Day 3: Little Red Riding Hood (part 1)

Today we had a discussion about participation and communication using Amy Cuddy's TEDTalk about body language.

We brainstormed a few ways to be more powerful in class [and your college career], even if you feel that you don't have the answer including non- verbal communications such as making eye contact and raising your hand, or verbal communications such as "I don't know, but I'm going to find out" or asking a clarifying question. I'd you to practice this in class.

Discussion of Little Red Riding Hood Tales & The Morality Tale*
The pattern of the Little Red Riding Hood story is:
1. Little Red Riding Hood is given a rule (Stay away from the Unknown)
2. Alone in the woods she meets the wolf, who convinces her to break her rule
3. Because she breaks the rule, she is in danger
    A. Sometimes she is punished (by being eaten by the wolf)
         i. everybody dies. The end.
         ii. She is rescued by the huntsman
    B. Sometimes she becomes aware of the danger and is able to escape
4. Ends with a moral lesson.

* The morality tale is a story that instructs behavior, or that establishes rules for the audience.

We talked about the different characters:

Red Riding Hood
- ignorant and innocent
- lacks critical thought
- is sometimes sexualized

Wolf (villain)
- dangerous
- manipulative
- charming
- foreign/unknown

Huntsman (the sometimes hero)
- authority figure
- familiar

We looked at other versions of LLRH throughout history, including television and film. You pointed out that she was often sexualized and that the wolf often represented different cultural fears.

Homework:
Read & Respond on Bb: Angela Carter's "In the Company of Wolves" (link to the right)
Use the Google Doc to collaborate
As you read, think about the roles of characters and themes in Little Red Riding Hood stories. I'd also like you to think about what kind of story this is. Is it a morality tale? Or something else