An Analysis Of Coyote Steals Fire

A spider in need of stories and a coyote in need of fire? Anansi is a spider who wants to get the stories from the sky-god Nyame. Coyote is just a coyote who cheats dice for fire. These are Trickster tales/ folk tales that teach a cultural value or lesson. Folk tales are passed down orally from generation to generation and very commonly use anthropomorphism, the attribution of human characteristics to non-human things. Both of these stories share their similarities and differences. In “How Stories Came to Earth”, the main character, Anansi is a spider who is in need of stories. In “Coyote Steals Fire”, Coyote needs fire. From this one could see that both stories have a main character seeking to get a specific object, each beneficial to them.
In the end of each story, both characters get the objects they need too. Anansi captures the creatures Nyame wants in order to gain the stories. Coyote cheats dice to gain fire and it spreads throughout the land. From these examples the similarities in the stories is seen. The two stories also have their fair share of differences as well. In “How Stories Came to Earth”, the main character is a spider who is after stories. He wants these stories so he can spread them to all the people. In “Coyote Steals Fire”, Coyote cheats dice to get fire and needs it to spread throughout the land. The two stories both have different main characters and different goals. From these examples, one can see these stories have a lot in common and a lot of differences. In the end these stories are folk tales that teach a lesson.