Questions for Philosophical Discussion » Summary Looking at this classic tale through a philosophical lens can prompt discussions about selfishness, ownership, and perfectionism. Has anyone ever used something that belonged to you without your permission? How did you feel? Why did you feel this way?

I know someone was sitting in my chair,” said Mama Bear, “because I can see the seat cushion is pushed down.” After a while, she began to feel hungry and a little tired. Across a clearing in the woods she suddenly saw a cottage. The Bears' Outing**: One morning, after Mother Bear makes porridge for breakfast, they find it too warm to even consider eating. The family chooses to take a stroll in the timberland while the porridge chills off.Schultz, William Todd (2005). Handbook of Psychobiography. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-516827-5. Introduction: The Three Bears live in a house in the timberland. They have three dishes of porridge, three seats, and three beds. But then fairy tales aren’t known for their realism, or necessarily even for their moral lessons. They are fun, they introduce children to the basic patterns inherent within all stories: the sense of peril or conflict; the restoring of the equilibrium at the end of the tale; the patterning of three seen so clearly in the story (the bears, the porridge, the chairs, the beds); and the need for heroes and villains to make a compelling narrative.

Robert Southey was an English poet of the Romantic school, one of the so-called "Lake Poets", and Poet Laureate. Although his fame tends to be eclipsed by that of his contemporaries and friends William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Southey's verse enjoys enduring popularity. Moreover, he was a prolific letter writer, literary scholar, historian and biographer. His biographies include the life and works of John Bunyan, John Wesley, William Cowper, Oliver Cromwell and Horatio Nelson. The latter has rarely been out of print since its publication in 1813 and was adapted for the screen in the 1926 British film, Nelson. Then she found a middle-sized bed. She climbed into it but it was too soft, she felt as though she would disappear in it.

The Bears Return**: The Three Bears return from their walk and promptly notice the progressions in their home. Once upon a time there were three Bears, who lived together in a house of their own, in a wood. One of them was a Little Wee Bear, and one was a Middle-sized Bear, and the other was a Great Big Bear. They had each a bowl for their porridge; a little bowl for the Little Wee Bear; and a middle-sized bowl for the Middle-sized Bear; and a great bowl for the Great Big Bear. And they had each a chair to sit in; a little chair for the Little Wee Bear; and a middle-sized chair for the Middle-sized Bear; and a great chair for the Great Big Bear. And they had each a bed to sleep in; a little bed for the Little Wee Bear; and a middle-sized bed for the Middle-sized Bear; and a great bed for the Great Big Bear. Dorson, Richard Mercer (2001) [1968]. The British Folklorists. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0-415-20426-7. The three bears were very surprised, as you can imagine. With care, they stepped into their living room. The three bears leave their forest cottage to take a walk in the woods. While they are gone, a mischievous girl enters their home to cause chaos.