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Fairy tale Genre Analysis
Influence of fairy tale analysis
Analysis of fairy tales
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The Structure and Underlining Meanings of Rapunzel by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
The story of Rapunzel, by the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, has the same basic structure as all other fairy tales born from the oral tradition; what is commonly referred to as the opening, main part and ending, is the foundation of the tale.
It is around this clearly defined three-part structure of the plot, that invisible layers of meaning exist – often very different for each reader. Between the clever design of the plot – which allows several stories to surface within a seeming individual tale – and multiple layers underneath the literal action, exists a limitless journey of personal exploration. A fairy tale such as Rapunzel has many possible functions in a child’s life and development – explaining the desire for the tale to be read time and time again by the eager young mind.
The opening of the story establishes a number of things: the characters (with the exception of the prince), their dispositions, and the first task. The short introduction is also in itself a short story, with its own three-part structure. Rapunzel’s mother, also known as the wife, by persuading her husband to steal a head of lettuce from the witch, sends him on his journey. The husband’s acceptance of his task finalizes the opening of the introduction. The following two trips to the forbidden garden, and his encounter and, later, his deal with the witch, complete the main part of still only the beginning of the story of Rapunzel. When the witch appears during the heroine’s birth and takes her away, the story of Rapunzel’s mother and father is complete, and in turn, so is the introduction to the tale.
The conversion from the introduction to the main pa...
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... on a subconscious level due to complex interactions between the plot, characterization and symbols. Length and detail are not relevant in what a fairy tale like Rapunzel achieves; its accomplishments are made possible by the strict structure of the plot which holds within itself much potential and multiple features, as well as the communications that exist between author and reader likely without either one knowing it. Our favorite fairy tale has a reason for holding a special place in our heart whether we know it or not, as does the story we love to hate and continue to read and re-read. Like the human psyche, the fairy tale can be studied not only rewardingly but without an end.
Works Cited
Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment. New York: Alfred Knopf, 1976.
Hallett, Martin and Barbara Karasek, ed. Folk & Fairy Tales. Toronto: Broadview, 2002.
A fairytale is a fictional fantasy fable that passes through generations of children as source of interest to them. Though used for the intent of entertainment, fairytales often indirectly advocate a moral or message to readers (whom are usually children), in hopes that they will grow up to apply these ethics and lead a righteous life. This criteria, however, often originates from the occurrence of a magical transformation; it is this paranormality that introduces the characters of the story to a side of life far from what they have grown to know and learn to adapt to the dramatic amend in their life. This is evident in the characters in world-renowned tales such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young maiden with long, golden hair who was locked up in a tower. One day a handsome prince found her, and he fell in love with her and carried her away to his castle where they lived happily ever after. Or did they? The fairytale you’ve heard isn’t the one I’m telling. No, I’m afraid that the trials of our dear little Rapunzel (whose name wasn't actually Rapunzel) didn’t end there. But in order to get there, we should really start from the beginning, because that’s where the storytellers all went wrong, long ago and far away...
Aspects of fairy tales are woven into many novels as a way to bring a sense of familiarity to the reader. Foster writes, “...we want strangeness in our stories, but we want familiarity, too. We want a new novel to be not quite like anything we’ve read before. At the same time, we look for it to be sufficiently like other things we’ve read so that we can use those to make sense of it,” (Foster 36). Fairy tales will be the same year from now and therefore hold the same familiarity to the reader. Evil stepparents, a magical fairy godmother, and the ultimate rescue to the castle are all component to the perfect fairy tale that is seen in many novels. J. K. Rowling’s infamous Harry Potter Series follows the journey made by the powerful, young wizard Harry Potter. While Harry Potter is not a fairy tale, it has many subtle attributes woven in throughout the novels. The first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, while not a fairytale, has many attributes woven throughout the novel. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone introduces the reader to Harry’s home life which compares to that of a fairy tale. Harry is mistreated by his step parents and wishes for his fairy godmother to save him, clearly showing the distinct evil and good characters like many fairy tales have. However, Harry’s fairy
Grimm, Jacob Ludwig Carl and Wilhelm Carl. "Rapunzel." Stories. Ed. Eric S. Rabkin. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, 1995. 514-517.
Originating in Germany, the Brothers Grimm, also known as Jacob and Wilhelm, took an interest in folktales. This interest truly sparked when a man at school told them of a library filled with old books. From both books and folktales that were often told to them by women, the brothers began collecting their own group of stories. After graduating from the University of Marburg, the brothers moved to Gottingen, where they held positions as librarians and professors (Grimm). They eventually began working on their own tales, which were originally not aimed toward children. The brothers “viewed themselves as patriotic folklorists, not as entertainers of children.” Jacob and Wilhelm intended to “save the endangered oral tradition of Germany” with their works (O’Neill).
At first, Arizona was governed as part of the Territory of New Mexico until southern New Mexico separated from the Union in 1861 and became the Confederate...
