Are the moral messages suggested in Fairy Tales still relevant in today’s world? And how did Fairy Tales shape our world? Once upon a time, in a land far away a student started writing his Major Essay. Cliché’s aside, this is probably the most recognised introduction to writing in existence. Passed down through philosophers, bards, story tellers and authors Fairy Tales transcend culture, politics, language and even time periods. Arguably, every single person on the planet has heard one. Whether it be the Ancient Roman version of Cinderella, Cupid and Psyche passed down through modern Greece, heard all the way to Turkey or the African version of Snow White, Udea and her seven brothers commonly recited all through the African states. With these stories, or a version of these stories being so common in society it is a reasonable question to ask, if the morals and messages contained are still relevant in today’s world? Sally Goddard Blythe a child development expert suggests they are crucial for a child’s development in her book “The Genius of Natural Children” she outlines her belief that “The greatest threats to our future isn’t in disease or illnesses, but in learning and social problems which are a direct consequence of modern living conditions, lifestyle and ignorance of children’s biological needs perpetuated by a culture of political correctness.” Goddard, S. (2011) In other words, our children aren’t being exposed to culture, to literacy in the same way. Instead of reading them Fairy Tales, instead of culturally diverse nursery folk songs they are being put in front of TV’s that regurgitate an endless cycle of Sesame Street clones. A poor substitute for parents. Children need this exposure to grow up to be healthy well-adju... ... middle of paper ... ...s, J (1988) a scary thought considering that most of us believe that these Fairy Tales are wholesome moral messages crucial for a child’s development. Which brings me to my next point. Have Fairy Tales been bastardised too much? If we consider the fact, that many of the stories have been heavily edited, do we lose the original moral messages? Or is the original moral message still inside the story if you look? It raises an interesting point, that racism and sexism is still freely available to be seen in the Grimm’s Brothers work if you actively look for it. Snow White is a perfect example, with the Dwarves being seen as sub human servants. Or the wolf being a sexual predator in Red Riding Hood. 5 – 400 – How fairy tales and young adult novels interact Conclusion – 300 At least 3 specific authors to talk about. 3 novels that are relevant 3 specific fairy tales.
Throughout history it is known that fairy tales were written to teach children lessons about life in a way they could understand and that is fun and unique. Authors of fairy tales put simple lessons into the stories so the children could understand them easily while reading. Whether this be a lesson to be nice to all people, like in Cinderella, or to not judge someone by their appearance, like in Donkey Skin, both by Charles Perrault. Each fairytale has a moral that can be found throughout reading the stories that teach children right from wrong while letting them use their imaginations to discover that moral. The good and the bad lets them express their thoughts openly, rather it be their negative thoughts through the villian or their
We all grew up hoping that we were the princesses who met the dreamy prince and lived ‘happily ever after’ like in a fairytale.People debate over whether or not Disney fairytales are beneficial for children. Like Melissa Taylor the author of the piece ‘10 reasons why kids need to read non disney fairy tales’, I am against disneyfied fairy tales. In this essay I will argue on why kids should not only watch disney fairytales but also the real versions.
Tatar, Maria. Off with Their Heads!: Fairy Tales and the Culture of Childhood. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1992. Print.
When the word “fairytale” is mentioned, nearly everyone thinks of light-hearted stories with friendly characters and happy endings. However, these are not the ideas that classic fairytales originally sparked. In fact, numerous modern Disney movies were based off stories that were not so sugar coated. In the 19th century, the Brothers Grimm were responsible for multiple of these popular children’s tales. The Disney remakes of classic fairytales such as Cinderella, Tangled, and Snow White exclude the dark, twisted themes that are significant in the Brothers Grimm fairytales, because society tendencies continue to evolve toward sheltering and overprotecting young children.
