American Literature--Shared Folk Tales and the Oral Tradition

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Commonalities/Signatures in African-American Folk Tales (and most likely Folk Tales in General)

--Uses Simple Story Structure

(easy to remember to be passed down through generations)

--Expresses Community Values

--Utilizes Repetition

(again, easy to remember)

--Often Uses the Rule of Three Structure

(the journey or quest in which the main character seeks something important)

--Attempts to Explain the Unexplainable

--Identifies Acceptable and Unacceptable Behavior

--Exaggerates Events in the Natural World

(for example, people fly, and babies run away from home)

--Often Told in "Code"

(through analogy, metaphor, and fantasy)

--Strives to Entertain

(even while imparting an important moral message)

--Offers Hope to the Oppressed

(even when the situation may seem utterly hopeless)

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