Group #6 best in the west: Script for the Puppet Show

Narrator: It was an average Saturday night in the town of Bozeman, Montana.....
Toto running down the street and Dorothy chasing.
Dorothy: Toto! Come! Toto!
Galinda is standing in front of a house catches Toto
Galinda: Is this your dog?
Dorothy: Yes thank you so much for catching him.
Galinda: There’s a party inside, come join in.
Dorothy: No, I don’t think so, I don’t know anyone.
Galinda: Sure ya do. Why, you are connected to everyone here. For example, you are carrying a basket, a basket is also found hanging off of a hot air balloon, and hot air balloons produce lots of heat, like in the movie Titanic when Jack Dawson and Rose heat up the backseat of a car in the cargo hold; CARGO is also a Canadian brand of cosmetics that is a multimillion dollar company, the name CARGO comes from the idea that makeup is every woman's “cargo”, also in Canada there is a brand of whiskey called Canadian Club produced by Hiram Walker & Sons in Windsor, Ontario and people at the party in this house behind me are drinking whiskey cokes. There, you are connected to almost everyone here. And you could do that for everyone in this party individually if you take your time.
Dorothy: Okay, when you put it that way, I guess I’ll come in for a bit.
SCENE CHANGE
Narrator: As they walk inside the house Dorothy loses Galinda.
Dorothy: (to Toto) Toto, I can’t seem to see Galinda anywhere. Maybe I’ll get a drink. Bozeman sure is a small town but we sure aren’t in the sorority circle anymore.
Narrator: Dorothy walks over to the keg and finds Tinman.
Dorothy: Excuse me; do you know whose party this is?
Tinman: No. (Sarcastically) Nice dog. Who brings a dog to a party? That is so typical for a girl to be carrying around a little dog. Time for a new image. It just isn’t working.
Dorothy: You don’t have to be so mean. I only wanted to say hello. And just so you know Toto is the original canine accessory, without me and Toto, Paris Hilton would have no Princess.
Tinman: I’m sorry. I’m a heartless bastard; I’m trying to be better. I’m just bitter because I am part of that large group of guys who can’t get a girl, you know what they say, ‘welcome to man-tana’ there just aren’t enough women here to go around. Maybe that has something to do with the climate. And on top of that (says angrily like he’s been hurt before) girls think men have no heart and no feelings.
Dorothy: Well, if you talk to girls like you did to me it’s no wonder. But of course you have a heart.
Narrator: Dorothy and Tinman and joined by Scarecrow.
Scarecrow: Excuse me, I just wanted to introduce myself, I’m Scarecrow, and I’m a part of S.C.A.R.E. which stands for Students Cooperating Against Raging Inebriation. I just started the club and I’m looking for people to join.
Tinman: You’ll have to do better than that because if S.C.A.R.E. ends with an E then inebriation is the wrong word. You sure you don’t want to end your little club and have a beer?
Scarecrow: No.
Tinman: What’s wrong with you? Not drinking on a Friday night. Why would you come to a party that is designated to getting drunk and be anti-drunk. Are you stupid?
Scarecrow: No, I’m not stupid, I know lots of things, like...like....well I know lots of things.
Lion runs into the room
Lion: Hey! Hey everyone! I’m jumping off the roof onto the trampoline and it’s dedicated to this girl right here in the red shoes. Then we’re all going streaking!
Narrator: As everyone is running out to the backyard Scarecrow says:
Scarecrow: What do you think the chances are that Lion jumps off the roof?
Dorothy: One in three, of course.
Narrator: As Dorothy and Scarecrow are running outside Dorothy accidentally spills her drink on the witch’s shoes.
Dorothy: I’m so sorry I ruined your shoes. It was an accident! Here let me mop them up.
Witch: Agh! Don’t touch me! These are $150,000 shoes paid for by the Republican Party and I think the only way you can make it up to me is by giving me your shoes.
Dorothy: I really can’t give you these shoes, they are priceless really.
