Esther Berlin & Myra White

9/18/15
American Literature
Similar, Stimulating Stories
Stories from all cultures are different and similar in some ways. Most of the stories have
a lesson and reason. Also, we are able to identify their culture. As Chinua Achebe says, It is the
storyteller who makes us what we are, who creates history (R&W p. 38) In other words, the
stories tell others of who they are. From these characteristics, we are capable of finding
similarities and differences between the stories. For example, we can compare and contrast the
four stories: Sky Tree, How the Leopard Got His Claws, Prayer to the Pacific, and Raven and
Owl. Sky Tree and Prayer to the Pacific are similar, as How the Leopard Got His Claws and
Raven and Owl are similar.
Sky Tree is about a woman who went up a tree to get the fruit--a medicine that was for
the womans husband, the old chief. When she chopped the tree, it fell through the hole and
onto the earth covered in water. The woman went into the hole to get the fruit. The great turtle
then let the animals put mud on his back, and they formed an island for the woman. This
formation of the land shows that this story is a creation myth. The fact that the woman listened
to the old chief to get the fruit, shows that women listen to their husbands or men. Also, the
people who passed on this story probably respect turtles. Turtles are valuable to their people
because the great turtle created their land. This story is powerful since it tells where they came
from and how they got to their island.
Prayer to the Pacific is a poem about how the Laguna Pueblo migrated from Asia to the
United States in New Mexico. The poems says, Thirty thousand years ago Indians came riding
across the ocean carried by giant sea turtles (R&B p.45). By way of explanation, the Laguna
Pueblo came floating on turtles. Prayer to the Pacific explains, China where ocean herself was
born (R&W p. 45). In other words, the ocean was born in China. Also, the story tells how they

moved which shows its a creation myth. They express admiration for turtles, since they helped
them migrate. By the poem, you can tell the Laguna Pueblo are proud of who they are and
where they came from, which makes it powerful in the lives of the Laguna Pueblo.
Sky Tree and Prayer to the Pacific are similar in several ways. For instance, the turtle is
very important to both the stories. In Sky Tree, the turtle was the core of the island, as in Prayer
to the Pacific, the Laguna Pueblo floated on turtles to the U.S. Both stories mention about the
ocean. The ocean was born in China according to Prayer to the Pacific. Also, in Prayer to the
Pacific, it says the whole earth was just an ocean. Sky Tree is about who, how, and where they
came from as well as Prayer to the Pacific. Most importantly, they are both creation myths.
How the Leopard Got His Claws, on the other hand, is an origin myth. In How the
Leopard Got His Claws, in the beginning, all the animals in the forest lived as friends (R&W p.
38). The animals and their king, the leopard, had built a house. When it started raining the
animals didnt let the dog come in because he didnt help built the house. The animals started
following the dog, since he showed more strength by attacking them when he got angry. Then
after, the leopard got his claws and roar to get his place as king. The dog was afraid and left to
live with a man. In the end, all the animals separated. This story is an origin myth, because it
explains how the leopard got his claws, and the other animals had separated. From the story, it
shows how Africans type of government is dictatorship. This story tells younger generations of
how the animals got their place, and how the Nigerians were still struggling under a dictatorship
when Achebe was retelling the story.
Raven and Owl is a Yupik story. In the story, the characters, had known each other for
a very long time and were always challenging one another to see which was the strongest.
(Frank Keim) The raven and owl would always wrestle each other. One day, the raven
challenged the owl, and the owl did not want to wrestle. The raven wrestled the owl anyway, so
the owl pushed the raven into a mud puddle. Even if the owl didnt want to, he helped the muddy
raven out. The raven shook off some the mud and splattered on the owl. In the end of the story,

it says, To this day ravens are entirely black and owls are spotted (Frank Keim). This story is
an origin myth, for it informs of how the raven got black and the owl spotted. By this story, we
are able to determine that Yupiks believe that ravens are tricksters because the raven was
causing trouble and bothering the owl. Raven and Owl is powerful, since it shows how bad
things can occur when you do something without someones permission.
Raven & Owl and How the Leopard Got His Claws are alike. Similar to Raven and Owl,
How the Leopard Got His Claws are about how the animals came to be. In How the Leopard
Got His Claws, it explains how the animals separated, how the leopard got his roar and claws,
and why the dog lives with humans. It was explained how the raven turned black and the owl
spotted in Raven and Owl. The most significant similarities between the two stories is they are
both origin myths.
Sky Tree and Prayer to the Pacific are similar in a few ways. How the Leopard Got His
Claws and Raven and Owl are similar as well. All four of these stories are powerful, important,
and cultural, and in all of these areas, they can be compared. Indigenous stories have meaning:
As Chinua Achebe said, The storyteller creates the memory that the survivors must have;
otherwise, their surviving would have no meaning (R&W p. 38). They tell cultural stories to
younger generations, for it is important for the young to know their values.

Reference Page
Kelm, Frank. "Marshall Cultural Atlas." Marshall Cultural Atlas. University of Alaska Fairbanks,
1995. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/npe/culturalatlases/yupiaq/marshall/raven/RavenAndOwl.html>.