Week 4 Story: What It was Like to be an Animal on The Ark, A Series of Yelp Reviews
Ever wondered what it was like to be an animal on Noah's Ark? Here are a couple of our favorite reviews from real animals that were on the ark – and here are their stories, enjoy!
lioncubz1234: Noah's Ark was awesome!!! The best sleepover we have ever been to – no parents, no rules and all of the friends we could have ever wanted. While it kind of stunk to be trapped inside all day, it was HUGE. We roamed around all day every day with our newly found friends, playing pranks and causing mischief wherever we went. Noah did catch us a couple of times, and sometimes he even joined in on the fun! For a 600 year old man, he sure knew how to keep us all entertained and be the best host ever. Every single animal was loved and cared for way above and beyond we ever had been before. We were all on the adventure of a lifetime, and we would definitely recommend Noah's Ark to anyone interested in a crazy time – 10/10 all day, everyday!
wholetthedogsout: Yes, getting on Noah's Ark was an amazing decision. My neighbors, however, were a completely different story. We were the "clean" animals that were let onto the ark – my husband and I were the pair of dogs that were chosen to survive this flood and make it into the "new world," as everyone kept saying. Little did I know throughout this whole trip that our wolf neighbors, mainly the wife Dorithy, were conspiring against my husband and I. I came back one day to my husband in her stall, and the rest is history. Once we got off the ark, we parted out own ways. I'm giving the ark a 3-star review because I am very thankful to have been chosen to make it to the new world and for all that was given to me on there, but also because of our dreadful wolf neighbors.
theoneandonlyog00: One star – what a terrible experience. I was basically given two choices: stay on land and die, or be drug behind the ark in hopes to make it out alive at the end. While I chose to be drug behind the ark, it was a very, very long 150 days to sit in freezing cold water and just wait for whatever happens next. Every day seemed to be different as I never knew what troubles would be coming. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful to be alive, just wish the ark was big enough to fit me on it instead of being pulled behind.
Photo of a lion cub in Kenya
(Taken by Sneha Cecil on Unsplash)
This story was based off of the story "The Inmates of the Ark," taken from the story of Noah and The Ark in the Bible. The story of Noah is of a man who found favor in the eyes of God, and God chose him to save his family and two of every kind of animal from a flood that would take over the whole world. Noah built an ark, and after 40 days and 40 nights of constant rain and 150 days on the ark in total, Noah and his family plus all of the animals on board started the "new world" frequently mentioned in the text. The three animals chosen for the reviews were ones specifically mentioned in the story: two lion cubs, dogs and the Og. The two lion cubs were separated from their parents and chosen to come on the ark, the dogs and wolves hooked up to change from being "clean" to "unclean," and the Og was singled out as being too big to fit on the ark but was still a chosen animal to survive. I wrote the reviews from the perspective I thought they would have about their experiences on the ark, with the lion cubs giving 5 stars, the dog wife giving 3, and the Og giving 1. I even gave them all little Yelp usernames to "protect" their identity like in real Yelp reviews. I had a lot of fun writing this creative story, and I hope you all enjoy a fun rendition to a classic Bible story!
Wow, this was a really great way to retell the story of Noah's Ark! I love the incorporation of modern technology as a vessel to describe the experiences of animals on the Ark rather than from the perspective of following Noah. It adds a humorous air to the ancient tale while still keeping the essential details. The funny usernames were a nice touch.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, this was a really fun story to read! It is so much more different from other retellings of Noah's ark and brings a modern twist to it. The lion cubs were a really good touch, adding some childishness and wonderment to the journey all these animals had to endure. The dog wife seems like a woman who enjoyed her cruise, but not fully, as her husband happened to find a hot lady in the room a couple doors down. I was wondering, what is an og? I tried to look it up, but could only find people trying to figure out what the slang OG stands for. I do really like the og's username though! I wonder why the lion cubs were chosen instead of adults, I believe the rest of the animals chosen to go aboard were adults weren't they? I think a cool follow up to these yelp reviews would be pretty cool. Like, the lion cubs, when they are grown and have cubs of their own, could possibly reminisce back on their times on the Ark and how lucky animals now have it. I think it would also be nice to see a review of the actual interior of the ark, as we don't get those too often. Overall, I really liked where you went with your retelling and the unique incorporation of yelp reviews!
