Noble Intentions Research Articles

On the Use and Abuse of Folk and Fairy Tales with Children

On the Use and Abuse of Folk and Fairy Tales with Children Bruno Bettelheim' s most recent book, The Uses of Enchantment, which purports to study the meaning and importance of folk tales1 for child development , is actually an unconscious expose of orthodox Freudianism's crippling effects on psychoanalytic theory and literature. Bettelheim was impelled to write the book because he "became deeply dissatisfied with much of the literature intended to develop the child's mind and personality, because it fails to stimulate and nurture those resources he needs most in order to cope with his difficult inner problems. "2 Therefore, he explored the great potential of folk tales as literary models for children since "more can be learned from them about the inner problems of human beings, and of the right solutions to their predicaments in any society, than from any other type of story within a child's comprehension" (p. 5)· This is, indeed, a grandiloquent statement in behalf of the folk tale's powers, and what's more, Bettelheim assumes an even more noble pose when he pleads that children should be provided with substantial cultural goods which will enable them to become masters of their destiny. However, despite his noble intentions and moral concern in the welfare of children, Bettelheim' s book disseminates false notions about the original intent of Freudian psychoanalytic theory and the literary quality of folk tales which ultimately reveal him to be nothing more than a humanitarian do-gooder who mystifies the dehumanizing forces in society. Not only is the manner in which he would Impose meaning onto child development through the therapeutic use of the folk tale authoritarian and unscientific, but his stance is symptomatic of numerous pseudo-humanitarian educators who perpetuate the diseases they desire to cure. Such educators apparently write and act in the interests of children but actually lame them by applying outmoded and unproven principles of psychology and child-rearing which require children to conform and adapt to repressive conditions of a social order that legitimizes the arbitrary use of power by elite groups. Ironically, it is because of Bettelheim*s contradictory position that his book is valuable» it opens up a debate about the imagination and the use of folk tales for children which I should like to explore in this paper. First, I want to present a more detailed critical review of Bettelheim* s theses. Then I want to discuss the importance of the imaginative components in folk and literary fairy tales and suggest ways in which they can be used with children to heighten their awareness of the social forces acting upon them. Bettelheim 's major thesis is a simple one: "the form and structure of fairy tales suggest images to the child by which he can structure his daydreams and with them give better direction to his life" (p. 7). In other words, the folk tale liberates the child's subconscious so that he/she can work through conflicts and experiences which would otherwise be repressed and perhaps cause psychological disturbances. According to Bettelheim, folk tales are an imaginative depiction of healthy human development and help the child understand the motives behind his/her resistance against parents and the fear of growing up. The conclusions of most folk tales portray the achievement of psychological independence, moral maturity, and sexual con- fidence. Obviously, as Bettelheim admits, there are other approaches to folk tales; Bettelheim limits his discussion to the more well-known tales. The book is divided into two parts. The first, fancifully entitled "A Pocketful of Magic , " focuses on a theoretical explication of his concepts , method, and purpose. The second part, "In Fairy Land," consists of 14 case studies of such different tales as "Snow White," "Hansel and Gretel," "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella," etc. In the first part, Bettelheim maintains that adults should not explain the tales to children since that would destroy their "magic." However, adults should tell the tales because that shows approval of children's imaginative play. Children are allegedly drawn to folk tales because they symbolically depict the psychological problems which the children must work through byj themselves . In doing this, a child supposedly...

The Perils of Paper Grading

paper they're grading. Their business ostensibly to improve writing skills, they frequently do little more than advance a pet ideology or impose a personal bias. Claiming noble intentions, teachers cultivate exceedingly pernicious attitudes about writing. Only the student's naivete, or fear, maintains the teacher's credibility. Anyone truly knowledgeable of the elements of good writing would peer quizzically, if not contemptuously, at the kinds of notations instructors commonly put on themes.

