Marshallese Short Stories 1
As we were finishing up The Important Book about Majuro at the Majuro Co-op School, we had some extra time to spend on short stories. I explained the basic structure of a short story (introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement) and gave them a blank piece of paper. As an afterthought, I taught them how to fold, cut, and staple the paper into a little eight-page book, something that I liked to do as a child.
I gave them no topics, no direction other than a basic plot structure. I was astounded at the output. In less than twenty minutes I had more than ten little stories, and a week later I had forty-four (there were twenty-seven students). These are raw stories—uncensored. They are fascinating insights into their dreams and their imaginations; their likes, dislikes, and fears; their interaction with various cultures and media; and what they see at home or in their communities.
Names will not be given to protect the children's privacy. I have corrected the majority of the spelling errors but have left some of the grammatical constructions.
Some of the Marshallese legends are reflected in the stories. Ghosts, demons (almost all of which are female), and magical occurrences are still a part of the culture today. (I should also say that a fair amount of the stories are about a boy named Max because I brought my two-year-old son, Maxwell, to class one day. I had Max say "denouement"—although of course he had no idea what it meant—and write some words and numbers on the board, and I think the children were rather taken with him. I am too.)
As parents and leaders, we would be wise to remember that what our children see and hear can have a powerful effect on their minds and lives. Please encourage your children to keep expressing themselves creatively; we may be surprised what we can learn from them . . . if we listen.
I gave them no topics, no direction other than a basic plot structure. I was astounded at the output. In less than twenty minutes I had more than ten little stories, and a week later I had forty-four (there were twenty-seven students). These are raw stories—uncensored. They are fascinating insights into their dreams and their imaginations; their likes, dislikes, and fears; their interaction with various cultures and media; and what they see at home or in their communities.
Names will not be given to protect the children's privacy. I have corrected the majority of the spelling errors but have left some of the grammatical constructions.
Some of the Marshallese legends are reflected in the stories. Ghosts, demons (almost all of which are female), and magical occurrences are still a part of the culture today. (I should also say that a fair amount of the stories are about a boy named Max because I brought my two-year-old son, Maxwell, to class one day. I had Max say "denouement"—although of course he had no idea what it meant—and write some words and numbers on the board, and I think the children were rather taken with him. I am too.)
As parents and leaders, we would be wise to remember that what our children see and hear can have a powerful effect on their minds and lives. Please encourage your children to keep expressing themselves creatively; we may be surprised what we can learn from them . . . if we listen.
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A Girl Named Kristean
Once upon a time there was a girl named Kristean. She was 9 years old. She went to school at Co-op and every day she goes to school late but one day she went to school very early but she went home very late. After she graduated she never was late ever again. The Demon Once upon a time there was a demon named Jennifer. She loved to kidnap kids. But she had a problem. A woman named Rosa loved to do black magic to every demon. [unfinished] Max the Baby Once upon a time a baby named Max came to our school. He knew how to say long words. Everybody was extremely amazed. All of the people were looking at max. It was their first time to see a baby say long words. Then Max the baby became a huge hit. All around the world. In different languages Max the baby was the first baby to say long words and he was even the cutest baby. The Princess's Problem Once upon a time there was a princess. She had a big problem. Her problem was she didn't have a prince. One day she asked her parents to find her a prince. But, they were busy looking at a basket. They were thinking, "Who brought the basket?" It was for the princess. Then she found out. It was from the prince. Then they married and had babies, and they lived happily ever after. The End Jack and the Scorcher Once upon a time there was a village called Scarberg. People had been saying there was a Chinese prisoner who said he would haunt Scarberg for locking him in jail. Some people believed about his ghost but some didn't. The ghost's name was the Scorcher. One man named Jack was the one who locked him up. Jack wanted to tell everyone that the ghost wasn't real so he went to the home of the Scorcher, the old abandoned prison. One night Jack was sitting waiting for the ghost to come. When the sun rose Jack's friend Brian went to meet him. He saw him sleeping. Brian shouted, "Want some breakfast?" but Jack didn't answer so Brian went close and patted him on the back. Suddenly Jack's head fell off and Brian found scars on his neck. Then no one ever saw the ghost