Storybook Styles

TOPIC: My storybook will be about creation stories. Specifically, religion’s beliefs on how the world and people were created. I want to focus on Christian/Jewish beliefs and even some creation stories from atheists and agnostics. I don’t believe I will have any trouble finding a story, but narrowing which creation stories to choose will be difficult. I plan to choose a few different creation stories and expand on how they are the same and how they are different. I want to write about Adam and Eve and the creation stories from Jews and Christians. I also want to explore how some of these religions believe the same things about with creation with a few different themes. The Genesis Creation Narrative allows for a deeper look into creation beliefs from these religions.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Genesis Creation Narrative. Website: Wikipedia

Adam and Eve. Website: Wikipedia

POSSIBLE STYLES:

On-the-scene: I think a good way to share stories of creation would be directly from a person that is “on-the-scene” when it takes place. For example, if I’m writing about Adam and Eve, the story can take place from the eyes of Adam. It would focus on Adam’s perspective. He would only talk about the things he saw and would describe things as someone seeing the world for the first time. Adam would have limited knowledge of the creation story because he can only describe what he sees or what he has been told.

Omniscient: Writing the Storybook from the perspective of the creator of all creation would be a good way to bring an all-knowing presence. The creator has reasoning for why they are creating people, animals, mountains, etc. This could be God to the Christians or possibly a meteor to others. The creator tells why and answers questions that humans cannot understand.

Bedtime Story: My favorite memories growing up are the bedtime stories my mom would tell me as I fell asleep. Creation stories are deeply embedded into people’s belief, usually due to religious beliefs. A mom sharing with her little boy the story of how the world was created could be a good way to hear different perspectives from different religions.  Each mom could be from a different religion or belief and share their respected creation story.

Fly on the Wall: Finally, the perspective of someone who walks through each of the creation story and is able to see first hand the similarities and difference of creation stories. This person gets the opportunity to share what they see and present it as someone who is learning as the story evolves.

The creation of the world.

Photo cred: Awakening Storylines

Essay: Legends of Noah

I thought this unit on the Legends of Noah was very interesting. It provided accounts from the bible that I have grown up reading and it was great to go back and read some of the stories I had not looked at in awhile. It was great to rad about Noah and the flood and also about the Tower of Babel.

The second part of the unit came from Louis Ginzberg’s Legends of the Jews. I thought these stories were very interesting because they added a lot of extra stories to the biblical stories just read. For example, thePunishment of Fallen Angels section tells the story of God sending angels to kick the fallen angels out of heaven. Each of the stories in Legends of the Jews adds new features that add to the context of the original bible story.

I felt like there were plenty of notes that provided the reader with information on what the two readings in the unit were about and where they were from. My favorite sections were at the beginning of the unit. The accounts of the ark being built and the flood were a great read.

I think reading from King James Version makes the bible seem much harder to read. I went back and read some of this scripture from an English Standard Version bible and I thought it made much more sense. I realize that the King James Version is a classic and traditional version of the bible, but I think adding another version could be a good way to help readers understand what they are reading and not scare away any potential readers.

I’ve enjoyed reading bible stories the past two weeks. I think it is good to read these at the beginning of the semester because these events occurred at the beginning of time. I’m looking forward to what is next!

(from the Nuremberg Chronicles)

Portfolio: The Story of Noah and Joshua

Long, long ago there lived a man named Joshua. He was the younger brother of Noah-you know the man who build the ark! Joshua was an insecure man who was constantly teased for his size. He stood only about five feet tall and weighed no more than 130 lbs. He was small and envious of everyone else.

Noah loved his brother Joshua, but as the two grew older, life got in the way of their relationship. Noah had to move on when he married his wife and left his hometown to find work so he could support his new family. Joshua was left alone with his parents who cared little for him.

When Joshua grew of age to leave his home, he tried to find a job with some local shepherds, but they told him he was too inexperienced. He then tried to find a job with some carpenters, but he was too small to carry the heavy packs of wood and tools. Joshua could not find a job and ended up homeless. He ran away  to the forest to find refuge and lived in a cave, deep in the forest for nearly a hundred years.

Joshua lived off the land in the forest. He became friends with the animals and never saw any humans, ever. Joshua was happy this way, or at least as happy as he could be living with animals. He wasn’t picked on and a lot of the animals looked to him as their leader.

On one particular day, Joshua saw all the animals in his forest migrating north. Bewildered, he asked two mountain goats where all the animals were headed. “We are going to find safety from the flood! Come with us,” said the goats.

“What flood?!” said Joshua.

“THE flood!” said the goats, “The flood that will cover the whole earth! Please come with us so you can be safe.”

Joshua didn't believe this could be happening. The forest had seen very little rain in the past few years, but he realized if he didn't follow the animals, he would again be all alone in the forest. Not leaving the forest in so many years, he was terrified to follow the animals. After a few minutes of contemplating he decided he must follow the herd of animals if he wanted to find safety.

Joshua and the animals of the forest traveled for miles and miles until they finally made it to the giant ark. They sat in a giant line of animals from across the world while a man in the distance counted each animal entering the ark.

“Where are all the humans?” asked Joshua the other animals.

“No humans allowed!!!” said the deer. “Just a crazy man and his family with two of every animal.”

"What? No!" sighed Joshua.

Discouraged, Joshua stepped out of the line and started walking back toward the forest.

"We're sorry, Joshua! We didn't know," said the mountain goats who pleaded with Joshua to follow them.

With all hope lost, he felt someone grab his shoulder. When he turned around he was surprised to find his big brother ready to give him a giant hug.

"My brother! It has been WAY too long. Please follow me onto the ark for safety. Come eat and drink, we have so much to talk about!" Noah gleamed.

Joshua was humbled by his older brother's kinds and generosity. Noah welcomed his brother on the ark as if he was the guest of honor. For forty days on the ark, the brothers caught up on each other’s lives. When they found land, Noah welcomed Joshua to live with his family and work with him.

Joshua was forever thankful for his brother and they lived in peace for the rest of their lives, together.

Noah greets the animals entering his ark.

Photo Cred: LDS

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is based on Noah and the Ark. This was one of my favorite Bible stories while growing up. This is one of those stories that just leaves you thinking, "Wow! I can't believe that really happened!"Although Joshua is a fictional character, I thought it was a fun way to add background to Noah and show his love and faithfulness to his family. Joshua is somewhat of a nerd and gets picked on while his older brother Noah is strong and independent. I wanted to show Joshua's insecurities and give him some personality apart from Noah. By giving Noah a younger brother, I wanted to show the tender heart behind Noah. Imagine building a giant ark and bring criticized by all of your peers. It took extreme faith for Noah to do what he did. The original story of Noah and the Ark is found in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. I have read this story many times, but it was fun getting to go back and read over this story again. There is so much hope given in this story and God's heart is revealed through his jealousy and love for his people.

Bible stories are always fun to read, so I am glad I had the opportunity to reread this story. Noah is such an incredible person of the Old Testament. This story is well-known and I hope my version of his "made-up" brother will only add to the glory of this story! 

Bibliography:

The King James Bible

Genesis 5-6