Fairy tales, like any other medium, must be updated and revised in order to remain appealing to its audience as time goes on. Some fairy tale revisions are heavily criticized for deviating from the original text so much that they no longer “feel” the same or offer the same messages. Whether or not a revision is successful is entirely a matter of personal opinion. In my opinion, a revision does not have to follow the same plot as the original text as long as it is able to keep the moral intact. For me, a revision is successful when it modernizes the tale to be more relatable to people in modern day society, and/or sheds new light back on the original text. It is unsuccessful when the overall message is changed to something that may be …show more content…
He does not state whether the step-sisters are attractive or ugly, only that Cinderella is prettier than them. This is important because it offers the message that appearances do not matter, but how someone treats others does matter. This is a message that parents often try to instill in their children nowadays, so it is nice to have a story that offers the same message. The second reason why I consider this version to be successful is because it offers a positive message to the audience. This version of the tale contains a message of forgiveness. This message is evident in the text at the end of the story where it says “Cinderella raised them up, and kissed them, and forgave them with all her heart, and asked them to love her always.” (Perrault 15) This element is important because it proves that Cinderella is truly genuine. Cinderella demonstrates her genuine kindness by choosing to forgive her step-sisters even when she comes to be in a position of power where she could get revenge. I find this to be an important part to the story because there is no better lesson to teach to children and young adults than the lesson of being genuine and forgiving. Finally, the last reason why I consider this version to be a phenomenal example of a successful Cinderella story is because the author made sure to include that Cinderella thanked
The Little Glass Slipper, Perrault’s version of Cinderella also has a different ending. The ending is happier and includes forgiveness. Although the step sisters were cruel and treated Cinderella horribly she forgave them in the end and even found good husbands for them, and they all lived happily ever after. You see from this that this story is intended to teach a moral lesson of forgiveness and kindness. In Perrault’s version you can be terrible and unpleasant but you will be forgiven because that’s part of life. The Grimm brothers however have a different point of view on that matter. They feel that what you do will come back to haunt you and you can’t be a sinful person and be forgiven. Cinderella was always kind and compassionate and she got rewarded for that, she married the prince and escaped her horrible life. She no longer weeps at her mother’s grave and cries herself to sleep. The step sisters on the other hand, even though Cinderella forgave them, they didn’t get forgiven by a higher
Once upon a time, there was a literary genre commonly know as fairy tales. They were mystical and wonderful and a child’s fantasy. These fairy tales were drastically misunderstood throughout many centuries, however. They endured a hard life of constant changing and editing to fit what the people of that time wanted. People of our own time are responsible for some of the radical changes endured by this undeserved genre. Now, these fairy tales had a young friend named Belle. Belle thought she knew fairy tales very well, but one day she found out just how wrong she was.
Fairy Tales are not just stories that parents tell to their children, but stories with hidden valuable messages which are mostly left on a side. In the article “An Introduction to Fairy Tales,” Maria Tatar clearly explains how people need fairy tales in their lives. Tatar also states how fairy tales have the ability to take the listener, especially children’s, into a journey in which they can play with their imagination so that they can discover their deepest fears and wishes. Personally I agree with the author, because of the fact that in an individual’s lives as they get older, they will try to define themselves, sometimes comparing their own life with a character from their favorite story or Fairy Tale.
The Grimm Brothers version of Cinderella is a written down oral story that people passed down from generation to generation, meant to teach a lesson about piety and good behavior. Before the Grimm Brothers ever wrote it down, the story had been told several times by memory. It is thus not surprising that the descriptions of certain events in the story, such as the way Cinderella went to the Ball, are lacking in details. It is obvious that these parts of the story are unimportant to the overall message of the story. Instead, it focuses on the piety of Cinderella and the wickedness of the step-sisters. Through the events of the story, it becomes obvious that the goodness of Cinderella is justly rewarded, and that
In the Disney tale, her father is depicted as a loving and caring man whose most sacred is his daughter Cinderella. In Grimm’s version the two stepsisters are not ugly but actually beautiful with evil inside them. The step-sisters continuously abuse and mistreat Cinderella and her father doesn’t die but instead turns a blind eye to the situation and lets it continue. As the story continues it is clear that Cinderella’s father abandons her.
However, her true beauty lies within her skin, as Perrault’s interprets Cinderella as “a hundred times more handsome than her sisters”. He aims to focus more on female recognition and self-fulfillment, rather than provide a base for all readers to understand fully (Hühn). At an elementary level, this may not influence children to an extent, but other stories that reproduce this same structure of plot elements could possibly influence children in the future. For instance, she was not the hero of the story. The Prince isn’t the hero until he discovers her lost possession, a glass slipper, and searched for the person that fits. As told by Perrault, “he had done nothing but look at her all the time, and that most certainly he was very much in love with the beautiful owner of the glass slipper.” This enforces the fact that her beauty prevails over her actual personality but not behavior, and the appearance and mannerisms surely impressed the Prince.
