THE FINAL ENTRYYY!!!!

As the semester comes to an end it is incredible to look back and see how far I have come since I first stepped foot in this class. When I first chose the class, Once Upon a Time – Folk and Fairy Tales Around the World, I did not know to expect. I was hoping to just get some Mcdaniel plan requirements done but this class has impacted me in a way that I will never forget. I developed a greater appreciation for fairy tales and now respect them as not just children stories but valuable pieces of history and culture. These tales have been passed down from generation to generation primarily by word of mouth. When you think about it that is truly incredible. These stories carry with them years of tradition and they create a whole new dream-like world where anything can happen, where the impossible is possible. When I was a kid I never thought that fairy tales were anything more than just stories told for entertainment. This class has showed me that they can be analyzed from a variety of perspectives, including that of psychology, religious and feminist.

This class was extremely fun and very engaging. Our class discussions were always very colorful and entertaining. Each week I always looked forward to our guest lectures and really enjoyed their insight into the world of fairy tales. Through this class I was able to read and analyze fairy tales from a variety of cultures around the world. We read tales from the Arabic tradition all the way to African-American story telling traditions. We looked at the Jewish folktale tradition and the storytelling in Kenya. Before this class I had no idea how broad fairy tales were and that each culture had its own unique characteristics.

For me this class was never that difficult, primarily because the work was always enjoyable and the stories were fun to read. They kept you entertained and it was nice to see the variety that is out there. I especially enjoyed the trickery tales that are from the Kenya. I would defiantly recommend this class to others. I truly enjoyed this class and it would be safe to say that it was my favorite class that I have taken since attending McDaniel College.