"Why tell stories?"
"What is the importance of storytelling?"
These are two questions I really thought about when watching this video. Storytelling, to my previous understanding, was a way to recount a funny event or a family's history. After interning here at massmouth, I've come to acknowledge that telling stories is much more than that. It is a way to accept the past and move forward. It is a way to realize that everyone has a story, even if you think you don't.
I also think that telling stories should be a continued tradition. Without storytelling, there would be no stories. Oral storytelling began the tall tales, the myths, and the eventual written word. Without it, we would not have poetry or books, and we probably not a have a need to recognize the importance of storytelling here at massmouth. I find that our story slams and high school workshops are really valuable; they are a tool to express the importance of storytelling. The importance of storytelling is a clear cycle; it continues the oral tradition of relaying experiences, myths and every day events.
"Why tell stories?"
"What is the importance of storytelling?"
Because without it, we would not have books or films or television. Without a way to express ourselves, we would be without words. Storytelling affects everything from the way we think to the way we recount an event that happened earlier in the day. Our programs at massmouth enforce this from the workshops we have at various high schools to the workshops we have for adults about how to tell a good story in a short amount of time. Storytelling also brings together people who may not have realized they share similar backgrounds or life experiences. Watching that connection is such an amazing thing to see, showing people that they share more things in common than they previously thought.
Rachel Simon is the Spring 2012 intern for massmouth, inc. and is a senior at Lesley College majoring in Creative Writing. She has been telling stories in one form or another since she was five.
