In the article “Cinderella: Not so Morally Superior,” author Elisabeth Panttaja explains what is going on behind the scenes of Cinderella and how Cinderella found her destiny. Panttaja emphasizes that Cinderella’s mother may be physically absent but intervenes to make sure that Cinderella has a happily ever after. Panttaja reasons that Cinderella’s mother is actually the one who has control over the story in the end. Cinderella’s mother will do whatever it takes to get her daughter on top of the social pyramid. Cinderella’s mother grows into a tree to watch over her daughter and then puts magic birds on her tree to protect Cinderella from harm, such as when the magic birds pluck out the eyes of the stepsisters.…
Throughout Elizabeth Panttaja’s article, the audience is provided with impressive mental illustrations in which portray the Cinderella society recognizes today as deceptive. The idea Pantajja is presenting to her intended audience comes from the foundation of the original Cinderella titled “Ashputtle.” Panttaja discloses that “Cinderella….has little to do with her being a standup citizen and more to do with her intense loyalty to her dead mother and a string of subversive acts; she disobeys the stepmother, enlists in forbidden helpers, uses magical powers, lies, hides, dissembles, disguises herself and evades pursuit”(Panttaja #60). The superior statement may be directly interpreted as Pantajja believes firmly that Cinderella is horribly misbehaved, disrespectful alongside deceitful.…
Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, the girl who finds her prince with the help of a magical fairy god-mother, transforming her previously horrible life to a fabulous depiction of every little girls dream. Generations of children around the world have heard the story Cinderella countless times, however most people are unaware of the multiple versions of this legend. The European version of Cinderella ,“Aschenputtel” written by the Grimm Brothers consists of the female protagonist being treated as a servant, yet somehow manages to leave her cruel family behind for her Prince whom she lives happily ever after with. Another version of Cinderella is the Native American tale “The Algonquin Cinderella”, where the female protagonist is also mistreated by her family, however she is fortunate enough to “find” her own prince in her village. Although both stories present similar morals, both vary in details such as characters, settings,and use of magic.…
The story of Cinderella is an interesting one as it perfectly depicts the example we’ve been given in class of the “hero’s journey”. Throughout the plot, it begins with her family struggles. Her mother has perished and her father marries a woman who is not fold of Cinderella in the slightest. In addition to this, the woman has two daughters who are spoiled…
In The essay Cinderella: Not So Morally Superior by Elisabeth Panttaja, the author analyzes the classic fairy tale that most of us have grown up knowing of Cinderella. The author’s analysis is a bit abrupt and right to the point, but also cleverly stated. The authors essay is about Cinderella being crafty, and not the normal perception of Cinderella being a princess who is virtuous and patient. It is also described in the essay that Cinderella may not be as motherless as it seems in the classic fairy tale. We think to assume that because she has magical powers looking over her that she is also of hierarchy morally. It is an example of the complexity in what is portrayed as a simple story. A story about good Vs. Evil, and good always overcomes.…
Virtually everyone has heard many kinds of fairy tales at some points especially in their childhood. Fairy tales are not only for entertaining, but also for passing down information. Tales and stories have been used as a valuable tool to explain natural phenomena, explored relationships, and teach morals. Tales can mirror and influence society. Different cultures have their unique version of tales to carry and pass down the needs of their particular society to the next generation. The same tale in the Europe is different from the tale told in Canada. Both Cyrus Macmillan and Charles Perrault’s “Cinderella” tales describe Cinderella as a gentle and beautiful young lady. Cinderella in both versions had a tough life at the beginning that her sister treated her very cruelly, yet she received a good marriage at the end because of her good characters. However, those two versions have difference. In Macmillan’s “Cinderella”, the author focuses on the character of protagonist. The warrior married Cinderella because she had spoken truth. In Perrault version, the prince fell in love with Cinderella because of her beautiful appearance although the story was also emphasis on her good character. Overall, both versions of Cinderella were stressed on her inside and outside beauties, which make her had a biggest reward.…
In “Conte” by Marilyn Hacker, Cinderella shows the reader a glimpse of her life after the childhood tale ends, a less happier ending than the original story implies. She feels trapped in a constant state of misery and boredom in the royal palace. Without life experience guiding her, Cinderella is in a dilemma caused by her ignorance of the potential consequences of her actions. With the use of irony, structure, and diction, “Conte” shows how innocence and naïveté result in regrettable mistakes that create life experience.…
