Stories and Songs Around the World

Why focus on "stories and songs" in a world lit class? Because human beings have been telling stories and singing songs since the beginning. I imagine Adam told bedtime stories to Cain and Abel...

"Boys, did I ever tell you about the day I tried to come up with a name for Elephant?"
"Aw, Dad, not that one. Tell us the scary story again, about the snake!"
"And how God told you he would send someone one day to come back and crush his head!"

And then Eve would come in the cave and sing them to sleep. Perhaps it went something like this...

"In the beginning, God made the earth,
and it was good,
and it was good."

Seriously. Look at Genesis One and see if you don't find all the elements of a good song: rhythm, repetition, imagery, mood... it has a good beat and you can dance to it!

Literature came into being as soon as human beings learned to talk. In fact, the first words uttered by humankind in the Bible -- when Adam first sees Eve -- well, they are a poem. Take another look. It's not a simple statement of fact; it's artfully repetitive, richly emotional. I can almost hear Adam gasp with amazement and love. Yes! The first love poem!

As students of world literature, we start at creation and branch out from the cradle of civilization, geographically and chronologically tracing the stories and songs of early man. Our first stopping point will be the Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh, written down even before Genesis was. Then, on to praise songs of the Egyptians and myths of the early Greeks. We travel around the world to sample Middle Eastern folk tales and Asian wisdom poems. From each culture, we will select stories and songs that let us know what was going on in the minds of past cultures. How were they similar to us in their humanity? How were they different from us in their lifestyle and beliefs? Why does every culture on earth seem to tell stories of great heroes and sing songs of great yearning?

The proposition of this course will be that God designed it that way. God himself is the master storyteller, the "author of our faith." Did you know that more than 75% of the Bible is narrative? And, God is also the supreme poet. The most powerful passages in Scripture have poetic elements, rendering them with a higher purpose than simple everyday utterances. Even non-Christian scholars are amazed by the unity, complexity, and artistic excellence of the Bible. It is my central goal in this class that we inspire young people to sit up and take notice of the spiritual power of literature, as a reflection of the character of God. In doing so, we will see the beauty of God's Word, the power of the Christian story, and the importance of using language to God's glory. I invite your prayers as we explore the divine magic of stories and songs together in 10th Grade World Lit... hopefully it will become a lifelong habit.