Folktale vs. Pourquoi Stories
Folktales and Pourquoi stories both fall under the large umbrella of folklore. Folktales are those told of heroes and heroines who typically come across a problem and in the end find a solution. Folktales are broken down into four different categories: noodlehead tales, talking animal and trickster tales, fairy tales, and tall tales. Pourquois are simple myths that give explanation to in-explainable things.
I have chosen to discuss a fairy tale titled: The Rough Face Girl written by Rafe Martin. The Rough Face Girl is the Algonquin Indian version of Cinderella. It tells the story of a young girl who has two sisters that force her to stay and tend the fire. By doing so, she receives scars and burn marks on her face and arms. All the women in the village want to marry the invisible man. The rough face girls two sisters try but fail in seeing the invisible man. The rough face girl, however, sees him in all aspects of the Earth... a rainbow and the stars. When she marries the invisible man and bathed in the lake, her scars disappeared ad everyone could see that she was truly beautiful inside and out.
The pourquoi that I chose to examine is titled Why Mosquito's Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema. This story begins with an iguana who does not believe a story a mosquito tells him and puts sticks in his ears so he does not have to listen. The iguana's friend the python tells him good morning and when the iguana does not reply, the python assumes he is mad at him and is scared. The pythons fear then scares a rabbit. The scared rabbit then frightens a crow who alarms a monkey. The monkey runs through the trees and a branch falls, killing a baby owl. The mother owl is so upset that she does not wake up the sun. All the animals come together to find out who is at fault for killing the baby owl. They determine that it is the mosquito who from then on buzzes in people's ears to find out if everyone is still angry at him. The response of a whack determines that they are still upset.
While both stories have different messages, both of these stories include using nature to create a story. In The Rough Face Girl, the rainbow is the invisible mans bow and the stars of the milky way are his sled. Why Mosquito's Buzz in People's Ears creates a story that makes animals come alive and explain why something happens. These stories encompass what folklore truly is meant to be. Stories passed down through generations.
I have chosen to discuss a fairy tale titled: The Rough Face Girl written by Rafe Martin. The Rough Face Girl is the Algonquin Indian version of Cinderella. It tells the story of a young girl who has two sisters that force her to stay and tend the fire. By doing so, she receives scars and burn marks on her face and arms. All the women in the village want to marry the invisible man. The rough face girls two sisters try but fail in seeing the invisible man. The rough face girl, however, sees him in all aspects of the Earth... a rainbow and the stars. When she marries the invisible man and bathed in the lake, her scars disappeared ad everyone could see that she was truly beautiful inside and out.
The pourquoi that I chose to examine is titled Why Mosquito's Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema. This story begins with an iguana who does not believe a story a mosquito tells him and puts sticks in his ears so he does not have to listen. The iguana's friend the python tells him good morning and when the iguana does not reply, the python assumes he is mad at him and is scared. The pythons fear then scares a rabbit. The scared rabbit then frightens a crow who alarms a monkey. The monkey runs through the trees and a branch falls, killing a baby owl. The mother owl is so upset that she does not wake up the sun. All the animals come together to find out who is at fault for killing the baby owl. They determine that it is the mosquito who from then on buzzes in people's ears to find out if everyone is still angry at him. The response of a whack determines that they are still upset.
While both stories have different messages, both of these stories include using nature to create a story. In The Rough Face Girl, the rainbow is the invisible mans bow and the stars of the milky way are his sled. Why Mosquito's Buzz in People's Ears creates a story that makes animals come alive and explain why something happens. These stories encompass what folklore truly is meant to be. Stories passed down through generations.
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