The True Story of the Three Little Pigs Journal Assignment

Journal Assignment

1. 
   I choose this story because I wanted a really short story that could be used as an example for an in class journaling project.
   

2. 
   The setting in the story is a courtroom somewhere in Once Upon a Time, time.
   

3. 
   There is only one character mentioned in Chapter 1. That character is Alexander T. Wolf. Al is a wolf that is given human characteristics in that he can think; he wears clothes, lives in a house, and can speak. He wants others to believe that the image of wolves being big and bad is not true.
   

4. 
   The Theme of the story as written from Al’s perspective is to try and convince the audience (both in the courtroom and as a reader) that we have the wrong opinion of wolves.
   

5. 
   In Chapter 1 we are introduced to Al, a wolf who is on trial for murdering 2 little pigs (the first and second little pigs from the Fairy Tale, The Three Little Pigs). Al contends that he was framed because of the big and bad image others have of wolves. In his own defense he will tell the court and his readers what he says is the true story behind the death of the 2 little pigs.
   

6. 
   My impression of the story in chapter 1 is that of interest. I listened to hundreds of incarcerated teens over some 20 years in corrections. Their side of the story of what brought them behind bars was usually very different from what the information about their trials said. I am looking forward Al’s interpretation of what happened.
   

1. 
   The setting in chapter 2 continues in the courtroom in Once Upon a Time.
   

2. 
   Al, the wolf is still the narrator of the story. The next character introduced is a pig (one of three brothers). He is described as not too bright and the example to prove this was he built his house out of straw. One wonders if he might have been just a little lazy also and that is why he built something that he could do in a hurry.
   

3. 
   In chapter 2 we learn that Al had a terrible cold on the day the reported victims were killed. Al initially was at home trying to make a cake for his dear grandmother’s birthday. When he ran out of sugar he went to his neighbor’s house to borrow some. His neighbor was a pig who built his house out of straw. When Al knocked on the straw house door, it fell in. When Al called to the little pig he got no answer and was going to leave. All of a sudden Al got a terrible itch in his nose and gave a terrific sneeze which resulted in the straw house blowing down. Al described it as he huffed, and snuffed, and he sneezed a great sneeze. Interestingly, others used the words huffed, and puffed, and blew the house down to describe what happened. When the house fell down the pig (who was actually inside all the time) was killed. Al tells us he does not like to waste food so he ate the pig (he compared it to us eating a cheeseburger).
   

4. 
   I am impressed with how Al’s story may actually seem to make sense (if I could just get the big and bad image of wolves out of my mind). I have often heard it said that wolves are not only big and bad but sly and cunning. Al doesn’t appear so big and bad in the story so far but I wonder about the sly and cunning. It still seems to me that he is making up the story just to get himself off the hook for killing the pigs and eating them.
   

1. 
   The setting in chapter 3 continues in the courtroom in Once Upon a Time.
   

2. 
   Al is still the main character. A third character is now introduced, it is a second little pig which is the brother to the first pig who was killed and eaten. This pig is described as a little smarter because he built his house out of sticks. Unlike the first pig, this pig must have felt more secure in his home than his brother because he actually responded verbally to Al, yelling at Al to “Go away wolf. You can’t come in. I’m shaving the hairs on my shinny chin chin.”
   

3. 
   Al still has his terrible cold and has not gotten his sugar for his granny’s cake. When he goes to the house of the brother to the first little pig, he finds it to be a little sturdier dwelling made of sticks (at least the door did not fall in when Al knocked on it). This 2^nd pig would not let him in so Al was again read to leave when he had another sneezing attack. Again he huffed and snuffed and unable to contain his sneeze, blew the house down. Like Déjà vu, here was a dead pig just lying there ready to be eaten. This of course was what Al was compelled to do.
   

4. 
   Huffed and puffed, and sneezed a great sneeze; I guess it could be possible. Still seems highly unlikely to me but I will give Al the benefit of the doubt for now.
   

Chapter 4

1. 
   The setting in chapter 3 continues in the courtroom in Once Upon a Time.
   
2. 
   We are now well acquainted with Al but are now introduced to the last pig in the series, pig number 3. He is completely dissimilar to his brothers. As Al said, “He must have been the brains of the family. He built his house out of bricks.” This pig was also very confident that he was safe, so confident in fact that he actually showed his disdain for Al telling Al to, “Get out of here, Wolf. Don’t bother me again.” This pig was also not above being a wee little bit nasty as evidence when yelled to Al, “And your old granny can sit on a pin!”
   
3. 
   In this Chapter Al, still needing sugar for his dear Granny, ventures on to a third little pigs house. This little pig, the third and smartest brother of the little pig family built his house of brick. This house will not be blown down by the wolfs supposed sneezing fit. The little pig will not give Al and sugar and also insults Al’s Granny. This causes Al to have a tirade, trying to break the little pig’s door down and huffing and snuffing that big sneeze. That is when the cops arrived.
   
4. 
   I am thinking that Al should have been a fantasy story writer. I am not convinced that he just accidently blew 2 little pigs houses down and then ate them after they were dead. Even if he did as his story says, losing his temper and trying to bang the 3^rd little pig’s door down only led to solidifying the big bad wolf impression for me.
   

Post Reading Assignment

1. 
   I believe the Climax in the story is when the cops drive up and find Al trying to knock down the 3^rd little pig’s door. This to me is when the excitement is at its utmost. The rest of the story is very low key after this.
   
2. 
   The resolution of the story is when we find out that Al was on trial for killing 2 little pigs. The jury decided that the story told by the 3^rd little pig, the cops, and the reporters was more believable than the one told by Al. Al was sentenced to prison.
   
3. 
   In chapter 1 I stated my belief in what the theme was, “The Theme of the story as written from Al’s perspective is to try and convince the audience (both in the courtroom and as a reader) that we have the wrong opinion of wolves.” This then continued throughout the story. Al never did confess to just killing and eating the pigs, but maintained his innocence throughout the trial.
   
4. 
   It was a children’s story and obviously not real. I did enjoy the concept of an accused person/animal creatively coming up with a story that could just possibly help them not be convicted.