Whitney Curd
April 9, 2007

Sleeping Beauty

A long time ago, in a land far far away, there lived a King and Queen. They both longed for a child of their own everyday since their honey moon. The King wished for a boy to pass his kingdom down to. The Queen’s said her dream was to having a beautiful bouncing baby girl.

One day, the blossoming young Queen was receiving her exhilarating daily bath by 4 of her 20 young virile servants in the pond that over looked Venuses Valley. It was from there that one wise hare came out from the valley and foretold the fortune:

“Your wish will soon be fulfilled, and you will bring a daughter into the world."

Just then a serpent rose excited from the waters, and the small rabbit when stiff with fear at the very sight of its shadow. Then, the large snake bit the rabbit making its body go limp and continued to swallowed the bunny rabbit whole. Nine months later a daughter, Brier-Rose, was born to the excited King and Queen.
The king was so happy about the birth of the princess that he held a great celebration. You see, he secretly had wanted a pretty princess all along, a pretty pretty princess, even though he may never have a son to pass down his kingdom to. He would marry his daughter to a King’s son, the lands would combine, and all would be well with the expansion of his kingdoms. At the celebration, he was fallowed a long tradition to invite the fairies of the land to give their best wishes to the young Princess, but because he had only twelve golden plates, not invite one fairy for there were thirteen fairies in the lands. He pick at random to leave one invitation unsent. He didn’t mind inviting the fairs and regretted having to leave one out. He was a fan of their work and was really a huge fairy at heart.
Twelve fairies came to the celebration. As it was ending they all presented the Princess with gifts of passion, voluptuous breast and child bearing hips. Some promised her virtue, another one gave beauty, and so on, each one offering something desirable and magnificent. The eleventh fairy had just presented her gift when the thirteenth fairy walked in. She was very angry that she had not been invited and cried out:
"Because you did not invite me, I tell you that in her fifteenth year, your daughter will prick herself with a needle and fall over dead."
They were all shocked by the horrible cruse. Luckily the twelfth and strongest fairy’s good wish still remained unspoken. A beautiful old fairy came forward; she shined of purple and sky blue. The fairy was bound by rules of fairy magic, that she could not undo the evil sentence, but only soften it, she said, it shall not be death, but a deep sleep of a hundred years, into which the princess shall fall. This sentence was the best she could do.

The king feared for his daughter. He thought it be such a misfortune that his daughter would not experience all the greatness of womanhood and all the fruits of being Princess and a women. He ordered that all the spindles in the land be burned. He wanted none to be seen by his daughter for all of time.
Meanwhile the gifts of the wise women were plenteously fulfilled on the young girl, for she was so beautiful, modest, good-natured, and wise, that everyone who saw her was bound to love her.
On her Quinceanera, she had a great party to celebrate her special coming of age celebration. She was going to were white for the very special occasion. She was her Hispanic tradition that said she was a women night of her fifth birthday. She wanted only the finest things for her party. She longed for an ice sculpture of the rose she is named after, Briar Rose. She had the whole country working to have the finest food, the best decorations and an amazing head table that over looked all the festivities for all the fairies. Everyone hoped this would fix any lingering suspicions between the royal family and the thirteenth fairy. The kingdom had flourished in the last 15 years; all the civil wars had stopped. New and more family plates had been made.
Briar Rose knew she wanted to wear white and have a fluffy petty coat under her full length gown. Only the finest silk would do for her gown. With only the finest tailor could sew it. That was her cousin Juanita. With only a twodays left until her party time was running out. She had to make her appointment with the seamstress on her actual birthday. The day she went to have her measurements taken for the dress. She went to the top tower in the castle, where she was to meet her cousin the tailor. She climbed up the narrow winding staircase, and reached a little door. This is wear her father put the cousin and only trusted royal family tailor. The king took many precautions to keep a needles away from the girl even though he never revealed the curse set upon the princes 15 years ago. Unfortunately, the king was out getting a pink and yellow piñata for tomorrow’s celebration when the Princes was instructed to and went to the top room in the tower with the best lighting for her fitting. A rusty key was in the lock, and when she turned it the door sprang open, and there in a little room sat an Juanita with a spindle, busily spinning her flax. Her cousin first measured the blossoming young princess. The Prince noticed over in the corner a servant was making cloth on a chair in front of a spinal.

When the Queen saw all was well she said:
“Briar Rose, I will be back soon keep your hands to your sides’ young land while you are in this room. I will go to over see the servant’s preparation for your party. I shall be back with your zaptas (shoes). Then, we will be kept with the rest of your outfit here to be finished and carried to your room when you dress tomorrow.”

