Anna has chosen the category of storytelling for her speech competition. She will orally present the story "Daphne and Apollo—Ge
tting What We Ask For or What We Deserve" and plans to introduce the characters to her audience before she begins the story. Click here to read the story "Daphne and Apollo—Getting What We Ask For or What We Deserve." Which introduction would best introduce the story’s characters? Anna plans to share information from Robert Graves, a well-known authority on the subject of Greek Mythology. From this article, "The Palace of Olympus," from Myths of Ancient Greece, she begins her introduction, "Once upon a time in ancient Greece, there was a palace of the Immortals. Like members of many large families who lived together, these Olympians quarreled. While they certainly didn’t approve of lesser mortals, they acted a lot like them. Listen to this story about some members of the family who enjoyed life outside the palace." Anna chooses to show a large visual depiction of a beautiful marble sculpture by Bernini which depicts her main characters at the conclusion of this story where Daphne begins to grow branches and leaves while Apollo is close enough to touch the leaves. "Long, long ago there lived a mythological immortal who was worshipped as the god of light. As a very young child, Apollo proved his might against a formidable foe. But in the time between, he fell prey to Echo’s arrow and became a foolish lover who could not contain his adoration of a fair young maiden named Daphne. It is her form that is forever known to us in this marble sculpture. In it, she is shown in her attempt to escape the Apollo and his fervent desire for her. This is the story of ‘Daphne and Apollo—Getting What We Ask For or What We Deserve’" Anna chooses to begin her story as if stepping onto a stage in a Greek theater. She plans to share briefly a few details about the subject matter, the structure of the theater and the actors who were always male. She uses notes taken from an online encyclopedia about Greek Drama as her source as she introduces her characters, beginning with Echo. "Here we are out of doors watching Echo, the son of the Greek goddess of beauty and love: Aphrodite, who is daydreaming. But wait, I need to begin at the beginning." Anna has made large paper dolls to depict her main characters, Echo, Apollo, and finally, Daphne. She introduces them as members of their Greek families, each the son or daughter of a mythological god or goddess. Thus she explains that Echo is son of the Greek goddess of beauty and love: Aphrodite, while Apollo is the most famous son of the great god, Zeus, and finally, Echo, who is the lovely daughter of the river god, Peneus. Anna begins her story after these simple introductions: "One beautiful, clear day, Eros was lying back in the grass and daydreaming."