One painting named “Re Boot”, challenges views to feminize the classic fairy tale of Cinderella. Formulated by the title and the boot worn in the portrait, Singer portrays Cinderella in opposition to how the classic story is told. The depicted image shows a woman’s legs and feet, one of which is placed inside a boot. Contrasting is a worn out, dirty, dark boot to the infamous clear, shiny, dainty glass slipper associated with Cinderella. Although Singer justifies her claim in feminizing Cinderella even more by leaving only one boot covering a foot so the other, rather large, foot out for display. This distinction between the size of the foot comments on the more likely possibility a hard working young main possess a large swollen foot then a dainty small one, after a long hard day. Combining these two aspects of the painting and the value of Feminism appears to play a large role in Singer’s recreation of Cinderella. Cinderella is the face of common feminine products as well as Disney itself and play largely to young girls. Singer’s painting reconstructs what the viewer knows about Cinderella, as a hard worker wearing masculine footwear, with large feet in juxtaposition to the dainty, glass footwear the view imagines her in. The title “Re Boot” critics how readers view Cinderella and questions them to “Reboot” their ideals of what hard…
In cinderella this young teenage girl wants to live up to her dream, but never get's because of her stepmom and stepsisters. Always in the end she ends up achieving what she was trying to work so hard for in the beginning. In all conclusion the story of cinderella shows the theme in literature to be sometimes predictable and other times unrecognizable.…
While Cinderella’s mother and the Fairy Godmother are not named, her stepmother and stepsisters are and hold many conversation with Cinderella and each other that revolve around numerous things like clothing, chores, nature and kindness. But, people still tend to have a problem with the story, thinking it feminist. In the film, the stepmother and step sisters obsess over their own looks and constantly put down Cinderella, even her name is a mockery. Then there is also the fact that the Prince ‘saves’ her from her life of misfortune and misery. But I don’t think that this is the case. Kenneth Branagh, the director of the film, balances the old with the new. He keeps aspects of the original Walt Disney film while modernising the character of Cinderella. The film focuses on the message that you should be kind to others, even if they are not kind themselves instead of beauty. Cinderella is also shown to be kind, courageous and brave with a unique personality which the Prince fall in love with. Yes, she is beautiful, but the Prince does not fall for her beauty but rather is charm. Also, though the Prince does ’save’ her in a sense, she didn’t really ‘need’ saving and Cinderella does a lot of the ‘saving’…
Perrault embraced the truism of the story by allowing the stepsisters to apologize to Cinderella for treating her so badly. True to her character, Cinderella “forgave them with all her heart” (Perrault, 2009). Furthermore, Cinderella arranged for both sisters to be married on the same day. Perrault concluded with a moral statement declaring that: “beauty is a fine thing… but charm is beyond price and worth more… more than a happy ending” (Perrault, 2009). Perrault’s ending reinforced the readers’ understanding of text and provided a good explanation of the purpose behind the tale while reinforcing readers understanding of text. Disney’s version merely ended soon after the shoe fit with a “happily ever after”…
In the real world, problems and complications come up and happily ever after’s don’t exist. Sexton takes the classic story of “Cinderella”, reworks it, and makes it into her own twisted version of a fairytale. She starts the audience off with a few little “rags-to-riches” accounts comparing modern culture’s unrealistic dreams to what life really is like. Then she goes into telling the readers the famously known fairytale in a sardonic tone. The audience gets a sense of frustration from her way of expressing herself in each little story she talks about. She shows the world that its not always rainbows and butterflies, the real world is more complicated than that. Sexton’s “Cinderella” highlights despair and the delusions women have about love.…
Cinderella teaches the as evil as her step mother and sisters are there are also kind people in the world. This fairy tale teaches unrealistic life expectations. The most unrealistic life expectation that this movie teaches young girls is that mice and animals talk to people. Another thing this fairy tale teaches is that all step siblings and step parents are evil. This movie teaches young girls even though Cinderella’s step mother and step sisters are so mean , she has other friends to help her out when she is down, like the fairy godmother and her animal friends. An example of this is when the animal friends fix up her ball gown for her to…
The movie is still keeping the gender stereotype alive and thriving even in people’s homes. In today’s America, where women are in the vanguard of dignified treatment, respect and equality for women, the gender role in fairy tales especially Cinderella is still the same. As Silima Nanda points out, “Ambitious women in fairy tales are always portrayed as evil from within, ugly and scheming, wielding over other women and men” (Portrayal of Women 246-250). While there has been efforts to rewrite fairy tale like Sleeping Beauty for the screen, Cinderella remains the passive girl with an evil stepfamily. The stepmother is typecast as wicked, cannibalistic and self-conceited because she wants a better life for…
The story chosen is Snow White that has become the most popular princess among young girls. Snow White and similar fairy tales are playing bad with young minds by showing male characters stronger and powerful, which is also causing gender discrimination. Whether the fairy tales have significant impact on folks’ lives has been the most discussed phenomenon of the time. Many people agree to the notion that fairy tales and their myths do have an impact in young children’ life while the other rejects this. Scientifically and psychologically, it has been proven that children tend to adopt the habits they see around and that they play a vital role in shaping a child's mind and controlling his/her thoughts. “Two close readings of this version, one psychoanalytic and the other feminist, suggest that because Snow White is part of a literally as well as folkloric tradition, it may be studied as a cultural artifact and text valid in itself” (Shuli Barzilai, 515).…