ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Remember that even though there was a real man named John Henry, some of the things that happen in this story are not real and are exaggerations, so this story is still considered a tall tale and thus partly fiction. The title of this tall tale is “John Henry, ” and the setting for this story is the American frontier.

Detailed explanation-2: -Long ago, the people who settled in undeveloped areas of America first told tall tales. After a hard day’s work, people gathered to tell each other stories. Each group of workers had its own tall tale hero. An African American man named John Henry was the hero of former slaves and the people who built the railroads.

Detailed explanation-3: -Some examples of everyday exaggerations that can be described as “tall tales” include: When I went fishing, I caught a fish as big as my arm! Sorry I’m late, traffic was backed up all the way to my driveway. My girlfriend’s a supermodel, but you don’t know her; she goes to a different school.

Detailed explanation-4: -tall tale, narrative that depicts the wild adventures of extravagantly exaggerated folk heroes.

Detailed explanation-5: -Freed slave John Henry is a steel-driving man laying track for a railroad. When the use of a modern steam drill threatens the crew’s jobs and dreams, John issues a challenge to race it in order to prove which is faster: man or machine. Animated version of a familiar tale.