Understanding%20Oral%20Traditions%20in%20Literature

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Understanding Oral Traditions in Literature
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Achebe says

• I believe in the complexity of the human story,
  and that theres no way you can tell that story
  in one way and say, this is it. Always there
  will be someone who can tell it differently
  depending on where they are standing this is
  the way I think the worlds stories should be
  told from many different perspectives.
  (Chinua Achebe The Art of Fiction CXXXVIV,
  interviewed by Jerome Brooks in The Paris Review,
  Issue 133 (Winter 1994-5)

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Another quote from Achebe.

• "Since Igbo people did not construct a rigid and
  closely argued system of thought to explain the
  universe and the place of man in it, preferring
  the metaphor of myth and poetry, anyone seeking
  an insight into their world must seek it along
  their own way. Some of these ways are folk tales,
  proverbs, proper names, rituals, and festivals"
  ("Chi in Igbo Cosmology" 161).

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Oral Elements Log
Chpt. Example Type of Element Relevance
3 The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did. proverb Okonkwo feels that since he has no one to speak for him, he has to speak for himself.


































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Lets start with proverbs
(Remember the video? Knowledge is like the baobab
tree. No one can encompass it with both
hands. Thats a Senegalese PROVERB!)
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From Things Fall Apart

• A proverb about proverbs!!!
• Among the Igbo the art of conversation is
  regarded very highly, and proverbs are the
  palm-oil with which words are eaten (7)
• Well get some practice translating proverbs
  later. But, as one of the more popular quotes
  from the book, what are your initial thoughts on
  what this proverb means?

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So, what are proverbs exactly?
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1) Write this down!

• Proverbs are popular sayings which contain advice
  or state a generally accepted truth.

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• Because most proverbs have their origins in
  oral tradition, they are generally worded in such
  a way as to be remembered easily and tend to
  change little from generation to generation, so
  much so that sometimes their specific meaning is
  no longer relevant.
• For instance, the proverb penny wise, pound
  foolish is a holdover from when America was a
  British colony and used the pound as currency.

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• Proverbs function as folk wisdom, general
  advice about how to act and live. And because
  they are folk wisdom, they often strongly reflect
  the cultural values and physical environment from
  which they arise.
• For instance, island cultures such as Hawaii have
  proverbs about the sea, Eastern cultures have
  proverbs about elephants, and American proverbs,
  many collected and published by Benjamin
  Franklin, are about hard work bringing success.

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2) Write this down!

• Proverbs are often used to support arguments, to
  provide lessons and instruction, and to stress
  shared values.

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Proverbs are NOT clichés
Clichés are widely used, even overused, phrases
that are often metaphorical in nature. Clichés
often have their origins in literature,
television, or movies rather than in folk
tradition. Some Common Clichés She was white as
a sheet. The tension was so thick you could cut
it with a knife. He stood as still as a deer in
the headlights. Im as fit as a fiddle. You
could read her like an open book.
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Some Common Features of Proverbs

• Proverbs are passed down through time with little
  change in form.
• Proverbs are often used metaphorically and it is
  in understanding their metaphorical nature that
  we can unravel their meaning. While a stitch in
  time saves nine, dont count your chickens
  before theyve hatched, and dont throw the
  baby out with the bathwater are common proverbs,
  few of us stitch clothes, count chickens, or
  throw out bathwater.
• Proverbs often make use of grammatical and
  rhetorical devices that help make them memorable,
  including alliteration, rhyme, parallel
  structure, repetition of key words or phrases,
  and strong imagery.

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A few American proverbs you might be familiar
with

• Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
• Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.
• The early bird gets the worm.
• A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
• A stitch in time saves nine.
• A penny saved is a penny earned.
• Penny wise, pound foolish.
• Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy,
  wealthy, and wise.
• A friend in need is a friend indeed.
• A drop of honey catches more flies than a
  hogshead of vinegar.

• A fool and his money are soon parted.
• Birds of a feather flock together.
• Dont count your chickens before theyve hatched.
  
• One today is worth two tomorrows.
• Look before you leap.
• Where theres a will, theres a way.
• Alls well that ends well.
• If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and
  quacks like a duck, it is a duck.

