Shakespeare in the Bush

Page 29.  The general point made by Laura Bohannan in her work Shakespeare in the Bush is that stories are interpreted the same throughout different parts of the world, although she changes her view point at the end by realizing stories are interpreted quite differently in other cultures.  More specifically, Bohannan suggests that everyone looks at stories the same way all over the world.  She writes, “human nature is pretty much the same the whole world over” (p. 29).  In this passage, Bohannan is suggesting that each culture will look at a story the same way generally, although some details might have to be explained according to the culture’s customs, but generally, the story will be seen the same way.  In conclusion, it is Bohannan’s belief that stories are generally viewed the same, no matter what culture.

            

In my view, Bohannan is wrong because in different cultures, different things are deemed acceptable or unacceptable depending on where you are at or what culture you are talking about.  For example, the fairy tale Cinderella might be viewed differently in China than here in the United States.  Although Bohannan might object that cultures view stories differently, I maintain that different parts of the world do view stories and folktales differently according to their traditions and customs.  Therefore, I conclude that although the story might not be changed at all when telling it to other cultures, each culture will see it differently, whether it be completely different or only slightly.