| Psychology Unit 5 Section 4 Page 4/4 |
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| Psychology Unit 5 Section 4 Page 4/4 |
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From
the Work of Cheri Calvert....
In the land of enchantment, not all remains as it first appeared. So we followed Elspeth and her handsome prince as they waltzed along the waterfront, down a sun-dappled avenue of cherry blossoms and into their happily ever after. As the rosy glow of evening deepened, the couple picnicked at the water’s edge upon fruits of the forest that their furry friends brought and laid before them, while bright little birdies entertained the young people with their cheerful songs.
Then the darkness descended, cold and slippery. Elspeth shivered and pulled her shawl closer around her slender shoulders. “Oh my!” she exclaimed. “We have wondered so far and it is getting dark. I really must be getting home now.” She rose to her feet, smoothing her long woolen skirt.
And the prince, looking decidedly dashing in his gold and red uniform jacket, bowed deeply and took her hand in his. “Before you leave, my love, I ask of you, just one kiss that I might survive the night.”
Elspeth closed her eyes and tipped her face towards his. And their lips met. But then her eyes flew open and she screamed in horror to find that she was embracing the hairy figure of a wolf. The wild beast with flashing eyes and drooling fangs was looking very hungry indeed and Elspeth wriggled free and ran in fright into the thickness of the forest.
She ran and ran, hearing the panting of the wolf on her heels, until she came to a clearing. She could see the blue paid shirt of a woodcutter chopping wood in the last late light of the day. “Help, help!” Elspeth cried. “There is a wolf chasing me and I need shelter.”
“Hurry, into the cottage.” The woodcutter commanded as Elspeth rushed up the pathway. She raced through the front door and slammed it shut just as the woodcutter flung his axe toward the wolf and chopped off his head.
“Dear woodcutter, you have saved my life. What can I do to repay you?” Elspeth exclaimed.
“Just one kiss,” said the woodcutter, “that I may make it through the night.”
Elspeth tipped her head back and closed her eyes to kiss the strong handsome woodcutter. And their lips met. Once again her eyes flew open and she screamed in horror to find that she was kissing a slimy frog. “Oh my,” she sighed and slumped upon the doorstep looking back and forth between the little slimy frog and the bloody beheaded wolf and wondered just how life got so complicated.
The morning sun found her stiff and dirty, still slumped upon the cottage porch. Elspeth rubbed her eyes and tried to run her fingers through her tangled curls. She could hear the sound of a nearby brook and decided to wash up a bit before trying to find her way home. Now that it was light, she was sure that she would have no problem.
By and by, the sun had reached high into the sky and still Elspeth wandered, until she came to a sunny meadow filled with daisies. There she saw a man with golden hair and a white satin shirt flying a silver kite in the gentle summer breeze. “Come here pretty maiden,” he called to her, “come play in the clouds with me.”
As he spoke, the shining silver kite attached itself to a cloud and the string formed steps for the young man to walk up. He reached out a hand, smiling charmingly, to Elspeth. She felt a light tingling as she held on and was lifted, up, up and away into the sky. They rode the waves of the wind together, tumbling through tufts of clouds, feasting on the flavors of the rainbow until the light began to fade. And from that view high above the forest, the golden-haired young man pointed the way home to Elspeth. The wind calmed and the silver kite began drifting towards the ground.
“What a perfectly lovely day.” said Elspeth. “What can I do to thank you?”
“Just one kiss?” suggested the golden-haired young man with a mischievous twinkle. “Well, ok….” agreed Elspeth rather cautiously. She tipped her face upward and scrunched her eyes almost closed. “I think I had better keep an eye out this time,” she thought to herself, remembering her past two experiences.
And sure enough, no sooner had her lips touched his when she saw him transform into a beautiful white bird. Elspeth stumbled backward, losing her balance without the support of his warm hand, and tripped off the edge of the little cloud. With a tip of his wing and one backward long glance, he was gone, soaring high above her and then too soon out of view. Elspeth plummeted towards the ground from high in the sky.
