Hopkins 1

Sara Hopkins

Professor Jan Rieman

English 1103

March 25, 2011

A Story about Stories

Try to recall all the different stories you have heard within your lifetime. In the world we

live in, stories are used for various different reasons and are told through multiple different

mediums. Storytelling is a way to express emotions, a way to teach lessons, and simply a way to

entertain.

We hear stories every day. Sometimes whenever I’m down or upset, I like to just call a

friend and talk for a little. I express my emotions by telling my friend the stories that made up

my day. This is a way of begin able to unwind for me. When I can talk to someone about my

awful day and get the emotional support I need, it is almost healing. After a short phone call with

a friend, my day can drastically turn around.

Stories are sometimes used to portray success or teach a lesson. When I was young I

remember staying at my grandparents’ house on the weekends. Right before bedtime, my

grandma would always read us a story. For the most part, the stories would be fables, or stories

about animals with human qualities that teach a moral lesson. A few well know fables are the

tortoise and the hare and the boy who cried wolf. Some common themes throughout fables may

follow the lines of slow and steady wins the race, better safe than sorry, or don’t judge people by

the way they look. These stories are perfect for demonstrating positive influences to young

children.
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Stories can be used in negative ways also. Take a journey back to middle school. Middle

school-age children are the nastiest, meanest kids there are. Pre-teen students are bullying other

students and bratty girls and smelly boys are beginning puberty. The environment sounds like a

nightmare. One thing I remember about Jr. High was all the unnecessary drama. Rumors would

start at the drop of a hat. “Oh my gosh! Did you hear about Jessica and Dave?!...” And the

famous words, I’ll tell you, but only if you don’t tell anybody else. You couldn’t tell anybody

anything without the entire school knowing before the end of the week. Spreading gossip and

rumors are a way we share stories in a negative way.

Before there was such thing as a television set, everyone sat around the living room

listening to the radio. This was one of the main sources of entertainment as a family in the home.

The radio a long time ago was very different from what we listen to today. It was composed of

not only music but different talk shows and stories. Another example of storytelling as a

component of entertainment is at a campfire. Scary tales of ghosts and boogie monsters in the

woods while roasting s’mores around the fire would describe an ideal night camping.

Who knew stories had so many different meanings, purposes, and mediums. We share

emotions along with success and lessons to learn through storytelling. Narratives do not always

have to have a reason behind them; some tales are composed for pure enjoyment and

entertainment. Gossip and rumors are a negative way in which stories are passed along. Every

story has its own purpose and is a little part of what makes the world go round.