American Storytelling
Storytelling is evident throughout various cultures, in different mediums. Whether
spoken, drawn, or written, these recordings have also had a predominant effect on the
culture of those people. The history of storytelling through cultures has shifted and
advanced greatly, but at its core it continues to influence individual people as well as
communities. From ancient writings describing gods in the Mesopotamian civilization,
to watching Disney movies on VCR, storytelling continues to shape the way we grow and
the morals that we endorse.
Storytelling itself has always had a huge influence on our sense of culture and
how we interact with others. My parents had a much different storytelling experience
than the current American
generation does, and although there is a time skip, culture has
a much bigger part in these differences. Being that my parents grew up in socialist Czech
Republic, a lot of Western television shows and movies were entirely banned and
replaced with either original Czech productions or socialist propaganda. This has had a
huge effect on their generation and country. Much of my parent’s culture and
interactions with their peers was based around the stories they were subjected to growing
up. During times of holidays and rejoicing, Czech friends and family will continue to
reminisce on the stories they were exposed to growing up. My mother even displayed a
shocked reaction when she realized that Americans have never watched “Vinetou”, a
movie series originally stemming from a set of books that followed a young Native
American man through his adventures. Although the entirety of the movie had been set
in the hills of Germany, the entirety of Czech Republic was convinced that the American
west looked exactly like the locations of those films, affecting a whole culture’s
interpretation of another country.
Czech citizens also fondly remember the Ctyrlistek series, the name meaning,
“Four leaf clover”. Almost any Czech that grew up during socialism will remember the
tales of Fifinka, Myspulin, Pinda and Bobik, since this along with the comic “Maly Buh”
about a small robot, were some of the few comics that Czech citizens were allowed to
read. Even as much as thirty years later, people who lived in that culture still quote and
reminisce on those few films they were allowed to watch as children. These limited
stories brought an entire nation’s generation closer together and helped to create close
bonds with individuals. In the United States today, many generations never experienced
this type of restriction on media, but regardless, many people still make close
relationships with others on the basis of simply a television show or another medium of
Even at different time frames through different mediums, storytelling is a highly
influential measure on community. The culture of storytelling in America itself has
shifted through different times. In the Economist’s article “Star Wars, Disney and Myth-
making”, the author describes how the pattern of storytelling in America changed when
its citizens needed different heroes. The article describes how the Rebels in Star Wars
was a non-too subtle representation of the Vietnam War, while the Marvel Universe was
a creation of the Cold War Era that now effectively returns in a post 9/11 country. This is
yet another example of how storytelling can bring cultures, or an entire country, together.
In the fear of foreign invasion, Americans bonded together with heroic tales of
superheroes who overcame every villain in their path. Just like with Czech Republic’s
limited stories bringing its citizens together, American culture connected through
different types of storytelling.
spoken, drawn, or written, these recordings have also had a predominant effect on the
culture of those people. The history of storytelling through cultures has shifted and
advanced greatly, but at its core it continues to influence individual people as well as
communities. From ancient writings describing gods in the Mesopotamian civilization,
to watching Disney movies on VCR, storytelling continues to shape the way we grow and
the morals that we endorse.
Storytelling itself has always had a huge influence on our sense of culture and
how we interact with others. My parents had a much different storytelling experience
than the current American
generation does, and although there is a time skip, culture has
a much bigger part in these differences. Being that my parents grew up in socialist Czech
Republic, a lot of Western television shows and movies were entirely banned and
replaced with either original Czech productions or socialist propaganda. This has had a
huge effect on their generation and country. Much of my parent’s culture and
interactions with their peers was based around the stories they were subjected to growing
up. During times of holidays and rejoicing, Czech friends and family will continue to
reminisce on the stories they were exposed to growing up. My mother even displayed a
shocked reaction when she realized that Americans have never watched “Vinetou”, a
movie series originally stemming from a set of books that followed a young Native
American man through his adventures. Although the entirety of the movie had been set
in the hills of Germany, the entirety of Czech Republic was convinced that the American
west looked exactly like the locations of those films, affecting a whole culture’s
interpretation of another country.
Czech citizens also fondly remember the Ctyrlistek series, the name meaning,
“Four leaf clover”. Almost any Czech that grew up during socialism will remember the
tales of Fifinka, Myspulin, Pinda and Bobik, since this along with the comic “Maly Buh”
about a small robot, were some of the few comics that Czech citizens were allowed to
read. Even as much as thirty years later, people who lived in that culture still quote and
reminisce on those few films they were allowed to watch as children. These limited
stories brought an entire nation’s generation closer together and helped to create close
bonds with individuals. In the United States today, many generations never experienced
this type of restriction on media, but regardless, many people still make close
relationships with others on the basis of simply a television show or another medium of
Even at different time frames through different mediums, storytelling is a highly
influential measure on community. The culture of storytelling in America itself has
shifted through different times. In the Economist’s article “Star Wars, Disney and Myth-
making”, the author describes how the pattern of storytelling in America changed when
its citizens needed different heroes. The article describes how the Rebels in Star Wars
was a non-too subtle representation of the Vietnam War, while the Marvel Universe was
a creation of the Cold War Era that now effectively returns in a post 9/11 country. This is
yet another example of how storytelling can bring cultures, or an entire country, together.
In the fear of foreign invasion, Americans bonded together with heroic tales of
superheroes who overcame every villain in their path. Just like with Czech Republic’s
limited stories bringing its citizens together, American culture connected through
different types of storytelling.