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Transcript

The girl is fortunate, however, as miracles save her. She is gifted with a pot to clean corn in, a pumpkin tree, and through lending out her pot, more food than she knows what to do with. Her brother catches wind of this and over time attempts to ruin her. He steals her possessions, sells her house, and eventually cuts off her hand along with her pumpkin tree. He sends her out of town and she is banished to the forest. There her good fortune comes again, and she meets a prince.

The One-Handed Girl

Storytelling Perspective

Works Cited

Why it would make a good oral story

  • Many characters that a teller can give voices to
  • Parts that are humorous to keep the audience engaged
  • Tragedy in the story fuels the audience's empathy
  • https://www.everyculture.com/wc/Tajikistan-to-Zimbabwe/Swahili.html
  • https://fairytalez.com/author/andrew-langs-fairy-books/
  • https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/lfb/li/lifb21.htm
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Steere

How I would tell the story

  • Breathe life into the various characters with voices that compliment their personalities
  • Gentle voice for the girl, harsh voice for the brother, a lisped accent for the snake
  • Use motions and verbal language during significant moments
  • Slashing motion for when the brother cuts off his sister's hand, laying down the basket for the snake, searching for the baby in the reeds
  • Bring small props to immerse the audience in the setting
  • Ring to stand in for the magical ring in the story, a small pot for the scene with the snake

How does it relate to the culture of Americans of Swahili descent?

Values:

  • Traditional Swahili values of modesty and humility
  • "The One Handed Girl" centers itself around how greed and boasting eventually lead one to harm the people they hold dear
  • It also speaks about how being humble comes with rewards and fortunes that one cannot get through material possessions

Summary 4 - The Snake

Language:

  • Physical descriptions
  • Phrases like "thick, curly hair" remind the audience of the character's African descent
  • Inclusion of regional foods
  • Coconuts, cocoa beans, and many fruits are included in the tale, making the story's setting more vivid

The girl's blessings save her again, as she finds and helps a talking snake when she is banished to the forest. The snake gives the girl her hand back and allows her to stay with him and his parents. Missing her husband, she eventually leaves, and when the snake's parents offer her riches, she chooses two simple relics instead: a ring that can grant shelter and a casket that can set things right. She asks for the ring to make her a house. The king and prince eventually come to inspect the large house, and it is there that all is made clear. She forgives the king for sending her away, and when asked what should be done to her brother, she simply says that he too should be sent away.

Summary 3 - The Prince

What is the "One-Handed Girl"?

The prince is sympathetic to her pain, and he invites the girl to live with him in a palace. They later become married and have a child. The girl's brother hears about this news and again tries to ruin her. He goes to the king and queen and tells them that their son's wife is a witch, and had been banished from town as she killed many men. He pleads for them to kill her, but they are merciful and simply send her and her child out of the town. They tell the prince that his wife and baby were killed, however.

Summary 2 - Brother's Greed

  • Fairytale of Swahili origin
  • Collected by bishop Edward Steere, and retold by author Andrew Lang
  • Published in the The Lilac Fairy Book in 1910

Summary 1 - Intro

"The One Handed Girl" is a fairytale about the trials a girl goes through as she deals with the unfettered greed of her older brother. The story begins with the death of both of her parents, who had asked their children to choose between their mortal possessions or their blessing to have as inheritance. The brother chooses property, and the girl blessings. Once their parents pass, the brother takes all of their possessions and leaves his sister without even food to eat.

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