Once the Queen left the conversation began:
“You in the corner," said the king's daughter, "what are you doing there?"

"I am spinning," the old servant said politely, and nodded her head.

"What sort of thing is that, that rattles round so loudly," said the girl. Then because of the Princesses carelessness the cousin accidentally pricked the Prince’s side of the girl who stand on a chair in the middle of the room.

In this very moment when she felt the prick, she fell down and then immediately carried to bed that was in cousin’s bedroom, and she laid in a deep silent sleep. Then sleep extended over the whole palace, the king and queen who had just come home, sat down on their throne at entrance of the great hall, began to go to sleep, and the whole of the court with them. The horses, too, went to sleep in the stable, the dogs in the yard, the pigeons upon the roof, the flies on the wall, even the fire that was flaming on the hearth became quiet and slept, the roast meat left off frizzling, and the cook, who was just going to pull the hair of the scullery boy, because he had forgotten something, let him go, and went to sleep. And the wind fell, and on the trees before the castle not a leaf moved again.

All round about the castle there began to grow a hedge of Briar Rose, which every year became higher. Finically the rose grew close up round the castle and all over the outer walls, so that there was nothing of it to be seen, not even the flag upon the roof.

The story of the beautiful sleeping Briar Rose, spread threw the countryside teasing all of the young boys’ ears. So that from time to time kings' sons came and tried penetrate through the thorny hedge into the castle. It was more impossible each time a Prince would try because the hedge would just get deeper and bigger. Men’s skeletons hung between the branches each surely died a miserable lonesome death. This didn’t scare away most young desired filled Princes it only added to their challenge,
.
After many years a most lucky king's son came again to that country. With amazing timing he heard an old man talking about the thorn hedge, and that a castle was said to stand behind it. There was a wonderfully beautiful princess, named Briar Rose, trapped in a curse and has been asleep for almost one hundred years The old man said the king and queen and the whole court were trapped asleep because of the Fairy’s cures. He had heard, too, from his grandfather, that many kings, sons had already come, and had tried to get through the thorny hedge, but they had remained sticking fast in it, and had died a pitiful death.

Then the young Prince said, "I am not afraid, I will go and penetrate the forces that continue to keep us apart. There must be a way I can wake her and have her as my Queen. I can train the young maiden to do as I please. She will obey me. I have comfort in knowing that no man has touched my soon to be wife. She is young, and I can watch her flower blossom and have the beautiful Briar Rose for myself." The good old man might have tried to change his mind, but he had not listened to the Princes words.

He suggested that a hundred years had passed, and the day had come when Briar Rose was to awake again. When the king's son came near to the thorn hedge, it was nothing but large and beautiful flowers, which parted from each other of their own accord, and let him pass unhurt, and then they closed again behind him like a hedge. In the castle yard he saw the horses and the spotted hounds lying asleep, on the roof sat the pigeons with their heads under their wings. And when he entered the house, the flies were asleep upon the wall, the cook in the kitchen was still holding out his hand to seize the boy, and the maid was sitting by the black hen which she was going to pluck.

He went on farther, and in the great hall, he saw the whole of the court lying asleep and upon the throne sits the king and queen sleeping. Then he went on still farther, and all was so quiet that a breath could be heard, and at last he came to the tower, and opened the door into the little room where Briar Rose was sleeping. She lay on a bed covered with Briar Rose vines in full bloom. They hang from above her and slightly catch the sun as it shines threw the windows. The sun cast a shining glow upon Briar Rose.

There she lay, so beautiful that he could not turn his eyes away, and he stooped down and gave her a kiss. But as soon as he kissed her, Briar Rose opened her eyes and awoke, and looked at him quite sweetly.

Once he saw deep into her eyes he knew what he wanted and took it. As the earth its self rumbled beneath the lovers feet the king awoke, and the queen, and the whole court, and looked at each other in great astonishment. And the horses in the courtyard stood up and shook themselves, the hounds jumped up and wagged their tails, the pigeons upon the roof pulled out their heads from under their wings, looked round, and flew into the open country. The flies on the wall crept again, the fire in the kitchen burned up and flickered and cooked the meat, the joint began to turn and sizzle again, and the cook gave the boy such a box on the ear that he screamed, and the maid finished plucking the fowl.

Then the story of the king's son waking Briar Rose spread like wild fire threw the countryside. Once the castle was awoke, all the lands where reclaimed by the king and his army.

