Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol

In A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the main character Ebenezer Scrooge goes through a soul searching change in his view of the world, and becomes less selfish as he does so. One of the characters he encounters in his journeys with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, is Tiny Tim, the son of Scrooge's clerk, Bob Cratchet. Tim is disabled, probably with Renal Tubular Acidosis, or possibly Rickets. If the future doesn't change, says the Ghost of Christmas Present (in other words if Scrooge doesn't change his ways and pay Bob better) Tiny Tim will die. This terrible truth helps to facilitate Scrooge's change.

Tim's character is important in the story, in that with him, we see that Scrooge's change is altruistic, and that he is doing it to benefit other people, not just out of concern for his own salvation.

Even though he is a minor character, because of his being there, Tiny Tim enriches the story of A Christmas Carol, which is a lovely story of hope and positive change, and which is a book I highly recommend.

Whitney Award Nominee!

Felicity and the Scary Bear (c) 2017

On December 1, I got an email from Monique Luetkemeyer and the Whitney Award Committee that my middle grade novel, Felicity and the Scary Bear was a nominee for a Whitney Award! I was pretty excited about that. The Whitney Awards will be eleven years old this spring, and recognize outstanding literature by LDS authors. They began in 2007, Read more about the Whitney Awards HERE! Even if I'm not a winner or finalist, it's pretty neat to have been nominated!

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court-Book Review

by Mark Twain (c) 1889

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain, published in 1889, begins when Hank Morgan, the protagonist suffers a blow to the head "during a disagreement conducted with crowbars" and wakes up to find himself in 6th century England.

He proceeds to amaze and astound the people of the sixth century with his modern skills and inventions, beginning with his ability to convince them that he caused a total solar eclipse which he knew was going to happen, and from there, he continues to astound and amaze almost everyone except for Merlin.

The story wasn't just a fun story to read, but an honest look at societal injustices, not just of the 6th century, but of the 19th, and to be honest, of the current century as well. I enjoyed Mark Twain's satire, and writing style. I especially liked his skill with writing Shakespearean dialogue.

I had to force my disbelieve to be suspended a bit, because in all honesty, people were not saying "I wit not what ye say," in 6th century England. They were speaking a language, similar to that of the original Beowulf which no one from our day would be able to understand unless you'd studied the language of that time. The language Twain presented was more from Shakespeare's time; a bit more understandable than Beowulf, or even Chaucer. Also, many scenes seemed to drag on and on with little to move the story forward. I understand why they were there, when Twain was trying to make some moral or societal point, but still they dragged, and it took a fair effort from me to stay in the story.  But overall, I really liked it, and I recommend it as a great, enjoyable classic.

The King and I-Performed by Duchesne High School

The drama department of Duchesne High School, led by Mrs. Merrillee McKee performed a lovely play, The King and I on November 16, 17, 20, and 21. I saw the play the first two days. The story about Anna Leonowens and her experiences in the household of the King of Siam as she taught his many children is a very entertaining and moving story. There are sad parts and funny parts, and everything was performed exceptionally well. I thought the story of Tuptim and Lun Tha was very sweet and sad, and the ending also was sad, but also hopeful when Prince Chulalongkorn talked about his plans for the future of his country
.

The story was based partly on the true story of Anna Leonowens who was in fact the governess for the royal children. King Mongkut was the king of Siam, and his oldest son Chulalongkorn was his heir. To read more about the fictional story, and the non-fictional story, click HERE.

The play was performed very well, and I enjoyed it both nights. The cast and crew of The King and I should be proud of themselves!

Fiddler on the Roof- Performed by Altamont High School

I had a great opportunity recently to watch the fall play for Altamont High School as they performed one of my favorite musicals, Fiddler on the Roof. 

The main character is Tevye, a poor man who supports his family of seven (he has five daughters) as a dairy man. He lives in the village of Anatevka in 1905, populated with mostly Jewish people, held together by their strong traditions. Tevye loves his family, but faces many troubles as his three oldest daughters insist on marrying for love, the choice of each daughter moving further away from Tevye's long held and cherished traditions. 

Zeitel, Tevye's oldest daughter is lined up to marry Lazar Wolf, a man older than her own father, but she wants to marry Motel, her childhood sweetheart. She is allowed to marry Motel when her father claims to have had a dream about Lazar's dead wife coming back to give them trouble. Hodel, Tevye's second daughter, falls in love with Perchik who has radical ideas, and asks Hodel to dance with him at the wedding of Zeitel and Motel. Chava, Tevye's third daughter loves books, and falls in love with Fyedka, a gentile, which is something Tevye cannot take.

I really like Fiddler on the Roof, the story and the message of it. Tevye goes through a lot as he deals with the choices of his daughters, and grows wiser as he does.  The cast and crew did a really good job, and I could tell they had worked hard on putting it together. I am glad that Altamont performed this play, and I am glad I went to it.

Zombie Prom- Performed by Stansbury High School

Zombie Prom (c) 2017

The drama department at Stansbury High School recently performed an exceptionally well done play entitled Zombie Prom. The cast, backstage crew, techs, and everyone involved in the play did a fantastic job. It ran from November 3rd to the 14th. I went on opening night, November 3rd, and really enjoyed it.

Zombie Prom is a play that doesn't expect its audience to take it seriously. It's campy and silly, on purpose, and as a result, is a hilarious and brilliant mix of teenage angst and radioactive romance.

The plot basically, is this: Boy meets girl. Girl's parents disapprove of boy. Boy loses girl. Boy turns into... a zombie! And the fun is just beginning at that part! Throw in an overly strict principal, a reporter interested in championing "Zombie Rights", and you've got a wonderfully funny story that entertains its audience clear through to the somewhat predictable, but satisfying ending all the same.

The drama department at Stansbury High School should be very proud of themselves! And Stansbury High's Drama isn't done yet this year! They'll be doing Elf Jr. The Musical in December, Peter and the Starcatcher in February, and The Sound of Music in May! Click HERE for more information about these upcoming plays!

History of Halloween

Halloween is a fun holiday for many people, especially little kids who like to go trick-or-treating (or trunk-or-treating as many people are doing nowadays) and getting candy, dressing up, and basically having a fun time. But not many people know much about the history of Halloween.

Anciently, in Ireland, the Celts celebrated a holiday called Samhain (pronounced Saw-wein) that was the end of their harvest time, and the beginning of winter, the dark time of the year. They had bonfires to celebrate the time, and they had the belief that at Samhain, the veil between the living and the dead grew thin, that the spirits of the departed could come back and walk among the living.

When the Romans invaded Britain, their holidays (Pomona and Lemuria) merged with Samhain, and then when Christianity came to Europe and Britain, Samhain evolved into All Hallow's Day, the day before All Hallow's Day becoming All Hallow's Evening, or All Hallow's Eve, which eventually evolved into Hallowe'en, or just Halloween.

Many traditions evolved, but still kept some form of what they were originally. Bobbing for apples, for example, came from the Roman festival of Pomona, which celebrated the goddess of fruits. Trick-or-treating, despite the saying being less than 80 years old, came from "souling" for "soul cakes" back in the middle ages when young people would go a-souling, begging for soul-cakes, and then praying for the departed relatives of the people who gave them soul cakes, so that they could be rescued from purgatory.

It's interesting to learn where our traditions come from, and what old festivals evolved to make them what they are today. Learn more HERE.