One characteristic is a clear narrative arc. Just like in a story, there is a beginning, middle, and end. For example, in 'The Three Little Pigs', the start is the pigs building their houses, the middle is the wolf trying to blow them down, and the end is the safe pig in his brick house. Another is the use of characters. Poems might have heroes, villains, or ordinary people. They are described through words to bring the story to life.
One example is 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It tells the story of a mariner who kills an albatross and then endures a series of supernatural and psychological punishments at sea. Another is 'The Highwayman' by Alfred Noyes, which is a tragic love story set against the backdrop of highway robbery in England.
Another characteristic is the use of dialogue or monologue. In some narrative poems, characters speak directly. Take 'My Last Duchess' by Robert Browning. The duke's monologue reveals a lot about his character and the story of his relationship with his late duchess.
Sure. 'Bonny Barbara Allan' is a well - known ballad poem. It tells a tragic love story. Another one is 'Sir Patrick Spens', which is about a knight who is sent on a dangerous sea journey.
The authenticity in Lebogang Mashile's poems is key. When you read them, you feel that they come from a real place, and this makes it easier for your own real experiences to connect with the poem. It's like she's speaking directly to you about things you've felt.
Yes, 'The Canterbury Tales' by Geoffrey Chaucer. Although it's more of a collection of tales within a frame story. Chaucer uses different characters to tell their own stories during a pilgrimage. Each story gives insights into different aspects of medieval life, society, and human nature.
In English story telling, body language also plays a part. If you're telling a story about a tall and proud king, stand up straight and hold your head high to convey that. For the story's setting, use your words to create a vivid picture. If it's a spooky forest, talk about the dark, gnarled trees that seem to reach out like bony fingers. And when it comes to characters, give them distinct personalities. A mischievous fairy might flit around and play little tricks on other characters in the story.
In general, a woman might be more attuned to the emotional nuances of the characters in the story. So in a story about a conflict, she could explore the complex feelings of all parties involved. Men, perhaps, when telling a story about a similar conflict, may be more concerned with the resolution. They might talk about how the problem was solved rather than the emotional journey of those in the conflict. But again, these are broad tendencies and individual differences play a huge role.
Another set of synonyms would be 'reporting' in the sense of reporting an event which is like telling a story about it, 'presenting a narrative' which is a more formal way of saying telling a story. And also 'spinning a yarn' which has a more informal and sometimes even a bit of a fanciful connotation, like when someone is telling an interesting or perhaps a tall tale.
He might be passing on his knowledge. In a prehistoric world, knowledge was very important for survival. By telling the story, he could be teaching the younger generation about things like where to find water or how to avoid certain predators.