When I'm teaching, I tell my students: It's all process. Don't even think of product.
Maxine Hong KingstonRead
There can't be a pure myth, especially when the myth has been handed down in the oral tradition. As the stories are told, they change. If the stories don't change they just die.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Myths evolve over time as they are shared, reflecting the dynamic nature of storytelling.
Maxine Hong Kingston's quote suggests that myths are not static but rather living narratives that change with each telling. Oral traditions breathe life into stories, and their continual evolution is essential for their survival; without change, these stories would simply fade away and be forgotten.
Themes
MythOral TraditionStorytellingChangeNarrative
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the importance of preserving cultural heritage, you might reference this quote to emphasize how myths adapt over time.
More from Maxine Hong Kingston
All quotes →In a time of destruction, create something.
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Joy and life exist nowhere but the present.
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We're all under the same sky and walk the same earth; we're alive together during the same moment.
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I learned to make my mind large, as the universe is large, so that there is room for paradoxes.
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The work of preservation demands that the feelings playing about in one's guts not be turned into action. Just watch their passing like cherry blossoms.
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