Fairy tales must include many elements in order for them to be successful and carry their message. Without those elements, the fairy tale seems boring and looses it's charm and meaning. The first of these is an element of magic. I think that this aspect is more vital to a fairy tale than any other. Magic keeps the reader entranced and interested. It also appeals to young children. Besides that, it takes a seemingly boring moral lesson, and disguises it in a way that seems fun, and makes you want to keep reading. Magic takes us out our everyday situation, and shows us a world where anything can happen. We are forced through the suspension of disbelief to believe anything that is presented to us. A frog can turn into a prince because of a kiss, and we don't question that, because anything is real in a world of magic. I think that without magic, fairy tales would not be the imaginative, entertaining, and educational tales that they are.

What are the major elements of a fairy tale?

A fairy tale has three main parts of the story. In the beginning the protagonist has a decent life but isn't content with it such as in the little mermaid where she isn't content with her 300 years of life and wants an immortal soul, or the girl who tread on the loaf who is very pretty but she is vain and isn't content with her good looks. In the middle the protagonist attempts to achieve their ultimate goal, but fails and their situation becomes worse such as in the little mermaid how she goes to the see witch but instead of gaining an immortal soul she is stuck without a voice and having every step hurt like she is stepping on knifes or in the girl who tread on the loaf she walks on the loaf and sinks into the devils kingdom where she is held as a statue. In the end of the fairy tale the protagonists situation improves often in an unexpected way such as in the little mermaid where she becomes an air spirit which gives her another chance at an immortal soul or in the girl who tread on the loaf where she has an epiphany and realizes how vain she is.

One Good Fairy Tale

To make a good fairy tale, the tale must include a mythical element. This element can range from a dragon to a fairy. There always has to be a happy ending or it won't be considered a fairy tale because if the fairy tale does not have a happy ending then it will not be complete. There always has to be a bad guy to create a problem the hero must face. The hero has to be someone good hearted. Someone who will feed the poor and risk their lives for something better. A fairy tale usually takes place in a land far far away, never have I seen a fairy tale taking place in some one's back yard.

Components to a Successful Fairytale

For a fairytale to be successful it needs to have many components. Of these components needed are the components of the fairy tale's protagonist having his or her happily ever after, the protagonist's having a sidekick or having outside help, there must be some kind of magical element, the fairytale must appeal to younger kids because they are the ones being told these tales, and because the audience of fairy-tales are children, the fairytale must at the end advise the reader a moral or a lesson. The reason for the protagonist having a happily ever after is because for one thing the story's audience are children, so if the story ended with an unhappy ending that would discourage them from reading it. As mentioned earlier this ties in with the appeal to children, as well as one common lesson in all fairy-tales; in the end good things will happen to good people. With the protagonist having a sidekick or outside help is needed because sometimes the hero or heroine will feel lost and will need assistance, the helper can take different shapes, such as the fairy godmother in Cinderella or the seven dwarfs in Snow White. Outside help ties in with the element of magic. Such as Lin Lan's Cinderella turning into a bird, then a bamboo tree, a spirit and then resurrecting back into a human. Or in Beauty and the Beast, with all of the people in the castle cursed. But most important of all is that the fairytale teaches a moral or a lesson; such as in Beauty and the Beast, that you should look beyond outer appearances, or in The Girl Who Trod on Loaf, vanity is dire, and in some sense beauty is only skin deep.

All fairy tales must teach as lesson or have some kind of moral. They are stories for children and they are designed to teach them something. Fairy tales always take place in a land far away; somewhere we have never been, but yet somewhere that seems similar or parallel to our own lives. A good fairy tale must have a protagonist who learns this lesson in a memorable way to make it seem real and engaging to a child. The protagonist or the hero(ine) is usually an orphan or missing at least a father or a mother figure, who must go up against adversity in order to become stronger and attain their goal. Often that goal is love, acceptance or religion. The hero(ine) can be helped during their journey but they must have to work and learn in order to get what they want. Often there is guidance figure; someone who has the protagonist's interests at heart. They might take the form of a fairy, a godparent or both. Another necessary figure to a fairy tale is the villain, the evil opposite of the hero(ine). By the end of the fairy tale the villain has received fit punishment and the protagonist has achieved their goal. They live happily ever after.

Charectoristics of a good fairytale

The main element usually present in a fairytale is that the story must have a moral principle that the readers of the story can learn. Since mostly kids read fairytales, this is usually somebody making a mistake that hurts them later on, and this makes the child learn not to make that same mistake.
Another common element is that the main charectors are usually kids. This allows the child readers to relate to the main charector and hammer in the moral of the story even more.
The third and final necesity is that the story needs to be interesting to a four year old. A child would not want to hear a fairytale about the stock exchange. They want to hear something that they will be interested in and will remember without thinking about it. If a fairytale does not follow these principles, I do not beleive that it is a good fairytale.

Successful Fairy Tales

A fairy tale has to have many different components to be a successful one. The hero of a fairy tale must be someone who someone (a young child) could relate to. The hero is usually an outsider. They are someone who is different and they are often looked down upon. Often, the hero has lost a parent or parental figure, thus making them even more of an outsider to other people.

A fairy tale almost always takes place in a made-up world (a land far, far away). This is because in a land that is very far away, anything is possible. If this land isn't like your home, then it is certainly plausible for there to be fairies and gnomes and magic.

A fairy tale must also contain an element of something extraordinary. Most fairy tales contain fairies or other magical creatures. There is usually a person who can do magic. Or, there is a regular magical occurrence caused by nature (for example, the sky could rain food). This adds a sense of wonder to the story.

In addition to the hero, a good fairy tale contains a sidekick. It is rare that the hero undergoes the entire adventure completely alone. There is also a fairy godmother, or someone who is helping the hero from afar. This person is likely to have magical abilities. There is a wicked witch, who is after the hero. And there is often a prince charming, who is either someone the hero wishes to be with, or an idea that they have, like freedom.

What are the major elements of a fairy tale?

Let me ask you this: what elements need to be in place for a successful fairy tale? Who is the hero(ine)? Where does it take place? Who else is involved?

Antigone or Creon

Who is more correct in their actions or words, Antigone or Creon? Who is more fair or rational? Argue one or the other while referencing specific parts.

I think that neither Antigone nor Creon were entirely correct in their actions or words and i would argue that Antigone was more correct in her words, while Creon was more correct in his actions. Antigone knew what she wanted to say and said it well, while Creon let hubris take over what he said. Creon's actions on the other hand are more correct, because they represent the good of his city rather than only his own wishes, instead Antigone's actions are selfish and have many repercussions which she is fully aware of.

I feel that Creon is more rational in the beginning of the book. He isn't distracted in his decisions like Antigone. He makes the decisions he makes after careful considerations of how it will effect others both in the short term and the long term. Antigone on the other hand, is blinded by her love for her brother and her grief at her brothers death. Her actions are based solo on her determination to honor her brother in any way she can. She doesn't considered the consequences of her actions.

At the end of the book Antigone is more rational. She isn't swept up in her own pride like Creon. She stays calm and argues logically. On the other hand Creon, knowing he has lost the argument doesn't swallow his pride. instead he makes the argument personal which further proves Antigone's point. Antigone's solid purpose makes her more rational, where Creon who doesn't care as much as Antigone can't swallow his pride and act like a man.

Antigone v.s. Creon

From each person's point of view I could see why their decisions would be ethical to them, but since I'm not, I would side with Antigone. Even though Antigone went against Creon's wishes, her decisions seemed the most moral. The reason why I side with Antigone, is because she did not just think short term, but she was smart and thought long term. She did not fear the punishment of Creon, but the punishment of the gods, and in doing that, she went with her best option, which was burying her own brother. She clearly knew that if she were to burry her brother, the punishment was death. Creon did not hesitate to oppose death on Antigone, and her sister. Creon went a little to far with the punishment when he also sentenced Ismene to death. Although at the time this seemed best to him, I think this was not the smartest idea. He may have struck fear into peoples heart, but he definitely did not win their hearts.

