The Fairy Tale Effect
How Fairy Tales Impact Everything
Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, there was a princess named Cerelia. Cerelia lived in a great big castle with her dad the King and her mom the Queen. Her parents were very busy people, and people from all over the kingdom came to visit them at the castle. Cerelia did not see them much, which made her sad, but her parents reserved special times every week to go horseback riding with her. Cerelia loved these rides. The three of them would go through the castle, past the village, into the valley, up into the hills, and around the great mountains. There was always one part Cerelia hated, however. The deep, dark forest. Every time the three of them drew near the forest, Cerelia would become afraid and would want to turn back. Her father, the great King, would ride back to her and say, “Do not fear, my flower, as long as we are with you the forest cannot hurt you.” Then the three would plunge into the forest, and Cerelia knew she was safe with her parents.
As the weeks went by, however, a great famine struck the kingdom. The King and the Queen were very busy getting food for all the people. When the time for the weekly ride came around, her mother the Queen came to Cerelia and said, “I am very sorry, my flower, but the King and I are too busy for a ride today.” This made Cerelia very sad. She rushed to the stable and got on her horse. She rode through the castle, past the village, into the valley, up into the hills, and around the great mountains. But Cerelia forgot to slow down before the deep, dark forest, and instead her horse took her straight into it. She finally managed to get the horse to stop, but it was too late. She was lost in the middle of the forest. Cerelia got very scared and wanted to cry, but at that moment a ball of light appeared in the trees.
“Hello dear, why are you crying?” the globe said to Cerelia.
Cerelia replied, sniffling, “I am lost and I am afraid, can you help me?”
The globe replied, “Oh dear I am sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, I am just a ball of light and I have never left this forest, so I cannot help.”
Cerelia was interested by this, and stopped crying. “You have never left the forest? Don’t you find this place scary?”
“Scary? Oh dear it’s not scary, it’s just unknown. I bet if I went to your home, I would be terrified!” cried the globe.
Cerelia smiled and jumped up. “Thank you!” Cerelia jumped back on her horse and suddenly the deep dark forest wasn’t scary, but inviting. She let her horse guide her through the forest, and eventually she came across a huge lake, teeming with fish, and surrounded with fertile land. Cerelia turned her horse around, and eventually she burst out of the forest and back into the hills. She raced all the way home. When she got home, the King and Queen cried tears of relief.
“Oh flower, we were so worried!” cried her father.
“I am so sorry daughter!” said her mother.
“Mother! Father! I have found the answer to our famine!” Cerelia cried.
The King and Queen saddled up their horses and followed Cerelia to the forest. She led her parents to the lake within, and they were shocked. The kingdom once again had food, and they all lived happily ever after.
— English tale, unknown author
“Once Upon a Time”
Joan Acocella, The New Yorker, June 23, 2012
Joan Acocella focuses on what many would regard as the origin of literature: fairy tales. Fairy tales exist in our lives almost from our earliest memories, often used by parents to send restless children to sleep or distract them during necessary times. Many children read them in books or in nurseries, and in the modern age might even go to the theater to watch them. One of the most recent fairy tale adaptions, Frozen, swept not only the nation but much of the world, with little girls everywhere annoying their parents by singing “Let It Go” nonstop. To children, fairy tales are a wonder. Children’s minds are brand new, only just dabbling in imagination and creativity. Fairy tales are one of the first door-openers to this new plane, the first experience outside of reality. Little girls adore the princesses in the stories, often dressing up as them whenever they can. Little boys wish to emulate brave knights and great kings, exposing themselves to chivalry, bravery, and leadership from such an early age. To parents, however, fairy tales lose their wonder. While they might still find them powerful ways of entertaining children, they lose the respect for fairy tales. To their credit, parents are much older and wiser than their children. They have probably read works that are more insightful than fairy tales, they probably have been educated in one field or another, they have definitely experienced or taken part in activities that age the mind and soul. In other words, they know more, and in that lies the death of fairy tales to them, like a discarded toy that you outgrew. Fairy tales are no longer useful to them.
This article, however, offers a different viewpoint. Joan begins by investigating the most well-known fairy tale writers of all time, the Grimm brothers, and their collection Grimm’s Fairy Tales. The two brothers were born just a year apart to a prosperous family, but everything changed when their father died. His death left the family without an income, and they struggled to make ends meet. They began the project of collecting tales told around the country and compiling them into one book, which they eventually published in 1812 by the name of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Their tales were mostly oral tales, or tales that were passed down from word of mouth throughout the ages. The tales had no written basis, and therefore no one knows exactly when they started, or even how they started. Each time the tales were passed down, little aspects of the story changed. These changes weren’t enough to drastically alter the story, but they did vary from region to region. Each region was able to add their own flair to the story, maybe to reflect their history or their people. Each of the tales could also be catered to different crowds. Certain stories might work best with children, others with parents. During this time, fairy tales had yet to acquire their childish stereotype, and were instead viewed as just a medium to pass along knowledge. The tales had wisdom to offer to all. Over time, these tales were increasingly used for children, until eventually they became what they are today. However, that does not mean fairy tales of today aren’t any less powerful than they have been throughout history. Even current tales such as Cinderella, or Snow White, or Little Red Riding Hood, have powerful yet subtle messages, able to impact every reader or listener whether they know it or not. Fairy tales are able to utilize multiple aspects to present the reader or listener with a “counterworld,” or a world that is obviously flawed and has good and bad characters. The obvious presentation of this “counterworld” forces the reader or listener to compare and contrast it to our current world, eventually realizing that the two may not be so different.
