun is a flower, That blooms for just one hour. I think the sun is a flower, That blooms for just one hour. Does she mock us for not having seen the sun Really pathetic and annoying Scientists say the sun will shine today What does the sun look like? Will it be a hot ball, or like a lemon? 53
The sun will appear in an hour My heart is like a fawn, thumping straight Fear, anticipation, nervousness, uneasiness, surprise The combination of these emotions left me speechless The golden light split the clouds A dazzling red thing full out The sun! Is the sun! The hot light made my skin shine Make everything clear and warm in the world I don't know the look on my face But my mouth was open and I made the loudest sound ever But was soon drowned out by the cries around me suddenly I remembered Margot's poem I think the sun is a flower, That blooms for just one hour. I think the sun is a flower, That blooms for just one hour. Well, where is Margot? 54
Creative Writing (The Chaser) by Jasmine There are all kinds of goods in my little shop. Her heart will belong to you through my love potions. Expectations finally come true, just as all couples have expected. Can this deceitful and disgusting love last forever，however? Harmful fruits have been planted, and you will never be satisfied. "Au revoir." Yes, boy, see you again. She will be like a rotten flower you abandoned, rotten, rotten! Earnestly you will be doing the same like before. Return to my shop; the glove-cleaner always welcomes you. 55
Creative Writing (All Summer in a Day) by Lee Due to the population growth in the Earth, we tried our best to advance technique of constructing new colonies on other planets in solar system, which was seen as an impossible task. Mission on Venus in particular. Its atmosphere is too thick that temperature on it is always higher than any mortal can tolerate. In order to solve this problem, we have to change the composition and density of this planet. However, this task was achieved when three colonies were already constructed outside the solar system. After the reorganization of Venus atmosphere, we need to discover surface of the planet again. This task should not be tough. However, the need for colonies decreased since 56
myriad of new colonies were built. Despite the fact that humanity was able to survive in air of Venus, this planet is still covered by heavy cloud. Seldom profits could be found on this wasteland. Nowadays, only a city with less than 10 thousand populations is established in Venus. Most of them are working for mining stations and scientific projects. Just like the research stations in Polar few centuries ago, city on Venus have no entertainment and facilities which are not necessary for survive. Even education resources are limited, children of scientist and miners study in a same school. Some arguments might happen because of this reason. 57
Creative writing (The Storyteller) by Lee Paradise of the royal Came the treasure Beauty and beast lurk in the shadow
She carried It haunted And the prince stood in the palace Why did he allowed her enter the garden Why is the monster exist Bring it to me He said So she came Without breath.
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