ESSAY MEDIA ANALYSIS 6TH HOUR

James McCurry
6th hour Media analysis
Urban Legends Essay:
An Urban Legend is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by the ones hearing them. They are not all false but most are at least somewhat made up or modified.They sound believable enough and are therefore spread more quickly. Most of the time, they come as “add-ons” to spectacular events. Someone makes it up and it gets added on to as it’s passed down (started by rumors). There are thousands of urban legends that have been passed down through the years these are a few that I found interesting.
Coca Cola used to contain cocaine this is in fact true, the original Coca-Cola did contain cocaine. It didn’t become completely cocaine free until 1929. Coca cola started out in 1885 and got its name from the two medicinal ingredients: coca leaves and kola nuts. There’s really no way to tell exactly how much cocaine was added in the coke formula, but it is certain that there was some amount of cocaine in it. Some people were worried about this but coke wanted to preserve its name and reputation so they kept some cocaine in the formula. But only a small amount, in 1902 it was roughly 1/400 of a grain of cocaine per ounce of syrup. This is one “urban legend” or myth that is actually true.
Another myth I found interesting is the one about the infamous Harry Houdini. The claim is that Houdini died from a ruptured appendix caused by his being punched in the stomach by a college student. This is in fact false. Some of the facts are correct, however the assumption of cause and effect are not even though this is a common explanation for his death. He did in fact die from the infection he received from the ruptured appendix, but appendicitis is not caused by blunt trauma so this urban legend is not true.
The most common urban legend that I’ve heard is the one dealing with the popular nursery rhyme “ring around the Rosie”. For a long time I thought this was true but it actually is completely false. The legend tells about “ring around the Rosie” is a coded reference to the black plague. If you think about it this really does make sense. But it is false. Legend has it that the rhyme began in about 1347 and comes from the black plague. The ring around the Rosie refers to the round red rash which is the first symptom of the disease. The second part of the rhyme pocket full of posies refers to placing flowers around the infected for protection. “Ashes” is an imitation of the sneezing coughing sounds that the infected person made. And “we all fall down” refers to the thousands of people that lost their lives to this disease. This story is very believable, as many legends are, but completely False.
Urban legends have been passed down for centuries since the very beginning and besides these there are thousands of urban legends being passed around. Most have been passed down for generations and they will never go away, as long there are people with imaginations. Some are true and others are false, either way they all sound fairly plausible. Just remember don’t believe everything you hear.