Reflection

First Year Seminar 
Going into this seminar, I knew very little about Grimm and their tales. I also knew very little about college in general. I thought that this course wasn't supposed to help me improve my college life, but it has. I have not only learned about fairy tales, I can now teach them to younger children, write college level essays, and analyze textual data.

Service Learning Project
This was one of my favorite service projects that I have done. The students were excited to learn and stayed engaged the entire time we were given to spend with them. It was interesting sharing the more "kid-friendly" aspects of The Brave Little Tailor. I enjoyed the opportunity to teach and share what I had learn to show that I understand the content given and learned in class.




Fairy Tales
At the beginning of the course, I knew the generals of Grimm fairy tales. I didn't know the brothers' history or why they collected the tales. I also didn't know there were different variations of the German tales. I knew the variations from culture to culture, but not variations within each.

 Symbolism in the tales also came as a surprise. Fairy tales are used as teaching tools with underlying meanings and symbolism so that children listen to their parents or eventually follow their "designated gender roles". Psychology also plays a role in these tales and I never even considered that. I enjoy learning about psychology, so this correlation made learning this content even more enjoyable. 

Rapunzel

Rapunzel
Rapunzel is one of America's favorite fairy tales. But this is in regards to the Disney version, where Rapunzel is saved by her prince and finds her fairy tale home and ending. Makes sense this is a popular tale, especially considering the musical numbers. Which, might I add, are AMAZING. This was by the far the best movie to be produced by Disney since "The Little Mermaid".

Cartoon:
I personally find this cartoon very funny because it gives Rapunzel a backbone when it comes to being used by a male counterpart- literally. She doesn't give in and looks away from the person that could give her freedom. It is implied in this cartoon that she will let this opportunity pass her by if it means getting to freedom on her own. This would be a huge accomplishment considering the typical role of females in traditional fairy tales. Many feminists are able to use fairy tales in their argument because of the use they have in teaching younger children. The tales are prime examples of teaching gender roles to children at a young age.

Cartoonist Name:Barbra Cahall

URL: https://www.deviantart.com/conservatoons/art/Feminist-Rapunzel-158349105

Barbe Bleu

Barbe Bleue v. Robber’s Bridegroom v. Fitcher’s Bird
All of the tales focus around the idea of a terrible man stealing women and killing them for malicious purpose. The man’s demise is the last woman that he tries to kill, when he is either outsmarted by them (Fitcher’s Bird), saved by their brothers (Barbe Bleue), or exposes the male in front of others (Robber’s Bridegroom). Each story is composed differently in how the women reveal the true intentions of the man to those who can save them. The Robber’s Bridegroom is one of the only tales in which the power of narrative is used by a character.

My Favorite:
My favorite of the three tales would be Fitcher’s Bird because the youngest sister is able to outsmart the Sorcerer without the help of a male overseer. She is also able to get the Sorcerer to do her bidding for her without having to do anything herself. This is a tale with a happier ending where the sister is able to redeem herself and save her sisters- who aren’t terrible people. If that is not the description of “Girl Power”, I don’t know what is.

Hansel and Gretel

Grimm...

We are all familiar with the Grim version of Hansel and Gretel. The siblings are abandoned by their family on the forest twice, but the second time they are unable to find their way back. Soon they stumble upon a cottage made of cake. The children begin to eat the house and soon meet the old witch who lives inside. After the witch welcomes the siblings, she snatches Hansel and begins to fatten him up so that he can eat them. When this day finally comes, Gretel out smarts the witch and pushes her into the oven, saving herself and her brother- all the while still grabbing treasures for their family. The siblings run away and are taken across a river on a duck so that they can eventually find their home. When they get there, their stepmother is dead and the father welcomes his children and the gifts they brought from the witch's house.

MGM...

This tale is familiar to the Grimms' although the mother loves her children and sends them to look for berries in the forest without malicious intentions. When they reach the witch's home, it is made of candy and gingerbread. The witch captures the children with magic and the father is searching for his children. Gretel defeats the witch and saves her brother and the previous children captured by the witch to be turned into guards for her home. The family is reunited and all live peacefully.

