In our group, we present the three Anansi story, the famous oral folktales originated from west Africa and later on spreading all over the world. In the first two stories, “all stories are Anansi’s” and “Anansi, tiger and monkey” the character Anansi, a half spider, half human hybrid represents the underdog, the weakling who uses his intelligence and wisdom to defeat enemies that are much stronger than him in turn off physical strength. Especially during new world era, where a large amount of Africans is captured as slaves, they look upon Anansi as the symbol of the ideal survivor from the harsh reality, who can really embrace the worst situation possible and eventually surpass the problem by his very own tricks.
While the “Anansi” from the Africa are worshiped by many Africans during their slavery as a last resort, the hope who can save them from desperation, the American version of “Anansi” is the complete opposite. In” brer rabbit and aunt Nancy”, “Aunt Nancy” is an evil female character who enjoy deceives others and makes them suffer. It is very intriguing to see how oral stories can be so diverse in different regions. The exact same character can be the hero who provides the positive moral lesson to the listeners or becoming a disturbing villain in another place. The idea of retaining specific culture and the flexibility to share anywhere from the world makes oral traditions incredibility precious.
As for the Malagasy Wisdom Poetry, the poetry which describes the common issues many people have experience in their life. the everyday struggle of finding the right answer from unambiguous questions are the main focus of the text. and Those fundamental beliefs and principles of its people are very similar to the African folktales. Both kinds of literature are emphasizing the important culture and the profound lessons to display to the audiences. Whether it is about wisdom, courage or even love, those short yet remarkable piece of writing really deliver the message to everyone and help us to understand the uniqueness of different culture.
at the end, the identity of a country or nation is its people. The everlast tradition from the ancestors make our literature fulfill with valuable lessons that even after generations of generations we still admire those stories and treasure them all with our heart.
Good reading of the Anansi stories, and the underlining differences that appear, in your view, to be based on region. It would be interesting, if you were to rewrite this post, to reform it so that your interpretation revolves specifically around the question of the site/region/culture of origin and the form(s) that the ‘same’ story takes. This would be something specific to explore. When you get to the Malagasy Wisdom poetry, it doesn’t appear as though you say anything too specific, which leaves your reader wondering what comparison you’re actually trying to make. As you’re writing your first paper, make sure to avoid generalities or tautologies (as we discussed in class). For example: “Both kinds of literature are emphasizing the important culture and the profound lessons to display to the audiences. Whether it is about wisdom, courage or even love, those short yet remarkable piece of writing really deliver the message to everyone and help us to understand the uniqueness of different culture.” –> what exactly are you trying to communicate here? That they emphasize important cultural lessons to their intended audiences? I don’t think anyone would disagree, especially since they are presented as such in our anthology. You mention they deliver as message to everyone to ‘help us to understand the uniqueness of [a] different culture’, yet you don’t specifically name what, in your opinion, that message might be and what the uniqueness really is. All that to say, make sure to be specific. Don’t assume your reader will know exactly what it is you’re TRYING to say, or what you have in mind. Be explicit, lead the reader to where you want them to go. (also, please pay attention to punctuation and capitalization — this is the easiest thing to catch in your paper and those little mistakes, if they add up, will end up hurting you, even if the ideas are solid). Good work! 5/5