How do stories make us human.
Description Jonathan Gottschall in his book The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human builds the case that our species’ love of story is one of the characteristics that make us uniquely human— but how exactly? Using Gottschall’s text, outside research, and possibly specific stories you are familiar with, you must write an essay discussing the way(s) in which story has shaped humanity. You, like Gottschall, must build a case that story has altered our understanding of the world, our place in the world, or the world itself. For instance, you could choose to discuss the ways in which Abraham Lincoln’s honest character earned him the moniker Honest Abe and so became one of our nation’s legendary story-figures; or you may choose to discuss the ways in which Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird changed the racial landscape of America in the 1960’s; or you could analyze how the story of an athlete like Andrew Peterson resonates so powerfully because we as humans long to overcome our obstacles; or you could discuss the ways in which comic books tap into the universal need of humans to feel strong and unique. Whatever your route, proving the human-affirming and/or human-altering elements of story is your goal.