How Stories Are Effective Teaching Tools

(and their disadvantages)

By: Erin BotticelliArchType, 1997.ecards.com

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three points 1 , 2 , 3

And three particular stories1001 Nights, The Story of Yingying & The Heptameron

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1: Revel Life Lessons

In 1001 Nights…

The relentless King Shahrayar continuously seeks revenge of his disloyal wife by “swearing to marry a girl a night, only to kill them the next day in order to save himself from the wickedness and cunning of women” (Puchner, et al, p.1182).

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The King’s Vizier’s, “intelligent, knowledgeable, wise, and refined” (pg.1182), daughter, Shahrazad, is certain that if she “begins to tell a story, it will cause the king to stop his practice and save her and the people” (Puchner, et al, p. 1186).

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how will her stories save the people, you ask

• Shahrazad tells a series of stories about the merchant and the demon and they represent “justice and forgiveness”1

– The demon represents the blood & revenge thirsty king, while Shahrazad and the other women represent the merchant who accidently killed the demon’s son.

– In each story the evil people are not killed, they are turned into deers, dogs, or mules & the merchant is sent free because of the kindness of the three old men

1: Arabian Nights. Thompson, Diane. NovaOnline. 2005.11/25/2013

Secondly, in The Story of Yingying

• The narrator tells this heart wrenching love story to his friends so, “they might avoid doing such a thing, or if they did, that they might not be led astray by it” (Puchner, et al, p. 1339).

“That thing” meaning loving blindly

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• This story proves more or less a lesson on what NOT to do in a relationship

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Third, The Heptameron

• Story 8 demonstrates how a man should love a woman based on more than just beauty or pleasures– “But I am utterly convinced that if a man loves

with no other aim, no other desire, than to love truly, he will abandon his soul in death rather than allow his love to abandon his heart” (Puchner, et al .p. 1646).

More or less, ‘The grass isn’t always greener on the other side’

• “ When a man already has everything he needs in order to be contented, it is very unreasonable of him to go off and seek satisfaction elsewhere. It has often struck me that when people are not satisfied with what they already have, and think they can find something better, then they only make themselves worse off” (Puchner, et al, p. 1646).

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2: Validate Specific View Points

“Stories are how people make sense of themselves and their worlds”

– Julia Sherba, Ph.DThe University of New Mexico

1001 Nights is told from a woman’s perspective

2. Muslim Women Hear the Call Of a Storyteller. Crossette, Barbra. The New York Times. 1999. 11/25/2013

• In such male dominated societies, it’s hard to think a woman, like Shahrazad, could hold such a spell over a man, never mind a king, but this is exactly what she does in 1001 Nights.

– As quoted by Ms. Mernissi, a research scholar at Rabat’s Mohammed VI University, “This woman gained the right to live by using the right words. It’s fantastic material for talking about the extremely tragic problems society has. And it teacher how to fight violence with words.”2

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• Shahrazd tells the stories through a women’s view point and this allows the king to understand just exactly what he’s doing to women and people of his kingdom.

– Alia Yunis, a professor, and former journalists, speaking at TED Abu Dhabi, an event that provides a platform to exchange ideas across all industries, she claimed, “ Unlike Cinderella or Sleeping beauty, who were waiting for her knights in shining armor to come to the rescue, Shahrazad chose to take matters into her own hands.”3

3. Arabian Nights Character Scheheerazade ‘a role model for women. Ismail, Manal. The National. 2011. 11/25/2013

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The narrator in the Story of Yingying, allows both the view points of Zhang and Ying Ying to be heard

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Yingying Says:

• “ Still my true love will not vanish though my bones decay and my frame dissolve; in wind and dew it will seek out the ground you walk on”

(Puchner, et al, p. 1336).– Ying Ying writes this in her last letter to Zhang

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Angela J. Palandri, a scholar at the University of Oregon states, “Even though she knows she has lost him, she still cannot suppress her love and hope, which are symbolized in her carefully selected gifts for him.”4

4. Yuan Chen’s Hui Chen Chi: A Re-evaluation. Palandri, J. Angela. University of Oregon (1994). 11/25/2013

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On the other side, Zhang sees things a little differently…– “ It is a general rule that those women endowed

by Heaven with great beauty invariably either destroy themselves or destroy someone else… that is why I have resolutely suppressed my love” (Puchner, et al, p. 1339).

“ For the modern reader the most intriguing part of ‘Yingying’s story’ is probably Zhang’s explanation of why he abandons Yingying… in order to protect himself from Yingying’s unpredictable and pernicious transformations Zhang has to ‘brave violence to this feelings.” 5

5. Mixture of Genres and Motives for Fiction in “Yingying’s Story.” Li, Wai-yee. Harvard University. (2008). 11/25/2013 Pinterest.com

In The Heptameron, Story 8, sparks a discussion between the group on what the story is saying– “The discussions after each story are often more

intense than the stories themselves, concerning moral and social implications: so we have a combination of narratives and mini-treatises, and a variety of voice or interpretations on the same material, all enclosed within the literature.”6

6. Marguerite De Navarre. Dr. Delahoyde, Michael. Washington State University. 11/25/2013

Dragoucin: “When a man already has everything he needs in order to be contented, it is very unreasonable of him to go off and seek satisfaction elsewhere…”Simontatu: “But what about people who have not yet found their other half?”Hircan: “Dagoucin, I think you’re adopting a position that is completely wrong”(Puchner, et al, p.1646).

