Lesson 3:2: Varying Ethos in Creation Stories

Q3:

In The Truth About Stories, Thomas King explores two very contrasting ethos to tell his two creation stories, “The Earth Diver” and “Genesis”. As I previously examined in lesson 2:4, King’s voice plays a large part in backing the integrity, and truth of these two stories. The credibility and authority of a story teller decides the believability of a story and the way in which the reader receives it.

I have grown up in a United Christian faith, going to church most Sundays, singing in church choir and even teaching Sunday school for 7 years. That being said I have grown up learning, teaching and questioning the New Testament Bible. The creation story that I have grown up with, and do hold true, is the story of Adam and Eve, much like Thomas King’s “Genesis.” This story was always told by my minister, a teacher, my mom but overall someone whom I respected and looked up to. The story was also always taught to me from a religious point of view, from the bible, which held a sacred meaning and thus strengthened the enos by aligning it with the word of God. 

This is why, when reading The Truth About Stories, it was very familiar for me to hear the “Genesis” story told with more authority and in a more formal way.  It was a variation of the story I have heard more than a thousand times and could recite quite easily myself. I did not question the ethos that “Genesis” was presented in because, as previously mentioned, I have always seen it as the creation story and it has been a story of reverence in my life. 

I, however, am also an educated individual, who has been taught the scientific story of creation as well. The Big Bang Theory is also a type of creation story that has a scientific, evidence based ethos to support its credibility and believability. These two creation stories are able to co-exist in my mind, even though they do contradict each-other, as they have both been taught to me with such integrity and a strong backing that to me personally they work together. 

King’s other creation story, “The Earth Diver”, greatly contrasts the ethos presented in The Big Bang, “Genesis”, and Adam and Eve. Reading “The Earth Diver,” though fun and entertaining, seemed more like a children’s story to me. It lacked authority, credibility or seriousness, which made it easy to place to the side as a fun tale but not to add to my own narrative of creation stories.

Comparing the ethos of the creation stories I am familiar with, to the stories that King tells in The Truth About Stories really emphasized the importance of the delivery of the narrative. I have really reflected on the narrative voice and how that changes the story as well as my own creation stories and why I deem them as so important. It is really interesting how much of a difference the delivery of a story makes and how it changes not only our own perspectives but our own personal narratives.

Citations: 

King, Thomas. “The Truth About Stories.” Weebly.com, Massey Lecture Series, 2003, cislit.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/1/1/26116552/the_truth_about_stories_by_thomas_king.pdf.