ReplyDeleteThe "wow" factor that really impresses me is how you structured this story! It is SO creative and cool! I love the idea to do a yelp serious. It's hilarious and very interesting from the beginning! I wonder what an og is? You mention it in the author's note, but that's not an animal that we're as familiar with as dogs, wolves, and lions! Also, I think it would be really interesting to hear about the ark from Noah's perspective mixed in with the animals. I wonder if he commented on the responses? Or, if reddit doesn't work that way, just added things in below? It would be really entertaining to see some banter going on between him and the animals on the internet! Great job turning this common story into such an original new format!
ReplyDeleteHi Sara, I really enjoyed reading your story! The thing that pops out to me the most about your story is the unique way of retelling of the story. I see many stories that retell the original by simply changing the characters or the setting of the story, but your story retells the original in a very unique way. Another thing that I thought made this story quite believable is the fact that each animal review held true to the personalities of the actual animals. The lion cubs in the first review are very playful and chaotic are very similar to real lion cubs that just have fun as they are young. The second post with the dogs is also similar to real life as wolves and dogs also butt heads in real life, especially on something like a farm. One thing that I am curious of is the final post as I am not sure what type of animal it is. Another thing that I am curious of or I think would be interesting to add if you were going to continue the story is the perspectives of more animals.
ReplyDeleteI know we are suppose to talk about the wow factor of this, and I didn't want to force it.... but wow. This was so much more fun of a story than I wrote on Noah's ark. I did a remake with different characters, but this was so fun to read and made me want to see more reviews from animals on the ark. I mean, I know animals can't really speak, but I wonder if they actually had any comprehension to what was going on in that situation or after they got off the ark. If you are ever looking through stories to comment on and you run across one of mine that kind of steals this idea, I promise I will give you credit, because this was fun and I want to try it for myself. I look forward to getting to read some more of your stories in the future!
ReplyDeleteHi Sara!
ReplyDeleteThis was such a fun way to incorporate the story of the ark and change it to make it something really fun to read! The ark story is so popular and has been retold so many ways, so it was really awesome that you were able to find a new unique way that, as far as I know, has never been done before. A fun detail that I really enjoyed is the usernames of the animals, they are so creative! I also think this is brilliant because it could be turned into such a longer story, adding more and more reviews. I wonder what could be said by some of the larger animals. Another question I had is if dogs descend from wolves, would dogs be on the ark? I am unsure. What if you also included a review from Noah, possibly stating his favorite animals or memories from the ark? I think that could be interesting! Overall, I am super impressed by your creativity in this story. It was really fun to read and I am inspired to think more outside of the box from now on!
Hey Sara!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your take on one of the Bible stories. I think it's very awesome that you were able to find a way to modernize the story and tell it in a new way! I thought it was so cool to read the different reviews from the animals and hear their feedback on the ark and their ratings. It made me laugh and definitely want to keep reading until the end. I wonder what their lives have been link after getting off of the ark! We now know their feelings about the ark, but I wonder how their lives have been since then. Are they having a good time? Where did they end up moving too? I also wonder how the pinions of the ark would change with different animals as well! I already think you did a great job, but what if you could format the story into looking even more like a review page with stars and stuff. I think this would just be the icing on top of the cake! I also was unsure what an Og was, so I would love for you to explain it in your author's note.
Hi Sara! This was such a great idea! Incorporating the story of Noah's Ark into Yelp reviews immediately caught my attention. Just thinking about other types of animals and their review made me laugh. This was so well done, and I really enjoyed it!
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