A long time ago, there was an elephant mother named Thunder, and Lightening was her son. Lightening was very destructive and like to destroy everything that he touched. They used to live on Earth, and when cousin Rain would visit Lightening loved to play with her. When they got too caught up in their play, they became very rowdy. Whenever Lightening would get too close he would shock people and animals, and the trees of the forest would spontaneously combust.
One day the people of Earth complained to King Sun that they needed some kind of warning for when Lightening was approaching. They also requested that since Lightening was destructive, he should not be allowed to live on Earth. After hearing the people's request, King Sun immediately called Thunder, from Earth, and requested that they come up with a solution. Thunder stated that whenever Lightening was in the mood to play, he could not be tamed. She proposed that whenever the duo decided to visit Earth, she would follow them. As she ventured behind them, she would let out a loud call to the villages letting them know how far away they were. The people were instructed to count the seconds in between her calls and this would tell them, in minutes, how far away they were. She also suggested that she would move their home, on Earth, and place it in the sky. King Sun agreed to these plans, and was delighted since they seemed to benefit all parties.
After their meeting, King Sun sent a messenger to the people of the villages with the instructions that Thunder had come up with. The next time Rain and Lightening made a trip to Earth, Thunder immediately followed and called out to the villagers. When they heard her message, they quickly gathered their crops and hid the animals before Lightening could become destructive. After this day there was no more complaints made to King Sun for all requests had been accommodated.
Author's Note:
This week I decided to read the Nigerian unit of the Un-Textbook. There was a story titled The Lightening and the Thunder that caught my eye. I like how this story was short and straight to the point. I also enjoyed it because it allows insight on how the Nigerian culture used to interpret how thunder and lightening came about. As I was going through this unit I noticed many reoccurring themes, such as the use of animals and the elements of the sky as key characters. I changed the main characters to elephants, instead of using sheep as in the original, mostly because they're one of my favorite animals.
Bibliography:
Author's Note:
This week I decided to read the Nigerian unit of the Un-Textbook. There was a story titled The Lightening and the Thunder that caught my eye. I like how this story was short and straight to the point. I also enjoyed it because it allows insight on how the Nigerian culture used to interpret how thunder and lightening came about. As I was going through this unit I noticed many reoccurring themes, such as the use of animals and the elements of the sky as key characters. I changed the main characters to elephants, instead of using sheep as in the original, mostly because they're one of my favorite animals.
Bibliography:
Book title: Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria
Author: Elphinstone Dayrell
Year Published: 1910
Web Source: Sacred Text Archive
Liza-Ann,
ReplyDeleteI also read the Nigerian Folk Stories this week! The thunder and lightening story was by far my favorite story. I loved that the relationship between the thunder and lightening was between mother and son. It was a really different story to explain why thunder and lightening are the way they are. I really liked that you kept so close to the original story. Although, I really loved your change that made them elephants instead of the sheep.
Overall I think that you did a really great job of retelling this story! I have noticed that lately it is a bit easier to stick to the original story and to just add in new details! I think that you did a really good job of sticking to the original story but adding in a few different things! Great job!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved this story Liza-Ann! I didn't choose to read this unit so I'm glad that I am getting a little glimpse of it via your retelling of this story. I really liked how simple, yet effective the story was. There weren't a million details and adjectives to sift through. You simply told the story and it was great!
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