Week 5: Changing Gears

This week we were put into new groups again. However, the project that we will be working on will be very different from what we have done so far. The project is to create a video that tells the story of a tale we have not read yet. The video should have many images as well as a person who narrates the story. Our group even decided to have another person who will function as a commentator throughout the tale. The commentator will interject and make a comment every now and the, especially when something surprising happens.

This project will require the groups to use their skills in editing videos and audio. While I do have some skill and knowledge in editing videos and audio, I will definitely be doing something I haven't really done before. In fact, I will probably have to look online to find information on editing video and audio along the way. This will involve the Engagement habit of mind because I will be learning how to do new things.

This past week, we also read The Sleeper and the Spindle, which incorporates parts of both Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. This modern take on these tales results in a different, unexpected, and even shocking conclusion. While we read, we took note of the the functions that appeared in the tale. Below is an example of one of the functions I identified in the story:

Departure: The queen sets off with the dwarves to figure out a way to stop the sleeping plague and save her kingdom.

Quote: “She called for her mail shirt. She called for her sword. She called for provisions, and for her horse, and then she rode out of the palace, towards the east.”

It was really interesting to see Snow White as a very wise and independent individual. From the quote above, it is clear that she is on a mission to save others rather than waiting to be saved. In addition it was she who awoke the sleeping beauty instead of a prince in typical fairytales. It was especially shocking when it was revealed that the old woman who was next to the spindle in Sleeping Beauty, was actually the one who had ended up sleeping on the bed for so long. Lastly, the princess who was cursed, or the sleeping beauty in the traditional tale, took charge of her own fate by killing the witch who cursed her, instead of waiting for a prince to come save her. I never thought that the two tales could be tied together in such a way. It was definitely very creative and aroused my curiosity, which are both habits of mind. I am now thinking of what other tales can be tied together or altered. I now know another way that creativity can be represented.