The Boo Hag
Background
Urban legends survive through time by having three elements: “a strong basic story-appeal, a foundation in actual belief, and a meaningful message or ‘moral’” (Brunvand 10). These characteristics are not only inherent in the content of the story, but also in the performance of the story to an audience. Like an actor on stage, storytellers have the responsibility of keeping a story entertaining, yet believable, through their gestures and attitude while telling the story. One particularly interesting legend involving magic and witchcraft, which was performed to me by an old friend from high school, is entitled “The Boo Hag.”
The storyteller was an eighteen-year old male attending the University. Currently a sophomore, he was raised as a Catholic in Maryland. Upon visiting me a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday night, we relaxed over some calzones in my dorm as we began to watch television and listen to music. Flipping through the channels, we came across the Sci-Fi network, sparking a sudden interest in both of us to talk about scary stories. We began to discuss the local urban legends, myths, and horror stories that we knew, and he began to tell a story that he heard from a friend down in South Carolina during his freshman year. It went like this.
Story
So…There was this man named Phil who lived in South Carolina. He was a nice, simple man who worked hard as a farmer. Though he was doing well for himself, he felt lonely. You see, he had been divorced two times already, and he really wanted some companionship in his life.
He decided to travel into the town square. It was there that he saw one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Desperate to meet someone, he approach...
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...rall appeal as an entertaining and engrossing story, and the morals that it conveys, all of which can be related to our society, that it has the potential to remain a folk tale in our culture for many years to come.
Works Cited
Brunvand, Jan Harold. The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their Meanings. New York: W. W. Norton, 1981.
Dominey, Craig. The Boo-Hag: Gullah. The Moonlit Road. 5 April 2008 http://www.themoonlitroad.com/archives/boohag/boohag_cbg002.html.
Dominey, Craig. The Boo-Hag Origin. The Moonlit Road. 5 April 2008 http://www.themoonlitroad.com/archives/boohag/boohag_cbg001.html.
McKissack, Patricia C and Onawumi Jean Moss. Precious and the Boo Hag. Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books, 2005.
Schlosser, S.E. Boo Hag. American Folklore. 5 April 2008 http://www.americanfolklore.net/folktales/tx7.html.
“I sit and watch this boy walking backward until a car stops for him. I think, he is a polite boy, and lucky to get rides at night” (Pancake 88). In the short story, “Time and Again”, the main character overcomes his obsession for murdering innocent hitchhikers. He does this because of the tragic loss of his wife and son. By killing the hitchhikers it gives him a sense of contentment. Breece D’J Pancake’s “Time and Again,” tells a story of a man who picks up hitchhikers during his snow plowing routes and kills them. By the context clues throughout the story you can assume that he kills the hitchhikers, feeds them to his hogs, and then packs up the leftover bones in a duffel bag and throws them off of Lovers’ Leap.
Urban legends are the supernatural folklore of our modern society. From one generation to the next, they orally travel throughout the world, constantly changing from one region to the next. Although cultural variations exist, the core of all these urban legends remains the same, to unveil the universally known individual and societal fears. “The Graveyard Wager” is a timeless urban legend told again and again, and the one of which I will explore more in depth.
Fairy tales are one of the longest lasting forms of literature. Though now they bring to mind classic movies engendered by Disney, many of these stories were first passed on in an oral manner, meant to convey a message, moral, or lesson. Alison Lurie’s “What Fairy Tales Tell Us” covers a broad range of classic tales, discussing how under the guise of an entertaining story comes life lessons we would all do well to follow. To begin this paper, some of the tales Lurie examines in her article will be looked at and critically examined beyond what she discusses. This will then move the text towards its remaining sections, which will take Lurie’s ideas and have them applied to folk and fairy tales that have not yet been contemplated; for the purpose
The story showcases a rather ordinary man, who appears to be lonely. He seems to be successful at his career, but doesn’t have much of a personal life.
If children or adults think of the great classical fairy tales today, be it Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, or Cinderella, they will think Walt Disney. Their first and perhaps lasting impression of these tales and others will have emanated from Disney film, book, or artefacts (Zipes 72)
In conclusion, the extent to which a specific fairy tale meets Zipes’ definition varies dependent upon its adaptability and acceptance by society. Some fairy tales are harder to manipulate and their plot is insufficient to reflect society’s values so not all fairy tales are institutionalised. Thus, the manipulation of Little Red Riding Hood throughout its history and its adaptability to a myriad of usage passes Zipes’ definition of ‘institutionalisation’.
The use of suspense in “The Hitchhiker,” keeps the audience in a state of panic, wondering what the outcome will be. The protagonist looks back upon the torturous six days, remembering his protective mother, and the commonplace traveler. Fear mixed with suspicion, he identifies the hitchhiker on the most inappropriate hitchhiking roads, set on terminating the foreboding individual. Leaving the audience at the climax, Adams believes the hitchhiker must be mortal, and therefore able to hinder, yet the fact of Adams’ unknown identity and his total isolation, prevent his ability to take
Later the poor and inculpable man came outside to throw the garbage. The clear night and few stars in the west and the steady, light traffic on EL Camino made him to see the life and the question in another perspective. He though about the old days and though about the future. Eventually he found how precious his wife to him and he loves his wife so much. He feel that he argue with her and make her unhappy. He feel regret, so he changed his mind. A man who loves his wife really much would so something like him.
Brunvand, Jan Harold. The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their Meanings. New York: W. W. Norton, 1981.
The story begins with the narrator being a man in his mid-thirties, with a stable job, and a normal life. The only thing missing in his life seems to be a female companion. He wants to find somebody he likes, understands and has something in common with, and he is sick of making the "acquaintance of a divorced computer programmer in her mid thirties with three kids and bad breath" (246) and her like.
Elements of the supernatural have long enhanced the folklore of many cultures. Stories of ghosts, magic, and so-called aliens are transferred from generation to generation, sparking our imagination and uncovering our deepest fears. While some stories are clearly fabulous, others are believed by those who tell them. The story I wish to report is of the latter kind: an experience that generated real fear in the teller. Although the story is completely original, it contains ideas reflected in much other folklore, including similar tales from similar locations. And like all folklore, the effectiveness of the story depends upon the performance of the teller and those to follow.
Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: the Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. London: Thames and Hudson, 1976. Print.
Storytelling has always been a form of entertainment that people have used for centuries now. Stories are often said to strengthen a community and create harmony. They often reflect the beliefs of the people who tell them. As for any story, the popularity of the story depends on whether those listening approve of the values underlying it. By telling and listening to stories, people confirm their ideas about the world around them. Things that people find scary, upsetting or desirable all found their way into the stories because people want to be assured that other people around them are thinking along the same lines (Myths and Legends). There have been many variations of storytelling. There are stories told through drawing, through actions,
Zipes, Jack. Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print.
A Folktale is described as the general term for the verbal, spiritual, and material aspects of any homogeneous preliterate or subliterate culture. These stories have been around and past down generations for thousands of years. Much controversy surrounds Folktales in determining the authenticity of the story. Many cultures strongly believe in their history and the tales that come along with it. On the other hand, many skeptics are headstrong in their beliefs that such characters featured in these folktales cease to exist and are told as entertainment and a way to promote strong ethical values in the generations to come. Folktales fall into the non-fiction genre of literature, which may cause confusion with some people considering we were all