In class the other day we talked about why the Chinese women would bind their feet to make their feet smaller. In Bruno Bettelheim's article we got today in class he says that "the unrivaled tiny foot size as a mark of extraordinary virtue, distinction, and beauty". Furthering into this i found a video on youtube. Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnmOqpoDFEw
In the video they explain why Chinese women binded their feet. In the fairytale "Cinderella" the Prince says whoever's foot fits the slipper is my new Princess. The two step-sisters go to the extreme to become royal. One cuts off her big toe and the other part of her heel. What I find this to be is that their feet are not that of beauty. Cinderella's foot fits perfectly into the slipper, therefore she has a foot small enough to fit into the slipper. The step-sisters tried everything to be better than Cinderella. Maybe they should have binded their feet. This shows that The step-sisters aren't as beautiful as Cinderella truly is. This ties in with the concept of sibling rivalry. Sibling rivalry is basically what it says. In Brothers Grimm's version, the step-sisters when they first come into the story show their dominance by downgrading Cinderella. As the story goes on they continue to beat on her and make her feel less than them. At the end of the story, karma comes into play. Cinderella is about to be the new Princess and the step-sisters get their eyes plucked out by birds, making them blind. I think that the moral behind this is to warn siblings that you should treat one another with equality because one day you may need your brother/sister for assistance and they will tell you, "Remember when you treated me with no respect?"
Yes, sibling rivalry is shown all throughout the story as shown by yourself and Bettelheim's analysis of the story. After you said that the stepsisters are trying to be better than cinderella, I have to say that I agree with you. Not only do we see them try to be better than her by trying to become princess, but also we see them try to belittle her to make cinderella feel inferior. They give her these monotonous tasks, like making her pick peas out of the fireplace, to bring her down. It shows how the stepsisters only care about themselves. Now when you say that the moral is to be good to your sibling, I have to disagree with you. I feel that the moral is more the concept of karma. That whatever you do will always come back and hurt you. We see this because the stepsisters were always torturing cinderella and in the end they were blinded by the birds. I feel that this is closer to the moral because if it was sibling rivalry cinderella would have decided to blind the stepsisters. Now since it was the birds that blinded them it is closer to karma because it shows how the world is making you suffer for your actions. This freak happening in nature, to me, seems that the moral is closer to karma than to be good to your siblings.
I agree. I believe that in Yeh-shien's Cinderella sibling rivalry is over exaggerated to prove the point that all siblings fight. Cinderella shows the true example that the true good sibling is not always the appreciated one or in Cinderella's case he acknowledged upon. Cinderella shows that with hard work, no matter how hard someone tries to stop you from achievement, perseverance always wins in the end.
In class today we talked about Bettelheim and how he states that sibling rivalry exists commonly today and is evident throughout Brother's Grimm version of Cinderella. I agree with Bettelheim that it definitely exists and can cause little kids especially to grow apart from their siblings and family. Cinderella step sisters where always trying to be better than her and went to great lengths to get their feet to slip into the slipper but all attempts were futile. However Bettelheim contradicts his statement of sibling rivalry when he uses the example of a only child. "Even an only child feels that other children have some great advantages over him, and this makes him jealous." I disagree here with Bettelheim because a only child has the luxury of being the favorite and gets basically everything he wants. An only child does not feel jealous because he would in fact complain and whine until he gets whatever his friends have. Therefore I think Bettelheim provides a irrelevant example and digress' from his main point of how sibling rivalry plays a important role in both society and fair tales.
I too agree with Bettelheim here about situations of sibling rivalry. It is definitely evident in our everyday lives and is also seen in the Brother's Grimm version of cinderella. Cinderella was always looked at less than her step-sisters who tried to fit their feet into the slipper and who also seemed to be favored because they had fancy dresses for the ball. However, I disagree with the statement you make about being an only child is an advantage. I feel that sibling rivalry is in a sense normal and needed to help motivate one's character and plays a major role in the builing of one's attitude. Being an only child means you do not have any sort of sibling rivalry and in my opinion is a disadvantage.
Gary asserts that an only child has the luxury of being the favorite and gets everything he wants. Also, an only child does not feel jealous because he would in fact complain and whine until he gets whatever his friends have. What Gary fails to realize is that an only child does indeed feel jealousy. An only child may beg, whine and get what they want, but what they do get is nothing in comparison to the feeling of having a sibling or two to share personal experiences with. Although a sibling might establish a competition that could promote jealousy, a sibling brings many things to the table that an ordinary friend could not. Sibling relationships are potentially more meaningful than friendships because whereas friends come and go, kinship, generally speaking, is everlasting.
I agree with Gary, siblings do have rivalries in order to become the favorite. But in Cinderella we don't see that. The step sisters are already their mothers favorite. But at the end when Cinderella gets married to the prince all of a sudden the step sisters come running to Cinderella to try and get included in her fortune even though they mistreated her. This shows how siblings think they can take anything they want from the other. But I also disagree with the only child not being jealous. Even though an only child is the favorite, gets what they want, and doesn't have to share they are jealous of not having a sibling because they want somebody who they can have a special bond with so they can share experiences.
While you all have made relative points about the fact that a only child may feel jealous I feel that in the view of Bettelheim he is just contradicting his views on sibling rivalry. While you guys have stated that a only child may still feel jealous and miss the experiences and memories that he can with a sibling, the only child will have a comfortable and care free childhood. An only child may not have anyone to share personal experiences and may not have a sibling to bring the best out in him but he will be loved and cherished by his/her parents. The only child will not have to worry about anything and can just concentrate on his life moving forward. Although sibling rivalry may have helped him/her discover his/her hidden talents he/she will not have to deal with the constant conflicts and struggles of possessions being shared. The only child will have a utopian childhood with everything being perfect. The child will not have to compete and then feel unloved because he/she will be the only one. The only child then would not feel the need to be better than anyone else and will never feel the desire to put down someone like the step sisters tried doing to Cinderella. By being a only child he/she will not have to worry about a thing and will in a way be blessed and can choose to do whatever they want. The only child also will not be compared or forced to follow anyone else' footsteps because he/she will be the original one to create his/her footsteps. Therefore an only child has benefits but must realize how to use his/her benefits to its advantage.
I completely agree with Gary about bettlehems idea of a child with siblings. I know from my own experiences that whenever my sister did or got something I wanted to do or get something better. I felt this was shown through Cinderella's step sisters hatred towards her. However when Gary says that he thinks that betelheim's theory on only children is wrong I cannot agree. When my sister had moved out of my home I thought I would be getting much more. But instead of me having a rivalry with my sister it was more with my friends. When ever they got something or did something I wanted to do it too. Although I am an only child in my home and the only one my parents are supporting , they didn't just give me whatever I wanted it was still the same as when my sister was home.
I agree with Gary about Bettleheims idea of sibling rivalry. I don't think that every child has the thought in their head if they are the favorite child. I do think that every child tries to compete with their siblings and try to be better than eachother. This is because I think it is human nature for people to be competitive with others around them. This is the way we were born and you can see this in everyday life.
In Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella favoritism plays a big role. In today's world most parents today have a favorite child, most parents have one kid who gets everything he or she wants. The father of little Cinderella remarried a women with two daughters. These two daughters were evil. One day the father went out and brought home whatever the daughters and Cinderella wanted. This really doesn't show favoritism but, the father didn't really care for Cinderella, he knew their was a ball coming up. I feel like since he knew the ball was coming up maybe he should have told her to get something for the ball like a dress or pearl or jewels like the stepdaughters. Later on, the night of the ball every time Cinderella asks her stepmother to go to the ball, she said "No, you don't have anything to wear." As the story goes on, the prince is looking for the right bride. Cinderella's own father said to the prince when the prince asked him "Don't you have another daughter," and the father said "No, there only puny little Cinderella." I feel this shows favoritism because the mother of her daughters tried to help them and tell them to do stuff thats horrible to get the prince while the stepmother doesn't say anything to help Cinderella and neither does Cinderella's own father.
I definitely agree with Vin. Another great example of favoritism in Brothers Grimm that you forgot was when the prince was looking for the woman to fit in the shoe and he asked Cinderella's father if he had another daughter and he replied that it couldn't be puny little Cinderella. This shows that he favors the step daughters over Cinderella because he is saying that Cinderella is not worthy to be a princess but the other two sisters are.
In reading Brothers Grimm's Cinderella, this idea of a persons wealth distinguishing their role in society due to their ability to gain material goods. In this account, we see a great example of this in the character Cinderella. After the passing of her mother and her father remarrying the step mother, Cinderella falls to the oppression of her two step sisters practically losing every bit of wealth that she has. After the sisters "took away her beautiful clothes, dressed her in an old grey smock, and gave her some wooden shoes." She is then given the role of a "maid." I think Brothers Grimm is arguing this idea that a persons wealth is equivalent to the dominance they have in society, just as the sisters use on Cinderella. Later throughout the story, Cinderella receives from the birds " a dress that was even more splendid and radiant than anything she ever had, and the slippers were covered in gold." Once Cinderella acquires this wealth, her status in society then changes for she is the one who the Prince becomes interested in. This was most interesting to me because a person who was covered in filth from picking up lentils from a fire place, puts on a beautiful dress and gets cleaned up a little bit all of a sudden determines her place in society. Also, it is ironic that the Prince is attracted to the wealth and beauty of Cinderella instantly falling in love with her; opposed to actually getting to know Cinderella's personality. The Prince just directly assumes Cinderella is a somebody because of her material goods when in reality she is nothing but a house maid for the step sisters. Therefore, with this supporting detail I believe that it is apparent that wealth determines a person's social significance to a society.
Gary, this is a great point. Also notice the prince wants to escort her home to meet her family. This is presumably why she ditches him every night. She does not have a family she would want him to meet. He of course wants to see her pedigree.
Gary the idea of “A persons wealth distinguishing their role in society due to their ability to gain material goods” also stuck out to me. The fact that you listed Cinderella as a “maid” is slightly off from how I see her character. In my opinion Cinderella is more like a “slave” without the physical abuse. She is constantly doing as her step-mother says with no reward but more work. “Here, I’ve dumped a bowlful of lentils into the ashes. If you can pick out the lentils in the next two hours, then you may go.” I find this labor as tedious, by picking out the lentils, Cinderella is doing nothing to benefit the family, infact the step-mother actually pours the lentils into the ashes just to give her step-daughter something to do. Cinderella never complained with the work load or the labor, she simply just got the work done. After completing this act, she was still denied the opportunity to attend the wedding. When going to her mother’s grave Cinderella went under the hazel tree and said “Shake your branches, little tree, Toss gold and silver down on me.” This is the point in her life when she begins to gain an edge in society. The next following three days she is the center of attention, between the Prince and everyone else who wanted to dance with her at the wedding. When the Prince finds her golden shoe on the third day, he goes on a hunt for Cinderella. Cinderella’s sisters are so eager to marry the Prince that they cut off parts of their foot to try and fit in Cinderella’s shoe. After treating there sister like a slave her entire life, the sisters attend Cinderella’s wedding and try to “ingratiate themselves in her good fortune.” In Grimm’s Cinderella he shows that these character just wanted a more prominent role in society, and it did not matter what they had to do to obtain it.
The idea of persistence and cinderella completing all of the tasks that her mother assigns her in order for her to attend the ball. Showing a good work ethic and merit that you will be rewarded for hard work. The example of cinderella being persistent when she is told by her stepmother that she is unable to attend the ball because of the fact that she doesn't have a dress nor shoes. Her stepmother then tells her she dumped a bowl full of lentils into the ashes and if she picks out the lentils in the next two hours she can go. Each time cinderella is told this although she has help from the birds she still desperately wants to attend the ball, therefore completing the task her mother gives her each time. Through putting up with the hard times from her step mother and sisters she stays positive and ignores all three women and completes each task so she can attend the ball which i feel also that karma plays a small role . This shows cinderella being persistent and working hard and by her having a great work ethic she is rewarded with the handsome prince.
I agree, the fact that Cinderella completes every task put in front of her just to go to a ball really shows how much she wants to feel normal and sort of be better than her sisters, who treat her so badly. It seems like Cinderella is trying to do all of this work to prove that no one can get in her way. She does succeed in this and proves that she is better than her sisters and is worthy of marrying a prince. And also, karma does play a large part in this fairy tale, Cinderella puts in all of her hard work and eventually is repaid for it by marrying a prince. On the other side, the sisters were evil to Cinderella, and their eyes were pecked out by birds.