Creon and Antigone

In the play Antigone, both Antigone and Creon make important decisions that lead to the tragic end. I think that in the beginning of the story, Creon's actions and choices were more rational than Antigone's. He was trying to protect his city against civil war by not allowing Polyneices to be buried. While Antigone loves her brother, she was going against Creon's order by burying him, and he was therefor just in punishing her. She knew the consequences, and she did it anyway. However, when Creon decides to kill Ismene in addition to Antigone even though she didn't do anything, his actions are no longer rational. He is trying to get revenge on Antigone, and he is planning to kill an innocent person to make her sister suffer. This is not a logical or moral in any sense. At this point, Antigone's actions become more sensible than Creon's. Creon eventually comes to his senses and pardons Ismene.

Overall, I find Creon's actions more correct, in that they are more logical and have the good of the most people at heart.

Antigone

In my opinion, Antigone has the winning argument. This took me a while to decide, but imagine, what if your father, brother, or other close relation was dead. Suddenly an authority that you did not really take seriously, declared that that your relative was worthless, and deserved no honor or respect. If I really loved my relative, I might accept the chance of dying, if I knew that morally, I had done the right thing. As Antigone said, I would rather die knowing I had done a noble thing, "the right thing to do", than live a long life feeling guilty as well as un-loyal to a bond that is stronger than almost any other in the world. Family is the close-knit group of people that we spend a substantial amount of our life with. Besides non-blood family such as spouses, and another exception being parents, I think that the tie between siblings is one of the strongest bonds there is. Antigone decided to honer that tie, no mater what her brother had done to anger people. She is the honorable one, because she chose her blood-brother over law. She put her family first.

Antigone and Creon

The difference between Creon's and Antigone's actions is the difference between acting ethically and acting morally. When acting ethically you base your choices on the effect it would have on other people, when acting morally you consider you own personal morals and make your choice based on what your own conscience tells you to do. Morals and ethics sometimes coincide, but often, as is the case in the play Antigone, moral and ethical choices yield very different results. Creon made his choice to forbid anyone from burying his nephew because he wanted to use this attacker of Thebes as an example. Creon made the ethical choice, a choice for the good of his common man. However, this doesn't necessarily make it right. By burying he brother Antigone made the moral choice. She knows that her own conscience will not rest until she does. I think that Antigone made a more correct choice that Creon did. Antigone looked past the demands of her uncle and decided to do what she knew was right. Antigone acted because she loved her brother and she also believed in the gods and she believes that her loyalty should belong with them.

Antigone and Creon

Who is more correct in their actions or words, Antigone or Creon? Who is more fair or rational? Argue one or the other while referencing specific parts of the play (paraphrasing is fine). Remember: Tragedy may make you feel, but you need to think in your response.

I believe that when it comes to the matter of who is more fair and rational it would be Antigone. I believe this because even though Creon ordered the body of Polyneices to lay unburied because he knew that if he buried his nephew, an enemy, soon the whole kingdom would be in chaos. So he refrained from honoring his nephew and instead honoured his kingdom, because this is for the greater good. But he then let his ego get in the way, and his good intentions wavered. He then wanted to execute Antigone not for putting the good of her family ahead of the good of the kingdom, but because she insulted his pride. He then ordered the execution of Isemene as well, just for the reason she is Antigone's sister. While Antigone's belief never wavered, she believed that when it came down to ethics or morals, she believed that morals were more important. Antigone wanted to honour her brother's death, he did not deserve to lay unburied in a battlefield. Antigone is more fair and rational because she believed in heaven's laws over man's, she loved her brother more than her own life. Creon stopped being the fair and rational one when he let his pride come before his ethics and morals.

Antigone vs Creon

I beleive that While Creon is doing what is right for his people, what he does is not a good idea. When he left the brothers corpse out to rot, he must have realised that someone would protest. The fact that the brother failed and was killed was a good enough example for the people and Creon should have givin him the right of a decent burial. Antigone is the person who is more correct on this one because she is doing what is moraly right. She may have gone too far in her protection of the corpse, but she was a better person than Creon.

