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American Folktales

Paul Bunyan Questions


1.

How tall was Paul Bunyan supposed to be?

2.

Define the American Folk tale. What are the


aspects of a folk tale?

3.

Who was responsible for spreading American Folk


tales over long distances?

4.

What is an exaggeration? Can you give an


example?

5.

What are some other American Folk Tales besides


Paul Bunyan?

What is an American
Folktale?
Stories

about how things came to


be in American history
Usually very exaggerated
Many unbelievable elements to
them
Change over time and can vary
depending on where you are

Paul Bunyan

Paul Bunyan
Paul

Bunyan is an American
Folktale about a lumberjack
named Paul Bunyan
The story is told differently by
many sources
Throughout history the story of
Paul Bunyan has changed and
become a part of American folk
history

Vocabulary: Lumberjack

Who was Paul Bunyan?


Paul

Bunyan was a lumberjack


who lived in the American
Northeast in the late 1800s /
early 1900s.
He was a giant, some say 50 ft
tall
Many said that he could cut down
a whole forest in a week
He could eat a weeks worth of
potatos for breakfast

American Northeast

Origins
It

is agreed that Paul was born in


Maine
They say that it took 5 giant
storks to deliver him when he
was a baby
His parents had to use 10 cows
to make enough milk for him as a
child
He would roll over in his crib and
cause earthquakes

Vocabulary: Stork

Origins
Eventually,

when he was older


his parents built a house for him
in the forest
His father made him an axe and
taught him how to cut down trees
He had the strength of more than
15 men and could cut down many
trees with the swing of his axe

Characters
Paul

found a giant blue ox and


named him Babe
Paul had a crew of 7 large
lumberjacks called the Seven
Axemen
Paul Bunyan was a 50 foot tall
lumberjack with the strength of
15 men

Vocabulary: Ox

Explaining this folk tale


During

this time period


lumberjacking and the lumber
industry were booming
This story is thought to have
risen because of the strength of
American lumberjacks in general
Paul Bunyan may symbolize all of
the lumberjacks at the time

How do folk tales come to


be?
It

is a bit like the game


telephone
Over time the story morphs from
one thing to another
Exaggeration is a huge part of
American Folk tales
Paul Bunyan may have just been
a large lumberjack, but over time
became 50 feet tall

Vocabulary: To exaggerate

How do folk tales come to


be?
During

this time period when the


railroad was extensive, hobos
riding on trains would spread tall
tales, or folk tales, to pass the
time
They would exaggerate stories
Since they were always
travelling, the stories would
spread quite quickly

Vocabulary: Hobo

Folk tales an American


culture
Many

times interesting folk


characters would just be symbols
of America at the time.
Paul Bunyan was meant to
symbolize the strength and
determination of the American
lumberjacks

Other American Folk


Stories
John

Henry: An African American


slave who worked on the
railroads. He was extremely
strong and could build railroads
faster than machines
Johnny Appleseed: traveled
across the United States and
planted all of the apple trees that
we have today

Davy Crockett
American

icon that was said to


have killed a bear when he was 3
Explored much of the American
wilderness
Fought in the Alamo and was
killed there

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