“The Slo-Mo Specificity of ‘Atlanta’”
Emily Nussbaum, The New Yorker, September 19, 2016
Donald Glover’s resume spans across almost every form of media, ranging from television to music. His origins lie in the hit show “Community,” which kick started his career in front of the camera. This fall, he released his own show, Atlanta, on FX, and it was met with great reviews. Donald Glover attributes the success to the staff he hired. The staff he hired diverges from the stereotypical hiring patterns of TV shows, seeing as most of the producers have never been in a writer’s room before. Instead, Glover reached out to individuals he met throughout his life that he knew he could trust creatively and morally, trusting them to help him convey important messages while maintaining humor and watchability.
The show is able to combine pop culture satire with deeper social issues that are running throughout American society. The show focusses on Glover’s character, a typical young, African-American male living in urban Atlanta, and the community around him. The characters constantly use iPhones, send snapchats, and bring up twitter. They listen to rap music in multiple scenes, even going as far to have discussions over new up and coming artists. They utilize urban Atlanta landscapes for outdoor scenes, having the characters walk through stereotypical living areas in urban centers. By using these aspects within the show, “Atlanta” is able to appeal to the younger generations of America who can identify with this setting. Glover capitalizes on this interest by working in deeper messages into the show, subtly portraying to the viewer issues that, visible or invisible, exist within our society. One of the most important aspects of Glover’s show is that he is able to expose his viewers to these real-world issues through easy to interpret situations. Just by laughing along to the show you are inadvertently exposing yourself to issues within the world we live in.
Donald Glover is also known by his rapper alias, Childish Gambino. This article also relates the traits of his show to his music. He approaches the hip hop genre in a way that few are able to do successfully. He uses clever rhymes and lyrics to both humor and educate his listeners in a way that appeals to everyone, from dedicated rap fans to casual listeners. The role the hip hop genre plays in modern society is very interesting. Some artists use their lyrics to romanticize gang lifestyle, inadvertently leading youth into the lifestyle. Rap has also served as an outlet for individuals to voice their concerns over certain aspects of society, from war to police brutality. Glover uses his lyrics to comment on issues ranging from mental health to aging to life as a black male. His lyrics resemble those of Bob Dylan, who was recently awarded the Nobel prize for poetry. Both artists’ lyrics are able to interpreted on their own, with or without music, and extend beyond the genre.
While this essay focused mostly on his achievements in both television and music, it also points to deeper characteristics of Donald Glover. He is able to use widely appealing mediums to communicate deeper truths, in both television and music. He can both relate and educate his fan base through his commentary on life in 2016. Even his alias, “Childish Gambino,” relates to his topic. “Childish” in his name relates to how he draws watchers and listeners in, through humor and relatable comedy. However, he utilizes these childish aspects to push a deeper agenda, and therefore expose his fans to the issue at hand. Similarly, fairy tales are inherently “childish.” Little boys and girls are read them at bedtime, and moms tell them to snuggling toddlers. When we think of “children movies,” we almost always think of movie adaptions of fairy tales. Adults dismiss these stories as fantastical and unrealistic, but with great appeal to children. However, fairy tales are able to utilize childish or baseline themes in order to push deeper and more important messages beyond children and adults, extending to society itself. Fairy tales exist in almost every society on the planet, and most individuals have been exposed to them at some point in their life. All of these individuals have been exposed to the deeper issues are able to push under the cover of children books, and these lessons have played at least some role on their lives.
“Never Alone: Could a Video Game Help To Preserve Inuit Culture?”
Simon Parker, The New Yorker, November 17, 2014
After November 8th, the United States might see its borders become severely restricted. Donald Trump has promised that if he wins the election, he will return the nation to “real Americans,” threatening to cut off immigration from Mexico and the Middle East. If he wants to speak of “real Americans,” however, he may want to speak to one of the many indigenous tribes in the United States. Most of us learn at some point in school of the somewhat rocky relationship Native Americans have had with settlers. The discovery of the New World brought many good things to Native American societies, for example medicine, new foods, technology, and so on. It also brought some negatives, for example sickness, forced conversion, slavery, and violence. As the presence of European settlers grew in the New World, the Native American communities suffered more and more. In North America, this culminated in multiple wars, the Trail of Tears, and the establishment of reservations. The native population across the Americas dropped by roughly half to smallpox sweeping across the continent. They lost their homes and their loved ones, but even after all this time they have managed to hold onto their culture.
However, one of the most prominent problems faced by Native American communities today is the rapid disappearance of their cultures. The Inuit tribe has been situated in Alaska for more than three thousand years, and over that time span they have never failed to orally pass down their stories and tales. Exposure and adaption to the modern age, however, has put their culture at risk. With new ways to communicate and record history, the Inuit community has seen their habit of oral tradition slowly be eradicated. The process of stories and lessons being passed down from elders to children represent the key values present in Inuit culture: tradition and unity. The storytellers themselves are usually the oldest members of the village, ones that can draw upon their past to educate the up and coming generations. They are highly revered members of Inuit society, but with modernization it becomes harder and harder for these storytellers to preserve this tradition, as youth become more interested in other mediums of entertainment. Storytellers also have begun writing stories down instead of passing them down orally, and while this preserves the stories, it loses the relationship.
