Rise Tales... Do they exist in real life?

Honestly, I have no clue if Cinderella stories or Rags to Riches stories exist in real life following the motifs we read in the Cinderella stories for class, so I hope to work my way to a conclusion about this question.

I do know that aspects of the Cinderella motif exist in real life, such as mistreatment of a child or an average girl marrying into wealth but I have been unable to find, let alone believe, in the chances of someone being raised like a slave and mistreated and rescued by a wealthy suitor. I would not doubt the chances of this happening, but the chances are very slim, especially in this lifetime, that a mistreated person would be rescued from a 'prince'.

In the same sense, I do believe that Rags to Riches stories do exist in real life, but I do not know of any that happen overnight. They all require hard work and motivation to reach that 'Riches' status. For example, Bill Gates did not become a multi-billionare overnight. With hard work he gradually gained money and finally reached the status in which he is currently held. In the same aspect, many of these real-life Rags to Riches stories are mis-told and therefore misinterpreted.

http://www.cracked.com/article_16989_6-inspiring-rags-to-riches-stories-that-are-bullshit.html

The above link shows the falsehoods of six of the most popular Rags to Riches stories among the world today. They describe the real uprising of Abraham Lincoln as well as the real reason Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard. 

These arguments give me doubt that Rags to Riches stories even exist to the magnitude that we give them. Many who come from Rags to Riches do not even really come from 'Rags' at all but rather come from average families from their time and become something greater then they might imagine, but they rarely come from 'Rags' in which they are suffering greatly.

Cinderella 'Rags to Riches' Costume 

(in the spirit of Halloween)

I do believe that 'Cinderella type stories' do exist but not in the exact style of the motif we all believe from reading these fairy tales. For example, an aspect of the Cinderella motif we all know so well may exist in real life, but the rarity of the exact tale happening realistically is so minuscule that its rarity will almost make it seem impossible. But I do believe that anything is possible and Fairy Tales are based off of reality so this motif is possible but at the same time, it is also a Fairy Tale and anything and everything is possible in a fairy tale.

Midterm Take Home Assignment

This is the dialogue between the Grimm’s Little Red  Cap and the Ogre from Perrault’s “Little Thumbling”. The two met in a coffee shop (since Little Red Cap is too young to be in a bar) and discussed their experiences.

Ogre: “Hello, how are you? You are Little Red Cap aren’t you? You are one of the most popular fairy tale characters!” (Little Red Cap ignoring him) “Of course, you wont talk to me, I lost my kids and my money and now a mere acquaintance in a coffee shop.”

LRC: “I did not mean to offend you Ogre, but I learned a very important moral at the end of my tale. I should not trust just anyone, even those that appear kind and gentle.”

Ogre: “Well I am sorry you feel that way. My tale had a written moral at the end and it only applied to the hero, Little Thumbling. Unfortunately my author did not leave any room for interpretation for a lesson and moral of the story.”

LRC: “I’m sorry ogre. The interpretation is the best part of my tale. You said you lost your family? Did Little Thumbling do this to you?”

Ogre: “Why, yes. He deceived me into killing my own daughters and tricked my wife into giving him all we had with my boots that he stole, my symbol of authority. He thought I was a danger to him but what he didn’t realize was that I was doing everything in my nature to protect him.”

LRC: “Like the hunter did for me? He saved me and my grandmother.”

Ogre: “Well see... I do what I need to get what I want. I tend not to think. I’m like the Id if you will.”

LRC: “I see. You can’t help yourself.”

Ogre: “I used to. I resisted Little Thumbling and his brothers until the middle of one night and I could not help myself and I accidentally killed my own daughters. (Tearing up) Since then, I refuse to eat human flesh to never put myself in that situation again.”

LRC: “How noble of you! Wait a second... the wolf that tried to eat me and my grandmother couldn’t help himself? It was part of his nature to trick me and eat me?”

Ogre: “Yes, unfortunately some of us villains never grow out of it and suffer the consequences. I was lucky enough to move on and my author allowed me to live in honor of my children.”

LRC: “That is so nice. Well, I have to go. I need to bring some coffee to my grandmother.”

Ogre: “Well, let me walk you there. The city can be a much more dangerous place than the forest.”

