4Quincey's+Tale+of+Utopia

      Finn and the Toads by Quincey Borggard Very long ago, there existed a small village of toads. Their village was quiet, calm, and peaceful. The toads that lived in the village were of slightly below average intelligence, and thus led very simple lives. They went about their daily lives tending to the village and harvesting the rare and delicious redzu plant, which they traded for other necessities. There was rarely any conflict in the village, and the small arguments that came up were settled by voting. The village was governed by Mil, who was a kind fair leader although he was very old and weary.

One day, there was a knock on the door of Mil’s tiny hut. Slowly he shuffled to the door and opened it. Standing on the old toad’s doorstep was a young frog who introduced himself as Finn. Being the kind toad that he was, Mil invited him inside. Finn, who had a very persuasive speaking ability, explained to Mil that he was part of a village of frogs that was in dire need of food and supplies. He asked Mil if he could spare any food. Mil said that he was sure the village would be happy to give Finn’s community some necessities. Just to be sure, Mil consulted the villagers. They agreed, and so sent Finn back home with a wagon full of wood and some of the precious redzu plant.

Finn returned the next week with another speech prepared. This one was even more compelling than the first, and the villagers once again sent him on his way with even more supplies. When he returned for a third time, the villagers were a little hesitant about giving him anything, for they were running low on food for themselves. But when Finn broke down into tears explaining how young frogs were dying of starvation, they gave in.

Though Finn had most of the toads wrapped around his finger, there was one toad who wasn’t so convinced. Her name was Nim. She was extremely intelligent for a toad, but was very shy and reserved. Each time Finn would visit she would listen quietly to his pleas, thinking to herself that her village should not be trusting this frog. However, she never shared her concerns with anyone, because she was a toad who just wanted to fit in with the crowd.

The cunning and persuasive frog continued to appear on a weekly basis, and he began to bring with him a large and fierce-looking lizard called Zuro. The menacing lizard followed Finn wherever he went, staring down at the toads with angry red eyes. On one occasion a toad protested against giving Finn his regular supply of food. Finn signaled to Zuro who promptly picked up the helpless toad and threateningly licked his lips before tossing the poor creature into a nearby pond. The toads were considerably frightened by this, and resolved to always obey Finn. Soon the lizard episode was all but forgotten, and the village developed a mutual respect for Finn. So much so, in fact, that they adopted the motto “Finn is always right”.

In recent weeks their portions had been cut nearly in half and the village no longer produced a surplus of anything, but they didn’t seem to mind anymore. They were helping out a village in need and serving such an amazing ruler. After all, Finn had told them that by helping him, the toads were really helping themselves.

While her village fell victim to Finn, Nim was formulating a plan. She started following Finn as he left the village, and what she saw was very interesting. Nim shadowed Finn for miles, until he finally stopped at a large frog city on the river. Cautiously, she passed through the canopy of leaves and into the city. Finn went all the way through the city, and it was difficult for Nim to follow because she was a toad, not a frog. But she made it to the dwelling that Finn had entered. When he did not come out after nearly an hour, she decided to explore.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">In a hidden corner of the city, she stumbled upon a huge stack of supplies. She recognized the neatly stacked leaves and the pretty redzu plants! They had come from her village! The so-called starving village of frogs did not exist. Finn really was an evil, deceitful, heartless creature who knew how to play a part. Here was this prosperous city whose stomachs were always full, and they were taking advantage of a helpless village that was now starving to death. Nim was extremely outraged at this. She wanted to take all the supplies and hurry back home, but there was more to find out. She returned to the building that Finn was still inside and pressed her ear against it. She heard voices inside arguing. The familiar voice of Finn was saying "It would be much easier if we just killed them off now." Then another voice said, "I suppose you are right. Tonight, after sundown, you will make an early visit to our little friends, and we will make our move. Nim gasped. She had to warn her friends!

<span style="color: #60196a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Racing home as fast as she could, Nim didn't stop at anything. When she reached the village, no one was even aware that she had been gone, or that anything was wrong. Seeing the toads in her village, she realized how very thin they were becoming, a sure sign of starvation. She went straight to Mil and his council of elders. She briefly explained that Finn had been taking advantage of them all along, and planned to return that night to kill the villagers. The elders did not believe that their precious Finn would do something so terrible. Nim was not nearly as good with words as Finn was, and she had difficulty convincing them. But finally they believed her. She persuaded the villagers to flee the village, which was a strenuous ordeal due to the fact that they had never once left their beloved village.

