FAIRY TALES & NURSERY RHYMES Agents of socialization

FUNCTION OF FAIRY TALES  Agent of socialization  Bruno Bettelheim, The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning & Importance of Fairy Tales  Help children master the problems of growing up, stimulate imaginations to help deal with fears

INTRODUCTION TO REAL WORLD  There is evil and virtue, good and bad in everything  Difficulties in life are unavoidable, see hero confront evil, and through cleverness or bravery, find a way to triumph  See socially acceptable behaviors before they are old enough to grasp moral issues involved

RING-A-ROUND THE ROSIE  Common American versions include:  Ring-a-round a rosie, A pocket full of posies, Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down.  Common British versions include:  Ring-a-ring o' roses, A pocket full of posies, A-tishoo! A-tishoo! We all fall down.

 Jack & Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water…  Louis and Marie Antoinette  The little old lady who lived in a shoe, She had so many children, she didn’t know what to do….  She gave them some broth, without any bread; Then whipped them all soundly, and put them to bed.

 Mary, Mary quite contrary,  How does your garden grow?  With silver bells and cockle shells  And pretty maids all in a row.  Bloody Mary, actual graveyard, silver bells and cockle shells=torture devices, pretty maids-original guillotine

STRUCTURE & CONTENT  Simplified view of world for child.  Fundamental issues presented in either/or format  Witch is bad and ugly.  Princess kind and beautiful.  Prince is brave and strong.

 Love, fear, death, isolation and abandonment themes  Confront fears can’t yet verbalize  Cinderella: parent death, step-mother, sibling rivalry  Disney v. Grimm brothers  

ANALYZING CINDERELLA  Mastering problems: wished for a different life  Introduction to real world: death, problems of wealthy  Stimulating imagination: fairy godmother puts magic spell  Dealing with fears: parent death, step parent mean, siblings  Either/or format: nice and beautiful, sisters mean and ugly  Themes: hopeful in face of adversity  Possible new meaning: commoner marries Prince, Kate Middleton, step sisters as negative voices within