All Stories are Anansi’s

An African Folk Tale

Reading: Compare and Contrast

• Reread the text.• Write similarities in inside oval.• Write differences in outside oval.• When comparing characters, look for physical

description, personality traits, single traits that they possess, where they live, what happens to them in the plot line of the folk tale.

Literary Analysis: Folk Tale

• Composed orally; passed on by word of mouth – So they are part of the ORAL TRADITION.

• Common Characters (often called stock characters), plot lines, and themes. (remember universal theme.)

• Teach a lesson about life

• Present a clear separation between good and evil

Characters

• Kwaku Anansi – spider – Trickster• Nyame - Sky God – owner of all the stories

• Mmoboro - Hornets – placed in gourd• Osebo – Leopard – vain – killed by Anansi• Onini – Python – proud – trusting

Plot Outline• Setting:• Characters: Nyame, Kwaku Anansi, Mmoboro, Onini, Osebo• Conflict: Anansi wants to buy the stories; Nyame offers him three

challenges.• Rising Action: Anansi tricks Mmoboro into gourd Anansi tricks Onini the python using his pride Anansi tricks Osebo the leopard into the pit

• Climax: Anansi kills the leopard• Falling Action:• Resolution: Whenever a man tells a story, he must acknowledge that

it is Anansi’s tale.• Theme: Do not be too quick to trust others. Intelligence is more

important than strength.

Things to know• Nyame, a god, owns all the stories.• Story telling is important to the people who told

this folktale.• The hornets trusted Anansi; he calls them foolish.• The leopard is only half foolish because Anansi’s

plans are only half finished.• Anansi is a trickster; he fools his victims who are

foolish.• Anansi is smarter than his victims.

Reading Anansi Both Onini

animals same jungle

Snake

Trusting

Proud

Spider Deceitful

IntelligentWantsStories

Reading

• Hornets Both Osebo• Small animals Huge• Insects same jungle Mammal• Taken to live tricked by Killed by with Sky God Anansi Anansi captured by Anansi trust Anansi

Literary Analysis: Folk Tale

• 1. This passage shows that storytelling was highly valued.

• 2. The passage teaches the lesson that it is dangerous to be too trusting.

• 3. This passage also shows that story telling was highly valued, and it shows that if you work hard to achieve something, you will be rewarded.

Vocabulary• A. 1. Yes, yearned means wanted very much, and the

hornets wanted revenge.• 2. A gourd would be used as a cup.• 3. Yes, I would give credit to Anansi, because he is the owner of all stories.B. 1. F; Yearned means want very much; you would not

yearn for something that you did not want. • 2. T; A gourd can be used for drinking.• 3. F; Acknowledge means to recognize, and you cannot recognize someone by ignoring them.• C. 1. C 2. A 3. C