Compare and Contrast

For our assignment, one folktale I read was ‘Bloody Mary’ from America. A rumored witch lived in the woods. Little girls started disappearing from the village and the witch began looking younger and younger. One night, she is caught luring a girl out of her bed and into the woods. The witch was burned at the stake. Another story I read was ‘Yellow Ribbon’, another spooky story from America. Jane always wears a yellow ribbon and it always bugged her friend, Johnny. Whenever he asked, she never told him. As their friendship leads to love which leads to marriage which leads to children which leads to getting older, Johnny continued asking Jane why she wore the ribbon and she refused to tell him. Then finally, as she lay dying, Johnny asked one last time. He removed the ribbon like she told him and her head fell off. The final story I read was ‘Guardian of Yosemite’, a Native American story from the Miowak tribe. The guardian spirit, Tisayac, was drifting among the valley people when she noticed a man name Tutokanula, a strong leader. Tutokanula noticed the spirit and fell in love with her. Tisayac fled, confused by the strong rush off feelings. Tutokanula abandoned his people and searched for her. Tisayac was saddened by how barren the valley became. She prayed to the Great Spirit who heard her prayers and restored the valley. Tutokanula heard Tisayac returned and went back to the valley. He built a statue in his likeness for his people to remember him by. Tutokanula then followed Tisayac and left the earth.



One difference I noticed in these three stories was the lack of romance in “Bloody Mary”. Jane and Johnny were a couple for most of their lives. Much of the story revolved around the growth of their relationship. “The Guardian of Yosemite” was almost completely about the love of Tutokanula and Tisayac. The romance was the source of all the problems but it was also the solution. In Bloody Mary however, was alone. She was a lonely old witch. There was no love story in “Bloody Mary” at all.



“Yellow Ribbon” ended with Jane’s head falling off her body. It’s easily assumed that she died, leaving Johnny all alone. At the end of “Bloody Mary”, the witch is burned at the stake. Which isn’t very pleasant for her at least. “The Guardian of Yosemite” however, ended happily with the valley full of life and people again and Tutokanula and Tisayac finally being together.



Despite these differences, I did notice a similarity. Besides the fact they’re all stories from the same country, all the folktales have a departing of some sort. Bloody Mary and Jane both die and depart from Earth. Tutokanula leaves his people and leaves the Earth with Tisayac. He didn’t die; he just departed.

All cultures have similarites we just have to look for them. They might be right in front of us like in our folktales.