Across the room, Arachne's work is coming together, though it doesn't appear as a typical tapestry. There are depictions of heroes or great battles; instead, the tapestry seems oddly translucent, as though the thread she used were thin enough to rip right through. As she progressed further and further in her weaving, Minerva noticed and began to grow confident. Though the material itself was incredible, it was undeniable that the scenes up on Minerva's work were far superior to those Arachne.
Finally time in the hour glass had run out, and it was time to compare the two works of art. Minerva began, showcasing the vibrant colors and incredible landscapes she had created. All in attendance agreed that it was certainly the most impressive weaving they had ever seen. Upon hearing this Minerva grew even more confident, knowing that she truly was superior to Arachne.
Then it was Arachne's turn. She pulled her weaving out, and the crowd looked on, confused. "Why, there's nothing on there!" said Minerva in glee. "You have to get closer," replied Arachne, "the silk is so very fine that you can't see it all from a distance.
And so Minerva moved closer, until her face was nearly touching the tapestry, and yet still she could not make out the designs. "You are nothing but a fake," declared Pallas Minerva, just as the tapestry suddenly rushed towards her, then over her, and finally around her. Suddenly Minerva found herself wrapped within the weaving, unable to escape. Though the material looked thin to the eyes, it was very strong and very sticky. The more she struggled the more entangled she became. "What is this travesty?!" she screamed. "I have had enough of your meddling in my life," replied Arachne, "maybe this time you will learn your lesson about messing with humans whenever you feel like it." And with that Arachne departed, and Minerva was left to scream and struggle, caught by the web of Arachne.
Author's Note: In the original story they offer quite a bit more detail for the actual weaving of the tapestries but I didn't have the Greek mythological background for that. The original version of this story is a classic example of Gods putting mortals in their place for perceived slights. Minerva challenges Arachne to a competition and loses. She is unwilling to accept this, and ultimately destroys Arachne's tapestry and attacks. Arachne can't stand this and decides to hang herself. Before going back to Olympus, Minerva changes her into a spider. This plotline occurs all throughout Greek mythology, as mortals are constantly doing one thing or another to anger Gods. I decided to put a twist on this. I don't like the idea omnipotent beings just fiddling around in mortal lives, so I put the twist on it to change that and make Arachne the one to defeat Minerva. The image is obviously just a picture of Arachne, though it's supposed to be her as part-spider. I chose this spider because Minerva is one of my favorite Greek gods and I had never actually heard the story of Arachne. I hope readers take from this story the idea that an individual with one special talent can do quite a bit, even against a person that seems incredibly powerful.
Minerva Weaves a Web
Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000)
Hi Cooper, just a quick note - it looks like you inserted that image by remote linking to a site that does not allow remote linking (image is broken), but if you grab a copy of the image and use the upload method, that should work fine! Details here:
ReplyDeleteUpload and Insert Image
Hi Cooper, your gave an immense amount of detail in your story about the setting and the actions of the characters, which is all great! I just had a hard time following due to the fast pace.
ReplyDeleteI noticed our teacher told you about the image on this story not showing up properly, but since you hadn’t changed it yet, I just wanted to send you another reminder!
I can definitely tell that you like writing situational narratives, cause you give them so much energy! Very good work! You make sure that the reader is well oriented with the space that the characters are interacting in without indulging in too many details. That quality is essential for good situational narratives.
ReplyDeleteFormat:
-Spacing: you missed making paragraphs in places that need it. The sentence examples I found are: 1) "...rip right through. As she progressed..." 2) "... very strong and very sticky. The more she struggled..." Both of these places could have used indenting to the next line as a new paragraph.
-Structure: I don't see a bibliography here. I believe it is a requirement for all storytelling posts to have bibliographies. Even though you provide a link to the story, that is not sufficient: you have to make sure that the author is given credit.
-Image: You should also provide the name of the artist that made the image that you put along with your story. You should also include the year. If the original artist's name is not listed anywhere, simply giving credit to the site on which it was found will suffice.
You described objects with unconventional descriptive words and phrases, which was a breathe of fresh air. Instead of just adding a bunch of typical adjectives, you provoked the reader’s senses. Also, the author’s note did more than an adequate job at describing the original story.
ReplyDeleteNext time, I would recommend adding the image before the story or in the middle so the reader can better grasp the story and the characters.
Cooper- I really enjoyed your take on this story. I had never before heard of the struggle between Arachne and Minerva. The picture you choose for your post was really perfect. I loved the colors and the style. The fact that a mortal was able to trick the god and win was a refreshing take on so many Greek mythology stories.
ReplyDeleteGood job Cooper! I like how you switched the roles of the main characters to where Arachne defeated Minerva. You also did a great job at creating a picture of what was going on in this story. Your authors note was well explained as well. I got a good sense of what happened in the original story and what you set out to do in your own story. The picture you choose is pretty cool too! Very good choice with that.
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