The leaders of the Inuit community and broader Native American community decided to take measures against this dissolution of their sacred practices. In 2013, a group of key members from the Inuit tribe came together to brainstorm on how to better reach out to both the younger generations and broader audiences in general. Their solution was to develop a video game. As most of us know, video games resonate strongly with the younger generations of any time period. Nintendo kicked off the market in the 80’s and swept the children of that decade, and now Xbox and PlayStation span across almost every household. Kids today spend large amounts of time playing video games, and often bond and form friendships through these games. The council proposed that they could teach about Inuit culture and history by utilizing the appeal of video games. In order to achieve this goal, the council hired a diverse development team. In addition to traditional computer programmers and graphic designers, the council brought in Inuit storytellers as well as high school students. The storytellers were able to assist the designers and developers by describing the story lines and the different characters from their perspective. The high school students, who were members of the Inuit community, offered their opinions on the marketability of the game to youth, ensuring that the target audience would be willing to buy the game. The result was a success. It was nominated for several awards in 2014, and currently it has an 82% approval rating on the popular game platform Steam with hundreds of thousands of downloads.
The focus of this article is the importance and struggle of preserving tradition while maintaining appeal in this modern age. The Inuit community was struggling with keeping vital traditions in their villages alive, slowly watching their way of life give way to Westernization. To prevent this, their leaders went to drastic measures, ultimately deciding to develop their own video game in order to stave off this degradation. They combined the popularity and outreach of video games with their own culture and past. They combined the art form of video games with their own oral tradition in order to both preserve it and spread it to a larger audience. This trait is shared by fairy tales. Fairy tales offer any nation, community, village, or even family the opportunity to preserve their history and tradition while giving them a popular and appealing means to do it. The success of the Inuit community’s video game in both preserving their traditions and branching out to a wider audience points to the potency fairy tales also have. They too can combine elderly storytellers with younger audiences of our modern age. They can appeal to more than just American children. Fairy tales have the ability to bridge the gap between ancient pasts and volatile new times.
“Orpheus Through the Ages”
Kate Bernheimer, The New Yorker, October 15, 2013
Most of us have heard the tragic story of Orpheus, a key figure in ancient Greek mythology. Whether you read about his story in a Greek mythology book or saw it played it out in some other medium, his story is one of the most well-known tales in mythology. Young Orpheus was one of the most skilled lyre players in Greece, and eventually even the gods themselves become jealous of his skill. He had the ability to charm all living creatures, and he rejoiced in this skill. However, tragedy struck Orpheus when his beloved wife, Eurydice, was bitten by a snake and died in his arms. Desperate to get her back, Orpheus journeyed to the Underworld to find her. When he finally meets Hades, he begs him for his wife, using his lyre to sing a song so sad that even the god of death began to weep. He allowed Eurydice to return to the realm of the living on one condition: Orpheus must not turn and look at her until he is out of the cave. Orpheus agrees to this beneficial offer and immediately sets down the path towards the earth. However, right before they got to the entrance of the cave, Orpheus turned to ensure his wife was with him, and in that moment, she was lost forever to him. No one is quite sure why he decided to turn and look at Eurydice. Maybe he was worried Hades had tricked him. Maybe he was worried she had not wanted to follow him. Whatever the reason, his actions cost him the love of his life.
The author of this article tracks the numerous exposures she has had to The Tale of Orpheus throughout her life. As with most children, the very first exposure to the story was when she was child. Her parents had bought her a book full of Greek mythology, and Orpheus was one that stuck out to her the most. She says, “When I was young, the myth of Orpheus scared me.” The death of the beloved wife, the journey to the world of the damned, the tragic flaw and loss of love all left a mark on Kate.
Her next exposure to the Tale of Orpheus was in Albrecht Dürer’s drawing, “The Death of Orpheus.” Albrecht was a fifteenth-century German artist. His drawing of Orpheus depicts the whipping of Orpheus before his death, with the quote, “Orpheus, der erst pusteran,” or, “Orpheus, the first pederast.” Kate highlights the contrasts between this version of Orpheus and the one told in her Greek mythology book. In the book, Orpheus is presented as a tragic man, one who came so close to restoring his love before losing everything. In Albrecht’s drawing, Orpheus is presented as an evil man, renowned and hated for having relations with a child and his punishment before his violent death. Kate dwells upon the factors at play during the time period, and how the story’s ultimate message and perspective may have shifted over the years.
Kate then moves on the next exposure, talking about Tiziano Vecilli’s painting of Orpheus. Vecilli, known in English as Titian, as a sixteenth-century Italian renaissance painter. His painting, “Eurydice and Orpheus, 1508,” depicts Eurydice and Orpheus’ final embrace before she is pulled back to the underworld, never again to be seen by Orpheus. It is dark and somber, pulling the heartstrings to resonate with the pain of loss and failure. Orpheus depiction seems to have shifted back to one of a tragic hero, inviting empathy and pity. Kate again dwells on the circumstances surrounding this shift in Titian’s painting, as well as the repercussions and surrounding factors.
