My ghost story actually originates from Australia, but it being just a gigantic island, there is SOME connection to Hawaii.
Three campers were hiking in eastern Australia as a short vacation from their everyday lives. As they were hiking it started to get dark due to a storm that was rolling in all around them. The 2 girls and 1 guy quickly made their way back to the car not knowing what time it was since all of their watches had died. They were all getting worried about where they were going to spend the night. As they reached their car at the bottom of the hiking trail, they quickly climbed in to avoid the cold night and rain that had begun to pour. When th guy tried to start the car, it wouldn't make any noise at all. The car was completely dead. The campers were getting a little scared at this point, but they decided to stay the night in the car and see how things were in the morning. About 30 minutes after deciding to stay in the car for the night, the guy noticed a pair of lights heading towards their car. Slowly the lights stopped in front of their car, it was a tow truck. The campers had lucked out, the driver seemed friendly enough and willing to help them free of charge, although he did seem a bit old fashioned and slightly crazy. The rain had stopped so they decided to tow the car to the strangers camp just down the road. When they got there they set upa small campfire and talked and ate and drank until they all fell asleep. When the guy camper woke up, he was chained to a wall of a warehouse with rusty shackels. His 2 companions were nowhere to be found. He struggled for what seemed like hours before finally getting 1 hand free and then freeing the rest of himself. He wandered around the warehouse before finding a bunch of cars and camping items scattered around a large garage like building in the warehouse. There was everything fomr cameras with pictures still on them of families and hikers, to clothes with large bloodstains on them. The guy immiedietly began to run to teh door and outside into the grassland/desert like area surrounding the warehouse he was held in. When he was about 50 feet away from the warehouse, he saw the tow truck driver and saw him pull out a large bloodied knife and chase after him. The guy ran and enver looked back until he could run no more and finally collapsed near the side of a dirt road. The driver was no where to be seen. In the morning the guy was discovered by a driver that was passing by, he was taken to the nearest town and filed a police report. The police used everything from cars and helicopters to try and find the warehouse and garage the guy spoke of but neither the buildings, camp site, of the guys 2 female companions were ever seen again.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Woman Warrior: Shaman (Moderator)
Questions on the Shaman Chapter of Woman Warrior:
What do you think the title of the chapter, Shaman, means and refers to?
Do you believe in the ghost story or do you think it is simply another story told by the mom to teach Maxine a lesson?
What motivated Maxine's mother to return to life as a housewife after graduated with such honors from medical school?
Do you think Maxine's mom is happy as a housewife, or would she be happier as a Doctor?
Why do you think the Chinese cultural aspect of favoring boys over girls continues to exist even with women making such accomplishments as graduating from medical school and ahving the oppurtunity to make good money for their families?
Why do you think Maxine's mother chose to keep the name 'Brave Orchid' even when she emigrated to America?
What do you think the title of the chapter, Shaman, means and refers to?
Do you believe in the ghost story or do you think it is simply another story told by the mom to teach Maxine a lesson?
What motivated Maxine's mother to return to life as a housewife after graduated with such honors from medical school?
Do you think Maxine's mom is happy as a housewife, or would she be happier as a Doctor?
Why do you think the Chinese cultural aspect of favoring boys over girls continues to exist even with women making such accomplishments as graduating from medical school and ahving the oppurtunity to make good money for their families?
Why do you think Maxine's mother chose to keep the name 'Brave Orchid' even when she emigrated to America?
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
White Tigers Lit. Circle (Moderator)
Here are some questions on the second part of White Tigers.
What motivation does Fa Mu Lan have to build up an army to go dethrone the emperor?
Why do you think Maxine has such a love for the Fa Mu Lan story when we have heard of no troubles yet that can be connected with the Fa Mu Lan story?
When Fa Mu Lan sees the widows of the giant she had slain, why do you think she shows no feelings of sympathy for them and simply moves on? Is she a caring character?
The tattoos on Fa Mu Lan's back were said to allow her body to be used as a weapon, even if she was killed in battle. What do you think this means?
What kind of things would Fa Mu Lan be concerned about to go into battle pregnant, only missing 1 battle ever to give birth? What motivates her to fight even at the risk of her unborn child?
Is Maxine trying to be a "bad girl" because she thinks a bad girl is basically a boy, or because she doesn't want to live up to the stereotype of a girl which is that they should be housewives or slaves only.
At the end of White Tigers, Maxine refers to racial slurs that she is suggesting she has been called and connects them to the tattoos on Fa Mu Lan's back. Do you think this is a good connection or that the tattoos and racist remarks are different? Were the tattoos meant as words of vengeance?
What motivation does Fa Mu Lan have to build up an army to go dethrone the emperor?
Why do you think Maxine has such a love for the Fa Mu Lan story when we have heard of no troubles yet that can be connected with the Fa Mu Lan story?
