The Unspoiled World of Fairy Tlaes

THE UNSPOILED WORLD OF FAIRY TALES

OUTLINE

Thesis Statement:

In spite of all the oppositions, which support the belief that reading fairy tales is not beneficial for children, such as the idea that fairy tales contain elements which are of no use, it is especially important for a child's character development to read fairy tales.

I. INTRODUCTION

a. Brief explanation of fairy tales' importance in childhood

b. Main discussions about their use

II. BODY

a. Evidences

1. Educational importance of fairy tales

2. Their effects in early life

3. Their role in understanding the good and the evil

4. Simple and practical examples of their usage

b. Objections

1. Karl Oppel's opposition concerning their content

2. Oppel's suggestion as a substitute for fairy tales

3. Marcia Lieberman's approach

4. Objection concerning the harsh content

c. Refutation

1. "Parents" factor in choosing the right book

2. Inappropriate style of other types

3. Quotations from Bettelheim

4. A more logical view for Lieberman

5. Precautions taken for inappropriate content

III. CONCLUSION

a. Brief summary

THE UNSPOILED WORLD OF FAIRY TALES

Among all marks left during childhood, fairy tales are belike the most important ones. The stories starting with "Once upon a time" leave their traces in such an important way that while the children are growing up, they preserve the values and lessons obtained from fairy tales until the last moment of their lives. However; as the fairy tales are of great importance, some people object to coverage of these books by children, and there are argumentations about their effects and what they say come into the sight. As a response to these argumentations, the others defend fairy tales, saying that the values and the messages they contain are highly important. Withal; as today's world is so spoiled and bruised, there is nothing bad to read fairy tales and be a part of their pure and innocent world. As for their educational, sociological, and psychological importance, the reason why fairy tales are beneficial for children will be explicit.

The first aspect to be dealt with is the educational importance of fairy tales. Fairy tales are the first teachers that the children have. They teach them how to eat, how to talk, how to interact with their parents; briefly, children learn about real life through them. With the help of fairy tales, children gain the ability to make logical assumptions, create a sensible connection between concepts, and differentiate between good and bad. For instance, when a child reads Pinocchio, s/he will probably draw a conclusion that telling lies is a bad thing, which is revealed and punished sooner or later. This is a good example for realizing the difference between the good and bad concepts. A more generalized example will serve well for the ability to make logical assumptions; all fairy tales end with the defeat of evil characters; remember Rumpelstiltskin, which will lead the child reading the story to reach the point that good and bad are always in a conflict but in the end the winners are, of course, the good ones. Dr.Karl Oppel doesn't agree with any of that and he says that fairy tales are only about imaginary stuff, which will not take children any further and merely fill their mind with unnecessary matters. He finds fairy tales guilty for the nonsensical fears of children such as believing the existence of a monster under their bed or in their closet. There may be some tales having horrible scenes; but frankly, no one will probably be aware of their existence unless they have professionalized in fairy tales, because they are not as widely published as the ones such as Cinderella or Three Little Pigs. Moreover, it is the parents' responsibility to choose which fairy tale is appropriate for their children. They must be aware of the existence of the ones which include violence and sexuality, and choose the ones which have moral