Jumping to the final exposure, Kate talks about Nick Cave and the Bad Seed’s song, “The Lyre of Orpheus.” Personally, I love this band and this is where I found the inspiration for looking into Orpheus. Within this song, they focus on the life of Orpheus; however, they do it with a twist. In most accounts of the Orpheus tale, his skill with the lyre is astounding, even invoking the jealousy of the gods. Men and women across Greece revel in his ability, and Jason and the Argonauts even bring him along on their quest due to his skill. In the song, Nick Cave paints an entirely different interpretation. With long somber strings and an ominous drum beat, Nick Cave utilizes a deep and raspy voice to tell the tale of the formation of his lyre playing ability, casting an ominous tone over the story. “He sawed at the wood with half a heart/And glued it top to bottom/He strung a wire in between/He was feeling something rotten.” “Orpheus went leaping through the fields/Strumming as hard as he did please/Birdies detonated in the sky/Bunnies dashed their brains out on the trees.” He paints the lyre playing skill of Orpheus not as something beautiful and harmonious, but instead as something sick and macabre and destructive. Everywhere he plays, destruction follows. His ability is not a blessing, it’s a curse. Eventually, the loss of his wife and his own eventual death are depicted as justice or retribution to the life of destruction he lived by using his skill to bring harm to all things living. This sadistic depiction of Orpheus’ life produces a beautifully haunting song.
This article serves to outline the ultimate fluidity a tale can have as it is passed along generations and exchanged from medium to medium. In the book and the painting, Orpheus was a tragic figure. In the drawing and in the song, he was a menace to society, deserving of every event that happened to him. Depending on the producer and environment in which it as reproduced, a tale can take on different meanings and have different effects. The book version of Orpheus could teach us about trust and controlling greed. The song version of Orpheus teaches us that just because we have a certain skill does not mean we should use it. In this way, fairy tales are similar. Most fairy tales are thousands of years old, passed from generation to generation. They went from being passed orally to being written, and today they can be found in music, cinema, artwork, and almost every other medium available. Just like the fluidity of the Tale of Orpheus, fairy tales can be equally fluid over time.
“Tarantino Unchained”
Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, January 2, 2013
Quentin Tarantino is one of the most well-known directors of this century. Over his career, he has been awarded two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards, one Palme d’Or, a nomination for an Emmy, a nomination for a Grammy, and one star along Hollywood Boulevard. He has been in Time’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2005, and he has been described as “the most influential director of his generation.” Most people are familiar with his films, from Reservoir Dogs to Pulp Fiction. He has a very unique film style, utilizing graphic violence with gritty characters to accomplish deeper motifs within his work. This article, written by Jelani Cobb, dissects his most recent works, Django Unchained and Inglorious Bastards.
He begins by describing his experience as an American History teacher at a Russian university when Inglorious Bastards was released in 2010. After it came out in theaters, many of his students came to him next class and asked if this was truly how Americans viewed World War II. By the end of the war in 1945, the former Soviet Union had suffered 27 million casualties. By comparison, the United States suffered 419,000 casualties. When World War II began in 1939 with Germany’s invasion of Poland, the Soviet Union originally had a peace agreement with Nazi Germany. They allowed for the German armies to sweep through neighboring countries as long as they did not attempt to invade any parts of Soviet Russia. However, two years later, Adolf Hitler authorized a full scale invasion of Soviet Russia, called Operation Barbarossa. In 1941, German forces quickly swept through the outskirts of Soviet Russia, and for the next few months pushed further and further inland before arriving in Moscow. Fortunately for the Russian forces, winter began to sweep through the land, and Russian troops were far more adapted to winter warfare than the German forces. They began a counter-attack on the German forces, and eventually drove them all the way back to Berlin from the East as the rest of the Allied Forces came in from the West. This counter assault was not easy, however. Russian troops were poorly equipped and had little training due to the surprise nature of the invasion. This led to massively high body counts on the Russian-German front, which Russia was only able to sustain due to their already massive population. Without the successful counter attack by Soviet forces, the Allies may never had been able to break through France and begin the push towards Germany. This is because Hitler had to split his troops and supplies between the two fronts, making the Allied assaults easier and more successful. After Nazi Germany surrendered in 1945, the Allied Nations and Soviet Russia met to establish the repercussions and spoils of war. Soviet Russia felt like they were cheated in the post-war treaties and allocations of land and resources, eventually leading to the Cold War a few decades later.
This sentiment that Russia’s importance and sacrifice during the Second World War went unnoticed and unrewarded exists even today. The majority of modern American-Russian affairs stem from the aftermath of World War II. When Inglorious Bastards came out, Cobb was teaching American History at Moscow State University. Students would constantly ask him if this was the real viewpoint of Americans. For those unfamiliar with the movie, it depicts a ragtag band of American soldiers who are basically responsible for taking down Hitler singlehandedly. It has no mention of other superpowers making any contribution to the war effort, instead showing American firepower and tactics destroying German forces and ultimately secretly assassinating Hitler. Cobb says his students were almost outraged by this depiction until he explained the nature of Tarantino films, and how this film in no way represented the historical accuracies of World War II. In America, Inglorious Bastards was received pretty well by audiences. IMDB has rated it 8.3 out of 10. It is largely seen as a “revenge fantasy” in regards to World War II. The film itself was Tarantino’s interpretation of what most Americans wanted from the war, and that was to demolish both Nazi Germany and Hitler. This is displayed through the “Bear Jew” and theater fire scenes. From an American’s perspective, this movie was an alternate history. If Americans were able to miraculously roll over every obstacle during the war, elicit absolute fear, dominate the battlefield, and exact revenge upon the man who started it all, this is what it would look like. It is not meant to be a primary source for Allied campaigns in the European theater. It is not meant to represent how Americans actually feel about the war or how we interpret it. However, to Russian students in Moscow, it is easy to see how it could be interpreted those ways.
