Red riding Hood

After reading all the different versions of Red Riding Hood in last weeks lecture I decided to have a go at my own:

Once upon a time on a busy estate lived a little girl called Red Riding Hood. Her parents grew up in the sixties, hence her somewhat strange name.
One day Red Riding Hood was sent on an errand to deliver a package to her father’s friend who lived in the building opposite. “Now take this brown envelope and make sure it gets to number 62, it is very important.” Her father stressed many times how important it was that the package found its way safely to number 62, and didn’t end up in the hands of a police officer parading the streets. So Red Riding Hood put the envelope inside her bag and off she went.
The estate was full of loud youths throwing bottles and spray painting obscenities on walls, and the old drunken tramp who sleeps on the bench nearby. However, Red Riding Hood was a brave little girl and hurried off to number 62. On her way she noticed the park across the street was empty, and couldn’t resist a go on the swings. “If I spend five minutes on the swings I’m sure daddy won’t know.” Said Red Riding Hood and so she skipped merrily towards the park. As she opened the gate of the park a stranger approached Red Riding Hood. “Hello little girl, are you going to the park?” Red Riding Hood wasn’t sure if she should talk to the man but had only been warned about policemen, and he was certainly not a man of the law. “Yes I’m going to play on the swings before I deliver this package to number 62 for my daddy.” The man smiled menacingly. “Number 62? Why that is where I live, how about you come inside my flat and I’ll give you some sweeties.” Red Riding Hood had really been looking forward to playing on the swings, but it would be rude to refuse an offer of sweeties from the old man. “Ok, but I can’t stay too long because my daddy will be waiting.” Said little Red Riding Hood as she took the man’s hand and walked with him to his flat. As they both approached the door of the flat Red Riding Hood noticed the number on the door said 68. “I thought you said you lived at number 62?” Red Riding Hood asked. But before she knew it the man put his hand over her mouth and dragged her into the flat.
Little Red Riding Hood was never seen again.

Analysis of my adaptaion

I adapted the jaguar and fire story to make it a childrens tale. I decided that some elements of the original story had to be canged in order for it to be made into a childrens story, such as the jaguar. I decided that a dragon would be more fairytale and appealing to children. I also had to change the plot slightly so that instead of Monan killing th jaguar for his fire I decided that Monan would have good intentions by going to the mountains to seek food and mean no harm to the dragon. The villagers think that the dragon is bad because of the sterotypical view of dragons and that a creature who breathes fire couldnt possible be good natured. I decided to show that Monan makes friends with the dragon after he descovers that he is good and the dragon agrees to share his food and help the people to cook their food during the winter with his breath. I wanted the story to appear to have a moral at the end by saying that you shoudlnt judge something by appearance. Te villagers didnt give the dragon a chance but presumed him to be bad because he was a dragon. But because Monan was an innocent child he had the good nature to resolve the situation with the dragon and save the village from the food shortage.
The original story was very short and had very short sentences and not much description and no dialogue between charcters. I included some dialogue to show character personality and included more background information to the village and situation. Monan became a hero as opposed to a bad person that he was in the original story because it appeals more for children. The original story wouldnt have been sitable for children as it showed Monan stealing and killing the jaguar for no good reason which gives a bad influence to childrens behaviour. My adaptation serves a purpose of teaching children to treat people with respect and not to judge others by appearance or stereotypical views. I gave names to the village and added other characters such as the mother and sister to give Monan a reason for going to the mountains and show him to be doing a good deed for his family.

My adaptaion of the jaguar and fire story

Once upon a time, in the Village of Okarnu, the people lived freely and peacefully within the community, except for one rule they must all follow. Nobody was allowed to enter the forbidden mountains north of the village. You see, for a terrible fate would bestow anyone who ventured near those mountains, where the evil dragon lives. The villagers were all warned of the dragon’s powers and if anyone was to go near his cave he would eat them alive in one bite. The villagers got all the food they needed from the woods nearby. But one very cold winter the snowstorms were so bad that they had blow down a tree and blocked the entrance to the woods. Food was quickly running out in the village and because of the snow no one could light a fire and had to eat what little food they had raw. Everyone in the village grew colder and hungrier but dared not to go near the mountains to seek food as they feared the evil dragon who hid in the caves. Everyone that is, apart from one young boy named Monan. Monan lived with his mother and baby sister in a small house in the centre of the village. Everyone knew Monan and his family as his father sadly died just a year before. Monan’s father had told him stories about the dragon who lived in the mountains and how he breaths fire as hot as the sun and so bright it would blind any human being brave enough to stare directly at the flames.
However, Monan did not fear the dragon as he knew he must find food for his baby sister before she grew weaker. So one cold morning, while his mother and sister slept, he crept out of his home and set out to the forbidden mountains to bring back food for his family.
The snowstorms were strong and tore at Monan’s skin, but he fought back as hard as he could and climbed his way up the rocky hill to the mountains. Just in front of him he saw a big cave and inside he could see a burning fire. Monan shivered then noticed the smell of the most delicious food. There didn’t seem to be anyone around, especially not the dragon, so he made his way over to the cave. In front of the fire lay a huge feast big enough to feed his family and everyone in the village! Monan sat down and began eating some of the food and warming his hands on the blazing fire. He knew his Mother would be very worried if he didn’t get home soon so he began putting as much food into his bag as he could carry and set off down the mountain trail. As he reached past the caves all of a sudden Monan heard a loud roar that sent a shiver down his back. He turned around and there in front of him was the dragon! “How dare you steal my food!” roared the dragon. But Monan was too scared to move. “I…I…I didn’t mean to, my family are starving and we cannot find food because of the snow.” The dragon looked at Monan who stood shaking holding the bag of food. “P...P…Please don’t eat me!” He pleaded. “Eat you? Why would I eat you?” Monan looked up at the dragon. “It is said that you breath fire as hot as the sun and will eat us if we go near the mountains.” The dragon laughed and gave out a roar of fire. “Just because I am a dragon doe not mean I am a monster. I do not eat humans, I fear the people who live in Okarnu village for they have weapons and shoot arrows at me so I stay hidden in my cave.” Monan said sorry for trying to steal the dragon’s food but the dragon had too much food for himself and agreed to share it with the villagers if Monan told them he means no harm. So Monan and the dragon took the food and travelled back to the village together. When they entered the village the people saw that Monan was with the dragon and were very frightened. Monan explained to the villagers that the dragon means no harm to them and that he brings food to share.
From that day the villagers and the dragon lived peacefully as friends and never had to worry about not having any fire during the cold winters with the dragons breath of fire.

Childhood books

Thinking back to my childhood I can clearly remember books that I read or were read to me and what impact they had on me as a child. Ones in particular I remember well were, The Cat In The Hat, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, Alice In Wonderland, Goosebumps, The stories of puddlelane, Enid Blyton - The Faraway Tree etc. These were some of my favourite books because they were all about magical lands and places that you dreamed existed as a child. I was convinced that one day I would be able to get into Narnia from my wardbrobe and I remember the countless times I pulled back the clothes from the rack hoping to see the lamp post and be greeted by Mr Tumnus. I enjoyed stories that fed my imagination and kept me believing that there were other lands and creatures that no one else knows about. I was always creative as a child, making houses for my teddies out of boxes and painting and pretending all the time. I remember after reading Alice In Wonderland I asked my mom to buy mushrooms from the supermarket because I believed it would make me smaller like Alice. All these books that were based around magical fairytale lands have stayed with me in life and I think was the start of me wanting to become a writer. Not to write about fairytale lands but because I saw writing as a key to a new world of imagination and now I love the idea of creating stories and characters through writing.