History has shown that people of different generations have conceived stories that highlight values and moral lessons. In the form of parables, fables, and fairy tales with human and animal characters, the stories aimed to help children and adult discern right actions from wrong. To this day, parents continue to use these stories to convey ethical teachings. As a reflection of my past and appreciation of my present as well as my positive outlook of the future, in this paper, I ponder about the stories my parents imparted to me while at the same time, I express my appreciation by telling a story to my children that I hope they would carry with them in their old age.
Childhood Ethical Teachings
As children, we were all told stories by our
…show more content…
Not learning from the incident, Kenny kept tricking the villagers by always crying wolf even if there was none. One day the wolf came, Kenny yelled at the top of lungs, but the village elders did not come this time because they thought the boy is lying again. The wolf ate all the sheep and ran into the forest and Kenny was left without a flock.
The story of the boy who cried wolf has taught me the importance of honesty. From childhood to adulthood, in both my personal and professional lives, I have practiced honesty because a lie, more so, repetitive lies can cause you to lose the trust of people around you. As one of the leaders in my work place, the story reminds me that once the trust is loss, it is hard to gain it back.
For My Children
When I think of my children, I want to see things from their perspectives so that I can understand them better. In this digital age, the easiest way to convey stories to them is through their gadgets. With that in mind, I would like to teach my children importance of honesty the way my parents taught it to me. So, here is the story.
Once upon a time, there was this boy name T.A. from an average family. T.A.’s parents work in a farm and they just earn enough for their basic needs. The family does not have extra money for the latest toys and electronic gadgets. As a young boy, T.A. sometimes get envious of the other kids in the community with new cellphones, tablets, and electric-operated toys. Because his parents love T.A.
Through the knowledge gained from this book, the reader will grasp the moral being presented and where it came from. This allows authors to convey a deeper significance of their work without having to directly display those thoughts through
Growing up as a babysitter, I had always prided myself on being able to read the kids I sat for, more specifically when they were lying. Often times when they did lie, instead of using it as a moment to learn, I put them on time out or something along those lines. While I still believe that reinforcing negative actions with a consequence is important, I now realize that establishing an environment where a child feels comfortable telling the truth is far more important. This chapter really got me thinking about how honesty is very important, and that when a child chooses to be honest, they should not be punished for their wrongdoing, or at least feel like they have to please me for an answer. What I really questioned was where the line is to punish a child for a an action he was honest about, when he could have lied. Surly some things would be considered bad enough to were more action needs to be taken after telling the truth. All in all, the chapter taught me that children are very unpredictable and we can't accurately determine when they are lying. Also, that lying is a structural part of our society and it’s built into everyday things we do. This is a very big problem specifically in raising the next generation of
Honesty is a good principle, however it does not have to be absolute. Although we should always strive to stay honorable and genuine, deception, under certain conditions and during certain times are justifiable. This point is acknowledged and bolstered in the novel Grapes of Wrath, repeatedly throughout history and proven through scientific research.
Before taking into consideration that honesty is extremely important when writing, we should understand what honesty means. Honesty is being sincere, truthful, trustworthy, honorable, fair, genuine, and loyal with integrity. It is the best way to gain respect and confidence from your audience. According to Linda Flower, in her work of “Writing for an Audience”, “the goal of the writer is to create a momentary common ground between the reader and the writer. You want the reader to share your knowledge and your attitude toward that knowledge.” The ability to adapt your knowledge to the needs of the reader is often crucial to your success as a writer. Even if the reader eventually disagrees, you want him or her to be able for the moment to see things as you see them. Telling the truth lets everyone know what really happened. There's less chances of misunderstandings, confusion, or conflict. If you tell the truth, you have an infinite power supporting you.
In “The Ways we Lie,” Stephanie Ericsson expresses her own life experience as an example to show, how difficult it is to balance the moral value of living a lie and the consequences of telling the truth in real life. Ericsson expresses her views thoroughly on how “we all lie” for different reasons and for different purposes. In “The Way We Lie,” informational essay, some of the words contradict each other, for example, she explains the impossibility and the consequences of telling the truth all the time, while she explains the consequences of telling a lie without taking a side. She used those statements to build a strong bond with readers by eliminating judgment and creating humble moments. Ericsson’s essay grasped my attention easily and intrigued me so much that, I couldn’t keep my eyes of the pages; the end of each paragraph brought me to have text-to-self connections.
Someone once stated,” Tell me the cold truth, but don’t paint me a pretty lie.” As we walk our journey of life, we come to understand that the truth is harsh and yields to no one;moreover, the lie’s hurt increases as it grows. Honesty is important in all situations because eventually the truth shows and people base how they connect you in their life by your honesty or lies.
In his evaluation of Little Red Riding Hood, Bill Delaney states, “In analyzing a story . . . it is often the most incongruous element that can be the most revealing.” To Delaney, the most revealing element in Little Red Riding Hood is the protagonist’s scarlet cloak. Delaney wonders how a peasant girl could own such a luxurious item. First, he speculates that a “Lady Bountiful” gave her the cloak, which had belonged to her daughter. Later, however, Delaney suggests that the cloak is merely symbolic, perhaps representing a fantasy world in which she lives.
