ENG1D – Mr. Campbell
RED’S RESPONSIBILITY : A FIVE- PARAGRAPH ESSAY
The traditional fairy tale, “Little Red Riding Hood”, revolves around central
character who experiences a horrible adventure and to whom, readers generally
sympathize with. This little girl, however, is completely to blame for her own misfortune.
Miss Riding Hood causes her own downfall through her choice of clothing, her careless
attitudes, and her won blindness to truth.
Little Red dresses in a way which indicates that she is thoughtless of her own
safety. She chooses to wear a bright coloured, hooded garment. The vivid red cloak
allows her to be very conspicuous in the woods; any hungry carnivore such as a prowling
wolf cannot help but notice such a brightly clad victim. The hood, in addition, covers
much of her face and prevents her from being visually alert to possible forest danger. In
choosing such clothing, Little Red must be blamed for setting herself up as a victim.
Another fault of this heroine lies in her careless attitude to life. She chooses to
wander alone through a thick, isolated forest inhabited by wild animals. She might have
avoided trouble if she had arranged for an adult escort. Her refusal to take adequate
precautions as she travels to Grandma’s house leads her into contact with dangerous
strangers and constitutes another area of blame.
In addition to her other faults, Little Red exhibits an amazing refusal to see the
truth, even when it stares her in the face. This unfortunate child is willing to believe that a
wolf she had talked to minutes before in the woods is really her grandmother, dressed in a
nightcap, and tucked up in Grannie’s bed. She really should have noticed that no matter
how bad Grannie’s breath ever got, it could not possibly compare to wolfy halitosis; only
stubborn unwillingness to accept the truth would prevent her from noticing the growling
voice or the luxurious facial hair of this pseudo-grandmother. Red has to shoulder the
blame for almost losing her life to this beast when simple observation skills should have
warned her away.
It is easy to see, upon careful examination of this fictional character, that the
traditional attitude to her is at fault. After noticing her clothing, her careless behaviour
and her refusal to see, readers will no doubt ask little red to bear blame for the dangers
which befall her.