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Which of the proverbs on the left mean the same
as these sentences? Choose 21. It is not a
good idea to decide if a thing is good or bad
just by how it appears at first or by its outward
appearance. 2. When a bad thing happens there is
always a positive aspect to it. 3. If you don't
see someone for a long time you like them better.
4. When you are in a strange place (temporarily)
it is better to follow the local customs. 5. You
should be happy with what you have got even if it
is less than what you want. 6. In many areas in
life if you do not confront a problem when it
starts it can deteriorate rapidly therefore it is
much better to act soon. 7. This proverb was
probably written by someone who owns his own
house and doesn't stay up all night dancing. 8.
Don't become very upset by trivialities. 9.
Don't take risks.

3)
Use your list of proverbs to complete the
activity!
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush A friend in need is a friend indeed. A stitch in time saves nine. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. As you sow, so you shall reap. Beauty is only skin deep. Better late than never. better safe than sorry Don't count your chickens before they're hatched. Don't cry over spilt milk. Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy,  wealthy and wise. Every cloud has a silver lining. God helps those who help themselves. Half a loaf is better than no bread. He who laughs last laughs longest. Make hay while the sun shines Necessity is the mother of invention. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. One man's meat is another man's poison. Out of sight, out of mind. Rome wasn't built in a day. The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach. The end justifies the means. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Too many cooks spoil the broth. Two heads are better than one. Waste not, want not. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make  him drink. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Let sleeping dogs lie. Hunger is the best sauce.
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Explain one of the proverbs to your neighbor. See
if he can guess which proverb you are referring
to (do not say the proverb in your explanation).
Use your list of proverbs to complete the
activity!
4)
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush A friend in need is a friend indeed. A stitch in time saves nine. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. As you sow, so you shall reap. Beauty is only skin deep. Better late than never. better safe than sorry Don't count your chickens before they're hatched. Don't cry over spilt milk. Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy,  wealthy and wise. Every cloud has a silver lining. God helps those who help themselves. Half a loaf is better than no bread. He who laughs last laughs longest. Make hay while the sun shines Necessity is the mother of invention. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. One man's meat is another man's poison. Out of sight, out of mind. Rome wasn't built in a day. The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach. The end justifies the means. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Too many cooks spoil the broth. Two heads are better than one. Waste not, want not. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make  him drink. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Let sleeping dogs lie. Hunger is the best sauce.
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In other cultures

• Proverbs in one culture are frequently similar to
  proverbs expressed in other cultures.
• For instance, the French "Qui vole un oeuf vole
  un boeuf" translates to "He who steals eggs
  steals cattle" but you, as an American, will
  likely be more familiar with the American proverb
  "Give him an inch and he'll take a mile."

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Try to decide which proverb could help you
express yourself in the following
situations.Choose 1 1. You make an appointment
with your doctor for 6pm. You arrive at 6.15. He
complains that he has been waiting for 15
minutes. What would you say? 2. Your boss calls
you into his office to ask you why you haven't
finished the task that he asked you to do earlier
and he complains that you are slow. What would
you say to him? (You are being a smart aleck.)
3. Your best friend gets married to a very ugly
fat person who has a very kind, pleasant
personality. Your spouse asks you how he could
have possibly married her. What would you say?
4. Your friend smokes 60 cigarettes a day. He
has a bad cough and he is always whining
(complaining) that he would like to give up
smoking. You offer to pay for expensive
residential anti-smoking therapy. He says that he
doesn't want to do it because he will miss his
favorite television series. What do you think to
yourself?
5)
Use your list of proverbs to complete the
activity!
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush A friend in need is a friend indeed. A stitch in time saves nine. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. As you sow, so you shall reap. Beauty is only skin deep. Better late than never. better safe than sorry Don't count your chickens before they're hatched. Don't cry over spilt milk. Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy,  wealthy and wise. Every cloud has a silver lining. God helps those who help themselves. Half a loaf is better than no bread. He who laughs last laughs longest. Make hay while the sun shines Necessity is the mother of invention. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. One man's meat is another man's poison. Out of sight, out of mind. Rome wasn't built in a day. The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach. The end justifies the means. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Too many cooks spoil the broth. Two heads are better than one. Waste not, want not. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make  him drink. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Let sleeping dogs lie. Hunger is the best sauce.
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Proverbs from around the World

