Grade 11, Sharing Traditions, Line to Line Analysis, Questions - Answers

 Summary and Analysis of “Sharing Tradition” by Frank Lapena

In the introductory paragraph, Lapena juxaposes two separate things: death of some traditional people and the problem of maintaining tradition. Later he shows the interrelation between these two as traditional people are the source of tradition and their death causes problems in maintaining tradition in a community. He claims that the oral tradition is an art form and it is important in maintaining the values of culture. No one lives forever but no one ever dies if they share the tradition to another generation.

Not everyone is capable of fulfilling the roles of the elders after their death because of the ideal position they create while living. After they pass away their knowledge of the culture and the responsibilities they had in their community had to be assumed by several individuals. But the niche created by them is hard to fill, and it is a problem of maintaining tradition.

The young people do not pay too much attention to the elders and some years later they regret it after losing them. They wish they had listened more, remembered more, or asked more about the things that the elders were willing to share with them. This is another problem sharing tradition.

It is normal to have a generation gap between the elders and youngsters. But modern technology has further increased this gap by imposing stress, worry, and change in people. New technologies replace the old one but it has become like housing and pollution replacing the fertile land. It is another problem in sharing traditions.

There are things that can minimize the generation gap, that is the person-to-person private oral tradition. Oral tradition is the educational tool of understanding the natural world, the world which is not falsified. 

But the problem is modern people do not learn things through oral tradition. Modern education forces people to do things without necessity, interest, individual passion, or for the sake of community. The research done in oral tradition contains wrong information and misrepresents the truth. The writers and lecturers also create fake information about the oral tradition thinking they must have an answer instead of directing the question to someone who knows about it. But the elders react differently- they ask some time to think or discuss the issue with everybody before coming up with the answer- even that answer is not the ultimate. 

Lapena signifies oral tradition in contrast to literary tradition by saying that it is harder to correct errors in literary tradition but oral tradition gives space to correction because the stories are known by the listeners. The information that is gained over a long period of time has more validity and gives proper understanding. Lapena believes that the information coming from an insider is valid information because that person has vested interest about his/her community.

Lapena explains the significance of oral tradition from an artist’s perspective. He claims that oral tradition is also an art form as it shares similar features of other forms of arts where the visualization of the stories, the characters, the designs, colours, the atmosphere, and other information are significant. But these things cannot be uniform or can be in abstract form in an oral tradition. But Lapena asserts that if other forms of arts can be abstract so can the oral tradition as well. The artist creates conceptual work instead of a concrete one because he/she modifies the facts because of personal preference or belief. But this work cannot be declared good or bad in itself. If it represents the real culture or tradition, it does not matter what’s included or left out.  The author raises the question to the audience if our modern life and new things function independently of or holistically with the old ways and symbols. The answer is simple, none. It is because modern life neither functions independently nor it will follow entrie old ways or symbols. It includes a mixture of both.

For Lapena, the modification of facts in an oral tradition is acceptable but this modification should not be for someone’s ego but it should pay attention to the source of the inspiration- the departed elderly people. In this way we can honour the elders and think of the responsibility they handed to us by sharing the traditions with us.

Longevity- the property of being long lived 

Apocalypse: A disaster or cataclysmic event

Undercut: cut or wear away the part below or under (something, especially a cliff).

Transcend: go beyond the range or limit

Confidentiality: the state of keeping or being kept secret or private.

Erroneous: wrong or incorrect

Sleep on it: delay making a decision on something until the following day.

Impact: a marked effect or influence

Conceptually: in terms of a concept or abstract idea

Representationally: representing or depicting an object in a recognizable manner.

Entrusted: hand over

Tradition: the handing down of information, beliefs, or customs from one generation to another.

Abstract: Not representing or imitating the external reality or the objects of nature

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. According to LaPena, what is the importance of the oral tradition? To what extent do you agree with his opinions and why?

Ans: According to LaPena, the oral tradition is important to maintain the value of culture. It means that oral tradition is significant to receive, preserve, and transmit tradition and culture from one generation to another generation. 

I fully agree with his opinions because most of the traditions are and can be transferred to the new generation through the means of oral communication. It is significant to maintain tradition at any cost because it is the source of our identity and motivation for life.

b. Who preserve and pass on the oral tradition?

Ans: The elders receive the values and culture related to our language, dress, rituals, festivals, folklores, dance, songs, myths, and other forms of tradition through the means of oral tradition from the preceding generation and preserve them. Then they pass them on to the younger generation in order to maintain it. 

c. What is the danger of not passing on information from generation to generation?

Ans: If the information is not passed from generation to generation it gets destroyed. According to the author, no one lives forever but no one dies either if what they have gained by living is carried forward by those who follow. He means to say that a person’s identity dies along with the physical death if the information he/she has regarding the tradition is not passed from generation to generation.

d. What is the difference between oral tradition and literary tradition?

Ans: The difference between oral tradition and literary tradition is that an oral tradition, in contrast to a literary tradition, accommodates corrections, because the stories are known by multiple listeners as they can counter argue about it. But, a literary tradition is harder to correct as it exists in published books. 

e. How does LaPena establish a relationship between art and the oral tradition?

Ans: LaPena establishes a relationship between art and the oral tradition by asserting that an oral tradition is also an art form as it shares similar features to other forms of arts where the visualization of the stories, the characters, the designs, colours, the atmosphere, and other information are significant. 

 Reference the context

a. LaPena states that the oral tradition helps maintain the values of a culture. If you believe that the oral tradition is important, how would you maintain it?

Ans: I indeed believe that the oral tradition is important and it is a necessity of human society to maintain it. For my part, the first thing I would do is to work on mass consciousness regarding oral tradition. I would write stories and articles on it and publish in the national newspaper so that the common people get awareness out of it. I would organize campaigns, petition signings, and raise voices for that on different platforms. I would also work with older people in the society to lead a movement in support of the significance of oral tradition.

b. “Not everyone is capable of fulfilling the roles of the elders.” Explain this statement with reference to the essay.

Ans: As people age, they become conscious towards their rituals, language, values, ideas, culture, and other related information regarding tradition. They contribute in preserving and passing them through oral communication. In different social rituals, they are the one who advise regarding the procedures and obligations to follow. LaPena argues that the elders, by their knowledge and activities, create a niche in society which is passed to the young people after their death. But not everyone is capable of fulfilling that niche because of the generation gap created by the youngsters. They might somehow take the place of the elders but they cannot fulfill all the roles as they do not receive the traditions from the older generation properly. 

c. What is the controlling idea or thesis of this essay?

Ans: The controlling idea or thesis of this essay is that oral tradition is a form of art which is important to be received, preserved, and passed from one generation to maintain the value of culture; and it can be done by listening to the elders often.

d. How do topic sentences guide the reader through the essay? What would be lost without them?

Ans: Frank LaPena presents his thesis in the introductory paragraph and supports his thesis by presenting reasons and logics in the body paragraphs. He starts each paragraph with a topic sentence which carries the essence of the entire paragraph. Lapena has presented a problem of maintaining the oral tradition consecutively in one paragraph and its solution in the following paragraph. Altogether he includes four problems of maintaining oral tradition and also offers their solutions. For this, he has used hooky and powerful topic sentences. Without them the entire cohesion of this essay would be lost.

e. What are the four major problems developed by LaPena with regard to maintaining the oral tradition. How are they used to structure the essay?

Ans: Frank LaPena in this essay “Sharing Tradition” shows the interrelationship between the death of traditional people and the problem it creates in maintaining tradition. He presents four problems in the preservation and transmission of traditional elements throughout the essay.

1. Difficulty in fulfilling the niche created by elderly people:

Firstly, the problem he talks about is the difficulty in filling the niche created by the death of elderly people. When they die, the youngsters take their place but they cannot fill the niche entirely. It is because they do not listen to the elders while they are alive but they regret later for not listening to them properly. 

2. The increasing generation gap created by technology:

Secondly, LaPena says that to be a gap between generations is normal but modern technology has further widened the gap through the imposition of stress, worry, and change. For him, it is just like the housing and pollution replacing the fertile land in the name of development.

3. The failures of modern education system:

Thirdly, LaPena regards the modern education system to be a complete failure. It is because the modern education system does not preserve and promote oral tradition. Rather it forces people to do unnecessary, useless, and errorsome work by emphasizing literary tradition over oral tradition. The problem with literary tradition is that it is hard to make corrections as it remains in published form, in contrast to the oral tradition.

4. The invalidity of oral tradition due to modification:

Lastly, invalidity created due to lack of details, abstract nature, and egoistic modification is presented as a problem in maintaining oral tradition. Lapena believes that mild modifications in any art form are inevitable but that should not kill the essence of the oral tradition. Therefore, he urges the readers to pay attention to the source of the tradition-the elderly people-while passing it to the next generation.

Each of these problems is arranged in two paragraphs, wherein LaPena presents the problem in one paragraph and transits to another with solution. The given problems follow the same order in this essay, where the author has used powerful topic sentences with logical supporting details. 

 Reference beyond the text

a. Write a paragraph or two explaining your attitude toward the oral tradition of passing along information.

Ans: I believe the oral tradition of passing along information is significant because it helps to preserve our rituals, language, dance forms, dresses, festivals, foods, values, ideas, technologies, beliefs, culture, and hence identity. Traditions ultimately bring a sense of security. We come to rely on certain rituals and events that unify us and bring back memories of the past. The practitioners of the event may change, but the tradition remains the same and keeps us connected to the past, in addition to building memories of the present.

Oral tradition of passing along information should be preserved because it is the better and easier way of transmitting values and cultures. As corrections can be done easily, it is more viable than literary tradition. It not only preserves our identity and way of living but also reduces the gap between generations. Therefore, I believe, oral tradition must be promoted in the present society and also it should be made a tool of the present education system.

b. Our culture is our identity. Write a few paragraphs explaining how you intend to preserve your culture, values and norms.

Ans:

Our culture is our identity because it frames our way of living and shows who we really are. It is the lifeblood of a vibrant society, expressed in the many ways we tell our stories, celebrate, remember the past, entertain ourselves, and imagine the future; therefore, we must promote and preserve it.

The first and foremost thing that one must do to preserve the culture, values, and norms is to spend time with elderly people in the family and society. Gathering as a group during leisures just for the sake of conversation helps to promote oral tradition. Many aspects of culture are difficult to learn in books and museums, including etiquette, body language, and humor. But, they can be learnt through oral communication. I would definitely do it to preserve my tradition and other cultural things. 

I would definitely participate in the religious and cultural events more often including family rituals, festivals, and gatherings. This can boost my passion, interest and emotion regarding their preservation. I would definitely learn more about myself, my relatives, my culture, and my real identity. Besides, I would be proud of my culture, values, and norms, and also share my culture's art and technology with others. 

Also, I will research about my culture and gather information to pass to the future generation. Unifying other people together, I will organize campaigns to make the people of my society and culture aware regarding the significance of the traditional norms and values. This group will aim to frame plans related to their preservation and execute them.