Briar Rose’s father, once again, ruled the land. The king’s son was caught with his pants down by Briar Roses’ guards; he was slain where he stood as soon as he was discovered. The Prince’s army relaxed and waiting for the prince outside the once sleeping castle where slain for the sins of their Prince, the man that defiled the virgin Princess of The Great King. The crime was especially heinous because he had not asked for the king’s consent concerning his daughter.

No though was given to the fact that the King was asleep when the prince would have had an opportunity to request consent for courtship. The prince may have had part in bring him out of his deep sleep, but no gratitude is extended by highness. However, the smartest of the patrons think the curse was lifted only because the hundred years had passed, with nothing to do with the Prince. The Princess only regret was the choice of her father to kill the man that helped her discover the women she had become, but she was so over come by her passion and lust that she lay on the bed with a smile and her hair glowing in the nights moon light. She pulled down her skirt from above her head as she stumbles to her feet. Then she looked up to the moon for the first time in a hundred years, with a new sense of women hood. With a party to attend she made her way over the dead stranger’s body and down the tower stairs.

The kings men took care for the Prince from the foreign land and it was never discussed in front of the Princes again. She thought about it everyday for 10 years, with much appreciation for the Prince because of the wonderful experience they shared. She only wished she could have told her father she liked it, but that would have been too unorthodox.

Essay III Analysis

Sleeping Beauty is a bed time story like any other that parents pass down from generation to generation to get little boys and girls to lay down their heads and go to sleep. Like any bedtime story, Sleeping Beauty was recited many times in multiple languages on every content threw out world history. Said to be originally written in German, you can find online, available in ant language.
Sleeping Beauty's earliest emergences was the story "Perceforest," an Arthurian romance which was first printed in 1528.The second version came in the form of The Ninth Captain's Tale (1001 Nights), then Sun, Moon, and Talia known more formally as Il Pentamerone, Day 5, Tale 5 in 1636 by Giambattista Basile. Third, Contes de ma Mère l’Oye or "Mother Goose Tales” published in 1697 by Charles Perrault. Forth, Sleeping Beauty, or La Belle au Bois dormant, version of 1812 by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, commonly known as the Grimm Brothers. The Grimm version I chose to adapt was originally written in German. This version is actually among the tamest and does not involve any of the cannibalism, adultery or rape that is found in some of the earlier renditions. Later was Little Brier-Rose a version of Sleeping Beauty, translated by D. L. Ashliman, 1857. Later in 1857, The Dornröschen, German text version was published. Later, Grimm Brothers changed their story of Sleeping Beauty into a version called The Glass Coffin, translated by Margaret Hunt, More recently; more popularly recognized version was produced by Walt Disney. The film in 1959, is based off of the Grimm’s version of the story. This is the last Disney feature made that use hand-inked cells. This long list of different Sleeping Beauty versions only is a sample of the versions out there. I am sure there are plenty of amateur versions available as well.
In My Fair Tale, many changes to the Grimm’s version were necessary to make Sleeping Beauty in to modern/street English. Changes I attempted to give the story a more directly sexual undertone. This dramatically contrasts the Walt Disney movie that was marketed directly to children and families. The versions the Grimm Brothers is appropriate to read to a child, though originally this was meant for an adult audience. Earlier versions like the 1528 and 1636 version would have been unacceptable to read to a child. My Fair Tale is intended for an adult audience, and I could see it develop into a good rates “R” date type movie with more crude sexual innuendos than the version I based it on. However, it is obvious that the product I created is a short story and would need much more work to created into any thing bigger than it is. This added sexuality appeals to today’s teenagers and young adults’ sex induced culture. Modernizing the work to be shocking to today’s audience would be entirely in appropriate for a learning environment.
Making the family heritage Spanish added a chance to make the Princess’ fifteenth birthday more significant, Quincineara celebrates a girls coming of age in Spanish culture. Signs of the Princes coming of age are hinted at throughout the story with signs of blooming flowers and even having her named Briar Rose, the rose of course said to be named after her not the other way round. The rose is a traditional sign of fertility. Other sexual questions are raised in my version, including the father being homosexual, or at least curious. His wishing to live through his daughter is the hint that would tip off most adults here to the homosexual innuendo. Obviously if he was gay, he would need to suppress it to avoid showing weakness in the crown. In earlier times, being homosexual has been labeled in different ways. In addition, the issue would have not been discussed in a royalty-based hierarchy typically, though historically there has always been speculation. Both these changes increases the ability for the story to reach today’s culture.
Changing the work to the realty of modern day was easy. I changed the reason the Princes was around the spindle from being frivolous to begin necessary part of planning her birthday party, and having the perfect dress. Her mother knew better than to let the daughter touch the spindle. The mother was only out of the room for a few minutes, but because she never told her daughter of the curse, the princess didn‘t know to stay away for the foreign looking object. The twists help to keep the older audiences attention. Another aspect of the changes made is that the princes has a larger role. The Prince was being selfish in wishing because he wants the girl he can have her. They did not end-up happily ever after and this would appeal to any feminist point of view. I think the fairytale need not end happily ever after in order to remain a creditable story. Since more than half of marriages end in divorces, the unhappy ending appeals to their socially inflicted expectations. The father of the Princess defended her integrity and killed off the Prince who had insulted him in his own home. This is a refreshing ideal. This exerts the fathers opposing side of being a powerful ruler and a gay man. Both aspects of his personality make for him being the only character in the story that has depth. A man being both powerful and homosexual is still a new-age idea. He is restored to power in the end of the story. The audience is lead to believe that no loyalty had been lost since the hundred-year sleep. All these changes improve the depth and modernists of the short story.
Many of the ideas I kept the same to insure the same story and moral is conveyed in the same light. The fore casting the birth of the princes is still an animal. The rabbit more directly has sexually hidden meaning than the frog. The young Queen also has male attendants that the Princess surly has too so the male for is no stranger to the girl. The news spreading quickly is no surprise to audiences now or in the past. People have always had interest in royalty or famous people’s daily lives. Although, I do think the story is news worthy. The audience is left wondering weather or not the Princess enjoyed her de-flowering. The King of the land acted quickly and did not give his child’s wishes another thought. He knew his daughter had to be given away respectably and with a long public courtship. In his mind, this is the only appropriate reaction to a stranger sneaking in your castle and waking your daughter. The audience is also left wondering what effects the 100 year sleep has had one the world and castle. Do you think that the Princess would be able to fit in with the times?
I think changing the bedtime stories we tell our kids at night is unavoidable, because the lessons we wish to teach is ever changing. Social norms are often passed down orally by parents or grandparents, but in the modern age, the morals have been written down and can be repeated with out mistake when read. It is important that parents look deep into the lessons and examples that we pass on to our children. Hopefully, bedtime stories and many other traditions will not be lost with plasma televisions and wireless internet. Re-writing a story that I heard has a young child made me examine what the moral was and why more people have not listened to it. It clearly is a lesson on waiting for love and knowing the right time will come when the individual is ready. It also supports the importance of chastity and only giving yourself to the man that will support you for the rest of your life. This is more obvious in earlier versions than the modern version I put together.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty

http://www.pbs.org

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm.html

My paper is an adaptation of the one of the final chapters of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye.

Holden checked his watch and noticed that it was getting close to the time he was supposed to meet Phoebe; His intentions were set on heading to a farm in Colorado, but he wanted to make sure he saw big sister before he turned his back on all he knew. Holden walked down the street to the university and waited patiently as the students filed out of the building. Finally, he saw Phoebe emerge with her arm wrapped around a tall fellow that looked to be passed twenty in age. Holden was shocked by this display. When did Phoebe get a boyfriend? Was she even old enough for a boyfriend? He watched the two embrace and part ways as Phoebe saw him from across the lawn.

“Hold-,” Phoebe started to greet her brother but was interrupted by a friend who had some gossip to relay. After a five minute delay, Phoebe approached the bench where Holden had planted himself and asked him why he wanted to meet her right after class. “You know I have practice after school Holden, so this better be good,” she said.

“I…I was just wondering if we could go for a walk at the zoo,” he replied meekly. Holden was taken aback by the coldness in her voice; she had certainly changed from the bright-eyed girl who used to play in the pond and catch frogs with him at recess years ago. The aching in his chest deepened as he filled with regret of knowing that the girl at the pond was gone, tarnished by the bitterness and corruption of maturity.

“Fine, but we have to make this quick, I have things I have to do,” Phoebe replied, but Holden could clearly see she was distracted by members of the men’s polo team that were walking across the street. She was responding half-heartedly, like she wasn’t even listening to him.

As they began walking towards the zoo, Holden’s initial excitement of visiting his sister deteriorated to a numb longing for the bond that they once shared as childhood companions. They walked in silence for what seemed like ages, until Phoebe’s patience finally wore out.

“So tell me, why’d you drag me out here? You have something to tell me? I don’t have all day, Holden.” Her voice brimmed with impatience, causing Holden to rethink his intention to reveal his plans, but in the end he decided he had to get it off his chest.

“I decided I’m gonna run away,” he said with renewed confidence. “I’m sick of being surrounded by all these phonies. People like that make me sick and I don’t want to be around them anymore. I’m thinking maybe I should go to farm in…Colorado or something. I dunno yet, I just need to get away from this place and these people.” Phoebe was now on the brink of laughter and looked like she was about to say something, but she was quickly distracted when her cell phone began to ring.

