I believe that fairytales give children a misconstrued image of what is just and good. Fairytales rarely show the villains being punished for the bad stuff or the pain they have inflicted on others, which shows a disregard for justice. In the article “Sex and Violence” written by David Isaacs, something that caught my attention would be when the author mentioned fairytales being used to help children with sexual confrontation. “Some of the power of these stories may be that they help children confront and come to terms with their own sexual and aggressive thoughts and feelings” (Isaacs). However, I do not believe that this is the job of fairytales. Additionally in the article “Good and Bad beyond Relief” by Jerilyn Fisher and Ellen S. Silber, it mentions the absentee father never making an appearance. “The fairy tale father, oblivious to his child’s misery, never intercedes; nor is he reproached for being inattentive” (Fisher and Silber). This is something I noticed myself but never thought it was a big deal; so to see it written about in this way really piqued my interest.
One thought on “Keona Lewis – Week 11 discussion”
Keona, it sounds like you are on a good track. You mention something no one has touched on yet, and that is the prevalence of absent fathers in fairy tales. Conceivably, some might argue that this a negative stereotype that is not good for children.