My FYS Experience

I've always been a huge fan of Disney princesses and stories and parks, well everything Disney. So coming into the class I thought that we would read a couple Grimm tales and then learn all about the changes Disney made to the stories to make them better. But it quit the opposite. 
During the class we didn't just learn about the tales but we learned a lot about the Brothers Grimm and their history and lives. Getting to know the authors of these tales helped me to better understand the influence the tales left on Germany and the world. And gaining this information showed me that Disney did take away some culture while making his successful films!  

Looking over my blogs from the semester I realized I came in with a closed mind just wanted to learn about happy ever afters and prince charmings. But I learned so much more. I learned how to really look at texts and see the meaning behind it. I learned culture and some German words as well, thanks Dr. Esa. The class didn't just teach me about Grimm tales but how to be an overall better student. 

I really liked how the class was set up with readings and discussions. Personally this is how I learn best so I got a lot out of this class. My favorite part however was going and presenting to the third graders at the elementary school. I love taking what I've learned and teaching it to younger students who are willing to have an open mind. This class was overall more than what I expected and really enjoyed it! 

Rapunzel vs. Tangled

You wouldn’t even have to read the original tale of

Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm to know there would be major differences between it and the new Disney movie Tangled, all you’d have to do is look at the movie poster. Right off the bat they have different titles, the movie poster has a horse holding a sword, and Rapunzel has a chameleon on her head. For those who haven’t seen the movie or maybe only read the book here is a comparison of the two.

Tangled Disney Film

Original Rapunzel Tale

Rapunzel is a princess, whom possesses magical qualities due to a magical flower that has healing powers Mother Gothel is an old woman who steals Rapunzel to harness her power, which brings back Mother Gothel’s youth when she sings. Rapunzel’s hair glows at the song. Rapunzel grows up in a tower thinking Mother Gothel is her mother. Flynn Rider, a thief, takes shelter in the tower and Rapunzel is surprised and scared by him They go on an adventure to take Rapunzel to see the “floating lights”, and they end up falling in love Mother Gothel stabs Flynn and tries to take Rapunzel away again She makes a deal to go with Mother Gothel in exchange for healing Flynn Flynn cuts off Rapunzel’s hair killing Mother Gothel and evidently himself Rapunzel cries a single tear over him and the magic in her tear heals him Gets married to Flynn after returning to rule as princess

A husband steals rapunzel lettuce from a fairy’s garden to fulfill his pregnant wife’s craving He is soon caught, and the fairy lets him take as much rapunzel as he wants but he must give her his child The fairy, Mother Gothel, names the child Rapunzel She turns 12 and gets locked away in a high tower Rapunzel lets down her long hair when a prince visits her She was afraid but then they enjoy each other’s company Rapunzel accidentally tells Mother Gothel, that she is pregnant Mother Gothel chops off her hair and banishes her She then tricks the prince and he throws himself off the tower; he becomes blind After wandering around Rapunzel and the prince find each other Two tears restore his vision

The Disney version plays up the romance and gives the story more of a lovey dovey family feel. Disney added magical song and youth-restoring hair to keep the "Disney Magic" in the story like it's other tales. The only real similarities are the use of “Rapunzel’s” name, her long hair, and ending up with her prince. And the most unusual detail is the magical element of Rapunzel’s tears. Two tears restore her prince’s vision in the original, and one tear brings back Flynn in the Disney film. A small but very important similarity. Overall, Disney did what it always does with the Grimm tales which is change them to no longer be Grimm tales and add songs.

http://www.impawards.com/2010/tangled_ver3_xlg.html

Bluebeard, The Robber Bride, and Fitcher's Bird

With in all three stories we read, Bluebeard, The Robber Bridegroom, and Fitcher’s Bird, there were aspects that were unsettling and weird. There were a few similarities such as the motif of being married to a monster and the blood that won’t wipe off the key in Bluebeard and on the egg in The Robber Bridegroom but the plot and details differ in each tales.

