Social Attitudes and Fairy Tales For hundreds of years, parents have been enthralling children with stories of magic and wishes coming true. Fairy tales are passed from one generation to the next through oral tradition, and, in modern times, books. As various societies develop, fairy tales are changed to fit the needs and morals those societies want to impress upon their children. Thus, the style and content of a fairy tale is directly affected by the social attitudes of a particular society at a particular time. Many of the original oral-tradition fairy tales were preserved by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm in written form.
The tale of Cinderella is one for the ages and hundreds of different versions of it have been created throughout the centuries that have been told. With these varied stories comes many different princesses and characteristics of each, but the biggest differences of all are found between the classic fairy tales, such as Charles Perrault’s omnibenevolent version of Cinderella, and modern stories that are shown and read to young children today. Mia Thermopolis, the main character in The Princess Diaries, is an awkward fifteen year old girl who is given the option to become the princess of Genovia after a surprise visit by her long lost grandmother. She just so happens to be the perfect example of a modern princess whom James Poniewozik, author
Paola Del Mar Agosto Ms. Diaz Sociology October 11, 2016 Thumbelina and Other Fairy Tales: How They Influence Children Normally, when one was a child, our parents would tell us fairy tales as bed time stories, or to simply entertain us. This is a worldwide tradition in which every parent tells their child the stories they were told when they were little, or new stories. There are infinite stories to be told as well as infinite stories that have already been written or told. The stories told by our parents have influenced us and still influence us in our beliefs and values today. Throughout our childhood, we have been told many stories that teach us to be brave and courageous, respect others, love ourselves and others, to obey orders, and even to help and
Both versions tell of a young lady, Cinderella whose fathter marries a wicked woman who hated her. The woman and kids would boss Cinderella around an mistreat her. Yet both versions vary greatly when it comes to diversity. Unlike the Grimm Brothers version the film by Rodgers and Hammerstein displayed women of all cultures. They gave the Cinderella story a modern twist and more of a magical feel.
Every class of people, in all parts of the world, has passed down this great tradition for generations, giving it popularity. Some scholars have studied reasons of why fairy tales still exist and continue to be told everywhere. They state that "stories may differ in subject from place to place, the conditions and purposes of tale telling may change as we move from land to land, from century to century, and yet everywhere it ministers to the same basic social and individual needs (15-18)". Fairy tale allows the reader and the wrier to go into a new imaginary world. There are many things to learn from the fairy tale.
This essay is NOT about Walt Disney!!!!! Before there was a written language, fairy tales were stories passed on by mouth from generation to generation. Such stories often mirrored the culture to which they were being told and were used to illustrate moral and ethical lessons. Even though each tale began in a different community, or even on a different continent, their basic elements are strikingly similar and the use of fantastical imagery continues to appeal to people of all ages. Over time, the tales’ major components have merged together and made their way into modern day movies, television shows and bedtime stories.
Bettelheim believes that gender is not the issue, but simply the work she is forced to do is a symbol of debasement in comparison to her stepsisters (568). In my opinion, most people couldn't relate to the story of Cinderella if Cinderella was a male due to the traditional female r... ... middle of paper ... ...out complaint, and does not pursue the Prince. The story of Cinderella symbolizes the gender expectations of society; women should posses certain qualities and virtues, and they should stay at home to do housework. Men should hold the jobs, care for the women, and give them identity. Works Cited Bettelheim, Bruno.
Her higher class and the rules of her generation has set her to not have revenge on her step-sisters and helps them marry in the end, making a happy ending to the story for everyone. This also gives off the rules of the time to the young girls who would be listening or reading this story back then. They knew their place in society and tales like Perrault's reinforced it. The Grimm's version, titled Ashenputtle, has key elements in the story line that make it very different from Perrault's Cinderella. The theme becomes very different as the end of the tale results in revenge on the step-sisters from Ashenputtle.
What this word means is that thanks to the godmother the good won towards the evil. The benefactor of almost every story appears when the main character, in this case Cinderella, loses hope in herself or simple when the main character thinks that there are not going to be any good moments for them. As an example, when reading Cinderella specifically the part when the godmother appears, the reader can notice that all that the godmother wants is to make Cinderella happy, at least for once; the godmother gave to Cinderella more than she could ever asked for, she knew that it was not just the right thing to do, but also the right moment to do
The idea that wanting to be all that is “Princess” can lead to false expectations, equates to what Orenstein says is a “preoccupation with body and beauty” and what Twenge said will lead to narcissism and entitlement (327). Think of girls who suffer from anorexia in an effort to be what they see up on the billboards. However, it is always easier to find blame with outside sources like Disney than to focus within, although, there are extenuating circumstances to every example. If mom finds that her little girl needs the “Cinderella” accessories to fix low self-worth problems, then the problem probably stems from issues within her peer group or her home life. If this is so, how can a person decide which is a cause and which is an effect?