This article displays the potency of differing perspectives. No matter the medium, whether it be paintings, poetry, movies, or stories, you can interpret it in many ways. There are many factors that play into the way an individual will interpret a certain work of art. In the article, Russians interpreted the film completely differently from the way Americans interpreted it. Our childhoods, our socioeconomic backgrounds, our education levels, our gender, our age, all of these factors play into how we look and interpret the world around us. As a result, works of art can have a variety of different meanings and motifs depending on who is viewing it. Similarly, fairy tales are able to interpreted in a variety of ways depending on the reader or listener. Just like any other creative piece, they are open to different interpretations due to different perspectives. For example, in the popular fairy tale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,” many view the prince as savior, using his kiss to rouse Snow White from her slumber. The dwarves are guardians of Snow White, taking care of her while she is slumbering. However, a different individual can read the same story and see the prince as a twisted intruder who forces himself upon the defenseless Snow White. He or she could see the dwarves not as guardians but captors, ensuring that Snow White is not able to leave their home. This ability to be interpreted many different ways according to the person who is accessing them is one of the greatest abilities of fairy tales. Fairy tales are able to shape and conform to millions of different perspectives, therefore meaning millions of different things but paradoxically maintaining core messages.
“Virtual Iraq”
Sue Halpern, The New Yorker, May 19, 2008
September 11th, 2001. Even by itself, this date is provocative. The horrors from this day left a resounding impact on not just American society, but the entire world. The events that unfolded from this day would affect almost every region in the world for the next two decades. The crashing of the planes, the targeting of the Pentagon, the thousands of lives lost rocked the nation to its core, and the nation’s response was one of fear and revenge. Just nine days after the attacks, President George W. Bush declared war, beginning the War on Terror that define the beginning of this century. The US government launched an immediate international investigation into the attacks on September 11th. After receiving reports that al-Qaeda had claimed responsibility for the attacks, the United States began the War in Afghanistan, where al-Qaeda was said to be based out of. October 7th, 2001 marked the beginning of the invasion of a joint US-UK force. Within a few months, the force was able to capture the capital city of Afghanistan, Kabul. The stated objective of the invasion was to find and destroy member of al-Qaeda and its related sect the Taliban, capture Saddam Hussein, and find and destroy weapons of mass destruction. As the invasion progressed, however, the United States received intelligence reports that the neighboring country of Iraq was both harboring members of al-Qaeda and possessed weapons of mass destruction. For these reasons, the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, beginning the War in Iraq. Estimates figure that between 150,000 to 600,000 Iraqis were killed in the first 3–4 years of this conflict. The US had only seen 150 deaths during the initial invasion, but that number rose to 1,000 casualties in the years following Saddam’s capture. The US began to deploy more troops to stabilize the region, but this just led to more instability. Some 20,000 more troops were deployed in 2007, and yet the forces struggled to reestablish peace and democracy for the Iraqi people. The American public began to lose support for the war, and eventually President Barack Obama formally ended the War on Terror. By the end of the war, almost 4,000 US troops had been killed in Iraq, and 36,000 had been wounded.
These wounded soldiers returned home burdened with what they had experienced during the war. Almost 20% of these returning soldiers would be diagnosed with PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder. The slightest trigger could throw them back in the baking Iraqi heat, strap them up with battle backs and ammunition belts, drench them in sweat, and plant their boots back in combat. The years of experiencing the horrors of war left a mark on these veterans. While they were deployed, they would have been fantasizing about returning home. Images of mothers, fathers, children, wives, would have given them the inspiration needed to wake up every morning and get ready to face the day. And yet, when they were finally returning home, they were faced with the reality that their minds were trapped in Iraq.
One common treatment for PTSD is seeing a therapist in order to talk out the experiences during the war and slowly overturn the triggers. However, the American society has a stigma regarding the use of therapists and mental disorders in general. As a result, many returning veterans were embarrassed to see a licensed professional for help. This resulted in many cases of PTSD going untreated among the veteran population, which can have tragic results. The suicide rate for veterans is 21% higher than the civilian rate. Among veterans with PTSD, 23% had been arrested for a criminal offense after returning. The unemployment rate for veterans aged 24 years and younger was 29.1%, compared to just 8.2% nationally. The veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan War were returning with deep emotional and physical traumas, and yet they were not turning the professionals for help, and the government did not have the proper institutions in place to help them.
After seeing these figures, leading researchers began to look for alternative methods of treating PTSD. This article covers one of the most successful new methods: virtual reality. As mentioned earlier, one of the largest factors of PTSD is the role of triggers in daily life that bring veterans back to their combat days. What was once a “neutral” experience, such a microwave beeping, turns in to a “negative” experience. The goal of PTSD therapy is to reverse these experiences and slowly remove triggers in the civilian world. This article follows both veterans and therapists as they go about utilizing this new technology. Sue Halpern was able to meet Albert Rizzo, the inventor of the virtual-reality therapy software Virtual Iraq. By utilizing the existing game Full Spectrum Warrior, Rizzo was able to adapt key parts to make it more real. He added the virtual reality software to turn the game 3D, he added sounds to engage auditory memories, and he even went as far as factoring in shaking and rumbling. His goal was to make the software as realistic as possible for the veterans, and yet give the therapist total control. The key to virtual reality therapy is the gradual intensifying of triggers.
