No Happy Ever After For Our Beloved Fairy Tales - 1479 Words

Write a persuasive piece of opinion journalism about how fairy tales corrupt children for a broadsheet newspaper such as The Guardian aimed at a sophisticated adult audience. No Happy Ever After for Our Beloved Fairy tales? So then, alongside toy guns and pink dresses fairy tales have been placed on the ever growing pile of what not to give to your children. These dastardly tales apparently contain all the social no’s of our society. They are detrimental to girls’ self-image (small waisted perfect princesses that no real girl can live up to), they are full of politically incorrect messages (girls are rescued by dashing princes, ugly equals evil to name a few) and are presumably full of e-numbers, such is the growing stigma against them. For all these crimes and more, parents are being urged to throw these once beloved childhood classics into a cage and throw away the key. Okay, I may be exaggerating. A little. But seriously, do fairy tales really convince sweet little five year olds that, as literary critic and Professor of English at UCLA Karen Rowe states, ‘beauty as a girl’s most valuable asset, and perhaps even her only valuable asset’ or terrify our darling delights so much that they suffer from night mares. Not really. Indeed, in a children’s Cinderella from ‘100 Classic Stories’ the terrifying punishment the ugly stepsisters share is that they must...wash dishes one day a week. As I’m sure you’ll agree this is not going to give children nightmares. In fact,Show MoreRelatedThe Consequences Of Fairy Stories823 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Happily Ever After,† the three words are so characteristic of a fairy tale. But do fairy tales need to have a happily ever after? The factual answer would be – No. Some of the original versions of the adapted screenplays didn’t have happy endings. In Charles Perrault’s version â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood1,† the wolf ate the grandmother and Little Red, thus leaving us with no happy ending. But fairy tales aren’t based on facts and logic. They are the creation of our imagination and (some) a result ofRead MoreEssay Fairy Tales1141 Words   |  5 PagesFairy Tales Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm are famous for their renditions of some of the most beloved childrens fairy tales. Among the hundreds is the well known (Schneewittchen) Snow-drop. This fairy tale is in many aspects common, imperfect, and vulgar, as are most of the fairy tale translations of the Grimm Brothers. These characteristics are what depict the Grimm fairy tales. The tales were primarily written to entertain and relate to the common peasantsof the 1800s. The stories are notRead MoreFeminism and Fairy Tales1250 Words   |  5 Pagesabout women, one may wonder the origins of such beliefs. It might come as a surprise that these ideals and standards are embedded and have been for centuries in the beloved fairy tales we enjoyed reading as kids. In her analytical essay, â€Å"To Spin a Yarn: The Female Voice in Folklore and Fairy Tales†, Karen Rowe argues that fairy tales present â€Å"cultural norms which exalt passivity, dependency, and self-sacrifice as a female’s cardinal virtues.† Rowe presents an excellent point, which can be supportedRead MoreAn Analysis Of Sleeping Beauty 1112 Words   |  5 PagesAccording to dictionary.com, a folktale is said to be, â€Å"a tale or legend originating and traditional among a people or folk, especially one forming part of the oral tradition of the common people†. What many people don’t realize is our beloved fairy tales, such as â€Å"Sleeping Beauty† have been derived from folktale. â€Å"Sleeping Beauty’s† folktale is exceptionally different from the modern day version that Disney has provided us with. Disney’s â€Å"Sleeping Beauty† and one of the original French versionsRead MoreThe Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales1111 Words   |  5 PagesEverything from music, to movies, and fairytales has been influenced by society. More specifically, society has influenced the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. The Grimm Brothers fairy tales would be considered dark a nd gruesome by today’s standards. Parents would not allow their own children near the stories, which caused society to give the tales a more PG feeling. The tales changed and became what we know them as today. Disney has played a major role in creating the innocent versions that today’s early generationsRead More The Structure and Underlining Meanings of Rapunzel by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm1406 Words   |  6 PagesGrimm, has the same basic structure as all other fairy tales born from the oral tradition; what is commonly referred to as the opening, main part and ending, is the foundation of the tale. It is around this clearly defined three-part structure of the plot, that invisible layers of meaning exist – often very different for each reader. Between the clever design of the plot – which allows several stories to surface within a seeming individual tale – and multiple layers underneath the literal actionRead MoreThe Setting Created By Burton1589 Words   |  7 Pagesimportant as the characters depicted. This film shows us that fairy tales can take place in a modern setting. Explain, using examples from the film, with reference to Burton’s personal iconography. (Describe the two worlds depicted in Edward Scissorhands. *How do lighting, colour, contrast, and shape influence our understanding of each of these worlds? * How do the characters’ costumes emphasise the contrast between these two worlds add to our understanding of the story and the themes being communicatedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The Beloved Shrek 1125 Words   |  5 Pages Milan: Good Afternoon Eng. Comp 101 class. This is Milan Patel speaking, and I m here with none other than Ally Ary. Today we have a very interesting topic to discuss. Ally: We sure do, Milan! Today, we are going to evaluate the beloved Shrek series, specifically Shrek 2 which was released in 2004 and directed by Andrew Adamson, Conrad Vernon, and Kelly Asbury. Milan: Andrew Adamson’s other great directing moment was during 2008 with the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Conrad Vernon also directedRead MoreHow Princess Culture Is All Round Us1818 Words   |  8 Pagesstories told by people before the advent of writing, or before someone determined them worthy of literary transcription† Socrates). People only took up the profession of making wives tales into literature. Brothers Grimm, the literary works, and Disney, the animated works, are the most familiar to people. The tales of these stories are often based on the female charactors under stereotypes that is at a disadvantage, racial issues that view white as good and black as bad, and marginality that is sternlyRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1064 Words   |  5 PagesSalem, Hale is disgusted with what has happened in Salem. Hale is totally aware of how blasphemous the results of the trials are. Miller writes, â€Å"Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own. I came into this village like a bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched with my bright confidence,it died† (Miller,345) This expresses Hale’s frustrations with what has gone on in Salem. He was in full support of cleansing the town