In his article, “Godzilla vs. Post-Colonial,” King discusses Robinson’s collection of stories. King explains that while the stories are written in English, “the patterns, metaphors, structures as well as the themes and characters come primarily from oral literature.” More than this, Robinson, he says “develops what we might want to call an oral syntax that defeats reader’s efforts to read the stories silently to themselves, a syntax that encourages readers to read aloud” and in so doing, “recreating at once the storyteller and the performance” (186). Read “Coyote Makes a Deal with King of England”, in Living by Stories. Read it silently, read it out loud, read it to a friend, and have a friend read it to you. See if you can discover how this oral syntax works to shape meaning for the story by shaping your reading and listening of the story. Write a blog about this reading/listening experience that provides references to both King;s article and Robinson’s story.
This was an interesting assignment because I never thought to explore literature that was meant for orality, and taking note of the differences, and it was quite an experience.
Reading to myself, proved a bit difficult as the sentences were short and abrupt, and it was impossible to gain sense of where and how without the gestures. For example, when Harry Robinson writes phrases such as, “For a long time, Coyote was there/ on the water sitting on the boat./ And he eat right there” (64). My mind stopped and would question, where exactly? It was hard to take any meaning out of the story reading silently, because it was missing the gestures. Without gestures, it was hard to paint a full picture. What is where, and where exactly is the water? It almost seemed like floating words that were missing a meaning. It was similar to what Thomas King said was the common complaint of oral literature, being translated to English, the storyteller lost their voice (King 184). Another thing I noticed was because I am a fast reader, the story lost its excitement because the anticipation of what is happening was lost when I silently read to myself. It seemed repetitive and lost its appeal.
When I read out loud to myself, it was similar to reading silently, I saw the words before me and it was not as exciting. I was speed reading again, and did not make the effort to add gestures or music, or interact with my audience, because my audience was myself. I did not feel the need to create any suspense, as the words were right in front of me. What lacked from this experience was the suspense, and captivation of listening to a story as gestures, pauses, and interactions that would go with saying this story out loud, were missing.
My favourite experience was getting my friend to read the story to me. Because my friend had an audience, who was intently listening (me), he made more of an effort to keep me engaged. He paused at the right moments, which created suspense. And he was able to paint a picture of what he was reading with his hands. The oral syntax aspect of it took me on a journey and placed me at the center of the story. It emphasized the polemical and associational literature and let me understand the story and its historical aspect in a “Metamorphosis” way (King 187). The polemical aspect was underlined because reading it out loud emphasized Native values (peace and acceptance, such as not going to war with the King of England, is possible). The Coyote going to the King showed their way of resistance to the invaders. Reading it out loud “recreated the storyteller and the performance” (King 186). In the Youtube video of a TEDxSMU talk show, Seth Fairchild describes how when an Native elder dies, history dies as well with it. And how important it is to hear them, as there is a magical element about it that is important to pass down.
Overall, the story was more inviting and engaging while listening to someone read it out loud. What is interesting that I learned from another Tedx Talk, is that hormones and neurotransmitters are released, the same ones you experience when you are in love, during storytelling. Storytelling is powerful, and it feels good. Perhaps that is why there is a connection and engagement that is lacking in written language, that is evident in oral storytelling.
Works Cited
Fairchild, Seth. “Native American Oral Storytelling & History.” TedxSMU, Youtube, 3 Nov. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JcKbN_GjCE.
King, Thomas. “Godzilla vs. Post-Colonial.” Unhomely States: Theorizing English-Canadian Postcolonialism. Mississauga, ON: Broadview, 2004. 183- 190.
Phillips, David JP. “The Magical Science of Storytelling.” TedxStockholm, Youtube, 16 Mar. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj-hdQMa3uA.
Robinson, Harry. “Coyote Makes a Deal with the King Of England.” Living by Stories: a Journey of Landscape and Memory. Ed. Wendy Wickwire. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2005. 64-85.