Someone yells: FIGHT! in the backyard! Lion is gonna get the shit kicked out of him!
SCENE CHANGE
Narrator: Dorothy gets swept up in the stampede of people and finds herself outside but she can’t find the fight and spots Lion hiding on the roof.Dorothy: (says to Toto) I don’t see a fight and poor Lion is hiding on the roof. Oh Toto, this backyard is so lovely and green!
Narrator: Dorothy goes over to the turn tables to speak with DJ Wizard.
Dorothy: Excuse me, Mr. DJ Wizard.
DJ Wizard: Oh you sure are pretty, I’m gonna get you baby.
Dorothy: Thanks but, I think I’m already gotten. I would just like you to play a song for me.
DJ Wizard: Anything for a pretty girl, but I need you to bring me a drink first, my favorite. It’s called a Wizball. It calls for a half ounce of rum, half ounce of schnapps or root beer, and half a can of Red Bull. You mix the rum and schnapps in a shot glass and drop it in a highball glass of red bull. I have to have that drink before I can play your song.
Dorothy: I’ll be right back then.
Narrator: Dorothy goes over to the bar to get the drink.
Dorothy: (to the bartender) May I please have a Wizball for DJ Wizard?
Narrator: Dorothy looks over and there is the Witch with her gang of girls and the Witch says:
Witch: He’s making the last one for me, and now he’s out of rum and Red Bull. Too bad for you.
Dorothy: You are horrible. Absolutely horrible! You can’t treat people like that.
Narrator: Dorothy is so upset and starts flinging her arms all about and hits a glass of water that someone is holding and it spills all over the Witch.
Witch: Now look what you’ve done! I knew I should have worn my waterproof mascara, but of course I didn’t think they would let losers like you into this party. UGH! My make-up, it’s running....its running!
Narrator: And with that the Witch ran off to the bathroom. And her gang of girls spoke to Dorothy:Witch’s posse: -Thanks for getting rid of her. – Yeah. She is like so annoying! Later girl. Posse Exeunt.
Narrator: So, Dorothy takes the Wizball drink over to DJ Wizard.
Dorothy: Here’s your Wizball. Now can I have my song?
DJ Wizard: And this song goes out to Dorothy because she brought me my favorite drink and she has awesome red shoes!
The song “Somewhere over the rainbow” starts playing.
Narrator: Lion felt so inspired by the music, and the 7 beers he drank that he felt the courage to jump off the roof, landing on the trampoline safely.
Lion: This is for you Dorothy!
Narrator: Dorothy was happy for Lion, but she was tired and wanted to go home.
Dorothy: (to Toto) Oh Toto, I’m so tired. I wish I knew where to get a ride home. I don’t know what to do.
Narrator: Scarecrow overheard this and said:
Scarecrow: I haven’t been drinking at all tonight. I could give you a ride home.
Dorothy: Scarecrow, that is so smart of you to do. Thank you.
Tinman: May I get a ride too?
Lion: Me too! I think I may have twisted my ankle after that gnarly jump.
Narrator: So they all walked out to the front of the house and got in the car and Dorothy, feeling comfortable in the car, said:
Dorothy: Scarecrow, thank you so much for taking me home. There is no place like home. Yawns. Just no place like home....
SCENE CHANGE
Then the scene is covered by black and then a bedroom scene is reveled.
Dorothy: sits up in bed and Toto is on her bed. Oh my, I just had the strangest dream. Toto, you were in it and there was a party, and I met the strangest guys and this awful girl who wanted my shoes. ....Am I still dreaming? Or is this your dream, Dorothy points at the audience. Yes, all of you sitting in those desks, are you watching this puppet show or just dreaming that you are? Is this all a product of your imagination? Is this part of your daydream that you’ve been dreaming because you were bored in class and you went to a party last night? What happens when you wake up? Or wait...when I wake up? Will we all cease to be?
Narrator: Dorothy lied back down in her bed and thought out loud to herself:
Dorothy: Ah....life, what is it but a dream?

