A Folk Group, By Martha C. Sims And Martine Stephens

A folk group, according to Martha C. Sims and Martine Stephens, in Living Folklore: An Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions is described as ”Families, friends, co-workers and others all are groups based on common interests and experiences” (300). A folk group that everyone is born into is their family. Familial folk groups can share values, beliefs and anecdotes, similar to other folk groups (39). However, unlike other folk groups, one does not choose their family. This leaves some people, like myself, to question their belonging within this folk group. Although I share some beliefs with my family, we disagree on others many others. The many differences between me and my family leads me to feel as if I have one foot in my folk group and another outside. The internal conflict about my sense of belonging has forced me to make decisions that have contributed to the creation of my individual identity. My family consists of myself, my father, my mother and my younger brother. While my mother and brother are rambunctious, my father and I tend to be more laid back. My dad practices Roman Catholicism, while my mother leads a secular life. While I went to a private, Catholic school my entire life before LSMSA, my brother goes to public school. My father and I are early risers, while my brother and mom like to sleep late. As my family seems to only exist on opposite extremes, there is a lot of middle ground for me to choose where I stand. This choice and my