Definition Essay

3 Pages 771 Words

“Another Close Call at the Mall”
An urban legend can be defined as a questionable story involving incidents of the recent past, often including elements of humor and horror, that spreads quickly and is popularly believed to be true. An urban legend, “Another Close Call at the Mall”, that circulated in 1998 was about a woman who goes into a parking lot and someone tries to abduct her. This urban legend fits Jan Harold Brunvand’s, the renowned folklorist who made "urban legends" a household word with his delightful series of books beginning with The Vanishing Hitchhiker in 1981, definition of a true urban legend. Brunvands criteria for an urban legend is that it must be set in recent past, involve real human beings, disseminated orally or on internet, believed to be true, and gain credibility from specific details. The urban legend “Another Close Call at the Mall” tells the reader to be careful who you trust and that we as Americans are afraid of the dangers in America today.
In America today news travels fast. The urban legend “Another Close Call at the Mall” is an urban legend that was sent by e-mail in 1998 as a warning to woman that there are creepy people in the world that might do them harm. The urban legend starts by saying, “I received this email from a friend and since I care about all of you I wanted to share it. It is just a reminder to be aware when you are out and about. There are a lot of creepy people in this world, I am sad to say.” Also ending with, “Pass this along to every woman you have access too. Never let your guard down. Good story for women to know about -- although with the NUTS in today's world, everyone needs to be careful (not just women).” This urban legend’s beginning and ending give the reader the sense of a sincere warning and notice. The fact that it sounds sincere makes it believable which compels people to send it to others.
After reading the body of the urban legend a...