CELEBRATE.

In just over 2 hours, I’ll be going to a funeral for a 31 year old man who lost a long, tiring battle with a rare form of cancer. The all-too-common follow-up question after such a tragedy then surfaces, “Why? Why someone so young, married just a year ago, with dreams of family and possibility? That’s not fair.” My mind, swirling with conflicting thoughts, is then brought back to the present moment, to my life, to my homework – The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales told by Virginia Hamilton. Yet, the connections between the stories of then and now are impossible to ignore. Whether it be death by the evil hand of cancer or death by the cruel whip of the White Bossman, both end with innocence lives taken and hopeful stories to be told. History is and always will be riddled with injustices. Right now, in Minneapolis, the rich are taking advantage of the poor, love is being used as a weapon, greed is driving decision making, and suffering spreads like wildfire. While these particular stories were created out of sadness, Hamilton says that we must view the tales as a “celebration of the human spirit” (xii). Rather than lament the loss of freedom, folktales, as a part of American history and tradition, bring alive the love and hope from silenced voices of the past.

As words on a page, read silently cover-to-cover, People Who Could Fly comes across as a book of trite little stories. Depth and meaning is lost amidst the colloquial language. However, read aloud, as they were once told long ago, the characters in the stories are resurrected. At first blush, I genuinely did not like the challenge presented by reading the folktales alone. The opening line of the very first story“He Lion, Bruh Bear, and Bruh Rabbit” reads, “Say that he Lion would get up each and every mornin” (5). My response, “So say he does? Then what.” Being accustomed to reading academic grammar, punctuation, and diction, I became frustrated to the point of rereading that first sentence 3 or 4 times, thinking I might have missed a word somewhere. Regardless, I knew that I had to make it through the story and by the end, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I liked it. After telling my significant other about the story, he said he wanted to read it, but of course, I wanted to read it out loud to him, as I do David Sedaris’ short stories. I don’t know how it’s possible, but I loved the story this time around. Perhaps it was my dynamic, gruff lion roar “ME AND MYSELF, ME AND MYSELF!” or the simple beauty and power of oral stories. Either way, I read most of the rest of the book aloud to Josh.

The tales in this collection are divided into four sections, one of which is called, “The Beautiful Girl of the Moon Tower and other tales of the Real, Extravagant, and Fanciful.” Like the other three sections, each story is followed by a commentary from the author about the nature and history of the tale, the characters, setting, language, or other details that give the reader a greater understanding and insight into the story. My favorite in this section is “Manuel has a Riddle.” In this story, Manuel seeks a fortune from the King by outwitting his daughter with a riddle. Even after accomplishing this, the King gives Manuel another task, one he is sure to fail – set 3 rabbits free in the mountains and bring them back fattened up in 30 days. With the help of an enchanted flute and his clever wit, Manuel uses the King’s own tricks against him, gets his fortune, and lives happily ever after. This story has all the elements that a dreamer like me might want in a story – royalty, magic, animals, and the poor defeating the rich at their own game. “Manuel has a Riddle” weaves together the magic and beauty of a fairytale with the characters and language of a folktale.

As I get older, I continue to surprise myself. I have the ability to learn and change. Ten years ago, I would have discarded The People Could Fly for time better spent outside or writing an e-mail. Sadly, I spent much of my undergraduate experience exerting my effort for As while missing out on learning both the things in books and about myself. While time is precious, I see life differently now. I find value in literature of all genres, even folklore. Rather than be the pessimist of my youth, I’m seeking hope and success, much like the tellers of these tales both enslaved and free. I’m learning to celebrate life, love, and the wonder in both. And for now, I’m off to a funeral, a celebration of 31 years of life.