One of the most commonly referenced folk tales of all time is the classic Cinderella story, made famous by Disney. However, there are many variations of this story across multiple cultures and regions of the world. One of the most popular alternate versions is the “Chinese Cinderella”. The Chinese Cinderella story is similar to the classic German Grimm’s Brother Cinderella story and the more modern Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1997 American version in that they tell the tale of a woman who is oppressed by the social norms of her society, however there are multiple distinct differences between the three stories that echo the time and region these stories were created. Each of the stories are a product of the era and place in which they were told …show more content…
or written and have evolved over time to adjust to different societies and cultures. This is perceived when noticing the plots, different cultures of each story, and the effects that the story has had on the generations. The plot of each Cinderella tale is different based on the place and time it was created. The plot is twisted to comply with different cultures, the time period, and to adjust to who the viewers are which are some of the reasons why there are so many different versions of Cinderella. The Grimm Brother’s 1812 version is the typical Cinderella story but instead of having a fairy godmother, there are magical birds. There is also differences in the amount of work that Cinderella has to do as it increases in this particular story, and also the goriness in this story is unlike any other. The Grimm Brother’s version is obviously not intended for young kids, or at least I know if I had kids I wouldn’t want them to read it. This is because of the want from the stepmother for her kids to cut off their toes and ankles in order to fit into the shoes and the graphic detailing of the stepsisters eyes being poked out by birds. Obviously in this era it wasn’t out of the norm to talk about torture and it was also not out of the norm for a woman to do unbearable amounts of work around the house. The setting is no different from the original Disney story as it is still set in a kingdom with a Palace. The 1997 Disney movie version tells the same tale, but has a more modern plot than the 1812 version and more magic for entertaining a younger audience. It includes more realistic activities that a modern audience can relate to like more shopping and less sweeping up ashes around the house. The music gives it a more upbeat feel and the real life people get the attention of older and younger generations rather than cartoons and old-fashioned sound effects. The 2010 “Chinese Cinderella” book has a completely different plot because of the many different cultural beliefs put into it and the country that it comes from. It is based on an actual kid growing up in China and going to a regular school. It is an almost completely different story than the usual Cinderella, but the same themes and ideas are there, such as acceptance. Acceptance is shown in the Chinese version throughout the whole because all Adeline wants is acceptance from her parents and we see the same thing in the American/German version of Cinderella. The Chinese version gives it a more present day feel because it talks more about education rather than princes and princesses. The three Cinderella stories I have chosen are are culturally diverse because of either where they originated or the era they were created in.
In the Grimm’s Brothers 1812 version, it was very apparent that gender roles played a big part in stories and in life back then. In 19th century Germany, if you were a girl, you had almost no rights. Women were inferior to men and young women were extremely inferior to their elders. This part of German culture is seen in Grimm’s version of Cinderella when they explain how hard Cinderella had to work for her stepmother in order to go to the ball and even when she was done with everything, it still was not good enough. It is also shown when the stepmother forces her daughters (Cinderella’s stepsisters) to disfigure their feet so that they were able to fit into Cinderella’s missing shoe for the Prince’s love. It later goes on to tell how the stepsister’s are punished at Cinderella's wedding for being cruel to her by getting their eyes poked out by birds. It shows how different gender roles were back in the 1800’s compared to modern day beliefs not only in Germany, but in other countries too. The Chinese Cinderella story written by Adeline Yen Mah in 2010 shows how Cinderella has evolved to fit other countries modern, unique cultures. Adeline (the Cinderella figure) is bad luck to her family because her mother died giving birth to her. Since Adeline’s family considers her bad luck, they are very bad at showing her love and affection and …show more content…
Adeline suffers for this. "But then Mama died giving birth to you. If you had not been born, Mama would still be alive. She died because of you. You are bad luck” (Mah 3). I think this really shows the significance of luck in Chinese culture. Chinese culture is hugely revolved around luck- they practice it religiously. China is known for their outstanding academic success and their beliefs on education and that is shown in Chinese Cinderella. The beginning of the story talks about how her Aunt praises her for bringing home a medal for her work in class. “I was winning the medal every week and wearing it constantly. I knew this displeased my siblings, especially Big Sister and Second Brother, but it was the only way to make Father take notice and be proud of me” (Mah 15). I found it ironic that her father is only really happy with her when she does well in school because how most Chinese people are so smart. Just shortly after this book was published Business Insider put out an article on how well China’s education system is doing and how impressive their scores on an international test were compared to the other countries, so it is no wonder that the author incorporated that idea into the story. This story is different than any other Cinderella because the others don’t talk about education at all. The story of Cinderella written in Chinese version also made me think about how Cinderella or Adeline is the unwanted child and she is a woman which ties into the majority of China’s bias against having daughters. The bias against daughters goes far back into Chinese culture. Males are and have been greatly appreciated by Chinese parents because they carry on the last name and are good for working. I think that the whole idea of Chinese Cinderella was kind of based off of that principle since Adeline