“This shows you why you need a trained therapist, someone who knows exposure therapy, who knows how little things can set people off. You have to understand the patient. You have to know which stimuli to select. You’d never do what I just did — you’d never flood them. You have to know when to ramp up the challenges.”
Karen Perlman has a gift among veterans. She is one of the best therapists when it comes to PTSD. Eight out of nine patients she has worked with no longer report symptoms of PTSD, and that is thanks to her ability to utilize the virtual reality to her advantage. She begins by learning as much as she can about each patient. She invites them into her office, and has them delve in to their stories over and over again, reliving the wrenching memories while she tenderly pulls out more and more details. When they transition to Virtual Iraq, she begins slowly. Maybe the veteran just sits in a Humvee for a few hours, maybe the drive along dusty roads, maybe a few mortar rounds explode off to the right. Perlman is able to control a variety of different factors within the virtual world, and she carefully selects among these options to slowly force the veteran into confronting his or her emotional reaction. For these veterans, virtual reality allows them to safely return back to the battlefield. While the sniper fire or explosions around them feel real, deep inside their minds, past all the fear, past all the sadness or regret, lies the realization that it cannot hurt them. The illusion of reality allows them to alter their conscious minds through the manipulation of the senses. The smell of gunpowder floods into their noses, the ringing of mortar fire deafens them, but their minds slowly learn that the war is over. This process allows veterans to accept peace back into their lives.
That is the main power of virtual reality. The ability to give the illusion of reality while subconsciously healing the minds and emotions of veterans. Whether they realize it or not, the veterans are forced to confront their emotional traumas that exist from the war during virtual reality therapy. In this regard, fairy tales are very similar. Reading a fairy tale brings you into different world. Unlike reading nonfiction, fairy tales present an entirely new environment for us to exist in. By reading Alice in Wonderland, we are plucked out of our reality and put into this magical world where there are talking rabbits and evil queens. We can empathize for the characters, we can fear for the characters, but in the end we are able to convince ourselves that this world isn’t ours, and it doesn’t exist. However, just like how virtual reality is able to subconsciously heal the minds of veterans, fairy tales are able to invade our subconscious.
While we know in reality that this false world is nothing similar to our world, we are constantly subconsciously comparing, contrasting, learning, and adapting. For example, when a little girl reads Little Red Riding Hood for the first time, she might be terrified of the Big Bad Wolf. However, she will probably come to the realization that wolves can neither talk nor dress themselves, and therefore she has nothing to fear and will move on. Within her mind, however, she is processing the story: how Little Red Riding Hood ended up in that situation, why the Big Bad Wolf was so bad in the first place, and so on. In response to the first question, the little girl’s mind might be able to conjure up the explanation that isolation was a key factor in her almost being eaten. This will teach the little girl’s brain about the dangers of isolation, whether she knows it or not. Maybe one day she might get lost at a park, and her brain will subconsciously know to start crying in order to attract, ensuring she is not left behind. Fairy tales are able to provide an alternate reality to the reader or listener. This presentation of an alternate reality allows the subconscious to process key aspects of the story and learn vital lessons, whether the conscious brain knows it or not.
“Holy Orders”
Alexander Stille, The New Yorker, September 14, 2015
Over 2.4 billion people on the earth identify as being a member of Christianity. That’s 33% of the world population, all united behind the banner of being a Christian. The followers span the entire earth, with the highest concentrations in Latin America and central Africa. During the Age of Colonization, the Church attached themselves to the colonizing efforts of the major European powers, such as Spain and Britain. They accompanied settlers and traders that were traveling to the New World in order to spread their religion. These priests took it upon themselves to bring the message of Christianity to all corners of the earth, educating native populations and attempting to convert them away from pagan practices. This lead to the establishment of thousands of churches spanning North and South America, Australia, Asia, and Africa. These churches grew over time and resulted in massive number of 2.4 billion current believers.
At the head of this massive religion is the Pope. Stemming from the Latin word papa, meaning “father,” the Pope is the head of Christianity, and, along with the cardinals, organizes every aspect of the religion, from outreach to scripture interpretation to finances and so on. The line of popes extends back to St. Peter, who was established the papal office and became the first Pope. Throughout this history, the office of the pope has undergone many transformations. During the Middle Ages, the Pope was a powerful political figure in Europe. Rich and poor traveled thousands of miles in order to see the Holy Father. The pope was able to orchestrate the Crusades during this time period by petitioning surrounding kings and knights to answer the call of the faith and restore the Holy Land. Overtime, popes began to pass decrees that lessened their power role in the world, and instead began to focus more on the faith. After the First World War, Pope Pius XI was key in the drafting and acceptance of several key peace accords Italy and other European countries. In the modern times, the Church and, by extension, the Pope are viewed by the public as the center of the religion. The cardinals and priests should be very devout and pious, serving as the banner men for the religion. However, as the religion has expanded and the views of society have begun to shift, the Church has been slow to adapt.
