Critique of “Cinderella: Not So Morally Superior” In the article “Cinderella: Not So Morally Superior,” Elisabeth Panttaja states, a not so obvious but true point, that Cinderella is not the innocent orphaned girl we would expect. She also makes it clear that Cinderella’s mother plays a vital role in Cinderella’s life. She plays a role by doing what she had promised Cinderella on her death bed. She told Cinderella “Dear child be good and pious. Then the dear Lord shall always assist you, and I shall look down from heaven and take care of you.” (Panttaja 659).
“Snow White”: Then and now Fairy Tales are filled with magic, love, and conquest of good over evil. Fairy tales can be a window to other worlds so that children can make their wildest dreams come true. When I was a kid Snow White showed me all of these things, but looking back now at Snow White the characters, plot, and theme shows something in a different way. Looking back at the characters of Snow White they were very unique to me as a kid. For example, Snow White was known for her beauty at such a young age, “The fairest of them all.” Also, the Queen evil as can be and envious of Snow’s beauty.
Even though Snow White is given the poisonous red apple, the effects do not last forever. She is eventually woken up when she receives a kiss from the Prince, which gives the audience the idea of “happily ever after.” Even though the evil queen does not fare as well, she also benefits from Disney’s soft-hearted version, as she does not actually die, but falls fall from a cliff as the dwarves chase her. Lightning strikes and she fades away. By staying away from the brutal images of death, the Disney version sticks with the innocence of its younger audience. The
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson can be portrayed as both a feminist and antifeminist film. The Little Mermaid is seen as feminist film through ariel because of her actions and the way she is represented. The same factors illustrate this film to be antifeminist. Firstly, The little mermaid is seen as feminist movie by some through the leading lady, Ariel. Most Disney princesses have fallen into the role of a dutiful daughter, however Ariel breaks through that category and becomes her own.
I would have to agree with Eliot's view on love. I believe this way because there is no man nor woman that is perfect. I feel that through out this poem he states how a lot of people feel about love. In most of the Disney movies the girl is portrayed as a damsel in distress or helpless. In the 20th century the woman's role has changed.
After being captivated by the faery’s beautiful looks, the knight is spellbound by “la belle dame’s” “faery song”. Her faery-like qualities: long hair, wild eyes, and strange language, all contribute to the portrayal of her as an idealistic woman, unreal to the rest of the world. Because her perfection is really nonexistent, her soothing voice and charming looks are only a cover hiding the true, evil nature of the woman who has no mercy for any man, as the French name suggests. Similarly, Daisy, an attractive, young woman has certain features that make her enticing and idealistic, especially for Jay Gatsby. Daisy’s voice was one of the main traits that kept her so intriguing and mysterious for Gatsby, which Nick mentions when he says, “there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget” (9).
Companies, such as Disney have twisted, tangled and tweaked the original stories to please the targeted audience, hence where our happy endings come from. My personal favourite fairytale when I was little was Cinderella. However, the genuine story originated in the 1st century BC, where Cinderella’s name was actually Rhodopis. The story was very similar to the modern story with the exception of the glass slippers and the famous pumpkin. But lurking behind this pretty tale is a sinister twist.
For example, if you read them Cinderella, your child would probably believe that any step-mother they see is evil or that there is a prince charming waiting outside their house with a glass shoe. As an adult, you can obviously tell that there are no realistic traits in that story as first and fore most; over a million females in the world maybe a size eight or six in shoes, right? Secondly, like I mentioned before, they promote violence! I mean, doesn’t the first sentence say it all? Children do not know that violence is bad.
Most people who are familiar with Cinderella have little understanding of the subliminal messages associated and the consequences involved. To many, Cinderella is a harmless story of a young girl who struggles through life, is finally able to achieve her dreams, and lives happily ever after. In reality, the patriarchal gender expectations and rewards associated with Disney’s Cinderella can be damaging to young girls and their self-image. Therefore, in order to render the misogynistic ideologies of these stories invalid, modern pedagogy should be recreated to incorporate potential empowerment for both genders. Most people believe fairy tales to be harmless to a girl’s development, unable to comprehend the reality of the situation: the gender stereotyping involved in these stories can be influential in several ways (Bonds-Raake 232).
Where fairytales are expected to glorify the protagonist as the ultimate hero with charming looks, gracious mannerisms and valiant gallantry, Shrek is at complete odds with all such attributes. A far cry from the customary fairytale hero, he is an ugly ogre and not prince charming, he is ill-mannered, lacks confidence and is definitely not the romanticized male protagonist of fabled heroism. And so social expectations that come with the iconic