Monthly Archives: February 2018

Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper France (Charles Perrault)

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This Cinderella story is very similar to the story i grew up reading. The princess Cinderella is treated badly by her step mother because she was more beautiful than her daughters. Cinderella doesn’t want to trouble her father because shes afraid her father would scolded her, so she keeps the fact that her step mother and step sisters treat her unfairly to herself. Despite them treating her poorly she’s still kind to them. Later on she gets the prince that every other girl in the kingdom wants. This story is practically identical besides a few difference. In the story, they explained that she got her name Cinderella  from cleaning the chimney, they originally called her Cinder-wench but one of the sisters called her Cinderella instead because they felt sorry for her and that name stuck eventually. In the story i know with, her name was ella and one of the sisters called her Cinderella because she had cinder all over her face and clothes from making a fire in the fire pit. Another difference was that there was only one ball in the original story, but in this version she attended two balls but at the second one is where she lost her slipper. The last difference was that Cinderella found husbands for her step sisters once she was married to her prince. The story itself doesn’t say much about Frances culture  expect for when the too step sisters were preparing for the ball and one of the sisters said she would wear a red velvet suit with french trimming but besides that to me the story doesn’t reflect much on Frances culture.

TAM & CAM

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While reading Tam and Cam I expected a traditional story very similar to the American version of Cinderella but to my surprise it was quite funny and plot twisting. It was interesting that the author decided to have tam reincarnate and be re joined with her beloved husband. One familiarity I did notice was the festival or big gala that unites the prince and soon to be princess also the way they meet through the fitting of a shoe/slipper. Essentially another aspect of the story that was familiar to me was the fact common (to some) tradition that cultures like these tend to have tales that would involve animals with them playing a big role. For example, towards the end of the story the bird ended up coming back to speak with the step mother to remind her that she was, in fact, eating her daughter when she ate the mam. What I understand from Vietnams culture after reading this story is that reincarnation is a belief and that maybe karma is in fact a bitch. They value hard work and believe you will receive what you give I.e tam was a hardworking girl who did nothing but try to keep her step mother happy, tam need up In a happy mirage with riches while the step mother and sister were mean miserable people who made tams life a living hell so they where gifted death at the end. I especially enjoyed reading tam reincarnation into different things and still ending up by her husbands side happy beautiful and young; right when you think the story is over tam comes back and gets what she rightfully deserves. This version of Cinderella  is far more interesting, entertaining than the American version which in my opinion is practicable. Reading tam and cam I did not know what was coming next. 

TAM & CAM

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While reading Tam and Cam I expected a traditional story very similar to the American version of Cinderella but to my surprise it was quite funny and plot twisting. It was interesting that the author decided to have tam reincarnate and be re joined with her beloved husband. One familiarity I did notice was the festival or big gala that unites the prince and soon to be princess also the way they meet through the fitting of a shoe/slipper. Essentially another aspect of the story that was familiar to me was the fact common (to some) tradition that cultures like these tend to have tales that would involve animals with them playing a big role. For example, towards the end of the story the bird ended up coming back to speak with the step mother to remind her that she was, in fact, eating her daughter when she ate the mam. What I understand from Vietnams culture after reading this story is that reincarnation is a belief and that maybe karma is in fact a bitch. They value hard work and believe you will receive what you give I.e tam was a hardworking girl who did nothing but try to keep her step mother happy, tam need up I a happy mirage with riches while the step mother and sister were mean miserable people who made tams life a living hell so they where gifted death at the end. I especially enjoyed reading tam reincarnation into different things and still ending up by her husbands side happy beautiful and young; right when you think the story is over tam comes back and gets what she rightfully deserves. This version of Cinderella is far more interesting, entertaining than the American version which in my opinion is practicable. Reading tam and cam I did not know what was coming next.

The Hidden One by Aaron Shepard

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What I appreciate about the different tales of Cinderella is that they’re adapted to fit the needs of its culture but that they’re also similar enough to convey the same theme. The fairytale I’ve grown up listening to is the one in which the princess is tortured by the stepmother but eventually pursued romantically because of a lost glass slipper. Therefore, by reading different versions I’ve become more aware of the unimportance of the circumstances, but rather the priority to bring to the attention an unappreciated noble soul. In the tale, “The Hidden One” by Aaron Shepard rather than having a stepmother who tortured the cinderella of the story, it was the doings of the jealous older sister who made her miserable by abusing her physically and emotionally.In addition to those differences, the father is still alive and the “prince” of the story is a hunter who is hidden to everyone except his sister and his future bride. I like this tale most when compared to other fairy tales of cinderella because there was more of an emphasis on the goodness of her soul. However, this isn’t meant to belittle any appreciation of Cinderella’s character in the other fairy tales, but in most the beauty of her soul correlates with her physical beauty. In “The hidden one” her nobility determines her fate when she’s able to see the invisible hunter. In other words, the hunter’s sister had seen the beauty within Cinderella while she physically looked the worst version of herself. This comes to show how a good heart inevitably trumps physical appearance. Therefore, Like many other tales, the antagonists corrupted heart never stood a chance in overpowering Cinderella’s authenticity and good nature. Regardless, it was interesting to read a different version of Cinderella with the same message but a different plot.

A CINDERELLA STORY 2/5

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Here is an alternate version to The typical Cinderella story it is called The Egyptian Cinderella written by Shirley Climo : click links to see source.

This Egyptian spin on the classic Cinderella tale was initially recorded in the first century by a Roman historian and is retold here by folklorist Shirley Climo.

