In the Christian European fairy tales read in class, presents mother figures who represent mother nature and father figures who represent God. The Oxford Dictionary defines mother nature “as a fundamental esp. protecting or nurturing force” (“Mother Nature”). However, I will argue that mothers in Christian Europen fairy tales do not represent mother nature as they harm others (innocents, family members or stepchildren) but fathers do represent God as they protect others. Furthermore, I will make references to these texts “Snow White,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Ashputtle” to support my argument. Moreover, I will analyze these texts by observing context and formal features.
For the first part of this essay, I will discuss how each fairy tale does
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However, Ashputtle’s birth mother represents mother nature because she protects her daughter. Although both Ashputtle 's mother and her stepmother are similar as they both harm others. Ergo, mothers, do not represent mother nature. As mentioned, Ashputtle’s mom represents mother nature as she protects her daughter. When “Ashputtle went to her mother’s grave. She stood under the hazel tree and cried: ‘Shake your branches, little tree, / Throw gold and silver down on me! Where upon the bird tossed down a gold and silver dress and slippers” (Grimm 20-21). Furthermore, the bird is a symbol for her mother as it helps her change her present depressing life into a better situation; she gets to marry the prince. Although Ashputtle’s mother does protect her daughter by helping her change her predicament, the mother ultimately does not represent mother nature because she harms others (Ashputtle’s step sisters). On Ashputtle’s wedding day two “doves came along and pecked out one of the elder sister’s eyes and one of the younger sister’s eyes” (Grimm 22). As mentioned earlier, bird’s are a symbol for Ashputtle’s mother. Furthermore, the mother is protecting her daughter from the two devious stepsisters, but she ultimately harms them bodily. As a result, this indicates how mothers are not mother nature because they protect one person and bodily harm others. The stepmother is another mother figure who persuades others to harm themselves. The stepmother wanted one of her daughters’s to marry the king’s son, so she told one daughter to “‘Cut your toe off. Once you’re queen you won’t have to walk any more.’” (Grimm 21-22). Moreover, she told her other daughter to “‘Cut off a chunk of your heel. Once you’re queen you won’t have to walk anymore.” (Grimm 21-22). These two passages have connotations of pain, suffering, and sacrifice. Furthermore, it indicates how the stepmother
In this chapter, the author explains how many stories relate to fairy tales, like a parallel. Themes and storylines from popular fairy tales are often reused and made into newer and sometimes slightly different versions of the tale. A prime example of this would be the 2013 movie production of Jack the Giant Slayer or the 2011 production of Red Riding Hood. One characteristic of fairy tales is that they all have a plot and a solution which makes the story easy to connect to. This characteristic makes it possible for there to always be a way to connect a story to the fairy
For the first course objective, throughout different lessons in the course, I learned that not all cultures are the same or have the same values. In older European countries when Grimm’s brothers collected and told stories, the society was patriarchal which is reflected in the fairy tales as well. The girls are passive, damsels in distress, who are unable to save themselves but instead they need to wait for the man to help them. Nevertheless, in different tales like Tatterhood which was created at a later time, women have been given more power and they are active. Furthermore, another major difference between different cultures (American vs. Jewish, Mexican, African, Islamic) is the endings. The American stories, along with the other fairy tales always have a happy ending, while the Islamic stories and the Jewish stories differ from that in the sense that they do not have “happy ending.” Native American fairy tales along with Aboriginal fairy tales were unique stories that delineated cultures that not everyone has had exposure to. Each of these cultures was similar in the sense that they focused on nature loving...
...n” is a great example of an old myth or tale reconstructed and adapted for a modern audience in a new medium. It is a progression on one hand in its use of modern language, setting, and style but it is also the product of the old myths in that it is essentially the same on the thematic level. In addition, the level of self-awareness on the part of the narrator and, by extension, the author marks it out as an illustration of the very notion of evolutionary changes of myths and fairy tales. Adaptation is the solution to the fairy tale, and fairy tales have been endlessly changing themselves throughout history and, by some strange transforming or enchanting power endlessly staying the same.”
A pilgrim, perhaps” (85). Like a pilgrim, McCandless tries to cleanse himself with a power greater than him, believing that with nature his troubles will no longer haunt him. Consumed with an unnerving passion for nature’s harshest, Chris views his holy land as the wilderness, where he can reflect on his inner struggles. He transcends the boundaries of the modern world, giving him a path to the divine elements of nature. Ordinarily, people stress over their future, but Chris is unlike most people. In fact, McCandless does not worry about what his future will be, rather he lives in the now. In such an unmerciful environment, Chris relishes the thought that his every action has an immediate consequence, making his life simpler yet whole, his mental baggage lifted. Even as he approaches his last breath, succumbing to malnutrition, McCandless takes a picture of himself smiling, and there is no mistake: Chris McCandless is “at peace, serene as a monk gone to God” (199). Though Chris understands the inevitability of his death, he remains content with no regrets, proud that he chose to live in the wild. The wild gives him the euphoria that even starvation cannot suppress, his
In Jon Krakauer’s book “Into the Wild”, Krakauer describes the travels of Chris McCandless, a young man, who travels alone into the Alaskan wilderness. Krakauer details Chris’s painful demise from starvation was at the age of 24 in an abandoned bus deep in Alaska. According to Krakauer, Chris McCandless left for Alaska because he was seeking refuge from his betrayal by his father. Chris was searching for truth; something he could believe in after he had found out his dad led a double life; one with Chris and his mother and another with another woman and another son. It seems McCandless was looking to test himself; to prove he could survive in the wild without society, but mostly without his father’s help. Chris was searching for something, Independence. During Chris journey to Alaska, he found what he was looking for an escape but also found his identity. During his final days in the bus, Chris’s mindset changed; he determined he needed people. Some say Chris was foolish but he was a smart kid in unfortunate circumstances.
