When my father was dating my mother, they went out for dinner with her parents. He was desperate to impress them. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of eating a hot red pepper. Mouth on fire, eyes watering, he tried not to cough too noticeably as he reached for a glass of water. He soon learned that water, rather than stifling the heat of the pepper, inflamed it. By then my mother had noticed, and, laughing helplessly, pointed my father in the direction of the breadsticks. The bread accomplished what the water did not, and soothed the heat of the pepper. Luckily, my grandparents found the incident as humorous as my mother had, and the rest of the dinner proceeded without a hitch.
Numerous stories of this caliber are passed around the table
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Tales can convey traditions and memories of the past and hope for the future, or influence their readers to take up a cause. Sherman Alexie’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, a collection of short stories about life on an Indian reservation, may appear dark and depressing, but they are filled with hidden pockets of optimism and hope. They influence and encourage reservation Indians to delve into their past and rediscover their heritage. Other stories can teach the reader about a certain topic, such as A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. Beah’s memoir was about the war in Sierra Leone, and how it nearly destroyed his life. Among hard won lessons of hope and love, it teaches the reader some of the finer points of the harshness of life in war torn Sierra Leone. Some stories have more meaning to certain people over others, as those who understand it better are struggling with problems that are portrayed in the story. Someone struggling with a loss of identity could interpret Sherman Alexie’s stories differently than a more nonchalant reader. Stories can provide insight into our own lives while being entertaining. They give inspiration to millions, from scientists to diplomats to other writers. The many benefits of stories are too many to be counted, and vary from story to story, recipient to recipient. Whether stories are mere entertainment or valuable lessons and guides, they
Sherman Alexie began his literary career writing poetry and short stories, being recognized for his examination of the Native American (Hunter 1). Written after reading media coverage of an actual execution in the state of Washington, Sherman Alexie’s poem Capital Punishment tells the story of an Indian man on death row waiting for his execution. The poem is told in the third person by the cook preparing the last meal as he recalls the many final meals he has prepared over the years. In addition to the Indian currently awaiting his death, the cook speaks of a black man who was electrocuted and lived to tell about it, only to be sent back to the chair an hour later to be killed again. He also recalls many of the meals he had prepared had been for dark-skinned men convicted of killing white people. The thought of racial discrimination in capital punishment seems to be the theme at first glance, but reading further indicates differently. The cook also ponders his own survival in the prison system as an inmate. Learning to cook and outlasting all the others before him, whether by age or fate, allowed him the opportunity to create food filled with love for the one that will die. After this final meal has been prepared by the cook for the condemned inmate to eat, fear and anticipation takes over his body. Just as proper temperature is needed for cooking, a proper amount of electricity is needed to operate the electric chair and this need creates a dimming and flickering effect in the prison reminding all those left behind of their possible fate:
When I decide to read a memoir, I imagine sitting down to read the story of someone’s life. I in vision myself learning s...
In Thomas King's short story "Borders," a Blackfoot mother struggles with maintaining her cultural heritage under the pressure of two dominating nations. Storytelling is important, both for the mother and for the dominant White society. Stories are used to maintain and pass on cultural information and customs from one generation to another. Furthermore, stories can be used both positively and negatively. They can trap individuals into certain ways of thinking, but they can also act as catalysts that drive social change within society.
Sherman Alexie is a very well known author and poet. The interview we watched was a unique glimpse into what inspires his writings, his past, and how he feels about his culture and heritage.
Chimamanda Adichie, in one of her eye-opening speeches, The Danger of a Single Story, provides the audience with a new insight into the negative impacts that can occur as a result of viewing a story from a single perspective and not putting in an effort to know it from all available viewpoints. Adichie in her simple, yet well-grounded speech, filled with anecdotes of her personal experiences effectively puts across her argument against believing in stereotypes and limiting oneself to just a single story using a remarkable opening, the elements of logos, pathos and ethos, repetitions, as well as maintaining a good flow of thoughts throughout the speech.
