Anthropomorphism In Anansi's How Stories Came To Earth

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“How Stories Came to Earth” is one of three trickster tales that includes the literary element, anthropomorphism. First, Anansi displays anthropomorphism by being curious. Spider yearns to read the stories, but he does not know how to obtain them from Nyame. He shows curiosity at the beginning of the tale when the text reads, “Spider only wanted to know, ‘What is the price of the stories?’” (Kaleki 40). Spider also shows anthropomorphism by being arrogant. Every time that spider tricks one of the creatures, he speaks to them with an arrogant tone. After capturing the leopard spider says, “‘Fool, I am taking you to pay for the sky-god’s stories’” (Kaleki 41). Spider thinks he is superior to leopard because he tricks him. By calling him a fool, …show more content…
Coyote plays a game of dice with Thunder to see who gets to keep the fire. Unlike humans, animals do not play games together. The author explains the game that the animals play when the text states, “They played with dice made from the gnawing teeth of beavers and woodchucks” (Erdoes and Ortiz 45). Animals can not play with dice or play human games, at all. Coyote also demonstrates anthropomorphism by being generous and thoughtful. Coyote goes through all the trouble to steal fire from Thunder so that he can give light to other Native American tribes. He is a generous animal and does not keep all the fire for himself. Coyote demonstrates an act of generosity when the trickster tale says, “Every animal took a little piece of the fire and put it under its armpit or under its wing, and they hurried all over the world, bringing fire to every tribe on earth” (Erdoes and Ortiz 45). In real life animals can not show human values like generosity or thoughtfulness, but in the story Coyote posses both traits. Lastly, Coyote shows anthropomorphism by speaking to other animals and asking them for help. Like humans do on a daily basis, Coyote calls upon his fellow animal friends to help him get the big rock of fire from Thunder. The following quote from the story explains …show more content…
First, Master Cat demonstrates the literary element of anthropomorphism by planning. Cat comes up with a plan to trick the king and princess. Unlike humans, animals can not plan out detailed procedures. They do not have the ability to think outside the box. Cat puts his thoughtful plan into action when the text reads, “Master Cat made a point of staying ahead of the coach” (Perrault 49). Planning is a characteristic of humans, not cats. Master Cat also shows anthropomorphism by desiring to move up in social class. Animals do not have the ability to desire wealth, nor are they classified as rich or poor. The story tells readers about Master Cat’s social class, and his desire for wealth when it says, “The cat became a great lord and never again had to run after mice” (Perrault 50). Greed for wealth is solely a quality in humans, and can not be something that occurs with animals. In reality cats can not demonstrate avarice. Another way that cat demonstrates anthropomorphism is by speaking. Cat speaks to many people throughout the text, including the king, the marquis and the ogre. The cat speaks directly to the ogre when the story reads, “‘but I can hardly believe it, that you have the power to take the shape of small animals’” (Perrault 50). In the real world, animals can not speak; therefore, cat shows anthropomorphism by planning,
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