Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Cultural Transmission
This week, we read folk tales, didactic literature, and proverbs in ancient literature. All three of these share in common an instructive purpose; the reader gets a lesson, moral, or piece of cultural wisdom from the story. Are these forms of literature still common in our society today (outside of a textbook for English class...)? If so, do they look the same or have they changed? What do they look like -- or sound like-- today? What are the "pearls" of our American culture that should be passed down to future generations? How should this be accomplished? How do your ideas for methods of cultural transmission compare to the methods employed by the readings that we did this week?
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I believe there are still 'folk tales' of today, but I think they are composed and spread very differently. Many books (especially children's books) still do this today, and so does our art. By art, I don't just mean paintings or drawings, but also music and our changing forms of sending text.
we still have folk tails but now they are in a different text that we better understand and have more knowledge on. folk tails will always be transforming into things that the next generation will understand better than the one before it.
There are still folk tales out there somewhere but you just have to find them. We just need to find a really good one.
Sup People
Yes, of course these forms of literature are found outside of textbooks. They are different because now there is technology and that changes the stories somehow. Yet, the lesson, moral or piece of cultural wisdom is still the same. I think they can be passed on the traditional way, which is by stories told by parents. Well actually these stories can be passed on in different forms so it doesn't really matter how it's done.
Yes these forms of literature is still common today. I think they have changed they seem more simple and understanding. They seem more believable even though their folk tales. We still should pass down the stories, history, music, and style. It should be accomplished by promoting and voicing it or instructing it.
yes,i do feel like folk tales are still around today. they are just less common in alot of cultures around the world. as far as the American culture, our folk tales are distributed in many different ways such as music poetry and simple spoken word. the tradition is surely still alive.
Of course we still have stories like this today. Nearly every story has a moral to it and a lot of times if it doesn't the story either isn't very good or it was done on purpose. We have many modern folk tales today and many books with didactic style writing.
I think that people today prefer to turn on the TV or the computer rather than sitting together to tell stories. There are places that still support an oral culture today, But even in these places, folktales are dying out as more and more.
I think that there are still folk tales, some are memorized still while others are in books for everyone to read. I prefer the ones my parents tell me because they can fill in all the details.
I believe folk tales these day are the same with morals, lessons, and culture wisdoms but just that the characters don't involve gods and super natural beings. The folk tales now has easier text we could actually read unlike those of the old day.
i completely agree with garret
here is a reminder of what he said
"I believe there are still 'folk tales' of today, but I think they are composed and spread very differently. Many books (especially children's books) still do this today, and so does our art. By art, I don't just mean paintings or drawings, but also music and our changing forms of sending text."
folk tales differ in many ways. depending on who or what culture is telling the tales is how it is distributed to the world. even today folk tales exist and told to the many people today. then again i prefer reading stories of my interest than that of boring folk tales. The Senior has released his wisdom.
I believe that some of today's stories have changed. But many of them have also stayed the same. I think the "pearls" of our American culture that should be passed down are stories that have been told to you from your parents and so on. This should be accomplished by telling your own kids the story that your parents told you when you were young.
I agree with Garret. I think and believe that folk tales will always be around and will always endure through time as long as there is culture. Folk tales can be expressed and viewed through many ways - not just words or text. And this diversity is what makes culture and folk tales so throughly fascinating and interesting to learn.
I think that there are still stories and lessons still being taught and written today because many people still make mistakes and many people don't learn until they make that mistake so there are still stories told today. Today's stories I think are more modern and put to a way where it's more understanding rather than written differently and more confusing. But overall, I think that these lessons about life are still being taught today. ♥derry.
i agree with most of the comments that folk tales are still fervent in our culture, even for adults too though, for example Pull Bunyan is a prominent character in Minnesotan culture or any religious tales.
In our American society, seeing as how we are such a diverse Nation I believe the only folk tales around still are those from different countries and cultures and people's "home-lands" but as far as modern day folk tales I would say no there aren't, and the only time I hear of folk tales these days are from family members telling me about the "old country" but nothing of American decent. As far as keeping culture alive today I believe you should always keep a part of your culture alive inside you but you don't always have to show it on the outside, just don't forget who you are. Passing down tales generation to generation is the main form of cultural transmission so keep your children and grandchildren to date on the old days.
I think that the folktales that we have been reading this week are still around but not in the same way. Im sure that families still pass down folk tale s hat they heard when they were little and maybe within same cultural groups they have stories that comply with that culture that they pass down. I personally dont hear of or come across people telling folk tales often at all.
they are still present in the form of some childrens stories which have changed in the sense that the people which write them today are for the most part,doing it to make money. not to teach lessons.
I think that today, in society, still has the folk tale in literature. They way how we show them in the next generation is by telling them, or by showing them images of details. Also, there are many ways to do when there is folktale and literature.
" there are so many flk tails around in the world today. these folk tails are different from each other and that makes us smart i guess. some folk tail have different art and stories and also books. they are different from each other, because of the different cultures there are in the world."
I think that there is many folk tales out there. I think that we don't use them as much or read them. they are also in other cultures and in some folktales are a tradition and they get passed on and so forth.
" there are so many folk tails around in the world today. these folk tails are different from each other and that makes us smart i guess. some folk tail have different art and stories and also books. they are different from each other, because of the different cultures there are in the world."
Yes. Till this day, people still convey morals, lessons, and wisdom through different kind of media such as, folk tales, literature stories ,and such. Today, movies and televison shows repeatively express morals of family,love, and whatever tradegy humankind has gone through. For exmaple, the televison show, "Friends," expresses the morals and lessons of frienship: always being there when one needs it, relationships,loosing a friend, and so forth.
Here's one advice that should be pass on to future generations: "Never take your life for granted." So many people don't have the time to see all the great potientals this life offers. We could help each other fill that emptiness inside by providing support and encouragement to excell ourselves.
My methodes involves more than just youself to fix a problem, which is like seeking for help. The stories convey methodes of self-resolution, like how the crippled boy propelled himself to walk for his mother.
I think folktales have been around for so long and probably will continue being around
I think in society today we still do have stories with morals and lessons, but I think they're more in the form of childern's movies and cartoons like; sponge bob or shrek, etc.. Because people don't really read as much as they used to anymore, and people have busy lives so it's easier to just pop a DVD in for your kids instead of sitting them down and reading them a story. The internet is another way that we learn different lessons and morals, these morals can be bad or good though...depends on the "folktale" you're reading. I think with technology (music, television, movies, media); America is changing the way we learn about different things like, Lessons/Morals/Folktales. We do still read books too, so those are still a way of teaching morals. But in future generations they'll probably use even more of the other methods to teach morals and lessons.
These form of literature are still common in today society. They are still the same. The one we have now are more like folk tales and proverbs. The literature will always be changing, but the lesson will always be learned.
Yes, I think most folk tales, didactic literature, and proverbs still today. My grandma always tell me folk tales stories. Some were the folk tales written or the book but most of the folk tales were told by generation to generation.
Folk tale from before and now kind of relate to each other because each folk tale give a lesson to us. I don't know a lot about American culture, but in my culture Karen's clothing is very important. We have to wear it so the next generation would follow us.
I think that this type of literature is still around, just in a different form. People will always tell and write stories with lessons. Lessons help people with life.
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