In Week 2, you’ll learn that fairy tales differ vastly in form, content, and lesson according to who writes them,
as well as when, why, and for whom they are written.
Using either a fable or one version of “Little Riding Hood,” explain how your chosen fable or fairy tale
demonstrates the importance of understanding different contexts and perspectives when reading children’s
literature critically. For example, if you choose “The Crow and the Pitcher,” explain how you might interpret
this fable from multiple perspectives, and then reflect on how these perspectives offer you a broader or
richer understanding of fables, or children, or children’s literature than you might have if understanding
fables as having a single meaning. Or, if you choose Perrault’s “Little Red Riding Hood,” explain some of
the details you notice and explain them to us the way I explain them in the lecture notes and podcast for
Week 2; how do these details illuminate the context- and audience-specific nature of your fairy tale? These
are just examples; there are many ways you can answer this question. Feel free to interpret and answer it
as you choose, but make sure you follow the guidelines for the posts as outlined in the assignment prompt.
*One caveat: in answering this question, you may not use these examples I give: 1) Children may want to
identify with the fox instead of the crow in “The Crow and the Fox”; 2) The differences in food and therefore
in class in the various versions of Little Red Riding Hood. Please give me examples of your own! I look
forward to hearing your thoughts and observations.
Sample Solution