This article examines the relationship between the current pope, Pope Francis, and his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. Benedict was viewed as conservative Christian. He stuck to a strict interpretation of Scripture and an orthodox style of faith. He is described as a man of “great courtesy and personal tenderness, shy and reserved but kind, of high moral rectitude and exceptional intelligence.” He is most well-known for continuing the precedent set by Pope John Paul II, who reinforced orthodox Christianity and strict interpretation. Pope Francis, however, has begun his career as pope a little differently. Every pope has lived in the Apostolic Palace, a small but ornate living quarter, until now. Pope Francis decided to forsake this palace, instead opting for the Santa Maria guesthouse, a modest and small apartment right next to the Apostolic Palace. Every pope has worn the traditional garb, long, flowing, bright robes usually accompanied with crosses and rosaries. Pope Francis has decided that simple a simple black cassock would suffice. In matters of doctrine, Francis is more keen on expanding the religion than continuing the focus on orthodoxy. He has pushed for relaxed laws on divorces and for the LGBT community within Christianity. He is most well-known for his efforts regarding the poor, which he has advocated for since his first day in office. In this matter, Francis is hoping to expand the religion to every individual on the planet. By breaking down the long-standing restrictions on key groups as well as making the scripture and dialogue more accessible to the average Christian, Francis hopes to increase the appeal and the welcome of Christianity.
The article goes on to dissect the relationship between Benedict and Francis. Given the significant differences between the two in regard to both faith and tradition, one would think they would not get along. However, their relationship hinges on respect. Francis often appeals to Francis for help on interpretation of several key pieces of Scripture, and Benedict will respond with pages of notes. Benedict has nothing negative to say of Francis’ initiatives, displaying his acceptance of the new leadership. This clash between past and present, between tradition and modernity, shows the struggle the Pope has with maintaining the foundations of the religion while adapting it the rapidly-changing world. This ability to appeal to a massive amount of the world’s population is one of Christianity’s major strengths. All over the world, there are billions of people who all believe in the same key tenements and principles. The Pope has a support network of billions of individuals, who he can use to enact change. For example, Pope Francis gives a speech almost daily. On November 16th, 2016, he sent a video message to the United States congress, urging them to “create a culture of encounter” and to “break down walls and build bridges.” He can use his influence to bring about massive amounts of change to the world, not just to the general public but to the institutions of countries as well.
The Pope’s ability to be interpreted and respected worldwide allows him to bring about necessary and proper change to many aspects of life. His appeal crosses borders, language barriers, ethnic barriers, and so on. Fairy tales share this ability. Almost every culture on the earth has some tradition of storytelling, whether it be creation stories, origin stories, mythology, or so on. Everyone on the planet has the ability to follow a story, to identify with characters and hope for an outcome. Just like any other form of art, storytelling is able to interpreted by anyone. Fairy tales that are highly popular in the United States can be translated and retold all over the world, uniting the listeners or readers in that story, allowing them to bond over something as simple as a fairy tale. The themes and lessons of the story are able to be transferred across the planet, teaching all who hear it. For this reason, fairy tales are available to a worldwide audience, spreading their message and theme to all people.
“Cinderfellas: The Long-Lost Fairy Tales”
Maria Tater, The New Yorker, March 16, 2012
Disney World is the same size as San Francisco. Both are roughly 40 square miles. Disney World employs 62,000 people, making it the largest single-site employer in the country. In 2014, it averaged 52,964 visitors a day. On YouTube, there a playlist of parents surprising their children with tickets to Disney World that is 170 videos long. That’s fourteen hours of little kids losing their minds.
Walt Disney World opened its doors for the first time on October 1, 1971. Back then, there was only one part of the park: Magic Kingdom. This kingdom plunges visitors into the world of their favorite fairy tales. Minnie and Mickey Mouse stroll through the park, happy to pose for pictures with kids who are usually too overwhelmed to speak. Aladdin can be seen perusing through the magic carpet vendors. Prince Charming waltzes with Snow White as the seven dwarves scramble about. Looming over this expansive kingdom is Cinderella Castle, a gorgeous, sweeping hallmark that brings the entire park together. Adults and children alike gaze at the enchanted castle and get lost in the magic of the park. Since the opening, over 50 new areas have been added to the park, adding scope and variety to the kingdom and to the illusion of an alternate reality for the visitors. For the little kids visiting and their families, this park cannot feel like anything but magic. The characters that the children have been dreaming about are suddenly right in front of them. After years of pretending to be a princess dancing alongside Cinderella, they are suddenly right there. Even the depths of children’s imagination could not have conjured up a world that capitalized their sense of magic as Walt Disney has. For parents, this park allows them to bring their children absolute joy. Nothing can describe the joy parents feel when they see their children get plunged into a world where their every wish has become true. For children, this park teaches them one of the most important lessons humans need to learn, that there is wonder to be found in this world.
Conclusion
When we think of fairy tales, we usually think of the big name stories, the tales of Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Pinocchio, and so on. We can conjure up images of dancing teapots and vast kingdoms, planted in our heads from our childhood. These popular kid’s tales have been recreated many times in their lifetimes, from their origins as oral tradition to the newest remastered Blue-Ray copies. They have become staple in almost every household, from generation to generation. This genre is not known for releasing new stories or for expanding their works. Instead, this industry focuses on remakes and remastering. They find creative new ways to spin centuries-old tropes and themes. Adapting a story into a play? Check. Putting that play on ice? Check. Building a city-sized park devoted entirely to these fairy tales? Why of course. No matter how they spin the material, it is always the same baseline stories and themes.
