TALL TALES
What Are They?
Tall
tales are stories written from someone’s imagination. The story can be
funny or silly. They are filled with exaggerations, similes, metaphors,
and lots of descriptive language. It is always told as if it were true,
even though the listeners know that the story could never really happen.
Some of the characters were real heroes and heroines whose stories got
exaggerated a lot, others were characters such as cowboys, railroad workers,
loggers, sea captains, and firefighters. Tall tales told information that
really happened at the time and combined it with a wild tale full of fantasy.
In general there were some bad things about tall tales. They were
negative towards Native Americans, African Americans, women, and animals.
The tales were about people who were trying to conquer the American
Wilderness. Most of these tall tales were written back in the 1800s when
the pioneers were trying to conquer the wilderness of America. It was a
way for the pioneers to make the taming of America a little easier to handle.
History
Many settlers originally came west because someone made many optimistic claims,
those which told only of the good things. They were told the climate was
perfect and that there was plenty of water. They were convinced that
crops would spring up overnight. It was said that the soil was so fertile
that even footprints would grow!
In real life, living on the plains was a lot tougher that the settlers had been
told. After they found out what life on the plains was really like, they
had to face many hard times. It was easier to do that if a person used
humor. One farmer is reputed to have said, “It could be so hot one day
that the corn popped, and so cold the next day that a bucket of water would
freeze so fast that the ice would still be warm."
The settlers loved to exaggerate when they told tales about the huge animals,
the incredible weather extremes and the monstrous fish that got away. We
can thank the pioneers for tall tales. Tall tales have been associated
with America’s past.
Tall Tales are part of our nation’s oral history. We can make many
connections between such tall tales and events in history. Among these
are John Henry and the expansion of the railroads, Paul Bunyon and the timber
industry, and Johnny Appleseed and agriculturalism. Tall tales were
stories told and passed down from generation to generation.
Myths
What Are
They?
Myths are among the oldest
stories ever told. They are present in all cultures and often explain
some aspect of nature or human existence. According to PBS, “For
thousands of years, people all over the world have told stories to pass down
the history, culture, and morals of their society to each new generation. One
type of traditional story is the creation, or origin, story. Creation stories,
also called ‘creation myths,’ describe the origin and nature of the universe,
and often convey particular belief systems or values.”
Your tasks:
1. Read/listen/watch
the following tall tales: John Henry, Paul Bunyon, Johnny Appleseed.
As you read/listen/watch, make a 2-column list.
One column should list the realistic/historical aspects of the story, and
the other column should list the exaggerated portions of the story. Try
to include at least 3 items in each column for each story.
Title of
Story
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Culture &
Geographic Area
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Explains the
creation of…
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Major Characters
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Cultural Values
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Setting: mostly human, spiritual, or natural world?
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3. Write an outline for EITHER a tall tale OR a myth. See the directions for
each below:
Option A: Tall Tale
outline: Write an outline for your own tall tale.
The character should be a real person, either historical or modern who
you would consider a hero. The outline should include the following ideas
for your story:
-->a protagonist who is a real person, either historical or
modern, but who you add details that describe him/her as having super-human
abilities in some way that helps people and has to do with their job (ex.
Paul Bunyan's size, John Henry's strength, Johnny Appleseed's ability to
communicate with nature). For example, you may choose to write a tall
tale about Paul Revere's superhuman ability to ride faster than the wind to
warn that "the British are coming," or you may write a tall tale about
Mariah Carey's superhuman ability to break glass with her voice, or Martin
Luther King, Jr.'s superhuman ability to
-->at least 3 historic/realistic details
-->at least 3 exaggerations
-->a story with some sort of conflict that gets resolved/solved
by the protagonist
-->an exposition, rising action, climax (conflict is at a
breaking/turning point), falling action, and a resolution
Option B: Myth outline:
-->clear cultural setting
-->cultural values
-->spiritual elements (gods, etc.)
-->natural elements
-->MUST explain the creation of something
-->an exposition, rising action, climax (conflict is at a
breaking/turning point), falling action, and a resolution