“Hold on just a sec,” she interrupted Holden. Standing there, dumbfounded, Holden replayed the scene through his mind. He’d just entrusted his sister with his biggest secret; he was going to run away from home, but it was as if she didn’t even care about him anymore. All she cared about was the latest trend and planning social outings with people she barely associated with.

As he listened to his sister discuss her plans for the evening with overzealous enthusiasm, a dark thought began to worm its way into Holden’s mind. He had lost Phoebe. She was the last link to his years of childhood bliss, an ambassador to the past, and now she was gone. He watched Phoebe apathetically walk past the sea lions’ swimming pool. This used to be her favorite place; she used to spend as much time as she could here as a little girl, watching the sea lions swim around and eat the fish that were thrown to them, but she was distant now, part of another world.

Phoebe hung up her phone just as they were leaving the zoo and crossing the street to the park. “So you’re running away? I have to say, that’s the stupidest and most immature thing I’ve ever heard you say.” Her blunt words hurt Holden and cut deep like a knife. “Seriously, Holden, when are you going to grow up? You don’t live in some fantasy world where everything is bright and sunny. This is real life, and you can’t escape it just by running away. There are going to be phony people everywhere you go. Everyone has to be a phony sometimes. That’s how the world works.”

Holden was crying now, tears of pain steadily streaming down his face. It was as if Phoebe had taken the remainder of his childhood and smashed it over his head into a thousand pieces. He was lost and alone in a world of facades and deception, with nothing to catch him from falling into the abyss of corruption.

As they approached the carrousel, Phoebe began to feel a twinge of remorse as she watched her brother sob quietly. “Do you want to go for a ride on it?” she asked. Holden had always loved the carrousel, she remembered, and their parents could never get him off of it.

“I’m too big,” he said. She thought Holden wasn’t going to answer her, but he did.

“No, you’re not. Go on—I’ll be on this bench right over here. I’ll watch you,” she said. Holden bought a ticket and got on the carrousel. There were a few children on the carrousel, most little children whose parents were keeping a close eye on them from the benches. Holden wasn’t crying anymore, just sitting on the horse with a blank stare and he went around and around. The years of playing in the pond and visiting the animals at the zoo were now distant memories of a past life and all that lay ahead was a black whirlpool. He was swirling around in the vortex and it was Phoebe who had the ability to save him, but she was too caught up in her own social life to realize that Holden was drowning. The carrousel seemed to be going faster now…he was sinking deeper and deeper into the darkness. Around him, children were grabbing for a rope as they passed it on their horses. The child who could catch the rope was given a reward, so parents were cheering while their children were laughing with delight over the game. Holden, too, grabbed for the ring, making a last attempt to grab the life preserver that was keeping him above the surface, but he missed and nearly fell from his horse. Phoebe stood away from the carrousel with her back turned; she had finally lost grip of her brother. His final attempt to hold onto his Phoebe and their childhood together had failed, so he now had no choice but to accept defeat.

“That was fun wasn’t it?” Phoebe said after the ride had ended. Holden didn’t have the heart to respond, though. He had fallen into the whirlpool and was already nearing his watery spiral to the bottom. Sadness and grief had melted into resentment and defeat as the pair walked back to Phoebe’s school. She noticed that his expression had darkened and he was considerably less talkative than before, but decided to think about what she would wear that night rather than question her brother about matters that didn’t interest her. They arrived back at the university in silence and hovered near the entrance awkwardly. “So I guess I’ll see you at home later for dinner,” Phoebe finally murmured to Holden.

“Yeah, I’ll see you later I guess,” he replied without looking at her. She left him then, went back into the building so he was left alone standing on the sidewalk.

Holden came to a realization at that moment; he was riding for a fall—a special kind of fall, a horrible kind. He wasn’t permitted to feel or hear himself hit the bottom. He would just keep falling and falling. The whole arrangement was designed for people who, like Holden, were looking for something their own environment couldn’t provide them with, like a lost childhood companion to grab hold of. So Holden gave up on Phoebe, but never really forgave her for letting him go.

Originally in my adaptation i tried to involve some controversial ideas along with the idea of struggle between the men of the crew, but couldnt quite fill all of them out. Instead, Ms. Han felt that my struggle between the man and nature was more intriguing and that my writing involving his struggle was stronger. Because of this, i left the idea of controversy and tried to incorporate the story of Armageddon and Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" in which an old fisherman struggles against a fish over a 5 day period.

