Carolyn Lee, Period 2, 10/03/22

 Modern Mythology 2023 - Literacy & Learning

1. Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or nonfiction covered in class.

To start the 2023 school year, we read about the different variations of Cinderella originating from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Before the reading, most people like myself have only connected the name “Cinderella” with the classic Disney movie of an innocent pure girl who has to face the hardships and mistreatment forced onto her by her evil stepmother and stepsisters while dealing with an absent father on top of that. Nevertheless, Cinderella forgives her stepmother and sisters and every character lives happily ever after. However, over the first two weeks of school, we began to uncover some historical interpretations of the girl in unfortunate circumstances.  An interpretation I thought was interesting was the gruesome ending of Brothers Grimm’s Cinderella where instead of a pure-hearted and forgiving girl, she is perceived as a determined girl who perseveres through her troubles with the help of her animal friends and in the end, gets her revenge. The two stepsisters’ feet were mutilated from desperately doing anything to fit into Cinderella's shoe, and their eyes were plucked out by pigeons during her wedding ceremony and therefore punished for their actions with blindness. 

2. Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

Brothers Grimm’s Cinderella published in 1812, like many other German fairy tales and folklore at the time, ended with the good being blessed and the bad being punished. Cinderella was also written under the time of Moral Criticism which was expressed in the end with the mutilation of the stepsisters' feet and face and presented a message that abusers will be faced with karma. This story and many others that deviate from Disney’s Cinderella opened my eyes to critical perception and how a lot of conclusions to these stories are based on the cultural background as well as the audience. German fairy tales were written with dark endings because they were written for mainly an audience of adults and were meant to take after extreme real-life horrors of the time such as rape, torture, and cannibalism. It made me realize that my perception of very literally anything, could be from my own experiences and that while I may see something in a darker light because of what I’ve been through, others may not agree or be able to clearly see my side of the story because they’ve never encountered such circumstances. 

3. How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

What I’ve learned has affected me most in perspective-based classes and social scenarios. When it comes to classes where the topic is largely focused on human perception of ideas, I’m now more open to learning about the other sides of a debate such as in AP Gov or how a piece of literature could’ve originated from a person or area’s past in Myth. Although I may not actually agree with the standing of the conclusion I’m able to deeper understand how that conclusion came into effect. In social aspects, I change the way I talk about myself so that others would be able to understand my point of view and I try to better understand others’ ideas and personalities.