Read an Australian folk tale text. Relate its messages and themes from history to geography.
Examine the author’s purpose in writing folk tales.
Before You Begin
A folk tale is a story or legend originating among people in a geographic area. Often, folktales form as oral traditions passed down from generation to generation. Usually based on superstitions, folk tales are influenced by a culture's societal identity, political values, and geographic location.

Today, you will find an Australian folk tale and identify how it discusses each key aspect of culture, political values, and geography.

Directions
Save the Australia Outline on your computer and follow the steps below to learn how to prepare for your essay.

The following example uses "The Origin of Narran Lake."

Thesis statement

Remember
The thesis is essentially an equation. Topic + Stance = Thesis

The thesis statement is to show the purpose of your writing, a topic, and the stance the paper will take. A thesis provides a topic and a stance, or a "so what?" A thesis clarifies if information should be included in a paper. If a piece of information doesn’t relate to the thesis, then it should not be included.

A thesis for "The Origin of Narran Lake" is:

The folk tale "The Origin of Narran Lake" displays ancient aspects of Australian culture, socially, politically, and geographic in nature.

Paragraph One: Introduction

In the introduction, you will give a very brief overview of your paper. Clearly identify what folk tale you will be discussing. You may include a few sentences of summary about the tale, but be careful to keep your writing concise. The last sentences of your introduction will be your thesis statement.

Paragraph Two: First Body Paragraph

The first sentence of your body paragraph is a topic sentence that identifies what the rest of the paragraph will be on, in this case, the social culture displayed in the folk tale. An example topic sentence is:

The tasks that Old Byamee and his wives set out to complete in the folk tale "The Origin of Narran Lake" display social culture and expectations in early Australia.

Following this topic sentence should be examples from the story and commentary that support the observation. In this case, the writer would discuss that Old Byamee takes the task of hunting for honey, while his wives are responsible for gathering plants and setting up the campsite. Discuss which tasks were divided by gender, with men responsible for hunting and women responsible for farming and establishing the home. Your discussion will be supported by citing your research on Australia.

Paragraph Three: Second Body Paragraph

The topic sentence of the second body paragraph should identify a political aspect of culture displayed in the story. Political aspects may be more difficult to notice in folk tales, because, today, we tend to think of politics as large ruling organizations. When reading your folk tale, look for evidence of how power was structured and who was in charge of tribal responsibilities. An example topic sentence is:

The folk tale "The Origin of Narran Lake" displays aspects of male dominance politically in the tribal culture of Australia.

The following evidence and commentary would give examples and explanations of these aspects. Discussing that it is Old Byamee who makes the decisions in the story, as well as teaches the moral, would prove that men were expected to take leadership roles in the society. Just as in paragraph two, you will conduct research on Australia to support your commentary.

Paragraph Four: Third Body Paragraph

The topic sentence of the third body paragraph should identify a geographical aspect displayed in the story. Some folktales focus on the creation of geographic features. When choosing a folk tale, look for one that is similar, to ensure that you will have something to discuss for your fourth paragraph. An example topic sentence is:

"The Origin of Narran Lake" explains the legend of how Narran Lake and the Narran River were created.

The evidence and commentary that follow would give examples and quotes from the folk tale that explain how the geographical feature is created in the story. You will use sources that support your commentary, as well.

Paragraph Five: Conclusion

The conclusion of your paper will synthesize your original thesis to create a unique statement, summarize the key points, and add any concluding thoughts. Focus on tying your earlier points together to show what the folk tale reveals about the people of Australia. All of your research and commentary on the folk tale should now come together to prove your earlier thesis.

Be certain to cite all your work in a bibliography that follows the APA Citation Guide