Antigone Question: Answer by Friday

Who is more correct in their actions or words, Antigone or Creon? Who is more fair or rational? Argue one or the other while referencing specific parts of the play (paraphrasing is fine). Remember: Tragedy may make you feel, but you need to think in your response.

Charlotte Smart's response

Charlotte Smart said...

Tragedy in theater does not always surround “sorrow.” Tragedy is not always distressing throughout. In theater a tragedy starts with an exposition, or description of the setting, characters, etc. It builds up to an exciting force and rising action, in which the protagonist attempts to alter the outcome of incidents. The climax is the peak of power and the height of the action. The falling action of a tragedy signifies the antagonist’s rise. The moment of final suspense signifies the approaching end and the outcome appears as if it will go as the protagonist expected. Then, finally, the catastrophe, the big bang, the finale falls down upon the reader or viewer. The protagonist and generally his or her companions come to a bloody, brutal end while the antagonist either dies as well or recognizes the error of his ways. Tragedies are not always melancholy. Tragedies push the reader and viewer to think and contemplate the hero’s actions. They may not provide laughs, but they trigger other emotions. Juliet keeled over her beloved’s body provokes sorrow, and Hamlet’s “feigned” insanity pushes one to contemplate whether he is sane or mad. Tragedy is the pulse of theater.

What is Tragedy?

Knowing what you know, how can you explain whether something is tragic or not? What are the things that make up tragedy or tragic ends? Explain.

Something that is tragic is when something bad, harmful, something that causes pain for hero making him or her doubt whether or not what they are doing is good, is right. A Tragedy is a story, play, etc... that ends with a death of the protectionist or one of their friends. Like in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In the end for Romeo and Juliet to escape their lives of separation from each other and their parents' hatred for the other, they both commit suicide so that they may be together in the "underworld." In tragedies, the playwright or author try to evoke emotions on the readers. They are trying to prove a point, leave us with a lesson, that we can learn from. Tragedies are unlike comedies more realistic. They are situations that we may face in our lives, but the sadness, the pain that the protagonist must face is more accentuated. In tragedies, the protagonist's life never ends well. At the beginning we see that the protagonist is doing well, living a happy life, but then something goes wrong and the protagonist is faced with a situation that can either end in a happy ending or end badly. At first it seems that the protagonist may actually have a happy ending, but towards the end something else goes wrong leaving him or her in a worsen state. The reason I believe people appreciate tragedies more than comedies is because we can see our selves in the protagonist, and after seeing what he or she has to go through makes us appreciate our lives more and see how lucky we and how we should value our life.

Tragedy

Defining if something is tragic, or "a tragic end" is often a hard thing to do. Tragedy in the truest and oldest sense of the word, is a form of ancient Greek theatre which is meant to invoke a sad emotion, such as pity or sadness. In this way, it is meant to be a catharsis for the audience. It can often be a parallel to real life. Tragedy is often a story about a noble hero/heroine, and because of fate, or the god's will, or their own fault, they come to an awful end while striving for a goal. Often there is tragic love, or love lost involved. Sometimes in the end, the hero doesn't die. But if they don't, then their fortune changes for the worst. In other words, the hero's fate takes an irreversible change in a bad direction, and they end up in a less comfortable, or less alive state then when they set out.

So if that is how you define tragedy, then I would say that a tragic end is defined by things ending up worse than where they started, often much worse.

Tragedy

The dictionary definition for tragedy is "a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction." but although that is a basic definition, tragedy is so more. Tragedy is usually distinguished by starting off with the protagonist in a better situation than at the end of the book. A tragedy will often go from bad to better to worst. Therefore the stories often end in death or a calamity of equal magnitude. Tragedy is something that makes you pity the characters or be afraid of something. It is a way for us to get more perspective about how our life doesn't suck as much as we think it does. We enjoy tragedy because it often reflects events that occur in our life.