Reflection on Storytelling

Oftentimes when we think of impactful literature, we tend to think of Shakespeare, Hemingway, Twain, etc. Notice the pattern? All of these writers are western, white men. Until this course, I would have agreed with this idea that these are some of the most impactful writers in the word --being that those are the main writers I have been exposed to. However, after taking this course, I now realize that women’s writing (from varying places) has even farther reaching effects across the globe. The struggles women face in terms of social, political, and economic issues are relatable to over half the globe --being that women make up 51% of the world’s population-- so it makes sense to me why women’s writing is so impactful. The aspect of women’s writing that is especially impactful and that resonated with me throughout the entirety of this course, is the creative ability of storytelling. This distinctive ability allows the author to connect with the readers by appealing to their emotions as well as their morals. Throughout this class, we heard many different women writers’ stories and how their gender and race impacted their personal experiences/stories. The posts that I have included in my commonplace book, along with the materials we used in class, further explain how significant storytelling is, and specifically how significant it has been for my learning throughout this course. 

My first post in my commonplace book gives concrete evidence as to how effective storytelling is for humans on a broad level. It demonstrates how stimulating storytelling is for the human brain which is why I think it is a key aspect of facilitating learning, specifically in this course. I picked this post to go first in my blog because I think it gives a more scientific foundation to build off of. Oftentimes, when one tries to make an argument based on pure opinion, outsiders that are not that familiar with the topic we are discussing, are less likely to listen. However, with a more scientific based approach here, more people will readily accept my thoughts on how helpful storytelling is for learning. Specifically in this image, there are many arrows that point to different parts of the brain that are being activated while listening to a story. Evidently, using multiple parts of your brain makes for more effective thinking, and thus more learning. Stories also provide a more pleasurable way to learn, which is proven simply due to the fact that dopamine (a chemical connected to pleasure) is released while listening. This post also helped me realize that storytelling also helps the listener and storyteller come to a mutual understanding on a deeper internal level (neural coupling). This makes it easier for the listener to empathize with the storyteller and even simply understand the storyteller’s experience better in order to learn more effectively for themselves. This systematic approach to understand the importance of storytelling may seem a little counter-intuitive --being that storytelling is supposed to be more creative, rather than systematic-- but I think it allows for a concrete foundation on which many can build their understanding of the significance of stories. Overall, stories open our minds to accepting experiences different from our own because they allow us to see a different version of the truth. 

Another aspect of storytelling that heavily contributed to improving my learning during this course, was the idea of “the danger of a single story.” Prolific Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie is credited with this idea. Through her own storytelling, she shares her personal experience with the danger of storytelling, and furthermore how her experience is representative of an even larger issue when one only hears one side to a story. Now while that statement may seem contradictory to what I have claimed thus far, it does actually help develop my point further. Adichie shares her story about how she grew up writing about white western families and included elements that were very characteristic to the western world, like ginger beer, despite the fact that she lived in Nigeria. She explains how her writing was inspired by all of the books she had been exposed to as a child, which only encompassed western, white men authors. This realization she had shed light on a broader issue that not only opened my mind for this course, but for my future courses to come as well. Her realization being that hearing things from only one point of view promotes ignorance and just simply misunderstanding of people of other cultures, races, religions, etc. Understanding that stories shape societies all over the world is important, but it is also important to remember that multiple stories need to be shared, so multiple voices can be heard and different points of view can be understood. This way, more holistic approaches can be taken to various social, political, and economic issues. Chimamanda Adichie articulated a concept so complex in such a simple way, that my learning has permanently been altered. When hearing pretty much any story, I now question what other people’s perspectives on the issue would sound like, and even actively seek them out. Previously, I would not have even considered thinking beyond one story, which likely kept my learning very limited. Although a simple concept, Chimamanda Adichie opened my eyes to a whole new avenue of learning in this course and beyond.

In my commonplace book, I incorporated a post about a quote from Jean-Luc Godard that helped spur my learning as well. This quote from Godard states, “Sometimes reality is too complex. Stories give it form.” I included this simple idea because it gives insight as to how storytelling can be understood to be a different way to think about the truth. Everyone who tells a story is doing so in a way that they believe to be a true representation of their experiences. Now while many peoples’ stories of the same event may be described differently, it doesn’t take away from any individual’s story, or make his/her story less true. Godard’s words made me think about how valuable a story is to learning because it gives such  specific insight, whereas what we often refer to as “reality” can be much too convoluted to comprehend. 

