Preview

Essay Snow White

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1577 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Essay Snow White
Research Essay
Fairytales

Since the beginnings of the abridged and ‘sanitized’ versions of classic fairytales were publically circulated, the design and principle intentions of the fairytale have steadily morphed and changed as society similarly paralleled. Over time fairy tales have been transformed radically as they naturally will continue to do according to the age they are rewritten and reproduced. Traditional fairy tales retold today have been too recurrently rewritten and revised that it has become almost impossible to grade the single most accepted moral understandings. In a critical analysis of the classic tale of Snow White, the various transformations from the retelling of the original Brothers Grimm story to the modernised Disney version will be examined. Further analysis of the modern remakes; ‘Sydney White’ and ‘Snow White and The Huntsman’ will be investigated to see just how far the numerous changing themes, intended lessons and implied gender roles and how they are made to relate to and influence children are evolved. The concerns of childhood and discipline are spread widely, yet variously throughout the transformation of classic to modern retellings.

The basic storyline of Snow White mainly portrays the themes of femininity and how a woman should act, the patriarchal themes of women and their role in the world in regards to men and stereotypical ideals of beauty and their consequences. In the original telling of the story, Snow White although only a young teenager and a princess, is taught and affirmed that in turn for being obedient for being told what to do, she is a ‘good girl’, rewarded with a place to stay and love in a home like environment. In order to be accepted and allowed to live with the dwarves, she must do the cooking, cleaning and housework in return for a place to live and their protection.
By assenting to their proposition, she is essentially placed in the status of a servant to the dwarves, or the representation of the



References: Sale, R (1979). Fairy Tales and After: From Snow White to E.B. White. London: Harvard University Press. 117-119. ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ 2012, directed by R Sanders, Universal Pictures. ‘Sydney White’ 2007, directed by J Nussbaum, Universal Pictures.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The opening chapter of the book, “Peasants Tell Tales: The Meaning of Mother Goose”, provides a historical reading of the many fairy tales we were told as young innocent children. These fairy tales had everything but happy endings and sweet morals. The gruesome truth is revealed for each fairy tale including Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty,…

    • 1566 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Snow White Criticism

    • 654 Words
    • 3 Pages

    John Pizer’s criticism of Donald Barthelme’s Snow White talks about the origin story of Snow White and how this modern adaptation completely skews the classic tale. The concept of the “anti-fairy tale” is brought up as Pizer compares Barthelme’s tale to those that preceded his. Barthelme is derives influence from multiple sources which focus on the disenchantment of the iconic Disney princess. From these influences, a new and much more jaded version of Snow White appears in which the traditional morals associated with her character are inverted and satirized.…

    • 654 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Snow White Analysis

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Fairy tales are often significant for enhancing imagination and different perspectives in the readers. Fairy tales are symbolic in our history and may currently still be present in our society. Fairy Tales also allow us to analyze the emotion of the characters and compare that to our culture as well as our own daily life. In “Snow White and her Wicked Stepmother” and the classic “Snow White” by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm both focus intently on how envy, competition, hard-work, and mother daughter relationships and how that is still applied in our world today. The classic “Snow White” allows the reader to focus specifically on how the dwarves are emblematic toward the American dream and toward the common working man…

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    We all grew up hoping to be the princesses who met the dreamy prince and lived ‘happily ever after’ like in a fairy tale. People debate over whether or not Disney fairytales are beneficial for children. Like Arielle Schussler the author of the piece “A case against fairytales”,I am against fairy tales. In this essay I will argue on why kids should not be taught Disney or original fairy tales.…

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Disney movies have become the new family amusement. This films are made for young children because of what they demonstrate. When children watch Disney movies, especially young girls, it can affect their understanding on how they should act at a young age. Snow White is a tale about a young beautiful girl who lives with her stepmother, the queen. Snow White’s beauty triggers her stepmother to be jealous of her, and the queen orders for the murder of her innocent stepdaughter. Later she discovers that Snow White is still alive and hiding in a cottage with seven friendly little miners. Disguising herself as an old-women, the queen brings a poisoned apple to Snow White, who falls into a death-like sleep that can be broken only by a kiss from the prince. Today's new lifestyle is teaching young girls that their beauty is more valuable than…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fairy tales should illustrate more than what meets the eye. It should incorporate certain elements, which can aid in the development to healthy growth of a childhood. In “Fairy Tales and the Existential Predicament,” Bruno Bettelheim discusses the importance of fairy tales and the elements they should contain in order to fully connect with a child reading a particular fairy tale. Bettelheim considers a successful fairy tale to be one, which fulfills a child’s psychological needs and promotes his/her development. The Grimm brother’s structure of their fairy tale in Little Red Cap (LRC) was different in certain points than Charles…

