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Summary Of The Truth About Stories By Thomas King

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Stories shape the world as they are one of the most effective ways people communicate. These narratives captivate audiences while conveying important messages and information. Not only can these stories be informative, they are a fun way to convey messages. The impact that stories have on the world is incredibly undervalued and underappreciated. In a nutshell, stories are the crux of the way we perceive the world. They shape our lives and our perception of the world by showing purpose and meaning through a universal language. Thomas King’s Massey Lecture “The Truth about Stories,” sheds light on the power of stories and how stories shape identity and culture. Firstly, King highlights the power of storytelling and narratives, ranging from simple …show more content…

Billions of people have shaped their entire lives around these stories, as the narratives were so important and impactful, it shaped their beliefs. King also stated that, “stories are wondrous things”. And they are dangerous.” This shows that despite stories bringing such a simple method of communication, their impacts can be monumental, Secondly, King sheds light on how stories correlate to identity and culture. Stories are passed down from generation to generation, and are shaped by culture and heritage. King confirms this when he quoted storyteller Jeanette Armstrong, “Through my language I understand I am being spoken to, I’m not the one speaking. The words come from many tongues and mouths of Okanagan people and the land around them. I am a listener to the language’s stories, and when my words form I am merely retelling the same stories in different patterns.” This example shows that our identity is directly created from storytelling, whether that is from historical accounts, religious beliefs, or cultural legends. Again, religious beliefs are a good example of how stories can impact culture, as people shape their entire lives and part of their identity around these

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For the Native perspective stories are at the center of their dichotomy, as King descried in his book, The Truth about Stories: A Native Narrative, where each chapter commences with disparate versions of Native creation story. King argues that “the truth about stories is that is all we are.” Robert Ringington corroborates this idea in his review of King’s Coyotes Canon, stating Native American story telling is “the key to their way of theorizing. Stories function as metonyms, parts that stand for wholes. Each story is connected to every

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Without storytelling many important key factors like communication, as well as religion,, and many other things would not exist. This book portrays storytelling flawlessly, describing it as an important representation of life.

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Indigenous culture has been unknown for many decades in Canada. Storytelling in Indigenous communities is especially important, but often the most ignored. The short story “This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona” by Sherman Alexie demonstrates the different kinds of criticism of Indigenous storytelling. The story follows a man, Victor, collecting his father’s ashes with his estranged childhood friend Thomas. Furthermore, it explores the importance of stories and how it can change perspectives of people.

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The Transformative Power of Storytelling in “Indian Horse” Stories are an effective way for people to share teachings and experiences in one’s life as they allow individuals to better understand emotional connections and personal experiences. Richard Wagamese’s “Indian Horse” is set against the backdrop of a residential school in Canada. The protagonist Saul Indian Horse struggles with his Indigenous identity when faced with trauma and cultural oppression. Wagamese talks about the important role storytelling plays in overcoming trauma from the past, by illustrating how storytelling is not only a form of entertainment but a fundamental aspect of one’s life which serves as a powerful tool for confronting the trauma of the past which brings individuals into

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Knowledge is transferred through storytelling in many Indigenous communities which is something that both Little Bear and Johnson touch on. Western culture looks at knowledge as rigid and absolute with one known truth (Johnson 59). Little Bear’s work demonstrates this concept as well but instead describes them as “being linear and singular, static and objective (Little Bear 6). This Western world view can be seen by both Johnson and Little Bear as different than the world view that they both hold (Johnson 56). Indigenous world perspective is shown through how knowledge is gained through stories (Johnson 56).

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In the book "The Truth About Stories," Thomas King explores the power of narratives and the enormous effect that it has on how we perceive the world and one another. Thomas King explores the complex connection between stories and the formation of individual and community identities by reflecting on his own experiences and ancestry. King, who was born in 1943 and is of Cherokee and Greek ancestry, was raised in California. He brings a unique and broad perspective to his study of storytelling, combining history and personal stories to challenge widespread misconceptions and assumptions about Indigenous peoples. King has backgrounds in literature, anthropology, and law.

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The cultivation of a person blends in with his/her understanding of stories

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Storytelling has such a large impact on all stages of life. Stories are told to teach a lesson, give hope, or get someone through a hard time. Tim O’Brien uses storytelling in his book, The Things They Carried, to teach lessons from war, and help readers understand about the baggage people bring to war. The publisher section of this novel has this warning in it, "This is a work of fiction. Except for a few details regarding the author's own life all incidents, names, and characters are imaginary” (O'Brien).

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King also adds a layer of humour when talking about issues within Indigenous communities, by using humour as a way to introduce these issues to discussion. King brings to light these issues in their communities. An example of this is: “I want to look Indian so that you will see me as Indian because I want to be Indian, even though being Indian and looking Indian is more a disadvantage than it is a luxury.” (59). In “The Truth About Stories" King uses humour to confront how being Indigenous is a disadvantage.

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When a story is written, the content lasts longer and can be revisited, however each reader perceives the meaning of the story and the details through their own experience. Stories began through oral tradition. Indigenous people have told stories throughout their histories, and those stories reveal their past, as well as their current realities and identities. An example of a storyteller who integrates multiple genres of storytelling in every aspect of her being, is Joy Harjo. Harjo is a multi-genre artist, musician, writer, poet, and overall inspirational storyteller.

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The sad thing about stories is that “once a story is told, it cannot be called back. Once told, it is loose in the world” (King10), that plane with no survivors cannot be taken back, the article in the news about the bus that flipped is read by thousands of people and cannot be taken back. The author of the “Truth About Stories” never says whether he thinks that not being able to take back stories is a good or bad thing, but rather he states that “you have to be careful with the stories you tell. And you have to watch out for the stories you are told” (King,10) because they will shape who you

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In her TED talk called “The danger of a single story” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, speaks about the negative effects, single stories can have on a certain people. A single story is created when the same discourse is being repeated over an over again in books, TV shows or in the news. The single story creates a stereotypical, one sided perception of a group of people. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells a story about how she, came to believe a single story in her childhood. When she was a child she read many American and English books, about people, with whom she had very little in common.

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How powerful is a single story? At Ted Global 2009, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian novelist, expresses her view of single stories and the ways in which they are used to create stereotypes and divides us as a people. Adichie’s talk, “The Danger of a Single Story”, stimulates careful consideration to what happens when people and situations are reduced to a single narrative. She believes single stories are highly correlated with the power structures of the world and have the ability to strip people of their humanity.

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The single story creates stereotypes and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story to become the only story (Adichie:2009). In the speech with the same name, Adichie questions the ideas such as the potential of a single narrative to create stereotypes. Also, how the importance of bringing different several stories of representation to inform about the urgency of the search for knowledge, about the proper understanding of the 'other ' cultures not only about the West and European culture and literature.

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