These stories have been collected by white immigrant people from native tellers (similar to the Joe Hayes or Joel Chandler Harris situation) or collected by native Africans who have been educated in English by white immigrant audiences. Where do you see the English-speaking, European influences? What instructions would you give to these collectors in order to get accurate stories? This question is similar to the one asked about Joe Hayes, the Anglo who collects Mexican fairy tales.
The most obvious English-speaking influence is that the stories were retold in English by storytellers from America and the United Kingdom. The South African Folk Tales by James A. Honey were stories such as The Dance for Water or Rabbit’s Triumph which was about …show more content…
A Story, A Story is similar as well as a story in Uncle Remus. In Lion Who Thought Him Self Wiser Than His Mother, the lion didn’t listen to his mothers words of wisdom. From her life experiences, she knew to beware of men that carried pinching weapons, had white dogs and wore a tuft of a tigers tail. She warned her lion son, but he didn’t heed her warnings because he thought he knew better. In Crocodile’s Treason, the crocodile presents himself as a fair negotiator for all animals, however, his position of foreman of water creatures takes precedence and in the end, he betrays the land animals after he gets what the water creatures need for survival. These stories are retold with a strong individualistic point of view. South Africa is an individualistic culture but America’s individualistic culture is much stronger. I believe it is evident in the retelling of these stories. Yoruba Legends of southern Nigeria by M. I. Ogumefu, attempts to explain the mysteries of nature. Ogumefu is from London, an individualistic culture. Nigeria is in western Africa, which is a collective culture. The author …show more content…
Hailey. In addition, to writing the tale, she illustrated the book as well. In my mind, the illustrations reflect true African culture. Reading the book, and enjoying the illustrations at the same time, it propels you to a state of mind where you are overcome with enjoying the tale. My second favorite illustrator was Leo and Diane Dillon for Why People Buzz in People’s Ears. I loved how the illustrations became more complex each time the story elevated to the next level. One of the final illustrations which reflected the episode where the King Lion said to the council: “So, it was the mosquito who annoyed the iguana, who frightened the python, who scared the rabbit, who startled the crow, who alarmed the monkey, who killed the owlet - and now Mother Owl won’t wake the sun so that the day can come.” was the best. I thought that the progression of the art was the heart of the story. Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters was also beautifully illustrated and totally supported the story. It’s easy for an adult to comprehend the art in the picture books, but I think that the adult storyteller would need to stop and explain the pictures to the children so that they can have a better understanding of the story. The pictures support the story, but I think they need support and/or encouragement of the adult storyteller for the child to receive the full
The most obvious English-speaking influence is that the stories were retold in English by storytellers from America and the United Kingdom. The South African Folk Tales by James A. Honey were stories such as The Dance for Water or Rabbit’s Triumph which was about …show more content…
A Story, A Story is similar as well as a story in Uncle Remus. In Lion Who Thought Him Self Wiser Than His Mother, the lion didn’t listen to his mothers words of wisdom. From her life experiences, she knew to beware of men that carried pinching weapons, had white dogs and wore a tuft of a tigers tail. She warned her lion son, but he didn’t heed her warnings because he thought he knew better. In Crocodile’s Treason, the crocodile presents himself as a fair negotiator for all animals, however, his position of foreman of water creatures takes precedence and in the end, he betrays the land animals after he gets what the water creatures need for survival. These stories are retold with a strong individualistic point of view. South Africa is an individualistic culture but America’s individualistic culture is much stronger. I believe it is evident in the retelling of these stories. Yoruba Legends of southern Nigeria by M. I. Ogumefu, attempts to explain the mysteries of nature. Ogumefu is from London, an individualistic culture. Nigeria is in western Africa, which is a collective culture. The author …show more content…
Hailey. In addition, to writing the tale, she illustrated the book as well. In my mind, the illustrations reflect true African culture. Reading the book, and enjoying the illustrations at the same time, it propels you to a state of mind where you are overcome with enjoying the tale. My second favorite illustrator was Leo and Diane Dillon for Why People Buzz in People’s Ears. I loved how the illustrations became more complex each time the story elevated to the next level. One of the final illustrations which reflected the episode where the King Lion said to the council: “So, it was the mosquito who annoyed the iguana, who frightened the python, who scared the rabbit, who startled the crow, who alarmed the monkey, who killed the owlet - and now Mother Owl won’t wake the sun so that the day can come.” was the best. I thought that the progression of the art was the heart of the story. Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters was also beautifully illustrated and totally supported the story. It’s easy for an adult to comprehend the art in the picture books, but I think that the adult storyteller would need to stop and explain the pictures to the children so that they can have a better understanding of the story. The pictures support the story, but I think they need support and/or encouragement of the adult storyteller for the child to receive the full