When I was younger and didn’t completely grow into my body yet everyone teased me for the size of my ears. Family members didn’t mean it with malicious intentions but they couldn’t believe the size of my ears. Sometimes the teasing would be too much and it would make me upset because I didn’t know how to respond to my ears being large. One day I had enough and I began to cry in my room because everyone was commenting on my large ears. My aunt then came into my room and told me to not listen to them and people who tease others are insecure about themselves. She told me that if you had big ears it meant you were one of the smartest and would be very wealthy. I didn’t believe her at first until when everyone would make fun of me I would tell them that big ears meant I would be rich and people wouldn’t bother me as much because I made my ears into a positive thing.

Informant: The informant for this was my youngest brother Zachary, who is currently seventeen years old. When he was told the story we were in Long Beach Island, New Jersey and he was under ten years old. Zach didn’t like getting picked on for the size of his ears.

Analysis: My Aunt Bianca was able to give my little brother great advice that day. She implied that it doesn’t matter what other people think about you and it is important to be secure with yourself. This comeback/joke Zach was told still resonates with him today. He still uses this joke that my aunt taught him. Folk like this is a great way to help children get through their childhood. With children being extremely mean to each other these days and bullies ravaging through schools it is important to know how to protect your body and feelings.

When I was a little girl I had a bedtime ritual that I later passed on to my children. My mother would tuck me in to my bed cozy and tight, we would say a prayer and would tell me to close my eyes and sleep tight so the sand man can come to make me dream and have a good night. My mother told me she could tell if I had a good nights sleep by looking into the corner of my eyes. If I went to bed when I was suppose to the Sand Man would come and sprinkle sand into my eyes to bring on a good nights sleep and she would see the sand he left in the corners of my eyes.
Now that I look back and think about it, the Sand Man sounded pretty scary and I cant believe how I wasn’t scared to go to bed at night knowing a creepy little man was around me sprinkling something on me.

Informant: My informant for this piece of literature is my mom, Norma Comisar. She is in her late forties and grew up on the east coast specifically Staten Island New York. She says she would be told this story by her family members, which she later passed down to my brothers and I.

Analysis: I find it interesting to think about how many folklore stories are told to us as children, and the amount of stories’ protagonist that could be seen as creepy or scary. When I was younger and my mom was younger we knew this story and it would cause us to get a little scared due to a little man coming into our room while were sleeping and sprinkle sand in our eyes. My mom never really thought of the

My mom when I was growing told me that sleep was very important. She said that in the middle of the night when you go to bed and you are going through years of change that people would come into my bedroom in the middle of the night and stretch my limbs to make me grow. She explained that’s how some kids would grow so much and you wouldn’t even notice it. As a child this totally creped me out but I then realized it was just a figure of speech.

Informant: I got this from my girlfriend Katie who recalled hating going to sleep at night. She said her mom would say this to her as a way of reassuring that no one was trying to hurt her. Instead she would stay up later at night hoping that no such thing would come into her room and touch her.

Analysis: I feel like a lot of parents may you use this as a device to make growing up fun and fanciful. As a child is losing their sense of imagination and fiction, parents would give a mystical explanation for the growth of their children. I used to hate when my mom would tell me stories of people coming into my room at night whether they were nice or not. I would rather no one come into my room at night.

My mom would always yell at me at every meal because I would never eat any vegetables. I told her I didn’t like eating things that are green and she told me that vegetables are so important and to be healthy you need to eat them. I was about eight years old and I responded back asking if you eat so many vegetables then why are you so unhealthy and have to where glasses? She told me her point was to make sure I ate vegetables because she never did and she wanted me to be healthy. She said if I don’t want to have glasses like her than I should eat carrots because they help eye sight.

Informant: My Girlfriend Katie is the informant for this piece of folklore. She had a lot of trouble thinking of any folklore, but was able to recall mostly from her childhood.

Analysis: I felt like this is a common piece of oral tradition that a lot of children here growing up. I think its amazing that people have so much trouble distinguishing if this is indeed true. It’s fascinating that this piece of folklore could have been made up by a parent several decades ago, as a way to make their children eat carrots or it could have been just a saying.

I first heard the story about night marchers when I was ten years old from a babysitter in Hawaii. Her name was Calina and she was a local to Big Island of Hawaii. We were driving around the hotel in Hawaii in a golf cart and I asked her what was up with all the golf cart paths having random paths of lava rock going from the top of the mountain all the way to the ocean? She told me that those were night marcher paths and ancient Hawaii tales calls for locals to not disturb the path of the night Marchers. She told me that the night Marchers were a folktale that many Hawaiians truly believe in. She said that the ancient Hawaiian spirits carry flaming torches and drums and go down the mountain from the very top and then when they reach the ocean they disappear. The Night Marchers followed a path they have for centuries and people claim to have seen the Night Marchers or heard them in the night. She said the only chance for a Night Marcher coming out is if it is on a full moon. She never really spoke about the dangers of Night Marchers, but if seen on their path you are supposed to strip of all clothing and urinate in a circle so they would just ignore you.

Informant: This folk was told to me by my youngest brother Zach. He heard this story from a babysitter he was very close with and often saw when we went to Hawaii. Zach couldn’t remember the exact story that Calina told him but relayed the version that he knew. To this day whenever there is a full moon in Hawaii, Zach recalls the story. It is a piece of folklore that has resonated with him and he has been able to connect with.
Analysis: Hawaii is an island very aware of their actions toward their homeland. The Hawaiians are extremely spiritual towards all living things and believe that the beautiful nature that God has blessed them with should stay intact and not polluted. I believe this ancient story is a way for Hawaiians to share their culture in an easy and intimidating way. Spreading the Hawaiian vibe of not messing with the land is seen in this story through people not covering up ancient pathways. Elders could tell younger generations about this story to teach the importance of not messing with sacred grounds and respecting what was present before you. Hawaii is unique in the way I haven’t heard much other folklore that scares people away from messing with the beautiful land, but I guess that’s why the island is so beautiful.