To Be a Domestic Woman…
“Grimm’s Fairytales,” although never intended to be in text form, are some of the most influential methods in teaching young children morals and to be productive citizens of society. While children enjoy the mere esthetics of fairytales and interpret them at their face value, s are aware of the didacticism hidden beneath the appealing plots and characters of the stories. Unlike s, children would not be able to extract any metaphorical meaning out of fairytales even if fairytales were intended to have distinct messages. For this very reason, fairytales have been studied along with a branch of child psychology to determine whether or not a message that is ual is actually retained in the subconscious of the child.
Grimm’s fairytale, “King Thrushbeard” enforces the importance of modesty in s, teaches them to be less concerned with their own needs, and instead, to be concerned with the needs of others. It keeps us aware of the costs of this teaching.
The first evidence of this underlying, didactic theme in “King Thrushbeard” comes in the second paragraph. The princess’ father, the Old King, reveals being aware of his daughter’s tendency to ridicule and be unappreciative of those to whom he offers her. He is angered by her behavior. What the King doesn’t seem to realize is that his daughter has probably not reached puberty. We can assume that she’s around ten to twelve years old and that her understanding of males is different of that of a sixteen or seventeen year old . As pre- , a she does not yet understand or even know of qualities in men that are pleasing. At this stage she would not have the ability to look for qualities in a man that are ually satisfying for a woman who is ready to marry. The only traits the princess takes note of and relates to are the immediate physical characteristics of the men, which are common things for pre-teens to focus on. There was never an initial attraction or subsequent attractions to follow with any of the men because of the fact that she was not aware of her own ual nature. At the middle school level it is common for s of this age to still have an ill understanding of men because of their inexperience as ual beings. They often have difficulties in dealing with males because of this lack of understanding. Because the princess has yet to even reach the transition period o...
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...love for the princess despite her lack of domestic skills. This teaches s to make individuals out of themselves, and that there is no standard of being “domestic.” That means that there also wouldn’t be a standard for men in choosing their wives. This fairytale moves s ahead a step in overcoming men’s expectations in a wife.
In conclusion, it is interesting to note that this fairytale, “King Thrushbeard,” does not teach s to conform to a standard way of life. What it does teach is that s should not be discouraged by the disapproval of men who prefer to view a standard way of life. It teaches s to be confident and assertive in making decisions, and to be appreciative of those who are appreciative of them. However, I do not feel as though each and every feature of the fairytale could be yzed to produce a solid, coherent idea. There are many occasions in which features of the story are assumed to be a specific teaching, when, on the other hand, after being yzed do not hold together in producing a second or third didactic theme. This is my reasoning for not including many features of the fairytale. I found some to be misleading and often time irrelevant to the issue being discussed.
Telemachus demonstrates his new maturity when he explains his plan if he discovers his father is dead. “I can come back to my own dear country/ and raise a mound for him, and burn his gear,/ with all the funeral honors that benefit him,/ and give my mother a husband”(2.231-234). Telemachus changes because of the responsibility that he is taking on and the mature decision that he is prepared to make. Telemachus also exemplifies this step into manhood when he acknowledges that he must find a way to overcome his obstacle of the suitors. He takes on the quest to find his father, which is important to him. If he fails to fulfill his responsibility to his mother, he has to face the consequences of losing her to one of the suitors. Telemachus maturely discusses his request of the suitors’ departure with the main suitor. “After the death of King Odysseus./All I insist on is that I rule over our house/ and rule the slaves that my father won for me”(1.447-449). Telemachus is calmly asks if he can take responsibility for the house if his father is dead. His ability to discuss his problems instead of resorting to immediate violence indicates he is changing. His readiness and persistence after he is denied is
Thus, it is fitting that Menelaos is the final person he visits. Certainly, Nestor was a great and wise aid to Telemachus, but his character is not what he needs to imitate at this stage of his life; Athena understands that he needs both advice and a physical example to follow. Rather, Nestor plays the character of a wise old sage and acts as a springboard to the interaction with Menelaos, who is at the stage of life Telemachus is striving for. Menelaos’ home is filled with wealth, marriage and happiness, all examples Telemachus should follow. Yet, Telemachus is too shy to speak. Peisistratos, in consequence, initiates the conversation about Odysseus for him, and all three men, Menelaos, Telemachus, and Peisistratos, begin to cry. For the first time, other men truly sympathize with Telemachus’ emotions toward his father. This is one of the unique ways Menelaos develops Telemachus’ leadership skills. The healing that comes from the consolation from a father figure is key to becoming a man. This emotional setting leads to Menelaos’ memories of Odysseus, lavishing his old friend with compliments and praise, encouraging Telemachus further. Menelaos relays the tale of the Old Man of the Sea, Proteus, to teach Telemachus important lessons to deal with the suitors. Consider when Eidothea begins to explain how to catch her father Proteus; it requires elaborate planning and patience. Menelaos has to
During the 19th century, Grimm’s fairytales were strongly disapproved of due to harsh, gruesome details and plots. One American educator from 1885 stated, “The folktales mirror all too loyally the entire medieval worldview and culture with all its stark prejudice, its crudeness and barbarities.” As childre...
Counseling psychology is one of the most interesting career choices in the field of psychology. However, this career fits my personality in several aspects. A person in counseling psychology will generally use personality tests, interviews, case histories, and observation methods to evaluate a patients' problems, needs, and goals. Counseling psychologists will evaluate data and, create an action plan or treatment plan to counsel the patient with. The goal in this career is to help each patient work toward developing and adjusting social, educational, personal, and vocational skills. I’ve always had an interest in listening to people. Throughout my adult years, people of
...nd great intelligence. Both in “The Beauty and the Beast” and “Fowler’s Fowl”, men do not play the part of redeemer as women expected in fairy tales. On the contrary, the female protagonists who are brilliant and persistent acquire happiness. These similar kinds of fairy tales thus admonish women for relying on men and marriage by taking risks with their future. Women should believe in their own abilities and strive to achieve a wonderful future.
