Frodo: I can’t do this, Sam.
Sam: I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo… and it’s worth fighting for.
Campfires, popcorn, a warm drink and a comfy blanket. Adventure, royalty, magic. From the comfort of our homes we are able to engage in the lives of people either fictional or real, and escape from the stress of our daily lives and for a moment be transported to Middle-earth, King Arthur’s England or fighting the Klingons with the crew of the Enterprise. Why do we need stories in our lives in their various forms? When mankind first began telling stories of great deeds, they were told orally, passed down from generation to generation. They told of the difference between right and wrong, of the heroics of great men and women, they were used to inspire values and to motivate the hearers. So often we get caught up in our own little world that we don’t take the time to enjoy these great works of art, old and new, book or movie. What made King Arthur so great? Why do we still read about him and make movies about his perilous ventures? And you see, stories are what pull us together and help us create community and identity with each other. In our fast paced, technology dominated culture, we must remember and realize our need for stories, in society, the effects it has on children, as a way to deal with our emotions, and the several mediums of storytelling.
Over the centuries we have accumulated a voluminous collection of Great Stories, as Tolkien called them, each gathering together those who identify with the characters and circumstances involved. As children we need stories to help develop as human beings, learning how we should interact with others, how to dream big and how to overcome the impossible. In an article on the Forbes website, author Steve Denning points that the reason why storytelling is so effective is due to its seemingly irrelevance to the rest of life. He says they are more effective than statistics, power-points, and other means of communication deemed more sophisticated then storytelling. Think back to the speech or lecture that has stuck with you the longest, it probably had a powerful story that meant something to you. Additionally the way we relate to stories effects how we relate to each other. While some stories seem unrealistic in their portrayal of society, they are the ones we remember and strive towards in our daly lives, helping us to deal with coworkers, governments and familial issues. Through a well told story we are able to retain information better and to grasp difficult concepts that would have otherwise alluded our understanding. When teaching history, each event sticks with students better when it is taught through the use of storytelling instead of the dry presentation of facts. Even some of the most effective speeches given in history used language that is generally pushed to the narrative genre, like Martin Luther King Jr’s I Dreamed a Dream speech.
This is the kind of language that inspires. Language that inspires children as well as adults. Which is why reading with children and babies is so important. Reading with babies and young children helps them develop language skills and increases their chances at academic success. Studies have been done that show that when kids are read to on a regular basis they have a better imagination and have a greater grasp of oral narrative. The habit of hearing beautiful tales of far away places allow children to hear language on a consistent basis and to hear the child’s primary language in its most beautiful form. Stories like Peter Rabbit and The Chronicles of Narnia are gorgeously written and inspire children to strive for greater aspirations. Teaching them that it is better to be kind than to be cruel, that love is greater than hate, and that humility is better than vanity. Reading also helps children to develop and deepen relationships, connecting the child with the adult who is reading to them. As far as the studies show at this point it is uncertain whether it is important who reads to the child; however the researchers hope to be discover if there is some connection between the reader and the hearer. Having stories to lean back on to navigate their way through their daily lives and allow them to be kids in a world that is desperately trying to take that away from them is vital.
This is also true for adults. Not only do they allow us to cope with daily stresses, providing us with hope that things will get better, but they provide us with a safe place to feel. Shannon Turlington points out in her blog that it is within the context and security of a story that we can explore new emotions and revisit old ones, allowing for healing and empathy to grow. Whether you are dealing with the lost of a loved one through death or a severed relationship a well timed story helps with the pain, bringing healing even if you don’t see it right away. As adults in a world that has so much pain and darkness, a person needs a well timed reminder that there is some good left in this world and it is worth fighting for.
Storytelling has had an interesting history. It started out as an oral tradition and transition to the hieroglyphics and later to the written word. Art and music are forms of storytelling as well. In today’s world of technology movies have taken their place among the ranks. Movies take the written and spoken word, music, and pictures and uses all the different mediums to tell a story in a way that would not be as effective in another form. Books develop your imagination and your language skills, in addition to the fantastic smell of a good old book.
Stories are important to every culture. King Arthur is an important part of English culture and society, the way the Cowboys inspire Americans, and how Homer’s Odyssey inspired the Greeks. Take time today and for every tomorrow to enjoy a good story, remembering that what makes the people in those stories so amazing is that they had every chance of turning back only they didn’t. That you too have that capability as well, it is not just the people in stories that are brave and strong. So pick up a book, put in a movie, listen to music and go look at art, and pay attention to what the storyteller is telling you.
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