Differences v. Similarities... 
Obviously, the core of the fairy tale is the same in both- the family, the witch, and the plot in general. Both tales rely on religion and family orientation to take the childrens' victory form them and give them to a male figure- God or their father. Differences include the mother and step-mother and their intentions. The duck is nowhere to be found in the MGM version, but the Grimm version also lacks the magic included by MGM. Hansel and Gretel must also find their way out of the forest twice after being purposely left in the forest in the Grimm version, where MGM creates a more family friendly version where the children become lost on their own.

Little Red Riding Hood

Cartoon

Obviously this cartoon alludes to the theory that because we allude to Facebook followers as friends, we can trust them. A friend is defined as someone who we know and share a bond of mutual affection. Therefore, when we hear this term, we should be able to trust that person. Right? This socialistic cartoon emphasizes the issues we have created for ourselves as a society. We are very cognizant of who we allow into our lives, but that does not translate into our social media presences. Because we see the person who follows us as a "friend", we believe we can trust them.

This is the same for Little Red Cap. She interprets the wolf knowing her name as a sign of trust. This means very little in all actuality, as the wolf betrays Little Red Cap at the end of the multiple versions of the story.


Personal Outlook
I truly enjoy this cartoon. I have always disliked the presence of social media in my generation and the sway it holds. I see many people connected through social media, but just because we coined the term "friend" in social media doesn't mean they are that. I have never had a huge presence on social media and I am very selective with who I allow to friend and follow me. I don't know exactly why, but it seems to work in my favor compared to my friends who care about the number on the top of their profiles.


Cartoonist: Chris Slane
URL: https://dionisopunk.com/2018/02/22/little-red-riding-hood/facebook-friend/

The Cupid And The Frog

Cupid and Psyche
Cupid is sent to ruin Psyche for his mother Venus, when he takes pity on her and decides not to punish her to love a hideous beast. Psyche's suitors soon leave her and it is discovered she is destined to fall in love with the creature on the hill. She is abandoned to the hill, but lives the most extravagant life. She only sees her husband at night, although she has never seen his face. When asked, the beast allows her to see her sisters. Psyche is tricked by her sisters to kill her husband. This goes wrong when Cupid is revealed as her husband and eventually throws Psyche out of their home- all while her sisters are killed for trying to snatch their sister's husband. Psyche looks to atone for her sins and goes to Venus. Venus sends Psyche to complete multiple tasks, ending with Psyche placed in a deep sleep. Cupid then saves her and Venus forgives the sins of Psyche to allow her son to marry the one he loves. Psyche becomes immortal and the couple has a child named Pleasure.


The Frog King
In The Frog King, a gorgeous princess is playing with her golden ball when it falls into a well. A frog offers to bring it up to her IF she takes him home and lets him eat and sleep with her. The princess agrees and her ball is returned- but she breaks her promise and runs home. All is forgotten until the frog comes to the palace and the King requires the princess to maintain her promise to the frog. After eating and carrying the frog upstairs, the princess looses her temper and throws the frog against a wall. Soon, the frog transforms into a king and is accepted by the princess. In the morning, his servant comes to retrieve the king and the two go off to his kingdom.

Comparison
The moral of both of these stories is the same: Don't base love off of appearance and live up to the promises you make. Cupid and Psyche involves a child and gods, whereas The Frog King must be thrown against the wall and retrieved by his servants. Both the princess and Psyche sabotage their loves based on what they may or may not look like, until they are revealed to be a king or handsome. Obviously, this is very vain on both accounts but beggars can't be choosers.

Snow White

Disney....
 Many children have fallen in love with Walt Disney's version of the classic tale Snow White. Most can recite it in their sleep; the princess is driven away by her jealous stepmother (with the help of a petty mirror) and forced to live in the woods with 7 dwarfs. When the Evil Queen comes with a poisonous apple, Snow White takes a bite and falls into to a deep sleep in which the dwarfs place her in a glass coffin until her prince comes and awakens her with a kiss. Obviously, the Evil Queen is vanquished and the land falls into peace.