This is an example of the very different points of views sparked by just one story

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• Last, but not least, stories are told to entertain people– “Humans simply aren’t moved to action by ‘data

dumps’, dense PowerPoint slides, or spreadsheets packed with figures. People are moved by emotion. The best way to emotionally connect other people to our agenda begins with “Once Upon A Time…”

– Jonathon Gottschall

3: Entertain the audience

Shahrazad Captivated her Audience

• After each night, the King was even more intrigued than the last, itching for Shahrazad to continue her story…

– “But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence, leaving King Shahrayar burning with curiosity to hear the rest of the story” (Puchner, et al, P. 1188).

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Shahrazad’s plan succeeded

The King thought to himself, “I will spare her until I hear the rest of the story; then I will have her put to death the next day” (Puchner, et al, pg.1188).

Ying Ying’s story marvels

“All of Zhang’s friends who heard of the affair marveled at it” (Puchner, et al, P.1339).– People were intrigued by the passion and

uncertainty of their relationship

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Continuous fascination over the LOVE story

“ In the ninth month of the year… Li Gongchui was passing the night in my house… the conversation touched on the subject. He found it most extraordinary and composed a song to commemorate the affair”

(Puchner, et al, P. 1339).

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Can you really die of boredom?This theme is dramatically contemplated in The

Heptameron…• “Her companion Nomerfide said that this was a very good idea, and that if she

had to spend a single day without some entertainment, she would be sure to die the next” (Puchner, et al, p. 1640).

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The whole point of telling the stories to begin with were to alleviate the groups boredom“…we can sit and rest, and each of us will tell a story which he has either witnessed himself, or which he has heard from somebody worthy of belief” (Puchner, et al, p. 1642).

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Two Sides To Every Story• Although stories are very effective teaching

tools, there are some disadvantages to using stories to convey a message

The effect of a storyTELLER• In 1001 Nights, the vizier

attempts to persuade his daughter out of marrying the king by telling her a story about.. An Ox and a Donkey…– This is “too removed from

the daughter’s situation to be effective”7

Maretsplayground.blogspot.com Flicker.com7. Denning, Steve. “Scheherazade or 1001 Nights.” Business-Narrative. 2009. 25 Nov. 2013

• When you’re fantasizing about marrying a king and saving the people of the kingdom… it’s hard to relate to farm animals

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Misinterpretations

• If your story has a specific point, telling it to many people produces many different aspects, which might shadow out your original idea– As seen in the discussion aspects of The

Heptameron

The storyteller’s point might be different than how the group sees it

• Misinterpretation can also be evaluated in the letters in The Story of Yingying– The heartbreaking letter

Yingying writes to Zhang confesses her final true love, and undoubtedly he doesn’t take it the same way and decides to end the affair.

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BUT…✘ If the storyteller isn’t good, the audience might not be able to follow along✘ And the moral of the story can be easily misinterpreted by the audience

Stories are effective teaching tools because they: Reveal life lessons Consolidate specific view points Entertain audiences

1001 Nights, The Story of Yingying and The Heptameron show us how…

References1. Thompson, Diane. “Arabian Nights.” Nova Online. February 2005. 25 Nov. 20132. Crossetter, Barbra. “Muslim Women Hear the Call of a Storyteller.” The New York Times. 6 Feb. 1999. 25

Nov. 20133. Ismail, Manal. “Arabian Night’s Character Scheherazade ‘a Role Model for Women.” The National. 2011.

25 Nov. 20134. Palandri, J Angela. “Yuan Chen’s Hui Chen Chi: A Re-evaluation.” J-STOR. University of Oregon. 1994. 25

Nov. 20135. Li, Wai-yee. “Mixture of Genres and Motives for Fiction in ‘Yingying’s Story.” Academic Search Premier.

Harvard University. 2008. 25 Nov. 20136. Dr. Delahoyde, Michael. “Marguerite De Navarre.” Academic Search Premier. Washington State

University. 25 Nov. 20137. Puchner, Martin, et al. The Norton Anthology: World Literature. Vol. 1. New York, 2013. Print8. Hightower, James R, trans. “The Story of Yingying.” Traditional Chinese Stories: Themes and Variations,

edited by Joseph S. M. Lau and Y. M. Ma. New York: Columbia University Press, 1978. 25 Nov. 20139. E. Butterworth. “Telling Tales in the Heptameron.” Spinning Stories: World Press. 30 July 2009. 25 Nov.

201310. Denning, Steve. “Scheherazade or 1001 Nights.” Business-Narrative. 2009. 25 Nov. 201311. “The Arabian Nights: introduction.” Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism. Ed. Lynn M. Zott. Vol. 62.

Gale Cengage, 2004. eNotes. 25 Nov. 2013