The reader first finds the character of Telemachus sitting among the suitors in his father’s palace. This seemingly unimportant detail yields information regarding his temperament. The suitors, whom Homer portrays as malicious usurpers, continue to take advantage of Telemachus’ hospitality. Instead of defending his home, his mother, and his belongings from these men, Telemachus numbers among them. This lack of assertiveness displays his frailty and his helplessness given the overwhelming circumstances. At this point, Athena, disguised as Odysseus’ old friend Mentes, visits Telemachus in order to “inspire his heart with courage” (I.105). The two share a meal and engage in a lengthy conversation. The goddess discusses how Telemachus should handle the troublesome suitors and suggests a journey to try to ascertain the whereabouts of Odysseus. The conversation appears to immediately galvanize the young man’s resolve. In fact, immediately after her departure, he summons the courage to confront the suitors, demanding that they are to leave his house at once. The assertiveness that Telemachus displays in this instance is a dramatic departure from ...
“I've told her and I've told her: daughter, you have to teach that child the facts of life before it's too late” (Hopkinson 1). These are the first three lines of Nalo Hopkinson's short story “Riding the Red”, a modern adaptation of Charles Perrault's “Little Red Riding Hood”. In his fairy tale Perrault prevents girls from men's nature. In Hopkinson's adaptation, the goal remains the same: through the grandmother biographic narration, the author elaborates a slightly revisited plot without altering the moral: young girls should beware of men; especially when they seem innocent.
“I've told her and I've told her: daughter, you have to teach that child the facts of life before it's too late” (Hopkinson 1). These are the first three lines of Nalo Hopkinson's fairy tale “Riding the Red”, a modern adaptation of Charles Perrault's “Little Red Riding Hood”. Perrault provided a moral to his fairy tales, the one from this one is to prevent girls from men's nature. In Hopkinson's adaptation, the goal remains the same: through the grandmother biographic narration, the author advances a revisited but still effective moral: beware of wolfs even though they seem innocent.
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.
Counselors are open-minded and do not pass judgment verbally or physically at anytime while assisting students. Prejudging minimizes responses from distressed or problematic students. Giving advice and assistance should not be based on counselors’ personal opinion. Good counselors will refrain from bias and therefore communicate effective skills to empower students. Counselor should become listeners, observers, and advisers.
In the Odyssey, Telemachus, son of great hero Odysseus, who grows up in the world of greed and disrespect where the suitors take over his palace and court his mother, is one of the most significant character throughout the whole epic. His father, Odysseus, leaving the land Ithaca for 20 years, is the only warrior alive in Trojan war who hasn’t make his return home. During Telemachus’ expedition to search for the news of his father, he is under a process of maturation from the beginning in which he is mere a shadow of his father to the end in which he becomes more and more like him in terms of initiative, sensitivity and socialization.
Thinking back to our childhood, we all remember hearing many kinds of fairy tales. Some of them inspired us others confused us, and most of them taught us valuable lessons. Through out centuries tales and stories have been used as a valuable tool to pass on our culture to new generations. There is a strong belief that these fairy tales mirror and influence society. All cultures interpret tales in their own unique way. They add and subtract various aspects of the tale to fit the needs of their particular society. The same tale in the United States is different from the tale told in Asia. A good example of tale evolution can be seen in one of the most famous tales ever told which is “Cinderella”. As a professor of women’s history Karol Kelley points out in her essay Pretty Woman: A Modern Cinderella “There are some 700 versions of Cinderella”.This fairy tale as many others has been changing for many years, and in recent years Cinderella has come under some criticism for its depiction of women’s roles in society.
Though the evils of the world may discourage us from reaching our full potential, fairytales such as Little Snow-White by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm teach us that good will always triumph over evil. As many tales of its kind, Little Snow-White uses a number of literary devices to attract a younger audience and communicate to them a lesson or moral that will remain with them throughout their lives. Since children have such an abstract stream of thought, it is vital to use language and devices that will appeal to them as to keep them interested in the story.
Most modern fairytales are expected to have happy endings and be appropriate for children, nonetheless, in past centuries most were gruesome. Consequently, fairytales have been modified throughout time. The stories “Beauty and the Beast” by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont and “The Summer and Winter Garden” by Jacob and Wilherm Grimm share similarities and differences. The two stories are distinct because of the peculiar year they have been written in. LePrince de Beaumont’s story is written in London of 1783 and Grimm’s in Germany of 1812. At the time, wealthy people in London, were educated and had nannies who would read to their children; whereas, in Germany, the Grimm brothers created their own interpretation into a short story. Because many high class parents in 18th century London would not be able to spend time with their children, nannies would read “Beauty and the Beast” to them since they were intended for children and considered appropriate. In “The Summer and Winter Garden,” the Grimm’s’ story was mostly based to entertain misbehaved children and teach them the valuable lesson that everyone should be treated with kindness. The Grimm brothers’ goal in rewriting this short story is to better children’s behavior which worked quite well. Since these stories have been re-written for children, it would be safe to say the reason why parents expose the two stories to their children is because they both portray the same moral: good things happen to good people. The two interpretations of “Beauty and the Beast,” although written in separate countries, share important similarities and differences even though the authors have different interpretations and came from different cultures.
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