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[kemcc103-blog]

The classic version of “Cinderella” that we all know so well has many apparent themes relating to family relationships due to the abuse and neglect by her step-mother and step-sisters. In the French version of the tale, “Donkeyskin”, we see an even more disturbing familial relationship when the king announces that he wants to marry his daughter. This type of familial intermarriage is a taboo in most societies today. As you could imagine, Donkeyskin was terrified of this idea and ran. Researching this social issue is interesting because it has given me a better understanding of the situation and an explanation of how this idea may have come about.

[mahof103-blog]

I don’t know which version was popular first but if this one came before the well-known version, maybe the element of Cinderella running away from the prince came from here.

[bajoh103-blog]

Taking Their Autonomy Doesn’t Keep Kids Safe

In my researched argument, I looked at how the perception of childhood has changed over the past 200 years. I start right around the publication of the Brothers Grimm and go from there. It was super interesting to see the transformation that has taken place. From the Industrial Revolution that endangered children to the Enlightenment thinkers that praised them, there developed a dichotomy that people struggled with for centuries. We can still see the scars of these conflicting ideas when we look at children today. The average child is now protected, nurtured, and completely useless. We have robbed children of their agency in an effort to safeguard them from the real world. We must protect them, no doubt, but we must not forget that they are autonomous beings in society as well.

[mahof103-blog]

I find this interesting also, especially when the older generation says the young kids of today are such wimps.  Well who raised these wimps to be so soft?

[mahof103-blog]

The relationship between child and parent is quite possibly the earliest and most important relationship a person can ever develop.  The time a parent spends with their children is proven to have profound impacts on what type of person they will become.  Some parents nurture their kin so that they become successful loving companions, while some raise their children to suffer from physiological scars throughout their entire life.  In the case of “Cinderella,” the legendary fairytale rewritten and published by the Grimm Brothers,  the main character suffers from her own abusive family and is forced to deal with her resulting mental disorders throughout the story.  Unfortunately, this is a very common attribute in many people’s lives today.  The effects of parenting can leave all sorts of psychological effects on children that can either support or hinder the child’s life experience later in life.

[aldarrow4-blog]

Writing an Annoted Bibliography

I feel that creating an annotated bibliography was a quite a bit of work. The first part was finding the sources. This part was not my favorite. It involved scrolling through hundreds of scientific journals to find the one or two that actually apply to my research question. The next part was reading through each journal and article. This was interesting to me. At times, the words were a little over my head but I enjoyed learning about past experiments and research. The final part was writing about each source I found. This did not take me as long as I thought. Hopefully, the annotated bibliography will set me up well for my research paper.

[tuerv103-blog]

I can definitely see what you mean about the words being over my head. Some of the stuff I had to sift through was very clinical. I never knew you could quantify happiness in marriage, but the researchers I came across sure did a bang up job with it. Anything memorable you came across in your search? 

[mahof103-blog]

I also had such a hard time finding sources for this paper.  I’ve never had luck with databases in high school and while it seemed to be easier this time around, it was still frustrating to find one source that only related on a small level after hours of searching.

[courtneymelvinuaenglish103-blog]

Cinderella Annotated Bib

Writing an annotated bibliography on Cinderella has been actually a very interesting experience. I have loved analyzing the story and looking for deeper psychological, social, and familial issues that are incorporated into the story. It has raised many interesting possible theses that I’m interested in finding the answer to. Through looking for the articles, I have begun to find answers but I would like to find maybe two more articles that can clear up more questions I have on my topic, which is "What effects does childhood neglect and familial abuse have on people as they grow up?” Making the annotated bibliography itself is helping a lot to organize my thoughts for this research paper, and I’m excited to see how the paper turns out.

[mahof103-blog]

I have been having the same thoughts. I also wrote my paper on Cinderella and her psychological issues and not only have I learned a lot and still have more to research, I am very happy with where this paper has gotten. 

[mahof103-blog]

Adopted Children and Their Development

A study compares adopted and non adopted children at the ages of twenty-four and thirty-six months, testing them on their motor development, temperament, and communication skills.  The adopted children came from families in Norway and were less than two years old.  The nonadopted were also from Norway, the same age, and had one parent also participate in the activity.  Throughout the testing period, the children would be given tests based on their age (two year olds had to walk on a thin bar, climb stairs; three year olds had to jump in the air with both feet leaving the ground).  After the testing, at the age of two the nonadopted children had better physical skills but the nonphysical skills were the same as the adoptive group.  However, at age three, the two groups are very similar yet the adopted children still lag behind in communication.  Each of the authors received their degrees at the University of Oslo and are researching on how the globalization of adopting children can help their development.  This shows that while adopted children may lag behind initially, they seem to catch up in many skill sets before the age of four.  This shows that sometimes adoption may not be a terrible option for a child in need of parents.  If given the proper attention, they can grow into fully developed people.

[mabig103-blog]

Into the Woods: Typical Cinderella?

In Into the Woods we get a classical representation of the typical Cinderella as told in Grimm’s version of the tale. There is a common girl who is covered in ash being mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters, fairly typical. She continues on to sneak out to the festival and every night steals away and hides from the prince. Everything goes as is expected until the third night of the festival where she gets stuck on the stairs of the palace and we are finally able to see the thoughts upon her decision. We know in this version that she purposefully left her shoe for the prince to find because of her own uncertainties. This addition to the regular story line allows us to see into Cinderella’s mind and have a better feel for the character. Although she is still the same in many ways I believe this retelling gives us a better sense of who Cinderella is.

[mahof103-blog]

I also agree; we can see what Cinderella and most modern women stand for.  They have more of a choice of how to deal with their lives and aren’t simply either running away from their problems or latching on to a prince that will set her life up with royals and riches.

[erste103-blog]

Fairy Tales have always served as tale’s that coincided with its time period and society. The movie Into the Woods may seem like parody account of the tales, however the film still delivers the same messages as the originals just in a more modern sense. Albeit, the the humor in the film brings a light twist to generally dark Fairy Tales, the modern rendition simply makes these Fairy Tales such as “Cinderella”, “Jack and the Bean Stalk”, and “Repunzel” more relatable. In the case of “Cinderella” the movie stresses the relationship between the Prince and Cinderella much more than early renditions. This is due to the time period we are in, where relationships are now a large part of the generation we are in. What can be deduced from this is that contemporary retellings must adapt to their time period in order to communicate clearly to their audience. The retelling also stresses on something that many young adults or teenagers can learn a lesson from.

[mahof103-blog]

I also wrote about the changes that were brought about in Cinderella’s retelling and noted how the relationship between the prince and Cinderella was given heavy change.  They didn’t end up living “heavily ever after” which is a complete 180 degree turnaround from what most fairy tales tell of, pretty much destroying every thing the tale stood for.

[mahof103-blog]

Regarding the change in relationship structure, the film also portrays what relationships have become recent decades.  The prince cheats on Cinderella with the baker’s wife and doesn’t think it will affect his relationship with his wife.  He thought he could get away with the deed and continue to “love” his new partner.  After a short talk, Cinderella and the prince end up splitting, completely destroying the supposed “happily ever after” life that all fairytail couples seem to share.  This reflects how many marriages end up in divorce, whether by affair or by differing opinions.  Marshall believes love has become fragile and it takes much more effort to stay committed to one person.  Even the baker’s wife, a presumably faithful woman and soon to be dedicated mother, fell to the temptation of kissing the prince.  It is not just the spoiled ones who can get everything they want that fall to cheating, but also the ones who were thought to be genuine, loyal people.  Marshall, who lives with his partner John Deluca, wants to paint a new picture of how love exists today.  It has come far from fixed marriages and lifelong stipulation, and now that people have the option to choose their lover, relationships end much quicker than they used to.