Nick I agree with everything you stated about Cinderella. She is persistent in every way from cleaning to attending the ball. This fairy tale in a way shows that it has a moral meaning. It shows that if you keep at something and don't quit dreams can be made. Cinderella also shows persistence with how she is treated like Christopher said. It takes someone with a strong will to be treated badly everyday and keep on going. All of these things can be used in a fairy tale to teach young children on rights and wrongs. It has been a very successful tool in the past and throughout the future it will continue being shared. B'OSu
Just a short quick statement that i thought about- I also believe that within Grimm's fairytales that the idea of an evil stepmother is always portrayed. Comparing cinderella to snow white, i feel like both are very similar in the way that both stepmothers envy and cannot stand their stepdaughters. There are some differences how snow white retaliates to get revenge on her step mother and how cinderella doesn't take revenge but yet the birds that were helping cinderella pluck both sisters eyes out. I feel like because Grimm portrayed this theme at such an early time that many people were so used to families sometimes being this way toward the step mother or daughter and thats what they grew up to learn about. It is still a very current problem in todays society.
I agree with some points you made Nick, however I feel that the step sisters are a lot worse than the step mother in the Grimm's version of Cinderella. An example of this is seen when she offers Cinderella a chance to go to the ball by picking out a bowl of lentils from the ashes but replies with you have nothing to wear. She then feels more sympathy for Cinderella after that by offering her another chance to go to the ball. I know many may not see this as being nice but if we compare her to the step mother portrayed Disney version of Cinderella we see a difference. In the Disney version of Cinderella the step mother not only makes her do all the chores but locks her in her room day and night so she can't escape. When the prince comes around in the Disney version the step mother wouldn't even let Cinderella come out of her room and threw the key to her room away. In the Grimm brothers version most of the damage to Cinderella is caused by the step sisters and even the father but not so much the step mother like we see in other versions. Overall both step mothers in both versions are evil in their own way but when compared the step mother from Grimm's seems a little more sympathetic.
In Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella, I noticed that there was hatred between that of Cinderella and her step sisters. Cinderella is seen as a nice beautiful girl who gets taken advantage of because of the jealousy of her sisters. In Bettelheim's work he explains the relationship between the sisters and Cinderella as a sibling rivalry because of the way the step sisters try and tarnish Cinderella. Cinderella is given these ugly clothes and wooden shoes and is seen as a servant to that of the step sisters. When Cinderella loses her slipper, the step sisters try and claim that the slipper Cinderella lost is theirs so that one of the sisters could live with the prince. In the end, Cinderella is able to come through and claim the shoe to be hers.
Joe, this is so true. I feel like in every fairy tale there is always someone being jealous of someone or someone being mistreated. Look at Snow White there is jealousy and the expression everything is about me, Every story has a meaning though. I think the author is trying to say it but in an unnoticeable way. Yes they are interesting but there has to be a meaning somewhere along the lines and to learn from it, You learn through everything in life and by hearing or reading these stories you learn what not to do and what to do the right way. BOS'u
Like Joe said, there is hatred between Cinderella and her step sisters. I think it is because the step sisters are jealous of her and how beautiful she is. Jealousy plays a big role throughout this story. The step mother and the step sisters are always putting Cinderella down and make her seem like their slave because they always have Cinderella doing all the work. Also, like Brian said there is jealousy in most fairy tales but in the end the main character rises above her challenge. Just like Cinderella claimed the shoe to be hers and she can be with the prince.
I believe that in the Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, the author wants to get a moral lesson across to the reader. The lesson the author chose was about karma; good things happening to good people and vice versa. Cinderella's mother, on her deathbed, told Cinderella that if she was good and said her prayers the Lord would be with her. When her mother died, Cinderella went to her grave everyday along with praying and always being good. Even when Cinderella was forced to live with her abusive step-sisters and step-mother, she did what she was told and was always good. At the end of the story the author shows Cinderellas good karma though the good fortune she receives. She marries the prince and even when she has power over her step-sisters she does not retaliate against them for all of the horrible things they did to her. The step-sisters however do experience their bad karma. They are blinded by the doves and "punished for their wickedness and malice with blindness for the rest of their lives. CLio
I do agree with you Chris. Karma is indeed present in the end of this fairytale. I was surprised that in this story of Brother Grimm that he didn't portray Cinderella like he did of that as Snow White. Cinderella works hard and is rewarded for what she does. Another thing I found interesting was that Cinderella wasn't as foolish as Snow White. I am a little confused as to why Brother Grimm didn't make Cinderella like Snow White, a good child then becoming a tyrant. Maybe a moral for Cinderella also could be "those who seek revenge shall remember to dig two graves".
After following up Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella by reading Bruno Bettelheim's analysis, I came to conclusion that sibling rivalries as well as evilness does indeed exist in life as well as in literature. It is rare for a parent to admit that there is any such thing as a rivalry, however, in the eyes of children there most definitely is. Represented in Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella but stated in Bettelheim's analysis, "Cinderella is pushed down and degraded by her step sisters; her interests are sacrificed to theirs by her step mother; she is expected to do the dirtiest work and although she performs it well, she receives no credit for it; only more is demanded of her." Her step sisters truly show her no respect. Her sisters as well as her mother only care about making Cinderella's life miserable. Personally, I feel that this exists because Cinderella's two step sisters are the real children from Cinderella's step mother. As stated in Brother Grimm's short story, "His new wife brought with her two daughters, whose features were beautiful and white, but whose hearts were foul and black." Also, "They ridiculed her and threw peas and lentils into the ashes so that she would have to sit down in the ashes and pick them out." These quotes truly show the evilness of the step sisters. In the concluded parts of the short story, when the Prince says that his bride will be the one who's foot fits in the golden shoe, we identify how severe the sibling rivalry is by noting that both step sisters slice off a piece of their foot in order to fit in the shoe. Ultimately, the Prince insists that Cinderella tries on the shoe, leaving it to fit perfectly around her feet. When the wedding day comes, the step-sisters who treated her so harshly throughout the short-story ultimately wanted to share in Cinderella's good fortune. Ironic. Therefore throughout Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella and Brother Bettleheim's analysis, evilness as well as sibling rivalries exist. However, goodness always prevails!
I definitely agree with you Baum because I also came to that conclusion that there is a sibling rivalry in the real world and in literature. Most parents this day and age will not admit that they have a favorite child. In Bettelheim's analysis the step sisters are seen as dominant siblings while Cinderella is a servant to them. Both of them show her no respect and no love to her. Everyone in that family wants to see Cinderella struggle by making her life miserable. One example where we see the step sisters trying to be better than Cinderella is when they tried so hard to make their feet fit into her slipper. We see that the step mother favors her two daughters more than Cinderella because when she asked her if she could go to the ball she said no you do not have anything to wear like your step sisters. But by the end of the analysis the Prince finally makes Cinderella try on the shoe. Which ultimately fit perfectly and made the Prince want to marry Cinderella. I agree that there is sibling rivalries that exist today but the good child will always win because they will understand how to become independent and not care what anyone else has to say about them.
Joe, I agree with the fact that there is sibling rivalry and that most parents try to look past it, but not every parent has favoritism over one child. I feel that it is wrong for a parent to do so. You have to look at it this way, we refer to them as her sisters but they are her "step-sisters." They are not family, and neither is their mother. The stepsisters obviously stem from their mother's wickedness, but by adding that personality to the fact that they are supposed to welcome an outsider in their lives causes misery. They probably feel that they don't have to love her, and they stress that point very clearly. Now I'm not defending what they do, just touching at the possible reason why the stepsisters and stepmother do this to her. I believe that this is a topic well open to criticism and further discussion.
I agree with what Baum said about the step-mother making Cinderellas life miserable because its not really her child. after reading Bruno Bettelheim's paper, he states that this Brothersd Grimm fairytale replaces sibling relationships, with step-siblings. "Perhaps a device to explain and make acceptable an animosity which one wishes would not exist among two true siblings" In my opinion what this means is that all the degrading and the sibling rivalry is okay because they are Cinderella's step-sisters and that just like this kind of sibling rivalry is unnatural.
In the Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella one of the themes shown is that true beauty comes from the inside not just the appearance on the outside. For example, Cinderella's two step sisters may be beautiful on the outside but on the inside they are cruel, mean and selfish. The step sisters are filled with jealousy because of Cinderella's beauty so they try to almost disguise Cinderella with ugly and worn out clothes so that they can be the most beautiful girls at the ball. Ironically, Cinderella in the worn out, ugly clothes is far more beautiful than the step sisters all dressed up for the ball. The shoe, symbolizes true beauty and destiny as the Prince tries to find his true love through this shoe. Again selfishness overcomes the step sisters as one cuts off her toe and the other her heel just to be able to fit in the shoe. The Prince takes both sisters without thinking because they were both still beautiful but not quite as beautiful as Cinderella. Because the step sisters were so mean and ugly on the inside their karma was that they were not the most beautiful girls at the ball and they each lost a toe and heel. The girl dressed in worn out clothes ends up being the girl the Prince falls in love with because she is beautiful not only on the outside but also on the inside
I agree with you Joe, the step sisters are cruel, mean, and selfish. They do anything they can in order to make Cinderella suffer by giving her ugly clothing and harsh tasks such as picking lentils out of the ashes. But I don't think the prince is actually looking for true love. He danced with Cinderella three times, and twice he almost married the wrong girl if it wasn't for the birds. He knows what Cinderella looks like but only cares about her materialistic possessions, such as seeing the three beautiful dresses she had at the balls. And putting the shoe on only shows who had the better possessions rather than who his true love was.
I agree with this point Joe. This idea that beauty is not solely based on appearance, but more personality than anything. But, did you ever think that Brothers Grimm is satirizing this idea of being materialistic and that society only sees the physical rather than internal beauty? Cinderella is given the role of a "maid" and is covered in dirty rags and clothing. Grimm doesn't really bring any attention to her personality, other than her innocence from being taken advantage of by her step sisters. It's not until Cinderella receives the beautiful dress with golden slippers, that she even becomes relevant to that society. The reason in which Cinderella runs away from the Prince when he offers to take her home, is because Cinderella is aware that the Prince will no longer be interested if he sees that on the outside she isn't exactly beautiful. He does not really care about her personality, even though ironically he danced with her 3 separate times. As you stated, this is scene with the slippers and that he is initially fooled by the step sister that they were Cinderella. He did not pay attention to their personalities to tell the difference
After reading Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, something that caught my attention was the fact that people will do anything to ether move up in society or establish themselves as a respected member of their social class. In Brothers Grimm, the evil step-sisters are a prime example of how someone would do anything to move up in society. When the Prince finds the shoe he puts it on 3 feet, 2 of the step-sisters and Cinderella. When he puts the shoe on the first step-sister, she actually cut off her toe just so she would be able to fit into a shoe. And then the second step-sister physically cut off her heel, which I didn't even know to be possible, to fit into a shoe and be the princes' love. The prince, is anther story, since he is already very wealthy he just wants to add on to his good fortunes by gaining a trophy wife. He wants a pretty girl who he can call his own, and add to his wealth and social status. I do agree with and find it interesting that Mrs.Fotinatos pointed out the prince wants to escort her home to meet her family and he wants to see what social class and her pedigree. This shows that in choosing someone to love, social class is a major contributing factor for the prince. MPer
I completely agree with Mike, I feel like this is a very important point in the story and i also feel like its a theme that is also strongly pointed out in todays society as well. I agree with mike in saying that many people will go to the absolute extreme in order to increase their social status. I think it is a far exaggeration that people would cut off their toes or heel for a prince but i feel like some people are ignorant enough to do so. I also can relate the two stepsisters doing this to the foot binding lesson that paul folino showed us earlier in the blog. Women did this in order to be accepted as beautiful and were also allowed to marry. I personally think that going that far for someone is pathetic and if you have to go to those extreme conditions for that person that they aren't the right person for you. I know about people proving themselves to someone but i feel like cutting off body parts are a little to extreme for me. I know the prince is looking for a "trophy" wife like mike said but he never forced the stepsisters to cut off their heel or toes. He has an expectation to fulfill. Cinderella is a great wife for him because she is a good hearted person who doesn't do anything to seek revenge on the step mother or sisters.