Wanting to share your story is one thing, but feeling obligated to tell it gives the idea of storytelling a whole new meaning. Now by “feeling obligated” I do not intend for that to have a negative connotation, I simply mean that some stories are so powerful, and need to be heard to inspire learning, that some people should feel obligated to tell them. I think Chimamanda Adiche’s story clearly demonstrates this idea because her story has the power to alter acceptance of different cultures and races all around the world. It made me rethink almost every preconceived notion I had of races or religions other than my own and question if they were fair --just based on a brief TED Talk. One of the posts I shared in my commonplace book is consistent with the idea of a story needing to be told. This post appears to be a sketch of a father and his child with the text “We owe it to each other to tell stories” written above them. Although the actual wording itself is not forceful, using the image to connect the idea of the importance of family with telling stories is quite powerful. This idea really impacted my learning because I realized without parents telling their kids their own stories we would have little to no lessons to learn from. Traditionally, when thinking of learning one thinks of sitting in a classroom and listening to a professor lecture. However, since in this course each student learned individually at home I found myself not only engaging with the professor online, but with my parents and sibling in person at home about the course. This really helped to improve my learning because I heard perspectives of all different ages on the social and political issues we learned in class, from sources that I quite obviously trust. On top of that, then I heard my family member’s own stories that related to the issues we discussed in class, like intersectionality, and it opened my mind to even further learning. Overall, this post combined the importance of the familial connection with the importance of stories which was different from what I had previously seen, but still very impactful. 

Throughout Women’s Writing Worldwide, the power of storytelling has proven to be noteworthy in terms of improving one’s learning. My commonplace book demonstrates this idea. All of the posts in my commonplace book suggest that the creative nature of storytelling allows for this method of communication to be effective in informing while simultaneously entertaining listeners. In doing this, the way in which people learn can be much more effective, and allow for much more creative thinking than ever before. Therefore, the importance of storytelling is clear not only in this course, but in everyday life outside of this course as well. 

I perceived this image differently than how my classmate did, but I think both of our perceptions are useful in honing in on how important storytelling is. Although my classmate related the more blasé side of the brain to be “school reading” and the right side to be “reading for pleasure,” I think this image can be representative of the effects storytelling has on the brain. In other words, when one is taking in a story, his/her brain turns into looking more like the right side as opposed to the left. This shows the positive effects storytelling has on an individual, and how those positive effects make stories more impactful than other forms of communication because they are more enjoyable for the listener. 

This week we discussed the impact of storytelling. I chose this picture because it made me think how most of the time, reading for school is much different than reading for pleasure. Reading for pleasure feels like exactly what it is, relaxing and satisfying. On the other hand, reading assigned texts can sometimes feel like a job and something I may dread doing. What I have realized is that no matter what the purpose of reading is, a great story will always be a fulfilling event, it allows us to understand ourselves better, show greater empathy towards others, and offer insight into other peoples’ world views. (something this class has definitely made me better at) 

The quote is extremely similar to one that I have previously posted, stated by Steve Jobs. I think Robert McKee gets across a very similar point to what Steve Jobs had. That point being, the person telling the story holds the most power. As people listen to your story you have the power to influence their beliefs, in whatever way you choose. Using this power is significant to talk about issues you value so other people can think about them, and ultimately find them to be important as well. 

To wrap up our last week I feel like some attention to the concept of storytelling is deserved. At the beginning of multiple articles we read this semester was the author telling the audience that she is a storyteller, including the two TedTalks we watched this week. It’s important to recognize the significance of that statement in relation to the topic of feminism these authors write and speak about. In the Perusall annotations there were several comments explaining that storytelling is more than just entertainment, but it is about listening and reflecting. People wouldn’t know the stories they do about the array of violence and crime around the world if we didn’t have storytellers to communicate them to different audiences. Listening and reflecting upon these situations leads to reform and movements if you get enough recognition. Huge problems would go unknown of by so many different communities if we didn’t have people to communicate it, and they’d weigh down on society and negatively affect populations with many different intersections. Not only would hearing these stories make us more aware and sympathetic, but they can change people’s opinions and expand one’s knowledge of an obscure or underrated issue that needs attention. Feminism wouldn’t be where it is today making more and more better changes to society if we didn’t have powerful women writers and speakers to share their experiences in life to make the world more accepting and helpful. This is something we as a class should recognize as important to the topics we have been studying because without storytellers, we wouldn’t have learned anything this summer or became aware of societal issues that are in need of recognition and reform.

This post captured the importance of storytelling in a way that relates to my focus that I had not previously thought of. Keeping in mind that this picture appears to be of a father and his child, by thinking about how important this familial bond is, I realized that stories are what can strengthen this bond. Whether it be bedtime stories or even life lessons, the passionate emotion that each story is explained with often resonates with the child and allows him/her to form a closer bond with his/her parent. I often thought how powerful stories are that they can form a new bond amongst strangers. However, I now realize that stories can further strengthen a pre-existing bond as well, which is what makes them so important. 

Since the TED talks this week we’re focused on storytelling, I choose this photo. This photo reminds how important it is to tell stories to one another because it allows us to grow and better understand one another. Without stories the world would be a dull place.

This post highlights the fact that stories are lived experiences, and through our lived experiences --that we share-- we can better understand others. This simple idea is exactly what makes storytelling so significant, and furthermore gives us purpose. By hearing other stories and relating to them, we can empathize with others, or even abolish our preconceived notions of others to establish a greater sense of understanding among us. 

This week we mainly talked about stories. Stories provides us with not just a sense of purpose but lets us day dream, believe in something, fight for something. There is so much more behind stories than we may understand or grasp. Hearing the TedTalks provided to us this week were inspiring and great knowledge to have for the future. 

