Diary of a Smelly Fish Woman week 6 story
 |
| Shantanu sees the beautiful fisherwoman Wikipedia |
The Mahabharata, A Summary by John Mandeville Macfie (1921). [400 words]
Dear Diary,
Today has by far been the craziest day of my entire life. Growing up working with my father nobody ever complained of the fishy odor I have always had. My father tells me how beautiful I am everyday but I fear I will never find a true love to marry. Will any man ever accept me and the permanent smell of fish I carry with me. Today was the day I thought that my luck had changed. I was working with father on the ferry and a man caught my attention. Normally I try to avoid getting too close to customers for fear that they will judge me. Today the man on the boat was different, I could tell he desired me. I did not want to give in to this man because my body is for my future husband. He promised if I gave in I would remain pure. In an attempt to make a deal I wondered if he had the ability to make me no longer smell of fish. So against by better judgement I gave into his advance. I thought I had made a mistake by trusting this man at first. However, tonight as I lay in bed the smell of perfume lingers in the air and the fishy odor has disappeared! It is a miracle, I couldn't be happier. However I do wonder what is ahead, is there a baby in my future? Will this mans touch bring life from my womb? My life has taken a turn I did not expect, and although I did not find my true love I know that a husband is in my future. My biggest fault has finally disappeared, I can finally quit the life of a ferryman and begin my own as an independent woman.
Authors Note: This story is an adaptation of the birth of Vyasa. I did a diary of his mother and how she became pregnant. I thought the story of the birth of Vyasa did not give a lot of detail on his mother so I wrote it from her perspective. Her own birth was an interesting story and she continued to have an out the ordinary birth with her own son.
Hi Bri!
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a really interesting take on the story of Vyasa's mother. They mention that she smells like fish, but it is definitely not the main point of any story. I think it was a great idea to tell it from her point of view. How awful would that be to smell like fish all the time?!?! I can't imagine what she would have felt like or the things she couldn't do because she would face embarrassment. I also like that you showed her struggle between wanting to make a deal with this stranger and saving herself for marriage. She knew that what she might do was wrong, but her heart won over her choices. Great job with this story!
Hi Brianna, I enjoyed your adaption of the traditional story! Diaries are one of my favorite types of writing styles for these stories and yours is well done! A constant fishy odor would be such a huge part of your life that you'd do just about anything to get rid of it! The difficult decision of the smell vs a potential child would have been a tough choice for the woman, especially in a culture where purity is so important! I wonder how the man was able to convince her he is a brahmin, as it's not really discussed in the original story. Either way, this was well done!
ReplyDeleteHi Brianna! I love a journal entry styled story! I think you did very well with this. I think the point of view is excellent and definitely a unique choice. I feel so bad for Vyasa’s mother! What a horrible fate to constantly smell like fish! I like how you expanded on the original. I agree that it was lacking and needed more detail. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHey Brianna,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I appreciate your rendition of Vyasa's mother in the form of a diary entry. It is interesting to read the perspective of Vyasa's mother and how she worries about her fish stench. Despite her odor, she still finds a man and gets pregnant with Vyasa. I look forward to reading more diary entry styled stories from you!
Hey Brianna! First of all, I would like to say that I loved getting to read your story this week and think the idea of putting it into diary form was very creative. Writing from Vyasa's mother's perspective was very interesting and unique. I think it is really cool to take a character and write more about what they are thinking and feeling. Really fun story to read!
ReplyDeleteHey Brianna,
ReplyDeleteThe title of the story cracked me up. I remember reading this story and laughing at just hoe crazy it seemed, but at the same time I feel bad for her. Being scared to go out and interact with people because of something she can't control would be terrible. I enjoyed how you retold it. I also wrote a story as a diary and it worked really well.
Hey Bri! I like that you chose this story to zoom in on--I don't know about you, but it definitely didn't sit well with me when I read it because it felt like there was some coercion/lack of consent. I think you did a really good job of showing her inner logic and the decision-making process she went through to ultimately give in to him, and how it worked out for her and she's okay with whatever happens moving forward. I like how you end it with her being so optimistic, and excited to meet somebody to be her future husband!
ReplyDeleteHi Bri!
ReplyDeleteYour story title is great. It is odd and funny enough to intrigue me but vague enough to get me to read the story to figure out what it means. I love that you took a small detail in the story and ran with it. This was such a creative story and I really enjoyed reading it! I was cringing during a lot of the details, but I think that makes it so much more interesting since I was engaged the whole time.
Hi Brianna! I really enjoyed your take on the story. I enjoyed reading these journal/diary style stories because it really gives an insight into their thoughts. It also helped give a new perspective on the story. I was so happy for her that she no longer smells like fish, I can't imagine what it would be like to smell like that all the time. I also loved that she was so hopeful and optimistic for her future now that she doesn't have that smell that might drive future husbands away. Great job!
ReplyDelete