2.2 (Due Feb 7th)

Question #1)

I believe that the way King tells his two creation stories is, in itself, representative of how these two stories are generally received in our society. I do not know very much about religion in Canada, but according to a 2001 census the majority of Canadians fall under some form of Christianity, followed by Muslim, Jewish, Buddist… and so on. Although many Canadians said they did not have any religious affiliation, that number was still a minority when considering the population as a whole. Of the religious portion of the population, the smallest number was given to a group entitled “other religions,” under which I am assuming the religions of First Nations peoples would fall.

Because, as seen from this data, most Canadians are Christian or belong to other large religions, it makes sense that the “Genesis” story would hold more weight to them than the “The Earth Diver.” Christianity has been so widely spread that most Canadians know at least some of its stories, even if they are not religious themselves. There is a great quote by Bart Simpson that I think sums this up really well. He says that “Christmas is a time when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ.” I couldn’t find the clip for this online, but I think it’s kind of true. Christmas has become so commercial that its meaning if often forgotten.

I believe that King tells “The Earth Diver” story in a more story-like fashion and the “Genesis” story in a more authoritative voice because he is playing with the value that we place upon each story. One is simply a story because it belongs to a small religion (forgive my generalizations here). It is likely that most of King’s listeners had never heard “The Earth Diver” before, but everyone knows “Genesis”. What I find to be the most fascinating about the whole thing is that in acknowledging that “The Earth Diver” is simply a story and hence may be told in a less serious fashion, King simultaneously convinces his audience that “The Earth Diver” is the more likeable story. Because it is not taken so seriously, it has the freedom to be entertaining and funny. It is still possible to enjoy such a story. Genesis, at least the way King tells it, seems flat and boring by comparison. There is no joy in it, it has taken itself far too seriously and therefore has lost its magic as a story. Perhaps this is because King believes that we should strive for collaboration, as seen in “The Earth Diver” rather than the competition shown in “Genesis”.