The Influence Of Storytelling: The Enchantress Of Florence

In the book, the Truth About Stories, Thomas King sheds light on the power of stories. King explicitly enforces that one must take caution in the way he or she tells a story, since it will shape one’s thoughts, decision-making and future (2). Through the use of literature, King weaves his way through native history, anecdote by anecdote, informing his readers about the importance of storytelling. “Stories are wondrous things,” the author writes. “And they are dangerous.” (9). To prove this, King mentions two creation stories; the differences in these stories is the way in which they are told. The first is a famous native story called, “the woman who fell from the sky”; this story is told in a complex, persuasive way (10-20). This story discusses a society emphasizing the value of cooperation as the animals work together to create a better world (21-22). The second story, a Judeo-Christian biblical story, describes a Western Capitalist society. It is told in a historical, punitive and direct fashion, underlining a society of boundaries and punishment. King highlights that storytelling is not just simply telling a story, rather it is how the stories are told. King uses these particular stories to show how different stories shape people’s perspectives, which impacts their ideas, thoughts and decision making. Therefore he addresses how sensitive storytelling may be, for once a story is told, it can never be taken back (10). This is true in all realms of life, cautioning

The truth seems to be apart of everyday life, or at least that's the way people want it to be. Life is never full of truth, there are going to be lies and deceit amongst everyone, everywhere. Whether it be the rich of England or the poor in Africa. Some lies are to try to protect the feelings of others, some are to protect the survival of the one telling the lie. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the truth is avoided in order to protect the wellbeing of others through the examples of Marlow, painting of the woman, and Kurtz.

Have you ever been hesitant to share a true story because you suspected that it would appear as a fabricated anecdote to your audience? Well, most of the time we add bunch of things or change a true story to make it sound genuine to our audience. We live in a judgmental and complex world where lying has become a part of our daily lives. Because of this habit, it is hard to differentiate the truth from a fabricated lie. Since I was a child, my parents always talked about battle of Adwa and many events that took place centuries ago. It is always amusing to listen to those stories because it is about heroic act that most of the kings of Ethiopia accomplished. Although I heard different versions of these stories, I always tend to believe my parents’ version. The reason is not simply the credibility of my parents’, but the way it was presented. According to the short story, “How to Tell a True War Story” by Tim O’ Brien, a true war story is hard to accept as true because some of the most agonizing parts are true, while some of the natural parts are not. Tim O’Brien’s narrative shows that a storyteller has the power to shape listeners’ views. We can change our perception because of the story teller, and neglect the fact that we are avoiding the actuality. Therefore by listening to different versions of a story, it will actually help the reader find greater truth of the story.

“This is true.” (O’Brien, 420) – with this simple statement which also represents a first, three-word introductory paragraph to Tim O’Brien’s short story, “How to Tell a True War Story”, the author reveals the main problem of what will follow. “Truth” – when looked up in a dictionary, we would probably find definitions similar to sincerity and honesty on the one hand, and correctness, accuracy or reality on the other hand. When looking at these definitions, one can make out two groups of meaning: While sincerity and honesty are very subjective, correctness or accuracy are supposed to be objective by nature. One can be sincere and still not report the truth, due to the simple fact

Stories have deeper meaning than what they appear. Life events such as the government, economy, or something happening to an individual can inspire them to express themselves through writing. In the original story of “The Wizard of Oz”, it tells a tale far more than people realize. The story portrays the government during the time period and hidden symbolism within the story and characters.

This modern fairy tale contains diverse characters but none of them are as important as the grandmother. In fact, through her narration the reader gets the basic

  In eighteenth century novels, a common means of discussing the role of women in society is through the characterization of two good sisters. The heroine of such a novel is a pure, kind young woman who also has a streak of spunkiness. Her sister may be more good and kind, but she is more submissive and reserved. I would like to look at these sisters (and their mothers) in Ann Radcliffe’s A Sicilian Romance , and The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole.

All stories consist of a few common structural elements found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams, and movies. They are known collectively as The Hero’s Journey. Understanding these elements and their use in modern writing is the object of our quest. Used wisely, these ancient tools of the storytellers craft still have tremendous power to heal our people and make the world a better place (xxvii).

The story of Cinderella has become a classic fairy tale, known around the world, and past down from generation to generation. Yet, over the years, the story has been rewritten to better relate to different cultures. While some things never change, authors still manage to convey different messages by making the story their own. This can be clearly seen when the Grimm brothers version of Cinderella is compared to Charles Perrault’s version of Cinderella. While the core of the story does not change, the moral, tone, and “magical” aspects of the two stories are clearly shaped by the different cultures in which they were written in.

The book “Haroun and the Sea of Stories” by Salman Rushdie is a book about a young boy named Haroun who embarks on a peculiar journey into a fantasy world called Kahani. The theme in this book is: storytelling has the power to change us in ways people can’t. This theme can be supported through various claims of evidence. Firstly, Haroun and his father were reading Soraya’s, Haroun’s mom departure note. That’s when Haroun's father said “Storytelling is the only work I know”(22). Haroun replied with “What’s the use of stories that aren’t even true”(22). This quote is significant because it shows that Haroun doesn’t support his father's job and that he thinks storytelling is insignificant. This quote starts the main conflict in the story. This

But the king realized that the truth teller never lied.’’ For instance,’’ The king realized that the man who never lied deserved respect’’. In the story ‘’ The

Not only do we tell stories, but stories tell us. You have all heard a rumour, haven’t you? The way a made-up story can change how you see something is frightening. In the end, the person who started it always gets caught and you learn they can’t be trusted.

Storytelling helps other people to emotionally connect themselves to the author so that they know they are not the only ones who are experiencing a painful or exciting experience, and are able to share the same emotions. It often helps other people to know what they should do in order to get over it when it comes to a painful experience. Maya Angelou’s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings explores the life of Maya Angelou and the struggles she has been throughout her childhood to her adulthood. Richard Wagemese’s Indian Horse explores the life of Saul Indian Horse and the struggles he has been through after departing from his family. The power of storytelling can unfold questions which ask the audience of how and why are the events are unfold the

Measure up to to the Renaissance era almost seven hundred years ago; the way of life today is much more progressive and sensible rather than swayed and somewhat inflexible ideas. In the culture of today, society is actually not as far removed from Renaissance thoughts and magical control, as it believed to be. The widely proposed definition to magic is the act of deception and illusion with the use of spell and abracadabra’s. However magic is greater than that, magic is power that appears to influence the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces. “While science is based on the conception of natural forces, magic springs from the idea of a certain mystic, impersonal power, which is believed in by most primitive peoples.” The definition will continue to modify by society. Magical worlds such as wizards, supernatural occurrences and other mystical elements are still ordinary in pop-culture today, in fact displays our similarity with the Renaissance interests in magic. This is not exclusively recount of the dramas, picture and films on screen about vampires, demons, and angels. Magic was an important weight during the Renaissance era; it ignited ideas for new science, church reform the questioning of traditions, and

observes Machiavelli in his Florentine Histories (Istorie fiorentine), tending to begin work there. The works of Machiavelli and Guicciardini have been useful in the studies of Renaissance Florence, through the direct translation of Latin, giving history from the view of these humanist historians of 15th century. Other authors have focused on the works of Bruni, Bracciolini and Scala, as in a relatively modern outlook to the study of Renaissance Florence has seen the difference in perspective of what occurred in Renaissance Florence leading historians to take a deeper look at these humanist. Authors looking at the historical perspective of Renaissance Florence tend outline the aspects of the past and present state of studies