...and they lived happily ever after.

Once upon a time, I thought all fairy tales began with "Once upon a time..." I have learned so much from this FYS class this year and I now view fairy tales in a way that I never would have before. When watching "The Silence of the Lambs", I would have never even thought of Little Red Riding Hood. When thinking of Little Red Riding hood, menstruation and the maturation process would have never crossed my mind. When talking about the maturation process, Rapunzel stuck in the tall tower with her long, blonde locks would not even begin to be a topic of conversation.

There is so much that we can learn from fairy tales by looking at them in a psychoanalytical point of view. When discovering new information by analyzing and summarizing the case study by Verena Kast on Little Red Cap, I was amazed by all of the things it revealed from the woman’s childhood. It is interesting to compare many of the things in my life today to my favorite fairy tales that my mom used to read to me when I was a little girl.

Also, I have seen my blog writing change. In the beginning, I was less confident about my answers and it was more difficult for me to find the motifs and symbols in the fairy tales and movies. I find it easier now to see these and reflect on their importance to the story. The Aarne-Thompson classification system and the Vladimir Propp’s functions have helped me find the most important aspects of the stories which has really allowed me to have a totally different understanding of them.

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading, reflecting and writing about all of the fairy tales that we have read and watched the films on. I couldn’t have chosen a better First Year Seminar class!

I can't hearrrr you....

Rapunzel has been one of the most popular fairy tales from most of our childhoods and one of the most remembered parts of this tale is when Rapunzel is called on to let down her hair. The sorceress who has trapped the young, twelve-year-old Rapunzel in the secluded tower originally calls this out so that she can come up into the tower during the daytime. When the prince finds the tower in the middle of the forest and hears Rapunzel's beautiful singing, he is in awe and decides that he must see her. While listening to her singing one day, he is hiding behind a tree and hears Mother Gothel cry out to Rapunzel. After seeing how quickly Rapunzel followed her orders and Mother Gothel climbed into the tower, the prince decided he must try to see who was singing so beautifully. After climbing into the tower in the evening, Rapunzel is startled but finds the young prince handsome and decides to marry him.

In the above cartoon, we can see many humorous Rapunzel motifs. In the Grimm version, Rapunzel immediately lets her hair down for the prince, despite any thoughts about how the voice may be different or anything. When the prince climbs up her hair, Rapunzel indeed notices the weight difference since she mentions it to Mother Gothel later by accident. Although she is startled when the prince climbs into the tower, she accepts him very quickly and agrees to take his hand in marriage. In the cartoon, we can see the prince calling out to Rapunzel, like in the Grimm version. Even though she hears someone, she says "I can't hear you. Try texting me!" I think that this cartoon is funny because it relates so much to the modern world. People are constantly keeping in touch via text messages and that is what makes this so humorous. Many of the fairy tales we enjoy as children could so easily be ruined with the overwhelming use of technology in the modern world. For one, Mother Gothel put Rapunzel in the tower so that she would be secluded and would not have contact with the outside world. This cartoon not only indicates that she has contact with the outside world, but she has had prior interactions with the prince since she has his phone number. I also find it funny that she expects him to hear her telling him to text him, although she could not hear him in the first place. Overall, the story of Rapunzel would not have been as enjoyable and it would have to be a very different story if it included the use of modern day technology.

Little Red Riding Rabbit?