I agree with mike in saying that the prince wants a trophy wife. But I expected the prince to have more requirements for his "trophy wife". I thought that the prince would want to have a lady who came from the upper class of society and was used to going to balls, and being spoiled with riches. He Often wants to follow her home so she can introduce him to her family and so that he can see her social class and her status in that class. The prince surprises me with staying with Cinderella because i thought he would want to raise his social status and be with a wealthy, high class girl.
While reading Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, I noticed how important of a role the shoe played to the characters. I feel that to the step-sisters and the step-mother, the shoe represents royalty. When the prince is trying to find the women who's foot fits into the shoe, his first encounter is with Cinderella's step-sister who has too big a toe to fit in the shoe, the step-mother says, "Cut the toe off. Once you're queen, you won't need to go on foot anymore". So she cuts off her toe and initially fools the prince but the two little doves in the hazel tree spoil the happy ending for her. The same thing happens with the other step-sister, her heel is too large to fit so the step-mother says to cut off her heel and she does it, but the two little doves ruin their plan again. The prince finally comes across Cinderella and the shoe fits perfectly and they got married. The step-sisters were willing to cut off their own body parts in order to gain good fortune. This shows the manipulating things people will do in order to achieve what they desire, no matter what lengths they must go to get it. At the end of the story when the doves pecked out the step-sisters eyes, symbolizes the punishment they deserve for what they tried to do, and their materialistic sinful ways were repaid by them losing their eyes. LJac
I agree Luke, the shoe has a key role in both Brothers Grimm's version and Yeh-hsien. However in each story the shoe symbolizes something different. In Yeh-hsien, the shoe represented the Chinese culture of foot-binding. The smaller the woman's foot was, the more revered they were in society. The only reason the prince went looking for the owner of the shoe was because of how small it was, he didn't really know who she was or what she looked like. In Grimm's version the shoe represented high rank in society, the shoe is made of silver and gold, and that is one of the reasons that the prince came looking for her. Also, in the picture showed in class, the shoe used in that version was a boot. The boot represented high class because at the time the story was written was during war, so rubber was being rationed. The shoe is a major symbol in every version of Cinderella.
I completely agree with you, After reading Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, I have also notice the symbolism and importance in the role of the glass shoe. I agree with the fact that the glass shoe represents royalty, but I also feel it a symbol of hope for Cinderella. In Cinderella's household she is faced with constant hardship from her step-sisters and step-mother. Her sister are always trying to better themselves by making fun of Cinderella or even taking drastic measures to beat her out. These drastic measures are shown when both step-sisters cut off the heel of there feet to try and make the glass shoe fit. However, this does not fool the prince ( thanks to the doves) and when Cinderella try's the glass shoe on and it fits perfectly he knows she is the one. They become married and they live happily ever after. I also agree with the symbolism of when the doves peck out the step sisters. I believe they deserves it. CArn
In Cinderella i think that the idea of sibling rivalry is very prominent. The two step sisters are new to the family and want all of the attention. The stepmother realizes that her daughter want to be the most liked in the family and helps them by destroying Cinderella's image. Both step sisters want to make her feel like she isn't one of the three daughters. They make her feel like a slave. When Cinderella is not allowed to go to the ball it is also because her step sisters ruin all of he clothes and didn't let her lean how to dance. The two step sisters did all of these horrible things to Cinderella because she was prettier and had more luxurious things then them. Cinderella's father made her life so great that the sisters felt obliged to take what they wanted from her.
I agree with you Jonathan, the conflict in Cinderella is caused because of sibling rivalry. Cinderella's two step-sisters feel that they have dominance over Cinderella and do not hesitate to show it. Cinderella shows no resistance against her step-sisters (and step-mother) and never retaliates against them after any of their wrong doings. This is mostly because her mother told her to always be good so that the Lord would always be with her. Also she knows that she is alone, Cinderella's father does not try and help her and since her mother died she has had no other family. I think that the sibling rivalry is more fierce because they are not truly family but are still forced to live under the same roof as siblings do. CLio
I agree with both of you guys, the sibling rivalry fueled by jealousy and envy is the major conflict of the story. The idea the step sisters and step mother think they can control Cinderella's life by throwing away her clothes and undermining her as a person and treating her like a slave shows the cruelty of this rivalry. I agree with you Chris that she doesn't retaliate because her mother told her that the Lord would always be with her if she was good, but I also think Cinderella's ignorance is the reason she doesn't retaliate because she keeps receiving false hope when the step mother tells her she can go to the ball if she picks grains and puts them in a bowl. And I also agree that the sibling rivalry is more heated because they seem like rivals for who can be the most beautiful in the land, not as a family who supports and helps each other with everything they do. JCro
After reading Cinderella I realized that the shoe is a major symbol that everyone is trying to receive. I feel the shoe represents true beauty and social class to the step-mother and step-sisters. Once the Prince came across the shoe he was curious to see who it belonged to. First the step-mother tells the step daughter to cut off her big toes so she can fit into the shoe and trick the Prince. It worked at first until two doves reveal to the Prince that it is in fact a trick. After a little while the other sister cuts her heel off so that she could fit into the shoe but the doves once again destroyed their hopes. Finally the Prince finds the woman who fits perfectly into the shoes which was Cinderella. They got married and lived happily ever after. The thing that amazed me the most was that the mother of the daughters wanted Cinderella to be miserable even though it meant that her daughters had to cut some of their body parts off. This idea shows that some people would do anything just to move up the social ladder and become better than someone else.
Joe I totally agree with you. I was also surprised when the sisters cut of parts of their foot just so they can receive the social benefit. They both desperately wanted to move up in the social ladder especially when they were unsure who was with the prince each night but ran off. They would also torment Cinderella constantly mentally and physically. Although the way she was treated by her step-sisters and step-mother, she fought through it all and received happiness by marrying the prince.
In reading Brother's Grimm's Cinderella, and Yeh-shien, I drew a comparison between the shoe and the fish in the two works. I feel that these symbols are almost identical. The shoe is exclusive to Cinderella, she is the only one who naturally fits into the shoe and it symbolizes Cinderella's true beauty. The shoe also is attempted to be stolen by Cinderella's step sisters, seeking its beauty. In Yeh-shien, the fish is taken care of by Yeh-shien and she is forced to put it in the lake when it grows too big. She visits it every day and it only appears to Yeh-shien. The fish symbolizes Yeh-shien's innocence and her caring. Yeh-shien's stepmother can be paralleled to to Cinderella's step-sisters in the sense that she tries to take what exclusively belongs to Yeh-shien. Ultimately, even though these two stories differ greatly in culture and plot, the symbols can easily be compared and found similar.
One thing I find quite interesting is that on this blog we all keep talking about the relationship between Cinderella and her step family, or the roles of good and evil, or how some parts of the story are unappropriated for children, however we are forgetting about the whole story. In any version of Cinderella we are going to get the evil step mother and evil step sisters, and the battle between good and evil but there are other versions such as A Cinderella Story and Another Cinderella Story that focus more on the relationship between the "prince" and "Cinderella". In both versions of Cinderella mentioned above the story pretty much revolves around the Cinderella character and her true love and how they have an unresolved conflict to figure out. Basically the point I am trying to get across is that in these versions and in the versions we read in class I was not thinking about what was going to happen to the step sisters or mother. I was more concerned with whether or not Cinderella got the prince. After all I feel the climax of all the versions including the Grimm brothers is when Cinderella finally get to see the prince and is able to try on the shoe. I feel that I am one of the only people that cared more about the relationship than anything else. I also feel that the message little girls should be getting out of this story is not that they are more beautiful than everyone else in their family or that they are a slave to their family but that one day they will find their "prince" or more importantly their "prince" will find them. Cinderella is meant to be a love story about a girl who came up from nothing, just like many other fairy tales.
After reading Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, I have found that there has been a constant theme of sibling rivalry throughout this version of Cinderella. After the two new step-sisters are welcomed into the house Cinderella instantly loses the spotlight. Her two step-sister treat her horribly taking all her nice clothes, so she cannot attend the balls and ruin her chances of meeting a future husband. Cinderella just takes all of the abuse and her step-sisters know she is not going to retaliate. Even her mother instigates the two sisters to bother her. Before Cinderella mother died, she had an ideal well lived life with many luxurious items. When her step-mother and step-sisters came into the picture they took everything of Cinderella's leaving her with nothing. However, through a series of events Cinderella finally meets the man of her dreams. Even though the hardships of sibling rivalry affect Cinderella greatly she prevailed. CArn
I completely agree with you Chris. To add onto what you have stated, I believe that through the step-sister's tension and competition to become the wife of the prince, the reader learns that ultimately cheaters never win. The step-sisters of Cinderella had to cheat for the attention of their newly wedded parents in that they took away CInderella's "beautiful clothes." Also, when the prince was searching for the "woman whose foot fits this golden shoe", the step-sisters cheat by cutting off the toe and heel of their feet in order to fit into the shoe. After the prince catches each of the step-sisters caught in a lie when there is blood everywhere, he realizes that they are not the real "true bride." At the conclusion of the story, truth prevails as Cinderella is found to be the "true bride" and to show that cheaters never win.
Brothers Grimm's version of Cinderella can be seen as a story of how your status in society can change very quickly. Initially in the story we see CInderella as a daughter of a very rich man. This changes very quickly as her mother dies, her father remarries, and CInderella's new step-sisters, "took away her beautiful clothes, dressed her in old grey smock, and gave her wooden shoes." Grimm may be trying to send a message to his rich audience as they should appreciate and be very thankful for their good fortune as you can lose it in a blink of the eye. In contrast, Grimm sends a different message to his poverty stricken audience. After all the mental and physical abuse CInderella takes from her sisters and stepmother, such as picking out bowls of lentils that were dumped into ashes , it is she who ends up on top at the end of the story when the prince exclaims, " She is the true bride." And as for the wicked stepsisters, they are put in their right place in society in the end as they must suffer from blindness for the rest of their lives. Clearly Grimm wants to send a message to all of society about how quickly their fortune or misfortune can change.
I agree with you Tom in all the points that you make. I feel that Grimm is in fact trying to send a message to his rich audience. The way Cinderella went from a princess to actually a maid for the sisters who came into her life is a complete turn around because she had a great life. But Grimm gives hope to the poverty stricken audience because of the way Cinderella was able to bounce back from her fall and come back on top once again. Grimm teaches the poor audience that even though things might not go right all the time, just like Cinderella has to go through picking out the lentils, you could still come back and succeed.
As upon reading Cinderella in class the past week, I have seen Cinderella fight through a very physical and mental pain with her "evil" step-sisters and step-mother treat her with absolute disrespect. The step-sisters and mother make her pick up lentils from the ashes and constantly tell her that she is not pretty nor worth the groom's time. Throughout the reading a very important object which is the shoe is the social benefit for Cinderella. The sisters try to hard to fit in it correctly although it involved cutting off a toes or cutting part of their heal off so they can marry the prince. Luckily Cinderella has the perfect fit for the shoe and is rewarded through all the tough times that she faced from her step-sisters and step-mother by marrying the prince and living happily ever after. Also, the evil step-sisters have their eyes plucked out for the cruelty they caused to Cinderella. We should see since some of us may be big brothers is to not only treat out younger siblings but everyone around us with all kinds of respect and love because if one day we need that person, but out cruely affected our relationship with that person, we will not be helped by that person. So appreciate and show love and care to everyone around us.
Bruno Bettelheim’s Cinderella, is an article that involves the past fairytale in Cinderella, and how siblings are effected by sibling rivalry in present time. Bettelheim shows that Cinderella has to “Live among the ashes.” Bettelheim shows that Cinderella is degraded by her sisters as well as her step-mother. She is literally summoned to hard labor to receive nothing more then extra labor. Cinderella is told she is dirty and cannot attend the wedding, although all of her other sisters are going. Before the sisters leave Cinderella is told to shine their shoes for the wedding at the King’s palace, with no hesitation she does the deed. The story of Cinderella parallels to the life of children with younger siblings. Jealousy is portrayed in families where one child is seen to be getting all of the attention from their parents. “Another child being given special attention becomes an insult only if the child fears that, in contrast, he is thought little of by his parents, or feels rejected by them.” Bettelheim is trying to show that children’s emotions are very weak, they feel such anxiety so quickly if they don’t acquire the attention that they believe is necessary. Children need an equal amount of attention per child or one may feel less worthy. Growing up I experienced this and always tried to obtain my mother’s attention, until I grew up and realized the youngest child needs the most attention.
I agree Chris, I feel that the story of Cinderella does parallel the normal life of a younger sibling but I also feel that because Cinderella wasn't the step-mother's blood related daughter she didn't look at her with same love and care that she did to her own daughters. Which can be a common thing for step-parents, it is not their child so they don't show them the same love that they would with their own kids. Cinderella is looked down upon by her step-mother, she treats her as a slave, I am surprised at how her father doesn't stick up for her, he allows her to be put down and have the step-sisters put on a pedestal even though they aren't better in any way than Cinderella. That shows the weakness of the father in the story, he allows his own daughter to be ostracized from the family as if she isn't really part of it so that the step-mother can have it the way she wants. LJac
In the story of Cinderella, favoritism is a common role. Cinderella's step sisters are favorited over Cinderella greatly. An example is when the time came to go to the ball only the step sisters went and the step mother said Cinderella couldn't go because she didn't have a dress which was obviously a lie. A reason for this can be because Cinderella isn't the step mothers actually daughter so thats why the step mother treats Cinderella differently than her actual daughters. As Luke said in his post, the father should have done something about this because Cinderella was his actual daughter and this does show his weakness in the story.
Though I understand that sibling rivalry does play a large part in Cinderella, I disagree with the fact it's the major conflict in the story. Cinderella's conflict with her two siblings in the story is a major issue that she eventually does overcome, but I feel like the story's sibling rivalry is overshadowed by the lack of familial ties presented in the story. While her two sisters did mistreat her, her stepmother also treated her equally badly, going as far as to prevent her stepdaughter from going to the Ball intentionally by repeatedly making her do tedious and bizarre tasks, such as picking lentils out of a fire on her own. The only way Cinderella was capable of doing so was with the help of the birds she called. Cinderella's separation from her father also shows that the conflict of the story isn't so much sibling rivalry, but rather the conflict is familial separation, eventually leading to the ostracization of the left out family memeber, who in this case, was Cinderella.
Yeh-shien, is considered to be the Cinderella story from China. Yeh-shien has the same exact concept of Cinderella. A young girl who's mother passes away early in her life and an evil step mother comes around town. It is extremely clear that the theme in both short stories is that goodness always prevails. Although in the beginning of both short stories the evil step mother treats her step daughter horribly, by the conclusion of the story, goodness ultimately defeats evil. Similar to Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella, the step mother gives a heavy workload to her step daughter in both stories. In Cinderella, she was forced to do the dirtiest of the work. In Yeh-shien, this young girl was forced to do the dangerous work of all. As stated in the short story, "After some years the father died, and she was ill-treated by her step-mother, who always made her collect firewood in dangerous places and draw water from deep pools." However, despite the forced labor by both step-mothers in both stories, both characters (Cinderella and Yeh-Shien) had something to pray to in order for their wishes to come true. Yeh-shien prayed to her fish bones to have a beautiful dress to wear to the cave festival and Cinderella prayed to the hazel tree hoping for a beautiful dress to wear to the wedding. Yeh-shien and Cinderella both lost their shoe and a very important man finds it hoping to encounter the woman who's foot belongs in that shoe. It is only one person that the shoe fits on and it is that one person who will ultimately leave their horrible life behind and move onto a bigger and better life by marrying the king (In Yeh-shien) or the prince (in Cinderella). In both short stories, the young girl who was ill-treated is blessed by a specific object and ultimately leaves that life style in her past! Therefore it is clear that in the Chinese Cinderella Yeh-shien and in Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella, goodness always prevails!
Alex, there are several ideas in your blog that I agree with, but also a few that I disagree with. I definitely feel that goodness prevails in all the Cinderella works, but along with this topic I think that karma can play a huge role in this work, especially being that this is China's version of Cinderella. Another specific variation between Yehhsien and Brother's Grimm version of Cinderella is that Cinderella was not given an opportunity to be given any thing she wished, Yehhsien would ask and receive from her bones, Cinderella would pray and hope and essentially beg the hazel tree for her dress. I strongly agree with the fact that there is a major similarity in both works between the feet of the characters. Both stories involve a person having a very specific foot that will only fit in the shoe held by a very important man. I also support Your next point, because this person who is lucky enough to fit into the shoe is leaving behind a horrible life, in Brother's Grimm she escapes her harsh step-families abuse, and is able to revamp her life, in Yehhsien, she is able to leave behind her tyrant like mother who attempts to make her life miserable. Lastly, In Yehhsien, she doesn't necessarily marry the king, she is made by him a chief-wife, although this man still had multiple wives in the specific society, she is meant to be a queen=like figure.
In Yehhsein, the commonly speculated idea of greed in literature is a major factor to look at. Yehhsein is a girl who struggles through the death of her father, and faces the tyranny of her step-mother. Growing up with your best friend as a fish is a awful way to go through childhood. Her "Evil" step-mother finds a way to kill her daughters only friend, the fish, but this act leads Yehhsien to become very greedy. When yehhsien realizes the spiritual power behind the bones of the dead fish, her greediness begins. Although, it can be seen as an act of karma that yehhsien receives this gift from the fish, her overuse of this gift removes the value. Given her current struggles and problems, the fact that she wished for gold, pearls and dresses, shows that she was using the bones for greed rather than the goodness of society. Yehhsien also is granted with food, which is much less greedy than her other gifts. Greediness is seen again by the king of T'o Han after he finds yehhsien is the one whose foot fits into the shoe. He takes her in and takes control of the bones, using them for treasure and jade beyond limit. Especially as a king, a special gift like these bones can be used for much bigger and better things than his personal treasure. Also, the King of T'o Han selfishly buries the bones as if they are his. These situations exemplify the greed seen in this work of literature.
I agree with some aspects of your comment DeMarco. Yehhsein does struggle in her life because of the torture her step-mother brings her. For example, the fish Yehhsein had since childhood was her only form to express happiness. She watched the fish grow bigger and eventually put it in the back pond. Whenever she was melancholy, she would go in the back and visit the fish to restore her attitude. Therefore, the stepmother murdering the fish and exclaiming "the fish tasted twice as good than an ordinary fish" depicts how cruel someone can possibly be. I do not think Yehhsien was greedy with the fish bones because she only used them in time of need. However, when the fish bones end up on cave island, the king does use them for his advantage. But as the story tells, the fish bones washed away as he became too greedy. Consequently, Yehhsien does struggle in life, but eventually overcomes it with the help of the fish bones.
On behalf of the sibling rivalry argument: why do the step-sisters rival Cinderella, and not eachother? Although at first glance sibling rivalry seems to be the discrepancy between the step-sisters and Cinderella, perhaps it is not. In past-reads of fairy tales such as Snow White, it is clear that most elderly women are portrayed as evil, cruel, and masters of deception. The huntsman in Snow White simply obeys the queen at her command. This is significant because the step mother in Cinderella is clearly the one who is turning everyone against Cinderella. If not convinced, take note that it is the step mother who convinces one daughter to cut off a heel and the other a toe. Also, it is no coincidence that the father begins to loathe Cinderella, after he marries the step mother. Consequently, sibling rivalry may cause a great deal of favoritism and competition, but it is indeed the step mother who turns everyone against eachother, particularly Cinderella.
I disagree with you Louis. i think that the two step-sisters already hav a sisterly bond with one another and had no need to fight amongst eachother. What they really want to do is become the more favored children and ostracize Cinderella from the family. The step-mother sees this and tries to help her daughters succede. They will do anything to be better then her. We see this when the two step-sisters cause bodily harm to themselves just to become queen.
Assuming the stepmother was to choose a favorite daughter, the sisterly bond the step-sisters have established would be void. As you have said the two step-sisters cause harm to themselves in an attempt at becoming queen. But, only one can become queen. This leaves the other, less successful, therefore, less favorite, to be just as lowly as Cinderella. Perhaps the reason the step-sisters despise Cinderella so much is that they in fact know that only one of them can be queen, leaving the other to live the inevitable fate that Cinderella lives.
I believe the theme behind Cinderella revolves around sibling rivalry and jealousy. Cinderella's stepsisters try to make her life as terrible as possible by making fun of her. I can relate to this on a personal experience. My brother would feel jealous because I was the favored child in the family. In the Grimm version, the stepsisters are depicted as the mother's prized possession and barely paid attention to Cinderella. Cinderella was greatly controlled by her stepsisters and was negatively affected by them.
I definitely agree with Brett, I feel the rivalry and jealousy between the stepdaughters and Cinderella is a major part of the story. The stepdaughters abuse Cinderella by taking all of her beautiful dresses and they dressed her in old dirty clothes with wooden shoes. I also feel we see a rivalry between the stepsisters and Cinderella when they are competing against each other to get the Prince. The stepdaughters try to do horrible things to themselves just to be with the prince, but it hurts them in the end because the princes hears and catches them. The stepdaughters do all of these things without telling Cinderella and they didn't even tell her that prince is looking for the right bride and for her to try to get the prince as well because I feel that they don't care about Cinderella and want nothing but the worst for her as you can see. This can relate to my life experience as well because I was always my parents favorite and I always got what I asked for or wanted until my sister was born. My sister started to become my parents favorite and got all of the attention and I was just always left out. I always got so mad and jealous of my sister. This is like how the stepdaughters and Cinderella show jealousy and a rivalry as well in Grimm's version of Cinderella.
In Cinderella the concept of foot binding is seen throughout the story. Now to us this seems cruel and strange. We also may think that with this concept in the story that the story may not be suitable for children. Since this story originated in china I think that this story is acceptable for children. It was their culture to bind the women's feet and to them it would seem less odd. I think that as we see the story it may seem too violent. It shows how the different cultures reflect their practices in their writings too. It makes the art of storytelling more informative about other peoples cultures.
In the brothers Grimm version of Cinderella I felt that sibling rivalry was a main theme throughout the story. The rivalry existed between Cinderella and get step sisters. This rivalry was fueled by the jealousy that the sisters have torwards Cinderella. One example of the step sisters trying to out do Cinderella is when they try and bind there feet in order to fit the shoes. They do this so they could out do Cinderella and get the prince. Also the rivalry existed because of the sisters making fun off Cinderella and putting Cinderella down so often
Throughout Cindarella and other tales we have read, such as Snow White, I've noticed that the oppressed main character seems to "return the favor" to their oppressor. In Snow White, she makes her stepmother dance on hot coal until she dies. In Cindarella, the stepsisters get plucked by the birds at the wedding. I feel that this common ending is present in many tales other than Cindarella and Snow White.
That is an excellent point Anthony, I totally agree. I feel that in most fairy tales the stressed character gives it back to the characters stressing them. This shows that people have a natural tendency to seek revenge.
I agree with this statement in regards to the other tales we have readhowever I feel as if it doesn't hold true in the case of Cinderella. In the end of the tale Cinderella never actually wants to seek vengence upon the opressive characters, the sisters, who abused her throughout the tale. In fact Cinderella's "helpers" take it upon themselves to deliver justice to the sisters. Perhaps the message is not that people seek revenge but you reap what you sow.
"Another one bites the dust." This classic song by queen highlights the ending of Cinderella by Brothers Grimm. The two stepsisters fight for the position of the wife of the prince. They keep Cinderella out of the picture by going to an extreme for royalty. One step sister cuts off her big toe and the other cuts off part of her heel. The prince realizes that the shoe doesn't fit either step sister so he asks the father to see Cinderella. The shoe perfectly fits Cinderella and the prince and she marries. Karma is shown when the step sisters get their eyes plucked out at the wedding. This comes to show that good things happen to good people in return. And also the step sisters show that, proving Queen, another one does bite the dust.