External Influences on the Development of Educational Policy in British Tropical Africa from 1923 to 1939

The purpose of this article is to stress the neglected aspects of the inter-war educational policy in British tropical Africa which was generally referred to as Adaptation. It is not unusual to find gaps between theory and practice in various systems of education, but stated policy and educational practice in British Africa were so divergent as to merit special attention. Although a concerted effort was made to introduce Adaptation in 1923, the policy did not remain rigid; in fact it evolved in three distinct yet overlapping phases. Adaptation in tropical Africa was a transplant of an educational policy which grew gradually in New Zealand and India and crystallized during the era of New Imperialism in the 1890s in South Africa and in the south of the United States. The discussion which follows is therefore at once historical and comparative. An attempt will also be made to show that adaptation was linked to the political fortunes of the West. Adaptation was based on the Colonial Office document issued in 1925, though the Derby Day Meeting which officially conceived this policy was held two years earlier on 6 June 1923. The policy displayed noble intentions: the major effort was directed towards literacy of the masses. The education of girls and adults was not to be neglected. The curriculum was to be geared to the agricultural economy that sustained tropical Africa. Government departments other than Education in each colony were to assist in training artisans and technicians with machine tools. In non-Muslim areas the school would be encouraged to have a Christian bias. Since the colonial government could not finance school expansion on its own, expansion would be through government-assisted schools run by the missions. Circumstances permitting, higher education would be provided.

The Politics of Land Use Controls

The following paper was presented at the July 3, 1974 meeting of the University of Missouri (Columbia) Land Use Committee which acts as an interdisciplinary information exchange and educational conduit. While “The Politics of Land Use Controls: Noble Intentions — Fatally Executed” does not deal with Housing per se, it does deal with a basic piece of the Housing mosaic — that of land and the constant conflict over its use, type of use, and nonuse. Ballard’s paper, while referring in some cases to Missouri, has implications for the entire nation and its states. In a style reminiscent of Mark Twain he brings us face to face with the reality of power and its frequently “negative” results before he leads us to a cautious “optimism” founded on the conceptual pillars of “information” and “insulation.” The article is important to us as housing educators because it deals with power which must be faced, before practical considerations can be applied to land and housing and raising a family; and on occasion housing ...

Humanistic Perspectives in Medical Ethics.

Events have overtaken the Hippocratic Oath. The noble intentions of past mores grow increasingly inadequate for present guidance. Lower death rate, lengthened life span, changes in life style, the social danger of overpopulation, advancing knowledge and experimentation, poverty and prisons and the atrocity of the South Asian war, the escalation of health care costs, and the inequities of the fee-for-service system with its catastrophic orientation to illness and disease catalog unanticipated demands in our present day. Born out of deeply human response to human illness, the medical profession is finding itself challenged to recover its humanistic perspective to human perplexity. Maurice B. Visscher, MD, professor emeritus of physiology at the University of Minnesota and a former president of the National Society for Medical Research, has drawn together articles by 14 physicians, philosophers, social scientists, and psychiatrists to examine the basic moral premises of medical ethics that require reformulation because of

The Kennedy Legacy for World Politics

History tends to deal harshly with those who judge men and events before the full weight of evidence is in. The scales are tipped in ways that students of current history cannot always anticipate. Conscious of this, many of our most distinguished Western historians hesitate to write about twentiethcentury history, let alone contemporary events. Great American statesmen share this sense of awe and uncertainty about measuring the fragments of history which they may have had a part in shaping. It was Lincoln who observed that his only choice was to do the best he could and pray that in the end history would judge him kindly. No one can be sure that noble intentions will lead to desirable ends, for the scroll of history unfolds according to its own mysterious inner logic.

The American Idea of International Interest

Disenchantment with moral abstractions as the hallmarks of enlightened foreign policy has recently revived infatuation with the slogans of “national interest,” “power politics,” and “balance of power.” Until the eve of World War II, these ideas had been recessive—at times moribund—for at least half a generation. Naive belief in the efficacy of professions of good will, reliance on weak instruments for effectuating simply noble intentions in the complex realms of policy and practice, and contentment with lofty exhortations, had too often become the directives of policy unconcerned with the harshness of politics or the intricate give-and-take of sustained diplomacy.Since the Republic's inception, statesmen have proclaimed national interest as the firmament on which our foreign policy rests. To that concept they have repeatedly referred as a guide and rationale for action in foreign affairs. Over the years the concept of national interest has been endowed with a varied and changing content. Therefore, interpretation has been a matter of historical, rather than etymological, enquiry. Certainly, a single dictionary definition will not do. Nevertheless, while dominant meanings at different moments and a long-term trend in the development of meaning are alike discoverable, or imputable, the actual meaning in our own day rests largely on the setting of current controversies. A particular concept of the national interest, therefore, is not “automatically” warranted and acceptable by appeal to tradition and great names, any more than by formal definition.