ORAL LITERATURE AND SOCIALIZATION

Oral literature socialites us in that it makes us good members of society; it brings us together with other members of the society. People get together to listen to a story, dance to a song or share jokes and riddles.

When people tell one another stories or sing songs together they are sharing not only their knowledge of the songs or stories but also their experiences and their feelings and their enjoyment of the performances. Hence they begin to know one another; they develop a sense of community; of belonging together.

Another important aspect of socialization is that it teaches us social values. Most pieces of oral literature convey, in a beautiful and lively manner, the belief of our societies what they encourage as good and decent behavior, what they discourage as bad and improper behavior and what they would like to do. These performances of oral literature makes us responsible members of society by instilling in us beliefs, morals, concerns and aspirations of our societies.

Taking part in oral literature encourages us to improve our skills in speaking, reciting, and singing. We also develop our memory, our ability to think fast (such as when we share riddles) and systematically and our confidence in communicating orally.

Oral literature makes us enjoy and respect language especially the spoken word. Oracy is the skill of the spoken word, good speech and. Orate is a person who can speak clearly and articulately and is highly respected. Good speakers usually achieve success because they are able to persuade people to give them or do for them what they want. A large number of important professions in our society such as teaching, salesmanship, acting, broadcasting, law and political leadership depend largely on oracy, a skill that is perfectly acquired in oral literature.