In class the other day we talked about why the Chinese women would bind their feet to make their feet smaller. In Bruno Bettelheim's article we got today in class he says that "the unrivaled tiny foot size as a mark of extraordinary virtue, distinction, and beauty". Furthering into this i found a video on youtube. Here is the link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnmOqpoDFEw
In the video they explain why Chinese women binded their feet. In the fairytale "Cinderella" the Prince says whoever's foot fits the slipper is my new Princess. The two step-sisters go to the extreme to become royal. One cuts off her big toe and the other part of her heel. What I find this to be is that their feet are not that of beauty. Cinderella's foot fits perfectly into the slipper, therefore she has a foot small enough to fit into the slipper. The step-sisters tried everything to be better than Cinderella. Maybe they should have binded their feet. This shows that The step-sisters aren't as beautiful as Cinderella truly is. This ties in with the concept of sibling rivalry. Sibling rivalry is basically what it says. In Brothers Grimm's version, the step-sisters when they first come into the story show their dominance by downgrading Cinderella. As the story goes on they continue to beat on her and make her feel less than them. At the end of the story, karma comes into play. Cinderella is about to be the new Princess and the step-sisters get their eyes plucked out by birds, making them blind. I think that the moral behind this is to warn siblings that you should treat one another with equality because one day you may need your brother/sister for assistance and they will tell you, "Remember when you treated me with no respect?"
Yes, sibling rivalry is shown all throughout the story as shown by yourself and Bettelheim's analysis of the story. After you said that the stepsisters are trying to be better than cinderella, I have to say that I agree with you. Not only do we see them try to be better than her by trying to become princess, but also we see them try to belittle her to make cinderella feel inferior. They give her these monotonous tasks, like making her pick peas out of the fireplace, to bring her down. It shows how the stepsisters only care about themselves. Now when you say that the moral is to be good to your sibling, I have to disagree with you. I feel that the moral is more the concept of karma. That whatever you do will always come back and hurt you. We see this because the stepsisters were always torturing cinderella and in the end they were blinded by the birds. I feel that this is closer to the moral because if it was sibling rivalry cinderella would have decided to blind the stepsisters. Now since it was the birds that blinded them it is closer to karma because it shows how the world is making you suffer for your actions. This freak happening in nature, to me, seems that the moral is closer to karma than to be good to your siblings.
DeleteI agree. I believe that in Yeh-shien's Cinderella sibling rivalry is over exaggerated to prove the point that all siblings fight. Cinderella shows the true example that the true good sibling is not always the appreciated one or in Cinderella's case he acknowledged upon. Cinderella shows that with hard work, no matter how hard someone tries to stop you from achievement, perseverance always wins in the end.
DeleteIn class today we talked about Bettelheim and how he states that sibling rivalry exists commonly today and is evident throughout Brother's Grimm version of Cinderella. I agree with Bettelheim that it definitely exists and can cause little kids especially to grow apart from their siblings and family. Cinderella step sisters where always trying to be better than her and went to great lengths to get their feet to slip into the slipper but all attempts were futile. However Bettelheim contradicts his statement of sibling rivalry when he uses the example of a only child. "Even an only child feels that other children have some great advantages over him, and this makes him jealous." I disagree here with Bettelheim because a only child has the luxury of being the favorite and gets basically everything he wants. An only child does not feel jealous because he would in fact complain and whine until he gets whatever his friends have. Therefore I think Bettelheim provides a irrelevant example and digress' from his main point of how sibling rivalry plays a important role in both society and fair tales.
ReplyDeleteI too agree with Bettelheim here about situations of sibling rivalry. It is definitely evident in our everyday lives and is also seen in the Brother's Grimm version of cinderella. Cinderella was always looked at less than her step-sisters who tried to fit their feet into the slipper and who also seemed to be favored because they had fancy dresses for the ball. However, I disagree with the statement you make about being an only child is an advantage. I feel that sibling rivalry is in a sense normal and needed to help motivate one's character and plays a major role in the builing of one's attitude. Being an only child means you do not have any sort of sibling rivalry and in my opinion is a disadvantage.
DeleteJDiC
Gary asserts that an only child has the luxury of being the favorite and gets everything he wants. Also, an only child does not feel jealous because he would in fact complain and whine until he gets whatever his friends have. What Gary fails to realize is that an only child does indeed feel jealousy. An only child may beg, whine and get what they want, but what they do get is nothing in comparison to the feeling of having a sibling or two to share personal experiences with. Although a sibling might establish a competition that could promote jealousy, a sibling brings many things to the table that an ordinary friend could not. Sibling relationships are potentially more meaningful than friendships because whereas friends come and go, kinship, generally speaking, is everlasting.
DeleteLPis
I agree with Gary, siblings do have rivalries in order to become the favorite. But in Cinderella we don't see that. The step sisters are already their mothers favorite. But at the end when Cinderella gets married to the prince all of a sudden the step sisters come running to Cinderella to try and get included in her fortune even though they mistreated her. This shows how siblings think they can take anything they want from the other. But I also disagree with the only child not being jealous. Even though an only child is the favorite, gets what they want, and doesn't have to share they are jealous of not having a sibling because they want somebody who they can have a special bond with so they can share experiences.
DeleteDDan
While you all have made relative points about the fact that a only child may feel jealous I feel that in the view of Bettelheim he is just contradicting his views on sibling rivalry. While you guys have stated that a only child may still feel jealous and miss the experiences and memories that he can with a sibling, the only child will have a comfortable and care free childhood. An only child may not have anyone to share personal experiences and may not have a sibling to bring the best out in him but he will be loved and cherished by his/her parents. The only child will not have to worry about anything and can just concentrate on his life moving forward. Although sibling rivalry may have helped him/her discover his/her hidden talents he/she will not have to deal with the constant conflicts and struggles of possessions being shared. The only child will have a utopian childhood with everything being perfect. The child will not have to compete and then feel unloved because he/she will be the only one. The only child then would not feel the need to be better than anyone else and will never feel the desire to put down someone like the step sisters tried doing to Cinderella. By being a only child he/she will not have to worry about a thing and will in a way be blessed and can choose to do whatever they want. The only child also will not be compared or forced to follow anyone else' footsteps because he/she will be the original one to create his/her footsteps. Therefore an only child has benefits but must realize how to use his/her benefits to its advantage.
DeleteI completely agree with Gary about bettlehems idea of a child with siblings. I know from my own experiences that whenever my sister did or got something I wanted to do or get something better. I felt this was shown through Cinderella's step sisters hatred towards her. However when Gary says that he thinks that betelheim's theory on only children is wrong I cannot agree. When my sister had moved out of my home I thought I would be getting much more. But instead of me having a rivalry with my sister it was more with my friends. When ever they got something or did something I wanted to do it too. Although I am an only child in my home and the only one my parents are supporting , they didn't just give me whatever I wanted it was still the same as when my sister was home.
DeleteI agree with Gary about Bettleheims idea of sibling rivalry. I don't think that every child has the thought in their head if they are the favorite child. I do think that every child tries to compete with their siblings and try to be better than eachother. This is because I think it is human nature for people to be competitive with others around them. This is the way we were born and you can see this in everyday life.
DeleteIn Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella favoritism plays a big role. In today's world most parents today have a favorite child, most parents have one kid who gets everything he or she wants. The father of little Cinderella remarried a women with two daughters. These two daughters were evil. One day the father went out and brought home whatever the daughters and Cinderella wanted. This really doesn't show favoritism but, the father didn't really care for Cinderella, he knew their was a ball coming up. I feel like since he knew the ball was coming up maybe he should have told her to get something for the ball like a dress or pearl or jewels like the stepdaughters. Later on, the night of the ball every time Cinderella asks her stepmother to go to the ball, she said "No, you don't have anything to wear." As the story goes on, the prince is looking for the right bride. Cinderella's own father said to the prince when the prince asked him "Don't you have another daughter," and the father said "No, there only puny little Cinderella." I feel this shows favoritism because the mother of her daughters tried to help them and tell them to do stuff thats horrible to get the prince while the stepmother doesn't say anything to help Cinderella and neither does Cinderella's own father.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Vin. Another great example of favoritism in Brothers Grimm that you forgot was when the prince was looking for the woman to fit in the shoe and he asked Cinderella's father if he had another daughter and he replied that it couldn't be puny little Cinderella. This shows that he favors the step daughters over Cinderella because he is saying that Cinderella is not worthy to be a princess but the other two sisters are.
DeleteIn reading Brothers Grimm's Cinderella, this idea of a persons wealth distinguishing their role in society due to their ability to gain material goods. In this account, we see a great example of this in the character Cinderella. After the passing of her mother and her father remarrying the step mother, Cinderella falls to the oppression of her two step sisters practically losing every bit of wealth that she has. After the sisters "took away her beautiful clothes, dressed her in an old grey smock, and gave her some wooden shoes." She is then given the role of a "maid." I think Brothers Grimm is arguing this idea that a persons wealth is equivalent to the dominance they have in society, just as the sisters use on Cinderella. Later throughout the story, Cinderella receives from the birds " a dress that was even more splendid and radiant than anything she ever had, and the slippers were covered in gold." Once Cinderella acquires this wealth, her status in society then changes for she is the one who the Prince becomes interested in. This was most interesting to me because a person who was covered in filth from picking up lentils from a fire place, puts on a beautiful dress and gets cleaned up a little bit all of a sudden determines her place in society. Also, it is ironic that the Prince is attracted to the wealth and beauty of Cinderella instantly falling in love with her; opposed to actually getting to know Cinderella's personality. The Prince just directly assumes Cinderella is a somebody because of her material goods when in reality she is nothing but a house maid for the step sisters. Therefore, with this supporting detail I believe that it is apparent that wealth determines a person's social significance to a society.
ReplyDeleteGDiS
Gary, this is a great point. Also notice the prince wants to escort her home to meet her family. This is presumably why she ditches him every night. She does not have a family she would want him to meet. He of course wants to see her pedigree.
DeleteGary the idea of “A persons wealth distinguishing their role in society due to their ability to gain material goods” also stuck out to me. The fact that you listed Cinderella as a “maid” is slightly off from how I see her character. In my opinion Cinderella is more like a “slave” without the physical abuse. She is constantly doing as her step-mother says with no reward but more work. “Here, I’ve dumped a bowlful of lentils into the ashes. If you can pick out the lentils in the next two hours, then you may go.” I find this labor as tedious, by picking out the lentils, Cinderella is doing nothing to benefit the family, infact the step-mother actually pours the lentils into the ashes just to give her step-daughter something to do. Cinderella never complained with the work load or the labor, she simply just got the work done. After completing this act, she was still denied the opportunity to attend the wedding. When going to her mother’s grave Cinderella went under the hazel tree and said “Shake your branches, little tree, Toss gold and silver down on me.” This is the point in her life when she begins to gain an edge in society. The next following three days she is the center of attention, between the Prince and everyone else who wanted to dance with her at the wedding. When the Prince finds her golden shoe on the third day, he goes on a hunt for Cinderella. Cinderella’s sisters are so eager to marry the Prince that they cut off parts of their foot to try and fit in Cinderella’s shoe. After treating there sister like a slave her entire life, the sisters attend Cinderella’s wedding and try to “ingratiate themselves in her good fortune.” In Grimm’s Cinderella he shows that these character just wanted a more prominent role in society, and it did not matter what they had to do to obtain it.
DeleteCCar
The idea of persistence and cinderella completing all of the tasks that her mother assigns her in order for her to attend the ball. Showing a good work ethic and merit that you will be rewarded for hard work. The example of cinderella being persistent when she is told by her stepmother that she is unable to attend the ball because of the fact that she doesn't have a dress nor shoes. Her stepmother then tells her she dumped a bowl full of lentils into the ashes and if she picks out the lentils in the next two hours she can go. Each time cinderella is told this although she has help from the birds she still desperately wants to attend the ball, therefore completing the task her mother gives her each time. Through putting up with the hard times from her step mother and sisters she stays positive and ignores all three women and completes each task so she can attend the ball which i feel also that karma plays a small role . This shows cinderella being persistent and working hard and by her having a great work ethic she is rewarded with the handsome prince.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the fact that Cinderella completes every task put in front of her just to go to a ball really shows how much she wants to feel normal and sort of be better than her sisters, who treat her so badly. It seems like Cinderella is trying to do all of this work to prove that no one can get in her way. She does succeed in this and proves that she is better than her sisters and is worthy of marrying a prince. And also, karma does play a large part in this fairy tale, Cinderella puts in all of her hard work and eventually is repaid for it by marrying a prince. On the other side, the sisters were evil to Cinderella, and their eyes were pecked out by birds.
