2.6 King’s Dichotomous Dilemma
by admin
In The Truth About Stories, Thomas King juxtaposes two creation stories, one involving Charm, and one involving Adam and Eve, concluding this comparison by insisting that only one creation tale can be true, and that it is therefore up to the reader to decide which of the stories to believe.
As Dr. Paterson suggests in her unit question, King is enacting a kind of hypocrisy when he encourages his readers to participate in such a decision, because the division he established between Charm and Genesis, and the dichotomy between true and false which he proffers to the reader, all takes place within the broader context of a discussion that subtly but firmly warns against the type of black and white paradigm that, for example, is promoted in the Judeo-Christian creation narrative.
So, why does King insist that his readers participate in dichotomous thinking?
In fact, King’s is utilizing a clever rhetorical tactic: first, he illustrates the pitfalls inherent in dichotomous thinking. When King asks his readers to choose Charm or Genesis, he seems to undermine his own position, but in actuality he has simply primed his audience to fully recognize the absurdity inherent in this dichotomy, this decision. In this sense, king has “shown” rather than “told”; he has not relied simply upon informing his readers that dichotomies are irrational, and problematic as a result. Rather, King positions his readers in such a way that they are required to actively engage with the subject at hand, to experience and interact with dichotomous thinking and experience this irrationality for themselves. This method of engaging the audience is, in the end result, a much more impactful and efficacious method of communication and education.
Works Cited:
King, Thomas. The Truth About Stories. House of Anansi Press Inc, 2003. Print.
Paterson, Erika. “Lesson 2:2 Blog Questions.” ENGL 470A Canadian Studies, https://blogs.ubc.ca/courseblogsis_ubc_engl_470a_99c_2014wc_44216-sis_ubc_engl_470a_99c_2014wc_44216_2517104_1/unit-2/lesson-2-2/. Web. 2016.
Hi Anne,
King is truly a masterful storytelling in that he shows rather than tells. If he had just written “dichotomies are irrational”, not only would it ruin the flow of what he writes, but it would not let the audience figure out his point for themselves. If they have an epiphany, they are more likely to believe what they are reading, even if it undermines their past thoughts.
I’m wondering how your preconceived notions of creation stories influenced your epiphany?
I’m not sure that I had many pre-conceived notions about creation stories prior to reading King’s. That is to say, if I did I was unaware of them. I have been exposed to such a wide variety of creation stories prior to taking this class that I no longer know what preconceptions I may have once harboured. However, I can certainly say that the juxtaposition King constructs between his own story and that of Genesis highlighted the inherent violence of Judeo-Christian doctrine in a way that was, for me, totally new and previously unrecognized.