The Cultural Aspects of Orality
Orality is expressed in different forms as folk songs, ballads, folk tales, stories, proverbs, sayings, superstitions and dialect. All of these elements are intertwined within its cultural aspects except dialect which is considered as a linguistic aspect of orality. These folklorist elements were used by African American authors for the purpose of reflecting their history and culture and strengthened it within the literary field.
A. Folk Songs
The African slaves have been transported during the 17th century to the land of America where they developed a new culture from their tormented living situation. By time, these generations gradually became African Americans who held a rich culture full of music and folklore. They created a distinct kind of music which tackled their hard experiences in the new world. This music includes different kinds of songs as Spirituals, Blues, Ballads, Gospel Music, Jazz Music, Rap/Hip-Hop Music and Children's Songs.
B. Folk Stories and Folktales
The past is conceived as part of the future. In this vein, oral storytelling has a specific worthy value than a written story since it inspires today's generations with pieces of advice, morals and lessons about their lives. It has also a specific beauty since it retells personal experiences. As noted, folklore is that device which portrays human culture as an amalgamation of both customs and traditions and it thus depicts this human's identity. In addition, all elements of folklore enriched life and culture of its people because they are full of wisdom and knowledge which can be transmitted throughout told stories.
In this sense, storytelling is considered as an art form which can shape the history of a group of people. Hence, these stories are powerful because they create social values that ultimately teach people worthy lessons. In this context, Folktales were the most common form of storytelling. The African folktales include animals as principal characters. Besides, these versions of stories were considered as both a source of entertainment for the slave owner and a source of information and plan for the enslaved one.
C. Proverbs and Riddles
Both proverbs and riddles are conceived as part of orality and forms of folk literature. On one hand, proverbs have appeared for a long time in the written literature in which they express a vital truth. Besides, they represent observations about the nature of life. More than that, they teach the basic societal principles. On the other hand, riddles are used for the purpose of tricking the listener about their meanings. The riddle of the Sphinx in Sophocles may be considered as a good example within the written literature whereas in oral literature, riddles may be used for geniuses. They are long and they are told for the reason of finding a solution (Mulvey 19). They are ultimately used for the purpose of entertainment. Besides, the contribution of these oral riddles into literature; include some messages which help listeners to discover the values of the target people.
Songs, stories and folktales and all oral elements were used as tools to convey lessons, morals and cultural values. Besides, many authors approved that the oral tradition enriches the African American literature. They used stories which contain lessons and morals, significant to Black people. Moreover, the African American writers of 20th century as Baldwin, Hurston, Ellison and Angelou enriched their novels and poems by these oral elements.