Week 13 Story: Jataka Interpretation
The Scam: Storytelling
Two Small-Town Sisters
Two sisters, Lisa and Linda, lived on the outskirts of Fort Worth, Texas and had a very simple life. Both were young, right out of high school, and both wanted more out of their life than their simple life on their parents’ ranch. One morning (about a month out of graduation), the sisters were sitting outside after a long morning of bailing hay.
"Lisa, I think I want to be a model," Linda suddenly said after a cold drink of water.
"What made you say that? Why do you want to be a model?" Lisa quickly replied.
Lisa, the elder of the two sisters, was much more level-headed than Linda. However, Linda was the one that was creative, bold, and willing to experience new things. Both of the girls balanced each other perfectly; they each possessed qualities that the other lacked.
"Think about it, Lisa! You and I could move to Dallas and learn about fashion, walk the runway, and make a whole new life for ourselves!"
After about a week of secretly talking to each other about their dream, Lisa and Linda approached their parents.
Yvonne and Henry, their mother and father, were very simple, hardworking folks. They both raised the two girls on the farm. Coming from an impoverished childhood, the two parents wanted better for their daughters, and the family was very happy.
"Dad, Lisa and I want to go into town this weekend. There is an audition for Dallas Fashion Week, and we both want to try and become fashion models!" Linda said in the most convincing way she knew how.
Henry slowly looked up from his newspaper and looked at his two beautiful daughters. Although he trusted their judgement and knew he had raised them to make good decisions, something felt uneasy about allowing them to go outside of the norm of their simple life.
"Well, if thats what you want, I will let you drive out there tomorrow. Just please be aware... there are so many scams and tricks out there. Just make sure you are making good decisions," he replied.
The girls were ecstatic, and they pulled out of the driveway first thing the next morning.
Lisa and Linda arrived at the Fort Worth Modeling Agency and signed up for the audition. The man in charge immediately looked at them and began to gush over their appearance. After an entire day of cat-walking, taking pictures, and trying-on clothes, the man gave them a spot in his fashion show.
"Now, all you have to do for this agency is fill out this contract, and you are in!" The man handed them a huge stack of paper each. Of course, the girls were overjoyed at their success, and Linda immediately grabbed a pen and reached down to sign. Lisa, on the other hand, paused. She remembered what her father had said and knew that modeling agencies have been scams. Lisa has even heard that some agencies trap girls into contracts and mistreat them and even take them away from their families!
"I think I need to read this first," Lisa said to the man.
Immediately, the man began trying to convince her to sign before reading it. The more the man talked, the more Lisa was concerned for their safety. She grabbed Linda by the arm and got in the car.
Lisa had seen something that her sister did not see; she recognized the man from a news story about selling girls into slavery. Even though he was disguised, she could still recognize his eyes from the TV.
A month later, police arrested that man for mistreating girls who wanted to be models. Linda was so thankful for her sister, and they realized their simple ranch life wasn't so bad after all.
Author's Note:
I took the Goblin Town Jataka and applied it to a real-life example. Many girls have a lust for fame just like the men had a lust for the beautiful women. Both my story and the original tell readers that the victims made it out safely from both situations.
A ship full of sailors has been sailing for a long time, and they anchored when they saw a small island. As they got off the ship and went to shore, beautiful women greeted them. The men were overwhelmed with lust and followed the women back to their village. The women said they would care for them and provide them with food and a place to sleep. During the first night, the captain awoke and heard strange voices. The next morning, only a few of his men believed him and others listened for it the next night. The men who also heard the voices woke up in chains the next morning and realized the women were goblins and they had been deceived. They prayed for help, and a large white and winged horse appeared to break their bondage.
- Only the ones that believed the captain about the goblins
mounted the magic horse and rode away to safety, and they lived happily ever
after
Also, Linda is my mom's name, and Lisa is her sister's name. :)
Bibliography: Twenty Jataka Tales. Noor
Inayat (Khan). Babel
Wow, this was such an interesting twist on a story about an adventure. My favorite part was the end where they were thankful they had a simple life. Simplicity goes a long ways sometimes. I also enjoyed the relationship between the two sisters—different but good for one another. I definitely did not see the ending the way it was as I was reading, so it hit me as a surprise. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHi Leigh,
ReplyDeleteThis was a great story. I especially like the ending part on how one of the sister listened to her parent's advice. As teenagers we are always excited to try new things, however we never bother to look at small details. Our parents always advices us before doing something and It is important to pay attention to their words. After all, they are only wanting what's best for you. Good job on the story!
Leigh, this story is set up so that most people from Oklahoma and Texas, etc. can easily picture the setting and the lifestyle that the girls are used to. The picture that you chose for your story is appropriate. Also, you changed the story from the original so much that you really made it your own. The only thing that I would suggest would be to say, "coming from impoverished childhoods" when referring to the parents as they did not share the same family as children.
ReplyDeleteI really like when stories are set in modern-day! It makes them so much fun:) Especially with a story as unique as the Goblin City story. I thought you did a great job of introducing the main girls, as I thought they were very charming! I wish we could get more of a description of them though. As for the story itself, I thought it was really clever! You added your own cool charm to the original and made it a much happier story (even if there was a dark element to it).
ReplyDeleteReading this story I definitely felt like it was something from my home town. I'm so close to Fort Worth ( I love it there), and it's known as "country central," so I love that you chose the sisters to set scene in the country. I also like how you transformed from the original to the modern approach of modeling. Although all modeling agencies and situations aren't scams, there are certainly many that are! Great story!
ReplyDeleteHey Leigh.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you gave the Goblin Town story a modern twist. It was really interesting and your author’s note did a good job of explaining the original story. Good job on your story. I hope you have a good rest of the semester.
Hi Leigh,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this story. I liked that your made the original narrative your own. I didn't even realize which Jataka it was based on until I got to your authors note. Also I love your image at the top for some reason and truly hope your google search for a stock image of texas teenagers to get it. Great job and I look forward to reading more of your work.
-Elizabeth
Hey Leigh! I loved reading the Jataka tales so it was nice to see that someone wrote a their retelling on it. I am from Dallas but I spent a lot of time at the stock yards and Billy bob's in Fort Worth. You did a great job writing your story!
ReplyDeleteHi Leigh,
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great story. I read the Jataka Tales as well and this was fun getting to see somebody else's twist on it. I really liked the characters and how they developed throughout this adventure of a story. You have done a really great job this semester and it was great getting to read and comment on your stories.
Brooks