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Oral Traditions: An Analysis Of Story Telling And Performance In Paule Marshall’S Praisesong For The Widow, Dhanashree Thorat
Oral Traditions: An Analysis Of Story Telling And Performance In Paule Marshall’S Praisesong For The Widow, Dhanashree Thorat
The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research
Dorothy Noyes, in her essay "Tradition: Three Traditions," notes that the word "tradition" implies "handing over" or "delivery" (Noyes 233). Furthermore, tradition is identified as a communal belonging that involves "the transfer of responsibility for a valued practice or performance" from one generation to the next (233). This essay will apply the characteristics and role of "tradition," outlined by Noyes and others, to develop a critical understanding of two acts of oral tradition pivotal to the spiritual transformation of Avey Johnson, the protagonist of Paule Marshall's Praisesong for the Widow. These two interconnected acts, the story of Ibo Landing and …