is bad luck and not wanted by her father. The 1997 Rodgers and Hammerstein’s American version of Cinderella, my personal favorite, shows modern diverse culture by including a very multiracial cast. Before this movie came out, pretty much the only Cinderella story people envisioned was with white characters because that’s just all that had really been known by Americans. I believe that the multiracial cast opened Americans eyes to the advancing of american culture. The Modern American version also includes American culture by using modern day slang and word phrases that were not around during the beginning of this folktale. It is a musical so it does include modern day songs by popular artists like Whitney Houston. It incorporates more modern day fashion and realistic events so that the younger generations of Americans are more interested. Cinderella has evolved to meet progressing cultures all around the world. Through all of the changes of the Cinderella folktale throughout the years and the many different versions in many different cultures, the story has drastically affected the way society thinks in so many ways. As a young girl I can remember hearing or watching the Cinderella story for the first time and wanting so bad to live out that story myself. These days you can not go one Halloween without seeing a young girl dressed in a Cinderella or princess costume. I believe that Cinderella really gives out a false impression of what a women should want her life to be like. Over the many years that Cinderella has developed it has given the impression that the way to find happiness is finding and marrying your prince charming, and that the guy that you are with should be as perfect as the prince in Cinderella. It teaches young women that they should be perfect and that eventually you will find the “perfect” man. This story puts pressure on young women making them think that if they do not act in a certain way, look a certain way, or dress a specific way like Cinderella does, they will not find a prince charming, which can bring their self confidence down tremendously. Every young woman dreams of having the “Cinderella Story” relationship and that has changed society's perception of what a real relationship should be like, and I can imagine has put a lot of pressure on boys. Although Cinderella has had a positive effect on many young girl’s and women’s lives as it is so much fun to dream that one day your life will be perfect and you will meet a perfect man. It is also fun as a young girl to play dress up and pretend like you are a princess. Throughout the morphing of the story and through the many cultures it has passed through, I believe Cinderella has had both negative and positive effects on society. Cinderella is one of the most recognized fairytales of all time and has been for thousands of years.
I think that the Cinderella folktale will continue to grow and be told in different ways to adjust to different societies and meet advancing cultures all over the world. I believe it will continue having an effect on women and men across the world in the way that they view themselves and other things like
relationships.
It all begins with “Once upon a time” and ends with “and they lived happily ever after”. “Cinderella” is a very widely known story that many children around the world look up to and admire through their entire life. The history of this story, how scholars interpret this tale, and how the authors have retold the story are all key points to keeping this story fresh and popular. Most of the time when people hear the story of “Cinderella”, they think about the Disney version and maybe it is time that changes. All in all, the story brings light to everyone’s life even if they only know the original “Cinderella”.
A young girl is forced to live with her step-mother and step-sisters after her father and mother die. She becomes the maid of the family, tending to their every need. Eventually there is a ball; she acquires a fairy Godmother, goes to the ball, falls in love with the prince, blah blah blah. All you really need to know is that she has a happy ending. A happy ending. No matter how much suffering she went through in her early years, at the end, it all came together and she had no more worries. And this is the problem. Cinderella is not realistic. It never was and never will be. Watching this movie when I was young made me believe there was a prince waiting for me somewhere. I grew up thinking that life was simple and uncomplicated, that I did not need to worry about the future because there was a man that would provide everything I wanted and needed. But as I got older, I realized this was not the case. I saw many of my friend’s parents divorce, people die, and the world fight with each other. My fantasy died off, and I realized I had to work hard for myself, and not others. The poem Cinderella by Anne Sexton made fun of the ending of Cinderella. She states, “Cinderella and the prince / lived … happily ever after … / their darling smiles pasted on for eternity. / Regular Bobbsey Twins. / That story.” (Sexton 11). Notice who she referenced and how she has a sarcastic tone. Cinderella and the prince smiled for others, trying to convince
As the world has transformed and progressed throughout history, so have its stories and legends, namely the infamous tale of Cinderella. With countless versions and adaptations, numerous authors from around the world have written this beauty’s tale with their own twists and additions to it. And while many may have a unique or interesting way of telling her story, Anne Sexton and The Brother’s Grimm’s Cinderellas show the effects cultures from different time periods can have on a timeless tale, effects such as changing the story’s moral. While Sexton chooses to keep some elements of her version, such as the story, the same as the Brothers Grimm version, she changes the format and context, and adds her own commentary to transform the story’s
Fairytales, the short stories that most children heard as they went to bed, are actually folktales from previous decades. The fairytales today are primarily adaptations of older versions recreated by Disney— the pioneers of this generation. With that said, the modern versions consistently display good triumphing over evil, a prince charming that constantly came to the rescue, and a happily ever after ending. However, the original folktale version didn’t always come with fortunate events, but often were more violent and gruesome. With the fairytale Cinderella, Disney maintains a similar theme as its Grimm version; however, the conflicts, events, and characters that support this idea are rather different.
