Essay Response

While both essays are well written, one stood out to me when thinking about which helped me to see fairytales as more then just children's entertainment. While Darnton's essay is very well written and is supported by many outside sources it read like a research paper and missed the personal aspect, I was hoping for. While Darton did show me how fairtales are more then simple children's reading, I feel Bettelheim presented his ideas in a better fashion. Bettelheim explained in depth how fairytales were a great way to express culture and heritage and directly states how children's literature falls short. Bettelheim's arguments I felt were well rounded. Although he did not separate fairytales from children he showed how fairtales help solve inner problems and life predicaments, which are bold statements. With so many life lessons and underlying adult nature I believe Bettelheim did a good job of proving that fairytales are more then just light bed time reading.