DeleteNick I agree with everything you stated about Cinderella. She is persistent in every way from cleaning to attending the ball. This fairy tale in a way shows that it has a moral meaning. It shows that if you keep at something and don't quit dreams can be made. Cinderella also shows persistence with how she is treated like Christopher said. It takes someone with a strong will to be treated badly everyday and keep on going. All of these things can be used in a fairy tale to teach young children on rights and wrongs. It has been a very successful tool in the past and throughout the future it will continue being shared.
DeleteB'OSu
Just a short quick statement that i thought about- I also believe that within Grimm's fairytales that the idea of an evil stepmother is always portrayed. Comparing cinderella to snow white, i feel like both are very similar in the way that both stepmothers envy and cannot stand their stepdaughters. There are some differences how snow white retaliates to get revenge on her step mother and how cinderella doesn't take revenge but yet the birds that were helping cinderella pluck both sisters eyes out. I feel like because Grimm portrayed this theme at such an early time that many people were so used to families sometimes being this way toward the step mother or daughter and thats what they grew up to learn about. It is still a very current problem in todays society.
ReplyDeleteI agree with some points you made Nick, however I feel that the step sisters are a lot worse than the step mother in the Grimm's version of Cinderella. An example of this is seen when she offers Cinderella a chance to go to the ball by picking out a bowl of lentils from the ashes but replies with you have nothing to wear. She then feels more sympathy for Cinderella after that by offering her another chance to go to the ball. I know many may not see this as being nice but if we compare her to the step mother portrayed Disney version of Cinderella we see a difference. In the Disney version of Cinderella the step mother not only makes her do all the chores but locks her in her room day and night so she can't escape. When the prince comes around in the Disney version the step mother wouldn't even let Cinderella come out of her room and threw the key to her room away. In the Grimm brothers version most of the damage to Cinderella is caused by the step sisters and even the father but not so much the step mother like we see in other versions. Overall both step mothers in both versions are evil in their own way but when compared the step mother from Grimm's seems a little more sympathetic.
DeleteIn Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella, I noticed that there was hatred between that of Cinderella and her step sisters. Cinderella is seen as a nice beautiful girl who gets taken advantage of because of the jealousy of her sisters. In Bettelheim's work he explains the relationship between the sisters and Cinderella as a sibling rivalry because of the way the step sisters try and tarnish Cinderella. Cinderella is given these ugly clothes and wooden shoes and is seen as a servant to that of the step sisters. When Cinderella loses her slipper, the step sisters try and claim that the slipper Cinderella lost is theirs so that one of the sisters could live with the prince. In the end, Cinderella is able to come through and claim the shoe to be hers.
ReplyDeleteJVer
Joe, this is so true. I feel like in every fairy tale there is always someone being jealous of someone or someone being mistreated. Look at Snow White there is jealousy and the expression everything is about me, Every story has a meaning though. I think the author is trying to say it but in an unnoticeable way. Yes they are interesting but there has to be a meaning somewhere along the lines and to learn from it, You learn through everything in life and by hearing or reading these stories you learn what not to do and what to do the right way.
DeleteBOS'u
Like Joe said, there is hatred between Cinderella and her step sisters. I think it is because the step sisters are jealous of her and how beautiful she is. Jealousy plays a big role throughout this story. The step mother and the step sisters are always putting Cinderella down and make her seem like their slave because they always have Cinderella doing all the work. Also, like Brian said there is jealousy in most fairy tales but in the end the main character rises above her challenge. Just like Cinderella claimed the shoe to be hers and she can be with the prince.
DeleteI believe that in the Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, the author wants to get a moral lesson across to the reader. The lesson the author chose was about karma; good things happening to good people and vice versa. Cinderella's mother, on her deathbed, told Cinderella that if she was good and said her prayers the Lord would be with her. When her mother died, Cinderella went to her grave everyday along with praying and always being good. Even when Cinderella was forced to live with her abusive step-sisters and step-mother, she did what she was told and was always good. At the end of the story the author shows Cinderellas good karma though the good fortune she receives. She marries the prince and even when she has power over her step-sisters she does not retaliate against them for all of the horrible things they did to her. The step-sisters however do experience their bad karma. They are blinded by the doves and "punished for their wickedness and malice with blindness for the rest of their lives.
ReplyDeleteCLio
I do agree with you Chris. Karma is indeed present in the end of this fairytale. I was surprised that in this story of Brother Grimm that he didn't portray Cinderella like he did of that as Snow White. Cinderella works hard and is rewarded for what she does. Another thing I found interesting was that Cinderella wasn't as foolish as Snow White. I am a little confused as to why Brother Grimm didn't make Cinderella like Snow White, a good child then becoming a tyrant. Maybe a moral for Cinderella also could be "those who seek revenge shall remember to dig two graves".
DeleteAfter following up Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella by reading Bruno Bettelheim's analysis, I came to conclusion that sibling rivalries as well as evilness does indeed exist in life as well as in literature. It is rare for a parent to admit that there is any such thing as a rivalry, however, in the eyes of children there most definitely is. Represented in Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella but stated in Bettelheim's analysis, "Cinderella is pushed down and degraded by her step sisters; her interests are sacrificed to theirs by her step mother; she is expected to do the dirtiest work and although she performs it well, she receives no credit for it; only more is demanded of her." Her step sisters truly show her no respect. Her sisters as well as her mother only care about making Cinderella's life miserable. Personally, I feel that this exists because Cinderella's two step sisters are the real children from Cinderella's step mother. As stated in Brother Grimm's short story, "His new wife brought with her two daughters, whose features were beautiful and white, but whose hearts were foul and black." Also, "They ridiculed her and threw peas and lentils into the ashes so that she would have to sit down in the ashes and pick them out." These quotes truly show the evilness of the step sisters. In the concluded parts of the short story, when the Prince says that his bride will be the one who's foot fits in the golden shoe, we identify how severe the sibling rivalry is by noting that both step sisters slice off a piece of their foot in order to fit in the shoe. Ultimately, the Prince insists that Cinderella tries on the shoe, leaving it to fit perfectly around her feet. When the wedding day comes, the step-sisters who treated her so harshly throughout the short-story ultimately wanted to share in Cinderella's good fortune. Ironic. Therefore throughout Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella and Brother Bettleheim's analysis, evilness as well as sibling rivalries exist. However, goodness always prevails!
ReplyDeleteABau
I definitely agree with you Baum because I also came to that conclusion that there is a sibling rivalry in the real world and in literature. Most parents this day and age will not admit that they have a favorite child. In Bettelheim's analysis the step sisters are seen as dominant siblings while Cinderella is a servant to them. Both of them show her no respect and no love to her. Everyone in that family wants to see Cinderella struggle by making her life miserable. One example where we see the step sisters trying to be better than Cinderella is when they tried so hard to make their feet fit into her slipper. We see that the step mother favors her two daughters more than Cinderella because when she asked her if she could go to the ball she said no you do not have anything to wear like your step sisters. But by the end of the analysis the Prince finally makes Cinderella try on the shoe. Which ultimately fit perfectly and made the Prince want to marry Cinderella. I agree that there is sibling rivalries that exist today but the good child will always win because they will understand how to become independent and not care what anyone else has to say about them.
DeleteJoe, I agree with the fact that there is sibling rivalry and that most parents try to look past it, but not every parent has favoritism over one child. I feel that it is wrong for a parent to do so. You have to look at it this way, we refer to them as her sisters but they are her "step-sisters." They are not family, and neither is their mother. The stepsisters obviously stem from their mother's wickedness, but by adding that personality to the fact that they are supposed to welcome an outsider in their lives causes misery. They probably feel that they don't have to love her, and they stress that point very clearly. Now I'm not defending what they do, just touching at the possible reason why the stepsisters and stepmother do this to her. I believe that this is a topic well open to criticism and further discussion.
DeleteI agree with what Baum said about the step-mother making Cinderellas life miserable because its not really her child. after reading Bruno Bettelheim's paper, he states that this Brothersd Grimm fairytale replaces sibling relationships, with step-siblings. "Perhaps a device to explain and make acceptable an animosity which one wishes would not exist among two true siblings" In my opinion what this means is that all the degrading and the sibling rivalry is okay because they are Cinderella's step-sisters and that just like this kind of sibling rivalry is unnatural.
DeleteIn the Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella one of the themes shown is that true beauty comes from the inside not just the appearance on the outside. For example, Cinderella's two step sisters may be beautiful on the outside but on the inside they are cruel, mean and selfish. The step sisters are filled with jealousy because of Cinderella's beauty so they try to almost disguise Cinderella with ugly and worn out clothes so that they can be the most beautiful girls at the ball. Ironically, Cinderella in the worn out, ugly clothes is far more beautiful than the step sisters all dressed up for the ball. The shoe, symbolizes true beauty and destiny as the Prince tries to find his true love through this shoe. Again selfishness overcomes the step sisters as one cuts off her toe and the other her heel just to be able to fit in the shoe. The Prince takes both sisters without thinking because they were both still beautiful but not quite as beautiful as Cinderella. Because the step sisters were so mean and ugly on the inside their karma was that they were not the most beautiful girls at the ball and they each lost a toe and heel. The girl dressed in worn out clothes ends up being the girl the Prince falls in love with because she is beautiful not only on the outside but also on the inside
ReplyDeleteJCro
I agree with you Joe, the step sisters are cruel, mean, and selfish. They do anything they can in order to make Cinderella suffer by giving her ugly clothing and harsh tasks such as picking lentils out of the ashes. But I don't think the prince is actually looking for true love. He danced with Cinderella three times, and twice he almost married the wrong girl if it wasn't for the birds. He knows what Cinderella looks like but only cares about her materialistic possessions, such as seeing the three beautiful dresses she had at the balls. And putting the shoe on only shows who had the better possessions rather than who his true love was.
DeleteDDan
I agree with this point Joe. This idea that beauty is not solely based on appearance, but more personality than anything. But, did you ever think that Brothers Grimm is satirizing this idea of being materialistic and that society only sees the physical rather than internal beauty? Cinderella is given the role of a "maid" and is covered in dirty rags and clothing. Grimm doesn't really bring any attention to her personality, other than her innocence from being taken advantage of by her step sisters. It's not until Cinderella receives the beautiful dress with golden slippers, that she even becomes relevant to that society. The reason in which Cinderella runs away from the Prince when he offers to take her home, is because Cinderella is aware that the Prince will no longer be interested if he sees that on the outside she isn't exactly beautiful. He does not really care about her personality, even though ironically he danced with her 3 separate times. As you stated, this is scene with the slippers and that he is initially fooled by the step sister that they were Cinderella. He did not pay attention to their personalities to tell the difference
DeleteGDiS.
After reading Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, something that caught my attention was the fact that people will do anything to ether move up in society or establish themselves as a respected member of their social class. In Brothers Grimm, the evil step-sisters are a prime example of how someone would do anything to move up in society. When the Prince finds the shoe he puts it on 3 feet, 2 of the step-sisters and Cinderella. When he puts the shoe on the first step-sister, she actually cut off her toe just so she would be able to fit into a shoe. And then the second step-sister physically cut off her heel, which I didn't even know to be possible, to fit into a shoe and be the princes' love. The prince, is anther story, since he is already very wealthy he just wants to add on to his good fortunes by gaining a trophy wife. He wants a pretty girl who he can call his own, and add to his wealth and social status. I do agree with and find it interesting that Mrs.Fotinatos pointed out the prince wants to escort her home to meet her family and he wants to see what social class and her pedigree. This shows that in choosing someone to love, social class is a major contributing factor for the prince.
ReplyDeleteMPer
I completely agree with Mike, I feel like this is a very important point in the story and i also feel like its a theme that is also strongly pointed out in todays society as well. I agree with mike in saying that many people will go to the absolute extreme in order to increase their social status. I think it is a far exaggeration that people would cut off their toes or heel for a prince but i feel like some people are ignorant enough to do so. I also can relate the two stepsisters doing this to the foot binding lesson that paul folino showed us earlier in the blog. Women did this in order to be accepted as beautiful and were also allowed to marry. I personally think that going that far for someone is pathetic and if you have to go to those extreme conditions for that person that they aren't the right person for you. I know about people proving themselves to someone but i feel like cutting off body parts are a little to extreme for me. I know the prince is looking for a "trophy" wife like mike said but he never forced the stepsisters to cut off their heel or toes. He has an expectation to fulfill. Cinderella is a great wife for him because she is a good hearted person who doesn't do anything to seek revenge on the step mother or sisters.