Little Red Riding Rabbit

Written by Michael Maltese

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmvuAn3mz5E

Little Red Riding Hood is one of the most popular and well known fairy tales from all of our childhoods, no matter what background. There are so many different versions of this tale, in all different languages, that it is possible for all of us to have heard a different story. The above cartoon, distributed by the Warner Brothers, is a cartoon with many of the themes from Little Red Cap or Little Red Riding Hood. We start off with Little Red Riding Hood singing, very loud and obnoxiously, down the path with a basket in her arm. As the cartoon progresses, we see the wolf from the very beginning, sabotaging her journey by changing the direction of the sign that says "Shortcut to Grandma's House". When the wolf arrives at the grandmother's house before Little Red Riding Hood, there is a sign on the door that reads, "Dear Red, Working swing shift at Lockheed. Love, Granny. P.S. Leave rabbit under door." In this version, Little Red Riding Hood is delivering a rabbit, a very sly, tricky one at that, instead of wine and cakes like in the Brothers Grimm version. When Little Red Riding Hood gets to grandmother's house, the wolf is only looking for the rabbit and wants to push Little Red Riding hood out the door because she is so annoying. The wolf spends all of the cartoon trying to find the rabbit who is playing games with the wolf and has his running all over the house. In the end, the wolf and the rabbit become friends and it is Little Red Riding Hood who they are torturing. I think that this cartoon is funny however, it is very different from the original story. It is used for entertainment purposes and although it is directed towards a younger audience, adults would be able to relate with the themes as well.

Cupid and the Princess? Frog King and Psyche?

"The Frog King" by the Brothers Grimm is a completely different tale compared to "Cupid and Psyche" by Lucius Apuleius, however both have similar messages. "The Frog King" tells the tale of a young, beautiful princess who ventures into forest to play with her precious golden ball, which, while being thrown into the air, falls into a dark, deep well. After promising to be a companion for the ugly frog, he agrees to dive deep into the well to fetch the beloved item for the beautiful. After she is given the ball, she runs away quickly, completely forgetting about the frog. The frog comes to the princess' castle and asks to be let in. Although the princess does not want to, the King insists that she must fulfill her promise and allow the frog to be her companion as promised. The princess soon becomes frustrated with the frog and throws him against the wall with all of her might. He then turns into a handsome prince with beautiful eyes and the princess accepts him as her husband to follow her father's wishes. Faithful Heinrich, the prince's servant, is ecstatic that the witch's spell has been broken and the three iron bands that had been wrapped around his heart to prevent his heart from exploding with grief arebroken because he is so happy.

"Cupid and Psyche", although somewhat similar, tells a completely different tale. Psyche is also the youngest, most beautiful daughter of the king like the princess in "The Frog King". In this story however, Venus is even insanely jealous of her beauty; so much so that she sends her son, Cupid, to punish her for her beauty. Although Cupid initially agrees, he cannot cause her pain and instead gives her joy, which is highly frowned upon by Venus. Pysche, although eagerly adored, never found a man to demand her in marriage. This fact worried her parents since her two elder sisters, both not as beautiful as her, were already married and there consulted the oracle of Apollo. Apollo tells them that will have no mortal lover and says that "He is a monster whom neither gods nor men can resist." She is summoned to the top of the mountain where she marries her unknown lover although her marriage appears to be a "funeral than a nuptial pomp." She is given anything that her heart could ever desire, but she has never seen her husband. All of these strange events do not happen in "The Frog King", where the princess sees her destined lover from the beginning. Psyche, overcome with curiosity, wishes to see her husband who simply responds "If you saw me, perhaps you would fear me, perhaps adore me, but all I ask of you is to love me." This makes Psyche wonder even more and she asks her sisters' advice who tell her to shine a light on him while he is sleeping. She does so, however in the process, drops burning oil on the shoulder of the god, who flies away saying "Love cannot dwell with suspicion." Yearning for her husband, she seeks out Venus to get Cupid back. After being given several tasks, all nearly impossible to complete, are completed with the help of Cupid. Cupid saves curious Psyche and she becomes immortal, in time bearing a daughter named Pleasure.

The differences between these two stories are immense however both of the princesses who originally find themselves disgusted or confused by their destined lovers, end up happily married. They both contain the general story of the Beauty and the Beast while the stories are polar opposites. Psyche uses the help of gods and oracles to find her destined lover whereas the princess in "The Frog King" never expects the frog to transform into a prince.

The Joys of Grimm...

All of my expectations for this class have definitely been met; I enjoy this class SO much! I look forward to our discussions and find the analyzations of the stories and movies to be very intriguing. I really enjoy how the class is so conversational and I feel as though any of us can express our opinions without feeling awkward. I have learned so much from this class already and wish that we would have more time together.

From this class, I am developing skills and study habits that are useful in all of my classes currently and hopefully they will continue to help me for my future classes. I am glad that you enforce deadlines so strictly because it motivates me and I feel like I have much less time for procrastination. Although the work load has been steady and the reading assignments in the beginning sometimes felt unmanageable, I have worked on my time management skills to get all of my work done. I have written blog posts before but I wasn't usually given so many questions to respond to so it is really different to have so much structure. The material given in this class has interested me and I find myself wanting to know more about each of the fairy tales and their history.

My goals going into this class were to become used to college classes and meet some of my fellow classmates. I also wanted to learn more about the Brothers Grimm and how Walt Disney began making all of these fairy tales into movies. I feel like I have accomplished these goals so far and I have really enjoyed learning in the process. Although I spend more time on this class than any of my others, I feel like my hard work is paying off. The most difficult part of this class was getting used to all of the reading and really taking it in so that I would be able to talk about it in class the next day. The easiest part of this class has been getting to know everyone and hanging out with them and studying outside of class. My favorite thing so far has been breakfast! I really enjoyed having breakfast together at Dr. Esa's class because we were able to have class in a comfortable setting even after waking up much earlier and eating.

I really do enjoy this class and can't wait to learn even more! Exam one, here I come! I am prepared! :)

1,2,3,4.. Oops, I mean.. Sleepy, Grumpy, Doc...

There are many different versions and interpretations of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, however the two most popular are the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale and the Walt Disney version from 1937. While both contain the beautiful Snow White, there are many differences in the story lines.

To begin, the original tale began with Snow White's mother who, while sewing, pricks her finger and three drops of blood fall into the white snow. The Disney version simply begins with "Once upon a time there lived a lovely little princess named Snow White. Her vain and wicked stepmother the Queen feared that some day Snow White's beauty would surpass her own." There is no mention of Snow White's biological mother or father at all. It simply begins with Snow White as the scullery maid, facing all sorts of difficulties. When the magic mirror refers to Snow White in the movie, he says her lips as red as a rose rather than red as blood as told in the Grimm version. These changes make the Disney movie more suitable for children since that was the intended audience at the time.

In the movie, we see the prince in both the beginning and the end of the story. He sings to her and falls in love with her as soon as he sees her. His kiss is the reason she awakes from her death-like sleep in the Disney version. Although the prince is present in the Disney version, he does not find Snow White until she is already "dead" in the glass coffin. Taken aback by her beauty, he asks to take her with him. When the dwarves agree and they begin to carry the coffin, Snow White is jostled and the poisonous apple is dislodged from her throat. This awakening is far less romantic than the Disney version.

In the Grimm version, when the Queen asks the huntsman to kill Snow White, she requests that he bring back her lungs, liver and heart so that she may eat them. In the movie, the Queen simply asks the huntsman to bring her heart back a decorative box. Both times when the huntsman attempts to kill the princess he is unable. Both times he tells her to run into the forest and never come back. Both times the huntsman goes out and slaughters a boar to bring the organs back to the Queen.

Walt Disney was the first to give names to the seven dwarves, making them easy to relate to and more identifiable. In the Grimm version, the dwarves are simply numbered. In the Grimm version of the tale, Snow White comes into an extremely tidy house whereas in the movie, the house is very messy and unclean. She cleans the house with the help of the animals before the dwarves arrive home from work. The Grimm version is more patriarchal because they give Snow White conditions on living with them and require that she keep the house clean, cook for them, make their beds, wash, sew and knit in order for them to provide her with everything she would need. In the Disney version, Snow White offers to do all of these things for the dwarves after she begs them to allow her to stay with them. Of course, in both cases, Snow White and the dwarves agree.

