Blog Entry 5

Snow white and the seven dwarfs in the movie and the tale have a lot of similarities and differences. In the snow white film the step mother asked for the heart and in the fairy tale she asked for the lungs and liver. The jealous nature is in both the film and movie as the queen asked the huntsman to kill snow white. The huntsman was still let snow white go because she was so beautiful and innocent. Snow white runs into the dwarfs in both the movie and the tale but the difference between that is that in the movie the animals guide her to the house and it was dirty and messed up. In the tale the dwarfs house wasn't dirty at all but they allowed her to stay so they could keep her out of harms way. A big difference between the movie and the tale is that singing and animal helpers is a main focus in the films while in the tales they don't mention anything about snow white singing to the animals and the prince. The way snow white dies in the film and in the story are same but different. In the tale it took the queen three attempts to kill snow white first she used a lace to tie around her neck, then she used a poison comb for her hair and lastly she used the apple which finally did the trick. The prince also rescued snow white in the end and she lived happily ever after but he did it two different ways. In the film he kissed her and she awoke by true loves first kiss. In the tale she was awaken because the people who were carrying her body got stuck on a hedge of some sort and the piece of the apple fell out of her mouth and she woke up. The queen also dies in both tales but in very different ways. In the tale she was invited to the wedding of snow white and the prince; she was given hot slippers and dance until she fell to her death. In the tale she was trying to kill the dwarfs but lightning struck the rock she was standing on and she fell off the cliff. Disney diverted from the original version of the film to make the movie there own. Disney films are all about happily ever afters and appealing to the wants and needs of children. The Grimm stories have some harsh methods of punishment in them sometimes that people wouldn't want there children to see. Disney also diverted from the original film because it wouldn't have been interesting as a movie. The stories plot was too long to be a movie so a change had to be made to make it more entertaining for viewers. 

Blog Entry 4

Can someone reach success or riches with magic or marriage? How realistic is that?

I believe a person can reach success and riches through marriage, not magic because this is real life. For example Kate Middleton became famous and gained success and riches through marriage. Kate Middleton married Prince Williams, the Duke of Cambridge. In England this is how they succeed on keeping their family on the royal throne. They marry, and marry and marry, this is a tradition that has been in England many years now. The kings and queens, duchess and dukes have no real power like a president of the united states would but they have money and success. People know who they are and look up to them to be just like them. Another example of somebody gaining success through marriage is a "normal" person marrying a reality TV star, an actor, actress or anybody in the entertainment business. Tammy Rivera has become famous for being the wife of a known rapper; Waka Flocka Flame. Joseline Hernandez has become famous from being in a relationship with a well known music producer and getting on a reality show with him. The same thing worked for Cinderella also. The prince was in a high rank in status he could get her out of those rags and into a beautiful ball gown. Now she had help with trapping him through the marriage of her god mother but the idea was to get the prince to fall in love with her. All along Cinderella knew that true love was the only way she was going to get out of the nightmare she was living. So when she saw the prince it might have been love at first sight or a way for a better life. Nobody will ever know the true meaning but the Brother's Grimm, we will only know what everybody interprets. Not in all cases a person can gain success through marrying someone, but it is very possible.

The story below is similar to Cinderella and this woman too went from "rags to riches".

Catherine I

The life of Empress Catherine I of Russia could easily be confused with something out of a fairy tale. The future queen was born in 1684 into a family of Lithuanian peasants, and was orphaned at the age of 3 after both her parents died from the plague. Taken in by a pastor, she spent her youth as a housemaid in Marienburg in modern day Latvia. After Russia conquered the city in 1702, 18-year-old Catherine was captured and taken to Moscow. She became a servant in the home of a high-ranking government official, and it was there that she met the Russian Emperor Peter the Great. Despite being uneducated and illiterate, Catherine charmed the emperor with her beauty and wit, and the two soon began a passionate affair.
The couple married in 1712, and Catherine went on to become Peter’s closest confidante during a period of sweeping political and social reforms. She was named Russia’s first female empress upon his death in 1725, cementing her astonishing rise from orphaned peasant to monarch. Catherine died after only 16-months on the throne, but during her short reign she consolidated her power and reduced the size of the empire’s bloated military. Not forgetting her own humble origins, she also won the love of the people by dispensing generous gifts to the poor.

Blog Entry 3

The Brothers Grimm tale is very different from the actual fairy tale. In the tale the step mother is evil and leaves Hansel and Gretel in the woods. In the movie the mother is loving and kind and wants to have food for her family. A neighbor comes and brings them some milk and eggs and she make them some custered i believe she called it. When Hansel went to feed the donkey he forgot to close the gate and the donkey ate all the food and milk. The mother was so angry she sent the kids into the woods to get berries and not to come back until they had enough for everyone. One thing the movie kept the same is that Hansel did leave a trail to try to find their way back home but it was cookie crumbs instead of bread crumbs. Another similarity is that the birds ate the crumbs and they were not able to find their way back home. The kids also found the house with the evil witch and ate away at the house just like in the Brothers Grimm story. The witch is nice to them, she even sings to them to convince her that its okay to come inside and she will feed them delicious treats. She gave them all the food they wanted and even offered them her gingerbread door. A difference though is that she read the kids a bed time story and allowed them to stay the night at her house. Gretel woke up in the middle of the night and seen that the nice old lady wasn't really a nice old lady at all but an witch. She then cast a spell on Hansel and Gretel so she can have complete control over them. Gretel kept her role and the one who cooks everything that Hansel ate; she made all the food while the witch fed it to him through a cage. The witch actually had an eye glass and Gretel made her break it by banging it with the nut hammer. (I think that's what it's called) One unique difference I think the movie directors did great with was that the previous kids that she had kidnapped were actually the gingerbread statues that stood outside of her house leading you to her door. It was like she was using kids to lore kids.....very interesting. Hansel and Gretel stayed true to the ending but instead of forcing the witch into the oven, Gretel stole her magic stick and said a spell that made her take the place of Hansel. In the end the pearls and jewels remained the same except in the movie there where in the form of coins. The movie and the tale captured the happily ever after ending. I believe the movie directors made these changes to get the watchers more involved into the story. (I know I was) Telling the story this way makes the people watching think the story more positive. As when you read the tale it's so much darkness and evil in the story that the movie makes it more likable and enjoyable. The whole purpose of movies is to entertain and the movie made these changes to better entertain the audience and capture a more positive version that kids and their families would better enjoy.

Blog Entry 2

A fairy tale is a story that has a way deeper meaning than you think it does. Fairy tales usually have a meaning about true love and happiness behind them. Sleeping beauty's meaning was that love conquers all. No matter what Maleficent did with her curse and evil plans it still didn't stop the prince and princess from falling in love. That's what fairy tales are all about. It's about love and hope and happily ever afters. A fairy tale is a story of meaning that can be passed on from generation to generation. A fairy tale will never get old, it will never fade away, it will be in the memories of your children, their children and their children children's.