Hannah Devlin works for The Guardian as a science correspondent. She received her PhD in biomedical imaging from the University of Oxford. She previously worked as the science editor of the Times. The main thesis argument presented is that by perpetuating the lie of Santa Claus creates a generation of children who believe lying is fundamentally acceptable. This is inset by their parents who have lied about something so frivolous over such a long period of time.
The argument presented by the two authors is fundamentally undermined because neither has children. Therefore, neither can provide a realistic parental perspective on the “magic” of Christmas from a child’s point of view. Believing in Santa is a harmless white lie which has been perpetuated
There is and added complication in that he would like to have another child to throw the reindeer droppings on the roof for. Even though he wants this more than anything, he is reluctant to approach his wife. He fears that she may not share his desire and that would just be too painful to accept. He would prefer to have a boy and vividly anticipates this imaginary child finding the evidence on the roof on Christmas morning. ...
Evidently, myths have become the culprit of traditions. That being said, the contemporary and ancient myths of Santa Claus and Krampus can only be understood by determining the elements that devise their entireties. Both narratives involve elements of opposition, trickery, mythemes, repetition, symbols, and ritualistic processes all of which support the structure of each holiday myth and tradition. Overall, the individual elements facilitate a valid, detailed compare and contrast analysis when examining the myths of Santa Claus and Krampus in a North American culture.
Jay Mocks article “Is Santa Clause a Conspiracy?” first appeared on The River Journal website on December 11th, 2009. Mock, an online blogger who has the mindset that there are conspiracies behind many things that go on in the world, seeks to encourage readers to discover whether there is a conspiracy behind Santa Claus. If so, whether or not it is maintained by the lies of parents, and whether or not their intentions are good because they support good, and even so would that still qualify as a bad thing? “We sometimes knowingly lie or overlook a lie if the reason is to support ‘good’” (Mock p4). The legend of Santa Claus can be the lure to which mankind falls into a ploy of conspiracy that may fortify a manipulative mindset and devious conduct in people. This article is a good example of how conspiracy theorist can appeal to readers through persuasion by the use of three kinds of proofs, reasoning (logos), credibility (ethos), and emotion (pathos). Although this article is a great attention grabber, it lacks the ability to impose the authors’ thoughts and feelings upon its readers.
A Christmas Carol. Classics of Children's Literature. Ed. John W. Griffith and Charles H. Frey. 3rd ed.
Christmas has consumed itself. At its conception, it was a fine idea, and I imagine that at one point its execution worked very much as it was intended to. These days, however, its meaning has been perverted; its true purpose ignored and replaced with a purpose imagined by those who merely go through the motions, without actually knowing why they do so.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966&2000) explains not only the life of the Grinch but the Whos as well. Through the theorists of Karen Horney and Erik Erikson, viewers can learn why the Grinch’s personality is formed. Not only had it formed, but through the years it transformed.
When the Ghost of Past Christmas shows Scrooge his childhood, appears according to David. E Robinson, “the Romantic conception of childhood as a special spiritual state of innocence.” (2). It didn’t exist in Victorian times, children who did not belong to an upper class were sent to work and forced to be adults.
Bruno Bettelheim, Austrian-American psychologist and author, devoted the large part of his life to studying human development—most notably the individual’s early growth, response to trauma, and long-term effects of various forms of repression upon the natural ego. His was the foremost scientific mind in child psychology of the post-World War II era, and his extensive theories regarding the power of fairy tales to provide insight into the “inner life of children” suggest that fairy tales confront juvenile issues in such metaphorical terms as to make them more readily universally accessible to children and therefore more resolvable. However, as assertive as Bettelheim’s arguments are and as all-encompassing his studies of the child psyche may appear to be, his career is not completely clear of spark controversies and questions of both academic and personal integrity. Ultimately, even if Bettelheim’s work were to be considered on account of its own merit alone, the detrimental effects of his own traumatic—and subsequently dissolute—life experiences on that work must not be overlooked. Thus although it is arguable that Bruno Bettelheim’s contribution to anthropology was indeed sizable, his theories as to the “uses of enchantment” are too personally biased and subject/vulnerable to critical censure to be considered applicable to any practical extent in the field of child psychology today.