The three stories are all unique in the way they motif is carried out and portrayed. They all hold up the motif of being “married to a monster” like I said before, which plays such an important role. The tales themselves are in reverse where the marriage is in the beginning and then all drama and misfortune happen. A lot of the lesson to be taken away from the story is to never judge someone on the outside because you never know what they could be hiding.

I think my favorite tale is Bluebeard. I like that there is obvious symbolism with the character having a blue beard showing his class and that it’s a key which is at least a little normal.  Fitcher’s Bird is my least favorite, mainly because it seems to have just copied Bluebeard and made it weirder. All the random things like with the skull and decorating herself in honey and feathers is very strange and I just wasn’t a fan.

Below I made a chart for a more visible list of differences within the plot of each story.  

Bluebeard	The Robber Bridegroom	Fitcher’s Bird
A man’s blue beard makes him ugly and scary to others Mystery of what happened to his previous wives Bluebeard throws an extravagant party to get one of the neighbor’s daughters to like him; she does and they marry After one month, Bluebeard goes on a trip and leaves his wife with a key he says she is forbidden to use to open the little room Wife is overcome with curiosity and unlocks the room, and finds dead women hung all over the walls and the floors covered in blood She drops the key and the blood doesn't come off because it's cursed Bluebeard returns and discovers this and is going to kill his wife, but she begs for time to pray while she waits for her brother's to come kill him Wife receives all his money and uses it to marry her sister and pay her brothers She remarries a good man	A prince wants his bride-to-be princess to visit his castle He ties ribbon on each tree for her to follow An old woman tells the princess the prince wants to kill her and eat her The old woman feels bad and tells the princess to hide One robber cuts off a finger to get a ring but it flies into the princess’s lap She escapes and the next day the prince comes over and she tells him what she witnessed but describes it as a dream The robbers and bridegroom are killed	A thief and sorcerer knocks on a maiden’s door and kidnaps her to be his wife He goes on a trip and leaves her with an egg and a key, threatening her not to go into the room it opens She does and sees a large basin with butchered people in it; she drops the egg and the blood won’t come off The man kills her and marries the second daughter, giving her the same instructions and the same thing occurs He marries the third daughter, whom outsmarts him by leaving the egg in a cupboard before going into the room She puts her sisters back together and they’re alive She invites the man’s friends to the wedding She dips herself in honey and feathers to disguise herself Thinking the skull is his bride the man goes back into the house and the helpers fetched by the sisters burn the house down

Little Red Riding Hood Cartoon

The cartoon I choose was “Little Goldilocks Riding Hood” which was created by Hebert Block in 1939 right before the start of World War II. Block most likely created the cartoon to show that there might be a prospect of war. This cartoon is depicted as a combination of "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Goldilocks", overall representing the weaker country of Poland, startled at finding "The Big Bad Wolf" as Hitler, representing a much stronger Nazi Germany, and one of the Three Bears, representing the equally as strong Soviet Russia, in bed waiting for her. It seems the cartoon combines both Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood to show that one person has the threat of two huge predators. 

In this case it is Poland facing the threat of two huge powers, which are Germany and Russia. Historically the cartoon shows the result of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact that was signed August 24, 1939. The pact opened the way for Germany and the Soviet Union to invade and partition Poland. Hitler decided to make such a pact so that he would not face a war on two fronts. Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1 precipitated World War II. The cartoon depicts how the innocent country of Poland was suddenly threatened by two of the biggest countries in Europe. Russia and Germany were on both sides of Poland and therefore Poland would not be able to escape. 

I think the cartoon is very accurate in what it is trying to portray! I also am a bit of a history buff so the second I saw this cartoon I knew what it was about. But if you aren't like me I wouldn't think it would be that hard to figure out, so it was a very well thought out cartoon. Obviously this is a political cartoon and it was made for an American audience in order to possibly convince them to help Poland. Overall, a really well used theme of "Little Red Riding Hood" since just like the young girl in the story Poland was just minding it's own business and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

http://www.logoi.com/pastimages/img/little_red_riding_hood_3.jpg