Folktales Essay

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Folktales, even though they may not be true, gave us life lessons that we still use today. Folktales are part of oral tradition. There are four characteristics that make up a folktale. They are: lessons about life, have magical or supernatural elements, have characteristics that possess one or two main traits, and show a clear distinction between good and evil. Folktales are usually passed down from one generation to the next by word of mouth. They share plot patterns and have the same type of ordinary characters. The idea of folktales can be found in the body of poems, stories and even songs. For something to be a folktale it must have some kind of impact on our thoughts and lives. They must show some form of demeanor to our views on the world we live in.(Kinsella, Feldman, and Vaughn) Modern folktales have affected lives in many different ways but often people do not even realize it. These stories tell us who we are as humans. They shape our lives in many ways. The phrase modern folktale does not mean that these are tales based on events that are or would happen in the world today. It simply means that big changes have occurred in people’s lives in the folktale area. One question that is often asked about modern folktales is, should we believe that we are the same people that we were over a hundred years ago. To be able to understand how the world has changed we must first understand how these stories have changed through time. (Unknown) Folktales are considered one of the biggest sources of entertainment in the world that is passed down from one generation to the next. Folktales show great distinctions in the way a character is perceived by adding the physical qualities to them. Folktales can be told through story books, word of mouth, and even through plays. When people watch plays they get a better understanding of what is going on in the story. They get to
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