LRC: “Why thank you, that would be lovely.”

As they were walking, the ogre pushed Little Red Cap into an alley and ate her. The Id triumphs everything and will do anything to get what it wants, even if that is trick a girl and lie to her about your morals.

Pictures:

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1. I decided to draw a scene from “Little Red Cap” by the Grimm brothers. For some reason, the scene I depicted has stuck with me through all the stories and has been the most prominent scene for me through all the stories we read. Its ending varied greatly from all the other Little Red Riding Hood type stories and the act of revenge was not as obvious in all the other tales, Little Red Riding Hood or not, as it was in the Grimm’s Little Red Cap. I drew Little Red Cap, her grandmother, and the hunter filling the sleeping wolf’s stomach with stones so that once he awakens, his stomach will be too heavy and he will consequently collapse and die. In some tales, the villain does die, but either for protection, such as in “Goldflower and the Bear”, or for some other reason. Never has the villain died because the hero inflicts something on them that will lead to their imminent death. The fact that the grandmother and Little Red Cap filled the wolf’s stomach, in which they were just inside, with stones, it is something very iconic and special to the Grimm’s story, therefore I thought it would be a very good representation of the story.

(Click to Enlarge)

This is my graffiti image of the Juniper Tree.  It is a story that I really enjoyed.  I incorporated many of the motifs and symbols subtly in the image.

(Click to Enlarge)

Storytelling in ASL

Our class this week had the pleasure of learning about story telling in American Sign Language (ASL) and deaf culture in the United States.  Dr. Rust and Dr. Rose left a very strong impression on me about the language as a whole.  I always thought of American Sign Language in terms of English.  As all languages, I translate words and signs into English and then string them together to form an english sentence that I can understand.  Hearing the lecture from these two professors made me realize that ASL has its own structure and grammar and is its own language and not just a translation of English.  I always had respect for the language, do not get me wrong, but I think the name (American Sign Language) automatically made me think English Sign Language since English is the dominant language in the United States. I am proud to now say that I know better, thanks to the presentation and I now realize that all the sound and descriptions I  have taken for granted in the past can be achieved in ASL as it leaves such a vidid image in the audience's mind.

What I was most impressed about was the deaf's ability to poke fun at their hearing counterparts as a way to not only entertain but to bring the hearing and not to the same level in society.  For example, they told a story of a Cuban, a Russian, and an American on a train with the idea being that there are too many hearing people in America.  I loved the fact that the non-hearing can poke fun at the hearing and have become an equal part in society, although they do get away with some speeding tickets as I have learned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZjah32LoW0

This is a clip of the Coda Brothers in a comedy routine making fun of all the things hearing people do.  Unfortunately I do not understand what they are saying but just from their facial expressions, I know that they are greatly enjoying themselves.  Also from the comments, I believe one of the things they make fun of is the game charades.  In the game, people try to clue at a word without speaking.  Deaf people can easily make fun of this game as hearing have no way of doing this other than making obnoxious movements and in the end, looking quite silly to a deaf person. Now thinking about it, charades is a pretty funny game since there is a certified language that can be used in its place.

What else I found interesting is I found a deaf version of you-tube, Deaf-Tube (http://www.deaf-tube.com/).  This makes me happy as not only is telephone communication becoming available for the deaf, but the internet has made strides to make materials easily accessible for the deaf. 

 ASL Telephone

(http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/08/deaf-students-sign-language/)

Playing softball in college, we played Gallaudet University last season and I really appreciated all the hardships deaf people deal with but they are always proud of their accomplishments and are fully capable. For example, our team beat them by quite a bit but following the two games, they were the more happy team. They were happy to have the chance to play at the college level and go out and do what they love. They cheered for each other and they always signed until they were aware that everyone on the field was aware of the sign.  I was amazed by all that they were able to do and this was further clarified by the presentation of Dr. Rust and Dr. Rose.

Overall, I was amazed by the deaf culture and story telling in ASL and if I ever get the chance, I would love to take some classes to further my knowledge of the subject and I would recommend it for others as well.

Fairy Tales at the Zoo!

Over Fall Break, I went to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.  Right in the entrance was a display depicting Hansel and Gretel!  It was interesting to see in the zoo as it is not anything I was expecting.  As we continued to walk through the zoo, I kept my eye out for other fairy tale themed halloween displays, but this was the only one.  Since it is nearing Halloween, now I will keep my eye out for other displays depicting some of the fairy tales we have read, or costumes depicting characters! 

(Lindsey has another picture on her blog!)

Heavy Metal vs. Fairy Tales

Who would have ever guessed that a heavy metal band’s music video would contain motifs that are present in one of the most popular fairy tales and consequently present in every child’s life? Not me, that’s for sure. After watching Rammstein’s Sonne (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L_G5fGYU9k) I was shocked at the presence of a multitude of Snow White motifs. There was much more to the presence of motifs than just the physical presence of the Snow White character. The miners (the band) represented the dwarves present in all versions of the tale. Snow White obviously represented herself, but what was different was the lack of presence of an evil stepmother, stepsisters, or even a witch. Also, the music video had no symbol of a father figure or a magic mirror which was present in all of the Snow White fairy tales we read in class.

Rammstein’s video contained apples which, as opposed to the tales, brought Snow White back to life as opposed to poisoned her. Gold, in the video, was the cause of death for Snow White as she overdosed after snorting gold. What was funny about this is that gold is what one would mine for but none of the tales was there even a mention of gold.

The Grimm’s version of Snow White contained three methods of death, including lace, a poison comb, and the poison apple. In the music video, all three were present. The lace was not really present but a symbol of it is present in Snow White’s stockings that she delicately fixes in the video. Also, while in the bath tub, the dwarves comb her hair and one polishes apples. Near the conclusion of the video, when Snow White is in her glass coffin, an apple falls from the tree and shatters the glass, reviving Snow White.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cdn.nextsmallthings.com/coolchaser.com/thumb-3195121.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.coolchaser.com/user/profile/4360604&usg=__iHg_RJTXMDWMUYm554BhnpwhP9Q=&h=95&w=95&sz=3&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=YImz94RS9TmjFM:&tbnh=79&tbnw=79&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsnow%2Bwhite%2Brammstein%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D868%26bih%3D429%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=160&ei=VCuxTNHYJML78AbQmJ2dCQ&oei=VCuxTNHYJML78AbQmJ2dCQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=33&ty=28

The coffin was present in the video, as is present in all the tales, although the material it is made of varies. In the video, the coffin is made of glass while in the tales it varies from glass, crystal, and lead.  Something I noticed was that in the video, it was snowing outside while no description of weather was included in any of the Snow White tales, or any of the tales we have read for that matter. I think it was included more for visual purposes but I found it interesting that none of the tales mention weather. I have always assumed that in these stories the weather is gorgeous outside and not until watching this video have I noticed the lack of description in setting and environment.

The other main difference I found was that in the stories, a prince is present which is not in the video. Also, in the video, the dwarves act almost like Snow White’s slaves while in the stories, Snow White helps clean and cook for the dwarves while maintaining a happy relationship.

http://michaelmay.us/temp/0104_snowwhite.jpg

Overall, the video was very entertaining. The lyrics were great as well. I wish I understood the German language so I could get the full effect while understanding the lyrics and watching all on the screen at the same time. But, overall, the video was entertaining and generally followed the fairy tales we read in class, the Grimm’s tale specifically closely.

Reflection of my Imagination

     Thursday night's lecture by Vivien Deitz was fantastic as it took everything we have been discussing in class from psychology in fairy tales to interpretation of symbolism to the next level.  She has vast experience and training, as I saw from her website (http://www.viviendeitz.com/) and I find her highly respectable and credible, even from the short time I heard her speak.

     Her interpretations of "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" and "The Velveteen Rabbit" were very interesting, do not get me wrong, but it was very much a contninuom of what we have been discussing in class, just applied to new tales. For example, she spoke about the symbolism of each character as well as the transformations the characters made at the conclusions of the story.  What she spoke of that gained my interest the most was her discussion on our shamanic inner child.

http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2009/museum-of-childhood-for-parents-and-children/

     According to Dr. Deitz, everyone has an inner child, a personal genie if you will, that allows us to freely use our imagination we would have from the ages of birth - 8 years old. I questioned her argument at first as I always thought of myself as a child at heart, but when she used her example of drawing a sun I was taken back. She said that children in the shamanic stage of light would draw a purple, green, blue, etc. colored sun when someone older than age 8 would draw a sun in shades of red and yellow. I now know that I am not as much of a child as I thought I was. Eventhough I am imaginative and open to ideas, I would never draw a green sun for example.

     The other thing she did that suprised me is she had the audience close their eyes and we had to go and pick up our inner child. To me, imagination is something I never had to go and 'pick up' it is something that is always instilled in my mind that will become more prominent depending on the situation I am in. I also never thought of my inner child of human form that would sit next to me. The Disney character Figment always represented my imagination and my inner child consequently, as he is a figment of your imagination. Figment is a character that I grew up with in my house and when Dr. Deitz asked us to imagine our inner child, I immediately thought of Figment and his spontaneous and fun behavior.

http://clipart.disneysites.com/display.php?catID=163



     Vivien Deitz's lecture opened my mind to where my inner child really is and that it may not be as imaginative and unique as its potential is.  Although Figment may not truly be my inner child, I grew up with him and he allowed me to open my mind to new ideas and creative expression so although some may think using him as my way of imagining, I believe at this point in my life, Figment helped me, much like Dr. Deitz's imaginary friend helped her. He was always a part of my imagination and now allows me to open my mind much easier that if Figment was not a part of my life.

Cupid and Psyche vs. Urashima the Fisherman

The multiple variations of what I once thought as a concrete fairy tale is astounding. For example, in class we have read multiple tales with the idea of what we all knew as Beauty and the Beast. In this blog, I would like to compare two tales from dramatically different locations and periods in time and comment on the astounding similarities between the two. 

The two tales I will be comparing and contrasting is Cupid and Psyche from the times of the ancient greeks and Urashima the Fisherman from early Japan. What is interesting is that both tales involve the divine, unlike the rest of the variations of the tale. For example, in the story of Cupid and Psyche, Cupid’s mother is Venus, a goddess, and in the story of Urashima, the dazzling lady who transformed from a turtle to be with Urashima lived in the skies and was immortal. The rest of the stories read in class dealt with normal people with spells cast upon them with none of the main characters divine, per say.

(Venus ordering Psyche to Fetch Waters)

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/exhibitions/romney/cartoons/cartoons6.aspx

The variations in these two stories far outweighs the similarities. In the story of Urashima the Fisherman, the female role transformed into a turtle so she could approach him and returned to her female form to ask him to return home with her. In the story of Cupid and Psyche, there were no animals and the ‘Beauty’ was not the one who approached the ‘Beast’ but rather, Venus, jealous of Psyche’s beauty, sent her away but Cupid felt sorry for her and poked her with an arrow. An oracle told her parents that she would marry a beast and she ended up marrying Cupid but could not see him. In this case, it was Venus that was the ‘Beast’ but Cupid represented the ‘Beast’ through his seclusion from ‘Beauty’ and his unknown appearance. 

(Urashima’s Love Transformed from a Turtle)

http://storynory.com/2010/07/25/urashima/

Another drastic difference between the two stories was the conclusions. On the one hand, the story of Psyche and Cupid ended happily with the two ‘Beauty and Beast’ characters living happily every after, immortally, and having a child together.  On the other hand, the story of Urashima the Fisherman ended sadly as Urashima broke his promise to his wife and opened the box releasing her soul and lived his life in grief. 

(Conclusion of Cupid and Psyche)

http://eatfun.deviantart.com/art/Cupid-and-Psyche-91607132?q=&qo=&offset=20

(Conclusion of Urashima the Fisherman)

http://ivo.blogsome.com/urashima-taro/

Both stories were written exceptionally early in the history of the world and the similarities in themes is astonishing. The tale of Urashima the Fisherman was written in 713 A.D. and the story of Cupid and Psyche was told during the times of the ancient greeks. What is also interesting is Cupid and Psyche falls in the category AT 425 A (Search for the Lost Husband) while ‘Beauty and the Beast’ themed fairy tales fall within this ‘AT’ as well as AT 420 (The Man on the Quest for His Lost Wife) including the story of Urashima the Fisherman.