Free Essay with Folklore Juxtaposition

The folklore by Edward Mc David talks about a ship that wrecked on the Virginia shores. The story told was a memory of an old man who remembered the incident in the 17th century. The ship was loaded with a large cargo of gin and tobacco when it ran into rocks and was wrecked at the "Gleann an Suibhne" bay. Legends blame the wrecking of this ship on the false light put out on the rocks by the people of "Gleann an Suibhne." The other story in chapter 2 also narrates a story about a wrecked ship that crashed in Leitrich Ard. The vessel was loaded with flour. The fog did put this vessel off its course resulting in its being anchored into the bay for a short period.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The similarity in the two folklores is seen when the villagers from both incidents spot the vessels and dart out to them but with an evil motive. In the Virginia shore, the people of "Gleann an Suibhne" ran down with hammers to the shore when they saw the ship being wrecked. Their sole intention is to get the cargo and destroy the vessel. In the story in chapter 2, upon seeing the ship, the villagers ran into it and decided among themselves to kill the ship's crew so that they could take the cargo for themselves (O'Toole, 2014). In both accounts, a member of the crew manages to escape the ship and swims ashore. Although in the Virginia shores Kelly is captured and killed by the Gleaners. The young lad in the second chapter, who was on board as a cook escapes and is never captured. The villagers in both instances were treacherous to the sailors, and after killing them, they robbed the tobacco and gin in the first story, while in the second story they looted the flour off the ship.

Another similarity is that before the sailors were killed, they were recorded to have offered the best of what they had to the people but despite that, they were murdered. The people of Glen proceeded on and murdered Kelly irrespective of the fact that he offered them a hundred pounds, his money box and clothes. To the people of Leitreach Ard, the captain offered them the best of all he had including demonstrating to them with pride a musical instrument that he had. Despite all that, they killed them and threw them overboard.

In chapter 2, after one of the sailors survived the villager's attack and ran away, he found refuge and was taken care of for two days before he disappeared to an unknown place. Fifty years later, the sailor came back in another vessel that he anchored at the same spot where he had escaped death fifty years earlier. As usual, the country folks came in again and this time round the sailor treated them even better. When the vessel got full, the captain ordered that the ship be set to sail with the villagers on board. They were taken to the lowest ridge and left with no food so they could eat each other for survival (O'Toole, 2014). The captain of the ship was that sailor who had survived and had, therefore, come back with a quest to revenge for his mates.

Both stories, therefore, have a similar theme of betrayal. The folklore of chapter 2 however clearly depicts how treachery brings its punishment. As seen in chapter two, the punishment for the betrayal of trust was death in the most brutal way imaginable. The captain of the crew for which the sailor come back to avenge for had shown high confidence to the people of Leitreach Ard. That was through his goodness to them, but they betrayed this by killing him and his crew members hence portraying treachery. In revenge, the sailor puts them in the bottom of his ship and refuses to let them off till they ate each other alive (O'Toole, 2014).

References

O'Toole, G. J. (2014). Honorable Treachery. Grove/Atlantic, Incorporated.