Paz Martinez Fairytales
As we all know Little red ridding hood has been around for many years. It has been a worldwide favorite fairytale for most of us. Although there are many different versions of this story I think they all have a big theme to it which would be not talking or avoiding strangers. These could also have many other interpretations as well aslo which I will mention later on.
In our first story by Charles Perrault we saw how little red riding hood is not precautions and careless because she gives out her grandmas exact address to some stranger she doesn’t know which would be the wolf in this story. This was her first error because as kids we were always told never to talk to strangers or to give out our personal information like red riding hood did. We have to admit that was something pretty dumb to do right. But moving forward there was something else that caught my attention in this story. When she arrives to her grandmas house the wolf asks her to do something that would defined be inappropriate even now. He asks her to take her clothes off before getting into bed with him! I think we can sense a sexual assault here. Sadly it’s something very common that is happening a lot now a days here in America and in other countries and that is called rape. In conclusion to this story we see how important it is for us to never talk to strangers and to never take your clothes off if some one asks you too. I thought this story was also inappropriate for a child age 3-9 or even for a 10 year old.
Brothers Grimm tale was also one of my other tales that caught my attention as well but again I also thought it was to harsh and violent for a small kid. In this tale her mother asks the little girl to stay on track and to not wander off her path. Well it was something clearly that she did not do after talking to the wolf who convinced her to pick some flowers after telling him where her grandmother lived. As kids we always want to do things our way without realizing that our parents advice are for our own good.
Overall as a lesson for the kids I think the main goal here was to alert these kids that they shouldn’t be wandering alone in woods or in any other places. Secondly they should never be talking to strangers whom they don’t know and to never trust any one by giving their personal information out. Thirdly I think that us as adults should always talk to our kids and make them aware that no one should ask them to take their clothes off!
3 Replies to “Paz Martinez Fairytales”
Yes, some good life lessons you highlight at the end there. Nicely done
Great blog Paz! I think you did a great touching on the main themes presented in Little Red Riding Hood. I wonder if children are able to understand this message themselves from the seemingly innocent story, or is it more of a reminder to parents and guardians of what they should be teaching their children?
Paz, this is awesome! Sexual assault in fairytales is definitely something common that just goes over children’s heads. For example, Poor Sleeping Beauty woke up to some serious expectations of a prince to marry her, just because he kissed her without permission. I think for many of these fairytales, it is an important aspect to discuss with our future children to ensure their safety. After reading about the undressing, this is where a parent/guardian should intersect with, “it doesn’t matter if you know the person or not, if someone asks or tells you to undress, you scream and run.”