Carols, snow, mistletoe, cookies and milk. These are all synonymous with the Christmas season. However, for many, the true staple of Christmas is Santa Claus. Every child has felt the joy of Christmas Eve, spending time with family, leaving treats out for Santa, tossing and turning in their beds in anticipation for old St. Nick’s arrival. Although what Santa does is well known, his origins are slightly less familiar to most. The man we identify with Christmas has developed over a long time and has encountered many changes. “The original St. Nicholas is for the most part a shadowy figure, lost in historical mists and religious myths. (Myers 318).
As one of the most controversial nonfiction writers of the 20th century, Bruno Bettelheim studied and developed theories of the effects of fairy tales on the mind of children. Bettelheim, a renowned child psychologist and a controversial writer of treatments of autism, stirred controversy through his life, especially through his famous “refrigerator mother” theory of the development of autism in children. However, he is mostly connected with his book The Uses of Enchantment, in which he described the link between the development of a child’s mind and the way fairy tales are portrayed. The two theories that he possesses over fairy tales and children and the development of autism are connected in that the way he states how fairy tales are supposed to be defined coincide with the link between the expansion of a child’s mind and the relationship grown between parent and child, counteracting the “refrigerator mother” theory. Because of the sensitivity of the subjects Bettelheim wrote about, his book collected many literary scholars, fellow psychologists, and journalist critics. Of the people who have read the book, a vast majority of the reviews criticize Bettelheim’s lack of the workings of the human mind and his outstandingly wrong theory of development of autism. The controversies around Bettelheim decant from his book. The other psychologists from around the world who read the book became infuriated with his ideas and one critic was mad enough to say “Bettelheim would impose meaning onto child development through the therapeutic use of the folk tale authoritarian and unscientific, but his stance is symptomatic of numerous humanitarian educators who perpetuate the diseases they desire to c...
In this story, the protagonist/narrator uses Santa Claus as a way to symbolize growing up. As said on page 305 “The ones for my younger brothers say “from Santa Claus” but mine are not among them any more, as I know with certainty they will never be again. Yet I am not so much surprised as touched by a pang of loss at being here on the adult side of the world. It is as if I have suddenly moved into another room and heard the door click behind me. I am jabbed by my own small wound.”
Belief in Santa Claus is good for developing children’s creativity. According to Mertens, the author says that “As children’s brains develop, so do their reasoning skills and imaginations.”(Mertens 1) Children
...ch out only for themselves, we lose sight of what Christmas is truly about. Forgetting the being of Santa Claus only makes us slight the kindness on which this holiday is based. Not believe in Santa! You may as well not believe in the very gifts laid under the tree on Christmas morn. Without your faith, Santa Claus would be nonexistent. There would be no yearning in your soul to give of yourself to others, no example to follow. Thank God, Santa Claus exists and exists forever, lightening the heavy heart as the sight of the snow blankets the soul and defines the heart of childhood.
It was Christmas Eve, and I just hung the stockings up on the fire place. I knew Santa was real and I was waiting for him to come down the chimney and put presents under the tree. He would always leave gifts under the tree for good kids. I know he would come, I just know he will be here before morning. I wanted to see if Santa was not a fake, I wished that I could go and see him. A Tiny Voice told me to go see Santa. All I had to do was try on the magical shoes and I would be able to go and see Santa. When I tried on the slippers they took me off to somewhere shining with a bright light. There were bright lights all around me.
The survey of more than 2,000 British parents found that the average cost of a birthday present for a child between the ages of four and 10 tots up to £175.80. This tells us that parents tend to spend more on their child’s Christmas presents than their birthday presents which is uncalled for! By pretending to be Santa, they spend more on Christmas than on their child’s own