Grimm Brothers.... 

The Grimm Brother version of Snow White is very similar to that of the Disney version. Although rather than come a single time with an apple, the stepmother comes with laces and a comb to vanquish Snow White and is only successful the third time when the apple comes into play. The Prince actually takes the coffin from the dwarfs as a gift, and while walking back to the castle, the piece of apple lodged in Snow White's throat comes out and she awakens. At the wedding, the stepmother is forced to dance in burning, iron shoes until she dies.

Diversions....
Obviously, Americans would refuse to watch a tale that has little to no relation to miracles. The nation just broke free of the hold of depression, and many looked for hope and happy endings in every aspect of their lives to distract from the World War on the horizon. Disney took this opportunity to emphasize his beliefs and morals into Snow White. Those who tell the story the best set culture into motion, and Disney did just that. The fact Snow White was foolish enough to fall for her step mother not once, but three times, is unappealing to those who were looking for prosperity for the future. The Prince is the figure to save the day because Disney saw this as an opportunity to push men and their "given roles" into the spotlight. To him, men will always be the saviors. Lastly, the end of the tale is too gruesome to the viewers that would give Disney the largest portion of his revenue: children.

Rising to the Tale

Rise Tales...
A rise tale features the typical "rags to riches" theme plot through marriage- or in the case of fairy tales- magic. Cinderella is one of these tales in which the lowly peasant girl becomes a princess after finding her true love by enduring years of abuse from her family.

Ironically, this the life that many little girls and women wish for, excluding the abuse and being a lowly peasant girl. To achieve this, most either have to fall in love with a rich man or marry them for the benefits of their station, *cough cough* gold diggers.


Reality... 
I believe that sometimes success or riches can be reached by marriage but that leads to the question of whether or not the relationship is genuine (i.e. love). The premise of marriage is for love, and many are willing to marry the person they fall in love with rather than how much are is in their bank account. On the other hand, magic is not a factor in this. Logically speaking, love is a chemical reaction in our brains- many are able to achieve this chemical reaction by eating chocolate but on a much lower scale. I do believe that this is possible, Kate Middleton being the prime example. But for average people, "rags to riches" isn't as possible or realistic.

What is a Fairy Tale?

Basic Definition of Fairy Tales 
Oxford defines a fairy tale as "A children's story about magical and imaginary beings and lands; a fairy story". But it is so much more than that. To correctly define a fairy-tale, we must look at all components. This will also ignore the Americanization that has occurred over the years as a direct result of Walt Disney and his cinematic empire.

Components of Fairy Tale
According to Max Luthi, there are 10 basic components of a fairy tale:
1. Formulaic expressions- "Once upon a time..""
2. No detailed descriptions- Abstract stylization
3. Isolation of characters- Singular hero and/or villain
4. Fond of extreme contrasts in people, objects- Good v. evil, sun and moon, etc
5. Delight in repetition
6. Many symbols/ motifs- the meaning of
7. Action driven- what happens?
8. Heroes return at the right moment- Victorious, just in time
9. Great need for precision and clarity- No "what if" or "perhaps"
10. Happy ending

There are many more than these basic 10 components when we begin to analyze fairy tales. Each tale has a lesson to be learned and a "falcon", which is essentially a motif that is related to the story whether it be in word or image. We do not question the talking lion in the story, nor do we question that the witch has magic. Although we want to comment on this, we do not question the not-so-smart decisions of the characters and heroes- much like a scary movie.


Working Definition of a Fairy Tale: 
I define a fairy tale as "A story involving magical and extraordinary characters and beings, with the intent to teach a lesson (moral or otherwise) to the audience through motifs, symbolism, and contrasts." It is important to correctly define this term because it allows cultures to see the true meaning and progression of fairy tales in our lives.

