Question

The characters and stories from The Canterbury Tales probably seem vastly different from those you are familiar with in your own life. But are they? Don't most people tell stories when they are with other people? When you get home from an outing, you probably tell someone about it—where you went, who you saw, and what happened. These are the fundamentals of storytelling.

Think about the kinds of stories you have heard from other people. How do stories indicate who people are, what they value, what scares them?

Answer 1

Stories directly and indirectly impact the way we perceive people. Their tone can indicate how dramatic they are when they exaggerate things, or how scared they are when they describe things. Humans have always relied on stories to spread information, dreams, and goals. Even a story as simple as going to the grocery store can reveal many things. How many people is the person shopping for? What food do they enjoy? The way a person describes someone in their story, whether it's nasty or kind, can reveal a person's true character. Our words are impactful tools, and one of the most powerful things is a story.