The Magic of Storytelling

Storytelling is everywhere now in day, but is every story true? I think we all know the answer to that question. True stories are not about facts anymore, they are about what the reader/listener perceives to be true. Take into account the book The Thing They Carry. This whole book is not completely true. It is based off of a true even in history, but O'Brien does not used complete truth to tell this story. He uses a part in history then adds fiction to the novel to make it a good book. This book makes the reader have to think about what parts are true, and what are just fiction. This was O'Briens intentions the whole time. "Uh, if I were to tell you the literal truth of what happened to me in the summer of nineteen sixty-eight, all I could tell you was that I played golf, and I worried about getting drafted. But that's a crappy story. Isn't it? It doesn't - it doesn't open any door to what I was feeling in the summer of nineteen sixty-eight. That's what fiction is for. It's for getting at the truth when the truth isn't sufficient for the truth." (O'Brien) He uses fiction and truth to make a book readable.

This also happens in the movie Forrest Gump. This is a movie about a young boy who was not like everyone else. He was human, but did not fit in. His mom and Jennny were the main people in his life. They were there for him no matter what. "I'll always be your girl. " (Jenny, Forrest Gump.) " You're momma sure does care about your education, son. " (Principal, Forrest Gump) This movie is like The Thing They Carry. It is based on a fact in history, but they blend in humor to make the movie a great one to watch. "What does this movie have to do with the more mundane issue of the believability of television news film? The answer can be found in several scenes. Through one of the most incredible uses of computer-assisted technology, Forrest Gump has interesting encounters with John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and John Lennon.

Never mind that none of these events occurred. Never mind that the public is shown in larger-than-life terms just how effectively Forrest Gump is made a part of the vintage news footage in a way that nearly defies detection. After all, it's just entertainment, right?" (Sherer, Michael D.) This is the opinion of most people now in day. It is just entertainment. Most books and movies now in day blend truth with fiction to make top sellers. No one wants to read an all factual book and like it. They want to read something that keeps them involved.

Manipulating, `Forrest Gump'. By: Sherer, Michael D., Quill, 00336475, , Vol. 82, Issue 9
Literary Reference Center

Forrest Gump / Producers: Wendy Finerman, Steve Tisch, and Steve Starkey / Director: Robert Zemeckis / Writer: Eric Roth / 1994 / Paramount Pictures / US

O'brien, Tim. "Writing Vietnam." 21 Apr. 1999. http://www.stg.brown.edu/ projects/WritingVietnam/intro.html. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .