The Little Mermaid Analysis
In this essay, I will be exploring the themes of sexuality, suffering, and redemption in Andersen’s: ‘The Little Match Girl’ 1 (1845); The Steadfast Tin Soldier’ 2 (1838), and ‘The Little Mermaid’ 3 (1837). This will be through the analysis of: the Little Mermaid’s transformation into becoming a human, and her death; the scene where the Little Match Girl burns her matches; the Tin Soldier’s river journey and when he is destroyed in the pan along with the Paper Doll. Within Andersen’s fairy-tale ‘The Little Mermaid’, the aforementioned themes are presented through the mermaid’s transformation into becoming a human. For example, she sacrifices her tail despite the warning from the Sea Witch that ‘every step you take will feel like you’re treading on a sharp knife’3 (page 79). Consequently, her going through the pain of her tail changing into legs convey the theme of suffering in ‘The Little Mermaid’. This motif is expanded on as she experiences agony whenever she uses her feet, as shown later in the tale when the Little Mermaid dances ‘even though every time her feet touched the ground it felt as if she was treading on sharp knives’3 (page 81). Furthermore, the Little Mermaid struggles to make the Prince fall in love with her due to her losing her voice to be with him as a human. Due to her transformation to becoming a mute human, she cannot explain that it was her and not the Prince’s bride who rescued him. This creates a vicious cycle that results in the Little Mermaid’s
Rhetorical Analysis Of Cinderella By Grimm Brothers
1631 Words | 7 PagesAdditionally, there is a clear contrast between Cinderella’s item of choice which is used to honor her deceased mother versus her sisters’ desires to pursue vanity instead of respecting family. The Grimms then expounds upon this contrast between the protagonist and antagonists by using poetic juxtaposition. Later in the story, when the two sisters attempt to steal Cinderella’s love with the Prince by physically altering their feet to forcefully fit the shoe, the Grimms writes, “ ‘ Roo coo coo, roo coo coo, blood’s in the shoe: the shoe’s too tight, the real bride’s waiting another night’ (pg 184). Then, when Cinderellas effortlessly fits into the shoe without having to force herself, the Grimms writes, “Roo coo coo,
The Little Mermaid Compare And Contrast
1512 Words | 7 PagesAcross cultures and civilizations, the sea has always been an important figure both in the benefits it provides in daily life and its presence in storytelling. In consequence, sea monsters have been important figures in myths and stories whether it be in 1000 BCE Babylonian culture, or in 20th century America. The Babylonian Enuma Elish and Disney’s 1989 The Little Mermaid both feature a powerful female antagonist, Tiamat and Ursula, respectively, and these two figures bear many similarities. In both stories, the female antagonist holds strong relationship to the sea, and has supernatural abilities that aid her in her quest to defeat the heroic characters in the story.
The Squid And The Whale Analysis
1366 Words | 6 Pages“The squid and the whale” presents the story of life of a nuclear family at war. It is quite an insightful inspection not only of separation of two parents who are at odds with one another, but also its effects on the children. When they setup a schedule for spending time with their children, the two boys are caught up in the emotional upheavals of the split, swinging from parent to parent for a joint custody. The boys soon take sides. The elder one chooses to be with his father while the younger one sides with his mother.
Bluebeard Patriarchy
1041 Words | 5 PagesFor generations, fairy tales have served as a source of wonder and horror in equal measure. For each moment of magical fantasy or romantic bliss, there is a terrifying monster or gruesome act of violence, and there are few monsters more terrifying than Bluebeard. On the surface, Bluebeard is the story of one man's gruesome test and the young girl who escapes the punishment of failing it, with a simple message of being careful with your curiosity. However, like all fairy tales, Bluebeard is a symbolic parable of larger, real-world ideas, specifically those dealing with obedience and gender politics. Bluebeard and his bride serve as representations of both the predator and the innocent, akin to the Grimm's tale of Little Red Riding Hood decades
Feminism In A White Heron
1276 Words | 6 PagesMost of the children read about many fairy tales, especially Snow Whites, Sleeping beauty, and Cinderella when they grew up. It is a surprising fact that to discover a hidden, unexpected political intention in the simple plot of fairy tales. That is a feminization of woman. The fairy tale world suggests a male-centered patriarchy as an ideal basic society and impliedly imply that man and woman need to have a proper attitude toward this opinion. However, Jewett’s A White Heron describes a new perspective of fairy tale’s plot.
The Cultural Significance Of Hans Christian Andersen, A Fairy Tale Hero
1785 Words | 8 PagesHans Christian Andersen was a Danish author who is considered one of the best and most culturally important fairy tale writers in history. His stories have been translated into over one hundred and twenty-five languages. The cultural significance of Andersen is an interesting topic to analyze. Hans Christian Andersen’s stories, “The Little Mermaid” and “The Shadow”, are culturally significant for many different reasons. “The Little Mermaid” tells a story of a young unnamed mermaid who decides to take control over her own life and destiny.
Fairy Tale Vs. Perrault's The Sleeping Beauty In The Wood
1025 Words | 5 PagesIn Margaret Atwood’s poem “There Was Once”, Atwood uses irony to point out the societal problems within the genre of fairy tales. Charles Perrault, the author of the short story “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood”, writes about fantastic creatures, magic, and love, following the generic conventions of fairy tales. When compared to Perrault’s short story “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood”, Atwood’s poem both compliments and contrasts Perrault’s. These two texts, although similar, offer different views on the genre of fairy tales. Margaret Atwood’s satirical poem, “There Was Once”, aims to disrupt the generic conventions of a traditional fairy tale.
Mermaid Fever Analysis
952 Words | 4 PagesAfter reading “Mermaid Fever,” the statement that I think this essay makes about societal attitudes is that people will react and behave very strangely to anything that is out of the ordinary. The narrator bases his essay on a public beach, located in a small town in Connecticut, and out of the blue, this teenage girl’s body was washed up under the tide line one summer night. After extensive scientific tests and examinations on the body, the news finally broke out that the girl was a mermaid. The girl was soon transferred to a local museum in town where she would be put on a glass display that will be open to the public. This news brought the whole city together, and people waited in line for hours just to observe this fond discovery.
Gender Roles In The Princess And The Frog
597 Words | 3 PagesThe movie “The Princess and the Frog” is not your typical “boy saves girl” movie. Instead, this Disney movie presents us with a strong female lead who doesn’t need a man to achieve her goals. In many previous Disney movies, it is demonstrated that a girl needs a man in order to get her happily ever after. Without a prince, she is nothing. In “The Princess and the Frog” the gender roles are presented to us as equal, even reverse at times.
Movie Analysis: The Princess And The Frog
3109 Words | 13 PagesINTRODUCTION Everyone needs entertainment to take their minds away from the boring life style of everyday life. This entertainment can be in many form, for example music, movies, games and so on. However, the most common forms of entertainment that people will choose are movies. However, watching a movie could bring many effects to people like change a person’s thinking way or mind.
Analysis Of What's Wrong With Cinderella
1343 Words | 6 PagesFrom its onset with its first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, Disney has grown to become a worldwide phenomenon today. But over the years, various parent groups, scholars and film critics have accused Disney for creating shallow, stereotypical princesses whose ultimate aim was to find her 'prince charming ' and live happily ever after. In her article, “What’s Wrong With Cinderella?” in the New York Times, Peggy Orenstein expresses her concern over the effect of princess figures like Cinderella on young girls ' perceptions of themselves and how they should behave (“What’s Wrong With Cinderella?”).
The Little Mermaid Gender Stereotypes
1690 Words | 7 PagesThe Little Mermaid which was produced in 1989, was the first Disney movie to challenge the traditional gender roles, for the fact that Ariel wanted to explore, and was more independent and assertive in her desires than the earlier princesses of the 1930’s and 50s films. Also the prince in The Little Mermaid went against traditional gender roles as well, simply because he was more affectionate and loving than his prince counterparts in other Disney films. “Both the male and female roles have changed over time, but overall the male characters evinced less change then the female characters and were more androgynous throughout.” (Descartes & England, pg.566). Disney movies have been for a long time a strong media target for children, and can serve as a way to address stereotypical gender roles (Leaper, 2000).
Masculinity In King Triton's The Little Mermaid
1427 Words | 6 PagesThe characters in The Little Mermaid are stragetically designed in a way that conveniently adheres to stereotypical ideas of how males and females should behave, value, and appear according to their gender roles in a patriarchal society that demeans women. In order to do this, the main male characters, including King Triton and Prince Eric, must depict hypermasculinity to dramatically contrast from the creation of their fragile and inferior female counterparts. This is to also exhibit the men’s hypothetical ownership over these women, and using their displayed incompetence as justification of their assumed possession of Ariel. Ariel, the central female character, is depicted as beautiful, because she meets stereotypical standards of beauty
Marxism In The Little Mermaid
881 Words | 4 PagesTaking into consideration the first and main version of The Little Mermaid, author Han Christian Andersen’s, Little Mermaid, written in 1837, has different characters than the 2006 interpretation of the short story, Aquamarine. From an addition of two new female characters to the subtraction of the royal titles that each character possessed, Aquamarine is based on a twenty first century setting. The plots between the two also greatly differ and even lead up to different endings. Similarly, both mermaids are searching for love and both mermaids asked to be human. Both mermaids have a due date that forces them back into the ocean if they do not find love.
The Little Mermaid Comparison Essay
1075 Words | 5 PagesWhen reading the true story of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson one can depict that the presentation of this tale is pure distress having different themes, not only that but the character of The Little Mermaid is converted into something one would have never thought of. The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson does not give the happy ending of a princess, rather it gives a terrible ending like Romeo and Juliet. One could say this tale gives the themes of Love, Desires, Diversity, and fantasy of course! When reading this
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