Fairy tales portray wonderful, elaborate, and colorful worlds as well as chilling, frightening, dark worlds in which ugly beasts are transformed into princes and evil persons are turned to stones and good persons back to flesh (Guroian). Fairytales have long been a part of our world and have taken several forms ranging from simple bedtime stories to intricate plays, musicals, and movies. However, these seemingly simple stories are about much more than pixie dust and poisoned apples. One could compare fairytales to the new Chef Boyardee; Chef Boyardee hides vegetables in its ravioli while fairytales hide society’s morals and many life lessons in these outwardly simple children stories. Because of this fairytales have long been instruments used to instruct children on the morals of their culture. They use stories to teach children that the rude and cruel do not succeed in life in the long run. They teach children that they should strive to be kind, caring, and giving like the longsuffering protagonists of the fairytale stories. Also, they teach that good does ultimately defeat evil. Fairy tales are not just simple bedtime stories; they have long been introducing cultural moral values into young children.
Fairy tales teaching more valuable lessons than just teaching children than just how to behave.
More than any other form of literature, fairy tales have been studied, analyzed, interpreted for their symbolism and psychological significance, used as a tool of psycho therapy, and have been purported to be a means of developing a personality and of finding meaning in
At first glance, what makes a fairy tale a fairy tale may seem obvious—some kind of magic, hidden symbols, repetition, and of course it’s evident it’s fiction—but fables are more than that. As Arthur Schelesinger puts it, it’s about “[expanding] imagination” and gaining understanding of mysterious places (618). While doing this, it also helps children to escape this world, yet teach a lesson that the reader may not be conscious of. A wonderful story that achieves all of this is Cinderella, but not the traditional tale many American’s have heard. Oochigeaskw, or The Rough-Faced Girl, and Ashputtle would be fitting for a seven-year-old because they get the gears of the mind turning, allowing for an escape on the surface, with an underlying enlightenment for children of the ways of the world.
A fairy tale is seemingly a moral fiction, intended mainly for children. A lesson in critical analysis, however, strips this guise and reveals the naked truth beneath; fairy tales are actually vicious, logical and sexual stories wearing a mask of deceptively easy language and an apparent moral. Two 19th Century writers, the Grimm brothers, were masters at writing these exaggerated stories, bewitching young readers with their prose while padding their stories with allusion and reference: an example of which is "Rapunzel." Grimm's "Rapunzel" is packed with religious symbolism, which lends a new insight to the meaning of this classic story.
Tatar, M. (1987). Sex and Violence: The Hard Core of Fairy Tales. The hard facts of the Grimms' fairy tales (p. 3). Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
“Once upon a time" is an phrase recognisable to youngsters throughout the world as the starting point of a fairy tale, whether it be a story of rulers, peasants, orphans or princess. These four words serve as a welcome to an experience in a supernatural universe of miracle, however fairy tales are more than basic stories told to enthrall children. Fairy tales and folk stories have followed societies through the ages and still play a consequential part of children’s lives. This essay will utilise psychological theories of Bruno Bettelheim to analyse the effect fairy tales could have on the innocent and receptive minds of youngsters. Through the examination of the popular Grimm fairy tales ‘Snow White’ and ‘Hansel and Gretel’.
I am writing this paper because I was assigned to write it as a class project. Along the way I realized the importance of sharing the real meanings of all these stories. Stories are important because in the society we live in things are constantly changing. Fairytales change but the base of the story always remain the same no matter how many times it has been retold. It’s important to reveal the true meanings of these stories, even with its dark characteristics, because the world is dark .Children need to know that there are people that have told stories relatable to what they are going through. Fairytales help the development of children; it helps their maturity as they confront someone else’s tough situations, instilling hope of a more positive ou...
“The fairy tale, which to this day is the first tutor of children because it was once the first tutor of mankind, secretly lives on in the story. The first true storyteller is, and will continue to be, the teller of fairy tales. Whenever good counsel was at a premium, the fairy tale had it, and where the need was greatest, its aid was nearest. This need was created by myth. The fairy tale tells us of the earliest arrangements that mankind made to shake off the nightmare which myth had placed upon its chest.”(Walter Benjamin). For generations fairy tales have brought happiness to hundreds of people. Through childhood to adults, people still enjoy the mysteries of fairytales. In society, fairytales are a great way of connecting
Hansjorg, Hohr, (2000). Dynamic Aspects of Fairy Tales: social and emotional competence through fairy tales. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, Vol 44, No 1, Department of Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
..., Maria. “An Introduction to Fairy Tales.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens, Leonard J. Rosen. Toronto: Longman, 2013. 230-235. Print.