Example essay

Cassandra Hayes
Mrs. S. Aiken
English 1101 Example Paper
September 22, 2009
Poisoned by Fairy Tales
There they sit with gleam, beaming in their eyes, with their heads mounted on their fists. They appear as if they are in a trance. Absorbing all the words, flowing from my mouth, like little sponges. Their little innocent minds are being corrupted by these non- fictional stories we call fairy tales. I remember being their age and my mom reading me these stories. I would sit, just as they are, and day dream about my own fairy tale and how it would end. I dreamt I was a beautiful young, maiden who was imprisoned by life hardships. The answer to all my problems would arrive in shining armor and rescue me. I planned out my whole happily ever after.
The maiden portrayed in the story, is usually young, fair, and locked away in a tower of doom. She is being held captive by an evil tyrant who is jealous of her beauty. Her passive personality is disguised by sweetness and innocence. She appears to be helpless and totally powerless to defend herself from her adversary. Even though she has been through some rough places in her life, she appears to not be bitter. She is also an inexperienced virgin, who has lived a very sheltered life. We as women have embedded this unrealistic concept in our minds that we are to be unflawed and unscarred. Women are to appear to be soft and gentle. They are to appear to be innocent and kind- hearted, no matter what circumstances in life they have faced. This standard has been set up for us by society. Anything less than this standard is unacceptable.
I always had this feeling that I wasn’t good enough. I was a tom boy growing up. I didn’t care to play with dolls and make up. My hair wasn’t long and silky, I kept it short. I never fit the criteria of the fairy tale princess. I wondered if my ‘Prince Charming’ would ever come to my rescue. I think now that I am older; he must have put the wrong address in his navigation system. Just like a typical man always late.
I can’t help but point out the fact as well, that ‘Prince Charming’ isn’t the average typical male. He is portrayed in the story books as a fair young man. He has no cares burdening him. He is running free, like a wild horse. He meets the lovely young maiden and instantly he has fallen in love. He longs to sweep her off her feet and carry her away to his castle. He is a brave knight in shining armor that will battle any thing that stands in the way of her love. He arrives on his valiant steed, pulls out his golden sword, and races up the tower to save her from her suffering. He loves her; there can be no one else for him. He sound so terrific, almost dream like. We as young women and young men set this image as well in our mind. I have come to find in my own experience with the opposite sex, that men are like predators searching for prey with a short lived victory. We have this concept that they are to appear as strong, tall, dark, and handsome. They are to be the woman’s savior, the provider, and the king of the castle. They are to be worshiped and treated like royalty. This standard we set for men is also their down fall. If a man, by society standards, is jobless or unable to support his family, then he is unworthy. He has to be the strong minded, brave warrior who doesn’t blink an eye in the face of trouble. Some men even believe that a man should even cry. They feel inferior if a woman makes more money then them. They are to be in complete control of all situations at all times. Women are to be needy and humbled by what they do for us. Women are to respect their authority and recognize them as the so called “Prince Charming’ who has come to rescue us. Well my prince didn’t show up on valiant steed. He showed up in a beat up older model Nissan truck, but it was white. He didn’t sweep me off my feet and carry me to a beautiful castle far away; instead he carried me to a trailer parked right in his parents’ yard. It was good enough for me; he never thought that was enough. I hate that he could never see past all that he accomplished at such a young age. These unrealistic story book characters had corrupted his mind as well.
We have all been poisoned by fairy tales. We somehow believe these illusions dissipated in these stories are things that happen in real life. Like the witch in disguise that hands the fair maiden the poisoned apple. We have been poisoned by books, disguised as innocent children’s fairy tales, and we have eaten the words. These books set unrealistic standards of how women and men are to be portrayed. No wonder we there are so many failed relationships and marriages. These images always haunt us in the back of our mind leading to utter disappointment. We feel as if we lack something that is required to achieve our happily ever after. We feel like complete failures when were struggling week to week to pay bills. I wonder if Cinderella ever caught her husband at a bar with another woman or if Snow White ever had an extra marital affair with one of the seven dwarfs. That’s the reality that is so selfishly hidden from us as children. The truth is we have all been deceived. We have all been poisoned by that apple.