Over centuries of children have been enjoying the classic fairy tales of the Grimm Brothers and Charles Perrault. The fanciful plots and the vivid details allow children to be entranced by characters and adventures that can only be found in these stories. One of the most beloved fairy tales, which both the Perrault and the Grimms have their own separate versions of, is Cinderella. Cinderella is able to show how both versions are able to feed off the same plots while personifying the century and social economic situation in which they have lived.
Cinderella is about a beautiful young girl that is mistreated by her step family. They give her the worst chores, make her sleep in a very dirty room up in an attic, and even give her the name “Cinderella” because they say she is always playing in the cinders of the fire. Cinderella is different though because despite being mistreated, she is still very nice and warmhearted. She represents how you should act in a world full of hate. If you are nice to everyone despite their rudeness and hate you will be rewarded in the end. Since Cinderella was so nice to her step sisters throughout her whole life, when she wanted to go to the ball her fairy godmother granted her wish. Cinderella got to go to the ball and looked absolutely beautiful, beautiful enough to catch the attention of the prince. While at the ball she was still very nice to her stepsisters, giving them food and telling them how nice they looked. When the stepsisters got home from the ball that night, they explain how lovely the mysterious princess was and how they thought she was so beautiful, not knowing that the mysterious princess was Cinderella. Cinderella played it off like she knew nothing of the princess but agreed with them that she must have been very beautiful. The next day came around and the stepsisters returned to the ball the
The Grimm’s stories have strict criteria for good and evil. Good women are not the hero, they do not plan, nor do they get themselves out of bad situations; they are obtuse and wait until a Prince saves them. These qualities doom the female protagonists (and readers) to pursue the only destiny women have, and that is to be a wife and mother (Rowe, 1978). Cinderella is the heroine and the ideal good girl. She is unambiguously beautiful, kind, and compassionate. She does not complain or get angry. This is foreseen early in the Grimm’s Cinderella story:
of the Cinderella story are psychologically harmful to women.” (p648). The fact that Cinderella is a limited character may give the girl an impression that she should be happy with what she has and not have any or aspirations in her life. That is, until her Prince comes to rescue her. Since these comments were made, the Cinderella story has been modified and changed. In order to see how gender roles have changed in fairy tales from the old to the new, let’s compare the classic version of Cinderella by Charles Perrault to a recent version which is a movie that was released in 1998 called “Ever After”which was directed by Andy Tennant.
Each person in the world has heard of Cinderella, no matter what kind of version it may be. Cinderella is the one fairy tale story that has been popular and will always be the one tale that has to be told to children. Words and story lines might be twist and turn, but in the end the knowledge of the story will be learned in similar ways. As we all know when one story is told another is created, when one is at its best then another is at its worse. One version will always be better than another, but no matter what version it might be the story will be told.
A lot of the fairy tale stories that we have seen as young adults and even as adults are original folk tale stories that have been modified and rewritten to accommodate our new cultures. Cinderella happens to be one of these stories that have been changed over the years. There are many different versions of Cinderella, an African Cinderella, a Hungarian Cinderella and even a Chinese version. All of the Cinderella’s are similar in plot, but the author dictates the story’s theme based on the people whom he is writing for which completely changes the story’s tone, mood and other elements. While Perrault's version stresses the values and materialistic worries of his middle-class audience, Grimm’s' focus is on the harsh realities of life associated with the peasant culture. Perrault’s and Grimm’s Cinderella’s have the same plot, but their writing style is different which completely modifies the tale.
Throughout history, fairy tales have grown to captivate the hearts and minds of many. A Cinderella Story is set firmly in reality and in the present day; in fact, it's every bit a fantasy as the original story. This film refrains from any allusions to magic, but instead lets serendipitous occurrences provide the engine on which this fairy tale creates its plot. The impression A Cinderella Story is in place of a well-thought out story and characters that anyone could relate to or believe. Although the target audience of the film are teens, females, and romantics, A Cinderella Story can be praised and savored by all audiences because of its ingenious screenplay, acting, and melodic soundtrack.
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.
The origins of the Cinderella story date back around the beginning of the first century, or as far back as oral stories have been told. Many variations
In today 's society, it is normal for young children to believe in fairytales. These fairytales are normally seen throughout books and movies but also through parents reading them as bedtime stories. These tales in our society have unrecognized hidden guidelines for ethics and behaviors that we provide for children. One such children 's story is Disney’s Cinderella, this film seems to be a simple tale of a young woman whose wishes work out as to be expected. This tale reflects the expectations of women 's actions and beliefs of a proper women.
Cinderella’s mother passed away and her father remarried a woman who had two daughters from a previous marriage. A few weeks passed and a prince is holding a three day festival and all the beautiful young girls in the town were invited. Cinderella wanted to go but her evil stepmother gave her two impossible tasks to complete before she could attend the festival. Cinderella completes the two tasks with the help of her bird friends and her mother’s grave. Cinderella goes to the festival and she dances with the prince all three days. Finally, the prince has fallen in love with her and eventually they get married. Fairytales and Disney productions threaten gender politics and women’s role by portraying women in certain areas like domestic behaviors