Fairytales share similar themes in the manner in which they approach storytelling for the individual. In “The Great Fairy Tale Tradition”, Jack Zipes has selected and edited stories and categorized them by their respective themes, illustrating the different thematic elements found in each story. Every chapter includes a short introduction to the literary history of the selected stories and their themes. In the “Three Brother’s Who Become Wealthy Wandering the World”, “The Three Brothers”, and “The Four Skillful Brothers” each story explores the adventures and pursuits of brothers who venture into the outside world and are later faced with a test of skills in which they must prove their worth and courage. Although the three tales are incorporated into the thematic chapter of “Competitive Brothers” and share similar characteristics, there are contrasts between their respective stories.
In a society unbridled with double standards and set views about women, one may wonder the origins of such beliefs. It might come as a surprise that these ideals and standards are embedded and have been for centuries in the beloved fairy tales we enjoyed reading as kids. In her analytical essay, “To Spin a Yarn: The Female Voice in Folklore and Fairy Tales”, Karen Rowe argues that fairy tales present “cultural norms which exalt passivity, dependency, and self-sacrifice as a female’s cardinal virtues.” Rowe presents an excellent point, which can be supported by versions of the cult classics, “Cinderella” and “Snow White”. Charles Perrault’s “ The Little Glass Slipper” and the Brothers Grimm’s “ Snow White” exemplify the beliefs that females are supposed to be docile, dependent on the male persona and willing to sacrifice themselves. In many cases, when strong female characters are presented they are always contradicting in these characteristics, thus labeled as villainous. Such is the case of the Cinderella’s stepsisters in Perrault’s “Cinderella” and the stepmother in the Brothers Grimm’s “Snow White.” These female characters face judgment and disapproval when they commit the same acts as male characters. With such messages rooted in our beloved fairy tales it is no wonder that society is rampant with these ideals about women and disapprove of women when they try to break free of this mold.
All in all, it is interesting how the trials of life can lead a person into an awakening that inspires millions. Many people believe that walking “into the wild” to live off the land and find himself alone in nature was arrogant, foolish and irresponsible. Chris lacks of knowledge about the wild was a major factor in his death. Chris did not plan how he will survive in the wilderness without proper equipments. He misunderstood that he would have no problem in setting in the wild. Chris immature manner and decisions lead him to starvation and ultimately death. If he planned it out in the beginning he would have saved his life.
In Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer explores the human fascination with the purpose of life and nature. Krakauer documents the life and death of Chris McCandless, a young man that embarked on an Odyssey in the Alaskan wilderness. Like many people, McCandless believed that he could give his life meaning by pursuing a relationship with nature. He also believed that rejecting human relationships, abandoning his materialistic ways, and purchasing a book about wildlife would strengthen his relationship with nature. However, after spending several months enduring the extreme conditions of the Alaskan wilderness, McCandless’ beliefs begin to work against him. He then accepts that he needs humans, cannot escape materialism, and can never fully understand how nature functions. Most importantly, he realizes that human relationships are more valuable than infinite solitude. McCandless’ gradual change of heart demonstrates that exploring the wilderness is a transformative experience. Krakauer uses the life and death of Chris McCandless to convey that humans need to explore nature in order to discover the meaning of life.
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...
Fairy Tale Text & Motif. Prod. Distribution Access. Distribution Access, 2001.Discovery Education. Web. 1 December 2001. .
Tatar, M. (1987). Sex and Violence: The Hard Core of Fairy Tales. The hard facts of the Grimms' fairy tales (p. 3). Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
I am writing this paper because I was assigned to write it as a class project. Along the way I realized the importance of sharing the real meanings of all these stories. Stories are important because in the society we live in things are constantly changing. Fairytales change but the base of the story always remain the same no matter how many times it has been retold. It’s important to reveal the true meanings of these stories, even with its dark characteristics, because the world is dark .Children need to know that there are people that have told stories relatable to what they are going through. Fairytales help the development of children; it helps their maturity as they confront someone else’s tough situations, instilling hope of a more positive ou...
..., Maria. “An Introduction to Fairy Tales.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens, Leonard J. Rosen. Toronto: Longman, 2013. 230-235. Print.
When examining adaptations of fairytales you must look at the original source. This can be a very difficult task because with fairytales we never really know where the original came from. I will base my paper on the theory that the original tale of Cinderella comes from the Grimm Brothers version of Ashputtle. In comparison we will examine two movies. First there is the Disney version Cinderella. Secondly we will look at the movie 'Ever After'.