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| "The Ancient Storyteller" (1940) by Amrita Sher-Gil |
What purpose does storytelling serve?
What functions does it perform in society and in families?
After you've read the chapter, you may want to come back to this question and comment on the claims made in the chapter that you found valuable,intriguing, insightful, or questionable.
I think that storytelling serves a purpose as entertainment, but also has a large part in how human history was passed down. Before cultures developed written text there was no other way to tell each other of the great accomplishments of the past, albeit in an embellished and dramatic manner. No matter what part of the world it was, there was a large chance that they gathered around a fire in the evenings and traded stories. This being because it brought people together, just like Gottschall talked about. Storytelling brings people’s minds and their bodies together in one place, even if it is for only a short while.
ReplyDeleteI agree that storytelling is a way of retaining a groups history and accomplishments, but it is purposefully told in a fashion that rewards the good and punishes the bad, so I think it plays a vital role in teaching younger members what that group's expectations are and how they can be successful within that community. That is the reason it is a vital part of any cultural group- the success of the group depends on its members working together and behaving in a way that benefits the group as a whole.
DeleteI think storytelling exists to entertain and inform the audience of the past and of moral lessons. In society, a story can be a common ground for two vastly different people to meet on. If a group of people all know the same story, they have at least one thing in common, one thing to bind them together. Stories told in families are usually about family history or a concept that the family finds important. In a family, stories help connect one generation to the next. Storytelling within a family also allows a family unit to attempt to maintain certain values or standards for their family members by passing them on over the years through stories.
ReplyDelete-Abigail Savage