Multigenre Projects
College Prep English
Beowulf Ballad
There once was a monster named Grendel,
He killed many and was feared by all,
Word of Grendel was heard by a brave man,
That when he learned went after the fiend in the hall.
Beowulf was the man that was brave and strong,
He decided he would go to fight,
He had asked others and his men to come along,
To help him go against this plight.
Beowulf had a mighty duel with the monster,
Grendel would learn his fate,
In the end Beowulf ripped off Grendel’s arm to conquer
Grendel had lost that trait.
Beowulf had a destiny,
To battle monsters and take back the land,
No monsters would have amnesty,
Beowulf ends with the upper hand.
My ballad is about fate/destiny. I tried to tie it into how we start to learn from this battle between the two that the fate of Grendel is death. We also learn that the destiny of Beowulf is to be the hero. Beowulf has a destiny of being the one that would be victorious and rule as a hero. As I wrote the ballad I summarized what happens in the First few sections, without wanting to completely tell the whole story. I was hoping to just give a glimpse at the ending fate of Beowulf. So with the last stanza I wrote that the ending of his destiny is lost.
My rough draft mural
A Short Story About Fate
A Story of Fate
I am here to tell the story of fate and destiny. Not everyone is to live up to the expectations in which they want to be. Fate is something only slightly controlled. An individual can have their dream job, their dream house, or car. When it comes down to what we are destined to end in life is not up to us. It is already chosen. I know of these fates, for I am Death, and I shall be the one to take on the end of lives. I am here to tell the unfortunate end of three men that sought out to find me.
These men had heard a story about an unfortunate orphan that was ready to be taken up by me, for he had nothing left to live for. The day that child shall be taken from this planet is already decided, but until that day I shall do no harm. The men thought the orphan was out to get them, as a partner of mine to snatch their lives. The three men were very wealthy and youthful, and they were to be wed the upcoming spring. There was no way they were going to give up their fortune and good-living so soon. Little did they know I did have a plan for them, but my plan had nothing in part of the orphan boy. The men started searching for me, and with time they grew weary of one another. After being wed in the spring they had nearly forgotten all about their plans. Villages near were in dire need of help from the rich fellows around the way. The families were greedy and wanted to keep the money all to themselves.
Soon the men realized if they overthrew the smallest that they could share his wealth together. He went to a near village and went to search for some mercenaries to stand guard for he feared his life. While he was away the men planned his death. The smallest of the men first arrived alone, the two older men jumped him attacking and killing him. What they did not know was his mercenaries were just down the way. Upon arriving to the scene they killed the two other men and went on their way to the house of the smallest man. They informed the young widow and vowed to stay and protect her. The other two widows joined her and in life the three lived happily together being guarded with their young children. They no longer had the hateful greed overcoming their lives by their husbands. Now the widows lived in friendship the way they always had wanted.
This was the fate of those men, because of their own greed and hate they all ended up losing their lives to me. Be careful what you wish for, and who you set out to find. Fate might just come finding you when you least expect it.
Reflection: In this short story I changed the actual character traits and even added other characters and details. In the original the men were poor and run across an old man that tells them about how he is ready to die but death has not come for him. The young men think he is planning with death to take the lives of young men around the area. I also tried to change what actions were done in some ways. This connects to fate/destiny by showing the fate of others cannot be contained and what is to be their destiny or fate is something they cannot change.
Reflection
I have learned quite a bit about these two stories. I have learned that your stories will not always end the way you first believe. Beowulf was a very good story about a hero that saves the day more than once, but in the end a soldier that has no high comparison to him wins the battle with the dragon that resulted in the death of Beowulf. And the Canterbury Tales was only a prologue with a story about three greedy brothers that went looking for Death and they sure found him as the resulted in their death.
I thought I did well with writing my shirt story and turning the Canterbury Tales into a story of my own that gives off the same message. I found it challenging to write the ballad because it is something I have not had to do before.
In the future Ii would like to try to further read into both of these prompts and learn more and better understand what the deeper messages and meanings are.