What I researched and why: My choice to look deeper into the world of Little Red Ridding Hood comes not so much from an interest in the tale itself but rather a curiosity about the extent to which this story has been told, retold, and told yet again. Before this class, I was unaware of the massive following and intrigue a tale such as Little Red Ridding Hood could and does possess, and so my interest was sparked to see what I could find to broaden my understanding and that of the class with respect to the phenomenon that is Little Red Ridding Hood.
What I found: In searching the Internet the best way I know how (google), I entered the key words "little red ridding hood modern day," and after a page or so of searching I came across what I found to be a different and interesting interpretation or reflection on Little Red Ridding Hood. The poem entitled, "The Wolf's Postscript to 'Little Red Ridding Hood'," can be found at this link and was written by a Kashmiri exiled poet named Agha Shahid Ali. He lived in the US and was a member of the Academy of American Poets. Along with teaching at many esteemed universities, he published many works of poetry before his death in 2001 (more on Ali can be found at by surfing around the site at which the poem can be found).
My interpretation: Ali, while not going so far as to say that the wolf is "good," does make the reader see a different side to the wolf and the entire story of Little Red Ridding Hood. Firstly, in reading a classic version of the tale, the character of the wolf is considered to be an evil and manipulative character, yet this poem paints him as more compassionate while still admitting his evil deeds. Ali also points out some common sense discrepancies in the story which one does not consider because of the presupposed notion of an evil wolf (not having eaten the grandmother in the past). The issue of molestation which he brings up can, in my eyes, be disputed based on which version of the story is being read, but to discredit this poem for not taking into account Red's original nakedness would be a mistake. Finally the wolf pleads for sympathy by pointing out that it was completely unnecessary to fill his bowels with rocks, as it is in the Grimm's version, because he would surely die anyways after being cut open. Upon finishing the reading of this poem, I found myself sympathetic to some of the wolf's claims and found his arguments well structured and logical. In this sense, the wolf, to me, is less of a savage evildoer and more of a semi-compassionate and reasonable teacher.
What I think it adds to our discussion: During Tuesday's class, the discussion towards the end of class turned to the deconstructionists approach to literature. In this discussion it was said that "all words have meaning only in relation to opposites." This concept implies that the nature of the duality of themes requires that opposing concepts overlap at least to the point of making the other relevant. I think that this poem is a great example of just that. While the wolf does not leave the poem completely redeemed of his sins, he does walk away with some dignity restored, and the heroine, Little Red Ridding Hood, can be seen as a bit cruel in the fact that she helped to stuff the wolf with rocks and garbage. In this way, the apparent "good one" in the story shares a small amount of evil with which to contrast the massive evil done by the "bad one". At the same time, the "bad one" salvages enough goodness to exemplify the shining innocence that Little Red Ridding Hood so clearly possesses.
P.S. Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope you enjoyed the poem. I look forward to your comments.
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6 comments:
Interesting poem--I hadn't seen this before! It's very postmodern, forming part of an extensive cultural rewriting of Little Red that has occurred in the 20-21st centuries. But the more common move is to rewrite Little Red's part to make her more aggressive! The wolf preoccupation seems rarer.
What's interesting to me is the way the poem sets itself up as a metanarrative (i.e. a work of fiction that makes us very aware of its status as fiction). It takes us out of the willing suspension of disbelief that we usually have with fairy tales and makes us confront the discrepancies in the tale. Which makes us see the good/evil binary the tale sets up as constructed, rather than a naturally occuring and essential set of categories.
More later . . .
After reading this poem which I loved, interestingly enough, the first thing that came to mind was "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs," a retelling of the classic story. Much in the same way as this poem, the wolf shows us how he got a bad rap and is just a misunderstood character, which led to looking at the real intentions of the "innocent" pigs. It is interesting now in the modern times how authors take the binary opposition of good and evil and switch it with the characters of these classics. It's been making me think of naughtiness as a whole in these stories of how we can think of these characters being far more indirect with their badness and not nearly as innocent as the original retelling makes them sound to be.
I like the poem you found, I think looking from each perspective is not only important but can also be very amusing. I do have to say though, I'm not convinced. That wolf was bad news when all is said and done. Come on wolf, you're a creep!
But nice job on the post, I felt it was very thorough and had a lot of valuable information. The connection between what we've been discussing in class and what you contributed was good along with your thoughts and comments.
I would like to have talked to the man who wrote this, or read more information on why he wanted to write this poem from the wolfs perspective. I wonder what type of fellow he was when he was alive...
Good job man!
Danielle Roost
Jeff already said exactly what I was planning to say: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Sciezka (of Stinky Cheese Man fame) is a great "anti-hero" approach to a classic fairy tale, similar to the approach in this poem. It seems like this has been a pretty popular theme in the past ten years or so. The books by Gregory Maguire (Wicked, Mirror Mirror, Confessions of a Wicked Stepsister, etc.) follow the same line in adult fiction. It just goes to show that people are still interested in fairy tales, especially from new perspectives.
This is a very interesting approach to a childhood story. I know that every story has another side, but it is intereting to hear a side of the Wolf. Another story that is being retold by different characters in The Wizard of Oz. The book Wicked is from the perspective of the wicked witch of the west. Also recently on TV it they had a movie on called the Tin Man. That covered the perspective of the Tin Man. (I believe it was on TMC, but not completely sure.) I think that this is good for children and adults because it shows that there is always several sides to one story.
After reading this poem I understand where the author is coming from in suggesting that the wolf is not so evil. Aside from different versions of the poem, readers of Little Red Riding Hood seem to forget that we are talking about a wolf and a little girl. While there are many hidden meanings in every version of the poem, in the most basic terms the wolf is not acting out of the ordinary. It is innately in him to want to eat people, and he is only following his instincts. So in this regard, the wolf in fact isn't evil, regardless of the version we are analyzing.
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