Category Archives: Narrative

Santa Claus

Age: 22

Text:
“I started to really believe in Santa Claus, and I was very adamant about finding him when he came down my chimney. So I brought out my sleeping bag and put it under the tree and tried sleeping the night under my Christmas tree. My parents got really mad at me and told me that he wouldn’t come if I did that. So I reluctantly went back into my room, and just before I fell asleep, I heard a clomping on the shingles of my roof. To this day, I will never forget the sound of the hoofs, and knowing that Santa was about to come down my chimney. I had so many butterflies.”

Context:
A girl from Phoenix discussing a core childhood Christmas memory that she knows is fake but swears is real.

Analysis:
This is a demonstration of myths serving to keep children well behaved. She believed in Santa and wanted to see him so badly in real life, so she brought her sleeping bag under the tree. Since this is a naughty act, what Santa Claus monitors, her parents were able to use that as a ploy to get her to sleep in her bedroom, saying that he would not come at all if she did not sleep in her room. This served to keep the Christmas magic alive and also to maintain good behavior. I wonder what caused the “hooves on the roof” noise.

Catholic School Christmas Tradition

Age: 22

Text:
“When I was in grade school, I went to a Catholic School, so they taught us about the history and the tradition of Saint Nicholas. Around Christmas time, we would all have a set time where we would put our shoes outside, and then we’d have classes normal. All of a sudden, the teacher would say, ‘Oh! Saint Nicholas was just here. He left you guys gifts.’ We’d go back to the hallway, and our shoes would be filled with candy and gifts.

Context:
A boy from Kansas City, Missouri discussing a Christmas tradition/legend he experienced in his Catholic elementary school, celebrating the holiday through Saint Nicholas.

Analysis:
It is interesting to see that rather than discussing Santa Claus, the more commercial version, the Catholic school was pushing forward Saint Nicholas. It also reminds me of a holiday/tradition that I used to celebrate (a Latina girl from LA), called Dia de Los Reyes Magos, otherwise known as The Three Kings Day, which is celebrated on January 6th, commemorating their long journey to baby Jesus. You place your shoes outside, overnight, and the Kings fill them with candy and gifts. Christmas is typically celebrated with family, so this Catholic school adapted and combined the tradition of Santa bringing gifts and The Three Kings filling shoes with gifts to create a new Christmas tradition each year at this Catholic school.

Cannibalism Legend in Europe

Age: 22

Text:
“So my sister had a friend who’s older sister had a friend who studied abroad in Milan her junior jear of college. When she was studying abroad, she, like other normal college students, wanted to go on a date. So she ended uo going on a date with this guy. She went back home with him, and everything was going well until he asked to give her a massage. He gave her a massage. She thought something was up and felt something was weird, so she just left. Then after a few days, a rash started to develop on her back. She was like, ‘What is this?’ So she went to the Italian doctor, and the Italian doctor was like, ‘For some reason, the fibers of your skin are starting to break down. This could leech into your muscles. Good thing you came in, but how did this happen? The only way this would have happened is with a flesh dissolver.’ She said, ‘What? What are you talking about?’ Less than a month later, the guy that she went on a date with got arrested for killing multiple women and eating them, meaning he was preparing her to be skinned and eaten after giving her that massage.”

Context:
A boy from Kansas City, Missouri telling a story he heard from his sister (who heard the story from a friend) about a date-from-hell while a girl was studying abroad in Milan.

Analysis:
Interestingly enough, this is not the first time I’ve heard this story. I’d like to think that it’s a legend or greatly exaggerated story from being retold indefinitely (hopefully). Regardless, it serves as an example for how folklore spreads through storytelling, often leading to multiplicity and variation between each iteration.

Scary Story

Age: 22

Text:
“I went to sleepaway camp in Maine for seven summers, and I started when I was nine in 2013, and I went until 2019 when I was fifteen. The first three or four summers, obviously, I was pretty young. We would tell these scary stories after our Friday night campfires. Basically the whole camp would go and we’d do camp songs and cheers or whatnot. Then after we’d go and make s’mores by the bunk and sit outside by the lake and tell scary stories. One of the stories that stuck with me literally to this day was ‘Click, Click, Drag.’ It was one of the first horror stories that I was told by one of my counselors, who was an ex-camper. Basically, theres a girl and a guy walking outside, maybe it’s two girls or two campers, and they start hearing this sound: click, click, drag, click, click, drag. It follows them all the way home and picks up the longer they walk, eventually grabbing the girl by the foot and dragging her away. The boy sprints home, and shortly after, he hears knocking on the door. The voice of the monster talks as if it’s the girl, screaming, ‘Help! Help! Open the door! Open the door!’ The boy opens the door and is dragged out. He was never seen again.”

Context:
A girl from Palm Beach, FL who went to sleep-away summer camp in Maine every summer while growing up. She recalls a scary story that she learned from her counselor, who also went to the same camp when she was a kid.

Analysis:
This is a demonstration of folklore being passed through generations through storytelling. She learned this story from a former camper, suggesting that her counselor also learned the story in a similar setting. She also noted that she doesn’t remember the story completely and that some details were likely lost in her memory, which is what often leads to multiplicity and variation between the same stories. It is also interesting that scary stories are quintessential parts of summer camp and sitting around bondfires.

The Donkey and the Tiger


Fable: The donkey and the tiger

Background on Informant:
My informant is my dad; he is in his 50’s he is a longshoreman who grew up in Torrance. He has shared many stories and sayings with me over the years. I asked him if he remembered any good fables that he used to tell me maybe. He said he heard this fable from his grandma, his mother drank heavily and would argue nonsense with my dad and my grandma told him this story so he wouldn’t mind her. He doesn’t know where she heard it.

Text:
Interviewer: So, do you have any fables that you may have heard or told over the years?

Informant: Sure, don’t you remember the one I would always tell you when you used to argue with your little brother. No, refresh my memory about the donkey and the tiger?

Interviewer: yes I do but please tell it to me again in you own words

Informant: So a donkey and a tiger are arguing. The donkey says the sky is green, and the tiger says the sky is not green it is clearly blue. The donkey says no you’re wrong its green, the tiger says fine lets go ask the king. They go to the lion king to settle the argument once and for all. Before anyone says a thing the lion says, if you waste my time you will be punished eager to prove the donkey wrong the Tiger agrees to the terms. The Tiger explains the argument to the lion, the tiger says anyone with eyes can see the sky is blue the donkey says, nooo its not blue, the sky is green, right my king? The lion says, “Yes, the sky is indeed green. The donkey walks away happy and triumphant. The confused tiger asks, my king surely you know the sky is blue why would you tell the donkey it is green. The lion says, You’re not being punished because you’re wrong. You’re being punished because you are a mighty and majestic tiger why are you wasting time arguing with a donkey, you should know better than to argue with a fool.

Interviewer: So why did you tell me that?

Informant: Because you were arguing with your little brother about something, and your little brother thinks he knows everything. Sometimes it’s not worth arguing, especially if the other person is stubborn and isn’t going to listen.

Analysis:
This fable functions to teach a moral lesson, which reflects what we learned in class about how folklore can provide guidance through storytelling. My dad used the story in a real-life situation while I was arguing with my little brother, showing how folklore can be used in a progressive way in everyday life. The lesson is that it is pointless to argue with someone who is unwilling to accept reason. Instead of directly telling me to stop arguing, he used a story to give indirect advice in a more memorable way and later he didn’t need to repeat the story he would just say “you are a tiger.” This example also reflects how folklore is passed down informally across generations, from his grandmother to him and then to me, reinforcing shared values and beliefs. This also shows how some fables travel all over the world. It also demonstrates multiplicity, as similar fables appear in different cultures, and the animals suggest its origin isn’t the U.S.