“Elspeth, Elspeth, my darling.” She could hear someone calling her name. She tried to open her eyes, but she was so very tired and it was hard to see through the mists that seems to envelope her. The bed linens were clean and sweetly scented and the feather pillow was soft. Soon the solitary light of a single candle came into focus and the white gauze curtains parted. “My sweet daughter, you have returned!” the old man exclaimed as tears of joy ran down into his silver beard. And they lived happily ever after.
How does your fairy tale
illustrate the ideas of Bruno Bettelheim? (Write at least 300 words on this
issue).
Three becomes a fascinating number in fairy tales. Bettleheim explores a variety of diverse meanings for its popular inclusion in so many traditional children’s stories. Bettleheim believes that a child readily identifies with the number three because the primal experience of family revolves around the mother-father-child nucleus. The child is always number three. Bettleheim later links the number three to the spirituality of the Trinity and gives it decided sexual connotations when relating it to the vagina and two breasts or the male penis and two testicles. As the child’s world expands, the number three may evolve to represent the three basic elements of earth; water, land and air. I chose to focus on the basic elements of earth integrated with a balance of sexuality and spirituality in the usage of the number three in my assignment.
Elspeth’s pubertal growth begins at a base level represented with the color red and the dog-like creature of the wolf. The wolf represents the uninhibited aggressive sexual energy. Red is a color often depicting violent emotions and frequently relating to sexuality. The setting is near water. Water was not only the environment of the first life forms but also the initial prenatal environment of the child.
The number three also is supportive of Freud’s prescription adhered to by Bettleheim, that struggle is essential in finding meaning in life and repeated attempts are often necessary before attaining one’s heart’s desire.
Elspeth’s second encounter with a romantic relationship moves up to the color blue and represents a strong tie to the land with the character of the woodcutter. His turning into a frog represents the transformation of character, just as the aquatic tadpole transforms into the amphibious frog. Elspeth continues her transformation towards maturity as she gains an aware of the duality of the nature of a relationship and the power of her own sexuality to transform the opposite sex.
The third element is that of air. It is represented with the use of the kite in the clouds. The color white used for the shirt could suggest a higher level of self-actualization and spirituality.
The theme of uniting in marriage as the happy ending is altered slightly with the reunion with her father “establishing the human relations which will forever ban separation anxiety” and with the evil stepmother gone all worries are over.
How did the fairy tale, the
Haunted Forest, illustrate some social science theories on family and social
relationships? For example, the idea of the life cycle, or early childhood
relationships with parents. Give at least one example from the fairy tale to
illustrate your point (Write at least 200 words on this subject).
The Haunted Forest illustrates a common fairy tale theme of oedipal desires in describing Elspeth’s relationship with an abusive stepmother. Fairy tales give children an opportunity to fantasize about their desire to be rid of the same sex parent in order to fulfill their desire to claim the exclusive attention of the opposite sex parent. These feelings are often too scary to be dealt with on a surface level, therefore transference of feelings to a wicked stepmother is a safe way for a child to work through this stage of growth while still maintaining a healthy reality with both parents. Elspeth’s fantasy mother has a clay doll sent to the evil stepmother to replace her. The clay doll feels no pain, but Elspeth discovers that those who dwell in the fantasy forest never grow up.
In this way the tale portrays another common struggle within family relationships that addresses the need for a child to leave home in order to “find one’s kingdom” or grow up. The “happily ever after” becomes symbolic of the child’s ability to integrate and balance contrasting personality attributes of id, ego and superego. The union of male and female in blissful marriage describes to a child how his own inner world benefits from the ability to balance and integrate both sides of his sexuality to achieve a healthy maturity.
From
the Work of ....Mary Gabriella Mandeville
FairyTale:
Elspeth and her prince got married. Elspeth had all the riches of the world. Anything that she wanted was hers. She had servants to do her laundry, cook her meals, and clean her house. She even had nannies to take care of her kids. All she had to do was sit around all day and give orders. At first Elspeth enjoyed this life. It was much different than the life that her stepmother had her living.
As time progressed Elspeth missed doing some of the household chores. One day she tried to do the dishes from breakfast. Her husband found out and was very upset. He forbid her from doing the dishes because that was not a job for a princess. This battle continued. Elspeth did not enjoy just sitting around. She wanted to do something. She wanted to bake cookies with her children, garden in her yard, go grocery shopping. Every time she suggested this to her husband she heard the same line, "that is no job for a princess. Get one of the servants to do that."
Elspeth had enough. She was tired of being waited on. She wanted to wait on people. She wanted to work. So, Elspeth left the kingdom. She figured that if princesses weren’t allowed to work then she didn’t want to be a princess. It was a hard decision for her to make for she loved her husband and her children but she was no longer happy. In the middle of the night Elspeth left the palace. She didn’t know where she was going but she knew that she had to leave. She just began walking. After a long time walking she found a village to stop in. She asked around the village if they needed any help with anything. A storeowner directed her to an orphanage.
Elspeth, who changed her name to Teresa so she couldn’t be recognized, worked in the orphanage and loved helping the children and just being able to work. She also saw all the people of the village that needed help too. She decided then to start a group. She got some of the women that worked with her in the orphanage to help her with her group. Together they founded the Sisters of Charity. The grouped provided support and care to those in need. Elspeth was known from that point forward as Mother Teresa.
Integration:
My fairy tale displays the personal battle of an individual and how they overcome that battle. In my fairy tale Elspeth was battling the feeling of worthlessness. She didn't feel important because she was not allowed to work or do anything. She thought growing up that if she had all the money in the world that she would be happy. When she had all the money in the world she realized she wasn't happy. My fairy tale teaches the lesson that money can't buy happiness. Happiness comes from within. In Elspeth's case her happiness came from helping others. Also it teaches that the most important thing in life is to be happy. Happiness is a special gift in which we all need to embrace. In order for others around us to be happy we need to be happy with ourselves.
SSlinkage:
The story haunted forest illustrated social science theories on families by having the wicked stepmother. It has become common to have broken families. It is now rare almost to see a couple only married once. In having these broken families you encounter a blending of families. When the families blend there tends to be a clashing between the children and the step-parent. As in the case of the Haunted Forest there was a clashing between Elspeth and her stepmother. There was also examples of social relationships too. Everybody looks to be accepted. They want to feel needed and loved. When Elspeth found the little girl in the woods she felt this need and that is why she stayed with the girl. She felt like she was accepted unlike at home where she was not accepted by her stepmother.
From
the Work of ....Christina Metcalf
Elspeth and the young handsome man, Matthew, were married. The ceremony was the most elaborate and beautiful that kingdom had ever seen. You see the handsome young man was the prince of the kingdom, Wallingmore, and was very wealthy. While the Prince loved Elspeth very much his mother, queen, did not. The queen, especially, did not approve of her.
Elspeth tried to tell the queen the story of the wonderful family she had met that day when she wandered into the haunted forest. The queen did not believe her story and did not approve of did not approve her son’s marriage to Elspeth because she did not come from a royal family of proper breeding and stature. Despite the queen’s disapproval, the young couple was very happy. Prince Matthew was a kind, gentle man who loved Elspeth very much, as did she him. They lived in the royal palace and had ten beautiful children.
Elspeth was determined to raise her children in a kind loving home, unlike the life she lived with her stepmother. She was also determined to teach her children to be kind, wise, brave, and to appreciate the home and possessions that they had. One day she called them and said, "Now we are going to have some fun." To two of them she gave brooms and taught them how to sweep the palace, and two she taught how to make beds. Two more went with her to the washroom and there she taught them to wash linen. Two others learned to do the sewing and mending. Two who had sweet voices were taught to sing, dance and entertain the others. The prince was proud of Elspeth and his children. The children were the kindest, wisest and bravest children in all the royal family. The queen, however, did not approve of Elspeth’s ways of raising her grandchildren. She believed that royal children should not partake in such tasks and did not treat the children as she did the other royal children. The ten children were not allowed to eat, play or attend school with the others. The queen showered the royal grand children with candy and gifts on birthdays and holiday, all except Elspeth’s children. They did not receive anything from the queen.
The years passed and the children were half-grown. The king and queen were very old by this time and called all the royal family to palace library for a meeting. The king announced to the family, " I have grown old and weak and it is time to pick a new king rule the kingdom". "The entire royal family shall meet in the palace garden and I shall pick whom shall take my place as the ruler of the kingdom." Elspeth called her children and they set off for the palace garden to see the ceremonies. Elspeth was sad because she thought that she would be an excellent choice to rule the kingdom. She felt she could only look on, and that the men of the royal family were sure to be chosen by the king.
When they came to the palace garden there were royal family members everywhere on the great lawn, and the ones that hoped to be king stood together and the others looked at them as they rehearsed what they might say to the king if he should ask them questions. Then the big front door opened and the old king came out slowly. He called for the wisest, bravest and kindest royal family members and asked them to present a speech as to why they should become king. They all spoke eloquently and told him why they should be king.
After all had spoke the king weakly said, "You all speak eloquently and present grand ideas of why you should be king, but you have not shown me that you are either kind, wise, or brave." Then his old eye looked everywhere and at last rested on Elspeth where she stood with her children. He called her to come up to the palace steps. She took her ten children and went up and stood before him. Elspeth did not know the king well and was frightened of him. When the king spoke his voice was soft and kind and Elspeth was no longer frightened. "What a large family you have my dear. I suppose they take most of your time", said the king. She replied, "When they were babies that was so, but know they are well trained and are not trouble at all.
They do their own washing, sewing and mending and sweep their own rooms." "Ah," he said, smiling, "you must be very wise to train so many children so well. But tell me, do they always look so happy and are they always so polite?" "Indeed they are," she answered. "We never have a tear or cross word in our family. And if I do say so myself, they are best behaved children in the royal family." "You must be very kind to have such a happy home. It is unfortunate that you have had no time to experience any adventures in your life, as I might then have made you the ruler of the kingdom.
At that moment Elspeth began to laugh, then she told the king of her horrible life with her stepmother, of her adventure to the haunted forest, and how she had come to meet the prince in the forest. The king was astonished by this news, as the queen had never told him of the story when she heard it from Elspeth. "My wife, the queen, has been unkind and unfair to you and my grandchildren. For this she shall be banished from the palace and shall never wear the crown or be called the queen of our kingdom. Please accept my humble apologies for her treatment of you." Then he smiled at her and said, "You are not only wise and kind, but you are also the bravest of all the royal family. I hereby name you the next queen and ruler of the kingdom."
Elspeth could not believe what the king had said. Before she knew it, the royal servants place a jeweled crowned on her head and a beautiful cape on her shoulders. The royal family cheered for her as they all new how wise, kind and brave Elspeth was.
The End.
From
the Work of ....Danelle Black
Before the wicked stepmother died she bore a daughter, one as cruel and ambivalent as she. The only difference in this daughter was that she was clever. She was clever enough to hide how cruel she could be. The passing of her mother allowed the little girl to do as she pleased. During the days she would torment her father by harping and nagging him to work harder so that she could have more things. The little girl longed to have a pair of shoes. One day with her father out working trying desperately to fulfill his second daughter’s wishes, the little cruel girl went for a walk in the forest, picking berries. Along the way she found a poor defenseless bunny stuck in a gaming trap. The little girl picked up a stick and poked at it until it screamed. This made her laugh. The screaming brought a little black dog barking toward her with a silver bell tinkling on its neck. Just as she was about to throw the stick at the dog a little girl about her own age came running after it. "I’m so glad to see you," the girl replied. "It was brave of you to try and save the bunny. Let us take the bunny to my mother and then you can stay here and play with me!" She knelt down, picked up the rabbit and then held out her hand as she came forward, and the dog began to wag its tail in a friendly greeting.
Now being a sly girl she did not hesitate to smile and accept this offer. She saw that the girl had beautiful clothes and wonderfully jeweled hair clips. And Shoes!! What wondrous shoes this forest girl wore. The cruel little girl thought that maybe she could take these things from her when she got the chance. So with horrid thoughts running through her mind the two children ran hand in hand through the forest with the little black dog barking after them.
"Mother, mother!" cried the little girl happily. "Look who has come to play with me. Can she stay?" The beautiful tall lady smiled at the wicked child and asked her many questions. Of course the unkind little girl told her of the unjust ways her father tired to get out of work so that she wouldn’t have anything to eat. The girl explained that that was the reason that she was in the forest eating berries due to hunger. The tall beautiful lady clicked her tongue in disgust. The tall mother then called over a man with a long beard the length of himself. She told him to go to the village and fashion a doll to the likeness of a servant. The tall beautiful woman explained that the clay doll would work day and night so that the girl could have just enough to eat and have enough clothes and shoes to wear. The clay doll would allow the young girl to spend more time with her father. The nasty little girl smiled and thought that this was a marvelous plan. The next morning the mother told the little girl to go home and the clay servant will go with her to relieve her father of work. The wicked little girl took the servant with her out of the forest and to her father. Instead of relieving him of work she told her father that she has found someone to help, for the little girl had no interest in spending time with her father. So together the clay servant and her father worked hard. The little girl had plenty to eat and plenty of shoes to wear but there was a special porcelain doll that she wanted very badly. So the girl told her father and the clay servant to work harder so that she may have the doll. Her father began toiling and so did the clay servant. After three hours of working very hard the clay servant paused. The little girl was furious with his lack of effort and started to bog him with a twig. Before her father could stop it a large snake appeared out of the clay servants mouth and bit the nasty little girl on the nose. The little girl died and the father and clay servant lived happily ever after.
Integration:
One of the examples used was Arabian Nights where there is a giant who has control or dealings with a normal person. This was meant to deal with the child's idea of the control a parent or adult has over them. My story does not have that aspect rather it fallows more in the lines of a fable which has a morale or lesson that was to be conveyed using magic and fairy tale like themes.
My story also was definitely not a myth which Bettelheim described as "...[the myth] is absolutely unique; it could not have happened to any other person, or in any other setting; such events are grandiose, awe-inspiring, and could not possibly happen to an ordinary mortal like you or me"(pg37).
My story does seem to comprise some of these aspects. The actual events could not happen to you or me but they are not grandiose or set apart for non-mortals like myths typically are. Bettelheim also suggests that myths are definite while the fairy tale is suggestive. Fairy tales leave room for imagining how the story applies to the childs life and what the story reveals about human nature. My story is rather pessimistic, I wouldn't know what a child would think of my story except maybe to hope that the nasty bully in his or her class will one day get what they deserve. Magic plays a big part in my story which, according to Bettelheim, helps the child to relate things from the real world to their own little world. Fairy tales are also suppose to help a child realize that others have troubles and fears as well. One example used in the book was Little Red Riding Hood going all by herself to grandmas house and the trouble she encounters on the way. Bettelheim refers to this aspect of fairy tales as externalization.
The wicked stepmother is a favorite of mine. When I was little I had a stepmother and we didn't get along well so it was helpful for me to realize that others had "wicked" stepmothers too. Bettelheim points out that other children when hurt by their parents believe that it is not really their parents at all but a martian in disguise or a wicked step-parent. My story didn't have a wicked step-parent but the fairy tale preceding it did. Also a lot of fairy tales deal with children being cast out by their parents for lacking desired abilities. I believe that this helps a child deal with the rejection felt when a parent disapproves of something the child has done. Hansel and Gretel seems to encourage children that if they are cast out they will be able to survive on their own. My story doesn't have any of these characteristics, or does it? Maybe in reverse. Maybe my story is for the parents who hope that their children will love and respect them and if they don't and external force will correct their child. If only it were that easy. In this sense the parent is the damsel in distress and the snake the knight in shining armor. However I don't believe that there is much influence of the oedipal boy/girl in my story. She didn't want to replace her mother but in a way did. There were not monsters to slay or other obstacles to overcome except for a pair of Versace shoes and a Christian Dior porcelain doll.!
To rap it up I think that according to Bettelheim my story would be more of a fable than a fairy tale with mythical elements as well. I am not sure how children would embrace my story but maybe their parents would.
SSlinkage:
Well in "The Haunted Forest" the girls mother died and she was replaced with another woman who was not so nice, the clicheesque wicked stepmother. The girl might have been jealous of her stepmothers affection for her father which would fallow the Freudian theories of the Oedipus Rex syndrome. This also would agree with the stages of the life of a child.
Oral Stage - a child's personality is almost completely related to its mouth or its biological need for oral input
Anal Stage - the basic modality during this stage is the withholding or expulsion, as exemplified by the toilet training during this stage. This happens around the age of 2-3 years.
Phallic Stage - which occurs around the ages of three or four the child begins to feel sexual urges, particularly around the genital region. This manifests a crisis known as the Oedipus and Electra complexes where the child usually becomes jealous of the parent of the same sex.
Latent Stage - the resolution of the conflicts of early sexuality are resolved by the development of friendships with children of the same sex.
Genital Stage - occurs in puberty and is focused on relationships with the opposite sex.
The girl in the fairy tale is in between the Phallic stage and the latent stage, where she finds a friend of her own sex and age. Another interesting thing that the fairy tale encompasses is the child's need for love and she finds love in a magical place. All children really want from their parents is to be loved and to think that their parents think that they are number one, the coolest kid, the only thing important in their lives. This feeling of importance and self worth allows a child to become a person independent of his or her need of others. Denied that love or attention, the child will seek it elsewhere, whether it be in the arms of the opposite sex at an early age or with a gang or group. In the fairy tale the hero found herself with a much more nurturing alternative to sex or gangs. If only we all were so lucky.
From
the Work of ....Clifford Nuxoll
FairyTale:
Soon Elspeth and the Prince were married. Elspeth had everything she ever wanted. She lived in a big castle with butlers and maids to bring her food and help her dress in the most beautiful clothes. Through the beautiful gardens Elspeth walked, as the sun smiled down on her and the moon laughed with her. Elspeth had all the food she could ever eat brought to her in thirteen gold dishes. Even though Elspeth had everything a princess could want, she could not stop thinking about what was in the thirteenth gold dish.
Two years passed and Elspeth decided it was time to see what was in the thirteenth gold dish. One day Elspeth told the Prince that she would like to eat alone. The servant placed thirteen gold dishes on the table and left. Elspeth ate as much food as she could and then decided it was time.
Elspeth closed her eyes and slowly lifted the lid off the thirteenth dish. The scent of fresh strawberries came out of the dish. Anything that smelled that sweet could not be bad, Elspeth thought to herself. When she opened her eyes, she saw the biggest and reddest strawberry ever. It looked so red and smelled so sweet that she reached in and took the strawberry out and placed it on her plate. As Elspeth stared at the strawberry, the strawberry started to change. It began to grow and grow and slowly changed into a girl that looked just like Elspeth. The new girl reached out and touched Elspeth’s hand and something strange started to happen to Elspeth. Elspeth started to shrink and grow white fur with a fluffy white tail. For Elspeth had turned into a rabbit.
When the Prince returned to check on Elspeth, he saw the rabbit and scared it back into the forest. The rabbit hid in the edge of the forest and watched the Prince and the new girl walk back to the castle hand in hand. Elspeth could not believe what was happening. She had to figure a way out of the mess she had made, but Elspeth could not think long because a hungry looking wolf was walking her way. The wolf stopped, smelled the ground and then looked right at Elspeth. Elspeth was so scared that she could barely turn around and run. Elspeth ran through the forest as fast as she could with the wolf right behind her. As Elspeth ran through the forest, she came across a squirrel that helped her hide so she could rest. The squirrel found food for Elspeth to eat to gain back her strength. The small leaves and nuts the squirrel found for her tasted so good that she ate until she was full and then fell asleep.
When Elspeth woke, her friend the squirrel showed her the way through the forest. As Elspeth and the squirrel walked down the trail, the wolf jumped out from behind a bush. Elspeth was so scared that she remained motionless. The wolf started walking closer and closer with his mouth open and ready to eat Elspeth. Just as the wolf was ready to bite, a fox jumped on the wolf’s back and knocked him over. This gave Elspeth and the squirrel enough time to escape. They ran as fast and as far as they could until they reached a small pond with a beautiful waterfall flowing into it. The fox and squirrel went to look for food while Elspeth went to the pond to get a drink. When she put her head down to drink the water, she noticed that the reflection in the water was not a rabbit, but of the young girl she once was. Elspeth stared at the reflection and remembered the time when she was so young and playful. Elspeth thought that she would never have fun or happiness again because she was now a scared rabbit running from the wolf.
As Elspeth stared at her reflection, the reflection of the wolf appeared over her. Elspeth knew that she must stand up to the wolf if she was ever going to be able to stop running. Elspeth turned around and stared the wolf right in the eyes and in one quick move, she jumped up and bit the wolf on the nose. The startled wolf started to back up as Elspeth moved forward. The fox and squirrel joined Elspeth as she chased the wolf to the edge of the forest. As Elspeth, the fox and squirrel chased the wolf out of the forest and into the field, a loud clapping noise came from the trees in the forest. Right before Elspeth’s eyes the fox and rabbit turned into to her real mother and father and the wolf turned into her stepmother. While watching this, Elspeth did not realize that she had turned back into the young girl that she was when she first entered the haunted forest. The police came and arrested the stepmother for being such a mean person. Elspeth went home with her mother and father and lived the life that any Princess could hope for.
Integration:
I have utilized several of Bruno Bettelheim’s ideas in my fairy tale. An important idea that I used was an escape from great danger with consolation. Elspeth was in great danger when she became a rabbit and was being chased by the wolf. I relate this to the dreams we all have when we need to run, but our legs won’t move or they feel to heavy to move fast. The consolation came when Elspeth left the forest, became a little girl again and is reunited with her mother and father. The other part of consolation that I utilized was the mean stepmother being arrested and removed from Elspeth’s life forever. To help transcend infancy with the help of fantasy, I had Elspeth marry the Prince and live in a castle. I utilized the need for magic and a child’s belief that all living things have the same characteristics as people by giving the sun, moon and animals human characteristics. The sun smiled at Elspeth and the moon made her laugh. When the wolf was chasing her, the squirrel and fox helped her escape, hid her and fed her much the way parents help their children. The trees in the forest applauded Elspeth when she successfully chased the wolf out of the forest. The part when Elspeth jumped up, bit the wolf on the nose, chased the wolf out of the forest and then changed back into a little girl, showed the idea that if you stand up and face the hazardous struggles of life, you will achieve your true identity. The most important part of the fairy tale is the happy ending. Bettelheim felt that all fairy tales must have a happy ending. When Elspeth turned back into a girl and lived with her real mother and father that created a happy ending.
SSlinkage:
The fairy tale "The Haunted Forest" illustrated the social science theory of life cycles in several ways. Elspeth experienced her own birth in a fantasy or magical act performed by the old man. Creating the doll out of clay and using a drop of Elspeth’s blood to make the doll come alive and grow, in essence, Elspeth was experiencing her own birth. Elspeth grew up through out the fairy tale and was told by Kiisike’s mother that it was time for her to leave and live on her own. Elspeth turned into an eagle and soared in the sky. Elspeth was shot down by a prince who proclaimed his love for her and asked that they spend the rest of their lives together. These parts of the fairy tale helped transcend Elspeth from infancy to adulthood. This transformation is an important part of the life cycle. Elspeth in the beginning of the fairy tale experienced the final part of the life cycle. Elspeth’s mother’s death demonstrated that all people must die to conclude the life cycle. Even though what Elspeth experienced about the life cycle was not in order, the message about the theory of the life cycle was clear. We are born, we grow up depending on our parents for survival, we must leave the security of our parents and live on our own and then, we must die.