In the Grimm tale, the Queen attempts three times to kill Snow White. Although the first two attempts simply put her in a temporary comatose state, thanks to the help of the dwarves, the third seems more permanent. Initially, disguised as an old woman, the Queen tries a corset and a poisonous comb to kill Snow White. Both of these items are easily removed however and Snow White is revived, each time reminded to be cautious about allowing people into the house. The third time, the Queen fools Snow White into eating the apple by eating off of the non-poisonous half of the apple. Snow White immediately falls as if dead and the Queen feels victorious. In the Disney version, the apple is all red and looks very appealing. Snow White is not tricked and does not have to be coerced to eat the apple. In both cases, the dwarves come home to find Snow White "dead".

In both versions, the dwarves prepare a glass coffin for Snow White and carry her to the top of a hill or mountain. In the Disney version, the prince awakens her with a kiss full of love and the Grimm version entails the piece of apple dislodging for her throat. In either case, Snow White marries the prince since he was the one responsible for saving her life. In the Grimm version, the Queen is invited to the wedding where she is forced to dance in red hot slippers until she falls down dead. In the Disney version, they simply ride off into the sunset, staring at the bright, glistening castle and they live happily ever after. There is no more mention of the Queen or what happens to her.

Both versions of Snow White are similar and have generally the same plot line, however there are minute and significant changes between the two. Most of these changes are so that the movie would be more appealing to children and to make it longer since the story is not that long.

From Average Joe to Rollin' in the Dough..

Cinderella - one of the most commonly read and interpreted "rise stories", tells the tale of a girl, although once royal, who was demeaned to rags. Through magic and marriage, Cinderella was able to transform her life from rags to riches once again. Although many cynics would read this story and say "Well, that could never happen to me because magic doesn't exist and marrying royalty is out of the question," not all rags to riches stories are found in fairy tales such as Cinderella and Aladdin.

Cinderella's rags are transformed into a beautiful, shimmering ball gown.

I believe that anyone can do what they dream of doing through perseverance and networking. In this day and age, it is all about who you know and what you know. It doesn't take magic or even marrying into a rich family to make something of your self. Take Oprah Winfrey for example - born to unwed, teenage parents who split up soon after her birth, Oprah lived with her grandmother in Mississippi with very little. Oprah didn't have much and began rebelling once she went to live with her mother in Milwaukee. Despite rebellious behavior and becoming pregnant at the age of fourteen (although the child died a week into the pregnancy), Oprah's father tried to be more strict with her and force her to utilize the intelligence he knew she was capable of.

Oprah struggled to become the strong, successful woman she is today. She began as a "quiet grocery store worker" and has made a name for herself worldwide as a successful business worker, talk show host, actress, producer and much more. Oprah Winfrey was able to do something extraordinary - discipline and push herself to become what may have seemed impossible at times. Although the story of Oprah Winfrey may seem unparalleled to Cinderella, there are many similarities and much hope for people.

Oprah Winfrey

It may seem as though Cinderella was just handed her new status and while that may seem true, she went through many struggles after her mother died. Cinderella could have been given the world when she was a young girl if her mother hadn't died however, after her father remarried, she was made the household slave. She had to do everything for her stepmother and stepsisters and her own father never stepped in to say a word. He treated the stepdaughters as his own and his own daughter became an outcast in her own home. Cinderella didn't have it easy - neither did Oprah Winfrey. Oprah Winfrey worked her way up the totem pole to become a desirable, respectable American role model. While Cinderella did not become a role model, she was enviable and her servant days were over. After what seemed like a long, never-ending downward spiral, both Cinderella and Oprah hit rock bottom and became what they had always envisioned.

Cinderella's Transformation

Oprah Winfrey has not been the only story of rags to riches and these so called "rise stories" are not only to be found in fairy tales. Anyone is able to achieve what they desire if they just believe. :) Perseverance and discipline is key.