Poor Rhodopis! She has nothing—no mother or father, and no friends. She is a slave, from the far-off country of Greece. Only the beautiful rose-red slippers her master gives her can make Rhodopis smile.

So when a falcon swoops down and snatches one of the slippers away, Rhodopis is heartbroken. For how is she to know that the slipper will land in the lap of the great Pharaoh himself? And who would ever guess that the Pharaoh has promised to find the slipper’s owner and make her queen of all Egypt?”

Book source: https://www.amazon.com/Egyptian-Cinderella-Shirley-Climo/dp/0064432793

S.Kerr

The Hidden One/The Little Glass Slipper

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The first story that I read was The Hidden One by Aaron Shepard. Which had similar storylines but the first difference I noticed was that it was two fully related sisters and the younger one as being tormented by the older one. She used to burn her with fire and chopped off her long hair so they started calling her Little Scarface. Another big difference was that there was an invisible man called the hidden one who was looking for his match and could only be seen by his true love and all the young woman wanted to be that. The hidden ones sister would test girls and turns out the younger sister was his true love. However she would’ve never known if she didn’t stand up to her sister and be brave enough to actually try. In the end she got the happily ever after because she was beautiful inside and out.

 

Another story that I read was The Little Glass Slipper by Charles Perrault. I realized this version of the story was extremely similar to the original Cinderella story that I grew up reading. The entire story was basically the same idea and concept but the details in the story were just a tad different. The details were pretty minor when you compare it to the entire story. Both the stories had the same protagonist which was the beautiful and kind Cinderella who was put in the same position. They were both challenged to deal with evil stepsisters who try and destroy cinderella because they are insecure with their own selves. This version was more condensed and the stepmom wasn’t really a main villain the step sisters were.

The most important part of both of these stories was that  a kind heart can get you so much and although people may confuse it for a weakness it’s actually the opposite. It actually takes a lot of strength to remain as sweet as they both did. Also they both have courage and bravery after a long day of hard work, Cinderella still finds the courage to say, “I may be treated like a housemaid, but I deserve to go to the royal ball, too!” She takes a chance to go with her stepfamily, even though it doesn’t end well. And even when that happens, she’s still risks a ride in a pumpkin carriage to spend time finally feeling the way she deserves. And Little Scarface was brave enough to stand up for herself and find her true love regardless of people bullying her. Despite their tough circumstances they still choose to be kind and brave, to preserve through any obstacle.

Devout

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Devout (adjective) – earnest or sincere

Source: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/devout

I came across this word while reading “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton

“Once the wife of a rich man was on her deathbed and she said to her daughter Cinderella: Be devout. Be good.”

The word in this sentence is most likely the dying wife telling Cinderella to be sincere and to be a good person. This makes more sense because I did not understand what exactly the dying wife was trying to tell Cinderella other than to be good but I can see the similarity when she says be good and be sincere.

“Yeh-Shen, A Cinderella Story” by Aai-Ling -China

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There are many differences to this story compared to the Cinderella story that I am sort of familiar with. The difference of both stories is that in this story, “Yeh-Shen, A Cinderella Story”, it takes place in an era of dynasties which in China were when the rulers were family. This is also taking in a very ancient time because the step mother, father, and Yeh-Shen lived in a cave. But in the original story they lived in a palace. Another difference is that the step mother in this story only has one daughter but in other the step mother has two daughters. Now, the major difference would be that instead of doves in the Cinderella that I am familiar with, it is a fish that apparently the step mother kills and Yeh-Shen keeps the bones because she was told that the bones of the fish has powers. I believe that because this is the Chinese version of Cinderella that they used fish because that is one of the animals that they value. When I think about why they would use fish at first, the first thing the first thing that came to mind was Yin and Yang. Which basically means the balance of life and I think that this is connected to the fish because it is known that China sees fish as an abundance. What did stay the same was that the step mother hated Cinderella and Cinderella disobeyed her step mother and still went to the festival (even though I know it as a party not a festival). Also , the king and Cinderella got married. I was surprised that the step mother and her daughter were forced to live in their cave until they die by flying stones though.

“The Baba Yaga”-Cinderella Story

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The story that I chose to read was “The Baba Yaga”, a Russian Cinderella story written by Aleksandr Afanasyev. While reading this story I realized that I have actually read it before in a children’s book years ago. Never knew this could fall under the category of a Cinderella story. Now that I read this story through the lens as such, I can see the similarities despite the many differences. First things first are the roles of the characters which are very familiar: the main heroine, father, stepmother, and the fairy godmother (though in the context of this story it’s the aunt).

The father is alive and present, while the stepmother still serves a role of an antagonistic character but not the prime one. The aunt supports the young protagonist by giving items and advice to ensure her survival. The surprising element of this story comes from the mention and introduction of the Baba Yaga, something unique and serves the primary role of a villain in this story. When Cinderella comes to mind, often the name leads to the thought of a story involving evil step-sisters and a ball. Instead, the young girl is at risk of being cooked and eaten by the Baba Yaga, having been sent to its hut by her evil stepmother. The main story beats are still the same though, as it still follows the tale of the main protagonist escaping from unfavorable conditions to a more safer and welcoming life.

What I find most interesting is the end of this story in which the father takes matters into his own hands. Finding out that his wife attempted to murder his own daughter, he decided to take the violent route and kill the evil stepmother. The story still ends happily with both father and daughter living peacefully in the forest. Different from marrying into royalty, but still considered to be a good ending in which the villains are punished for harming the main character.