Exploring Adaptations Through Supernatural Means in Literature

"Read the excerpt from 'The Flood' by James Baldwin. They knew at once that he was Mercury, the swift messenger of the Mighty Ones, and they waited to hear what he would say. 'Is there anything that you wish?' he asked. . . . 'We should like, above all things,' said Deucalion, 'to see this land full of people once more; for without neighbors and friends, the world is a very lonely place indeed.' 'Go on down the mountain,' said Mercury, 'and as you go, cast the bones of your mother over your shoulders behind you.' And so they walked on, down the steep slope of Mount Parnassus, and as they walked they picked up the loose stones in their way and cast them over their shoulders; and strange to say, the stones which Deucalion threw sprang up as full-grown men, strong, and handsome, and brave; and the stones which Pyrrha threw sprang up as full-grown women, lovely and fair. When at last they reached the plain they found themselves at the head of a noble company of human beings, all eager to serve them. So Deucalion became their king. Read the excerpt from 'Deucalion and Pyrrha' by Carla Nappi. She cupped 'not limpid yet' between her palms and took it to the window and blew it out into the air. And each letter broke apart into an infinity of tiny dots, which instantly grew a little less tiny, and sprouted tiny transparent wings, and tiny antennae, and little bitty shiny spotted shells or short sticky bodies or starry oval eyes or pinprick heads or long jointy legs and they filled the sky with clouds of buzzing chirping life until they grew tired and slowly fell to the earth. And in this way she made the insects. And then they made the rest of the world, each time cradling a precious phrase and releasing it from the library window and watching the sea and the sky and the earth grow and change. What do the excerpts reveal about the adaptations? Nappi and Baldwin both create stories in which their characters watch the world evolve. Nappi and Baldwin both focus on how supernatural events influence people’s lives. Nappi’s characters repopulate only humans, while Baldwin’s characters repopulate all of nature. Baldwin’s characters speak the new humans into being, while Nappi’s characters use magic."

Interpreting Literary Adaptations Through Supernatural Means

Both excerpts from 'The Flood' by James Baldwin and 'Deucalion and Pyrrha' by Carla Nappi show different portrayals of adaptations through supernatural means. In both, the characters creatively repopulate the world albeit through varying methods, ultimately showcasing humanity's narrative adaptation to explain natural changes.

Based on the excerpts from "The Flood” by James Baldwin and "Deucalion and Pyrrha” by Carla Nappi, the stories reveal different interpretations and methods of adaptation or evolution. In Baldwin's account, Deucalion and Pyrrha re-populate the earth with humans by throwing stones over their shoulders which transform into adults, whereas in Nappi's tale, the heroine creates insects by releasing phrases into the world, allowing nature to evolve. In both stories, supernatural elements play an essential role, reflecting not only the adaptation of species but also the way human beings adapt narratives to explain natural phenomena.

The stories by Nappi and Baldwin illustrate the evolution of the world and the influence of supernatural elements, displaying differences in the manner of repopulation and the aspect of nature being reborn.

The two excerpts presented here show how Nappi and Baldwin use their characters to repopulate and transform the emptiness of their worlds through supernatural and magical means. In Baldwin's 'The Flood', Deucalion and Pyrrha's throwing stones behind them turn the rocks into fully grown men and women, populating the land again. This reflects the use of supernatural means to influence people’s lives. On the other hand, Nappi's excerpt presents a different method of world-making, where characters bring things into existence by releasing phrases from a library window, generating life in the form of various flying creatures, and shaping the environment. Thus, the adaptations of these stories share a common theme of supernatural influence and the evolution of the world but distinguish themselves in the details of how this occurs and what aspects of nature are repopulated.