For your post due on Thursday morning, first read the Margaret Atwood text called “There Was Once,” which I gave you in class last week. Think about how it retells the story of Cinderella (you might refresh your memory, re-learn, or learn for the first time about this folktake. The Disney version is not the original version! The Wikipedia entry for Cinderella gives us many versions, including the Brothers Grimm version, which is thought to be the basis for the versions of the story in Western Europe and the US).
Returning to Atwood’s story, what changes does the second speaker prompt the storyteller to make? We will discuss the challenges the second speaker makes as the kind of questions we should ask about any text we read, in much the same way that we looked critically at certain details in the Frida Kahlo painting in class. What would it mean for your reading to question nearly every word in a story? Also, how does this story stand as an example of any of the elements of fiction that you read about?
These questions are all linked, but you don’t have to answer all of them. Think about what interests you in them, and respond with a post that’s approximately 300 words. You might use the comments as an opportunity to reflect on an aspect of the story you wanted to think more about but didn’t include in your post.
Be sure to review the Blogging guidelines as you draft your response.
I read There was once by Margaret Atwood. This piece reminds me of how critical society is today. A story like this makes me think. We are quick to believe what we are told , without ever second guessing or considering the source. “There was once a poor girl “. Someone who lives in a house is not considered poor. If a girl who lives in a house is poor , then what would the people who live in the streets be considered?I feel that the second character was promoting the author to think outside the box. The second character was also encouraging the writer of the story to be realistic. I feel that we should often consider the source before we decide to take heed to just any old story. Though the story told, without the queries would contain a plot as well as conflict. The second character is taking away the fantasy in fiction by considering too much of reality. Reality contradicts the theory of fiction and makes the story less appealing. If we always considered how people may feel when we are being creative we would not be able to get to the end of the story. A story should not be political, when it is being told for entertainment. I feel that it is important to capture the theme of the story in words, as opposed to nit picking at every detail. Stories like this are told to prove a point, and the details of the story should always depend on the point you are trying to get across.