Tall, Tales

Tall tales are American stories born in the 1800’s among American workers; tall tales are imaginary and exaggerated stories about extraordinary people who performed amazing feats. Many of us when we were kids hear some tall tale story, at least one, I’m for sure. Some of the famous characters in these stories are creations of the mind of any writer of that time as the case of Pecos Bill and PaulBunyan; some others are actually real people, as in the case of Johnny Appleseed and the famous Davy Crockett; but the stories of their life were soon exaggerated and re-told until they become folk heroes. Some of the characters from tall tales, live experiences that remain in our minds and make us love them or hate them forever for their good or bad actions. Let analyze some interestingcharacters from some few of the most famous Tall tales in our culture. The first tall tale is “A Princess of Mars” by Edgar Rice. In this tall tale the author tells the story of an old man of the state of Virginia named John Carter, who tell us how it happen his first contact with aliens, when he was trying to save his partner and friend James Powell from the Apache Indians. John Carter it wasdescribing how a group of few aliens are above to attack him “One was coming at me with a huge spear, with its sharp tip pointed at my heart” (Princess of Mars, Rice), when suddenly the radio signal it is interrupted by the announcer, and so ends the tall tale. Personally, the character created by Edgar Rice is very interesting, maybe not just because the great combination of a western and sciencefiction genre in the tale, but I think that the people are always attracted by the stories that the old people toll us, it’s like when you´re listen your grandparents told you a tall tale story. I think that John Carter is a brave character, adventurous and most important; he was not intimidated by risking situations. John Carter going to search his friend to save him from the Apache Indians, evenwhen Carter knows that will be a disadvantage fight between him and hundreds of Indians, that’s an action that just a brave and sincerely person can do for a friend. One more reason that I like about the John Carter character was his adventurous spirit, he don’t allow him to stay sitting and watching around when he noticed that he was on Mars, he went to investigate what’s going on; then thealiens appears suddenly behind him, that was really creepy. Quite frankly I wouldn’t know what to do first if I had been in John Carter situation, just run, start to cry like a child or just faint by the impression, that’s another reason why I really enjoy the John Carter character. Other tall tale with interesting characters its “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving, the storyis about a headless man who rides a horse at nights around the Sleepy Hollow valley. The people of the valley think that the headless rider was the ghost of a dead soldier “The story says the man died many years ago during the American Revolutionary war. His head was shot off. Every night he rises from his burial place … through the valley looking for his lost head” (Sleepy Hollow, Irving). Thestory also talks about three main characters that are involved in a kind of romantic drama: Ichabod Crane, Katrina Van Tassel and Brom Van Brunt. Ichabod is a teacher who teaches in the little school from Tarry Town, a little village near to Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod was a poor person and for earns some extra money every Sunday after church Ichabod taught singing people. Ichabod was fall in love ofKatrina, but he had a big rival who wants Katrina’s love too and is Brom Van Brunt, a big muscular and handsome young guy who is trying to get Katrina’s love as well as Ichabod. The interesting about the Ichabod Crane character and the mainly reason why I really enjoy him it’s because he tries to compete with Brom to get Katrina’s love, even when he realize the fact about that Brom was taller,...