Table of Contents
Pelt Kid and His Grandmother
PDF excerpt alcheringa_1-2_1971-pp19-30.pdf
Audio file: https://diglib.amphilsoc.org/islandora/audio/pelt-kid-and-his-grandmother - Restricted Access
Overview
In “Pelt Kid and His Grandmother,” a humorous story about Pelt Kid and his grandmother is introduced. Pelt Kid is described as a “stupid boy” because he takes conversations and phrases very literally. This narrative poem follows Pelt Kid’s growth and the advice that he receives from his grandmother. While Pelt Kid follows his grandmother’s advice, he tends to misunderstand her instructions. The narrative poem also follows a structure of short pauses, line breaks, and capitalized words. These elements help to emphasize the emotion of the characters and their actions.
Commentary
While reading through the narrative poem, I could envision a storyteller reciting the lines. The line breaks symbolized a short, less than one second, pause which could be a storyteller transitioning thoughts. The underlined words in parentheses helped me visualize the emotion a character was expressing. The moments when the narrator laughs suggest that he is amused by Pelt Kid’s lack of knowledge. Overall, the narrative poem humorously taught a lesson of taking things too literally. Pelt Kid frequently took his grandmother’s advice too literally and embarrassed himself. However, Pelt Kid’s constant reliance on his grandmother’s advice suggested that no matter what age we become, we will always require help from the people that are closest to us.
Context
This narrative poem is told by the Zuni storyteller Walter Sanchez. The Zuni cultural and religious traditions are rooted in the mountains, riverways, forests, and deserts. The Zuni people are mostly farmers that grow maize and wheat. They express their cultural traditions through painting, pottery, jewelry, and fetish painting.
Bibliography
Gilbert Kallestewa Jr, Information Engineering Technology. “KESHI! WELCOME.” Pueblo of Zuni, www.ashiwi.org/.
Foley, John Miles. “The Singer of Tales in Performance.” Google Books, Google, books.google.com/booksid=zhX8O6g7McQC&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=pelt%2Bkid%2Band%2Bhis%2Bgrandmother&source=bl&ots=Be6Z8bbwin&sig=ACfU3U23JpTAlGCGUQuDKlLGAz4Bh8AGMQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjd4JqLhpvxAhVNM6wKHcIRAmwQ6AEwDnoECB0QAw#v=onepage&q&f=false.
