Tag Archives: children folklore

“Handball” rules at Williams Elementary School

Age: 22

TEXT

My informant and I talked about the rules of the most popular recess game back in elementary school, handball (more popularly known as four-square). We talked about how much more distinct and difficult our school’s version of four-square was, as we had a rule in which the ball had to bounce once in your own square before it went into another square and that you could not step out of your own square. In contrast, as shown in this video, it shows people playing four-square violating all the “rules” of our version of the game and while there is outrage over rules in the comments, none of the outrage is over the fact that they are hitting the ball without bouncing the ball in their own square first.

CONTEXT

This informant is my older brother, who currently works as an engineer in Cleveland, Ohio, but grew up and attended the same elementary school as me in San Jose, California. This topic came up when I sent my informant a TikTok post showing four square clips, where we became critiques of how bad other versions of the game was. As I talked with him more about his memories of four-square over the phone, he recounted how his classmate had taught him the rules of four-square on his first day of school when we moved to San Jose, and how the game holds a special place in his heart as his favorite recess game and our memories of playing the game together as kids. While he says he hasn’t played or thought about four-square in over ten years, he affirms that the version of four-square we grew up playing is the hardest and true version of four square.

ANALYSIS

The confusion and frustration my informant experienced from this conversation encapsulate a lot of the folklore concepts our class talked about. It shows the unique aspects of multiplicity and transmission of folklore. At its core, four square is played with the same playground rubber ball with a painted square on the concrete but each school/region seems to have their own rules, and the game was informally taught to each other by our classmates. In my opinion, I think the most interesting insight I took away from this folklore came from the reactions of all the comments online. With the internet, four-square was not only able to be transmitted all over the world as kids learn about the game online, but it also allowed people who grew up playing their variation of four square to see others’ versions. However, my informant’s and the video’s comment section’s negative reaction to this other variation shows how for all individuals, they believe their version is the most authentic and aren’t hesitant to judge anything else as wrong. As a metaphor, the rules of four square could be seen as similar to moral values that a certain religion, community, or people value. Depending on the region, these “rules” will change, and as we unfortunately see, things like discrimination and hatred often stem from individuals clinging to their “rules” as the most authentic and correct, while refusing to acknowledge the fact that that other variations may exist and label them as wrong without hesitation.

Ratoncito Pérez

Language: Spanish

“I don’t remember the story super well, but it’s kind of like a version of the tooth fairy. The story goes that there once was a mouse that wanted to be a dentist, but couldn’t find any teeth to use. He then saw that children’s teeth would fall out, so he would go to collect them during the night. He felt bad for just stealing the teeth, so he would leave money or candy behind as sort of like a “thank you” for being able to keep the teeth. After that, children would leave their teeth underneath their pillows for the mouse”

Analysis:

I think it’s so cool that there are so many versions of “leaving your teeth for a creature to collect for money” around the world. When I think back on it, I think that losing teeth as a child can be an incredibly traumatic thing, so involving a reward and a mythical creature of some kind definitely makes it a lot easier for younger children to understand. I also think the inclusion of him being a dentist is beneficial, as since children (and even many adults!) fear the dentist so much, having kids feel like they’re “helping them out” may help them overcome some of these fears.

Freeze Tag

Informant: The informant is my sibling. A Mexican American boy who is 14 years old and currently an 8th grader at a charter school in Los Angeles California. 

Context: The following excerpt is a conversation that happened when both of us were discussing some of our favorite school recess games. One of them froze tag and the following transcript describes how he remembered playing freeze tag in elementary school. In the excerpt I refer my sibling as J.

Transcript:

J: “When my class or group of friends played, I remember specifically that it was always a girl vs boys tag. It was really fun because it was always a competition to prove who was the best. The tagger is chosen at random, and they have to try to run around as quickly as possible to catch or freeze the runners. When someone was tagged what happened next, is that they are frozen there on the spot and they have to be unfreezed by their teammates. If you see your teammate being freezed, then you have to make the decision of either risking yourself.”

Analysis: Having played this version when I myself in the past brought a lot of nostalgia. My sibling and I have an age difference of 6 years old. Therefore, seeing how much this game has kept the same demonstrates just how much this game has become almost like given tradition. Freeze tag is something that every child should or at least all of them experience. Because there is a lot of running: the child who is the “it” is able to develop critical thinking skills to “touch” the runner. In addition, there is a lot of social skills that are developed as there has to be communication between the runners in order to save themselves from the “it.” When it come to the competition of both sexes, I think it just demonstrates how both are being able to explore their identities.

“Ich bin klein”

Nationality: German-American
Age: 53
Occupation: Chief Retail Sales and Bottler Operations Officer
Residence: Atlanta, Georgia
Performance Date: 3/1/19
Primary Language: German
Language: English

Main piece:

Ich bin klein

mein Herz ist rein

darf niemand drin wohnen

als Jesus allein.

 

Informant’s English translation:

 

I am small,

My heart is pure,

So no one will live in my heart but Jesus alone.

 

Context: The informant (DB) is a first generation immigrant from Germany; her mother is from Silesia, Germany, and her father is from what was previously known as East Prussia, so she is fluent in both German and English. She was raised Christian but does not consider herself very religious. DB grew up in Orlando, Florida, has two kids, and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Our conversation took place while eating quesadillas for lunch our home in Atlanta. The informant heard this nursery rhyme from her mother, who heard it from her mother, who heard it from her mother. She values it because it’s “such a simple yet sweet prayer that any child can understand.” DB remembers “Ich bin klein” as the one solitary moment she shared with her mother before bed; despite their busy life and large family, they were always able to regroup and return to each and God at the end of the day.   

Personal thoughts: Popular Christian prayers tend to involve long sentences or invoke complex biblical concepts, which can be especially confusing for children. Take the Lord’s Prayer, for instance – one line reads: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” An 8-year-old has no grasp on temptation or evilness. Although these kinds of prayers are touted to be family friendly, many times children will simply recite them word-for-word without actually being able to fully understand what they are saying. The beauty of the “Ich bin klein” prayer is that it begins by reinforcing the innocence and simplicity of child (“I am small / my heart is pure”), which are words a child can easily grasp, and ends with an affirmation that the child reciting the prayer loves Jesus (“So no one will live in my heart by Jesus alone”). Bam. Easy. No mumbo jumbo about debts and trespassing – just an affirmation of a child’s purity and love for Jesus.