Analyzing Fairy tales
Fairy tales stories are a double-edged sword. The main reason
for the fairy tales is to teach the children about the real life and morals in
sugar way. Unfortunately, some of the fairy tales does not meet those two main reasons.
Actually, it teaches the children none appropriate morals. For example, Alice
in wonderland story is tempting the girls to go out of usual with making fun
from the adults, and “The Company of Wolves “as “The Little Red Riding Hood” is
giving the sick bad human being a hope with getting out of punishment and
giving the girls a hint to submit to what the book used to represent as a bad
male which was the wolf. On the other hand, there is a wonderful visions of the
fairy tales which teaches the children the good morals such as lying is bad,
never trust strangers or even how to call the police in case something happen.
For instance, “Beauty and the Beast” which tells a story of a beast that fell
in love with a beautiful lady. Beauty and the Beast teaches the children that
love is in the heart and to not take the relationship as a sexual it’s also
teaches to not judges based on there looking. Fairy tales shapes the children’s
beliefs in some ways because fairy tales stories are the most common way to
introduce the children imaginary world and all expose to the realties of real
life such as death, poverty, good, being wise and bad.
Fairy tale helps to shape the children mind either in
positive or negative way. One good example is “Alice in Wonderland” story,
which was written in the middle of 18th century. The story tell us about
the girl Alice that lived a happy life with her family but as the 18th
life style, women ultimate goal in that time was to get merged and be a
housewife. Alice was pushed hard from her parents to follow the 18th century
life style and get marriage from a guy, which her family chooses to her. Alice
ran into the forest and found a hole in the ground and she entered the hole.
After that Alice found a magic world filled with a magical creatures. The Alice
in Wonderland fairy tale is teaching the children to never looks back and to
have fun from the adult in biased way by showing all the adult characters as
crazy, illogic, naïve and evil. All the adult characters were a bad example for
children even the cat which was extremely wise in a way that the children will
never understand him. For example, when Alice asks the cat which way she needs
to take? The cat answer was ambiguous by saying it is depending on where you
want to get to. That was smart answer for an adult but for the children is not
because it teaches that if someone need an answer for his question he/she
should ask the right question and to know what he/she exactly want. Another
character was the Worm, which was smoking hard and looks like he is high; he
keeps speaking with illogical word no one will understand. This character
remanded me with many adult who used to say to the children stuff that they
will never do such as do not smoke because smoking is bad for the health, and
while he is smoking or having the cigarette pack near to hem. If the fairy
tales main reason is to teach the children the useful morals, Alice in
wonderland was teaching children specially females to go out of usual and to
think about adult as crazy people.
The value of fairy tale, stories and folks are teaching
children righteous morals and to show realties of real life in an easiest way to
the children to understand. The best positive story that I ever heard was the
story of prophet Josef. The story of Josef is written in all of what we (Muslims)
called sky-books, which are the Torah,
Zabur, Gospel (bible) and The Quran.
The story is talking about prophet Josef, son of Jacob. Josef was his mom firstborn and Israel’s (Jacob) eleventh
son. He had ten half-brothers and one full brother, which is the last son of
Jacob. Moreover, Jacob loved Josef too much, more than all his
brothers, he does not stand to set an hour without ask about Josef.
Unfortunately, Josef half-brothers Envied him too much because of his place in
their father heart. As a result, Josef half-brothers gathered to have a
discussion about their father love to their brother so, they had a debate about
what to do to earn their father love and get rid of Josef. They agreed that
they would ask their father to take Josef with them to play while they watch
the sheep in the grazing place that located far a way from the house, so they
will have the chance to get rid of Josef by butting him in the bottom well. Indeed,
their plan works and they came back to their father with Josef shirt covered
with fake blood, telling the old father that his favorite son got eaten by the
wolf and dyed. The father did not believe them and he cried until her became
blind. However the half-brothers plan works, Josef didn’t die. He stands on a
rock in the bottom of the well until by miracle travelers found him and took
Josef with them. Then, They sold Josef to be a slave for a few coins and this
family gave him to the king of the country as a gift to serve the king because
Josef was so special, he was extremely beautiful. While he reached the maturity
age Josef grow to be a young boy with high morals. For example, he will never
lie, cheat, het…etc. as a result of being gorgeous, one day the wife of the
king tried to have an affair with Josef, she looked the doors and ask to come
to her. Josef refuse that and ask god to but hem in jail instate of that. While
Josef tired to escape have an affair with the king wife, his shirt got
rupture from behind. Furthermore, the king knew what happen and that his wife
who jump into Josef but he still send Josef to the jail. After few years, the
king had a vision and no one could know what is it except Josef. The king
called Josef and asking him to tell him about the vision and that what Josef
did after the wife king apologized to him because of what she done. Josef
became the king first minster in a time that the country were facing a dry
years. People were coming from all over the country to have same food from the
Josef because he was the responsible to collect the food and give it equally to
the people. Indeed, his brothers were with the people who came to have their
monthly food. Josef knew his brothers but they didn’t, he asked the Soldiers to
put a golden plate in his youngest full brother bag without any one knows.
Next, Josef ask the soldiers to search every one in order to find the plate and
for sure he did found it. Josef asked his brothers to leave the last brother to
punish him because of what he done. The brothers start to beg hem to take one
of them instead of the youngest one because he was their father favorite son
after Josef. However, Josef was already forgave his brothers, he refuse and ask
them to leave the boy with him and if they want the boy they should bring their
father with them. After what happen the brother did not have choose
other than bring the dad to the minister. Although the father was blind when he
reached the place and while he entering from the door he told his sons that he
could feel that Josef is a life. The sons ignored him, as he doesn’t know what
he is saying. Next, Josef told his dad who he really is the dad (Jacob) became
happy and his vision came back to hem. In the end of the story Josef brothers
start to ask him for forgiveness and they start to live a happy life.
While comparing the four stories, one can found that some of
the fairy tale, folks and story are not always useful. In fact, many of the
fairy tail could harm the children mentally by teaching them an inebriate
morals and behavior. On the other hand, many stories or fairy tale are so
useful to deliver the massage to the children by the easiest way. For example,
Alice in Wonderland, that teaches the children to ignore the elder and to do
what ever they want without thinking about the circumstances after that.
Another inebriate fairy tale is The Company of Wolf, that teaches the children
to submit if there is no scape and tempting bad people to take advantage from
that. Still there are a huge amount of useful and enjoyable fairy tale or
stories that we need it in order of teaching the children the realty with out
damaging their Innocent mind. For instance, “Beauty And the Beast” that teaches
children what to search for in order to find a real love in such an
entertainment way. Not to mention prophet Josef story, which is teaching adult
and children how to forgive specially your brothers and teaches the parents to
never show an extra love for one son more than the rest and how are the ten
brother were willing to do bad thing to earn their father love because of that.
In conclusion, fairy tale stories are a double-edged sword.
There are no doubt that children fairy tales or stories could be useful to
teach the children appropriate behavior and it could be harmful by teaching
them inappropriate behavior. In my opinion, I think the full responsibility
will be on the parents. The parents should pick and choose the best fairy tales
or stories, that teaches their children what they think it right. Parent now a
days should know that some fairy tales need to be updated to fit in our new
world system and the life style with the culture that they have. Our children
are our future they are the most valuable living thing that we have. Parent
responsibilities are huge and complicated that why the society needs to help
each other to achieve the goal that we all want which is to see our children
live a better life.
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