THE PEACOCK
The Peacock, they say, did not at first have the beautiful feathers in which he now takes so much pride. These, Juno, whose favorite he was, granted to him one day when he begged her for a train of feathers to distinguish him from the other birds. Then, decked in his finery, gleaming with emerald, gold, purple, and azure, he strutted proudly among the birds. All regarded him with envy. Even the most beautiful pheasant could see that his beauty was surpassed.
Presently the Peacock saw an Eagle soaring high up in the blue sky and felt a desire to fly, as he had been accustomed to do. Lifting his wings he tried to rise from the ground. But the weight of his magnificent train held him down. Instead of flying up to greet the first rays of the morning sun or to bathe in the rosy light among the floating clouds at sunset, he would have to walk the ground more encumbered and oppressed than any common barnyard fowl.
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| The Aesop for Children, illustrated by Milo Winter |
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She looked into the cracked mirror as she was getting ready for school. Penelope saw hair that was too dull and a face covered in blemishes. The reflection was thick in all the wrong places, and flat in all the other ones. It was her morning ritual – analyze each and every one of her flaws, and then try her best to try and cover them up.
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Justin popped his head into the bathroom he shared with his sister, Penelope, and told her to hurry up for school. Being the older brother, he treasured his baby sister. She was the most kind and loving person he knew. Penelope was the kind of girl who could bring out the best in anyone. She had the wonderful habit of uplifting those around her. He tussled her hair and told her she was perfect before leaving the room.
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Penelope followed her brother to the school bus out front. She nervously looked at herself once more in hallway mirror before shutting the door to their small, ran down home. At night she always dreamed of living in a large house, with perfect hair and a perfect boyfriend. She desperately wanted to be one of the popular girls. Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
Once in homeroom, she sat to her friend, Elizabeth. Elizabeth was pretty in a homely way, and could have been in the popular crowd if she really wanted. Penelope was so thankful for having a dear friend. They shared stories, secrets, and sorrows. Penelope whispered to her friend about yet another pimple surfacing, and how she swore her hair was plotting against her. Lizzie just shook her head and smiled, knowing that words could never sooth her friend’s insecurities.
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As Justin was heading to lunch, he came across a recruiting poster for the army. Troops were being sent overseas at an alarming rate, and the army was desperate for new trainees. He gasped out loud at the sign-on bonus – ten thousand dollars! That was a lot of money nowadays. That was more than enough for a new car and the brand new gaming system. Or. He could finally get Penelope that new outfit she had been drooling over. And maybe some nice highlights and fancy make-up. She could have a whole new makeover! He hated seeing his little sister always so down on herself. She deserved to have the nicest things in the world!
He didn’t even bother going back to class. He hurried up and ran down to the recruiting office in town, desperate to make his baby sister feel as pretty on the outside as she was on the inside.
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After spending a couple thousand dollars on new clothes, make-up, a bodycon shapewear, and all the other beauty necessities, Penelope was overjoyed. She hurried home so that she would make the weekly phone call from her brother, who was now training for the army. She told him all about her new purchases, and thanked him over and over again.
Penelope was so excited for school the next day, she woke up three hours early to make sure she was primped just perfectly. With her newly dyed hair in perfect curls and her make-up layer on, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was stunned at how different she looked. She felt beautiful and sexy. Grinning ear-to-ear, she ran off for the bus.
Upon arriving at school, the cheer captain immediately noticed the “new and improved” Penelope. The cheerleader was quick to ask Penelope to sit by her for homeroom. Penelope was shocked, and beyond thrilled. She knew then that she was now an official cool kid. For the rest of the day she walked arm in arm with the three top cheerleaders. She was on top of the world!
When a lame-o would walk past them, she was the first to make a joke about their appearance. It was such a relief to finally be pretty, she didn’t want to be associated with her old crowd ever again. That was, until her best friend walked by. While the other girls laughed at Elizabeth’s new braces, Penelope felt a twinge in her heart. She didn’t want to be a cool kid anymore. She wanted to be with her best friend. She wanted to be able to tell someone her silly thoughts to, someone who wouldn’t judge her.
Penelope then finally understood what her brother told her every day. She was perfect – in her own way. Having the new hair and new clothes changed a lot more than who she was on the outside. She hurried and ran to the aid of her best friend, saying how much she loved the new dental accessories. Penelope promised herself that from now on she would never let any physical appearance get in the way of what truly mattered.
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| You're looking FINE! (Wikipedia Commons) |
Author's Note
The fable I chose is about not trading your freedom for good looks. The peacock in the fable asked for beautiful feathers, but then later regretting it when he could no longer fly like the other birds. I wanted to put a modern twist on it, and bring it into terms that many young girls can relate to. So many girls wish for beauty, but don't realize that it is what is on the inside that matters.