However, in 2010, a trove of 500 new fairy tales was discovered. This article discusses the importance of this discovery. Up until now, we have focused on the fairy tales we have, with very few new tales coming to light. These tales stem from a variety of different sources, ranging from written records from hundreds of years ago to word of mouth. This trove was a collection of tales from the esteemed writer, Franz Xaver von Schönwerth. Schönwerth was highly regarded among other fairy tale writers and collectors his time, praised by the Grimm brothers as “having a ‘fine ear’ and accuracy as a collector.” During his lifetime, his collection of tales was competitive with Grimm’s Book of Fairy Tales, but overtime the Grimm collection won over the population. There are a few reasons for this. The Grimm brothers’ collection was rewritten from their previous forms, adapted by the brothers in order to make their stories more appealing. They added details and descriptions, allowing the audience to relate to the characters and settings. They lessened the violence that was originally present in the stories. Schönwerth, on the other hand, did not try to market his collection to the population. He kept his stories as orginal as he could. His goal with recording these stories was not to sell them for money and make massive amounts of profits. Instead, his goal was to document the oral tradition of Bavaria.
During the rapid modernization of Europe, local culture was threatened. Like the Inuit culture discussed earlier, Schönwerth was trying to find a way to record the traditions of the local Bavarians before it was lost to history. By collecting and recording their stories, he could ensure at least the partial preserving of their culture. He also wanted to record the pagan past of Bavaria, worried that the rise of Christianity and other religions would lead to the loss of pagan roots. Schönwerth wanted to add perspective to the Bavarian culture, showing the initial moral foundations of the region before modernization. Just like Jelani Cobb displaying the different perspectives and interpretations of Inglorious Bastards, Schönwerth adds perspective to the factors that lead to the modern Bavaria. His collection of short stories also served to consolidate the national identity, fluidly shifting the importance of the stories to fit his agenda. Just like Orpheus being shifted throughout the centuries, Schönwerth shifted the impact of the tales to try and increase nationalism in Bavaria. His pieces showed an alternate view of the nation, just like how Virtual Iraq provided veterans with a false reality. One of the most interesting differences between Schönwerth and the Grimm brothers was Schönwerth’s use of both male and female characters. The Grimm brothers’ tales always had a little girl undergoing some struggle, but Schönwerth had both boys and girls in this role. Similar to Pope Francis’ initiatives in the church, Schönwerth’s works to be more inclusive the population, showing that both boys and girls can be included in the struggles of fairy tales.
The unveiling of Schönwerth’s collection of fairy tales points to the true nature of the genre. They have been passed down over centuries, without any definite sources. They are able to preserve cultures around the world, and yet possess a fluidity that allows them to adapt to modern times. They add perspective to our lives by presenting us with a situation that can be interpreted many different ways if we search hard enough. They can appeal to massive amounts of the population, across borders and languages. They use childish themes and tropes to teach us great lessons. Most importantly, they present us with an alternate reality, a “counterworld.” By presenting conflict through a safe medium and in a secure environment, fairy tales are able to present larger social issues and ignite the questioning and ultimate rejection of these issues in the individual.
For example, this essay opened with a short fairy tale about Cerelia. I’m guessing you had never heard that story before. The story is fairly simple, with Cerelia getting upset that she didn’t go on her weekly ride with her parents, so rides off on her own. She eventually gets lost, but thanks to the help of a glowing globe in the forest, she is able to not only find her way home but also save the kingdom. And so on, happily ever after. You haven’t heard this story before because I wrote it. I picked the name “Cerelia” off a “100 Most Popular Medieval Girls Names” list. It means “spring like, blossoming.” As for the rest of the story, I made it up.
Now, you might be thinking, “Well, that’s pointless, anyone can just sit down and write a story like that.” And you’re right. That’s the beauty of fairy tales. Thousands of years ago, when I can only guess oral tradition was beginning, that is exactly how these stories started. Someone wanted to pass the time, and so they just made a story. The illusion of these fairy tales, however, is that they are simple. Even in my made-up fairy tale, there are important messages and themes that can be derived. The illusion of simplicity makes it appealing to a huge audience. The little girl growing up with parents that always seem to be working alludes to my childhood, where it always seemed to me like my parents were busy. Maybe overtime as this story is passed down, the parents shift from being kings to farmers, mirroring a shift in economics in the region. The repetition of phrases, such as the path she took with her parents, is a childish way of creating tension and callback. And yet, this repetition subconsciously shows your mind just how far they are traveling, creating a sense of isolation and exploration. This story is also open to interpretation, depending on your perspective. Maybe a teenager filled with angst blames the parents for not supporting Cerelia more. Maybe a hard-working father of two who fears for their safety sees Cerelia’s decision to ride off alone as rash and dangerous. Furthermore, this simple story presents the reader or listener with a story where a child is lost and alone in the woods. While we are reading it, we know that the little girl will be okay, that this story isn’t real. However, this false world evokes deep in our mind thoughts of isolation and loneliness. We subconsciously place ourselves in Cerelia’s situation, teaching ourselves the danger of isolation. Fairy tales are an extremely popular and appealing genre in literature. They have uncomplicated story lines and relatively shallow plot. They are marketed towards little kids who are just beginning their careers in the world. However, the deeper, subconscious impact fairy tales have shape us from our earliest years of development.
The messages we take away from fairy tales shape our character, our decision making, our rationale. The messages impact our outlook on life, how we form and keep relationships, and the values we hold dear to us. The “counterworld” aspect of fairy tales, along with the key principles of perspective, tradition and fluidity, all factor into the Fairy Tale Effect, and ultimately our lives.
