Several interpretations of the role of storytelling in our understanding of history, civilization, and culture.
The quotations below offer several interpretations of the role of storytelling in our understanding of history, civilization, and culture.
“Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest do not happen at all: the conscientious historian will correct these defects.”- Herodotus
“Poets and story-tellers are guilty of making the gravest misstatements when they tell us that wicked men are often happy, and the good miserable; and that injustice is profitable when undetected, but that justice is a man’s own loss and another’s gain.” – Plato
“All great literature is one of two stories; a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.”- Leo Tolstoy
“Only the story can continue beyond the war and the warrior. It is the story that outlives the sound of war-drums and the exploits of the brave fighters…The story is our escort; without it we are blind… It is the thing that makes us different from cattle.”- Chinua Achebe
This semester you have read a number of different texts. Some were told by creative writers, while others by historians and philosophers. Using one of the quotations above as a starting point, write a short response (2-3 paragraphs) about the role of storytelling in our understanding of civilization and/or the human experience. Build on the ideas from one of the quotations to express your thoughts about the relationship between culture, history, and storytelling. Use two or three examples from the readings assigned this semester as evidence for your interpretation of this relationship. This evidence can include historical events or literature covered in the course.
Answer preview to several interpretations of the role of storytelling in our understanding of history, civilization, and culture.
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