Also, I really wanted for Penelope to not become one of the "mean girls". I thought that letting girls know that they most certainly can be "pretty" and nice too. Your whole attitude does not have to change when your wardrobe does.
The picture I chose represents how when we are young, we don't care about fitting in. It is society that puts this pressure on us to be popular, and it is society that makes us think we have to act a certain way when we are in the "in" crowd. I really hate stereotypes, and I just loved how the toddler had this no-care attitude.
My passion for this story comes from my high school days. I was a bit of an odd one, because I didn't fit into any one category - I loved being a part of so many different things. Cheerleading, chess club, student council, honor society, 4H - these were just a handful of the hobbies I enjoyed. Being a cheerleader who made straight A's was not the normal thing at my high school, and it really stumped some of my classmates. I worked hard to not let a label define me, and I think I got so much more out of my school experience because of that.
Also, I really wanted for Penelope to not become one of the "mean girls". I thought that letting girls know that they most certainly can be "pretty" and nice too. Your whole attitude does not have to change when your wardrobe does.
The picture I chose represents how when we are young, we don't care about fitting in. It is society that puts this pressure on us to be popular, and it is society that makes us think we have to act a certain way when we are in the "in" crowd. I really hate stereotypes, and I just loved how the toddler had this no-care attitude.
My passion for this story comes from my high school days. I was a bit of an odd one, because I didn't fit into any one category - I loved being a part of so many different things. Cheerleading, chess club, student council, honor society, 4H - these were just a handful of the hobbies I enjoyed. Being a cheerleader who made straight A's was not the normal thing at my high school, and it really stumped some of my classmates. I worked hard to not let a label define me, and I think I got so much more out of my school experience because of that.
Bibliography
The story is based on the fable "The Peacock" in Aesop for Children (1919).
You picked such a profound story to work with, Morgan — I really like the Aesop's fables where the gods and goddesses play a part, like with Juno here. Since that is not a really famous fable, it is great that you put it first; that way, as people read your human story, they can see how you took these little clues and ideas from the fable to create a story of your own! I like the way the human world lets you create all these characters and relationships (friends, family) that don't really apply to the simpler animal world of the fable, and it was so cool how the story was really about BOTH characters, Penelope and Justin, so it was like two plots combined into one; his sacrifice was a great part of the story, something with a much more emotional quality than Juno's actions in the fable. And you brought both Justin's and Penelope's feelings to life so strongly: even when Penelope was acting like a mean girl on the outside, you showed us what she was feeling inside. Wonderful! I'm excited to see what kinds of stories you will want to tell inspired by the epics and all their human drama in the weeks to come! Also, if you like these animal fables, there is a huge tradition of animal fables in India that is very similar to Aesop's fables: they are called Jataka stories, and you can also read those for this class if you are interested. I really like both big stories, like the epics, and small stories, like the fables... so this class has room for both, even though it is officially a class about the epics. :-)
ReplyDeleteHello Morgan,
ReplyDeleteI found your story to be very profound and is very inspirational for these young girls growing up in an era of Photoshop and self-editing. I like that in the beginning you added two point of views. One, the insecure version of Penelope, and two, the pound version of Justin who viewed his sister as perfect, just the way she was. I am glad that in the end, Penelope did not betray her best friend for these new fake girls. Good job.
The Peacock story was very creative and it was an interesting read. It is pretty cool to see how you changed up the story to make it your own. The ending is very inspiring to me because somebody’s appearance should not get in the way of anything. It was very detailed as well which made it even more interesting to read. Great story!
ReplyDeleteThe Peacock story was creative but I love how you took it in a modern direction. In this day and age, majority of teenagers covet being a part of the 'in-crowd' without realizing what all that entails. Being thankful for true friendship should always out weigh beauty. I was concerned at first as I read your story that Penelope would turn on her best friend but I am glad you kept her loyal to her roots.
ReplyDeleteThis story had great flow. The description and action kept the attention of the audience and built a report with the characters. You began to feel a kinship with the characters and wanted to continue the story to find out what happened with them.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder whether we could have heard more about the brother after he left for his time with the army. At first I was associating the brother as the peacock because he had given up his freedom for the money to make someone else beautiful. This also is one of the greatest (and most profitable) devices, the noble sacrifice. What would happen when they realized their sacrifice did not equal their gains?
What if we could also have more dialog bringing the characters out more. Everyone loves mean girls, let the audience have what they want. It would be cool to see more of the conflict rather than just being told that it exists, you know?