Folk Tales

Stories of a People

Folk tales are stories that teach a

lesson and are passed down orally

to each generation.

There are several types of folk tales:

Type of Folk Tale Example Purpose

Folk Tale

Tall Tale/Legend

Myth

Fable

Ballad

Nursery Rhyme

Literary Terms

• Motif—an element of a story that is used in many stories from many cultures– Ex—the damsel in distress; the wicked

stepmother; trickster tales

• Denotation—the dictionary definition of a word

• Connotation—your personal definition of a word

Connotations of a Snake

Connotations of a Trickster

The Magic Number

The number shows up again and

again in many different stories.

Examples:

More Literary Terms

Colloquialism—informal speech; slang

Dialect—the way people from certain areas speak, including expressions and accents

Accent—the way people pronounce words

“Brer Possum’s Dilemma” Questions—page 597

1. List three examples of the magic number from this story.

2. What dialect does this story sound like?

“Brer Rabbit and Brer Lion” Questions—page 575

1. List two examples of the magic number from this story.

2. What dialect is used in this story? Explain how this is possible if this story came from Africa.

Tall Tales

A tall tale is a story, sometimes

about real people, that has been

exaggerated

Literary Term

Hyperbole—an extreme exaggeration

The King of the Wild Frontier

Davy Crockett was a real frontiersman

and a hero of the Alamo.

The Whigs created these tall tales

about him because they wanted to get

him elected to Congress.

Davy Is Born Questions

1. List five examples of hyperbole.

2. What two statements do you think the authors included specifically to make people think Davy Crockett would be a good Congressman?

Davy and the Frozen Dawn

• Read this story independently.

• Underline examples of hyperbole.

• Keep this story in your notebook.

“Paul Bunyan’s Cornstalk” Question—page 188 (blue)

1. List three examples of hyperbole.

2. What does this story explain about our world?

Irony

Irony is when what happens is different from

what you expect to happen. It is often used

to create humor.

Ex—It would be ironic for a teacher to tell a loud class to speak up because she can’t hear them.

3 Types of Irony

Verbal Irony is when what is said is different

from what is expected.

Situational Irony is when the events of a

story are different from what is expected.

Dramatic Irony is when the audience knows

things the characters do not.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is clues in a story that let

you know what will happen later.

Irony in “The Ransom of Red Chief”

Verbal irony—

Situational irony—

Dramatic irony—

Foreshadowing in “Red Chief”

Fables

Fables are very short stories that teach

a lesson. They usually have talking

animals.

Giving animals human characteristics,

like talking, is called personification.

Aesop’s Fables

Aesop is the most famous fable writer.

He lived in Greece 2500 years ago and

wrote these fables to warn politicians

about their bad behaviors.

Some of his most famous fables are “The

Tortoise and the Hare” and “The Lion and

the Mouse.”

Fable Questions

1. Name the story.

2. What is the lesson of this story?

3. What animals are in the story? And why do you think he chose these animals to be in his story?

Writing a Fable

• List 2 or 3 annoying behaviors:

• List potential animals:

Your Fable Must Include…

• 1-3 animals that match the characteristics they represent

• A title that names the animals you used

• Dialogue (talking) for each animal

• 100-300 words

• A sentence with the lesson at the end

Folk Tale Quiz 1• Tuesday, December 4• Includes questions about “Brer Possum,”

“Coyote Steals the Sun & Moon,” “Brer Lion,” “The Lion and the Mouse,” “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” Davy Crockett, Paul Bunyan, and “The Ransom of Red Chief.”

• Includes definitions of all terms we discussed so far (i.e. irony, personification)