DeleteI agree with mike in saying that the prince wants a trophy wife. But I expected the prince to have more requirements for his "trophy wife". I thought that the prince would want to have a lady who came from the upper class of society and was used to going to balls, and being spoiled with riches. He Often wants to follow her home so she can introduce him to her family and so that he can see her social class and her status in that class. The prince surprises me with staying with Cinderella because i thought he would want to raise his social status and be with a wealthy, high class girl.
DeletePPiz
While reading Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, I noticed how important of a role the shoe played to the characters. I feel that to the step-sisters and the step-mother, the shoe represents royalty. When the prince is trying to find the women who's foot fits into the shoe, his first encounter is with Cinderella's step-sister who has too big a toe to fit in the shoe, the step-mother says, "Cut the toe off. Once you're queen, you won't need to go on foot anymore". So she cuts off her toe and initially fools the prince but the two little doves in the hazel tree spoil the happy ending for her. The same thing happens with the other step-sister, her heel is too large to fit so the step-mother says to cut off her heel and she does it, but the two little doves ruin their plan again. The prince finally comes across Cinderella and the shoe fits perfectly and they got married. The step-sisters were willing to cut off their own body parts in order to gain good fortune. This shows the manipulating things people will do in order to achieve what they desire, no matter what lengths they must go to get it. At the end of the story when the doves pecked out the step-sisters eyes, symbolizes the punishment they deserve for what they tried to do, and their materialistic sinful ways were repaid by them losing their eyes.
ReplyDeleteLJac
I agree Luke, the shoe has a key role in both Brothers Grimm's version and Yeh-hsien. However in each story the shoe symbolizes something different. In Yeh-hsien, the shoe represented the Chinese culture of foot-binding. The smaller the woman's foot was, the more revered they were in society. The only reason the prince went looking for the owner of the shoe was because of how small it was, he didn't really know who she was or what she looked like. In Grimm's version the shoe represented high rank in society, the shoe is made of silver and gold, and that is one of the reasons that the prince came looking for her. Also, in the picture showed in class, the shoe used in that version was a boot. The boot represented high class because at the time the story was written was during war, so rubber was being rationed. The shoe is a major symbol in every version of Cinderella.
DeleteI completely agree with you, After reading Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, I have also notice the symbolism and importance in the role of the glass shoe. I agree with the fact that the glass shoe represents royalty, but I also feel it a symbol of hope for Cinderella. In Cinderella's household she is faced with constant hardship from her step-sisters and step-mother. Her sister are always trying to better themselves by making fun of Cinderella or even taking drastic measures to beat her out. These drastic measures are shown when both step-sisters cut off the heel of there feet to try and make the glass shoe fit. However, this does not fool the prince ( thanks to the doves) and when Cinderella try's the glass shoe on and it fits perfectly he knows she is the one. They become married and they live happily ever after. I also agree with the symbolism of when the doves peck out the step sisters. I believe they deserves it.
DeleteCArn
In Cinderella i think that the idea of sibling rivalry is very prominent. The two step sisters are new to the family and want all of the attention. The stepmother realizes that her daughter want to be the most liked in the family and helps them by destroying Cinderella's image. Both step sisters want to make her feel like she isn't one of the three daughters. They make her feel like a slave. When Cinderella is not allowed to go to the ball it is also because her step sisters ruin all of he clothes and didn't let her lean how to dance. The two step sisters did all of these horrible things to Cinderella because she was prettier and had more luxurious things then them. Cinderella's father made her life so great that the sisters felt obliged to take what they wanted from her.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Jonathan, the conflict in Cinderella is caused because of sibling rivalry. Cinderella's two step-sisters feel that they have dominance over Cinderella and do not hesitate to show it. Cinderella shows no resistance against her step-sisters (and step-mother) and never retaliates against them after any of their wrong doings. This is mostly because her mother told her to always be good so that the Lord would always be with her. Also she knows that she is alone, Cinderella's father does not try and help her and since her mother died she has had no other family. I think that the sibling rivalry is more fierce because they are not truly family but are still forced to live under the same roof as siblings do.
DeleteCLio
I agree with both of you guys, the sibling rivalry fueled by jealousy and envy is the major conflict of the story. The idea the step sisters and step mother think they can control Cinderella's life by throwing away her clothes and undermining her as a person and treating her like a slave shows the cruelty of this rivalry. I agree with you Chris that she doesn't retaliate because her mother told her that the Lord would always be with her if she was good, but I also think Cinderella's ignorance is the reason she doesn't retaliate because she keeps receiving false hope when the step mother tells her she can go to the ball if she picks grains and puts them in a bowl. And I also agree that the sibling rivalry is more heated because they seem like rivals for who can be the most beautiful in the land, not as a family who supports and helps each other with everything they do.
DeleteJCro
After reading Cinderella I realized that the shoe is a major symbol that everyone is trying to receive. I feel the shoe represents true beauty and social class to the step-mother and step-sisters. Once the Prince came across the shoe he was curious to see who it belonged to. First the step-mother tells the step daughter to cut off her big toes so she can fit into the shoe and trick the Prince. It worked at first until two doves reveal to the Prince that it is in fact a trick. After a little while the other sister cuts her heel off so that she could fit into the shoe but the doves once again destroyed their hopes. Finally the Prince finds the woman who fits perfectly into the shoes which was Cinderella. They got married and lived happily ever after. The thing that amazed me the most was that the mother of the daughters wanted Cinderella to be miserable even though it meant that her daughters had to cut some of their body parts off. This idea shows that some people would do anything just to move up the social ladder and become better than someone else.
ReplyDeleteJDeM
Joe I totally agree with you. I was also surprised when the sisters cut of parts of their foot just so they can receive the social benefit. They both desperately wanted to move up in the social ladder especially when they were unsure who was with the prince each night but ran off. They would also torment Cinderella constantly mentally and physically. Although the way she was treated by her step-sisters and step-mother, she fought through it all and received happiness by marrying the prince.
DeleteJSch
In reading Brother's Grimm's Cinderella, and Yeh-shien, I drew a comparison between the shoe and the fish in the two works. I feel that these symbols are almost identical. The shoe is exclusive to Cinderella, she is the only one who naturally fits into the shoe and it symbolizes Cinderella's true beauty. The shoe also is attempted to be stolen by Cinderella's step sisters, seeking its beauty. In Yeh-shien, the fish is taken care of by Yeh-shien and she is forced to put it in the lake when it grows too big. She visits it every day and it only appears to Yeh-shien. The fish symbolizes Yeh-shien's innocence and her caring. Yeh-shien's stepmother can be paralleled to to Cinderella's step-sisters in the sense that she tries to take what exclusively belongs to Yeh-shien. Ultimately, even though these two stories differ greatly in culture and plot, the symbols can easily be compared and found similar.
ReplyDeleteJDiC
One thing I find quite interesting is that on this blog we all keep talking about the relationship between Cinderella and her step family, or the roles of good and evil, or how some parts of the story are unappropriated for children, however we are forgetting about the whole story. In any version of Cinderella we are going to get the evil step mother and evil step sisters, and the battle between good and evil but there are other versions such as A Cinderella Story and Another Cinderella Story that focus more on the relationship between the "prince" and "Cinderella". In both versions of Cinderella mentioned above the story pretty much revolves around the Cinderella character and her true love and how they have an unresolved conflict to figure out. Basically the point I am trying to get across is that in these versions and in the versions we read in class I was not thinking about what was going to happen to the step sisters or mother. I was more concerned with whether or not Cinderella got the prince. After all I feel the climax of all the versions including the Grimm brothers is when Cinderella finally get to see the prince and is able to try on the shoe. I feel that I am one of the only people that cared more about the relationship than anything else. I also feel that the message little girls should be getting out of this story is not that they are more beautiful than everyone else in their family or that they are a slave to their family but that one day they will find their "prince" or more importantly their "prince" will find them. Cinderella is meant to be a love story about a girl who came up from nothing, just like many other fairy tales.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, I have found that there has been a constant theme of sibling rivalry throughout this version of Cinderella. After the two new step-sisters are welcomed into the house Cinderella instantly loses the spotlight. Her two step-sister treat her horribly taking all her nice clothes, so she cannot attend the balls and ruin her chances of meeting a future husband. Cinderella just takes all of the abuse and her step-sisters know she is not going to retaliate. Even her mother instigates the two sisters to bother her. Before Cinderella mother died, she had an ideal well lived life with many luxurious items. When her step-mother and step-sisters came into the picture they took everything of Cinderella's leaving her with nothing. However, through a series of events Cinderella finally meets the man of her dreams. Even though the hardships of sibling rivalry affect Cinderella greatly she prevailed.
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I completely agree with you Chris. To add onto what you have stated, I believe that through the step-sister's tension and competition to become the wife of the prince, the reader learns that ultimately cheaters never win. The step-sisters of Cinderella had to cheat for the attention of their newly wedded parents in that they took away CInderella's "beautiful clothes." Also, when the prince was searching for the "woman whose foot fits this golden shoe", the step-sisters cheat by cutting off the toe and heel of their feet in order to fit into the shoe. After the prince catches each of the step-sisters caught in a lie when there is blood everywhere, he realizes that they are not the real "true bride." At the conclusion of the story, truth prevails as Cinderella is found to be the "true bride" and to show that cheaters never win.
DeleteBrothers Grimm's version of Cinderella can be seen as a story of how your status in society can change very quickly. Initially in the story we see CInderella as a daughter of a very rich man. This changes very quickly as her mother dies, her father remarries, and CInderella's new step-sisters, "took away her beautiful clothes, dressed her in old grey smock, and gave her wooden shoes." Grimm may be trying to send a message to his rich audience as they should appreciate and be very thankful for their good fortune as you can lose it in a blink of the eye. In contrast, Grimm sends a different message to his poverty stricken audience. After all the mental and physical abuse CInderella takes from her sisters and stepmother, such as picking out bowls of lentils that were dumped into ashes , it is she who ends up on top at the end of the story when the prince exclaims, " She is the true bride." And as for the wicked stepsisters, they are put in their right place in society in the end as they must suffer from blindness for the rest of their lives. Clearly Grimm wants to send a message to all of society about how quickly their fortune or misfortune can change.
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I agree with you Tom in all the points that you make. I feel that Grimm is in fact trying to send a message to his rich audience. The way Cinderella went from a princess to actually a maid for the sisters who came into her life is a complete turn around because she had a great life. But Grimm gives hope to the poverty stricken audience because of the way Cinderella was able to bounce back from her fall and come back on top once again. Grimm teaches the poor audience that even though things might not go right all the time, just like Cinderella has to go through picking out the lentils, you could still come back and succeed.
DeleteJVer
As upon reading Cinderella in class the past week, I have seen Cinderella fight through a very physical and mental pain with her "evil" step-sisters and step-mother treat her with absolute disrespect. The step-sisters and mother make her pick up lentils from the ashes and constantly tell her that she is not pretty nor worth the groom's time. Throughout the reading a very important object which is the shoe is the social benefit for Cinderella. The sisters try to hard to fit in it correctly although it involved cutting off a toes or cutting part of their heal off so they can marry the prince. Luckily Cinderella has the perfect fit for the shoe and is rewarded through all the tough times that she faced from her step-sisters and step-mother by marrying the prince and living happily ever after. Also, the evil step-sisters have their eyes plucked out for the cruelty they caused to Cinderella. We should see since some of us may be big brothers is to not only treat out younger siblings but everyone around us with all kinds of respect and love because if one day we need that person, but out cruely affected our relationship with that person, we will not be helped by that person. So appreciate and show love and care to everyone around us.
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Bruno Bettelheim’s Cinderella, is an article that involves the past fairytale in Cinderella, and how siblings are effected by sibling rivalry in present time. Bettelheim shows that Cinderella has to “Live among the ashes.” Bettelheim shows that Cinderella is degraded by her sisters as well as her step-mother. She is literally summoned to hard labor to receive nothing more then extra labor. Cinderella is told she is dirty and cannot attend the wedding, although all of her other sisters are going. Before the sisters leave Cinderella is told to shine their shoes for the wedding at the King’s palace, with no hesitation she does the deed. The story of Cinderella parallels to the life of children with younger siblings. Jealousy is portrayed in families where one child is seen to be getting all of the attention from their parents. “Another child being given special attention becomes an insult only if the child fears that, in contrast, he is thought little of by his parents, or feels rejected by them.” Bettelheim is trying to show that children’s emotions are very weak, they feel such anxiety so quickly if they don’t acquire the attention that they believe is necessary. Children need an equal amount of attention per child or one may feel less worthy. Growing up I experienced this and always tried to obtain my mother’s attention, until I grew up and realized the youngest child needs the most attention.
