Queen died and King died. Fact. Queen died and Kind died of a broken heart [E.M. Forster]. Story. Intrigue. Which one is the most memorable do you think – fact or story? Stories are inherent in us humans from the day we are born when parents or other loved ones retell fairy-tales, playground buddies sharing their latest feats, wedding speeches explaining how the bride and groom fell in love, to grand dad sharing his fishing-tales. Think back to your own schooling, what do you remember the most, the pH value of blood’, the causes of the English Civil War, how to deconstruct text or when a teacher told you that in 1943 a British bomber navigated to the wrong country and only realised that he was in fact flying over Stockholm after he had dropped his first cluster (no one was injured, a church wall and statue did regrettably not make it however). Or maybe you would be more inclined to remember that… There is a story there somewhere. The more cynical of us would probably say that stories are just narratives that provide nothing more than fleeting, however lovely, memories but not essential facts. But, facts will become more powerful, more memorable if they are placed in context and delivered with emotional impact (podcasting is one way of creating stories which contain both elements). Using stories encourages memory because, in a way, we remember through stories. D. Norman’s brilliant book Things that Make us Smart (1994) points out that:
He wanted to dig his kumara garden, but it was very hard work.
His only son, Hone, who used to help him, was in Paremoremo prison.
The man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament.
I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won’t be able to
plant my kumara garden this year.
I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot.
If you were here, all my troubles would be over.
I know you would dig the plot for me.
Aroha nui
Papa
A few days later he received a letter from his son.
E Pa,
For God’s sake! Don’t dig up that garden, that’s where I buried the BODIES.
Love
Hone
At 4am the next morning, Gisborne C.I.B and the local police showed up
with a search warrant and dug up the entire area without finding any
bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the man
received another letter from his son.
E Pa,
Go ahead and plant the Kumara.
That’s the best I could do under the circumstances.
Love
Hone
Beginning, Middle and End.It was lonely at the very beginning but suddenly, in one large blast, everything appeared. Things moved around, linked up, slid into place. That was when they met, migrated north and made new friends. They learned new languages. In the end, they couldn’t cope living together so they fought. Forever.
Any idea which story it is?
The following story was written by one of my A-Level students after the end of a unit on Russian history:
The Grey Blur
Once upon a time there was a boy named Djugashvili. A quiet little chap who dreamt of heroic tales. Became religious, revolutionary, killed lots of soldiers. Then became rather famous. Killed lots of farmers, produced lots of tractors, maybe won WII, built large wall, built many statues, killed lots. Died.
As you can imagine it requires great skills to be able to evaluate what needs to be included to make the min-Saga come alive, analyse the relationships within and between individuals and events as well as sequence of events, dialogues or other matters needed, to finally synthesise a whole topic area to fit within the framework of the mini-Saga. These are also particularly successfully used if they stick to two basic ideas:
- Keep them obvious
- Keep them cryptic
- Guess who is involved
- What the story might refer to e.g. a particular event, topic or theme etc.
- Evaluate what else could be included; perhaps something has been left out?
Connect: