Conclusion and Reflection
Since fairytales were taken from oral story-telling traditions it is hard to tell an exact date where these stories began, and thus they have been changed and altered. Many fairytales that we know and love and internationally known, and are known in different ways. While the Scottish version of Snow White or perhaps the Korean version of Cinderella may seem strange to us for varying reasons, in those cultures they seem perfectly normal. They have to be changed to fit the ideals and norms of that society, or else who would read them? I have also found that if we include these versions of fairytales from different cultures as a norm in our classroom libraries, then we gradually make children empathetic to other cultures. Also as if it is not obvious, not all children in our classrooms will be Caucasian, blonde haired, princesses. It is important for children to beable to see themselves in books, and be able to relate to them. When children can see themselves in the text that they are reading they are more inclined to read those stories.
Time is another big factor in how things change. Obviously things are not the same today as they were in 1692, and I think that is probably a good thing. Progress is what has made our stories change. Most of the stories that are told in the Grimm version of fairytales are not something that we would view as suitable for children. Another point is that a lot of the original fairytales were written for adults and not for children. So, just as we would not have
wanted a child to pick up “50 Shades of Grey”, we would also not want children today to see some of the original versions of fairytales that they love today. They were not quite as innocent and fluffy as we would expect. The other thing that I have discovered as a reason why these fairytales have had to change over the course of history is that childhood was not really a concept that was a social norm. For example, in the Grimm version of Snow White, she was seven years old and getting married, which is obviously very frowned upon in most modern day societies.Childhood is a fairly recent concept when you look at the total span of time humans have been on earth, and the terms of what a “child” is has been altered over time.
Fairytales enrich our lives and bring us hope. They show us that even the smallest can win, and that everyone has a voice. That any little girl can be a princess if she chooses, and any little boy a brave hero. They keep alive the innocence which our world so often tries to rob our children of. We cannot protect them from everything, but we can give them an escape. Fairytales teach us to wish upon stars, and that dreams do come true.
Since fairytales were taken from oral story-telling traditions it is hard to tell an exact date where these stories began, and thus they have been changed and altered. Many fairytales that we know and love and internationally known, and are known in different ways. While the Scottish version of Snow White or perhaps the Korean version of Cinderella may seem strange to us for varying reasons, in those cultures they seem perfectly normal. They have to be changed to fit the ideals and norms of that society, or else who would read them? I have also found that if we include these versions of fairytales from different cultures as a norm in our classroom libraries, then we gradually make children empathetic to other cultures. Also as if it is not obvious, not all children in our classrooms will be Caucasian, blonde haired, princesses. It is important for children to beable to see themselves in books, and be able to relate to them. When children can see themselves in the text that they are reading they are more inclined to read those stories.
Time is another big factor in how things change. Obviously things are not the same today as they were in 1692, and I think that is probably a good thing. Progress is what has made our stories change. Most of the stories that are told in the Grimm version of fairytales are not something that we would view as suitable for children. Another point is that a lot of the original fairytales were written for adults and not for children. So, just as we would not have
wanted a child to pick up “50 Shades of Grey”, we would also not want children today to see some of the original versions of fairytales that they love today. They were not quite as innocent and fluffy as we would expect. The other thing that I have discovered as a reason why these fairytales have had to change over the course of history is that childhood was not really a concept that was a social norm. For example, in the Grimm version of Snow White, she was seven years old and getting married, which is obviously very frowned upon in most modern day societies.Childhood is a fairly recent concept when you look at the total span of time humans have been on earth, and the terms of what a “child” is has been altered over time.
Fairytales enrich our lives and bring us hope. They show us that even the smallest can win, and that everyone has a voice. That any little girl can be a princess if she chooses, and any little boy a brave hero. They keep alive the innocence which our world so often tries to rob our children of. We cannot protect them from everything, but we can give them an escape. Fairytales teach us to wish upon stars, and that dreams do come true.