Most children's media contains some kind of moral. And in the case of fairy tales, these morals were surrounded by violence and adult themes. Many people might think that these stories are too violent to be told to children. However, if we look at these stories in their native context, we may discover that they were very appropriate for children. Historically, children grew up a lot faster then than they do now. Children used to be considered adults as soon as they could work the plow or give birth. And because they grew up quicker, it was necessary that their parents prepare them for adulthood. Many times this was done through the morals and messages in fairy tales.
In Little Red Riding Hood, a little girl goes to visit her grandmother and gets eaten by a wolf. One moral of this story is to not stray from the path. Another would be to avoid avoid predatory people who would take advantage of you. (We mostly refer to rape, but the moral can be applied to other situations as well, sexual or not).
In one of the earliest version, Little Red Riding Hood is able to outsmart the wolf and escape. One can see the moral here as "Beware but you are capable." Another version ends with the wolf eating Little Red. The moral seems to be "You are helpless so be careful." And in another version, Little Red is eaten but then is saved by a huntsman. The moral; "You are helpless but someone will save you." And then there is the modern, feminist version where Little Red Riding Hood outsmarts the wolf every step of the way and he can not even keep up.
Fairy tales and been told and retold for hundreds of years. Many times they are adapted for their current audience. One modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood is the movie Hard Candy, directed by David Slade and released in 2005. This version of the classic story updates the environment and places the wolf as a pedophile, looking for young girls on the internet. But, in this story, Little Red is not some helpless girl, she is just as smart and cunning as the wolf and beats him at his own game.
Here's an article about how retelling fairy tales shapes their morals.
The earliest of children's were based around morals and this tradition continues up to this day, as can be seen in The Jungle Book. Mowgli seems to learn a new lesson from every person that he meets. From Baloo, Mowgli learns to not worry about things he has no control over. He learns that not everyone is trustworthy from Kaa. The vultures teach him the importance of friendship; this is further reinforced when Baloo "sacrifices" himself to save Mowgli. From Shere Khan, Mowgli learned the ugly reality that people will hate you for things others have done. And from all of these different characters, and through his adventures through the jungle, Mowgli learned that he cannot be what he is not. He can't be a bear; King Louie can't be a human. But, like many modern fairy tales and stories, The Jungle Book is lighthearted to make it appropriate for children.
Teaching morals to children has been importance since the first child was born. Many times morals were taught through stories. However, while the morals may have relatively stayed the same, the content of said stories has changed. As childhood has extended, morality stories have contained less adult content and have become more "child friendly."
In Little Red Riding Hood, a little girl goes to visit her grandmother and gets eaten by a wolf. One moral of this story is to not stray from the path. Another would be to avoid avoid predatory people who would take advantage of you. (We mostly refer to rape, but the moral can be applied to other situations as well, sexual or not).
In one of the earliest version, Little Red Riding Hood is able to outsmart the wolf and escape. One can see the moral here as "Beware but you are capable." Another version ends with the wolf eating Little Red. The moral seems to be "You are helpless so be careful." And in another version, Little Red is eaten but then is saved by a huntsman. The moral; "You are helpless but someone will save you." And then there is the modern, feminist version where Little Red Riding Hood outsmarts the wolf every step of the way and he can not even keep up.
Fairy tales and been told and retold for hundreds of years. Many times they are adapted for their current audience. One modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood is the movie Hard Candy, directed by David Slade and released in 2005. This version of the classic story updates the environment and places the wolf as a pedophile, looking for young girls on the internet. But, in this story, Little Red is not some helpless girl, she is just as smart and cunning as the wolf and beats him at his own game.
Here's an article about how retelling fairy tales shapes their morals.
The earliest of children's were based around morals and this tradition continues up to this day, as can be seen in The Jungle Book. Mowgli seems to learn a new lesson from every person that he meets. From Baloo, Mowgli learns to not worry about things he has no control over. He learns that not everyone is trustworthy from Kaa. The vultures teach him the importance of friendship; this is further reinforced when Baloo "sacrifices" himself to save Mowgli. From Shere Khan, Mowgli learned the ugly reality that people will hate you for things others have done. And from all of these different characters, and through his adventures through the jungle, Mowgli learned that he cannot be what he is not. He can't be a bear; King Louie can't be a human. But, like many modern fairy tales and stories, The Jungle Book is lighthearted to make it appropriate for children.
Teaching morals to children has been importance since the first child was born. Many times morals were taught through stories. However, while the morals may have relatively stayed the same, the content of said stories has changed. As childhood has extended, morality stories have contained less adult content and have become more "child friendly."
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