FAIRYTALES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

FAIRYTALES - Essay Example In this version, the main character, Flossie, is asked by her grandmother to deliver a basket of eggs to one of the neighbors. The grandmother, who is referred to in the story as ‘Big Mamma’ cautions the girl to be wary of the fox, who is a well known egg connoisseur. Flossie’s grandmother does not provide the little girl with any more information about the fox’s outward appearance, and so she sets off without fully understanding what she should avoid. When she reaches a wooded area, she is greeted by the fox who tries to get her to be frightened of him. Moreover, Flossie is not aware of how a real fox looks like and so is doubtful about what the fox is trying to convince her. She keeps on rejecting his assertions until a fierce dog makes it possible for her to continue with her journey after handling the fox, and she is able to deliver the eggs safely to the neighbor. Lessons from Flossie’s Encounter with the Wolf Flossie’s discussion with he r grandmother on the identity of the fox is quite puzzling at first. It is only later that the reader realizes that Flossie’s grandmother is quite wise. When Flossie inquired of her grandmother, â€Å"What do a fox look like?† her grandmother simply answered, â€Å"A fox just be a fox† (McKissack and Isadora 5). It is evident that Flossie and her grandmother were living in an area that had many dangers. It would appear that Flossie’s grandmother was trying to raise little Flossie to be self confident and sure of herself but also aware of the snares around her. Flossie was sent into the dangerous woods even though her grandmother knew that there was a fox on the prowl. She was also sent carrying what the fox considered to be a delicacy. In her trails, Flossie wondered what she would do if she came upon the fox, but quickly remembered her grandmother’s assertion that ‘a fox is just a fox’. This could be interpreted as meaning that a thre at is merely a threat; and need not amount to its definition. Essentially, the aim of Flossie’s grandmother was to teach her grandchild how to thrive and live her life in spite of being in the presence of constant danger. The fox was actually bigger in size than little Flossie, but the girl was not flustered. Her confidence in demanding that the fox prove who he is threw the fox’s confidence off-balance even though he was physically larger than her. This allowed her to continue with her journey confident in the knowledge that the creature she had just met was no threat. CONCLUSION Flossie’s encounter with the fox might be taken as being representative of a deeper hidden meaning for a race that encountered many problems in bygone eras. It would seem that the moral of the tale was that it is only people who had the power to empower their own fears. If they did not believe that they could be defeated, then, they would not be defeated. The story of Flossie and the F ox also encourages people to search for deeper meanings in ancient sayings. Flossie chose to take her grandmother’s word as truth and it helped her to combat the wily fox. The story also seeks to encourage people to recognize their own authority. When the fox insinuated to Flossie that she ought to be frightened of him, she replaced his vision of himself and his abilities with her vision of herself and what she believed or did not believe him to be. The fox was shaken by the fact that she showed no fear of him and actually took time to chart with him about something that had