Nikita Erastov, Period 7, 9/27/21

Nikita Erastov, Period 7, 9/27/21

Literacy & Learning

Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or non-fiction covered in class.

On Thursday, we discussed the very common pattern archetypes for fairy tales. In most cases, the main character is usually a child that experiences some sort of transformation by the end of the story. That transformation can be understood using the Axes of Transformation, which are broad characteristics of the changes that can happen in the story. For example, while discussing “Where the Wild Things Are,” it is seen that Max, the main character, undergoes a change of identity and power. At the beginning of the story, he enjoys making noises and causing ruckus and yells at his mother when she tells him to stop, which causes her to send him to his room without supper. At this point in the story, Max wants to control and feels like he’s been wronged. He imagines his room was a forest, and he travels on a boat to the island where the wild things are. He becomes their king, finally getting the power he desires. Then, he and the wild things begin having fun throughout the night. However, Max eventually gets tired of the noises and smells his mother’s supper. He steps down from being king and returns to his room to find his supper waiting for him. This signifies a change in identity, during which Max understands his situation from his mother’s perspective. It is a sign of growing up and finally seeing how your actions affect other people. In terms of power, Max finally gets control but understands that he can’t control those around him and also keep them safe. He realizes that his mother tells him to do things not out of power, but out of love. This makes him appreciate her more, and come back to reality to eat his food. Overall, the story follows a traditional fairy tale archetype in which a character experiences a change towards the conclusion of the story. Although the story had a basic plotline, I enjoyed the unique feel of the fairytale and the overall idea. 

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

I learned that challenging the patterns set up by fairy tales defines the basis for critical theories. For instance, in the many variations of the Cinderella story, the main protagonist’s validation in society is based on her beauty. In the beginning, she is a princess who is as wise as her deceased mother, making her worthy of marriage to her own father. When she goes into hiding and puts on a disguise, she is shunned and disrespected, treated as a lower member of society. At the end of the story, when she is revealed to be a princess in hiding, she is once again respected and praised. Before class, it had never occurred to me that a fairy tale could have information that relates to feminism since the concept of feminism would probably go against validation through beauty being an important aspect of social hierarchy. This shows that many critical theories probably arose from people challenging prior beliefs that were deemed correct for generations. 

How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

Understanding the concept of dynamic character patterns has allowed me to actually spot them in other works of literature and media. I was always aware that a character goes through some kind of change in most works, but I never noticed the repetitiveness of the changes until actually understanding the axes of transformation. Studying fairy tales and the values displayed in them has also allowed me to better understand different cultures since fairy tales and folklore are a representation of the common group of people at the time. Reading the different variations of Cinderella allowed me to understand what each culture valued at the time, and it was surprising that many of the different cultures shared some values.