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I agree Chris, I feel that the story of Cinderella does parallel the normal life of a younger sibling but I also feel that because Cinderella wasn't the step-mother's blood related daughter she didn't look at her with same love and care that she did to her own daughters. Which can be a common thing for step-parents, it is not their child so they don't show them the same love that they would with their own kids. Cinderella is looked down upon by her step-mother, she treats her as a slave, I am surprised at how her father doesn't stick up for her, he allows her to be put down and have the step-sisters put on a pedestal even though they aren't better in any way than Cinderella. That shows the weakness of the father in the story, he allows his own daughter to be ostracized from the family as if she isn't really part of it so that the step-mother can have it the way she wants.
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In the story of Cinderella, favoritism is a common role. Cinderella's step sisters are favorited over Cinderella greatly. An example is when the time came to go to the ball only the step sisters went and the step mother said Cinderella couldn't go because she didn't have a dress which was obviously a lie. A reason for this can be because Cinderella isn't the step mothers actually daughter so thats why the step mother treats Cinderella differently than her actual daughters. As Luke said in his post, the father should have done something about this because Cinderella was his actual daughter and this does show his weakness in the story.
DeleteThough I understand that sibling rivalry does play a large part in Cinderella, I disagree with the fact it's the major conflict in the story. Cinderella's conflict with her two siblings in the story is a major issue that she eventually does overcome, but I feel like the story's sibling rivalry is overshadowed by the lack of familial ties presented in the story. While her two sisters did mistreat her, her stepmother also treated her equally badly, going as far as to prevent her stepdaughter from going to the Ball intentionally by repeatedly making her do tedious and bizarre tasks, such as picking lentils out of a fire on her own. The only way Cinderella was capable of doing so was with the help of the birds she called. Cinderella's separation from her father also shows that the conflict of the story isn't so much sibling rivalry, but rather the conflict is familial separation, eventually leading to the ostracization of the left out family memeber, who in this case, was Cinderella.
ReplyDeleteYeh-shien, is considered to be the Cinderella story from China. Yeh-shien has the same exact concept of Cinderella. A young girl who's mother passes away early in her life and an evil step mother comes around town. It is extremely clear that the theme in both short stories is that goodness always prevails. Although in the beginning of both short stories the evil step mother treats her step daughter horribly, by the conclusion of the story, goodness ultimately defeats evil. Similar to Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella, the step mother gives a heavy workload to her step daughter in both stories. In Cinderella, she was forced to do the dirtiest of the work. In Yeh-shien, this young girl was forced to do the dangerous work of all. As stated in the short story, "After some years the father died, and she was ill-treated by her step-mother, who always made her collect firewood in dangerous places and draw water from deep pools." However, despite the forced labor by both step-mothers in both stories, both characters (Cinderella and Yeh-Shien) had something to pray to in order for their wishes to come true. Yeh-shien prayed to her fish bones to have a beautiful dress to wear to the cave festival and Cinderella prayed to the hazel tree hoping for a beautiful dress to wear to the wedding. Yeh-shien and Cinderella both lost their shoe and a very important man finds it hoping to encounter the woman who's foot belongs in that shoe. It is only one person that the shoe fits on and it is that one person who will ultimately leave their horrible life behind and move onto a bigger and better life by marrying the king (In Yeh-shien) or the prince (in Cinderella). In both short stories, the young girl who was ill-treated is blessed by a specific object and ultimately leaves that life style in her past! Therefore it is clear that in the Chinese Cinderella Yeh-shien and in Brother Grimm's version of Cinderella, goodness always prevails!
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Alex, there are several ideas in your blog that I agree with, but also a few that I disagree with. I definitely feel that goodness prevails in all the Cinderella works, but along with this topic I think that karma can play a huge role in this work, especially being that this is China's version of Cinderella. Another specific variation between Yehhsien and Brother's Grimm version of Cinderella is that Cinderella was not given an opportunity to be given any thing she wished, Yehhsien would ask and receive from her bones, Cinderella would pray and hope and essentially beg the hazel tree for her dress. I strongly agree with the fact that there is a major similarity in both works between the feet of the characters. Both stories involve a person having a very specific foot that will only fit in the shoe held by a very important man. I also support Your next point, because this person who is lucky enough to fit into the shoe is leaving behind a horrible life, in Brother's Grimm she escapes her harsh step-families abuse, and is able to revamp her life, in Yehhsien, she is able to leave behind her tyrant like mother who attempts to make her life miserable. Lastly, In Yehhsien, she doesn't necessarily marry the king, she is made by him a chief-wife, although this man still had multiple wives in the specific society, she is meant to be a queen=like figure.
DeletePDeM
In Yehhsein, the commonly speculated idea of greed in literature is a major factor to look at. Yehhsein is a girl who struggles through the death of her father, and faces the tyranny of her step-mother. Growing up with your best friend as a fish is a awful way to go through childhood. Her "Evil" step-mother finds a way to kill her daughters only friend, the fish, but this act leads Yehhsien to become very greedy. When yehhsien realizes the spiritual power behind the bones of the dead fish, her greediness begins. Although, it can be seen as an act of karma that yehhsien receives this gift from the fish, her overuse of this gift removes the value. Given her current struggles and problems, the fact that she wished for gold, pearls and dresses, shows that she was using the bones for greed rather than the goodness of society. Yehhsien also is granted with food, which is much less greedy than her other gifts. Greediness is seen again by the king of T'o Han after he finds yehhsien is the one whose foot fits into the shoe. He takes her in and takes control of the bones, using them for treasure and jade beyond limit. Especially as a king, a special gift like these bones can be used for much bigger and better things than his personal treasure. Also, the King of T'o Han selfishly buries the bones as if they are his. These situations exemplify the greed seen in this work of literature.
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I agree with some aspects of your comment DeMarco. Yehhsein does struggle in her life because of the torture her step-mother brings her. For example, the fish Yehhsein had since childhood was her only form to express happiness. She watched the fish grow bigger and eventually put it in the back pond. Whenever she was melancholy, she would go in the back and visit the fish to restore her attitude. Therefore, the stepmother murdering the fish and exclaiming "the fish tasted twice as good than an ordinary fish" depicts how cruel someone can possibly be. I do not think Yehhsien was greedy with the fish bones because she only used them in time of need. However, when the fish bones end up on cave island, the king does use them for his advantage. But as the story tells, the fish bones washed away as he became too greedy. Consequently, Yehhsien does struggle in life, but eventually overcomes it with the help of the fish bones.
DeleteOn behalf of the sibling rivalry argument: why do the step-sisters rival Cinderella, and not eachother? Although at first glance sibling rivalry seems to be the discrepancy between the step-sisters and Cinderella, perhaps it is not. In past-reads of fairy tales such as Snow White, it is clear that most elderly women are portrayed as evil, cruel, and masters of deception. The huntsman in Snow White simply obeys the queen at her command. This is significant because the step mother in Cinderella is clearly the one who is turning everyone against Cinderella. If not convinced, take note that it is the step mother who convinces one daughter to cut off a heel and the other a toe. Also, it is no coincidence that the father begins to loathe Cinderella, after he marries the step mother. Consequently, sibling rivalry may cause a great deal of favoritism and competition, but it is indeed the step mother who turns everyone against eachother, particularly Cinderella.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with you Louis. i think that the two step-sisters already hav a sisterly bond with one another and had no need to fight amongst eachother. What they really want to do is become the more favored children and ostracize Cinderella from the family. The step-mother sees this and tries to help her daughters succede. They will do anything to be better then her. We see this when the two step-sisters cause bodily harm to themselves just to become queen.
DeleteAssuming the stepmother was to choose a favorite daughter, the sisterly bond the step-sisters have established would be void. As you have said the two step-sisters cause harm to themselves in an attempt at becoming queen. But, only one can become queen. This leaves the other, less successful, therefore, less favorite, to be just as lowly as Cinderella. Perhaps the reason the step-sisters despise Cinderella so much is that they in fact know that only one of them can be queen, leaving the other to live the inevitable fate that Cinderella lives.
DeleteI believe the theme behind Cinderella revolves around sibling rivalry and jealousy. Cinderella's stepsisters try to make her life as terrible as possible by making fun of her. I can relate to this on a personal experience. My brother would feel jealous because I was the favored child in the family. In the Grimm version, the stepsisters are depicted as the mother's prized possession and barely paid attention to Cinderella. Cinderella was greatly controlled by her stepsisters and was negatively affected by them.
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I definitely agree with Brett, I feel the rivalry and jealousy between the stepdaughters and Cinderella is a major part of the story. The stepdaughters abuse Cinderella by taking all of her beautiful dresses and they dressed her in old dirty clothes with wooden shoes. I also feel we see a rivalry between the stepsisters and Cinderella when they are competing against each other to get the Prince. The stepdaughters try to do horrible things to themselves just to be with the prince, but it hurts them in the end because the princes hears and catches them. The stepdaughters do all of these things without telling Cinderella and they didn't even tell her that prince is looking for the right bride and for her to try to get the prince as well because I feel that they don't care about Cinderella and want nothing but the worst for her as you can see. This can relate to my life experience as well because I was always my parents favorite and I always got what I asked for or wanted until my sister was born. My sister started to become my parents favorite and got all of the attention and I was just always left out. I always got so mad and jealous of my sister. This is like how the stepdaughters and Cinderella show jealousy and a rivalry as well in Grimm's version of Cinderella.
DeleteV.M.
In Cinderella the concept of foot binding is seen throughout the story. Now to us this seems cruel and strange. We also may think that with this concept in the story that the story may not be suitable for children. Since this story originated in china I think that this story is acceptable for children. It was their culture to bind the women's feet and to them it would seem less odd. I think that as we see the story it may seem too violent. It shows how the different cultures reflect their practices in their writings too. It makes the art of storytelling more informative about other peoples cultures.
ReplyDeleteIn the brothers Grimm version of Cinderella I felt that sibling rivalry was a main theme throughout the story. The rivalry existed between Cinderella and get step sisters. This rivalry was fueled by the jealousy that the sisters have torwards Cinderella. One example of the step sisters trying to out do Cinderella is when they try and bind there feet in order to fit the shoes. They do this so they could out do Cinderella and get the prince. Also the rivalry existed because of the sisters making fun off Cinderella and putting Cinderella down so often
ReplyDeleteThroughout Cindarella and other tales we have read, such as Snow White, I've noticed that the oppressed main character seems to "return the favor" to their oppressor. In Snow White, she makes her stepmother dance on hot coal until she dies. In Cindarella, the stepsisters get plucked by the birds at the wedding. I feel that this common ending is present in many tales other than Cindarella and Snow White.
ReplyDeleteThat is an excellent point Anthony, I totally agree. I feel that in most fairy tales the stressed character gives it back to the characters stressing them. This shows that people have a natural tendency to seek revenge.
DeleteI agree with this statement in regards to the other tales we have readhowever I feel as if it doesn't hold true in the case of Cinderella. In the end of the tale Cinderella never actually wants to seek vengence upon the opressive characters, the sisters, who abused her throughout the tale. In fact Cinderella's "helpers" take it upon themselves to deliver justice to the sisters. Perhaps the message is not that people seek revenge but you reap what you sow.
Delete"Another one bites the dust." This classic song by queen highlights the ending of Cinderella by Brothers Grimm. The two stepsisters fight for the position of the wife of the prince. They keep Cinderella out of the picture by going to an extreme for royalty. One step sister cuts off her big toe and the other cuts off part of her heel. The prince realizes that the shoe doesn't fit either step sister so he asks the father to see Cinderella. The shoe perfectly fits Cinderella and the prince and she marries. Karma is shown when the step sisters get their eyes plucked out at the wedding. This comes to show that good things happen to good people in return. And also the step sisters show that, proving Queen, another one does bite the dust.
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