My Paper

I am going to be writing about fairy tales and how Disney tends to change the fairy tales and make them different just to sell them to a different audience. Because, a little history lesson folks, back in the day, fairy tales weren’t meant for children. They were meant for adults to give them a sense of right and wrong and to remind them what they are and aren’t supposed to do. The reason that they are written with such simple writing and are so easy to read is because when fairy tales were first around, most of the common folk didn’t have that great of reading abilities. So when you wrote for someone like that you had to make it easier. But then, Disney came in and they decided to change it all around. And in doing so, they’ve changed how society sees fairy tales and the use for fairy tales all together. Not only have they done that but they have also injected their own beliefs into the story and reinforced a lot of gender stereotypes and a lot of racism into their stories. I mean, why did our first princess of color have to happen in the 21^st century? I know there was Pocahontas but she never really exemplified a princess. They actually enforce the stereotypes of Native Americans in that story.

There is just a lot that I don’t agree or like that Disney does and they tend to take the best stories for their own and change them so that the original meaning isn’t the same anymore. After that, they copyright the shit out of it so that way it can never be reproduced in any way without Disney’s sole say so and agreement with how they want their story represented. Even though I am not an English major anymore, I still love English, the stories, and the writing that goes into it. And to have one company single-handedly destroy stories, it makes me sad and unhappy.

Cinderella: A Review

When we think of Cinderella, we think of the blonde girl that has light blue eyes and finds her Prince Charming.  We think of the story by Disney that furthers patriarchal dominance and sexism. This great story that almost every child is introduced to when they are young, teaches us that there is a clear divide between men and women and that women need to find their Prince Charming. This story has been handed down by generations without giving much thought as to what it’s teaching our children and how we are furthering these thoughts if we meant to or not.

However, I am not talking about that Cinderella; I am talking about one that was published years before Disney even heard the story. The Brothers Grimm Cinderella talks about greed and the costs of being greedy and wicked. This is a book that is meant for more of an adult audience. While it does follow a similar story to the Disney version, it is a lot more graphic and gory. It also shows Cinderella outsmarting the Prince and her family. Cinderella seems to confuse and confound everyone. She isn’t made to look like some girl who is solely going after the Prince because he has money, she seems to have intelligence and she is a hard worker.

I guess the biggest thing that I would like to stress about this book is that it is meant for adults and solely adults. The Disney version does a nice job of making this story for kids; this version is not for kids. It’s something that I personally like because I am not one of those people who like happy endings in stories. I am more of a realist I guess I would say. I know that everything doesn’t work out perfectly and I really don’t like it when books and movies do that. This story has an amazing ending, it starts off with the two wicked sisters cutting off parts of their foot to fit in the shoe that is meant for Cinderella and then when the Prince is informed that they aren’t the correct person, he actually figures out its Cinderella. At the end, the two sisters attempt to sneak into the wedding and get their eyes pecked out. It’s part of a punishment and part of a lesson that we have to take with us. It tells us about wickedness and greed and metaphorically what you lose when you indulge in those things.

I feel like this book is something that more adults and teenagers should read. The Brothers Grimm makes it so easy to understand what’s happening and what their message is about greed.  I feel like most people forget that fairy tales were normally meant for adults and not children. They were supposed to give adults an easy way to access their moral compass and help remind people the causes of their actions and how they should behave.  Without these stories and these reminders, we lose what we had to help us make decisions and we lose those little reminders that we once had.

Spring Break

Spring  Break! I am too excited to go chill on a beach, soak up some sun, and swim a little. It’s so great to go somewhere warm and not have to worry about this damn wind or any F*CKING snow that decides to pop up unannounced and unwanted, kind of like Sarah Palin. It’ll be so great to get a tan because I am so pasty that Casper would be horrified by what I look like right now. Isn’t that just awesome?!?

In reality, I am going to go back to my house and go to my orientation for my job over the summer. I am not going to any tropical place or anywhere remotely warm unless Illinois decides, much like our politicians, to do something shady and tease us with the prospects of warmth. I know you guys are probably sensing a lot of sarcasm but what you guys should really get from this is a blog post dripping is sarcasm. I honestly will be spending my week at home, doing homework, and praying that this school year is almost over. Some small part of me wishes that I was kidding but, sadly, I’m not.

I guess it’s not all bad. I’ll get to see my Six Flags family and all the people that I’ve missed. I get to see my puppy and all my friends that go to other colleges. I am already making plans as we speak. I just have to remember to write that paper that I have to turn in a few days after break. Also, the great part about Spring Break is that I register for classes two days after break. Yeah, RA’s get special privilege. Whoot, whoot.

I am sure that everyone here is probably so jealous of my Spring Break and you know what? You should be! I get to cuddle with my dog and create more antics with my friends. I don’t need any warm weather or beach or sunshine! I can do everything I want to do here and not have to worry about getting a sun burn or flying anywhere or anything like that!

**Begins to sob** 

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