Reading Notes: Turkish Fairy Tales, Part A

I was so captivated by the first story in this group of fairy tales. The main theme of the story was so unique and interesting. The story made me consider something I had never considered before. What if one did not know what fear was? How could someone describe it to that person? This story had me thinking about how feelings really are difficult to describe. For a person to truly understand a feeling, they have to experience it for themselves. Of course, not everyone reacts to certain situations in the same way. There were many things that happened to the boy in the story that would have scared me, but he was not phased. I loved the fact that the thing that scared him in the end was really quite trivial compared to the other things that scared him, but it was the element of such quick surprise, I believe, that did him in. I think it would be interesting to explore this concept with different emotions and feelings; happiness would be a fun one. One of my favorite aspects of these stories were that they were very easy to read. This is, of course, important for fairy tales, which are meant for children, but as a young adult, I still appreciate the simplicity behind them. It is part of what makes the story so entertaining, and it keeps me reading. When the language is difficult, it deters me from wanting to read more. Another fun thing about these stories I that although they are fairy tales, the characters are still relatable. They don't seem like people in a faraway land, but I feel like I can identify with them on a certain level. This is another very important aspect of stories for me because I find myself much more interested in what I'm reading if I can relate to the characters.

                                     The boy watching his coffin be made, online source

Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales, link to online source