Up until this point in the movie, Harry has been approached by members of the government to lead a mission to an asteroid to help save the world. Harry will be working with a group of astronauts and launches after one week of training.

After what seems like only moments, Harry is smoothly landing on the asteroid following his departure from the rig and brief training at NASA facilities. Harry has five other members with him filling out the cabin, including William Sharp who is the head colonel and pilot of the ship, Rachel the geologist, Robert and Brian the engineers, and Jeff the mechanic. The landing, along with the launch and flight to the asteroid, goes perfectly and the crew is ready to disembark. All of the members, including Harry, suit up and take their first steps onto the surface of what could destroy the world they love and call home. For a moment they all stand and gaze at the power of the asteroid as a system itself and the beauty of the Earth towards which they are heading. Just as they start to get caught up in the moment, Harry keeps his focus and urges them to get moving towards starting the drills.

By the point all of the crew gets to work after their initial pause, they have just five days to drill the hole, set up the nuke, leave, and detonate the bomb. The first day goes by with the crew mainly setting up the equipment and getting everything off the ship they need according to plan. The smooth events of the first day on the asteroid calms Harry’s doubt of cooperation as they retreat to the shuttle for a brief meeting and a minimal amount of sleep. Getting rest with the weight of the destiny of the world on their shoulders however surely prevents them from effectively sleeping. Before long their timers sound and they rise from their cabins to head out on the asteroid once again.

Harry is anxious to begin the drilling process immediately as he heads towards the equipment and is confused to see the others standing idol around the equipment. Upon inquisition of the plans for the day he is disturbed to find out that Rachel had not examined the surface terrain and materials of the asteroid to determine an appropriate drill site. As Harry urges her to speedily find a site, he begins to examine the asteroid himself. The foreign mass of debris consists mainly of dense metals and solid rock along with ice deposits which give it a cool grey-brown color with many jagged peaks and few flat surfaces outside of the landing zone. On his own mission, Harry finds a site that seems suitable and returns to suggest the site to his fellow crew members. As he arrives back to the ship and equipment, he finds them preparing to move to Rachel’s suggested location and quickly suggests they evaluate both sites. However, his fellow crew somewhat arrogantly shrugs off his suggestion and they prepare Rachel’s site which they argue was evaluated by a professional geologists with years of experience and education in the field.

The site immediately gives Harry a feeling of discomfort. Grey dominates the surface of the asteroid around the site, suggesting increased amounts of tough metals, while geysers burst not one hundred yards from the equipment. Frustrated, but optimistic nonetheless, Harry helps set up the site and begin the preliminary drilling processes. The powerful robotic drill supplied by NASA is aligned, calibrated, and finally turned on. As they lower the beautiful machine, it eats away at the surface of the asteroid and gently crawls deeper into the ground. By the end of their second day they have the drill on track and one fifth of the depth required to deploy the nuke. The meeting aboard the ship is as light a conversation as possible and the crew enjoys their moments away from the stressful mission at hand. Harry feels satisfied with the course of events since meeting with the government officials on his rig and slips into a dream filled with his crew members, the rig, and finally his home and family.

Awakened by the movement of his fellow crew, Harry rises and prepares for his third day on the asteroid. By now, he has become comfortable with his job and situation on the asteroid and he heads out to continue their work. The crew starts up the drills and begins to drill deeper into the massive piece of solar debris. However, issues begin to arise as the drill reaches the quarter mark of its descent. After retrieving the drill from the depths of the hole, they find that the bit is worn down and needs changing. Although an inconvenience, Jeff along with Harry change out the bit to a much tougher titanium and diamond encrusted bit created for extreme conditions. Not an hour after they restart the drilling the machine seems to be sitting stationary at the bottom of the hole. Once again they retrieve the machine and to their horror find yet another drill bit mangled and destroyed by the toughness of the asteroid. The crew is starting to lose their battle with the asteroid along with precious time. The disappointing day ends with the process still on schedule, but with no more room for error.

Troubles and problems that arose from the third day roll over to the fourth day as tensions rise. However, Harry’s determination takes over his natural will as he begins to lead the crew in his own way. Just as the crew reaches the site, the suns light begins to slowly trickle across the surface of the asteroid, illuminating the cold gray and icy white terrain. Harry flicks on each machine, creating a neon glow that is somewhat awkward to the previous scene. As the day continues to move on the crew grows faith and confides in their new crew leader.

