Week 2 Reading Diary, continued: Biblical Women

The story I decided to read this week is Biblical Women written by the authors of the Bible.

The story of The Witch of Endor is quite interesting. Although King Saul was probably used to getting his way, the witch wasn't automatically willing to give up her safety to help him. She said " Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?" I think I could definitely use this is useful aspect of this story for my story. Also, I think having the main character (like Saul) have to "struggle" to get what he/she wants instead of it being handed over keeps the story interesting.

The story of Bathsheba is also so intriguing. I say this because even though she made the bad decisions and David did what he did to Uriah, she still loved Uriah and "mourned for her husband". This could be an interesting aspect to add to a story where "love conquers all" even one individual (like David) feels like they have the other's feelings "in the bad".

In the story of Esther, one “favorite moment” or aspect that I have is the whole idea of Esther’s secret that she is keeping from the king. In addition, not only is she keeping a big secret, she doesn't know what will happen if she tells the king- be killed or that it will save her people. I find this interesting because the character that you “least” expect to have the “answer” to the problem or to know valuable information, is the one that has it. Also, another important aspect is to never be fooled by character’s “kindness”, they may be the most evil ones.

Next, the story of Susanna shows the possibility of someone proving someone else “wrong” when it comes to a decision. This could be useful when thinking about the plot of a story and if we should automatically assume what’s said is true. In the stories about Mary, this shows to never be surprised with a “plot twist” in the story. The author can change the story completely in the matter of one situation. Lastly, it’s important to watch how different characters will act in different ways towards situation, other characters, and troubles they are facing (Mary and Martha’s reactions).

Esther being dressed by her maids. This could possibly be before she tells the kind she is a Jew (hence her looking sad or worried). Source: Esther