Blog Entry 2 What is a Fairy tale??

What is a fairy tale?  Most of the time people think that fairy tales are just stories read to little children at night so they can fall asleep, but there is so much more to them than meets the eye. A fairy tale is a short story that originally started as a tale verbally told to listeners. Because these tales were verbal they gave the stories life and entertained everyone that heard them. Fairy tales do not have one specific origin because they were passed by word of mouth and people from every country were telling them. Over time they evolved into tales that children could read to give them a greater meaning of life and to learn lessons and to have solutions for different problems that can arise in life. Many people that analyze fairy tales see that when children read them they can better connect with the characters because they are free thinkers and open to more than adults. These tales are presented in terms that younger people can grasp, but every tale can mean something different for every person that reads it. Fairy tales are often compared to artwork because to the creator it can mean one thing, but to all of its viewers it can mean so many other things. A great aspect of fairy tales is that they are entertaining to all ages. They can spark the imagination of all and instill values into those that read them. Fairy tales do not show emotion, which is why everyone can take away something different from them. An example of this is when Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother got eaten, she had no emotion, but you as a reader can get many feelings from this one scenario. Another great aspect of fairy tales are that there is always some type of journey or quest that the character must go on. These quests not only make the tales more interesting, but this is where the hero must overcome some type of problem or struggle. During the quest the reader can connect with the hero and learn from his mistakes or triumphs and watch him always prevail in the end. Although I have given points on how to define a fairy tale the best way to interpret what they are is to read them yourself and see what feelings, emotions, and thoughts you get from them and then you yourself will really understand what they are. As I said earlier they hold so much meaning, but it is in the eye of the beholder.