Characteristics of oral poetry pdf

The studies of oral literature are countless, and the educational function of storytelling is certainly one of recurring topics. Features or characteristics of the oral tradition found in the epic poem include gnomic assertions, sententious maxims put into verse, alliteration, kennings and epithets which all serve as a. The most basic characteristic of literature, it seems to me, is that a literary work is a verbal text. During that period different communities developed distinct oral literature of their own.

Similarly, much as it is possible to argue about the existence of different poetic schools, traditions and periods in modern. What are the characteristics of african literature. Oral tradition does not maintain the same value of the oral history. Used to honor and criticize, the most widely discussed form of oral poetry is the praise poem, generally associated with royal courts but also applicable to other social strata. Unpublished work also may be literature which is called oral literature.

But it is also not confined to only published works. It may be written down or performed as part of an oral tradition. Africa in precolonial times was divided into various ethnic groups. Abstract a lot has been said about the slow death of the oral tradition aspect of indigenous communication. Like any other branch of studies, literature is also divided into four major classes namely poetry, prose, fiction, and nonfiction. Our discussion of the legends of the trojan war will help you understand and enjoy the plot of the iliad. Aristotle has defined literature as an imitation of proverbs, riddles, tonguetwisters, word games, life. The nonritual oral literature is rendered in simple the ordinary language of the people. I believe that most people think of oral poetry as written poetry performed or presented orally. Oral poetry can be loosely defined or purely defined. African literature african literature the influence of oral traditions on modern writers. That is why i trace response to oral poetic performances as of the udje and ijala and the continuation into modern works in english, french, or portuguese, among others. The steady incursion of foreign media content and values which were once alien to africans but are now being assimilated and exhibited.

Written literature and oral literature share similar characteristics, including the need to use heightened language and literary techniques such as alliteration, flashbacks, foreshadowing, narrative. What are the differences between oral and written literature. The various categories of african folktales are analyzed. Oral literature is the repository of the critical knowledge, philosophy, and wisdom for nonliterate societies. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Songs oral narratives oral poetry riddlestongue twisters 3. There is no standard definition as folklorists have varying descriptions for oral literature or folk literature but a broad conceptualization refers to it as literature characterized by oral transmission and the absence of any fixed form. Characteristics of prose in literature means different types of literature such as dramas, novels, stories. This content makes up the vast majority of subject matter in most old english poetry. This chapter is a discussion of the major stylistic features of oral literature.

Characteristics of oral tradition flashcards quizlet. What are the characteristics of oral literature answers. Yet, despite the existence of these books on oral literature, the young generation in africa that has grown under the western school system somehow feels estranged with respect to this oral literature. The purpose of this portable document file is to outline the development of the literature with due regard to national life, and to give appreciative interpretation of the work of. Genre characteristics 2 genre definition frequently found elements picture book examples journals and diaries a log written by an author at regular intervals. Rhythm, of course, is a kind of sound device based upon pattern. Characteristics of old english poetry the classroom. This ranges from geoffrey chaucer and his wife of bath tales to william shakespeare and the contribution. This means that the poetry is created and presented with no written record. In an attempt to preserve this oral literature, several individual authors have collected tales, proverbs, riddles and published them in books. The complex relationships between written and spoken literature in some societies can. Oral that aptly mirrors ones society and tell the story to a literature, therefore.

Recent trends in african studies and the revival of interest in oral literature. Such a combination creates problems for the analysis of the various genres or oral literature, for there is a tendency today to read back the characteristics of literate literature such as the use of a narrative structure into purely oral genres. The major characteristic of all old english poetry is the celebration of the warrior, the adventurer and the conqueror. A poet chooses words for their sound, as well as for their meaning. African literature the influence of oral traditions on.

African literature possessing those qualities that define it as such. Oral traditional poetics has some special characteristics because of the way in which it was created from the matrix of oral tradition. African literature is as diverse as the continent itself, but several characteristics and themes prevail throughout much of the written works emerging from africa. This is important as there have been a tremendous amount of written stories over the past few hundred years that have been the cornerstone of english literature. Euphony literally good sound and cacophony literally bad sound contribute to producing melody, or a musical quality in verse. This is possible because of nature of transmission itself.

This study seeks to apply features of indigenous poetry and music, and characteristics of oral communication and performance, to the translation. They are regarded as one of the most ancient and valuable manifestations of human culture. Epic poems are among the earliest literary works, and famous epic poems such as the iliad and beowulf have had a huge impact on world culture. Thematically, these poems concern the same issues modern writers speak of today. They use succinct and pithy language to express commonly held ideas and beliefs and provide the readers with interesting glimpses at a peoples geography, religion, history, social views and attitudes. A valuable book in the genre of african oral literature is ruth finnegans oral literature in africa. Oral literature is as explained done through words and speaking, whereas written is through the written word. It contains a character of incredible stature and courage who performs superhuman deeds with valor in terrific battles or journeys, and these glorious deeds are of national significance. Characteristics of modern poetry stylistic experimentation and disrupted syntax stream of consciousness a term coined by american psychologist william james to describe the natural flow of a persons thoughts theme of alienation. In many cases these two traditions existed side by side. Proverbs play an important role in delivering cultures of certain nation. Poetry is common to human societies throughout time and space it is found all over the world, past and present, from the meditative personal poetry of recent eskimo or maori poets, to mediaeval european and chinese ballads, or the orally composed epics of preclassical greek in the first millenium b.

In literature, there are four main genres to help the reader focus their expectations for the piece, though these genres can be broken down even further. Characteristics, elements, and examples an epic poem is an elaborate narrative about an important event. The complex relationships between written and spoken literature in some. At the end, she asserts that oral poetry its thrust, her work stands within an. This classic study is an introduction to oral poetry, a broad subject which ruth finnegan interprets as ranging from american folksongs, eskimo lyrics, and modern popular songs to medieval oral literature, the heroic poems of homer, and recent epic compositions in asia and the pacific. Epic poetry is a form of writing with roots stretching back into antiquity. Oral literature or folk literature corresponds in the sphere of the spoken oral word to literature as literature operates in the domain of the written word. It is therefore, possible that one can compose story recitations, life histories or historical narratives. Modern african literature is the natural inheritor of traditional african literature and though. Using features of indigenous poetry and music in the oral. The opening class will introduce you to the legends of the trojan war, the characteristics of oral poetry, and the place of homers iliad in history. Some examples of oral literature include, the oral narrative, sometimes referred to as the folktale, myths, explanatory tales, ogre tales, trickster tales, dilemma stories, historical tales, legends, including the epic. The first characteristic mentioned by father ong is that oral thought and expression are additive.

This literature through narrative, poetry, song, dance, myths and fables, and texts for religious rituals provides a portrait of the meaning of life as experienced by the society at its particular time and place with its unique. In other words, oral literature does not operate in a vacuum. Another important difference between traditional african oral art and modern african literature involves the identity and social standing of their respective practitioners. Poetry a universal phenomenon exists along humans civilization from primitive to developed nation from spell to drive away evil soul to conventional one from oral to written enjoyed by everyone entertainment. What is the diffrence between oral and written poetry. The scholar examines literary issues which relate to the performance of folktales in traditional africa.

The diary of a young girlby opal whiteley, selected and adapted by jane boulton. Can the oral delivery of a written poem constitute a significant or. This portable document file aims to provide a general manual of englis literature for students in colleges and universities and others beyond the high. Oral literature in africa is part of the world oral literature series published in conjunction with the world oral literature project.