Exactly my point
"it is the griot who rescues the memories of kings from oblivion, as men have short memories...whoever knows the history of a country can read its future"
pg 443, Sundiata
Exactly my point. Men have short memories. They forget parts of stories. People mishear things all the time.Who knows how many times this story has been pieced together from remanents of old memories? The differences in the Iliad were subtler, whereas the two versions of the Sundiata story varied greatly. In thinking why this is, I have come to a conclusion: The Iliad versions vary little because they were written down. A text is something you can always return to, something forever tangible. People and technology are fickle: they go in and out of this world quickly. The book is all that remains. The best way to preserve a story or other knowledge is to write it down, forever a reference point. I don't remember what I wrote in my senior AP Government paper, and that was only three years ago. But, since I saved a copy, I can use it for reference and arguments in future classes. If I had only saved it on my computer, it would be useless, since that computer is long dead.
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Daniella Choynowski on Exactly my point: but, what if the computer shor
Kayla Sawyer on Exactly my point: Books can be destroyed though.
David Cristello on Exactly my point: To use the passage as factua
Jeremy Barrick on Exactly my point: A reference point. Good though
A reference point. Good thought. Everyone needs a starting place. To write something, preserves it for that particular reason. If I get stuck, I can look it up in a book, or on my PC. It eliminates stress.
To use the passage as factual seems a bit strange. If your agreeing with the authors logic (in that men have short memories) than do you also believe that books are "dumb"? (they state that at the end of the passage of page 443). Now, their might be some scientific evidence supporting these claims today (Im not sure if there is), but I would not regard this author as someone who holds a valued opinion on such a matter.
" The Iliad versions vary little because they were written down" Are the versions presented in our book the first two to ever be written down? It says the first version os from 1968 and the other doesnt give a date. Im just curious when the original text of Sundiata was publish. If it was published within the last couple of centuries, than I support your claim. On the other hand, if it was written down around the same time the first version of Illiad was written, than I find it hard to agree with your statements.
Books can be destroyed though. Computers, on the other hand -- they say you can never permanently erase what you store on your comptuer.
but, what if the computer short-circuits and the inside melts, or the device is struck by lightning?
Everyone remembers everything differently and that is how we come up with many versions of the same story. Sundiata was a perfect example of how a story can really get changed around. Writing does tend to preserve oral culture, but that is only to an extent. I agree that nothing is truly permanent in this world.