Author Archives: jcsaaved

La Llorona – Tale/Legend

Text: La Llorona – Tale/ Legend

Context: The informant, JR, is of Mexican descent and shares his relation with the cautionary tale of “La Llorona” and how they heard and interpreted the tale.

Interview: The first tale I can remember learning about is the folklore tale/ Legend of La Llorona. La Llorona is a Mexican folklore tale/ Legend that many parents tell their children about and can be compared to bigfoot spoken about here in the United States. Growing up in a Hispanic household me and my siblings were told stories about La Llorona and learned about the folklore. The tale goes something like a woman named Maria who lived in Mexico drowned her children after learning of her husband’s infidelity and soon after drowned herself because of the guilt of drowning her children. It’s said that in Mexico she roams around at night yelling “mis hijos” (my sons) searching for her children. This story is told to children to fearmonger them into not staying out late at night because if they do La Llorona would come to kidnap them. Due to the story being told over and over, there are now many different versions of it but to me, the story isn’t what matters but rather the intent behind telling it to your children. While I don’t remember too well why my parents decided to tell us the story I can only guess that it was to keep us from going out at night, which might have worked since it took me a long time to become accustomed to the nighttime outside. The way I see it it’s just another popular folklore that has stuck around for a long time due to many generations still speaking about that has become immortalized through film and other media.

Analysis: From the interview, I can tell that despite the informant, JR, claiming they have a blurry memory of cautionary tale/ legend, they ultimately were affected by the tale/legend growing up as it impacted their ability to stay outside during the night time due to the fear instilled from the story. As for the significance, other than being scared of being outside in the dark, I can tell that the story of La Llorona also ties in with cultural fears and supernatural beliefs from their cultural descent. Because the tale/legend is told to many children of Hispanic descent, the story has likely been passed down from generation to generation, supporting the idea that it is a reminder of the thin veil between the living and the dead and the idea of guilt, grief, and the pain of losing loved ones in Latin American cultures. The interview connects deeply with Hispanic culture and the ideas of obeying elders and keeping cultural tales/ legends alive by passing them down.

Robin Hood – Legend/Tale

Context: The informant, AQ, shares their experience with hearing the legend of Robin Hood and how it has impacted them personally and how it has helped them practice their Islamic beliefs.

Text: Robin Hood – Legend/Tale

Interview: The one legend that I can think of growing up is the legend of Robin Hood and what he did for the people of his community and what he stood for. From what I can remember, the legend was told to me in elementary and it consisted of an archer who fought against the wrongdoings of wealthy people by stealing from them and giving back to the less fortunate. Despite my little knowledge of the legend, I did take a lot from the story growing up as I was also less fortunate compared to others. Hearing how Robin Hood dedicated himself to giving back to those who didn’t have much, I learned how to be appreciative of what I did have and to give back when I had the chance. The legend inspired me to develop my cultural identity and practice what I learned by being consistent with what I wanted to do to help others and to spread the word about why giving back is necessary and helpful to not only the individual but the also community. Along with practicing zakat and sadaqa, Islamic practices that remind one to always give back to the less fortunate.

Analysis: The informant, AQ, shares their connection with the story of Robin Hood and how the story has impacted them to do better for their community and to spread the awareness of giving back to others. AQ took the story of Robin Hood and put it into practice, helping develop and become closer to zakat “Obligatory charity” and sadaqa “voluntary charity.” This relates closely to the beliefs of Ethiopian culture that Dignity matters more than wealth. The story of Robin Hood has helped AQ get closer to cultural practices and has pushed him one step closer to a connection with Islamic teachings.

The Tale of A Monk – Tale

Context: JL is a Cambodian college student and shares his experience with “The Tale of A Monk” and how it has impacted them and their beliefs.

Interview: The tale of a monk, a student monk had a hard time meditating and would always get angry and external noises that disrupted his silence, so he decided to go out into a boat in the middle of the water, in the middle of the lake while meditating, a boat hits him, the monk starts to yell at the sailor of the boat but no one is on it, there he realizes that although things may try to provoke him, the anger is within him. I first heard this story while reading a book about our thoughts and how to be in control of them. This story has a lot of essence as I think everyone can relate to the student monk, people try to provoke us all the time and ultimately it is up to us to decide what to do about it, do we accept and move on, or do we get hung up on the fact that someone is trying to provoke us. This story means a lot to me because it opened my eyes to how I could be a better person and how to practice my Cambodian traditional beliefs of Buddhism, that good behavior achieves enlightenment.

