The Monkey’s Paw Writing Project
Spring Semester
The Monkey’s Paw Writing Project.
When giving a lecture on the ‘techniques and ethics of wishing’ William S. Burroughs stated that his ideal text for use in a creative writing workshop would be ‘The Monkey’s Paw’, a short story written in 1902 by the American author W.W. Jacobs.
The story provides a useful example of archetypes in narrative composition in much the same way fables and children’s stories do.
The approach that we have taken towards language over the first semester has examined the fine line between the creative and the critical.
By utilizing the ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ we shall extend these themes towards an investigation into the techniques of writing.
Writing (to be completed by Tues. 14th Feb. 2006)
You are required to:
1. Read the story carefully and familiarise yourself with its narrative, plot and dynamics. A hard copy will be provided and it will also be posted on the Blog.
2. Compose your own version of the story whilst observing the ‘rules’ of the original version. Your story’s central focus must rest on the three wishes, though you should replace the original wishes with three of your own invention.
3. Alter the setting, characters, time and length (roughly 2000 words would be appropriate).
4. Read your text out on the date stated above in Tuesday afternoon’s seminar group.
The Monkey’s Paw Writing Project.
When giving a lecture on the ‘techniques and ethics of wishing’ William S. Burroughs stated that his ideal text for use in a creative writing workshop would be ‘The Monkey’s Paw’, a short story written in 1902 by the American author W.W. Jacobs.
The story provides a useful example of archetypes in narrative composition in much the same way fables and children’s stories do.
The approach that we have taken towards language over the first semester has examined the fine line between the creative and the critical.
By utilizing the ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ we shall extend these themes towards an investigation into the techniques of writing.
Writing (to be completed by Tues. 14th Feb. 2006)
You are required to:
1. Read the story carefully and familiarise yourself with its narrative, plot and dynamics. A hard copy will be provided and it will also be posted on the Blog.
2. Compose your own version of the story whilst observing the ‘rules’ of the original version. Your story’s central focus must rest on the three wishes, though you should replace the original wishes with three of your own invention.
3. Alter the setting, characters, time and length (roughly 2000 words would be appropriate).
4. Read your text out on the date stated above in Tuesday afternoon’s seminar group.
posted by critical practice at 6:20 pm
2 Comments:
•
The zen master sat in his immaculately laid out sand-drenched squared garden mediating away on the question of that bird situated up there on the third branch from the bottom on the right-hand side of him, if this bird could hear a butterfly sneeze. The butterfly was positioned beneath the master, which would measure out to be approximately 3 metres from bird to butterfly, of course being right in the middle between the two creatures could cause some of the sound to be absorbed by the seated master.
So quiet the butterfly sneeze, the tiny soundwaves would be quite inaudible to the naked ear to sense, yet it's been known for some time now it has been heard a sneeze escape from a butterfly – or had this all really been imagined?
Rewind back, the sound had sung out quite vividly, had it been in the minds eye or the mind’s ear or the combination of both organs? So unexpected and distinct the sound had been it was made all the more louder and clearer because no other sound at that precise point seemed to filter through – so was there a meaning behind this? Some source of information? Anything conveyed of significant importance or purpose? A hidden meaning? An underlying notion? Was there a message in the sneeze from the little pale yellow butterfly who despite the bellowing wind miraculously held paws positioned like stone on the dainty little leaf that pierced through the sandy ground below.
The Zen Master thought perhaps the bird sat up there on the branch today was accustomed to some over thinking and decided to throw some seeds to distract the feathered plume out of the deep. ‘Here have some food, my friend.’
He then turned slowly to face the student who had been sitting diligently beside him on a lower positioned stool. He progressed to ask this younger man of 25 what an earth was the matter with his dog today, who was acting very figgety. Without answering the question he replied ‘Well it is truly amazing master, yesterday I asked for a biscuit for de-do and lo and behold I receive such present from the sky!’
‘I truly believe that if I keep asking from my heart for these little things to happen, my life will well and truly be peppered with immense prosperity!’
‘Here my sweet innocent one, let me let you into a deep secret, a sure secret to seduce your knowingness…’
With this the student was ear-pricked into high attentiveness, at last his master spoke to him and was about to let him into something he was sure was the secret elixir, the teaching he had been waiting for, the knowledge to this unknown unfathomness, this great expanse of the unknowing secrets left in the world..the search for the perfect imperfectness he so longed for in his heart and soul.’
‘Here is a soap’ pulled out his master from under his long sleeve.
‘Wash yourself clean – ask for something nice – be careful what you ask for, why I say this – I caution you – not to listen to me – but to your own soul, when the moon is full rub three times as you sit naked in the tub and ask solemnly, bow to oneself, think - and wish’.
The student got very excited and got a rush to the head.
He couldn’t wait to go home and have a bath.
At that moment the bird that had been sat perched overhead came alive and made a beeline for the soap held in the student’s hand and menacingly began to peck at it with great jive.