    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Fairytales: when someone says that word, the first thing that might come up in your mind is probably kid’s reading Cinderella. Fairytales’ simplicity and accuracy in delivering a moral to young kids and adults is wonderful. We’d give an adult a eerie look if we caught them reading a kids book on the train to themselves. The reason behind our thought is cause it’s a kids book why would an adult read it but behind all this is the difference of interpreting stories for adults and children. Stories like Juniper Tree, Snow White, and Little Red Cap include hidden messages through violence and imagery and dialogue. Fairy tales teach children how to grasp the meaning and power behind storytelling. In this paper I will discuss the vast ways in which a child and adult interpret fairytales. Its…

    • 1983 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Fall Protection

    • 8717 Words
    • 35 Pages

    Tolkien, J.R.R. “On Fairy-Stories.” Essays Presented to Charles Williams. Ed. C.S. Lewis. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company: Grand Rapids, 1947.…

    • 8717 Words
    • 35 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Let me start off with saying that Bettelheim completely ruined my fantasy on fairy-tales. His contorted mind really made it hard to remember all the beautiful tales from childhood.Of course he is entitled to his own opinions and I won’t argue with that but I certainly don’t agree with a bunch of points he is trying to make.…

    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When perusing “Little Snow-White” from a feminist perspective it is evident that the purpose of the story is to “shape girls perceptions to conform to a gendered identity through stereotypical characters like the wicked mother and beautiful, helpless daughter” (Mikkijoiner). Snow White is recognized only for her beauty and ability to do housework; presented as an attractive, “demure and submissive” female (Mikkijoiner).…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    While growing up as a young girl to an adult, fairy tales have always been incredible. Fairy tales are astonishing, enjoyable and always brought forth-interesting concepts of love, hatred, jealousy and bravery. The key element of each fairytale was always a happy ending that caught the audience’s attention. The Grimm Brothers version of Cinderella was indeed, remarkable to read and watch. When fairytales were first introduced, the public appreciated the fairy tales for their happy endings and was enjoyed the most by young girls. The perception of Cinderella in the past pertained to a girl finding her “Mr. Right” and getting married and living happily ever after. Nowadays, people conceive Cinderella in numerous other ways. The two version of Cinderella, the original “Cinderella” by Grimm Brothers and the retelling of “A Cinderella Story” directed by Mark Rosman both express cultural and societal differences.…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The story of Snow White is classic and there is an abundance of people who believe how the original tale goes. However, it is highly doubtful that people actually do. The first tale of snow white titled The Little Snow White by the Grimm Brothers is much more macabre in nature compared to the light hearted and kid-like retelling Snow White written by Roberto Piumini and illustrated by Anna Laura Cantone. This essay will hopefully show how warped stories can become over time.…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Fairytales are believed to illustrate characters and events to teach an audience valuable morals or life lessons. However, Sheldon Cashdan, author of “The Witch Must Die: The Hidden Meaning of Fairy Tales”, explains this is a common misconception amongst readers, and in fact, the stories are to help us deal with internal conflicts and struggles we face throughout our lives (8). However there is much more to be taught when identifying a fairytales underlying meaning. For example, the classic Brothers Grimm tale, “Little Red Cap”, portrays the potential consequences lead by our inability to discern the nature of evil. Through its characters and events, “Little Red Cap” truthfully depicts the wolf’s evil…

    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    A GENDER READING OF SNOW WHITE (By Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, 1812 Version) Fairy tales are generally criticized for their sexist narrative that traps women in traditional roles established by patriarchy. It is not difficult to point out the gender stereotypes in these old folklore stories, by any means. Snow White is one of those narratives that appeals to the critiques for it rich details of such stereotypes. This essay intends to explore the impacts of patriarchal society in the Grimms version of Snow White and analyse it in a context of gender and sexism issues.…

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Once upon a time… in a land not unlike our own lived a widow who had three children, all sons. The eldest son, who was by far the most plain looking of the three, had magic in his hands for he was able to make even an acorn taste like a delicacy and this was the closest to magic that anyone has ever been. This son married a woman who would eat everything in sight and always asked for more for it made him feel good to know he would always be appreciated. The middle son was neither brilliant nor beautiful but he was able to find his niche in a construction industry where he became mighty wealthy and married a young most beautiful woman. She always appreciated his money and he always appreciated her looks so they were a couple that grew to truly love each other after a long time of marriage. The youngest son was by far the most complex of the three. Beau, the youngest son, was inexplicably beautiful, given education far beyond the years of his brothers and yet he is the only one who has not found love. Of course the women have tried, oh yes try they did, but he found an excuse each time. These excuses always made the woman feel as though they were the most beautiful person in the world and he was somehow able to reject every single woman who tried to get into his life without gaining the hate of a single one. All of his excuses worked time and time again but after so long his mother started questioning him as to why he would not even give a lady the time of day. So he began with “I do not wish to take upon another lady into my life when I have no intention of being married for I am happy with doing what I please when I please.” There was no way to convince him otherwise but to try and change his mind never left his mothers thoughts.…

    • 2904 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays