Week 3 Story: How the War with Oklahoma State Began
Once upon a time, there was a King of Oklahoma who had a beautiful daughter named Teresa. So beautiful was this maiden there was not a lad in the entire state of Oklahoma whom did not wish to hold her hand in marriage. Alas, the great King of Oklahoma made all the men swear an oath. An oath they all swore to be good friends with the maiden's suitor. An oath they all swore to protect the maiden at all costs, else she be stolen away from her suitor.
The fair maiden Teresa chose a suitor whose name was Boomer, brother of Sooner, who reigned over the province of Norman. Years later, the maiden's father passed away, and her husband now became the new King of Oklahoma.
All was well with their marriage until a young man came along into the province. His name was Pete, and ruled over the province of Stillwater. Overwhelmed by the Queen Teresa's beauty, Pete carried her off in the night, back towards his home of Stillwater.
Overcome with rage, Boomer and Sooner traveled through the realm, finding the men whom had sworn an oath to protect Teresa at all costs. Men from all over Oklahoma gathered to the capital as word got out of the Queen's absence. Men from the plains of the great Northwest gathered with their broadswords ready for slicing their enemies. Men from the woodlands of the Southeast gathered with their axes ready to chop through bone. Men from the Northeast gathered with their spears ready to drive through hearts of their enemies. Men from the Southwest gathered with their clubs ready to deliver heavy blows.
Together these men traveled with the province of Stillwater, where Pete held Queen Teresa as his own. For years, the Oklahomans raged against the walls of Stillwater. Yet, the Cowboys that resided within Stillwater kept them at bay. The Oklahomans set up encampments outside the walls of Stillwater, yearning for the opportunity to capture the province and retrieve their fair Queen Teresa back home.
Author's Note: I decided to keep the plot of the original story mostly intact as I did my own rendition of it in my own words. I elected to adopt the story to illustrate the rivalry between Oklahoma and Oklahoma state in real life, instead of the original war between Greece and the city of Troy. I replaced the King of Sparta with the King of Oklahoma, and the the fair maiden Helen with Teresa. I substituted the brothers Menelaüs and Agamemnon with Boomer and Sooner, respectively. I also replaced the thief Paris with Pete, short for Pistol Pete. The story pays homage to the original where the men of Greece are gathered to avenge the taking of their beloved maiden and so lay siege to the city of Troy. I thought it was interesting to see how well that story would be adopted to fit the setting of Oklahoma and its native inhabitants.
Bibliography: How the War with Troy Began from the Iliad retold by Alfred J. Church (1907)
The fair maiden Teresa chose a suitor whose name was Boomer, brother of Sooner, who reigned over the province of Norman. Years later, the maiden's father passed away, and her husband now became the new King of Oklahoma.
All was well with their marriage until a young man came along into the province. His name was Pete, and ruled over the province of Stillwater. Overwhelmed by the Queen Teresa's beauty, Pete carried her off in the night, back towards his home of Stillwater.
Overcome with rage, Boomer and Sooner traveled through the realm, finding the men whom had sworn an oath to protect Teresa at all costs. Men from all over Oklahoma gathered to the capital as word got out of the Queen's absence. Men from the plains of the great Northwest gathered with their broadswords ready for slicing their enemies. Men from the woodlands of the Southeast gathered with their axes ready to chop through bone. Men from the Northeast gathered with their spears ready to drive through hearts of their enemies. Men from the Southwest gathered with their clubs ready to deliver heavy blows.
Together these men traveled with the province of Stillwater, where Pete held Queen Teresa as his own. For years, the Oklahomans raged against the walls of Stillwater. Yet, the Cowboys that resided within Stillwater kept them at bay. The Oklahomans set up encampments outside the walls of Stillwater, yearning for the opportunity to capture the province and retrieve their fair Queen Teresa back home.
University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University Rivalry - Courtesy of KTUL
Author's Note: I decided to keep the plot of the original story mostly intact as I did my own rendition of it in my own words. I elected to adopt the story to illustrate the rivalry between Oklahoma and Oklahoma state in real life, instead of the original war between Greece and the city of Troy. I replaced the King of Sparta with the King of Oklahoma, and the the fair maiden Helen with Teresa. I substituted the brothers Menelaüs and Agamemnon with Boomer and Sooner, respectively. I also replaced the thief Paris with Pete, short for Pistol Pete. The story pays homage to the original where the men of Greece are gathered to avenge the taking of their beloved maiden and so lay siege to the city of Troy. I thought it was interesting to see how well that story would be adopted to fit the setting of Oklahoma and its native inhabitants.
Bibliography: How the War with Troy Began from the Iliad retold by Alfred J. Church (1907)
Hi Jackie! I thought your rendition of the capture of Helen was very well-written and thought out. I did not have to read your author's note to understand the story that inspired this retelling, so I think that's is a good sign! Though the narrative style you chose fits perfectly with the original story, I do think it feels slightly out of place considering you are using names of modern places. I guess it just feels weird to speak so formally about a place that feels so familiar, also making it hard to imagine Oklahoma as a kingdom. I wonder if this narrative style was a conscious choice or if it's just what came natural to you. It would be great to see they same story but written in a more modern style. Overall, great story!
ReplyDeleteHey Jackie! This story was really funny! I am very familiar with the story of Helen of Troy, and you were really clever in how you kept the meat and potatoes of the story the same while changing it to fit our rivalry with Oklahoma State. I loved the twist that you put on this story, keep up the good work!
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