The best and most influential story that was passsed down to me through stories is the stor of the Boogeyman. When I was about 8 years old, I had a problem with going to bed and staying in bed. My mom needed a way to keep me in bed, so one night she told me the story of the boogeyman. She explained to me that the Boogeyman lived in my closet, and if I got out of bed at night or wet the bed that the Boogeyman would come and get me. I had heard from other kids about the Boogeyman before, but I didnt beleive it until my mother told me about it. This story was, as my mom explained was passed down to her from my grandmother, because my mom had the same problems that I had going to bed at night. The story of the Boogeyman was a talke that I remember still to this day and I still dont leave the bed at night today!!!!
People come from all sorts of backgrounds. Everything from where a person lives, who they hang out with, to how they were brought up affect the way they communicate on a daily basis. Personally, I have a good friend from San Fransisco. Being from New York, one would think that although we come from opposite sides of the US that we should still be able to hold a straightforward conversation. I was pretty shocked after a month or two at how differently we conveyed things to each other, and how much (relatively) of what he was saying I didn’t understand. I had never heard a girl referred to as a “beezy” before. During one of his rants to me, it took me a second to realize what he was referring to even after I had heard him use it before. I knew what the word meant, but I was not used to hearing it at all and it took my mind a second to comprehend it.
On a less cultural note, this summer I worked as a caddy for a golf club. I remember walking in on my first day hearing other experienced caddies refer to things like: “loops (a round), two-and-two’s (two bags, two putters), double bricks (two really heavy bags), and stembers (stiffing members). Speech codes develop when a group of people under similar circumstances communicate. As a musician, I am used to hearing phrases that would sound like latin to a non musician.
When we discussed Narrative Paradigm in class, the story of Washington cutting down the cherry tree was brought up. I expressed my views on the matter by recalling a “story” that my dad used to tell me… “the less you lie, the less you need to remember.” I was trying to explain the difference between anecdote and simple lessons. I believe that a person cannot always relate as well to a story. While certain people may not always relate to Washington’s lumberjack activities, one can almost always recall a time that they told a lie and forgot they had, resulting in total embarrassment. Having said that, it is easy to see why certain stories are told and retold due of their underlying intrinsic human values. While are stories often times great moral lessons, I feel that simple laid out lessons are more effective to the learner.
I’ve been having difficulty posting on the blog for whatever reason, so I’m going to give this entry one more shot.
I’m sure any one of you who has an older or younger sibling can relate to my situation. When I was two and a half years old my younger brother David was born. Up until that point, though I obviously can’t remember details, I loved being the only thing on my parents’ minds. I was the only child, spoiled and always pampered. When David came home from the hospital, I became very concerned that I was going to be forgotten. As a 2.5 year old, having a new member in the house was pretty shocking, and so, of course, I “schemed” for ways to get attention. It began with lying. David had a crib that sat on the floor, and when my parents weren’t looking I would push him into the closest room possible, thinking my parents wouldn’t find him and just give up. When they would ask me where David was hiding I would tell them that the trash men threw him in the garbage (I really don’t know why I thought that was a legitimate response..made sense when I was two). After several obvious attempts to hide David and lie about his where abouts, my parents sat me down with Pinocchio. As a little kid,
this movie was really scarring for me. The thought of having a three foot nose was appalling, and knowing that I could control the phenomenon was almost scarier. Don’t lie, or else you’ll end up like Pinocchio. The movie was basic, effective, and shortly after watching the film David stopped disappearing. As I grew older I obviously discovered that no, I was not going to grow a huge nose every time I told a lie, but the message of the narrative was effectively conveyed.
My parents always told me growing up that no matter how life goes, to keep my head up. They always taught me to persevere through challenges in life and try to my hardest at everything I do. This reminds me of the story, Cinderella. Although Cinderella is an extreme of this lesson, I still love the story and how it relates to what my parents taught me. Cinderella went through tough times in her life, but in the end she persevered and never lost hope. Through all of her hard work, she was rewarded in the end. That’s how I like to live my life. It may get difficult at time, but through hard work during difficult times there will always be a good outcome.
One of the stories which came to my mind when professor Faust started to talk about Apple computers was a story about Maria Sharapova life. Sharapova is one of the best tennis players in the world and there is lot of stories associated with her childhood which I don’t know if are real, but are told by journalist whenever they have occasion to do so. Sharapova has a unique life because she came to America when she was around the age of 12, and now she is one of the sport stars.
First of all she is always portrayed as a beauty from Siberia which is one of the hardest regions in the word to live. Saying truth she was just born there and soon after her family moved to different region, but journalist omits this part because it wouldn’t show how grate is Sharapova. Then they usually move to the time when she and her father moved to America. Another think is her father is always portrayed as a person who came to America with $20 in the pocket and wanted his girl to play tennis. Then we usually hear how Nick Bolliterie saw her in Florida and invited to his tennis academy. Then we are informed how determined was Sharapova and how hard she was practicing to get to the position where she is now.
I think that part of this story is real and parts of are unreal. Some of the parts are emphasized more than other to show how great is Sharapova, and how much she had to struggle to get to the top. I think she is portrayed as a typical Cinderella who came with nothing ($20 before she came to USA) and because of hard work she was able to reach her goal, and become famous. I think that the point of this story is if you work hard enough your dreams will become true…
The little engine that could is a story based on drive and determination. The engine wanted to give up on because of the big obstacle ahead and she felt as if she was helpless. She asked for help and received it from someone and finally got it up the hill. This story shows that no matter what you always strive and never give up.
The story the hare vs. the tortoise is about a cocky rabbit that says he cant be beat in a race. he claims to be the very best there is. the tortoise knew he would lose but raced anyway. the hare shot out at the start of the race and took a nap half way thur. once the turtle caught up he began running again. on down the trial the hare ran into a group of female rabbits that wanted to play. the hare saided he had plenty time to play while the turtle kept on going down the path. the rabbit became unfocused on the race witch allowed the turtle to win by a neck length. i learned from the story to never get off track in life. always stay focuses becasue distractions will come.
After reading the chapter on Muted Group Theory and discussing it in class, I can agree with Kramarae. Muted Group Theory makes me think of women and how many of them are hushed . In the work place women are not only under paid but under represented. I believe that muted group goes hand in hand with Genderlect because women because they must learn a wohle new language. In order to succeed inthe world of men. I saw that this did not post so i did it again sorry.
The version most widely known . It is about a girl called Little Red Riding Hood, after the red hood (which is attached to a cape ) she always wears. The girl walks through the woods to deliver food to her sick grandmother. A wolf wants to eat the girl but is afraid to do so. He approaches the girl, and she naïvely tells him where she is going. He suggests the girl pick some flowers, which she does. In the meantime, he goes to the grandmother’s house and gains entry by pretending to be the girl. He eats the grandmother whole, and waits for the girl, disguised as the grandmother. When the girl arrives, he eats her whole too. A hunter, however, comes to rescue and cuts the wolf open. Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother emerge unharmed. They fill the wolf’s body with heavy stones, which kill him. Other versions of the story have had the grandmother shut in the cloest instead of eaten, and some have Little Red Riding Hood saved by the hunter as the wolf advances on her rather than after she is eaten. The tale makes the clearest contrast between the safe world of the village and the dangers of the forest conventional antitheses that are essentially medieval, though no versions are as old as that. It also seems to be a strong morality tale, teaching children not to “wander off the path”.
