Dare To Be Different

Some Things Should Be Heard and Not Seen

Native American Oral Literature should be heard and not read. When reading something you lose the personality of a work. Oral literature is given inflection, tone, and emotion, these things are needed to get the full effect of the story. When telling a story as opposed to reading one you have the choice to make certain points more important by the tone or sound of your voice. An oral story is told for a reason or purpose, with specific parts told louder, or more emotional, to get the main meaning to the listener. These stories wouldn't have as much meaning and importance if they are read. Plus the speaker can place themselves there, and the listener can think it really happened to this person. And Native American stories were told to describe certain things that went on in the past, from their point of view. If a white man was telling his children about the Native American's troubles it wouldn't have as much effect. If a white child read about Native American troubles in a book written by a white man, then it still will not have the same effect, the view would be twisted. So I think that the stories that are told out loud have more effect than those read, especially when told by the people that have been affected by the story's outcome.