This simple, yet effective quote demonstrates how impactful storytelling is in our society. The power the storyteller holds is quite a lot in our society because we place a lot of value on personal experience and the emotion that comes along with it. Also, the fact that Steve Jobs was credited for saying this proves how impactful a storyteller is. Oftentimes, when Americans think of successful people we think of billionaire and Apple cofounder, Steve Jobs. Therefore, we are likely to really value his opinion, since he was so successful. That opinion being that stories convey meaningful messages and for that very reason, the storyteller holds a lot of power.  

While we talked about the power of storytelling this week, I couldn’t agree more with this quote. Stories have the power to make people cry, to laugh, to challenge someones preconceived notions. Storytelling has the power to help someone grow and understand things better.

This source is not only extremely relevant to my focus, but is also relevant to this course as a whole. This brief article discusses how significant women telling their stories is, which is precisely what this course is about, understanding issues through a woman’s lens. This article elaborates on the significance of perspective, and even more specifically, just how unique a woman’s perspective is. As it summarizes in the article, by telling stories we further understand ourselves and can effectively empathize with others. 

Since we are talking about women and storytelling this week, I found this interesting article that relates to our class materials. I love the part about storytelling and self affirmation. Telling our stories let us understand ourselves better, and helps us practice self-love. It can also encourage other women to express themselves knowing they are not alone.

This graphic demonstrates just how dynamic stories are. They aid in all kinds of things like: marketing, experience, history, content, creativity, sharing, emoting, and communicating (as shown here). Through all of these different things, it is clear that stories can reach many different audiences, which is precisely what makes them so valuable. Since stories can be passed along to many different people, it is clear that this all encompassing term is prominent in today’s society whether we acknowledge its relevance --which we should-- or not.  

For this weeks post I chose this picture because we talked about the power of storytelling. Story telling is so powerful and such an instrumental part of our lives. It gives us emotion, provides communicatio, and aids at history. Overall the power of story telling is a force to be reckoned with.

This very simple graphic is clearly relevant to my focus: storytelling. By emphasizing this simple point, that everyone has a story, it demonstrates the significance of perspective. For example, many people could have witnessed the same event, but it is not likely that everyone that you ask about it that was there will recall it in the same way. Vantage point, emotion, etc. all play a role in someone’s version of the story. None of these things make someone’s story untrue, just makes it different. 

In most of our readings it was mainly listening to different people’s stories and perspectives. Stories are a way to not only escape but a way to connect to others. People need to understand though that everyone’s story always frame themselves as the hero. Many of us want others to symbolize with our choices but understanding more about the individual. With this in mind I recommend understanding not only the story’s message but true intent. 

Sometimes reality is too complex. Stories give it form.

                      _ Jean-Luc Godard (French film director)

                       from https://thestorytelleragency.com/goodreads/50-best-quotes-for-storytelling

Storytelling has served to entertain and to transmit knowledge from one generation to the next and has no doubt come to be appreciated by cultures the world over. In fact, the power to capture the imagination with words is so revered that in the Native American cultures, for example, in deciding its leader, the tribe will often select the  best storyteller among them.

More than the traditional attempt to entertain or to transmit a culture, the writers we have come across this semester have taken their art form one step further and have made their world more accessible. In the tales they recount, they not only seek to move us to imagine worlds not our own: they have forced us to contemplate complex universes that are vastly different from our own, while time they  ask us to recognize the humanity in the other. And yes, they help us to better understand the complex issues … and to act.

(via hpusol21wwworldwide)

(Couldn’t get it to separate for some reason) 

This is my (Maggie) short paragraph explaining why it is relevant:

This simple quote taken from Jean-Luc Godard perfectly captures how impactful a story is since it comes from a specific point of view. Understanding that point of view allows the reader to compare it to others surrounding the storyteller, but they get “the inside scoop” from the storyteller, so they can understand conflicts and what not from the storyteller directly.

What Godard refers to as reality here, is in fact too complex in my opinion. It is hard to observe a specific experience from every perspective, it makes it less personal, and therefore carries less meaning with the reader or listener. Overall, the point of view that comes with the telling of the story is exactly what gives the story its “character.”

This graphic helps to give a more scientific insight as to why listening to stories is so effective for humans. By directly referring to specific chemicals that are impacted by storytelling in this graphic, the viewer understands just how important stories are for cognition. Although not a very accurate depiction of the brain, this image also shows how numerous different different parts of the brain are active when a human is listening to a story. Therefore proving how significant storytelling is for “brain exercise,” overall thought stimulation, and just simply relating to other people.  

This week we discussed the importance of story telling. Storytelling has a huge impact on the person we become. It brings opportunities of knowledge from previous stories and generations. Stories have the ability to transport us to the time and place of a significant event. I choose to discuss this because I think that stories are so crucial to the people we become. At school reading is for learning but on our own time it is for pleasure during our free time. I personally love to read books at the beach, I find it very relaxing and I tend to enjoy reading more when I am at the beach.