quoted 6 lines Not really -- no more than Bob Dylan's talking blues make him the first>Not really -- no more than Bob Dylan's talking blues make him the first
>rapper, or Rambling Jack Eliot etc. As others have pointed out, the origins
>of rap are African, or more directly, Jamaican. But the idea of telling
>a story and accompanying it with music goes back to before written language.
>Homer recited his epic poems to music.
>
Actually, as many scholars will be happy to point out, Homer is not
the originator of 'his' poems, but rather just the first to actually
write them down. They stemmed from a long oral storytelling
tradition (and undoubtedly changed over time) and his telling is just
one remembrance of the stories. The poetic patterns used and the use
of key figures and actions at certain times kept the stories cohesive
and Homer was just someone who learned the stories. He also happened
to write, so we know the stories as Homer's, rather than the actual
originator's.
Not that there's anything wrong with being the first storyteller to
write down the stories, but he wouldn't've claimed the stories as his
own, so why should we? :)
derek
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