<span style="color: #60196a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> The last of the toads had left the village and were hidden on top of a nearby hill, watching their deserted home below. Promptly at sunset, Finn entered the village and made his way to the town square, where he was very surprised not to find anyone. He thoroughly searched the place, and when it was decided that it was indeed empty, he whistled twice. Hundreds of frogs in battle gear entered the village, evidently expecting to kill some unexepecting toads. The frogs were all perplexed, and formed a circle, discussing their next move. Then a frog shouted, "There! On that hill!". The toads ran as fast as they could, the frogs hot in pursuit. The toads stayed just enough ahead of their pursuers, and managed to lead them in the wrong direction.

<span style="color: #60196a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> The toads, still hurrying, traveled for miles. The villagers (excluding Nim) were still a little confused as to why they had left and why they were running, but they did understand that Nim was a hero and had saved them from a terrible fate. They were safe, for now. <span style="color: #60196a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">THE END.

Finn and the Toads Themes: Lies and Deceit, Control over the intellectually inferior

<span style="color: #ff009e; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 200%;">Middle, Beginning, End Worksheet
 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Describe the start of your story. **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%;">A village of toads is at peace with their neighbors. But they begin to receive strange visits from a frog named Finn. || * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Introduce your characters: **
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Intelligent toad, Nim
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Villager toads
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Finn the frog
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Frog village


 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What do they want? **
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">To begin with, they want to help the so called other village that needs supplies.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In the end they want their village back

Finn convinces them to give him all of their harvests, saying that it is going to help another village. What they don't know is that he is really giving them to his own people, who are secretly stocking up to overthrow the toads. || * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">How will all your story and characters develop? **
 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Where are they going? **
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Their world is about to be corrupted. ||
 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What happens in the middle of your story? **
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I will introduce the characters and their beliefs and positions. Finn will at first seem good, but readers will later learn that he is mean and deceitful.


 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Plot Twists and Turns? **
 * The lower class's rebellion will not be won, and most people would expect them to win.


 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">How will you lead up to the climax? **
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I will explain the unsuccessful rebellion, not giving many clues as to what will happen next. ||
 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Outline the climax...How does the story end? **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%;">An intelligent toad named Nim realizes this plan, but not in time. The frogs have already begun to invade the village. The toads are warned by Nim and flee || * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Is your ending what your readers are expecting? ** **Mini Saga**
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Not entirely. They probably will expect the toads to fight back, not run away. And they won't know that Finn is fueling his own village of frogs.
 * **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Have you used foreshadowing throughout your story? **
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I will give the readers clues that Finn is bad and means harm to the village ||

Nim thought long and hard about what the frog had told her, but somehow it didn't seem right. The world outside the village wasn't as peaceful as he made it seem. He was lying to the village,and something bad was approaching. Nim was determined to save her friends.


 * PICTURES:**



**Rough Draft (Revised)**

Very long ago, there existed a small village of toads. Their village was quiet, calm, and peaceful. The toads that lived in the village were of slightly below average intelligence, and thus led very simple lives. They went about their daily lives tending to the village and harvesting the rare and delicious redzu plant, which they traded for other necessities. There was rarely any conflict in the village, and the small arguments that came up were settled by voting. The village was governed by Mil, who was a kind fair leader although he was very old and weary.

One day, there was a knock on the door of Mil’s tiny hut. Slowly he shuffled to the door and opened it. Standing on the old toad’s doorstep was a young frog who introduced himself as Finn. Being the kind toad that he was, Mil invited him inside. Finn, who had a very persuasive speaking ability, explained to Mil that he was part of a village of frogs that was in dire need of food and supplies. He asked Mil if he could spare any food. Mil said that he was sure the village would be happy to give Finn’s community some necessities. Just to be sure, Mil consulted the villagers. They agreed, and so sent Finn back home with a wagon full of wood and some of the precious redzu plant.