[aldarrow4-blog]

Curiosity Kills Much More than the Cat

As a little child, there is no other time of the year like the Christmas season. Starting in October, a brigade of holiday ads hype-up children as if their diets consisted solely of sugar. I remember making a list and counting down the hours to Christmas morning to see what surprises were under the tree.  Except there was one problem. I could not wait for the “right time” to open the presents. I needed to know now.  I remember sneaking down to the tree in the wee hours on Christmas morning, long before my parents would be awake. I carefully felt the packages and shook them listening to the contents jingle around inside.  When I was done, I knew the identity of many of the hidden treasures under the tree. Sun light peeked its way into the living room as my family came together to unwrap the gifts.  The usual ecstasy of finally revealing the numerous surprises was gone and replaced by emptiness.  I had given into my temptation and lost out on one of the most joyous occasions of the year.  My irresistible urge to discover the many secrets hidden under the veil of wrapping paper and the tale of Bluebeard by Charles Perrault go hand in hand explaining the dangers of being too inquisitive.  This gruesome tale is an accurate warning of giving into the temptations of something one can’t have and the terrible consequences associated with it.

[mahof103-blog]

I totally agree with what you have written.  Although I never opened Christmas presents before the “right time” I have told a friend who wanted to mail me a gift to wait until I get back because it would be more meaningful to open it in their presence than away at college.

[skhas103-blog]

Jeffrey Dahmer: The Modern Bluebeard

A major trait keeping Bluebeard and Jeffrey Dahmer together is that they both died a brutal death. Calling back upon Perrault’s edition of the tale, Bluebeard was just about to claim the life of his bride, when the bride’s brothers storm the castle and, “[plunge] their swords through his body and [leave] him for dead,” (147). Being left for dead while bleeding out is a very slow and painful death. It is safe to assume that Bluebeard suffered for every second of his justified demise. It is also referenced in the Brothers Grimm version, the bridegroom and his companions were, “seized… and turned…. over to the authorities,” where they, “were executed for their dreadful deeds,” (154). Although their executions were not explicitly described, the men were more than likely to be killed with the breaking wheel. The breaking wheel was a form of capital punishment used in Germany well into the 19th century, where a person was tied to a wagon wheel and beaten to the point of breaking their limbs and left for dead. The longest recorded survival time after being “broken” is three days. With this information, it can be assured that the bridegroom and his gang suffered through their demise. Although he did not suffer, Jeffrey Dahmer still died a very brutal death. After being left alone with two other prisoners, Jesse Anderson and Christopher Scarver, for twenty minutes, Dahmer was found dead alongside fellow prisoner, Jesse Anderson, by the hands of Christopher Scarver. Scarver reportedly, “crushed Dahmer’s skull and fatally [beat] Anderson with a metal bar from the prison weight room,” which is, in my opinion, the most brutal of the three deaths I have talked about (Jeffrey). The disturbing fact around Dahmer’s death is that the guards had allegedly allowed it happen. There is no form of capital punishment in the state of Wisconsin and the guards, along with the majority of the country, believed Dahmer should be killed for his crimes, so when the situation arose, the guards supposedly turned a blind eye and allowed the slaughter.

[mahof103-blog]

I did not know Dahmer died like that.  The fact that the guards let another prisoner beat another without intervening is very peculiar and I think I might read more about it.

[mahof103-blog]

Hope Comes When We Least Expect It

The novel Holes, written by Louis Sacher, tells the tale of two juvenile delinquents who are forced to dig up a dried lake.  The two boys, Stanley Yelnats and Hector “Zero” Zeroni, later run away from the camp in fear of punishment for their poor behavior.  They are starving in the desert on the brink of death, without water, and have no plan to escape the heat.  They find a capsized boat that offers shade from the sun and more importantly jarred peaches that they could eat.  They make a plan to climb a nearby mountain and on top find onions and water beneath the surface.  They rejoice, but they soon make a plan to dig an even deeper hole where Stanley once found lipstick.  They do so and end up finding buried treasure with Stanley’s name on it.  After a legal battle with the camp directors, the boys are free to leave the camp and split the treasure both ways.  This story tells of two boys who really did not have much going for them but end up finding hope later in their life journey, just like Lisa in the The Young Slave.