Storytelling and It's Effects

In Storytelling, the authors present to the reader the various reasons for why stories are told in African American culture. In this essay Franklin and Dowdy show the impact that storytelling has had on them. Through the stories that are told in this essay and the explanations that follow, I was able to see the purpose of storytelling.

            The authors begin the essay with a section entitled The Timeless Nature of Stories. In this section a story called Tongue Brought Me Here is told, first from the perspective of Franklin’s father and then from her childhood pastor’s perspective. Tongue Brought Me Here allows the reader to see one reason why storytelling is used. This story is told to teach children the importance of talking excessively. “The theme was a cautionary tale about the consequences of talking too much” (Franklin and Dowdy pg. 120). This story made me wonder if any of the stories that we have been told have subconsciously affected us in some way similar to the way that the “mother tongue” (Elaine Richardson pg.677) shapes a child’s perspective.

            Dowdy’s story about her stress as a result of her sister’s illness, stood out to me. This story impacted me because I, like Dowdy often times do not deal with my stress properly. After reading Dowdy’s story I discovered that the body aches that I experience sometimes (such as tension in my neck) may be due to stress and not handling it in a healthy manner. Her story allowed me to better understand myself by forcing me to look at the source of my stress and the effects that it has had on me.

            Overall the essay left me with two very important questions.  First, should we integrate storytelling into our daily lives? Second, is storytelling a better stress reliever than exercise?