An assignment from ENGL 105 at UNC, among one of the more moronic of their universal requirements

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Pinocchio: the fractured fairy tale, a story not advising against deceit and boyishness but rather encouraging diligence and obedience. In the original Pinocchio, the audience is swayed by misguided adventure into believing that life is best lived by pursuing academia and avoiding those peoples who are marked to be avoided. Through turns and twists of plot and moral lessons, the original tale covers a vast area of moral ground, from taking advice from strangers to disobeying his father in cocktail acts of selfishness and curiosity.

The original tale forcefully dissuades against the reader listening to the advice of and trusting strangers when Pinocchio, our wooden main character, encounters a half-blind cat and a lame fox, who tell him that "If you would really like to please your father, you ought to take him a lot more coins. Now, we know of a magic meadow where you can sow these five coins. The next day, you will find they have become ten times as many!” (Pinocchio, 3), which is simply part of an elaborate scheme to steal the gold coins from Pinocchio. Ignorant of the scam, Pinocchio joins the two on a quest to the magic meadow, which results in his non-lethal hanging and attempted robbery.

•Is where I’m going with my contrasting acceptable?

-- The contrast is fine. Make sure to expand your discussion of the fractured version by discussing the difference in the particular “fox and cat” scene in each story and the moral that it teaches in each.

•What would you recommend my introduction look like?

--The introduction can look similar to the first paragraph that you already have, only longer and better describing the fractured version of Pinocchio. Little information is given beyond the first sentence. Also in your introduction, try to focus on one to two specific moral teachings that differ between the two, rather than addressing broad moral differences. Good job integrating specific scene examples and showing how they show a moral or theme!s