Cultural Storytelling is an art form that has been used to preserve moral values throughout history. It involves creating stories that have an underlying message or lesson to convey. Moral binaries are sets of opposing concepts, such as good vs. evil, virtue vs. vice, which can be represented in stories through protagonists and antagonists. In this essay, I will explore how cultural storytelling preserves or challenges moral binaries of virtue and vice.
The earliest known examples of cultural storytelling date back to ancient civilizations like Mesopotamia and Egypt. These cultures used mythology to teach their people about morals and ethics.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the protagonist Gilgamesh is depicted as a hero who embodies virtues like courage, strength, and honor.
He also faces many struggles that challenge his character, including fear, greed, and jealousy. This dichotomy between virtue and vice is seen throughout the text, which shows how storytelling was used to preserve traditional values.
Modern day storytellers continue to use these moral binaries in their work.
In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, characters like Dumbledore represent wisdom and justice while Voldemort represents corruption and power. The series explores the struggle between good and evil, where each choice made by the characters affects the outcome of the story. This theme resonates with readers because it presents them with clear-cut choices between right and wrong.
Some modern storytellers have challenged the binary system of virtue and vice. Authors like Chuck Palahniuk have written works like Fight Club that subvert conventional notions of morality. His characters engage in acts of violence and anarchy, but they do so for personal gain rather than to uphold any kind of higher standard. By presenting readers with unconventional characters and situations, Palahniuk encourages them to think critically about what makes someone good or bad.
Cultural storytelling has been used to preserve and challenge moral binaries of virtue and vice throughout history. While some writers may choose to reinforce these binaries, others may seek to upend them entirely.
The power of storytelling lies in its ability to provoke thought and inspire action in readers, regardless of whether they agree with the messages being presented.
How does cultural storytelling preserve or challenge moral binaries of virtue and vice?
Cultural storytelling can preserve or challenge moral binaries of virtue and vice by illustrating these binary constructs through narrative plots, characterizations, motifs, and symbolism. On one hand, stories may perpetuate traditional dichotomies between good and evil, right and wrong, and heroes and villains that reinforce social norms and morality.