Many stories people read are written for the express purpose of entertainment and sometimes even to persuade, but few are written to teach a moral. The story “A Fable with Slips of White Paper Spilling From The Pockets” written by Kevin Brockmeier does just that. Although relatively short, the story is filled with words of wisdom and life lessons that are meant to instill a sense of selflessness. The story is about a man who finds God’s overcoat from which he finds prayers from the people he encounters. Kevin Brockmeier makes exceptional use of magic realism and symbolism to teach a moral lesson.
Honesty and deception both play valuable roles in all parts of personal lives and society. Richard Gunderman stated, “To tell the truth is to live authentically and responsibly, to really live.” Living honestly is a way to have less stress to your life, proven by Richard Gunderman in “Is lying bad for us?” However, dishonesty seems to at an all time high with the growth of communication as stated in “On Bullshit” by Harry Frankfurt. In addition, lying can provide incredible short-term benefits discussed by Stephanie Ericsson in “The Ways We Lie.” Gunderman’s claim on authenticity is valid because most cultures see honesty and trust as two of the more lauded values. Telling the truth relieves stress and adds trust. Yet, there is a seemingly
Fairy tales, beyond their value as charming escapes into realms of fantasy and wonder, are meant to teach children morals and demonstrate to them the traits they need to successfully function in society. These tales are sustained, generation after generation, in our collective consciousness as literary manifestations of our values. But to what extent is this consciousness collective? Are these morals consistent globally or do they vary from culture to culture?According to Bruno Bettelheim, morals are universal and fairy tales are the ultimate means of teaching them. However, in Harold and the Purple Crayon and The Frog King or Iron Heinrich—both are fairy tales but from different cultures—disparate cultural morals collide, simplified
Classic literature will always be remembered and retold over the generations as life lessons and morals that we try to live by. These morals are often used to help children learn these guiding values and morals. These lessons are presented to us as fairy tales and movies or cartoons for children. We never realize or ponder, “where did that moral come from?” or should I say, “who originally created this fable and life lesson that I am watching unfold in a Disney movie?” A fable is short and witty written piece and is deeply riddled with certain messages or lessons using, but not limited to, tales of animals. Fables were for adults but through time have been woven into everyone’s’ childhood. Fables, ghost stories, and urban legends are modern day fairytales or fables. Just as “The Grasshopper and The Ant” and “Tortoise and the Hare” were spread by oral tradition, urban legends and morals are spread in the same manner; thus creating contemporary folklore often with a moral sting in the tail. While it’s true that urban legends are still told while sipping hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows at a campfire, others are spread through classics movies like Walt Disney animation.
Fairy tales have been embedded into our culture and date back before recorded times, they provide a source of entertainment and imagination for children. Despite today’s fairy tales having positive moral intentions they have been adapted from earlier versions which often can be very different and much more sinister. The fairy tale “Sun, Moon, and Talia” by Giambattista Basile formed the basis for the more commonly known Disney interpretation called the “Sleeping Beauty” however they are vastly different, Basile’s original is a very dark and twisted story compared to the Disney version.
As we grow up, we hear fairy tales and we read them into our lives. Every word and every image is imprinted into our minds. The fairy tales we read are never abandoned. They grow with us and our dreams become molds of the many morals and happily ever afters fairy tales display. We tell children fairy tales when they go to sleep and they read them in school and we even have them watch Disney adaptions that reinforce them further. Generally, they were everywhere while we grew up and they continue to be present while children are growing up now. But what influence do these stories have? We casually expose our children to these tales, but in some cases they can have particularly, harmful personal effects on them, although there is nothing completely or visibly “bad” about them or about the characters in them. Before we divulge our youth to these stories, we should assess their substance and see what sort of effect they may be having on them. They have received so much scrutiny and have been studied by many. Recognizing fairy tales effects on the minds of children is vital in their development. This paper will focus on the underlying messages that the average person wouldn’t recognize in these everyday stories. There’s a modern distort with fairy tales because while they still are widely popular with the youth, they influence children’s self images, outlooks on reality and expectations for their futures, especially for young women.
Fairy Folk Tales are the most popular types of literature. The tale is an orally transmitted tradition by generations through the time; some events are changed to fit reality and society. Folk fairy tales deal with the dualism of the good and the evil. They are basing on a conflict between the good and the evil forces. The conclusion comes from aspirations of the human desire to achieve the justices. There are no known authors and sources for ancient’s literature. We have many versions of the story; they are credited by many authors later. Each tale is very like some other culture’s tale. Each culture has own tales, but all the tales are similarities and differences in some points. This essay will compare between two fairy tales, “Cinderella” and “In the Land of Small Dragon”. The tale of Cinderella is a French tale. It is credited by Charles Perrault; it is published in 1697. The in the Land of Small Dragon is a Vietnamese folktale; it is told by Dang Manh Kha in 1979.
1. What is the genre of this story? Are there any other possible genres this story could fall into?