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Fairy tales in our culture
Fairy tales in our culture
Fairy tales in our culture
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Happily ever after doesn't exist. Not in the real world. Perhaps Cinderella was saved by a handsome prince, and Snow White was awoken by a another's kiss, but that kind of stuff doesn't happen in reality. Loving others can only result in heartbreak and destruction. Some people swear they found their true love. Maybe they have. Then love's nemesis, life, comes along and shows them the truth of the matter. And don't even get me started on love at first sight. It's so perfect, until one's second love comes along. It's fate's way of saving the time and effort needed to find actual love. Love's such a fleeting thing, yet people cling onto it and hold on with all their might, but they might as well be trying to stop the sun from setting. …show more content…
When we were eight, we decided it would be fun to ride our bikes down the infamous Smith's Hill. According to neighborhood legend, Smith had ridden down the hill with no brakes after a dare. It had ended badly when he crashed into one of the many large rocks in the hill that made it so infamous. After breaking many bones and being rushed to the hospital, he succumbed to his injuries. His story and legacy were forever set in stone with the legend. At least, that's what we've been told. I don't believe a word of it, but Amethyst and Destiny don't think so. After voicing my opinion once and getting shut down, I just stay silent whenever the topic of Smith's Hill is brought up. Smith's Hill is infamous for it's legend, but the rocks and the trees that grow there add to the danger. Combine that with the steepness and our parent's continuous warnings never to ride our bikes there, and it's the place that's the frequented by boys feigning fearlessness and elementary school kids, having nervously sneaked past their parents' watchful eye. I never felt the urge that most children my age felt when told not to do something, but somehow ended up at the top of Smith's Hill alongside Amethyst and Destiny. I felt a sense of wrongness, and tried to convince them of
Many times the love that a person is looking for is the one that a person doesn't realize.
Split Rock Road is a notoriously creepy place in New Jersey, with references on both the “Weird New Jersey” website and the “Lost Destinations” website. While neither site directly states that if you turn off your headlights and stop the car that you will die, the “Lost Destinations” site mentions the urban legend that if you try to drive across the bridge at night, gangs will block the exits on either side and trap you in. Additionally, while there is no specific mention of a girl in a white sundress, there are rumors that the bridge is haunted by drowning victims, mostly teenagers who get sucked into the underwater drain and smash into the concrete “waterfall” on the other side. Both sites also mention practices of the occult allegedly performed on Split Rock Road; the “Lost Destinations” site describes piles of bones and structures shaped like furnaces that are supposedly haunted by ghosts late at night. Similar furnaces can be found on Clinton road, another creepy spot in New Jersey.
Growing up as a little black girl, I rarely found dolls or princesses that looked like me. It was until I ran across the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s version of Cinderella movie starring the African American pop star Brandy as Cinderella. The made-for-television film was a remake of the Julie Andrews R&H Cinderella. But even the Julie Andrews version was based off the ancient folk tale. Although the movies are very similar, both films have a very unique touch to them.
The idea of unrequited love is a fear for many that oftentimes becomes true. No one wants to pour their heart out only to have their heart be broken in return. Why is love often unreciprocated? Love itself is often the answer to this question; many people fail to see someone loving them because they are madly in love with someone else. In William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, protagonist Viola has the unfortunate luck of falling in love with Duke Orsino who does not reciprocate this feeling of love for Viola because he is infatuated with Olivia. In Taylor Swift’s song “Invisible”, Swift sings about how she is in love with someone, but he is in love with someone else who does not love him back: “And I just wanna show you/She don’t even
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:
Many people know the story of Cinderella, as a 90’s child born in America, the first version of Cinderella I heard was Walt Disney’s. You know the story with the mice, the evil stepmother with two daughters, the glass slipper, the prince, and the fairy godmother. Cinderella was always one of my favorite stories growing up, though I did not know Walt Disney was not Cinderella’s true writer. Cinderella is a well known folk tale that has thousands of versions throughout the world.
Over the years, Snow White’s story has been told in numerous different versions then its original version in 1812 by the Grimm Brothers. The main basis of the story has remained the same. Only a few minor tweaks to the story have changed. The three versions of the story that are going to be analyzed are the original story “Little Snow White” by the Brothers Grimm, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” by Disney, and “Mirror, Mirror” by Disney also. They each were created in very different times and the original story has changed over the years to appeal to the audience of that time. No matter how many versions there are Snow White is considered, one of the most cherished fairy tales of all time. They each use different methods to get their story across by using different colors, word usage, and scenes.
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.
Over the years, fairytales have been distorted in order to make them more family friendly. Once these changes occur, the moral and purpose of the stories begin to disappear. The tales featured in the many Disney movies - beloved by so many - have much more malignant and meaningful origins that often served to scare children into obeying their parents or learning valuable life lessons.
The commonly used saying, “they lived happily ever after,” originates from early fairy tales. Fairy tales are stories that feature fanciful characters that convey a moral to teach children lessons and values that they will keep for the rest of their lives. The original story of “Cinderella” by the Grimm Brothers and the later Disney version Cinderella (1950) are both descriptions of a legendary fairy tale of a kind and gentle girl who overcomes the rancor of her stepmother and stepsisters and ultimately finds a happy ending. Although both stories have the same plot, the overall messages that they deliver are different.
Snow White by the Brothers Grimm explores the theme of insecurity which can be defined as one’s subjective evaluation of his or her own self. The fairytale is a story about a Queen who seeks to be the prettiest by constantly asking her mirror “Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?.” Initially it was always her; however, as the story progresses and as her stepdaughter Snow White matures, the mirror states that Snow White is the fairest. This causes the step-mother to try to kill Snow White through a huntsman, using a comb, a corset, and finally an apple. This mirror phrase seems to raise more and more anger the more it is asked. One could assume that the mirror is the judging factor in the phrase, but after a closer look on a psychological level, the
The classic fairy tale of Cinderella easily connects with three different perspectives of social science – anthropology, sociology and psychology. Anthropology, being the study of cultures, relates to Cinderella regarding how the characters were brought up through their cultural background. The perspective of sociology – people within groups and social structures – explains how and why the different conflicts arise within the story. Psychology studies mental processes and behaviour, analysing Freudian decisions of Cinderella and what might have been her mental state in the fairy tale.
But what happens when love is thrown around without a second thought? Has this four letter word become an overused cliché? Has love been replaced with lust? Is there such a thing as true love? This last question has been asked throughout history, while many have argued and debated over the final answer.
Many traditional fairy tales have been remade into Hollywood movies. The fairy tale of Cinderella has been produced in movies many times like Ever After (1998) and A Cinderella Story (2004). A Cinderella Story (2004) has an interesting storyline, cast, themes, and appeals to teenagers and young adults.
Over time the definition of love and what it is has been debated and argued over, but in most cases the answer is very similar. "True love is like two rivers that meet and merge, intertwining completely into one, then flowing on together. True love cannot be buried; but once unselfishly rooted it will grow forever." Quote on quote true love does exist but unfortunately is not found by all.