Analysis: JL dives into the tale of a monk and how the monk was provoked to get angry due to his inability to focus on his meditation but soon learns how to control it and keep his anger within, protecting the feelings of others and even his own. JL, later on, relates to the tale of the monk by connecting his experience with the people overall and himself. As he elaborates on the decision-making of a person that ultimately determines whether they let a situation bother them or not, he ends on a note that many can leave off on, how learning how to let go of situations that don’t require a plethora of energy save us from ourselves. As for the cultural ties JL discussed, Buddhism plays a major role in why this story impacts them the most. One of the main teachings of Buddhism is to become enlightened and one of the many ways to achieve that is through practicing the understanding of the four noble truths. The case of JL and the impact of the story relates to the third noble truth in Buddhism, “Nihroda” (cessation of suffering), which eliminates hatred and ignorance within a person, similar to the idea of the monk eliminating the hatred and anger from within himself, bringing him closer to obtaining Nirvana. As JL continues to practice what he learned from the Tale of A Monk, he will also practice his cultural beliefs of eliminating hatred from within himself.

The Rabbit and the Turtle – Tale

Context: “Slow and steady wins the race.” The informant, LD, shares their knowledge of the Rabbit and the Turtle and what it means to them and their Vietnamese culture.

Interview: Out of the many folk tales and fables that were told to me growing up, the story, told to me by my mother, about a turtle beating a hare in a race stuck with me in many ways. The most common moral of the story instilled within us was persistence; the turtle knew that it would be slower than the hare but it never gave up and in the end, its hard work overshadowed the hare’s natural ability. However, as I’ve grown older, the story applied to my life in another way: contentment. We all move at our own pace, and we should be okay with that. Along with what I learned on my own, I was also able to compare it to my culture and what my parents have taught me about my Vietnamese background, valuing harmony, and how to place collective well-being over individual achievement and competition. If we stop comparing our lives and achievements to other people, our focus on our journey will ultimately make us more successful in the end.

Analysis: The informant LD shares their relationship to the tale of the Rabbit and the Turtle and connects it with their life and how it has shaped them and their beliefs. The interview dives into the ideas of resilience and adaptability, showing that growth played a major role in their life connecting and building a stronger understanding of what the deeper meaning of the story had. The informant grew with the story by taking the story and developing many personal teachings that relate to their everyday life, helping them value their progression as a person more fulfilling because the barrier of envy and comparison is no longer in the way. As for cultural teachings, LD took the story and connected what he learned to the values of the Vietnamese culture, learning how to practice harmony, being apart of a whole rather than singling themselves out for one’s benefit, (i.e. being humble).

Icarus – Myth

Context: The informant, JM, talks about the story of Icarus and how he came to hear about the myth, and how it has influenced them.

Text: Icarus – Myth

Interview: Icarus is a Greek mythology character, he is the son of Daedalus. I first heard the story from a friend of mine. In the story, his father built himself and Icarus a pair of wings crafted from feathers threads, and beeswax. He warns him of flying too close to the sun so his wings won’t melt. Icarus ends up flying too close to the sun, melting his wings and causing him to fall to his death. This myth I think shows the stubbornness of kids and how even a parent’s warning will not prevent them from making mistakes. I also think that the story is a great representation of the balance between daring to reach for the stars and acknowledging limitations. To me, the myth has shown me to understand how obeying those older than me is sometimes for the best, acknowledging that they too have made the mistakes they tell me to avoid, demonstrating a sign of caution so I don’t make the same mistakes.

Analysis: The informant’s (JM) connection to the myth of Icarus connects deeply to their belief in obeying and respecting the guidance of their elders. Despite there not being a distinct connection to culture, what can be seen through the informant’s interview is the belief in the consequence of disobedience to elders, connecting with the ideas of personal teachings and personal beliefs. Along with personal teachings are cultural teachings that are common amongst many Hispanic and African families; the elders are wise and teach what should be done. The interview highlights how it is important to obey elders, seeing them as a source of wisdom just as Daedalus is seen as a source of wisdom to his son.