What fairytale are you living?

The first thing written in my notes for the whole semester besides the date, which was 9/5/08 is, "all literature is diplaced myth" - Northrop Frye. Then we were instructed to displace fairytales into realism, which we presented to the class. We were also asked the question: What fairytale are you living? It was never assigned as a blog, but I thought it would be cool to read everyone's fairytale. It is a little late for that now. Stories are empty unless they are energized. !?!?! Energized by what? truth? connections? Like the guy reading the Daily Chronicle that Dr. Sexson wrote about. The articles seem boring until we start making connections, finding the myth permeating our stories, observing the deep structures, reading the story behind the story. I wrote a short piece for classical literature a few semesters ago about finding the myth within my story, you can check it out here.

Telling a Story About Storytelling

*I feel my paper is not completely finished (is anything ever really finished?)because there is so much to say and explore when it come to the subject of storytelling and I suppose I could have written a book on the subject. Had I more time I would have included the following topics for discussion: Storytelling visual images in memory and pumbing the depths of memory. Also hoe kids/people in general who have already heard a story want to hear it over and over. Also: What is most effective is the story rather than what is said about the story. What I have to say in my paper is not as important as the stories I talk about. Which leads me to what Dr. Sexson said, "The moral of the story is the story." The story we create is more important than what is said about our story. It is how we live and create our stories that is the nourishing substance. All that out of the way, here is my paper:

Telling a Story About Storytelling

To be a person is to have a story to tell. -Isak Dinesen


Lyra is famous for her storytelling in His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. She lies to manipulate Iofur, the false bear king and lies whenever she thinks she needs to manipulate a situation. So does her mother Mrs. Coulter at the very end when she lies with every fiber of her being to manipulate Metatron. Lyra tries to lie on page 292 of The Amber Spyglass Lyra and Will have to get through the door to get to the ghosts on the other side. All of these lies are stories, but what matters are the “real” stories. The narratives and myths that permeate our lives become true by becoming part of our own story. There is no truth, only versions of it, and our lives are infused the archetypes and myths.

They meet a harpy called No-Name, who Lyra later names Gracious Wings. The harpy, for the Athenians, was a sorrowful death angel. Although the harpies in The Amber Spyglass are not death angels, they are door keepers and they inspire sadness and fear, but that later changes. The harpy in Greek mythology was a winged death-spirit best known for stealing all food from Phineas. Like the harpies in The Amber Spyglass steal all the happiness and comfort from the ghosts by reminding the ghosts of all the bad things they committed in their lives.
No-Name would not let Will and Lyra pass through the door and says, "What can you give me?" so Lyra offers to tell a story, but as usual she weaves a tale in her mind about things that are not true, and when she begins storytelling No-Name rejects the story knowing it to be a lie. All we have to give when we have nothing else is our own story, which would be all No-Name could fairly ask for from Lyra. We cannot take things like material possessions, relationships, or our five senses we enjoy of the body to our death when we die. Medieval drama, Everyman illustrates that the only thing people could take with them to the grave was their good deeds, or in the case of His Dark Materials, their good story. The only thing a person has to their name or to their life is the story they lived.

This reminded me of Baz Luhrmann's recent film, Australia, near the beginning, Lady Sarah Ashley is talking with the drover and they are discussing how much luggage the Lady has. The drover tells Lady Sarah Ashley that he doesn't have many possessions because they are no good to him. He says all he has is his story and he's trying to make it a good one. The drover was very close to the Aboriginal people of Australia and that culture values storytelling as a way to teach, remember, and entertain. So the drover would agree when Tialys from, The Amber Spyglass strikes a deal with the harpies on page 317 and says, "Every one of the ghosts has a story; every single one that comes down in the future will have true things to tell you about the world."

The harpies have the right to hear the stories and the ghosts will have to tell their story, then the harpies will guide the ghosts to the opening into the world. The harpies can ask for nothing else because the stories of our lives are all we have to give when we die. No-Name says on page 318, "We have the right to refuse to guide them if they lie, or if they hold anything back, or if they have nothing to tell us. If they live in the world, they should see and touch and hear and learn things." The harpy is saying that we need to gain knowledge and experience life. A person who watched TV all day, slept and did nothing else would not have much of a story at all. My dad always told me that the purpose of life was to love everyone, gain knowledge, and serve others. I suppose if I do all three I will live a pretty good story.

Our stories are all connected through at the most six degrees of separation. My story includes other stories that are not entirely mine. This is meant in the way of intertextuality where my story’s meaning would be shaped by other stories, but also by framing, one story inside of another, like in Brian Talbot’s book or in everyday life, for example: Thanksgiving was a lovely time for my family. We enjoyed a delicious meal, good company, and good conversation. My mom, dad, and I were joined by my mom’s mom, my mom’s brother, and his son Andy. My cousin Andy was adopted by my Uncle Woody and Aunt Kristi from Bolivia and he is now 10-years-old. My Aunt Kristi had a sudden and tragic stroke this year and did not survive. Andy, who has had certain developmental issues has obviously had a very hard time coping. He has been the hot topic of family discussions for almost a decade now. At the Thanksgiving table he said that he was thankful that our Grandma still had her teeth, to which she agreed. He picked at his food and had little interest in the “adult” conversation. However, for some reason my dad was telling a story and Andy was captivated. It was the longest I’ve seen him sit still and listen. My dad’s story went like this:

