“Is there any merit in the reader’s response to raw nature, regardless of whether the familiar language we use to communicate is absent?” By contemplating this line in Madeleine Pikes blog and considering the question articulated by Professor Sexson of “how do you know what you know, until you see what you say” (Dr. Sexson), I instantly considered the power of story science. Throughout the course of this class we will be exploring numerous infamous pieces of literature that have illustrated the magnificent power of human imagination to decipher the natural world enveloping us. This is exemplified through great philosophers and literary pieces however I believe that it is essential to examine the foundation of all stories which is in the form of Native American traditions and ancient myth. Native American myths are an ideal representation of the response towards raw nature. Story science “is an approach to understanding issues in communities and within individuals. It is accomplished by achieving insight through an oral narrative that is an integral part of how Indigenous peoples perceive their world” [i]. These stories are the principal model for examining the community surrounding them and developing a greater level of understanding that creates positive changes in perception of the village members. It is through this basic framework of oral narrative that Native American’s obtain an ingrained belief system that modifies the behavior to create a supportive system for the community. Ancient fables are also a principal source in utilizing aspects of nature to illustrate human morals
An example of a fable that stands out in my mind is a narrative from Ancient Greece that recounts a tale of an interaction between a house dog and a wolf. The tale begins with a well fed domestic dog and a starving wolf having a chance meeting one night in the forest. The wolf questions the dog, probing on how he managed to stay so healthy and plump. The dog replies by inviting the wolf to his master’s home and there explains the relationship that he has with his native family. The dog reveals that in exchange for food he guards his master’s household every night from thieves and other dangerous elements. The wolf fancies this situation but then notices a scar on the dog’s neck and inquires on the source of the mark. The dog explains that the mark was caused by a chain that he is required to wear during the day to insure that he does not run away. Upon hearing this news the wolf starts to walk away and when the dog poses on why he is leaving, the wolf replies stating “He would rather have ‘lean freedom’ than ‘fat slavery.’” [ii]
This can be further emphasized by comparing the story of “The Wolf and the House Dog” to Ibsen’s play-write “An Enemy of the People.” The character of the wolf parallels the character of Dr.Stockkman and his struggle for justice and freedom against the masses. “The strongest man in the world is he who stands most alone”[iii]. The native tale exemplifies a reoccurring man versus societal struggle that has been a conflict in every time period throughout human existence. It is the fight against human nature’s initial instinct to settle for a comfortable living supported upon a faulty unjust foundation instead of living righteously on simpler means.
I consider ancient fables and Native storytelling to have the potential to be related to all forms of analysis of the world and any methods used by humans to decipher it. The creative mind is limitless but human beings continually look towards nature and the animal spirit in order to reflect upon the “truth” of human life. This can be depicted further by the three biographical fragments investigated first by Scholes Destry Scholes and later by Phineas G. Nanson in the Biographer’s Tale. What do a taxonomist, a statician, and a dramatist all have in common? Each famous individual was on a quest to find “order” through their own unique means of perception. Imagination is not a monotonous entity; “For she was the maker of the song she sang” [iv] the ‘song’ or imaginative spirit Stevens’ portrays in his poem “The Idea of Order at Key West” is formed from no other source than the ‘maker’.
I find the power that a story can potentially have on an individual, society, or the world to be incredible. The form of the story is not what is important but the reaction that the story establishes. It could be a fictional piece of literature, a scientific article, a myth, religious text, poetry, a song, a biography, or even art. It may contain truth, half truth, or no truth whatsoever but the impact can be identical. Stories are the cornerstone to human imaginative existence and despite the portrayal of an individual’s ideas it is not the form of creativity that is significant but the mind behind it.
[i] Innovation
[ii] Aesop’s Fables “The Wolf and the House Dog” http://www.aesopfables.com/cgi/aesop1.cgi?sel&TheDogandtheWolf
[iii]Ibsen “An Enemy of the People http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/h-ibsen/enemy-people.pdf
[iv] W. Stevens “The Idea of Order at Key West” http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/Poetry/Stevens/The_Idea_of_Order_at_Key_West.html
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