Monday, February 27, 2017

Reading Notes: West African Folktales-Part A


I am reading stories from West African Folktales which were collected in the early years of the 20th century from African students at a teacher training center in Accra. These stories interested me because I read some Anansi stories as a child so I thought this would be pretty interesting stories to read as an adult.

How We Got the Name "Spider Tales": This story is interesting in that it tells of how clever the spider is yet how selfish his deeds are.


How Wisdom Became the Property of the Human Race: I like that Anansi tried to hide all the wisdom, but even he did not possess enough wisdom to solve his own problems. I liked that he broke the pot and that is the cause of wisdom throughout the land. I really like that these stories could be the cause to real world ideas.

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Anansi and Nothing: I really like how all these stories explain some common concept we have in our world today even though in the story it is a little nonsensical. I really don't like the death of Nothing. That is pretty sad.


Thunder and Anansi: I think this story is interesting. It shows a selfish man getting punished for his selfishness. I really like that he got what he deserved in the end. I would have liked the story better if he wouldn't have been selfish though.


Why the Lizard Moves His Head Up and Down: In all of these stories I think it is pretty sad that Anansi is the antagonist. He is a trickster that is willing to do anything to get what he wants.


Tit For Tat: I think it is good that Anansi gets what he deserves in this story. He just seems like such a selfish character. I don't really like him. I like a character I can relate to and be inspired by more. The son was a pretty good character though.


Why White Ants Always Harm Man's Property: I think it is pretty cool that these stories take real world scenarios and come up with stories as to why they happen. I think most of them are pretty sad stories that don't have a happy ending though.


The Squirrel and the Spider: I think it's good that spider got what he deserved, but I think it's unfair that the squirrel is still left with the short end of the stick.


Why We See Ants Carrying Bundles As Big As Themselves: Like many of the other stories I think it is interesting that the stories explain things we see in everyday life. The explanations aren't very good, but they're interesting stories.


Why Spiders Are Always Found in Corners of Ceilings: This story is pretty funny. I like that he got caught being greedy and selfish and turned into a spider.


The Grinding-Stone That Ground Flour By Itself: These explanation stories are pretty funny and entertaining.

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