Example Of A Trickster Tale

Throughout all trickster tales, there are elements that are found in all of the tricksters. These elements are what makes the protagonist the main trickster. In the stories, “How Stories Came to Earth”,” Coyote Steals Fire”, and “Master Cat or Puss and Boots” students were asked to identify seven elements. Some of these elements are cleverness of a the trickster, helpfulness of a trickster, and gods, spirits, and the supernatural. These elements can be used to identify the tricksters, and show the ways tricksters trick others.

Trickster tales enact in a tremendous amount of the history in most cultures, Africa being the most relevant. Therefore the trickster tales passed down in varied cultures throughout generations have much value. Some of the supplementary famous tales being How Stories came to Earth, Coyote Steals Fire, and Master Cat. Throughout this time analyzing these stories, it has helped define a better judgement of what a trickster in a trickster tale actually represents. Nevertheless, in the three tales all of the protagonists are non-human, but present themselves as being capable of human abilities and characteristics. By way of example a trait represented in copious amounts of trickster tales is that of Gods, Spirits, and the Supernatural. An

Wayne C.Booth is the first introducer of the term ‘unreliable narrator’ back in 1962. In his perspective, a narrator is “reliable when he speaks for or acts in accordance with the norms of the work, unreliable when he does not” (1983: 158–59). In a nutshell, an unreliable narrator gives the readers either incomplete or inaccurate information. In the literary context, authors use this type of technique to add a twist to the plot or the ending of the story for it creates mystery.

The Alchemist uses parables like the Bible to explain life lessons and the journey that Santiago goes on is similar to Jesus’ journey. A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels (Oxford Dictionary). Parables are among the oldest and most common forms of teaching. Jesus’ stories were filled with eternal, spiritual truth and we have to understand the truth behind his story. Parables and The Alchemist go accordingly together because parables are used to tell a story and The Alchemist is a story of Santiago’s journey.

Manipulation and deception can be dangerous and damaging, but they can also be the keys to success. This is true in The Devil In The White City, by Erik Larson, where many characters use manipulation and deception in order to be successful. The Devil in The White City is about the epic process of creating and building the Chicago World Fair, but also includes the dark story of the murderous doctor who was on the hunt during the time of the fair. Deception is prominent throughout both of the stories, but there is one person who deludes the most people. The leading architect of the fair, Daniel H. Burnham, deceives the world into believing Chicago is the perfect city, when in reality it is far from perfect.

And the other is a fairly tale when three pigs build houses and the straw and stick houses that are blown down by a bad wolf. They go to their brothers house made of bricks and the keep the big bad wolf out. But if you read closer both stories share a common theme. In the stories, the authors teach us that you never give up.

In this paper, I will compare two of my favorite stories from Trickster: Waynaboozhoo and the Geese and How Alligator Got His Brown, Scaly Skin. These two stood out from the others as strong tales with clear and powerful messages. After I compare the two plots, I will discuss the relevant parts of the respective cultures from which these stories originated.

the coyote relies on his own wits. The coyote is always looking for the short

Trickster tales have been an important part of the Native American culture for hundreds of years. Trickster tales are an oral storytelling tradition and are continuously passed down from generation to generation of Native American Indians. American Indians enjoy listening and telling trickster tales because it is a fun and interesting way to tell a story with a valuable lesson. In many tales, the trickster has a name associated with an animal, and a majority of listeners assume they are animals; however, in some tales, characteristics may appear more human-like. Trickster tales allow Native American cultures to use their imagination and thoroughly understand the moral lessons presented in the tales, and therefore may help with one’s

The stories we read in class had a lot of distinct similarities in each story. One similarity I saw was; all the stories introduced their settings in the beginning. Also, all the stories explain some truths about the world we live in. For example, in The Lottery, this story shows the danger of blindly following traditions of the community was so used to playing the lottery, that it has become a normal habit for them not realizing the damage this “lottery” is causing them and the people who has to lose their life for it. Another example, in The Lottery, is when Mrs. Delacroix turned against her good friend Tessie by picking up the largest stone to kill her which shows that there are certain friends you may have and when certain situations happens, their true colors will show and they may not have been a true friend to begin with. Also, in Young Goodman Brown, along his spiritual journey he encountered people he knew already, but then those people started to act the total opposite of what Goodman thought of his friends. This shows that in life, not everything is what it seems, no matter how you see it. Another example is

Fraud, con-man, and hustler are all modern day terms to describe the age old character in African American literature known as the trickster. Today’s working definition of a trickster is one who swindles or plays tricks; often a mischievous figure in myth or folklore, who typically makes up for physical weakness through cunning and subversive humor. In African American literature the role of the trickster is a reoccurring theme, especially in the time period spanning from post Civil War to the Harlem Renaissance. During slavery and the years that followed the image of a trickster changed from a humorous amoral figure to a cunning and socially conscious icon. Charles W. Chesnutt is a primary example of an author, who faithful employs the

Another similarity that theses tales have is that they both explain why the world is how it is. For example, in "Coyote and the Buffalo", when Coyote gives Buffalo Bull new horns, they become the horns that all buffalos would have from that point on. Also, when Coyote kills the cow that was given to him by Buffalo as food he decides to go back to Buffalo to ask for another one but the cow that Coyote killed returned from the dead and refused to go with coyote again and Buffalo denies him another one. This explains why there are no buffalo in the Kettle Falls on the Columbia Rive, all because of Coyote. In "Fox and Coyote and Whale", Fox and Coyote go after Fox's wife who was taken by Whale. After Fox and Coyote rescue her, Fox's cuts off Whale's head and tosses it into the ocean. This is why there are no whales in the rivers, and Whale could no longer

“Myrrha and Cinyras” a Greek tale written by the Roman poet Ovid, depict the ways in which a deceitful act was carried out by Myrrha and her accomplice, the nurse to deceive her father, the King, in getting him to satisfy her insatiable desires. Another form of deception occurred in “Jacob and Esau” from the Hebrew Bible, where Rebekah plotted against her older son, Esau, to accommodate her younger and favorite son, Jacob to receive a blessing that was not intended for him. Both Isaac and Cinyras were deceived by their kin to fulfill their desires, however the nature of deception in “Myrrha and Cinyras”, deception is seen as an

During the medieval times corruption in the Catholic Church was prevalent. As corruption was prevalent during Chaucer’s time so was a Pardoner’s practice of selling indulgences, becoming one of deception and greed. Similar to the upper class focusing their time on becoming the richest and most powerful. In many of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer would use satire to criticize different social classes. For example, the middle class, those people who worked for their possessions. He satirizes religious hypocrisy in such tales as the Pardoner, in which a middle class man, showing the corruption of the Pardoner’s job. Through his description of the Pardoner as being a man who is disitful, greedy, and hypocritical, Chaucer uses

Archetypes are used in literature to portray a certain meaning, that helps create a better and more meaningful story. The archetypes used can be embedded in the characters, symbols, or even rituals involved in a story. These archetypes can help give deeper meaning to the story by giving a underlying reference to concepts that are used over and over again in literature throughout history. When an author uses an archetype in his or her writing, they link it to many other stories that use that same archetype. Some do this for a reason, to give an underlying meaning, to symbolized something of importance, or even just to make their story more interesting. Many readers may not notice the underlying archetype, but sometimes the author uses them because he or she knows that the reader will.