Name: _____________________________
Beach Park
Creative Writing 4
Objective:
In this lesson, you will learn to recognize and write folk literature.
Journal Assignment: Scary Stories (5 minutes)
Everybody loves a scary story that involves ghosts and supernatural experiences ... a dark and
stormy night, a haunted house or castle, mysterious noises. Retell your favorite scary story in
the space below.
Begin writing here:
Writing Folk Literature
Folk literature includes folktales, fables, legends, and myths. In the distant past, people who
could not read or write entertained each other with these short stories. They were passed down
by word of mouth from one generation to the next. The stories cover a variety of topics: the
adventures of heroes, romance, magic, and rites of passage as youths passed from innocence to
experience.
Folk literature can have any of the following themes: ideals and values of the culture from which
it comes, the struggle for individuality and self-fulfillment, an explanation of one of life's
Name: _____________________________
Beach Park
Creative Writing 4
mysteries, the need for friendship and love, or the need for truth and justice. The emotional
tone of folk literature ranges from tragedy to comedy.
In 1815, Wilhelm and Jakob Grimm began collecting European folktales and published them as
Grimm's Fairy Tales. These included such childhood favorites as The Three Little Pigs, Rapunzel,
The Musicians of Bremen,and many others. Snow White is not just a story for children. It is
about a political struggle for power to rule a kingdom. It has people from two distinct levels of
society, royalty (Queen, Snow White, and Prince) and peasants (Little Men). It is about an aging
woman's attempt to retain her youth by getting rid of a beautiful young rival. It is also about a
budding adolescent's desire to become a woman, as symbolized by the comb, corset, and red
apples.
Assignment
Prewrite a modern folktale. Begin by naming two of your favorite fairy tales. Then, beside each
title write the theme (main idea) of the fairy tale in one sentence. Think of modern settings and
characters that could be developed around the fairy tale theme and plot. Here is an example:
Title: The Three Little Pigs
Theme: Foolish, lazy pigs take chances and become victims; whereas intelligent, hardworking
pigs defend themselves and come out as winners.
Setting: Modern city
Characters: Three pigs named Moe, Curly, and Larry
Plot: The three pigs move to the big city to find new jobs.
First Modern Fairy Tale
Title:
Theme:
Setting:
Characters:
Plot:
Second Modern Fairy Tale
Title:
Theme:
Setting:
Characters:
Plot:
Name: _____________________________
Beach Park
Creative Writing 4
Fables
Fables are very old stories that teach a moral lesson. (The lesson is usually stated at the end of
the story. It is sometimes called the moral.) The characters in a fable are personified animals or
objects in nature. That is, they have human characteristics and can speak. Aesop (ee'-sop), a
Greek slave, was the author of many clever fables. Two of his most well known fables include
The Fox and the Crow, a story about a sly fox who outwits a crow with flattery and The Hare and
the Tortoise, a story about a race between a speedy but inconsistent rabbit and a slow but
steady turtle who wins the race.
Story Development
Develop the story line for two fables that teach a moral lesson. In one sentence, state the moral
(or rule for life) that you intend to illustrate with a story. In what setting will it take place? Name
animals or natural objects that have characteristics like those you intend to portray. Here is an
example:
Title: The Skunk and the Poodle
Moral or rule of life (which is written at the end of the story): When you are in an unfamiliar
setting, be cautious with strangers.
Setting: Yard in the suburbs at the edge of town
Characters: Yvette, a petted and spoiled young poodle from the city whose mistress is a visitor
at a suburban home. Louise, a young skunk who lives under a shed at the edge of the property
Plot: Yvette proudly prances around the yard, leaving her scent on every tuft of grass. Suddenly
she sees a black and white hairy animal sneaking along the fence. An intruder! Louise is
waddling along, minding her own business when this smart alec dog with the curly hair and
rhinestone collar attacks, yipping and yapping shrilly. Yvette rudely orders Louise to leave the
premises, like she owns the whole outdoors. That does it! Louise turns her back and sprays
skunk scent in Yvette's face. When you are in an unfamiliar setting, be cautious with strangers.