Although the crew willingly cooperates with Harry now, they are not as skilled as Harry’s previous crew. Because of this Harry labors over the machines. After one of the engines overheats, Harry solely takes the casing off to investigate the situation. Immediately a geyser of steam sprays from the radiator like a sigh of relief from the engine. Methodically, Harry makes the necessary changes, tickling the inside of the machine with minor tweaks while refreshing the machine with new fluids. After reassembling the engine Harry once again turns on the machine, only this time met with a new result. The engine roars and churns as it powers the drill, dominating the asteroid with each powerful stroke.

Time is rolling by as the drill slides by the three-quarter mark with 1 day left, just behind the planned schedule. Harry continually labors on the site, making sure all the vitals of the machines are steady. The crew can do nothing but watch in awe and amazement at the true skill of the man at work. Being no easy prey, the asteroid gives a deep moan and a sigh of its own as multiple geysers erupt around the site sending a shock across the asteroid. Machine after machine rattles to a halt as if quivering in fear as the rumbling resides. Unshaken by the event, Harry continues to be the rock of his unsteady crew and machinery. Certainly not conceding to the asteroid, Harry decides to wrap up the day and rest for their final day.

Harry rises early and suits up preparing for what is the final round of his bout with the asteroid. The same scene appears at the site as the sun rises and the machines come to life. Before starting the days drilling, Harry goes over the engines and checks all the main components. He tightens the settings, while almost massaging lubricants into the moving components of the machine. Harry cares for the machines with a gentle touch, preparing them for their last round of duty. The worn hands of a seasoned worker caress the parts as he wraps up his changes and begins to drill. As the rest of the crew watches, they see a man that they now truly respect. Not only because of the fact that he is on his way to saving the world, but at the relationship he has created with his machines and work, his true passion. A rare gift, that is truly special, allows Harry to conquer a mission only few could.

The final day is a pure success. The machines grind away at the hardened metals and power through the toughened rocks and minerals. As Henry watches with confidence in his work and machinery, time seems to slow down. He admires the effortless revolutions of the drill as it pumps the defeated soil of asteroid out of the ground. His attention soon moves to the engines that soothingly purr as they easily power the drill into the heart of the asteroid for the final blow. Soon interrupted from his trance, Harry hears the sound of a chime signaling the end of the drilling process. The crew celebrates, overjoyed by the ending of their mission while Harry holds back his joy with the reserve he needs to finish the mission. After all of the crew has deployed the nuke and returned the machinery to the ship they have their goodbyes.

Harry gets down on one knee for the last time on the rock and scoops a handful of dirt. After letting the dirt slide through his fingers and back down to the asteroid, he smoothes the ground as it originally was. A mighty test, the greatest of Harry’s life, he seems to respect the power of the fight the asteroid presented. He rejoins the crew and takes off in the shuttle. Just before they reenter the atmosphere, Harry looks over his shoulder to watch the nuke explode as he is overwhelmed by the joy of accomplishment. After touchdown, the asteroid’s remnants rain through the atmosphere, creating a celebratory firework show of streaming colors that seems to almost congratulate Harry for his heroic struggle.

Although i havent read anyone elses paper i can tell instantly this is one of the strongest papers in the class. I've always noticed on the forums and postings youve had the most in depth ideas, with the most research and thought. Your writing is very poetic and fluid and seems to continue the flow of the original work, surely a difficult task. I also liked that your changes to the original story weren't superficial as in some of the movies we saw that only changed the time period to attract a new audience. In the end, I enjoyed reading your work and felt it was great while not being too cliche.

johnko

This is my adaptation. If you want to read a plot summary of the novel that can be found at http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/stranger/summary.html. I wrote an execution scene to the end of The Stranger by Albert Camus. My first adaptation had the main character, Meursault, coming to a religious epiphany of sorts as he spotted the Chaplain in the audience. After Ms. Han suggested that I should try telling the adaptation from a different perspective I incorporated Marie into the adaptation rather than the Chaplain. I hope the result isn’t too cliché.

The Execution

“As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really—I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.” Embracing the gentle indifference of the world, Meursault remained motionless as he heard the footsteps echoing in the hallway. The men had arrived.

He did as he was told, stood, and allowed the men to take him out of his cell by the arm. The walk down the long hallway was refreshing, a much better stroll than the day of Maman’s funeral. There was a draft that felt cool against his skin. He allowed his mind to wander and began to imagine the blissful screams from the onlookers. Death is the only thing that is guaranteed in life, and there is not point in trying to avoid what is certain. As he neared the end of the hall he could hear the initial shouts and let himself imagine what it would feel like to witness a beheading His father had witnessed an execution once, and then thrown up for hours afterward. Father was so naïve, holding on to his faith as if it could protect him. Meursault was above letting such foolishness distract him.

The door opened and the chanting filled Meursault’s ears. The guards continued to assist him, leading him to where the guillotine was mounted on the dirty ground. There was a glare from the metal that pierced Meursault’s eyes, and he thought that the day should be cloudy. The stinging was becoming very intense but the blade was entrancing. Breaking his gaze with a blink, he looked into the crowd. They very getting very quiet now, and staring up at him. He felt like an outsider, but he knew that everything would hastily get back to normal. Soon the daily business would return to its usual routine. Meursault could faintly remember the hours that he would spend on his balcony watching families stroll by on Sunday afternoons. That seemed worlds away now. He had adjusted himself to boxed in accommodations, and let his imagination thrive on the sounds he heard through the thick concrete walls.

He felt anger rising as he saw the Chaplain in the audience. Why had he come? Meursault had no time to waste on God. He had always lived his life on his own terms, and what was the point of becoming a hypocrite in the end? Religion had only weakened his father and embittered his mother. They put complete faith into something that cannot cure the earthly ailments that disease the soul. Then Meursault saw Thomas Perez, and was reminded of the day’s heat. This was much like the day that Maman died, and then, Thomas had looked as he did now. The man was too old to be in such heat, and Meursault wondered how he was able to stand, would he be able to keep up as people marched Meursault’s coffin to the graveyard. Would he be buried, Meursault had always assumed so, but had never really pondered what the guards would do with his dismembered body. Meursault took one last look into the crowd but did not see Marie. He remembered the days that he had spent swimming with her in the ocean. He would never do that again.

What does one ponder in the end? Meursault was never particularly ambitious. He was not a career man; he could not see the point in that. The little apartment with its sparse furniture and wooden balcony was all that he had ever required. Meursault was never envious of those with pompous material possessions; if he wanted that for his life than he would have taken a job in Paris. Marie had comforted him the best that she could. Marie loved Meursault; she even wanted to marry him. He longed to see her one more time in that red dress, but what would she think of him now? Marie might have been the only person to ever really love Meursault. Overwhelmed, flashes of a future that would never exist played in his mind. Gone were the late nights at the café, and the last afternoon spent on his balcony. No more weekends at the beach, no vacations, nothing to look forward to. If he was lucky he would be devoured by insects and left to disappear into the Earth. An unmarked headstone with his inmate identification number would mark the resting place of his unremarkable existence.

Was Meursault always cold and indifferent? Reaching deeper into her mind, Marie tried to remember when Meursault began to be so hardened by life. As a child he had dreams, where had they gone? Looking back on it, he wasn't always unhappy. When he was a student, he had lots of ambitions. But when he had to give up his studies to take care of Maman he acted like nothing really mattered. How could she have ever let herself love a man that thought that way? Her life was never unbearable nor did she have to struggle or want for necessities, but she felt like she always lacked affection. For the first time since the murder Marie’s love for Meursault was subsiding, and it was being replaced with what she could only guess felt like shame, maybe even sadness. She was disappointed in herself. She had taken so much for granted and she had convinced herself that nothing mattered but making Meursault happy. For a brief moment Marie felt as though Meursault had found her in the crowd. She drew her shawl in tighter over her red dress and lowered her head to avoid detection.

Marie was conflicted and she thought of Meursault’s mother. She understood why Maman embraced a new relationship with Thomas Perez despite being so close to the end. Happiness lies in ones mental state, not in their physical ability. Maman could not walk but she had always kept her mind open to new friendships and possibilities. Meursault should have learned from her. For a fleeting moment Marie let herself believe that she would see Meursault again. The thought was suppressed. Marie felt empty, she ached for a love that Meursault would never be capable of giving. Even if there was another domain of existence Meursault would not be welcomed there. He was a murderer.

A glint of red from the corner of Meursault’s eyes brought his eyes back to the crowd. There seemed to be more people present now than before. He knew better than to look for Marie but that did not stop him from scanning his audience to be absolutely sure. She was not there. A stinging sensation in his eyes brought him back to reality. He met the Marie’s eyes, and as he let two tears roll down in face in shame there seemed to be a silent understanding between the two. This was the end.

A hand was pressing against his shoulders. Without struggle Meursault lowered himself onto his knees. He felt the hot earth warm his knees. Again the hand pressed his neck into position. Meursault was pleased that there was no scaffold. The machine would not allow for error and that was comforting. The chanting grew louder once again. It was time. From above he could hear the swift movement of air, and then he was back in the rolling ocean and free. “That's when everything began to reel. The sea carried up a thick, fiery breath. It seemed to him as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire.” (Camus 59)