Over the past semester I have learned a considerable amount about fairytales. When I think about all I have learned it comes to a surprise to me. This is because when I registered for the class I had no clue I would advance my knowledge this greatly. I think the greatest advancement came when I realized fairytales are not mere child stories and should not be taken at face value. Fairytales force one to dive into the story and find what the author or orator is trying to communicate. In a way, fairytales allow students to advance their analytical skills. For me, the most classic example of a fairytale that aides a student in analytical skills is Hansel and Gretel. This specific fairytale involves many underlying themes such as cannibalism, starvation, growing up, oedipal complexes, etc. Throughout my childhood and before taking this class, I would have had no idea all of these themes were intertwined into a simple fairytale. Moving away from the development of my analytical skills, I gained a broader knowledge. I learned many stories and enjoyable tales that I will be able to relate to and pass on for the duration of my life. If I am ever to give a speech at a business conference, maybe I will open up with the story of Little Red Cap by The Brothers Grimm and then relate to fraudulent behavior. I could equate the wolf to management misrepresenting financial data to their employees or creditors. While this is a stretch, I think it would be a very useful comparison. I guess I could say that the knowledge I gained over the past semester was unexpected, but it was and is going to be very useful throughout my life.
