Week 11 Tech Tips: Pinterest Research

I have been using Pinterest since the seventh grade, but I actually haven't opened the app in a while. It was funny, cause it felt like an entirely new app to me. It's gone through so many updates and I was honestly surprised by how incapable I was at using it. However, I managed to create a new board for this class and pinned a few things related to my storybook. I hope this helps me continue to write and organize my story.

Caption: Mythology Pinterest board. 

One Polar Bear Shot, Sir.

It was an unusually slow Friday night in the Eskimo Bar. The bartender was cleaning the iced countertops when a frail old woman walked into the bar. Another unusual sight for the Eskimo Bar. She sat at the end of the bar with her hands in her lap and her head down. The bartender wiped the counter down and made his way to her. 

"A shot for your thoughts?" he said with a small laugh. 
"Uh, yes I would like one Polar Bear shot," the woman replied. 

Taken aback by this request, the bartender nodded and retrieved the woman's shot. He slid it the shot in front of her and she picked it up and raised to the ceiling. 
"
To letting go," she said and threw back the drink. Her face scrunched and she began shaking her head. The woman picked up her purse hanging on her seat and fumbled in it for a few moments. She set her purse on the counter and sighed. 

"Sir, I am terribly sorry, but I don't have the money to pay for this," the woman said. 
The bartender sat for a moment and thought about her predicament. Usually, he wouldn't be forgiving of this, but seeing her state he felt she deserved some slack. 

"I will let you off, but on one condition. You tell me your story of what brought you in today," he said. 

The woman smiled and took off her jacket. 

"Well, I better take off my jacket because we will be here awhile," she replied. 
The woman proceeded to tell the story of how she had been fostering a large wolf-like dog she found on the side of the road. She loved this dog as if he were a child. She walked him, fed him and bathed him. Although the dog was sweet and protective of her, the dog was vicious to others. One day the dog broke out of the backyard. He charged around the neighborhood and attacked a man and left him severely injured. As a result, the dog had to be put down, but before putting him down she released him to the woods to find a pack of his own.

"So that is how I ended up here. To take a strong shot of something to let go of the only being that did not remind me how alone I am," she said and looked back down at her hands. 

The bartender now felt even more guilt than before. He sighed and swung the towel over his shower. 

"M'am, I'm sorry about your dog and tell you what. How 'bout every week you stop by for a Polar Bear shot on the house. You can tell me about your week or whatever," he said with a smile. The woman nodded. 

"Thank you, sir. You are very kind and I look forward to it," she said and gripped his hand. 

The end. 

Caption: Wolf by Simon Rae. 

Author's Note: I chose to do The Woman Who Had a Bear as a Foster-Son. I changed the bear to a dog and had her tell her story a bartender. I didn't want to alter the story too much, and I wanted to keep it simple. I wanted to keep the same emotion, but give the old woman a happy ending. Without the dog, she wouldn't have met the bartender. Another thing to note is a Polar Bear shot is one part chocolate liqueur and one part peppermint schnapps, and I felt it fit the Eskimo vibe. 

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

Reading Notes B

I finished up part B of the Eskimo Tales. I enjoyed this unit. I feel like it exposed me to a group I know little about. It was an eye-opening journey going through these stories. Here are a few that stuck out to me. 

The Wife Who Lied. A grotesque story about a woman pitting two tribes against each other. She ultimately pays the price when her tribe is taken over and the new tribe chooses to cut off her arms and kill. 

Papik, Who Killed His Wife's Brother. Papik hunted with his wife's brother, and Papik would always come home empty handed, while his brother-in-law would return with big animals. He became enraged and killed his brother-in-law and as a consequence, he was attacked by a vengeful spirit. 

Atdlarneq, The Great Glutton. Atdlarneq went out hunting one day and stumble upon a house with three women in it. They greeted him with open arms, but they said their master would be home soon and he needed to hide. As he hid they fed him food, even when he was full. After nearly dying, he left and never returned. I thought this story was interesting and similar to Hansel and Gretel. 

Caption: Bart is the Great Glutton. Obtained from pinterest.com 

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

Week 11 Reading Notes A

This week I decided to indulge in the Eskimo Tales for my reading. Overall, I enjoyed Part A. I thought the structure of some of the stories was a little funny. In The Woman Who Had a Bear as a Foster-Son it ends with "Here the story ends," which I found interesting. There were a few stories that stuck out to me. The first one being The Woman Who Had a Bear as a Foster-Son. It was about a woman who had been given a bear-cub, and she took it home and raised it as her own. As it grew older, it became more aggressive and killed a man. The woman decided to let it free to be with its own kind. I felt this story could be applied to a lot of modern situations of loving something and being forced to set it free. 

Another story that stood out to me was Nukúnguasik, who Escaped from the Tupilak. A twisted story of a brother killing another brother and eating him. I don't think I can translate this to another plot line, but I would like to give it a try. I might explore it this week. I just thought it was twisted and disturbing. It was definitely noteworthy. 

Caption: Brother Bear. Obtained from giphy.com

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