The Importance of Story Telling
During the COVID pandemic, we are quarantining ourselves away from other people regularly. Because we do not get the amount of social interaction we were used to on a daily basis, stories are more important than ever. Some people have more time on their hands to consume stories whether it be through songs, books, podcasts, Netflix, and other streaming services, or Zoom with family and friends. Stories entertain, educate, and unite people. Remember when everyone had an opinion on whether Carol Baskin killed her husband? Stories are a cornerstone of culture- even eulogies, wedding speeches, and church sermons are full of stories.
Songs have that sense of entertainment in that they are fun and have that vibe of escapism from reality. Also, they are a way of expressing your thoughts and feelings in a way that can connect to the audience and in ways that are relatable and able to comprehend the raw emotions presented. In fact, music is a kind of poetry put to a beat and has been seen as therapeutic. Sometimes it is hard to describe a feeling or a challenge in your life, and music can be the best way to express that pain, joy, or challenging moment. An example would be the song “Teardrops on My Guitar” by Taylor Swift. This song shows a story of a time that a boy broke her heart which brings that raw emotion that her fans are able to connect to on a more personal level. In all, songs are stories in that they express parts of your life and all the emotions that everyone has felt at least one time in their lives.
TV shows and movies have been typically seen as pure entertainment, but one can learn much from watching them. In fact, shows and movies can be considered to be quite educational in learning all sorts of lessons in life. For example, the Harry Potter series teaches children and young adults the themes of handling friendships, relationships, and the acceptance of others not exactly like you. In fact, in book four, Hermione mentions treating the house-elves with fairness and kindness, and not like they don’t belong. Similarly, we need to treat everyone with as much fairness and kindness as we can, so that everyone feels accepted and that they belong in this world. In all, TV shows and movies are more than just entertainment and can be very educational for everyone.
Canterbury Tales is centuries old, but even the General Prologue has elements we still see today in modern storytelling. For example, the narrator describes 26 other characters as well as the setting. He also mentions going on a trip to Canterbury which sets up the plot. There are detailed descriptions of characters, but some have more lines devoted to them. This is similar to TV shows, movies, and books that major-minor characters. An example of this would be the show Friends where there are some characters that are in more episodes. This includes Rachel, Joey, Monica, Ross, Phoebe, and Gunther. There are some that are still important to the show but are considered minor which includes Mr. and Mrs. Geller. Overall, the Canterbury Tales and Friends have that common idea of having a plot and some characters that are more lines devoted to them than others while making everyone feel equally important in the creation of the story.
In summation, we are beyond blessed to have unlimited access to entertainment and education in creative ways. Due to the streaming services, ebooks, audiobooks, Zoom, Youtube, and other options we have, our lives have become so much simpler in communication, education, and entertainment all at the click of a button. However, there are factors that are dependent on the availability to access such things. In order to have streaming sites, you need to money and accessibility. That includes having internet and devices that have access to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and more. This also costs even more money. In addition, you must have the interest to want to read, watch tv and movies. There is no use in purchasing something that you probably won’t use due to the lack of interest. Also, you need to be somewhat educated to be able to understand some books and the things you watch on streaming sites. For example, Hamilton is on Disney plus and it can be challenging to understand for those not educated in American history or who don’t have an interest in that subject. In all, stories are in all different styles, but are made for the same purpose: to entertain, grab the audience's attention, and to connect those on a very personal level.
P.S. Carol Baskin killed her husband!
