My name is Lesley Simmons. I have never been the most attractive girl or he most talented or the most popular girl in my school. I have always wanted to climb my way to the top. I never believed it to be possible but one day I thought all of that would change. Apart from my flaws that I feel I possess, I know one thing for sure is that I am an excellent artist. I have been winning art competitions since I was in kindergarten and next year I plan on going to the Savannah College of Art and Design on a full scholarship. Just because I do not have many friends doesn't mean i can't dominate art like I do. Well one day the most popular girl in school found herself in a pickle. I was working on my art project at the workshop when I saw the most popular girl at school crying over her project. She had a lot left to do and I could tell that she did not know how to finish. This was our final art project and if we failed this one we would have to retake the art class in the summer and we would not be able to walk at graduation. I knew what I had to do. I went over to her and asked kindly if she needed my help. She told me she would love that. I told her I would help her if she would just acknowledge me and say hi to me in the hallways. Maybe that way people would talk to me. She agreed and passed her project.
I saw her in the hallway last week and, of course, she said nothing to me. I walked up and said hi to her and asked how her friends liked the art project. She asked me who I was and made all of her friends laugh. That one really hurt. I was completely convinced that she would be changed and realize that it was possible to do something nice for someone else. I guess I should blame myself for thinking that she would change. It was very embarrassing but it ended up working out for good. I sat by myself outside that day at lunch, crying. A boy named Micah came up and asked me what was wrong. I began talking to him and told him what was wrong. When I told him my name, he told me he recognized it from my art on display. Turns out he’s going to SCAD next year as well. Goes to show that you can’t trust anyone but any situation can fool you. 
Image Information: Original photo from The Lion and the Crane
Author's Note: I wrote my story based on The Lion and the Crane. In that story, the crane helps the lion and then expects something in return but the lion is selfish and does not do anything for the crane. My story was similar in that a girl needed help like the lion and did not reciprocate the help.
Bibliography Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs
Hey Jade I really enjoyed reading your first person rendition of the story The Lion and the Crane. Although I chose the alternate reading assignments this week, your version of the story still conveyed the theme of the original story extremely well. I like that you modernized the story by making it in a classic school setting that we have all been through. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHey Jade! I think this was a great version of the story and you did a wonderful job of helping your readers to connect by modernizing the piece. I think it can be hard to connect to a lot of the themes because of the use of animals as the center pieces of the stories. Your version however removed this barrier and made for a nice read. Great job on this and keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteHey Jade. I liked your retelling of the story. Putting it in a modern setting with students was a great way to make the story immediately accessible to your audience. I'm not sure what I think of the crane (or girl) in the story. If you do something nice and expect something in return, then you aren't really that nice to begin with--wouldn't you agree?
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