| Tell it like Scheherazade |
3
Feb 2006
|
|
See
close-up of Grass Spider and Grass
|
|
Where do mosquitoes breed? Water What grows in water? Water-loving grasses What loves grasses? Grass Spiders What do Grass Spiders eat? Mosquitoes Where do mosquitoes breed?... This little loop-around mnemonic came on the spur of a moment at the end of a charming walk along a stream today. I jotted it down as quickly as it came; catching it as if it were a drop of dew before it could fall into the stream below and disappeared forever. I thought it was pretty neat; a fun and simple way at story-telling to help introduce children to the intricate circle of life that can be found in wetlands. |
 |
Facts alone can never bring nature education to life. It is the well woven thread of story-telling that does the trick. Complex sciences, like ecology, would be best-remembered if they were taught with wit, humour and a generous dose of imagery.
Good story-tellers in fact make good teachers. Their lessons are never dull. The effect of a good story can be found in the parables Jesus used to teach, and they were definitely more compelling than just plain preaching. And of course, can one ever forget Scheherazade -- the courageous young maiden immortalized in the collected tales of 'One Thousand And One Nights' ? Read the abridged story below if you have never touch the book before:
"It all came about when King Shahrayar discovered his wife's illicit affairs with her man-slaves, and in his pain, concluded that all women were inherently unfaithful and not to be trusted at all. He, however, did not stop at plain-old mistrust though. As the almighty king, he wielded the power to wed a young virgin every night, and then had her executed the following morning. Many innocent lives were taken in this manner, and one after another, numerous homes were broken with untold grief.
Our heroin Scheherazade was deeply saddened by the suffering around her. She made up her mind to put a stop to the king's sadistic campaign once and for all. Her father, of course, did not approve of her plans; but after much persuasion, he finally relented and presented her to the king as his next fateful bride.
| What
happened next is legendary. It became a classic loved by story-tellers
all over the world. Scheherazade's gift for story-telling came to
the rescue. The cliff-hanging Mother-of-All-Stories she told on her
first nuptial night kept the king so enthralled that he could not
bring himself to kill her the next morning. This went on from days
to months, and months into years, as one after another she weaved
her captivating tales. The king soon discovered a joy he had never felt before and became very fond of Scheherazade. In the end, after one thousand and one nights, she finally brought the king to his senses and won over his heart. They lived happily ever after." |
 |
But for pedagogical purposes, let's take a step away from the pedestrian view and ask -- 'Had it been someone esle, and not Scheherazade, who told those same stories, would the king be as receptive? What if it were you in her place? How effective would you be?'
The answer lies in the art of delivery. It is how you deliver the stories and not the stories themselves that matters.
What is also not immediately apparent in the story is human experience. King Shahrayar's old-self was one-dimensional. Hatred and self-destruction were obstacles to his human experience. You could say that he was 'holed up' until Scheherazade, through the colour of love, language and imagination, opened up for him a world of physical and poetic beauty and a new lease of life.
But before you condemn King Shahrayar's old-self, ask yourself: 'What about my own human experience? How far-reaching and encompassing has it been?
|
The good
news is that there has always been a Scheherazade at our side. She
is no other than Mother Nature herself. |
 |
Would you not be the Scheherazade of the Present? There may still be hope if we try.