Finn returned the next week with another speech prepared. This one was even more compelling than the first, and the villagers once again sent him on his way with even more supplies. When he returned for a third time, the villagers were a little hesitant about giving him anything, for they were running low on food for themselves. But when Finn broke down into tears explaining how young frogs were dying of starvation, they gave in.

Though Finn had most of the toads wrapped around his finger, there was one toad who wasn’t so convinced. Her name was Nim. She was extremely intelligent for a toad, but was very shy and reserved. Each time Finn would visit she would listen quietly to his pleas, thinking to herself that her village should not be trusting this frog. However, she never shared her concerns with anyone, because she was a toad who just wanted to fit in with the crowd.

The cunning and persuasive frog continued to appear on a weekly basis, and he began to bring with him a large and fierce-looking lizard called Zuro. The menacing lizard followed Finn wherever he went, staring down at the toads with angry red eyes. On one occasion a toad protested against giving Finn his regular supply of food. Finn signaled to Zuro who promptly picked up the helpless toad and threateningly licked his lips before tossing the poor creature into a nearby pond. The toads were considerably frightened by this, and resolved to always obey Finn. Soon the lizard episode was all but forgotten, and the village developed a mutual respect for Finn. So much so, in fact, that they adopted the motto “Finn is always right”.

In recent weeks their portions had been cut nearly in half and the village no longer produced a surplus of anything, but they didn’t seem to mind anymore. They were helping out a village in need and serving such an amazing ruler. After all, Finn had told them that by helping him, the toads were really helping themselves.

While her village fell victim to Finn, Nim was formulating a plan. She started following Finn as he left the village, and what she saw was very interesting. Nim shadowed Finn for miles, until he finally stopped at a large frog city on the river. Cautiously, she passed through the canopy of leaves and into the city. Finn went all the way through the city, and it was difficult for Nim to follow because she was a toad, not a frog. But she made it to the dwelling that Finn had entered. When he did not come out after nearly an hour, she decided to explore.

In a hidden corner of the city, she stumbled upon a huge stack of supplies. She recognized the neatly stacked leaves and the pretty redzu plants! They had come from her village! The so-called starving village of frogs did not exist. Finn really was an evil, deceitful, heartless creature who knew how to play a part. Here was this prosperous city whose stomachs were always full, and they were taking advantage of a helpless village that was now starving to death. Nim was extremely outraged at this. She wanted to take all the supplies and hurry back home, but there was more to find out. She returned to the building that Finn was still inside and pressed her ear against it. She heard voices inside arguing. The familiar voice of Finn was saying "It would be much easier if we just killed them off now." Then another voice said, "I suppose you are right. Tonight, after sundown, you will make an early visit to our little friends, and we will make our move. Nim gasped. She had to warn her friends!

Racing home as fast as she could, Nim didn't stop at anything. When she reached the village, no one was even aware that she had been gone, or that anything was wrong. Seeing the toads in her village, she realized how very thin they were becoming, a sure sign of starvation. She went straight to Mil and his council of elders. She briefly explained that Finn had been taking advantage of them all along, and planned to return that night to kill the villagers. The elders did not believe that their precious Finn would do something so terrible. Nim was not nearly as good with words as Finn was, and she had difficulty convincing them. But finally they believed her. She persuaded the villagers to flee the village, which was a strenuous ordeal due to the fact that they had never once left their beloved village.

The last of the toads had left the village and were hidden on top of a nearby hill, watching their deserted home below. Promptly at sunset, Finn entered the village and made his way to the town square, where he was very surprised not to find anyone. He thoroughly searched the place, and when it was decided that it was indeed empty, he whistled twice. Hundreds of frogs in battle gear entered the village, evidently expecting to kill some unexepecting toads. The frogs were all perplexed, and formed a circle, discussing their next move. Then a frog shouted, "There! On that hill!". The toads ran as fast as they could, the frogs hot in pursuit. The toads stayed just enough ahead of their pursuers, and managed to lead them in the wrong direction.

The toads, still hurrying, traveled for miles. The villagers (excluding Nim) were still a little confused as to why they had left and why they were running, but they did understand that Nim was a hero and had saved them from a terrible fate. They were safe, for now.