TRICKSTER NARRATIVES
Trickster Narratives.
This is a story in which a character plays uses his
wit or tricks to fool or cheat other characters. The character who tricks the
others is called a trickster. It is normally a small animal or a weaker animal
that is despised by others but is very intelligent. Animals such as hare,spider
and foxes are depicted as tricksters in many stories The character that is
tricked is called a dupe. They are normally big or powerful but depicted as
gullible .They include animals such as lions,elephants,crocodiles and hyenas.
The Crow and the Fox is an example of a trickster
narrative.
Features of Trickster Narratives
1. The
trickster uses wits or trickery to cheat the others
2. The
dupe is always gullible as he readily does what they are told to do
3. They
communicate issues of betrayal and deception
4. The
underlying message is that intelligence is better than physical strength and
size
5. They
tend to mock human behaviour especially those in authority by portraying them
in a humourous manner.
Events in a Trickster Narrative
Most tricksters start with a level of trust built
between the trickster and the dupe. This is the exposition. We are told of how
the two are close friends or have a strong relationship.
The next event is always driven by jealousy or greed.
The trickster desires to have something that the dupe has. This is the rising
action.
The next event is the trickery itself. The trickster
uses his wits to outsmart the dupe who easily falls for the trap. This is the climax.
The next event is the outcome of the trickery. The
trickster succeeds or the dupe cries foul.
The last event in the story is the moral of the story.
What does one learn from that story.
Characters in Trickster Narratives
In most tricksters,
there is always a trickster and the dupe. Like mentioned earlier, the trickster
plays tricks on the dupe. These characters help develop the plot of the story
as they pass its main moral. We use adjectives to describe the way they have
been brought in the story. Is the trickster cunning,loving,deceptive? These are
what we call character traits.
To identify their
character traits, one should focus on the following:
i.Actions of the
character. Based on what their actions what can we say about their character?
Based on the action of the fox of snatching the cheese
from the crow, we can tell that the fox is greedy. He is driven by his desire
to eat the cheese that belongs to the crow.
ii. Dialogue or direct speech. What does the character
say about themselves or other characters? From what they say and how they say
it,we can tell their character.
For instance the fox’s words ‘That’s for me, as I am a fox’ shows
that fox is selfish and proud. He believes the cheese should be his not the
crow’s.
iii. The description by the narrator. The narrator can
say somethings about the characters in the story that give us hint about their
characters.’ The crow
lifted up her head and began to caw her best’ this description of the crow by
the narrator shows that she is gullible. She readily caws to the fox without
knowing that she has cheese in her beak.
Moral
lessons in Tricksters.
Tricksters
communicate both vices and virtues. They seem to suggest that wisdom is key in
every decision making and that betrayal is bad.
That it is important to always rationalize situations as appearance or
nice speeches alone do not determine one’s true character. The story of the fox
and the crow for instance teach that those who like praises can easily be
fooled.
It is
always important to state the moral lessons in positive sentences. For example,
we learn that appearance can be deceiving instead of we learn that we should
trust people based on their appearance.
Read the narrative below and answer the questions that
follow:
The Clever Hare and the Greedy Hyena
Long ago, in a vast savanna, Hare and Hyena were neighbors. Hyena was big and
strong, but also greedy and lazy, while Hare was small but very clever.
One dry season, food became scarce, and Hyena complained, “Hare, my
friend, I am starving! You must help me find food.”
Hare thought for a moment and said, “I know a place with plenty of meat,
but you must follow my instructions carefully.”
Hyena’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Where is it?” he asked eagerly.
Hare led Hyena to a farmer’s compound, where fresh meat was hanging
outside to dry. “This is the place,” whispered Hare. “But be careful! The
farmer and his dogs are inside.”
Hyena licked his lips. “Let’s take the meat quickly!”
Hare shook his head. “No, Hyena. I will go first and take just a little.
If you take too much, the farmer will catch us.”
Hare jumped up, grabbed a small piece of meat, and ran away. Hyena,
however, was too greedy. He grabbed a huge chunk and, in his excitement,
knocked over the drying rack.
BANG!
The noise woke up the farmer and his fierce dogs. “Thief! Thief!” the
farmer shouted.
Hyena tried to run, but the meat was too heavy. The dogs caught him and
chased him all the way to the forest. Meanwhile, Hare sat safely on a tree
branch, laughing at Hyena’s foolishness.
From that day on, Hyena learned to be less greedy, and Hare remained the
cleverest animal in the land.
i.
What features make this story a trickster?
ii.
Describe the character traits of the following:
Hare
Hyena
iii.
Summarize the events in the story.
iv.
What is the moral lesson that we learn from this
story?
Comments
Post a Comment