• The first day you meet, you are friends. The next
  day you meet, you are brothers. Afghan proverb
• A coral reef strengthens into land. Hawaiian
  proverb
• Those who are choosy often pick the worst.
  Ilocano proverb (Philippines)
• Experience is the comb that nature gives us when
  we are bald. Belgian proverb
• A stranger nearby is better than a far-away
  relative. Korean proverb
• Don't think there are no crocodiles because the
  water is calm. Malayan proverb
• Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough, but
  not baked in the same oven. Yiddish proverb
• In a battle between elephants, the ants get
  squashed. Thai proverb
• In a court of fowls, the cockroach never wins his
  case. Rwandan proverb
• Little by little, the camel goes into the
  couscous. -Moroccan proverb
• When a dove begins to associate with crows its
  feathers remain white but its heart grows black.
  German

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• Folktales and Fables

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• Turn to a neighbor and tell them your favorite
  fable, if you know one.
• . Do you like it because of the story?
  Characters? Moral?

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Vocabulary ReviewFill in the worksheet

1. fable a fictitious story meant to teach a
   lesson. The characters in fables are usually
   animals
2. genre a type of literature
3. oral tradition the handing down of stories from
   generation to generation through the spoken word
4. interpretation a person's expression of the
   meaning of something this can be done through
   dance, art, and drama
5. folklore the traditional beliefs, sayings,
   legends, customs of a people
6. personification a figure of speech in which a
   thing, quality, or idea is represented as a
   person
7. moral a lesson, usually regarding right or wrong
   , taught by a fable
8. setting the location and/or time the story take
   place
9. evolve to develop, to unfold, to grow, to change
10. spellbinding holding one's attention,
    fascinating, enchanting

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Key Features of Fables

• Fables are considered a genre of literature and
  come from the oral tradition of storytelling
  found in folklore around the world.
• Fables are a special kind of tale. In most
  fables, animal characters act like humans
  (personification). Usually, a fable teaches a
  specific moral.
• To appreciate and understand a fable, it is
  useful to hear it more than once. The first time,
  you enjoy the story. The second time, you can
  study the characters and find the lesson taught
  about human nature.
• Storytellers told fables over and over again. As
  they were retold over the years, they evolved in
  content, emphasis, and style.

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Aesops Fables Which one will you interpret?

• The Tortoise and the Eagle (170).
• The Vain Crow (190).
• The Monkey and the Dolphin (198).
• The Mouse and the Weasel (202).
• The Birds, the Beasts, and the Bat (214).
• The Stag and the Vine (233).
• The Wolf in Sheeps Clothing (2).
• The Fox and the Crow (5).
• The Ant and the Grasshopper (12).
• The Mice in Council (13).
• The Fox and the Goat (15).
• The Hare and the Hound (21).
• The Hare with Many Friends (19).
• The House Dog and the Wolf (22).
• The Goose with the Golden Eggs (25).

1. The Horse and the Stag (28).
2. The Lion and the Bulls (30).
3. The Ant and the Dove (36).
4. The One-Eyed Doe (37).
5. The Lion and the Dolphin (39).
6. The Hawk and the Pigeons (44).
7. The Hen and the Fox (49).
8. The Cat and the Mice (51).
9. The Eagle the Wildcat, and the Sow (61).
10. The Fox and the Stork (67).
11. The Hares and the Frogs (79).
12. The Cock and the Fox (81).
13. The Eagle and the Fox (82).

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Resources and References

• http//www.afro.com/children/myths/myths.html
• Readwritethink.org

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• Now, lets practice translating some proverbs
  from Things Fall Apart

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Oral Elements Log
Chpt. Example Type of Element Relevance
3 The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did. proverb Okonkwo feels that since he has no one to speak for him, he has to speak for himself.


































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• The End