In Laura Purdy’s account of Genetics and Reproductive Risks: Can Having Children Be Immoral?, Purdy’s claim is that conception of a child is immoral when there is reasonable concern of a genetic disorder and if prenatal screening is not done to see how likely it is for your child to obtain that disease, then it is wrong. Purdy thinks it is immoral to reproduce when we are at high risk of transmitting a disease or defect and she says it is wrong to reproduce without knowing the consequences of our genome. The birth of a child at risk of a serious defect could be prevented by abortion or preventing conception of a child. And conception is only allowable once a person has undergone a prenatal screening and if a selective abortion would be done, and for those who are against abortion must be extremely careful not to conceive.
Last but not least, O’Connor confirms that even a short story is a multi-layer compound that on the surface may deter even the most enthusiastic reader, but when handled with more care, it conveys universal truths by means of straightforward or violent situations. She herself wished her message to appeal to the readers who, if careful enough, “(…)will come to see it as something more than an account of a family murdered on the way to Florida.”
During the interview with Sherman Alexie, he states, “I had no idea that my small life could appeal to anybody.. And it was because of all the Native writers that came before me that made me realize that my story might be important”. As you can see, the Native American life can seem so insignificant and make so many feels as if they have no impact on the world. Born into an undersized Indian Reservation, Sherman Alexie felt as if he couldn't go after his dream of becoming a pediatrician, as he states in the KCTS9 interview. He knew that he had to leave the reservation and go to the white school so that he could go after his desires in life. Alexie was going to be making a big choice and understood he would be “playing against his own siblings
3. Miller, John J. “The Worlds First Story”. Foundation for Cultural Review. v23 i2 p74(4) (2004): . InfoTrac OneFile. Gale. NC LIVE. Oct 2004 .
Mueller expresses how stories allow children to achieve the impossible, such as flying when they are incapable and discovering the unknown. Stories give a life to the people who are unable to live, and that is one of the reasons why imagination is so essential to our world. The sharing of tales bring genuine joy to people without the need of materialistic items; it gives people the chance to relate to the author on a common ground. The sense of shared joy and mutual connection brings people closer together and expands on relationships. People begin to feel as if they are apart of an imagined community, which is a community in which people perceive themselves to be apart of, through common interests or relations from media or works of literature. Communities such as these allow people to connect with each other, despite never crossing paths. It allows the birth and the strengthening of relationships, for when people begin to converse with others, the first thing they do is find common experiences or interests that they share. In addition, a quote from Mueller, herself, adds to why we tell stories: “Because the story of our life becomes our life. Because each of us tell the same story but tell it differently, and none of us tells it the same way twice.” Tales are devised with the incorporation of the narrator’s imagination; it is a way to
Storytelling has been used throughout history to explain the unexplained mysteries in the time of the storyteller. Today the current generation makes it appear that the “stories that sell the most cause” (Kristina) widely spread misconceptions and aggression towards these stereotypes. These misconceptions are seen throughout history, whether it is about the destructive forces of the weather or the animals roaming the planet we call home. Aggression can be seen evident throughout history as well, be it wars of religions live in the crusades, or the war against Afghanistan. Storytelling throughout time has created “a safe space in” (Horn) an environment. They have been used to calm the fears children from ancient times to the present, as well a comfort them when parents as they are told a story to help them sleep. Stories are told through the toughest times from economic failure to bombings raining destruction from above. Historically storytellers have traditionally been the elders of the communities who start to tell younger generations when “the person [is] at a young age” (Horn) and more often then not influences the overall outlook of that child. History has been filled with the tradition of the elders of t...
Storytelling is an effective method to teach, motivate and inspire people. I believe that the two stories mentioned in this chapter will do the needful. Read between the lines carefully. Create awareness about increasing
One of the memories I treasure the most about my childhood is my grandfather’s bedtime stories. My favorites were about the war were he fought to defend the territory of my country Peru. The war stories will always end with a “Don’t you worry, my dear. There is nothing to be afraid of. You are a smart and strong little girl. You can face all your fears. You are after all your grandpa’s granddaughter.” But this is not a story about my grandfather; this is a story of how his bravery and advices inspired me to keep on going during my process of acquiring a second language in a foreign
stories as theme of this paper. First of all, I will have a close look