Sometime in the far past, in a far from here place, in southwest Germany to be more exact, a farmer was digging yams. He put the yams in his basket. He would keep some for himself, and the rest he would sell to get some money. Suddenly one of the yams protested. “Ouch you are hurting me”.
The man perplexed looked left and right and seeing nobody he muttered “What was that?”
‘Ouch, you are hurting me”, repeated the yam.
The man stepped back in shock. Again, he looked left and right. Nobody was around. The Yam had indeed talked. Puzzled, the man ran down the road in a state of confusion. Along the way he kept muttering.
“Talk, talk, can you believe that talk? Talk, talk can you believe that talk?
Further down the road, the farmer came upon a fisherman. The fisherman asked what was wrong with him. He was obviously not looking well.
“My yam talked to me” replied the farmer.
“That’s ridiculous” said the fisherman pulling up his net. “Yams cannot talk”.
“I certainly disagree with you,” said the net.
The fisherman perplexed looked left and right and muttered “What was that?”
“I said that I do not agree with you that Yams cannot talk,” said the net.
The bewildered fisherman threw down the net, stepped back and looked at the farmer. As their eyes met the fisherman told the farmer that his net had just talked to him. The fisherman, deeply confused, joined the farmer and the two of them walked down the road muttering to themselves. “Talk, talk, can you believe that talk? Talk, talk can you believe that talk?”
Soon, the farmer and the fisherman came upon a cottage outside which stood a villager resting under a tree. When they came close to the villager they both said in one voice: “Strange things are happening”.
And the farmer exclaimed “my yam talked to me” and the fisherman added “my fishing net spoke to me”.
“That’ s ridiculous”, said the villager. “Yams do not talk and fishing nets do not talk”.
“I do not agree that Yams do not talk and fishing nets do not talk,” said the tree.
The perplexed villager looked left and right and muttered “What was that?”
“I said that I do not agree that Yams do not talk and fishing nets do not talk” repeated the tree.
The villager moved closer to the other two and when their eyes met, he said to the farmer and the fisherman “The tree has just talked to me”.
The farmer joined the fisherman and the villager, and they all walked on muttering to themselves. “Talk, talk, can you believe that talk? Talk, talk, can you believe that talk?
Now the three of them wanted to tell the king that strange things were happening. They made their way to the palace and after a lot of insistence they were allowed entrance. They told the guards that they had to inform the king of some very strange things happening in the area. When they finally stood in front of the king they shouted together: “Your majesty, strange things are happening”. The king demanded explanation to their claim. So, first, it was the farmer who exclaimed:
“Your majesty, my yam talked to me”,
Then the fisherman cried: “Your majesty, my fishing net talked to me”.
Finally, the villager stuttered: “Your majesty, the tree in my garden talked to me”.
The king scowled and raged and approached them and ordered. “Go home, foolish people. Stop spreading ridiculous rumors and upsetting us all. Yams do not talk. And nets do not talk. And trees do not talk”.
The disappointed farmer, the frustrated fisherman and the bewildered villager left the palace. Shaking his head, the king went back to his royal stool and muttered to himself. “When people tell stupid stories, they alarm the community everywhere. Yams do not talk. And nets do not talk. And trees do not talk”.
“You are absolutely right,” said the royal stool.
The perplexed king looked left and right where his advisors stood and muttered “What was that?”
“Your majesty, you are right. Yams do not talk. And nets do not talk. And trees do not talk”,
repeated the royal stool leaving the king perplexed, looking left and right with disbelief.
Talk, talk, can you believe that talk? I don’t know if this is true. I was told this story, so I am telling it to you. Talk, talk, can you believe that talk?
Extension questions serving as springboard to discuss the story.
Questions.
- Do you think that some people are able to “hear” objects speaking? Is this a supernatural event, or is this happening inside the characters’ minds? Where does reality stop and imagination begin?
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- At what point in the story did you start thinking that something supernatural is happening? Why then?
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- Can something be “real” if many people experience it, even if it seems impossible?
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- How does the repetition in the story “Talk, talk, can you believe that talk?” affect how we interpret the story?
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- If you heard an inanimate object speak to you, how would you react? Would you tell others, or keep it secret? Why?
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- In the story each new character refuses to believe the previous one but they start changing their mind when they themselves experience something strange. The king refuses to believe the others. Do you think he will change his mind after what has happened to him? What ending can you give to the story?
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- The speaking objects in the story appear to you friendly, neutral, or threatening? What evidence from the story supports your view?
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- Could the objects represent something symbolic (e.g., nature, truth, conscience)? If so, do you think that they are complaining, advising or warning the characters ?
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- Why does the story end without a clear explanation? How does that uncertainty relate to the supernatural theme?
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- Extend the story by imagining that another object in the story starts speaking. It could be the palace walls. What would they say, and to whom?
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Role play and Group discussion.
Organize a group discussion where each participant takes on a role. The role of the skeptic, of the believer, of the psychologist and of the symbolist. During the discussion each character speaks in role.
The Skeptic will be the one who is sure that objects cannot speak and challenges those believing in such things. This role looks for logical or scientific explanations of such happenings.
The Believer will be the person who thinks that supernatural events are possible, that the world is not only what is visible. This player has lively imagination and is open to the idea that objects can communicate.
The Psychologist will be the one who tries to explain behavior and reactions. This character focuses on the human mind and perception when people are stressed, confused and suffer from delusions.
The Symbolist will be the one who believes that objects represent deeper meanings and looks for the hidden messages in the story.
The discussion ends with the students declaring if they believe that inanimate objects can send messages and ticking the right square. ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not sure.
Zafi Mandali holds a BA in English Language & Literature, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics, University of Essex. Retired from Director of studies, Department of English, Ellinogermaniki Agogi, she works as an active educator, teacher trainer, storytelling coach, educational consultant and serves on the Tesol Greece Board. She is a presenter, article contributor and published author. Her soft point is Storytelling in Education with samples of work uploaded on www.eltstorytelling.com and Eltstorytelling facebook group.
