Lesson Topic 1: Tall Tales

An illustration of a person climbing a vine, carrying a goose in a bucket, while a large golden figure appears from the sky--common elements of tall tales. Short stories represent a specific genre of literature. Remember that genres are how people place literature into various categories. A tall tale is a specific type of short story that is an exaggerated, far-fetched story that is obviously untrue but is told as though it should be believed. You have probably read tall tales before, but you might not have known they belong to a specific genre. Often, these tall tales tell stories about people and adventures in the "Wild West." For example, the story of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox is a tall tale. Also, Davy Crockett is a well-known character in many American tall tales.

In order to recognize a tall tale, you need to understand the various elements that make up this particular type of story. Often, there is trickery or cleverness used by the main character to accomplish his or her goal. The main character might be based on a real person, but the tall tale gives him or her larger-than-life qualities. The main character also experiences various adventures in the plot, and the author exaggerates throughout the story to entertain readers.

Use the following acronym to remember the elements of a tall tale:

To remember the elements of a tall tale, use this acronym:
T - for trickery or cleverness used by the main character
A - for the adventures of the main character
L - for the larger-than-life characteristics of the main character, who might be based on a real person
E - for the exaggeration included by the author for entertainment

Read the following tall tale "Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind," and as you read, answer the following questions in order to prepare for your unit test.

How does the theme of belonging appear in this tall tale?
Does Sally feel like she belongs?
Is the setting implied or stated?
What is the tone?
Describe the characters in the short story.
What is the plot of this tall tale?
What types of conflict appear in this tall tale?
What is the point of view?
What is the tone?
Are there any other themes you can identify?

After you read the tall tale, practice with the literary elements of a tall tale. As you read, in order to study for your test, write down the literary elements of a tall tale that appear in "Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind."

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