Comparing Story Versions Across Cultures

Different cultures around the world often tell the same basic story in their own special way, and readers can find what is alike and what is different between those versions.

Reading is good — doing is better. Practice Comparing Story Versions Across Cultures as an interactive lesson.

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Definition

When the same type of story shows up in more than one culture, each version has its own characters, setting, and details that reflect where it comes from, but the two stories also share a basic plot or lesson. Comparing story versions across cultures means looking at two or more versions of a story side by side to find what they share (similarities) and how they differ (differences).

Remember the rule

Same skeleton, different skin! Two cultural versions of a story share the same basic plot skeleton (what happens) but wear different skin (names, places, and details from their own culture).

Key words

Culture: The beliefs, traditions, food, language, and stories shared by a group of people who live or lived together.
Version: One telling of a story; another version of the same story tells the same basic events but with different details.
Folktale: A story passed down through generations by word of mouth that often teaches a lesson or explains something about the world.
Similarity: Something that is the same in two or more stories.
Difference: Something that is NOT the same between two or more stories.
Theme: The big lesson or message a story wants the reader to learn, like honesty is the best policy.
Setting: Where and when a story takes place, such as a snowy forest in Russia or a sunny village in Africa.
Venn Diagram: A tool with two overlapping circles used to sort similarities in the middle and differences on the outer sides.

Worked examples

Cinderella from Europe vs. Yeh-Shen from ancient China: What is one similarity and one difference?

→ Similarity: In both stories, a kind girl who is treated badly by family members gets help from a magical source and ends up marrying a prince or important man. Difference: In the European Cinderella, a fairy godmother helps her; in Yeh-Shen, a magical fish gives her beautiful clothes and tiny golden shoes. · The basic plot (poor girl, magic helper, fancy party, happy ending) is the same, but the magic helper and the type of shoes change to reflect each culture.

The Three Little Pigs (England) vs. The Three Little Javelinas (American Southwest): How is the setting different?

→ In The Three Little Pigs, the pigs build houses of straw, sticks, and bricks in a European countryside. In The Three Little Javelinas, pig-like animals called javelinas build houses of tumbleweeds, saguaro cactus ribs, and adobe bricks in the desert Southwest of America. · The building materials change to match what is actually found in each story's real-world location.

Anansi the Spider (West Africa and Caribbean) vs. Coyote stories (Native American): What lesson do both trickster characters share?

→ In both cultures, a clever, tricky animal outsmart stronger characters to get what it wants. The shared lesson is that brains can beat brawn, meaning being smart can be more powerful than being big or strong. · Many cultures have a trickster character; comparing them shows a theme that appears across many different cultures.

A student reads two flood stories: Noah's Ark (Middle East/Bible tradition) and a Flood story from the Ojibwe people of North America. What basic plot event do they share?

→ In both stories, a great flood covers the earth, one person or family is warned and survives by floating on water, and the world begins again after the flood ends. · Shared plot events across very different cultures show that some story ideas appear all over the world.

How can a Venn Diagram help you compare Cinderella and Yeh-Shen?

→ Write Cinderella on the left circle and Yeh-Shen on the right circle. In the LEFT only: fairy godmother, glass slipper, pumpkin carriage. In the RIGHT only: magical fish, golden shoe, set in ancient China. In the MIDDLE (both): kind girl treated badly, magic helper, fancy event, marries a wealthy man, happy ending. · Filling in the Venn Diagram before writing makes it easier to write compare-and-contrast sentences.

Common mistakes

Saying two stories are completely different just because names and places are different, when the plot and theme are actually the same.
Saying two stories are exactly the same just because they share a lesson, while ignoring important differences in characters and setting.
Forgetting to look at the theme — kids often only compare characters and setting and miss the big lesson the stories share.
Writing I like this version better instead of explaining actual similarities and differences — opinions are not comparisons.
Mixing up similarity and difference in a Venn Diagram by putting shared ideas on the outside instead of in the middle.

FAQs

Why do so many different cultures have similar stories if they never met each other?

Stories often grow from the same human experiences, like fear of storms, hope for kindness, or the idea that good people deserve good things. Because all people share feelings and experiences, they sometimes create stories with the same basic ideas even when living far apart.

Does one version of a story count as the right or real one?

No. Each version is real and true for the culture that created it. No single version is the original correct one; they are all equally valuable ways of sharing a story and a culture's ideas.

What is the most important thing to compare between two cultural versions?

Look at three things: the characters (who), the setting (where and when), and the theme (the big lesson). If you compare all three, you will find the most interesting similarities and differences.

How do I write a sentence that compares two versions?

Use signal words. For similarities say: Both stories show that... or In each version... For differences say: However, in the African version... or Unlike the European tale... These words tell the reader you are comparing.

What if the two stories have the same plot but the ending lesson feels different?

That is an important difference worth writing about! The theme does not have to be identical. For example, one version of a story might say work hard and another might say trust your friends. Noticing that difference is great comparing.

Can a movie or a picture book count as a cultural version of a story?

Yes! A movie like Moana reflects Polynesian culture, and a picture book version of Cinderella set in Mexico is a cultural version too. As long as a story reflects the traditions and details of a specific culture, it counts as a cultural version.

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