‘Master!’ cried the young student. ‘you need to feed your bird more seeds, it is so hungry he thinks this bar of soap is one big seed - duh!’ as he continued racing down the garden path, his voice fading away into the distance,
‘Silly boy when will you learn you do not own a -thing, like the bird is not mine and this soap is not a soap but what you think it is.’
•
When the boy got home he hid the soap from his parent’s, he did not want to tell them about his soap and take all his wishes away. He was like a boy with a new toy and he tried his best to conceal this from them.
He excused himself from the dinner table exclaiming loudly how smelly and dirty he felt and that he wanted to have a bath before retiring to bed that evening.
Mother although felt it was very important her son ate well and was full could not argue the smell eroding from his skin and who’s mother is not proud of a clean bright boy?
The father gruffed and instructed the young man to not use up all the water so that his baby sister who also needed to be clean could also have a bath and reminded him to be considerate of others.
It was then he remembered about the new moon and bathing at midnight in order for his wishes to work, this wish making was getting more complicated then he thought, he needed a plan.
‘Oh in that case she can have a wash first, I’ll wait’ he decided he would pretend to fall asleep and wake up late so that he could have the midnight bath, strange as it may seem, they would buy it. After all accidents do happen.
But wait, he thought to himself what did master mean by caution, he said it like a warning, a foreboding, no it must be my imagination, master is just being kind, looking out for me, wanting me to pause and meditate my choice, oh and I forgot to ask how he got the soap. It doesn’t matter now, I have it in my hands. But he continued, had it been made somewhere special? Could they make more of this so more and more people could fall under the magic of this rub-wishing soap. Maybe if this wish-making was successful he could make more, replicate the darn things, bung a snazzy catchphrase to it like ‘don’t be be-witched wish on this magic soap rub three times and your wish will come true!!!’
He got so carried away with his thinking he actually did fall asleep and awoke to the sound of a scratching noise. The bird that had been in Master’s garden was pecking away at his soap! How maddening was this! It had dawned on him the bird had followed him all the way home, this he thought demanded an explanation from Master! What an intrusion! But there were more important things on hand to contend with, so he quickly shooed the bird away and made grab for the soap. No time to waste, he felt - others were hot on this wish-making trail, even this crazy bird it seems. I mean if word got out about this soap it’ll be flying chicken pandemonian. The idea selling dodgy copy soap appealed, he himself would be the living proof that wishes do come true, he smiled as he imagined himself as the living talking all smelling marketing tool to pull in the punters near and far. It would be a dream come true.
He pulled himself away from his day-dreaming, looked down at the soap and examined it closely.
Had it fallen into the lap of his master by chance? What had master wished for? It looked pretty unused, is this proof it really is a magic soap (he made a mental note that his soaps would have a hardening agent so it felt and looked liked the the original as close as possible) – why is this bar of soap not mentioned before in the sacred scriptures I have studied for 20 years? Maybe there is a secret code for it, another name, another myth another legend left untouched, unfound, untold, interwoven into the mass of overloaded codswallop of ideas, thinking and philosophical thinking.
He realised he had to wait another 11 days until the next proper full-moon would show. Good he thought, that gives me enough time to think about my 3 wishes, that means I get to rub the soap 9 times in total, maybe I will become an amazing soul that will shine for miles after this, if I don’t get what I want, at least I would be very clean.
•
This is what happened.
The young student monk sat under a full moon in a bathtub of water looked around him and pulled out the wedge of cleaning agent and wished to be like his master.
He became his master and approached his master and they became friends. The master enjoyed having his own company and found they made great conversation. Master felt he found a similar friend.
Then one day master one got annoyed with master two and seeing his own reflection bounced back at him and so again the master two who had previously been the young student monk sat under the next full-moon of lukewarm tubwater got out the soap, looked at it and began to incant his wish to be a bird.
He would be master’s companion and sing pleasantly to him and raise his spirits again.
But before he actually called out for the wish he quickly changed his mind when he looked at di-do who obediently sat beside him and saw two sad eyes looking back at him, his missed his master deeply. Saddened by this the young student monk who had become master two saw no problem in knowing what his second wish should be, he wished for a double image of his former self for his dog di-do so he would recognise his young master again and have a place to feel loyal again. The boy in the tub felt very proud that he had found a solution to this problem.
Once that had been done, he had one wish. He would use it to become the bird who would sing sweetly in the branch for his master.
But as he was making the wish the soap slipped out of his hand, the soap fell down inbetween di-do’s paw and his coat, who at that precise moment had an itch, he itched hence rubbing the soap precisely three times, itch itch itch and the soap caught the thought of the dog who was thinking that darn flea and that is happened, the young boy changed into a flea.
The master had tried to warn the boy, drop clues but he had not seen them.
The young boy had once been the bird, the bird stuck in this time loop tried to destroy the soap and break the cycle that he had become looped in.
The master had poignantly asked the student what the matter was with his figgety dog but the boy had failed to acknowledge and sort out the problem of the flea.
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