StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Folk Tales as Cultural Productions - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Cover Letter: Folk Tales as Cultural Productions John Smith Professor XXXXX ENGL 200 January 7, 2013 Dear Prof. L-T: Two African folktales, Why the Bat Flies at Night and Why the Bat is Ashamed to be Seen in the Daytime, both explore the theme of conflict between good and evil…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96.1% of users find it useful
Folk Tales as Cultural Productions
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Folk Tales as Cultural Productions"

Download file to see previous pages

I learned that what you reap is what you sow; this is a universal maxim that is almost true in all situations. When you plant goodness, you reap blessings and not curse. Any amateur folk tale reader would also feel the same by way of understanding only the peripheral issues and facts within the story. All I did, however, was read the stories over and over, read other literatures related to the two tales, and came up with my own understanding of the stories. Overall, the two folk tales have good stories that taught me moral lessons worthy of remembering.

Sincerely, John Smith John Smith Professor XXXXX ENGL 200 January 9, 2013 Elphinstone Dayrell’s Why the Bat Flies by Night and Why the Bat is Ashamed to be Seen in the Daytime Why the Bat Flies at Night is an African folktale written by Elphinstone Dayrell in 1910 which follows the story of two animal friends, Oyong the bush rat and Emiong the bat. The story, which involves two animals, mirrors the nature of mankind to outdo and trick the other in order to achieve one’s personal interest.

Emiong cooks sumptuous and delicious dishes for his friend Oyong and the latter always expresses his gratefulness for the bat’s cooking skills and kindness. Oyong, the bush rat, also wants to return the favor and asks Emiong of his excellent cooking taste. Unlike any genuine friend who shares their talent especially to their friends, Emiong lured and tricked his friend by saying that his dishes are absolutely tasty because he soaks himself together with the other ingredients when the water boils, and because his skin is naturally tasty, the dish turns out to be palatable.

Oyong, who is fascinated with what he learned, does what the bat told him and eventually died. This African story uses animals in order to depict nature, not only referring to the environment but also on the natural inclination of man to cheat and trick others no matter how close the relationship is in order to singly rise on top. This is what happens also in the societal malady known as crab mentality. Whoever is on top is forcibly pulled down because of selfishness and greed. Human beings have the tendency not to share what they have because they are afraid they will be outshone.

This is exemplified in the story when Emiong shared false information to Oyong regarding his kitchen secret (Dayrell par. 2). More importantly, the story also presents that evil will not rise over goodness, as Emiong was prosecuted and stayed eternally in darkness so that he will continue to live. This case also reflects the kind of society that we have today. Punishment is a method to control, stop, and teach individuals who do wrong to another. It exists because people have different moral precepts and different perception of what is right and wrong.

Another story written by Dayrell is entitled Why the Bat is Ashamed to be Seen in the Daytime which features again the bat as the villain in the story (par. 1). Basically, it almost shares the same plot with the first story but with some variations. Here, the bat’s villainess extends to depriving the lamb with the food that he deserves. The lamb agrees to go with the bat to visit his father-in-law and carries the bat’s load until they reach their destination. Once again, the bat tricked the lamb so that he alone can eat the entire food served to him.

This is a clear replica of greediness, which is clearly present in the society. Furthermore, the story also reflects the nature of man to

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Folk Tales as Cultural Productions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1465964-folk-tales-as-cultural-productions
(Folk Tales As Cultural Productions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
https://studentshare.org/literature/1465964-folk-tales-as-cultural-productions.
“Folk Tales As Cultural Productions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1465964-folk-tales-as-cultural-productions.
  • Cited: 1 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Folk Tales as Cultural Productions

Significance of National Identity as a Source of Individuals Culture

Thus the predominant form that national identity takes today is that of cultural nationalism” (Delanty, 1996).... folk culture folk culture is the culture of the local communities.... The term “culture” indicates the beliefs, customs, language, dress, norms and values, roles, diet, skills, knowledge, competences, and everything else that is learnt by people and plays a role in shaping a society's way of life....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

The Music System of China

On the other hand, the shops that are basically supposed to be selling music productions have also gone the western way with most of the compositions ranging from the romantic kinds as well as the Italian operas.... There were various genres of folk songs that have a close relation to the imperial traditions such as that of temple and courtly music merely survived the great fall of the imperial dynasty and hence some of the traditional forms of music especially the strong folks that were basically revived since the durations of the cultural Revolution in the villages....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Korean TV Drama Review: Sassy Girl Chunhyang

Korean folk tales once comprised of stories depicting a fantastic sequence of events.... Although the producers seem to have used a historical sequence as a lead to a modern teen drama, it is also notable that they had intentions to emphasize the cultural importance of the character.... The development of the Korean Fork tales to modern versions is observable in the ways it is dramatized.... Most fairy tales included creatures from folklore like witches, dragons, and goblins....
4 Pages (1000 words) Movie Review

Music Market and Cultural and Social Globalization

Certainly, the content of music commodities is immeasurable and ‘cultural' in nature.... The importance of cultural and creative industries, especially of music industry, is not merely limited to its economic capabilities (which is, of course, relatively strong); but also to the prominent role it has on the making and unmaking of peoples' identities, attitudes, values and lifestyles.... The post World War II world saw the mainstreaming of studies on cultural and creative industries as it was an absolute necessity to explore and grasp the changing nature of politics and economics in both the developed and developing countries....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

The Body In American Popular Culture

Visual media in the form of advertising, film, magazines, folk tales, and other fields promote men's increasing awareness of their bodily condition, encouraging them to pursue ideal conceptualizations of physical beauty.... The essay "The Body In American Popular Culture" synthesizes together four journal articles on the significance of the body in American popular culture....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Folk Music

Traditional folk music was defined… The ballad is an example of folk music (Lloyd and Scholes, 77) The term folk music originated from England where they took the word ‘volk' from Germany and applied it to signify the folk music has existed for hundreds-thousands of years, even though the word only got to be used in the late 19th century.... Beethoven and Josef Haydn were two popular composers who made arrangements of folk music....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

Impact of the Blacks Culture on the American Society

The same oral tradition has helped all other cultural forms evolve.... he tradition attached with the oral communication generally comprises the old sayings, proverbs and various other cultural products that have neither been archived nor recorded.... The oral tradition can be said to be one of the fundamental mechanisms for survival and cultural expression.... The oral tradition is also predominant in the maintenance of the cultural heritage and reflection of the collective spirit of the race....
13 Pages (3250 words) Research Paper

American and African Folk Songs

The author concludes that American folk music is diverse in its origins and influences from the varied cultural groups.... The creation of today's US folk music has been the result of a deep cultural mix.... African American folk music occupies a prominent position in the creation of American folk songs… Despite the cultural diversity that seems to impact traditional American folk music, there is no cultural hegemony of one form of music over the other in terms of patriarchal musical occupation....
5 Pages (1250 words) Admission/Application Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us