"Once Upon a Time . . . . "

We all have stories to tell. And most of us love to share them.  Even the quick sharing of a sentence or two in the hallway is, in essence, a story.  This compulsion to share, and our ability to construct a story, is part of what makes us human, some have argued.  Considering this "biology" and the thousands of stories you have already told, tell us one of your favorite stories.  In a quick 1-2 paragraph entry, share a story you're found of telling.

I have more to say . . . .

Here is the open-ended prompt you may use to start your own thread. Feel free to post an original observation, question, or elaboration from an earlier class discussion.  You may also respond to other students' comments here.  Every relevant, thoughtful, and original comment here garners points towards your discussion grade.

Why do we write and tell stories?

Two separate questions here:

1) Why do we continue to write and tell stories?  What is it about us (our entire species) that compels us to share everything about our lives?  Consider the billions of people around the world who communicate daily by written word, and read endless supplies of stories, articles, blogs, tweets, books, magazines, social pages, etc.  Add to that the countless stories told, even in passing, between people in the street, on the bus, in the school hallway, on the phone, etc.  Is all of this autobiography mere egotism and self-interest or is it something hidden deeper in in our genetic code?

2) Does language effectively capture meaning? Are we always able to say (or write) what we mean?

Synesthetic Language

As we work to create original and fresh comparisons, using a particular type of metaphor called "synesthesia" that captures the essence of one sense (like sound) with an entirely different sense (like the optical, tactile, olfactory, etc.), go ahead and render a few of your favorite impressions of NPR's iconic voices below: