Throughout this paper I will explore the power of storytelling using the course lexicon and I will examine it in the context of two course texts. One of the texts that I will be referring to is by Doxtator, excerpts from Fluffs and Feathers and the second text I will be referring to is by Griffin, excerpts from Woman and Nature. The power of storytelling is a part of the mimetic world and because stories have so much power they can be used to help bring about dominant fantasies. Stories are told over and over again until they are reinforced and in this essay I will argue that the power of storytelling is a form of social control. In the excerpts from Fluffs and Feathers, Doxtator discusses the ideas of indianness and he talks about how people perceive First Nations people. The dominant fantasy of a First Nations person is someone that is spiritual, environmental, primitive, and in need of support. In the text by Doxtator it states “every culture creates images of how it sees itself and the rest of the world” (13). But how did the idea of indianness come about? The power of storytelling is a powerful tool because stories are rooted in people’s culture and it affects the way they see the mimetic world. Stories help people form dominant fantasies about things that they may not actually experience themselves. It would be impossible for all of Europe to travel to America and experience the new world. Therefore when the European travellers came to the Americas they would tell stories of their travels and their experiences so that other people could understand what they had experienced. First Nations people are often referred to as Indians however it is well known that they are only called Indians because when Columbus had reached hi... ... middle of paper ... ...stantly lately and once the current dominant fantasy ceases to work the alternative fantasy will replace it. In conclusion it is evident that the power of storytelling is a form of social control because many people look to the stories that are rooted in their culture and they use it to formulate their dominant fantasies and they also use stories to help them identify both others and themselves. Therefore the one who tells stories holds great power and the stories that he or she chooses to tell help reinforce certain dominant fantasies. Works Cited Doxtator, Deborah. Excerpts from Fluffs and Feathers: An Exhibit on the Symbols of Indianness, A Resource Guide. 1988. Revised edition. Brantford, Ontario: Woodland Cultural Centre, 1992. 12-14. Print. Griffin, Susan. Excerpts from Woman and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her. Toronto: Harper & Row Perennial, 1978. 14 30
Stories are a means of passing on information, acting as a medium to transport cultural heritage and customs forward into the future. In his essay titled "You'll Never Believe What Happened," King says that, "The truth about stories is that that's all we are” (King Essay 2). Contained within this statement is a powerful truth: without stories, a society transcending the limitations of time could not exist. Cultures might appear, but they would inevitably die away without a means of preservation. Subsequent generations would be tasked with creating language, customs, and moral laws, all from scratch. In a way, stories form the core of society's existence.
Such stories and their settings establish the Native American presence on this land from time immemorial by relating how the Creator placed the First Peoples in their traditional homelands. Homelands are stable and permanent cultural and physical landscapes where Native nations have lived, and in some cases, continue to live to the present day. (Handsman 13). Creation stories thus reflect the central place their relationship with the land occupies in the culture and hi...
The history of Native Americans is often overlooked or just simplified. Native Americans are sometimes referred to as “American Indians,” This term is defined
Swanton, John S. “The Indian Tribes of North America.” Americanindian.net, n.d.. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. .
Across Canada and the United States there are many First Nations languages which are a part of the Algonquian language family, all of which with varying states of health. Although these languages share many characteristics of the Algonquian language family, the cultures, systems of beliefs, and geographic location of their respective Nations differentiate them. In being shaped by the landscape, cultures, and spirituality of the First Nations, the language brings the speakers closer to their land and traditions while reaffirming their identity as First Peoples. Using the Blackfoot Nation to further explore this concept, this paper will show that while language threads together First Nations culture, spirituality, traditions and land, as well as their identity, each of these essential components also maintain and revitalize the language.
In his essay, “The Indians’ Old World,” Neal Salisbury examined a recent shift in the telling of Native American history in North America. Until recently, much of American history, as it pertains to Native Americans; either focused on the decimation of their societies or excluded them completely from the discussion (Salisbury 25). Salisbury also contends that American history did not simply begin with the arrival of Europeans. This event was an episode of a long path towards America’s development (Salisbury 25). In pre-colonial America, Native Americans were not primitive savages, rather a developing people that possessed extraordinary skill in agriculture, hunting, and building and exhibited elaborate cultural and religious structures.
Thomas King uses an oral story-telling style of writing mingled with western narrative in his article “You’re Not the Indian I Had in Mind” to explain that Indians are not on the brink of extinction. Through this article in the Racism, Colonialism, and Indigeneity in Canada textbook, King also brings some focus to the topic of what it means to be “Indian” through the eyes of an actual Aboriginal versus how Aboriginals are viewed by other races of people. With his unique style of writing, King is able to bring the reader into the situations he describes because he writes about it like a story he is telling.
The question “Why do we tell stories” does not have one simple answer as any individual may have a different response to the question based on their background but, this essay will attempt to form a cohesive answer to the question by responding to three statements, (1)“Some texts seem to be fighting for or against social change or political attitudes or traditions. Choose and discuss the fight for or against this change.”, (2)“Humans are the only animals who seek to understand themselves.The search of this understanding is a theme in many pieces of literature.”, (3) “Lord Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The use and abuse of power is a recurring theme. Discuss how this theme is developed.” ;
In “The Truth about Stories”, Thomas King, demonstrate connection between the Native storytelling and the authentic world. He examines various themes in the stories such as; oppression, racism, identity and discrimination. He uses the creational stories and implies in to the world today and points out the racism and identity issues the Native people went through and are going through. The surroundings shape individuals’ life and a story plays vital roles. How one tells a story has huge impact on the listeners and readers. King uses sarcastic tone as he tells the current stories of Native people and his experiences. He points out to the events and incidents such as the government apologizing for the colonialism, however, words remains as they are and are not exchanged for actions. King continuously alerts the reader about taking actions towards change as people tend to be ignorant of what is going around them. At the end people give a simple reason that they were not aware of it. Thus, the author constantly reminds the readers that now they are aware of the issue so they do not have any reason to be ignorant.
Through Indian Eyes: The Untold Story of Native American Peoples. Pleasantville, NY: Reader's Digest Association, 1995. Print.
A narrative is specified to amuse, to attract, and grasp a reader’s attention. The types of narratives are fictitious, real or unification or both. However, they may consist of folk tale stories, mysteries, science fiction; romances, horror stories, adventure stories, fables, myths and legends, historical narratives, ballads, slice of life, and personal experience (“Narrative,” 2008). Therefore, narrative text has five shared elements. These are setting, characters, plot, theme, and vocabulary (“Narrative and Informational Text,” 2008). Narrative literature is originally written to communicate a story. Therefore, narrative literature that is written in an excellent way will have conflicts and can discuss shared aspects of human occurrence.
Rohrick, Lutz. Introduction. Fairytales and Society: Illusion, Allusion and Paradigm. Ed. R.B. Bottingheimer. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986. 1-9.
When I was reading chapters 1-3 I was able to find five concepts that stood out to me and had a relation to storytelling. The first one was social media. Social media is an outlet that impacts a lot people and allows for groups to interact with each other. This concept has an impact on my daily life because social media is something that I use very often to stay connected with people I know and it allows me to see things that are going on in their lives. This relates to storytelling because the posts that people will put are some form of a story, especially if it is a status on Facebook or a tweet on Twitter. These stories that are posted are what helps people stay connected and to know what is going on in others’ lives.
The Woman Warrior is a story about the life of Maxine Hong Kingston. It is
Berkhofer, Robert F. The White Man's Indian: Images of the American Indian from Columbus to the Present. New York: Vintage Books, 1979.