of the Scorcher again. Max's Adventure Once upon a time, there lived a little boy named Max. Max loved to read and write. He was the smartest kid in the world. One day in the Marshall Islands Max decided to go on an adventure around Majuro. Max went on a boat and went to an island. There were lions, and tigers, and bears, and alligators too. But Max knew what to do. Then a lion came and Max wrestled the lion and Max won. "Yay!!" he called. Then Max grew tired so he built himself a little house. In the morning Max ate bananas for breakfast. Then Max hopped on the boat and set sail for Majuro. He couldn't wait to be back on Majuro, and finally he reached his home, and he went inside and jumped on his little bed and he was fast asleep. The End Mike the Mouse Once upon a time there was a mouse. He likes to eat cheese. And his town is made of cheese. And one day he went to another town that was made of logs. And the mouses were poor but Mike just went and said, "Do you want to come and live with me in Cheese Land?" But the grandpa mouse didn't listen to Mike. Then Mike yelled at him. "Why all the time you don't listen to me? Come and live with your childrens in Cheese Land." A Good Teacher I would love to have a teacher that's nice. It would be delightful to have a garden full of roses for a teacher like that. It would be good to share pizza to a really great teacher. What a great kid I am! |
The Pretty Girlfriend
Once there was a girl in a village. She was the most prettiest girl in the village. Then this guy asked her to marry him. Then she said yes. A few days had passed. When the girl went outside she talked to other boys. Then when her boyfriend came out of the house he saw his girlfriend talking to boys. After that they had a big fight at 12:00 a.m. The boyfriend said, "Why did you hangout with those boys?" The girl said, "It wasn't me it was the boys." Then the boyfriend said, "Why wouldn't you just ignore them?" Then the girl said, "Hey, it's not my fault that I'm pretty." The boyfriend got mad. He took a knife and cut her mouth. The girl was crying. In a few weeks the girl will ask you if she is pretty. Yes—cut your mouth too No—kill you with the knife [An interjection here from Jamie: I find this hidden voice particularly powerful. This child has described a not-uncommon scene of domestic abuse that occurs in the Marshall Islands. It was only in 2011 that a law was passed making it a crime to beat or injure one's domestic partner, and it only happened after a woman was violently killed by her husband in a domestic dispute. It is still a major problem. I find it interesting how this child is trying to grapple with violence. WUTMI, the women's organization in the Marshall Islands, is trying to stop this abuse in all its ugly forms. Praise to the voices, especially little voices, who protest this type of violence, who seek outside help, and who strive for better relationships not based on coercion.] Hiding Once upon a time there was an old man and his grandson. The boy and his grandpa went to a store and bought some foods for dinner. When they got back to their house they saw a girl sitting outside their house. The girl was lonely and sad. When the grandpa told her what happened the girl disappeared. Then the boy hid under the house. Finally, they lived happily ever after. Max the Cutest Dragon Once upon a time there was a baby dragon. His name was Max. Every day he would say to his mother, "Fee fie foe! Do you know the Gruffalo?" His mother, Mrs. Jamie, would get annoyed. So early the next morning he set off looking for the Gruffalo. His mother was worried. Max met the Gruffalo but he was grumpy and mean. He was going to kill Max. But luckily Max blew flames out of his mouth and burned the Gruffalo's hand. Max flew off and got home to his mother and he never disobeyed his mother ever again. Best Friends In the northern woods there were two best friends. They played basketball in the Miami Heat team. Their names were Dwayne Wade and Lebron James. They were best friends since they were in 7th grade. They went back to Miami and ate at the McDonald's restaurant. Dwayne Wade and Lebron James felt well. The End —Another version of Best Friends-- Once upon a time there was a boy named Wade. He was one of the players in the Miami Heat. He was lonely in his house. A boy named Lebron James helped him. He bought him food. Finally they lived happily ever after. Mrs. Jamie the Great Mrs. Jamie the Great was an awesome teacher. The family was a super family. They fight for good. Mrs. Jamie's disguise was to be a teacher. All the kids loved her. When she heard someone call help she went straight to fight crime. Sometimes she breaks through the roof. Everybody was so amazed. She was the most magnificent teacher in the whole world. Even every teacher who's teaching. All the kids loved her. We always cheer for her. Max the Great Max the Great was the cutest kid in the whole wide world. When he came to class everybody stared with shockingness. Then they paused, then everybody started to say, "You are such a cute baby." Then Max said with cuteness, "Thank you." Everybody started to say "Awwww." Everybody wanted to pinch him. Then the bodyguard Mrs. Jamie started to say, "Back away from the baby." [To my credit I never said this. Just wanted to clarify!] Then everybody started to talk about Max the baby. Then he was the cutest baby. The End |