Analyzing Buh Nansi's 'Trickster Tales'

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Mythology Analysis Essay - Unit Assessment As humans, we are drawn to trickster tales because they connect entertainment, wisdom, and morals, and demonstrate our long communal fascination with the combination of cunning and resourcefulness. By using deception, wisdom, and trickery, tricksters can get in and out of challenging situations while simultaneously violating social norms and bonds they have built. While reading the tales of tricksters, one learns valuable life lessons about morality, trust, and the consequences of deceit, as trickster tales generally end with disharmony. Trickster tales feature different characteristics of deception and greed. For example, in the African American trickster tale, Buh Nansi demonstrates a great deal of …show more content…

Characters like Buh Nansi entertain and engage with whoever they wish to deceive, and then completely flip the situation in order to outwit more powerful opponents. This deception and trickery appeal to the enjoyment of storytelling and surprise, as it offers a shock and drift from social norms. On top of this, trickster tales often demonstrate the spectrum of right and wrong and dive into the concept of morality. Often, tricksters' morals are self-centered and based on deceit and humor. Tricksters use shapeshifting and disguises to hide their true selves, as they know themselves to be untrustworthy and poorly reputable. Demonstrating the benefits and consequences of deception shows that cleverness can be a virtue and a vice. For instance, while Coyote uses his ability to disguise himself to feed his village and restore the buffalos to nature, Buh Nansi uses his deception to gain and harm other characters. Both characters betray the bonds they have built, but the reasonings and morals behind the situations are entirely polar. As seen in Coyote’s story, tricksters can be heroic figures who bring about justice and positive

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