In many fairy tales, there is always a damsel in distress that is beautiful and the male character always falls in love with her. In Rapunzel the short story, Rapunzel is put into a tower and lives there most of her young life by her ‘mother’ before her prince comes to recuse her. The difference between Tangled and Rapunzel the short story is that, Rapunzel is the princess and her prince is actually a thief, which ends up falling in love with her. Tangled illustrates how a naïve and beautiful heroine, evil mother figure, and a shallow egotistical hero can make a fairy tale story end with love and marriage.
Lucid dreaming provides the opportunity for unique and compelling adventures rarely surpassed elsewhere in life. They have potential for promoting personal growth and self development, enhancing self confidence, improving mental and physical health, facilitating creative problem-solving, and helping one progress on the path to self-mastery. The suggestion that lucid dreaming could improve one’s quality of life applies to both daytime and nighttime experiences. During these dreams, we remain fully conscious of the fact that we are dreaming, thus in a sense, we are both “awake and “asleep”. Lucid dreaming also helps promote more flexible and creative responses to unexpected situations, and people who lucid dream will most likely be more motivated to try out new behaviors leading to psychological growth and positive changes in their waking lives.
At first glance, what makes a fairy tale a fairy tale may seem obvious—some kind of magic, hidden symbols, repetition, and of course it’s evident it’s fiction—but fables are more than that. As Arthur Schelesinger puts it, it’s about “[expanding] imagination” and gaining understanding of mysterious places (618). While doing this, it also helps children to escape this world, yet teach a lesson that the reader may not be conscious of. A wonderful story that achieves all of this is Cinderella, but not the traditional tale many American’s have heard. Oochigeaskw, or The Rough-Faced Girl, and Ashputtle would be fitting for a seven-year-old because they get the gears of the mind turning, allowing for an escape on the surface, with an underlying enlightenment for children of the ways of the world.
The simplicity of fairy tales and non-specific details renders them ideal for manipulation allowing writers to add their own comments often reflecting social convention and ideology. Theref...
A fairy tale is seemingly a moral fiction, intended mainly for children. A lesson in critical analysis, however, strips this guise and reveals the naked truth beneath; fairy tales are actually vicious, logical and sexual stories wearing a mask of deceptively easy language and an apparent moral. Two 19th Century writers, the Grimm brothers, were masters at writing these exaggerated stories, bewitching young readers with their prose while padding their stories with allusion and reference: an example of which is "Rapunzel." Grimm's "Rapunzel" is packed with religious symbolism, which lends a new insight to the meaning of this classic story.
Basically, "lucid dreaming" is being aware that you are dreaming(1). In the late 19th century, Frederik van Eeden published his observations about his own lucid dreams. He reported the sensation of "being able to freely remember the circumstances of waking life, to think clearly, and to act deliberately upon reflection, all while experiencing a dream world that seems vividly real(2) (3)." Lucid dreams are not reported often, although a 1988 study by Snyder and Gackenbach indicated that as many as 58 % of people report having had at least one lucid dream in their life time, with 21 % having them as regularly as once a month(2). LaBerge was the among first scientists to provide scientific evidence supporting the phenomena in the early 1980s(4). His research has shown several techniques to be successful tools to help an individual learn how to become lucid in a dream.
Fairytales and folktales have been told around the campfire, in the living room, the class room, and before bedtime for centuries. First told orally, the “… stories had to have remarkable features in order to remain memorable (Nodelman 246).” These stories were passed down from storyteller to audience until they were eventually written down and collected for consumption by the public. Due to the passing of time and fallibility the stories have changed throughout the years and slightly differ from culture to culture, however, “Stories similar to “Cinderella” can be found in historical records from as far back as the seventh century, and from a variety of places around the world (Nodelman 246).” Although the classic tales differ in various ways from their modern counterparts (such as Disney films, etc.), the characters and their journeys are still very much identifiable.
Everyone 's dreams are unique, therefore there are hundreds of different types of dreams and lucid dreams. To name a few, the most common are controllable dreams, awareness dreams, therapeutic dreams and the unproven Mutual Dreaming. Controllable lucid dreams are more commonly heard of from people who have had experience with lucidity several times before. This is because the art of lucid dreaming is not easy to master, especially not in one night. It takes practice, recording dreams, and especially hourly reality checks in the real world. Awareness Dreams are the most common. In this type of dream, the dreamer is only able to witness the events play out before them. They are still aware of the world around them, able to control all five of their senses but are only there for the ride. These types are usually induced by complete accident using the Dream Initiated Lucid Dream form. Therapeutic Lucidity is the event in which the dreamer is actively attempting to conquer fears, phobias, trauma and more. Throughout my study, I chose to partake in this type of Lucid dream to see if I was able to receive ease from several traumatic events in my past. (ENTER RESULTS FROM
There are many perceptions of what a dream actually is. Some view dreams as the subconscious trying to speak to people, and others see it as religious visions of the future. Over the years, physicians and psychologists have collected countless amounts of research and evidence to support their viewpoints on dreams. I have always believed that dreaming is a time when the brain develops and analyzes important information (Bernstein 149). Dreams do not mean anything specific, and everyone has their own cultural perspectives of dreams. In reality, no one has the power to analyze and tell people the meanings of their dreams. According to Bernstein’s psychology book, dreaming is a time when the brain experiences story-like perceptions and sensations.