When Fa Mu Lan sees the widows of the giant she had slain, why do you think she shows no feelings of sympathy for them and simply moves on? Is she a caring character?
The tattoos on Fa Mu Lan's back were said to allow her body to be used as a weapon, even if she was killed in battle. What do you think this means?
What kind of things would Fa Mu Lan be concerned about to go into battle pregnant, only missing 1 battle ever to give birth? What motivates her to fight even at the risk of her unborn child?
Is Maxine trying to be a "bad girl" because she thinks a bad girl is basically a boy, or because she doesn't want to live up to the stereotype of a girl which is that they should be housewives or slaves only.
At the end of White Tigers, Maxine refers to racial slurs that she is suggesting she has been called and connects them to the tattoos on Fa Mu Lan's back. Do you think this is a good connection or that the tattoos and racist remarks are different? Were the tattoos meant as words of vengeance?
Lit. Circle Work - White Tigers section - Moderator
As moderator of my lit. circle group, it is my job to be asking meaningful questions that others probably have as well. Throughout the section, many of my questions were answered, but there are still quite a few that require answering or simply further insight. Here are a few from the first half of White Tigers.
When exactly does Maxine become Fa Mu Lan in the chapter?
Who do you think the old man and woman represent? Are they gods or spirits or something else?
What do you think drives Fa Mu Lan to stay with the old people and give up her parents? At such a young age for a child such a decision usually has the opposite outcome. What would you choose in her position?
What do you think Fa Mu Lan thinks the old people are?
How does Fa Mu Lan have such emotional control as to resist the temptation to go save her brother and husband from conscription? At age 14 would you accept being told to wait until age 22 to make a move to save the ones you love?
When exactly does Maxine become Fa Mu Lan in the chapter?
Who do you think the old man and woman represent? Are they gods or spirits or something else?
What do you think drives Fa Mu Lan to stay with the old people and give up her parents? At such a young age for a child such a decision usually has the opposite outcome. What would you choose in her position?
What do you think Fa Mu Lan thinks the old people are?
How does Fa Mu Lan have such emotional control as to resist the temptation to go save her brother and husband from conscription? At age 14 would you accept being told to wait until age 22 to make a move to save the ones you love?
Methods of Characterzation
The character of my story:
Appearance - The appearance of the main character in my story is my own. For those of you who don't know what I look like, I'm 5'10'', half asian and half white, athletic build, slightly tanned skin, brown eyes, slightly long black/brown hair (long in the front, comes down to my eyebrows, short in the back and sides).
Inner Thoughts and Feelings - The character version of myself has a very fun driven mindset. Willing to risk the safety of himself and others in order to have fun. He will stop at nothing to enjoy life to its fullest and refuses to do anything he doesn't enjoy.
Environment - The envrionment of my character is always with friends unless he is at home.
What They Say - What my character says is often mindless teen chatter, he opens up to the readers more in what he thinks of the current situation and of the people surrounding him.
What Others Say about Them - Not many people will say things about my character, as he is often the background guy mainly observing what goes on with his group of friends throughout their adventures, stepping in only when he feels he wants to.
Actions - Once again my character is the man in the back, observing and analyzing everything that happens. A listener who thinks about what is said and done around him. He steps in only when he has an idea to make things more fun or if he feels like he needs to.
Appearance - The appearance of the main character in my story is my own. For those of you who don't know what I look like, I'm 5'10'', half asian and half white, athletic build, slightly tanned skin, brown eyes, slightly long black/brown hair (long in the front, comes down to my eyebrows, short in the back and sides).
Inner Thoughts and Feelings - The character version of myself has a very fun driven mindset. Willing to risk the safety of himself and others in order to have fun. He will stop at nothing to enjoy life to its fullest and refuses to do anything he doesn't enjoy.
Environment - The envrionment of my character is always with friends unless he is at home.
What They Say - What my character says is often mindless teen chatter, he opens up to the readers more in what he thinks of the current situation and of the people surrounding him.
What Others Say about Them - Not many people will say things about my character, as he is often the background guy mainly observing what goes on with his group of friends throughout their adventures, stepping in only when he feels he wants to.
Actions - Once again my character is the man in the back, observing and analyzing everything that happens. A listener who thinks about what is said and done around him. He steps in only when he has an idea to make things more fun or if he feels like he needs to.
My Hero
My hero is most likely an unknown person by a lot of the United States and the world. My hero is the little six year old boy named Calvin from the comic series Calvin & Hobbes. Calvin is my hero for many reasons, for his limitless imagination, spontaneous humor, but mainly for his constantly positive yet cynical outlook on life. He hates homework and anything that isn't fun, just like me, and as many young boys, has attention deficit disorder when it comes to doing work and often finds his imagination wandering. Calvin goes through many adventures and hardships but always makes it through the end of the day, as I like to think I do. Calvin never gives up on something he sets his mind too, but at the same time finds fun in usually mundane things such as cleaning his room.
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