Fable Storyline
Title:
Moral or rule of life (which is written at the end of the story):
Setting:
Characters:
Plot:
Name: _____________________________
Beach Park
Creative Writing 4
Legends
Legends are examples of historical fiction that emphasize a society's cultural roots. They are
based on the deeds of real people who have traits that are important to the society. Legends
about Mike Fink, the daring Mississippi boatman, and Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier,
add fantastic details to the adventures of these real men. Legends are a part of world literature.
For example, a famous Aztec legend is the tragic love story about Princess Ixtla and Popo, a
warrior whose graves became two volcanoes located near Mexico City. Look at the example
below:
Title: John Henry, the Hammerman
Admired traits: Physical strength, a sense of destiny, pioneer spirit, pride and joy in completing
a death-defying task
Setting: 1870s in West Virginia during construction of the C & O railroad track through the Big
Bend Tunnel
Characters: John Henry, a black laborer who drove steel railroad spikes with a long-handled,
seventy pound hammer.
Willie, his friend
Polly Ann, his wife
Cap'n Tommy, the foreman
Stranger who bets that a steam engine can drive spikes faster than twenty railroad workers
Plot: To win Cap'n Tommy's wager with the stranger, John Henry competes with a steam engine
to see who can drive the most spikes into the solid granite tunnel. He works so fast that he uses
two hammers, one in each hand. Sparks fly. Other workers pour water on the hammers to keep
them cool. Willie and Polly cheer for John Henry, who says, "A man's a man, but a machine ain't
nothin' but a machine!" Just when it looks like the steam engine will win, John Henry puts his
heart and soul into the job and beats the machine by four feet. The effort costs him his life.
Name: _____________________________
Beach Park
Creative Writing 4
Legend Storyline
Title:
Moral or rule of life (which is written at the end of the story):
Setting:
Characters:
Plot:
Myths
Myths are stories about the activities of gods and goddesses. Myths explain natural occurrences
such as floods, sunrise and sunset, changing seasons, etc. Most myths express the ideals and
values of the Greeks and Romans. For example, the sun god Apollo drives his horses and chariot
across the heavens. Persephone, goddess of spring, returns from her winter home in the
underworld to visit her mother, the earth goddess, Demeter. Prometheus suffers daily torture
for stealing fire from the gods and teaching humans how to build it. Read the example below.
Title: The Revenge of Rhus
Traits: A goddess' anger over human carelessness and a human's disregard for the natural
environment
Setting: A campsite at a state park in Arkansas
Characters: Goddess Rhus, who appears on earth as a vine with shiny green three-pronged
leaves growing on trees in the forest. Buddy, a careless teenaged litterbug with no knowledge of
or concern for the natural world around him. Dad, who tries to interest Buddy in camping and
fishing
Plot: Buddy and his dad are camped by a river in a grove of huge oak trees. Goddess Rhus, in
the shape of an ivy vine wound around a tree, observes them. At sunrise, Dad cooks breakfast
over a campfire, but Buddy stays in his sleeping bag, unaware of the peaceful outdoor scene.
Aromas from a wood fire and bacon and eggs sizzling in a skillet fill the air. Birds chirp and clear
water rushes downstream. Dad leaves to fish in the river. Buddy wakes, eats a candy bar and
drinks soda; then he throws his trash in the bushes. He leans his back against the tree and
crushes Goddess Rhus's shiny green leaves as he listens to his battery-operated Walkman
playing at high volume.
Name: _____________________________
Beach Park
Creative Writing 4
"What a boring bummer this campout has been!" he thinks. Outraged, Goddess Rhus rubs
poison all over Buddy's back, and by evening, his back and arms are covered with tiny, itching
poison ivy blisters.
Myth Storyline
Title:
Moral or rule of life (which is written at the end of the story):
Setting:
Characters:
Plot:
Name: _____________________________
Beach Park
Creative Writing 4
An Assignment for Your Student Writing Portfolio:
Copy and paste one of the folktale, myth, or legend story outlines that you developed in this
lesson. Write a new folktale, myth, or legend using that outline. Be sure to revise and edit your
work before saving a final copy in Your Student Writing Portfolio.
Begin writing here: