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Thomas King’s The Truth about Stories illuminates how society is closely “chained to the stories.” King’s narratives have take-away points that cannot and should not be easily pushed aside like the many morals of the stories he writes about. Stories are malleable; we can swiftly switch a paragraph, a phrase, to suit our purposes. Story presentation matters – King uses an Iroquois creation myth and the book of Genesis to illustrate the differences that can encourage a collaborative, more egalitarian worldview or an authoritative, hierarchal one.

King’s writing raised several questions in my mind. How do we change the world with stories? Should a story be fact or fiction, a blend? What is the purpose of the stories I have read and heard? These questions lead to one I feel is most important – Which stories do we have a responsibility to tell?

I feel, like King, that stories such as creation myths or fairytales do in fact shape peoples world view.  For that reason we have to take responsibility for the stories we tell. The United States of America has a national identity with roots in stories from the past. These stories are often very much fiction, for example George Washington and the cherry tree. The identity and “history” of the United States was and continues to be shaped by the stories within it. These stories create a “new natural” that is not necessarily the truth. Often stories romanticize and hide the not-always-pretty truth. In the words of King, stories are often both “medicine and poison.” Often the stories we chose not to tell are the most important because they shame and remind us of things we’d rather forget. After cookies and milk, a parent is not very likely to tell their child about slavery or the nitty gritty details of the fight for women’s suffrage. We tell these stories to create “ethical” citizens. I feel that a more responsible method is to present the child with as much of the truth as possible. This brings up so many parenting issues but that’s not really my point. My point, I think, is to say that we have the responsibility to tell the stories that aren’t nice. Even though I want to change the world in my stories, I don’t necessarily have the right. I recognize many stories as entertainment but even entertainment holds sway in the societal mind.

In closing, I chose a Hawaiian myth in which human beings emerge from the world instead of being created by a preexisting authority.  I chose it because I feel it most closely resembles my conception of the world which is nurtured by my faith in science and the big bang theory. Personally, I feel like the Hawaiian myth promotes a more equal world. Reading over my peers chosen myths, I also feel attracted to the Eygptian concept that Khum is always at his pottery wheel – life changes and continues over time – as opposed to the Judeo-Christian view that life was made in 7 days and then work on it ceased. Thanks for opening up this forum so I have a place to post my long-winded thoughts! See you all in class tomorrow.