Storytelling (Wanda J. Franklin & Joanne Kilgour Dowdy)

        Some would view storytelling as a process with a beginning, middle and concludes with a moral or message towards life. From the small to big, stories contribute  details to our everyday endeavors. In each day, we have a story! Something happens, something new, something to tell. We all are storytellers.

        In Storytelling, Joanne Kilgour Dowdy emphasizes different purposes of storytelling. Dowdy focuses on subjects such as culture, spirituality and history to show the various ways that stories could be told, but still have the same message or meaning behind them. Wanda J. Franklin confirmed Dowdy's views on storytelling by sharing her own tales from her childhood. For example, Franklin tells a story about the myth of  "Tongue Brought Me Here". She heard the fable from both her father and her pastor. Each having the same message of 'think before you speak' but being told a different way. Dowdy also goes to show that stories are just not meant to be told for entertainment but also to be applied to your everyday life. Franklin gives another example of a lesson taught through storytelling. Franklin's mother as a young girl was told not to go into the cornfields when the stalks were moving.One day her mother decided to see why the cornstalks were moving and no wind was blowing. She soon realized that there were men hiding in the cornstalks ready to sexually attack those who decided to investigate. She ran home and explain to her mother what happened. Her mother replied, " Never go into the cornfields when the cornstalks are moving" (125). This shows that stories can be used as tools for teaching lessons.

        Storytelling  is applied to our everyday lives. Just talking to a friend about the day's occurrences  is a form of storytelling. Storytelling is  a cornerstone in African American heritage. It attributes to our history and culture as people.Sharing anecdotes is a way to express. It is vibrant, meaningful and fun. Storytelling will forever be prominent in communities and because everyday somebody has something to tell, storytelling will never cease to exist.