There are numerous genre’s in literature, but their level of importance and influence on an individual will differ. Exposure to books and stories is especially important for children because it is their opportunity to acclimate themselves to written language, and in turn create their own visuals for the toneless words. Maria Tatar writes, “Why Fairy Tales Matter: The Performative and the Transformative” to demonstrate how fairy tale’s written language can spark a child’s imagination as well as empower them. Through personal insight from distinguished writers— Richard Wright— Tatar builds her argument for the benefits of fairy tales— particularly the violent stories. The writer organizes her essay in a concrete fashion by using each paragraph to build on a proposed idea or to present a belief, but does not use contemporary writers personal anecdotes or heed to her own advice of avoiding childish fairy tales.
Cinderella is innocent just as the child, and this allows the child to not feel guilt about his jealous judgements towards siblings. Cinderella’s story helps the child realize how terrible things could be for them and to appreciate how lucky they are instead of looking at the negative side of their life.
Cinderella, Snow white, Rapunzel, and other original fairy tales changed my perspective on Fairy tales because the mood/tone was different and The prince's were creepy. I’m here to tell you why. Get your soda and popcorn, and get comfy. Let's get into it.
The texts are all written in a pretty traditional format and a comprehensive narrative style. All of the versions of the story of Cinderella are clear texts that have a predetermined plot line and the author has made it clear to the reader what emotions they should feel through the whole reading of the story. In Perrault’s story, when Cinderella stepsister says “That is very true, people would laugh to see a cinder-slut in the ballroom. Anyone else but Cinderella would have done their hair amiss, but she was good-natured, and she finished them off to perfection” (Perrault, 68). The reader feels bad for Cinderella because her stepsisters call her a terrible name, yet she remains good-natured and completes her task without complaint, which makes the reader wonder if Cinderella is a saint. Cinderella’s behavior could also be considered another example of the conservative beliefs concerning the proper role of a female appearing in this story. The text repeatedly provides readers with what they want. For example, in the Grimm Brothers Ashputtle “the king’s son looked into Ashputtle’s face, he recognized the beautiful girl he had danced with and cried out: ‘This is my true bride!’ The stepmother and the two sisters went pale with fear and rage. However, he lifted Ashputtle up on his horse and rode away with her” (Hallett, 51). In the Grimm’s brother version, the stepsisters have their eyes gouged out by birds after the wedding, which could arguably be yet another example of giving the reader what he or she wants because in many cases the reader would like to see bad fortune happen to the evil stepsisters since they had treated their sister badly. A final conservative element of the Cinderella stories is their adult-centered nature. The most striking
Even though Cinderella was being mistreated she remained kind-hearted and sweet and held out hope that she would one day find happiness. Perrault wrote, “And now her two sisters found her to be that fine, beautiful lady whom they had seen at the ball. They threw themselves at her feet to beg pardon for all the ill- treatment they had made her undergo. Cinderella took them up, and, as she embraced them, cried: That she forgave them with all her heart, and desired them always to love her”. Even after gaining her prince and happy ending she still shows kindness and forgives her step-sisters. In the end Cinderella finds happiness with her Prince and good prevails over evil.
Cinderella was kind to her step mother and step sisters, and the truth found them out. She did not have to be nice to them, and she did not have to show mercy, but she did. Cinderella had the courage to forgive.
Cinderella held on to what her mother had told her and put up with everything her step- family was making her do. Cinderella always did what she was supposed to do, not once did she stop short of finishing or try to fight back. Cinderella kept her faith and believed that what her mother had told her was the truth and that life would get better. Eventually life did get better. By keeping her faith Cinderella was able to get all her chores done and get dressed for the ball, with the help from some creatures. If Cinderella wouldn’t have kept her faith she wouldn’t have dance with the prince and the prince wouldn’t have fallen in love with her. Cinderella wasn’t self-centered and believed if she was a good person she would be rewarded and in the end, she was able to live happily ever after with her prince. The exact opposite can be said about the step-sisters. The two sisters were awful people telling Cinderella to do their dirty work. When the prince came looking for the owner of the shoe the two girls would have done anything to fit the shoe. Anything is exactly what they did, one sister cut off her toe and another cut off her heel. The girls “hearts were foul and black” (Grimm 117), because of this they couldn’t have a truly happy life. In the end the two sisters had their eyes pecked out by birds. Cinderella found the deeper meaning to her life by being a self-less person and the sisters did not because of
In many ways, Cinderella can be interpreted as an elaborate beauty contest emphasizing the message that a youthful (i.e. beautiful, because we know old is ugly) appearance, especially when paired with the appropriately meek demeanor, is the most important asset. Conversely, women that are not beautiful are a source of suspicion. “Why should that stupid goose sit in the parlor with us?” they said. “If she wants to eat bread, then she will have to earn it. Out with this kitchen maid!” (Grimm 1). The evil stepsisters are an example of how men (at least the Brothers Grimm) think ugly women treat beautiful women. When Cinderella does attend the festival, how does she go unrecognized? Surely, her stepsisters must be blinded by her beauty. “Her stepsisters and stepmother did not recognize her. They thought she must be a foreign princess, for she looked so beautiful in the golden dress” (Grimm 3).
Fairy tales are something that everyone has read or seen, they all seem to have important lessons at the end of each one to teach young children some of the lessons they need for life. These fairy tales when we were younger all seemed innocent and something we all hoped that would happen to us. Little did we know as we got older that the fairy tales we all knew and loved when we were younger, weren't as innocent as they seemed.