The True Grimm Brothers

Grimm or Grimmy?
Obviously, the Grimm Brothers are prominent figures in the collection of fairy tales. Over the years- to relate the authors to their work- Hollywood has taken the Grimm Brothers and turned them into something they are not. Children know very little about Brothers and more involving the magic and wonder of their tales. Distinguishing fact from fiction is a large part of preserving history, especially when it comes to Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.

 
Grimm
The Brothers Grimm collected oral fairy tales from German communities in the quest to preserve German history and lore. This was especially important to the Brothers considering the French occupation at the time and their need to spread their views on religion. Jacob and his brother were extremely close, and they went forth in their endeavors together throughout their lives. Wilhelm eventually married, while Jacob remained dedicated to their work. Throughout their lives, the Brothers published numerous versions of their fairy tales and many other works which can be claimed as a main source in the quest to preserve German history.

Grimmy
The Brothers Grimm movie directed by Terry Gilliam creates an unrealistic portrayal of the Brothers by adding magic, comedy, and adventure to their lives. Obviously, the Brothers didn't hunt witches or scam innocent people out of their money- let alone believe in magic (as it goes against their religion); nor did they briefly work for a French Commander. Ironically, the town of Marbaden does not exist. The two weren't "much into the party scene", and the possibility of Jacob falling in love with someone over his work is extremely slim. Angelika was added to the plot for dramatic and romantic affects, considering Wilhelm eventually married Dortchen. All of the magic in the movie is created to bring the works of the Brothers to life and relate the authors to the tales.


The Brothers Grimm are of extreme interest due to the popularity of their tales- most of that popularity due to the Americanization by Walt Disney. For many children, the authors are of little importance compared to the magic of their tales. Rather than push aside the Brothers, we must determine between fact and fiction so that their life-long work does not go unnoticed.

Welcome to the Land of Fairy-Tales

Choosing My First Year Seminar...

Once upon a time, not long ago, in a land far far away, I had to choose my First Year Seminar. McDaniel offers many First Year Seminars, but I didn't want to "read the recipe" or learn about- in my opinion- the world's most boring sport; baseball. All of these other options paled in comparison to learning about the Grimm Brothers' work and how Walt Disney built an empire based on some of the most popular fairy-tales in the world. I grew up reading fairy-tales and now I readily accept the chance analyze and re-read some of my favorite tales. I know that the Grimm Brothers' tales are more gruesome than Disney's but the stark contrast will enable me to see beyond what the media and other influencers have fed to me since I was little.

My Goals for this Seminar....

I hope to improve my knowledge about the symbolism of fairy-tales. Obviously each story is meant to entertain children or teach a lesson, but there are hidden meanings behind each story that involve the time period, culture, or beliefs about the creators of the story. I also hope to focus on my writing abilities. I have always shied away from writing because I felt that what I was saying was "cliche" or typical and unoriginal. Because the topics discussed in the seminar are some I find intriguing, I will be more willing to master the content and enjoy creating a writing piece involving each subject. Lastly, I want to be able to understand the historical context behind each story. The Grimm Brothers obviously collected and published these stories to not only preserve the German culture, but to broadcast messages to the world.

Once Upon A Time... 

As an avid fairy-tale enthusiast, I have read everything from Hansel and Gretel to The Goose Girl. Despite all of my experience with fairy-tales, my favorite will always be The Little Mermaid. This is mostly due to the Disney cartoon adaptation, which I fell in love with when I was barely 4 years old. Ariel was portrayed as a beautiful, kind, and talented mermaid that was also a princess- what little girl wouldn't fall in love with her?


I think I am drawn to this story because of the main topic: mermaids. The creativity behind this creature is more than my boring, unimaginative brain could muster in a life time. That, and if I could breathe underwater, I would take a vacation anywhere in the world as long as I could swim there.



Hopefully my freshman year won't be as bad as my volleyball teammates have made it out to be. I am optimistic as the school year begins and i look forward to this course.