“My dad [My dad’s dad; my grandpa] was about 12 years old I think when he was
sent to Grants Pass, Oregon area to spend the summer with his Uncle Jake. Uncle
Jake had a peg leg and he couldn’t hear very well so he used one of those horns
you stick in your ear as a hearing aid. The reason he had a peg leg and couldn’t
hear very well is because he used dynamite to blow stumps out of the ground for
clearing farm ground. Some of the dynamite got wet one day so he put it in the
oven of the woodstove to dry it out. When he opened the over door to check on
it, it blew up. It blew off one leg and made him deaf. He and a neighbor farmer
used to feud over the water that came down from the streams and the neighbor had
dammed it up, so Uncle Jake took my dad and some dynamite and they snuck over
and blew up the dam. And then they used some branches to wipe out their tracks.
When they got back to Jake’s cabin Uncle Jake gave my dad a big pistol and told
him to stand in the window and Jake took a shot gun and went out a set in a
chair leaned up against the front porch and he told my dad that the neighbor and
his boys would probably be coming to complain that their dam had been blown up.
Uncle Jake said there might be trouble so that is why they were holding their
guns and sure enough in a little while the neighbor and his boys came up the
path carrying their pitchforks. And they complained to Jake about the dam being
blown up and Jake said ‘somebody blew up your dam?’ And they said ‘You must have heard it’ and Jake said ‘you know I can’t hear a damn thing.’ He had his horn in
his ear all through the conversation. The neighbors seeing the guns decided to
turn and head back down the trail. Uncle Jake was a rough old guy and one time
when my dad was riding a horse in the pasture it ran under a low hanging tree
branch and my dad bent over and the tree branch scratched the skin off of his
back so Uncle Jake doctored it by pouring turpentine on it. And when Jake
demonstrated the pistol he had my dad hold it shot a hold through the apple
tree.”

Philip Pullman says "Lyra and Will and the other characters are meant to be human beings like us, and the story is about a universal human experience, namely growing up," in response to his own claim of His Dark Materials being stark realism. Pullman is telling us the story of ourselves, the reoccurring myth of the Fall of Adam and Eve, the Fall of Man when they finally know themselves. By growing up we create the stories of our lives and we recreate the “original Fall” by gaining wisdom and knowledge which moves us from innocence into experience, creating a better story for ourselves. Everyday we gain knowledge and encounter new things we are recreating and living the myth, we become Eve. This is what makes stories so special and effective; we recreate stories in our live as we are creating our own.

What does all this have to do with children's literature? As a child, which is the embodiment of innocence, most people are told stories or read to by their parents or family members. My Book and Heart Shall Never Part ruminated on the idea of didacticism in children's literature. The didacticism of storytelling is essential because we use stories to teach, remember, and delight. So by being told stories children are being encouraged to gain knowledge, remember, and have joy which fosters the child away from innocence and into experience. Stories teach children to create their own stories, so they have something to tell. Like on page 433 of The Amber Spyglass when Mary Malone decides to "Tell them [Lyra and Will] stories" where she performs the role of the temptress by telling them of her 'Fall' tasting like marzipan when she was twelve years old. This stirs up sensations in Lyra which leads to Lyra's fall. It is interesting how it is not Will who is tempted and falls, but Lyra. And her fall is essential, but Lyra doesn't really fall, does she, she gains knowledge and experience. She is growing and learning. This is how we create our own life story, unknowingly through the archetypes and myths, because it is the change and the metamorphosis we go through to advance from innocence and reach the realm of experience. We must all eat the apple.

If you don't know the trees you may be lost in the forest, but if you don't know the stories you may be lost in life. -Siberian Elder

Last Day of Presentations

Aaron Danno - Deconstructionism in Alice in Wonderland
Erin D. - Children's Literature vs. TV, Nickelodeon in the 90's
Aaron H. - Negative Capability
Katie - puberty concerning Alice and Lyra
Rebecca - adults opressing innocent children, blank slate/Grumman
Sam - Storytelling, Uncle Jake with a horn as a hearing aid and a peg leg
Cassie - played a song for us "Fairytale" by Sarah Bareilles, women in fairytales don't do a damn thing
Dustin - took a poll of 5 women and 5 men, research, what is your favorite fairytale and why?
Adam - journey of the dream, a pawn in chess can only move forward, but once it reaches the other side of the board it turns into a queen and can move anywhere....dream/memory/Nabokov/Alice
B. Reid - dreams, Lyra, Alice, Dorothy "Life, what is it but a dream" - Lewis Carrol
Ryan - Mary Malone, Muefla, Gomez killing a bird, Global warming effecting polar bears, man taking advantage of nature
Jessie - Alice in Wonderland, time, white rabbit, how children relate to time, worked in a daycare last summer with weird kids
Lisa - 6 degrees of seperation, herself to Obama
Danielle - Alice vs. Dorothy vs. Lyra, child vs. adolesence vs. adult
Cheryl Knobel - reversals, Alice, child lit. for adults too, kids hang upside down and chat on the monkey bars.


Everyone stuck to Dr. Sexson's decree of short presentations and we had 20 minutes in class to spare so everyone who presented went to the front of the room and those in the audience asked people questions. Group presentations start on Friday, I think it is groups 1 and 2 who present.