GENG 260 1st Edition Lecture 2 Outline of Current Lecture I African American Folktales A Pros and cons II Myth and Legend III Playing the Fool vs Being the Fool IV Past and Present Current Lecture I II African American Folktales Oral vs Printed Literary scholars would go to plantations to hear then write down African American stories Since most African Americans were illiterate at the time this is the only way their stories had been documented Pros and Cons of Printing Oral Stories o Pros It preserves a communal tradition which otherwise could be lost It gives historical insight Committing the tradition to paper is very important and is considered a real art o Cons Difficult to recreate sounds and voices There could be a loss of rapid fire and the storytelling experience Writers being unsure if they should use Phonetic spelling and dialect Phonetic Dialogue spelling how things sound Pros and Cons of Phonetic Dialogue o Pros Authenticity o Cons Hard to read and could be demeaning or offensive Myth and Legend Discussion on All God s Chillen Had Wings Myth a traditional story typically involving supernatural beings or forces which provides an explanation or justification for something These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute III IV Question What s the symbolic significance of slaves taking flight Freedom no limits while flying you can go anywhere Death spiritual freedom Escape running away Legend a traditional story especially one handed down by tradition from early times and popularly regarded as historical real Question Did they really fly Reasoning To believe something as crazy as humans flying is like believing something as awful as slavery is okay when it is not Playing the Fool vs Being the Fool Discussion on Deer Hunting Story How does the slave seem foolish The slave seems foolish because he doesn t shoot the deer because he says he didn t see a deer only a white man with chairs on his head This statement makes him seem stupid to Ole Massa How does Ole Massa seem foolish Ole Massa seems foolish because he tried to get a slave to do something for him and got nothing in the end Question Why does the slave choose to appear foolish He chooses to act stupid because he doesn t want to shoot the deer Brer Rabbit The Trickster Figure o Trickster animals or characters who seem weak but get what they want by tricking others o Amoral Humorous and serious with using indirect attacks on society Brer Rabbit Brother Rabbit o Seen in African and Cherokee traditions o Trickster figures are usually depicted as hares spiders or monkeys o Seen in the Uncle Remus Stories Past and Present Joel Chandler Harris wrote down the Tar Baby story after listening to someone tell it He profited from it while the story teller got nothing in return The dialect of this story is seen as demeaning and degrading Julius Lester The voice is more that of a presence Character personality invested with distinctive attributes and qualities by a novelist or dramatist Caricature grotesque or ludicrous adaptations of a person These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute