Dear Journal,
I still can not believe that this happened to me; it seems like a fairy tale the more that I think about it. I have lost count of how many times I have pinched myself since Sir Kay and Sir Ector first kneeled before me. I never thought that it would be possible to hear more shocking news than that you are adopted in one day.
Well, I guess I had actually never thought about being adopted before. Sir Kay and Sir Ector treated me like I was kin. I still can not believe that they took me in to their home. Sir Ector has taught me everything I know about being a man; he has been a great father. I have to admit that this does make me curious about my biological dad, Uther Pendragon. Who would have thought that I was the heir to the throne of the grandest king in the land? Nobody can convince me that I am not dreaming right now.
It is going to take me a while to get used to how people interact with me now. I have people who do my chores for me now. There are people who are paid to wait on me hand-and-foot around the clock. I can not even get a midnight snack from the pantry without someone asking me if I need anything; I think I am capable of doing that without any assistance. Is it strange that I still do not know if it is necessary for me to have these people waiting on me? Maybe it is because I still do not fully understand the ramifications of everything that happened; it all just happened at lightning speed. Do not get me wrong, not having to do anymore chores is not too shabby at all.
I have heard all of my life that Uther Pendragon was the best king to ever reside in Camelot. The man has been dead for years and people still say his name in very high regards. How am I supposed to fill shoes that big? I gave the people my word that I would be the best king possible, but will that be enough to be the best king ever? I have to start preparing myself now! I need to learn as much as I can so I can make the best decisions for my people. I am unbelievably lucky to have Merlin in my counsel. He has actually been giving me homework to make sure I am prepared. Actually, I need to stop writing so I can finish my reading for the night.
King Arthur out!
Author's Note: This story was based off of "The Drawing of the Sword." In the original, Arthur is trying to find a sword for Sir Kay, whom he thinks is his biological brother at that point. Arthur is unable to retrieve Sir Kay's actual sword, so he goes and pulls the sword out of the stone. Arthur is befuddled when he finds out that it was a big deal for him to be able to get that sword out. He is soon told that he is actually Arthur Pendragon, the heir to the throne since Uther Pendragon died. He immediately vows to do whatever his foster family wishes to show his gratitude.
I wrote this from a first-person perspective with Arthur recanting everything that happened in his journal. I chose to do this since I thought it would be interesting to see what someone would be thinking about after finding out that they were king and that their whole life had been a charade.
Bibliography: "The Drawing of the Sword" by Andrew Lang, from King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table (1902). Web Source: Un-Textbook
Hi Jamison,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this story based on "The Drawing of the Sword". I also wrote a storytelling post that was inspired by this story from the King Arthur unit. I liked that you chose to write it in first person because it gave an interesting perspective and depth to King Arthur. I thought your sentences flowed well and your paragraphs were organized nicely. I also thought your author's note did a good job giving context. Good job! I look forward to reading more from you in the future.
This was a unique way to retell the original story, "The Drawing of the Sword." I like how you capture Arthur's youth in the way he narrates his own story. Many people think of King Arthur when he was an adult and a great leader, but at this point (when it all started) he was just a young boy. You get the sense that he’s this bewildered kid who has had an unbelievable turn of events in his life that he’s trying to cope with. I think you did a good job on this story.
ReplyDeleteHello Jamison! This was such a cool story. You added a lot of detail that made it really unique to what you wanted it to be. I think it was cool that you wrote it in the first person. It was kind of fun to see exactly what he was thinking before and after his time as king. The story was really cool and a little bit modern in the dialogue. Great job on this super cool story.
ReplyDeleteI too read this story in the England unit and I really enjoyed it. I like the way you wrote your version from Arthur’s point of view, but you are still talking about the events that occurred in the original story. You did a great job of portraying all of his emotions in the journal entry as well.
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