Shakespeare & Poetry Unit
Shakespeare:
Over the past 2-3 weeks we, as a class, have been exploring the world and mind of William Shakespeare. To start off our Shakespeare Unit we watched the documentary film “The Hobart Shakespeareans.” This film documented the journey of a 5th grade class at Hobart Boulevard Elementary School located in the heart of Los Angeles. This special 5th grade class was instructed by their teacher, Rafe Esquith, who has taught at Hobart Elementary since 1981. Rafe is a fanatic of William Shakespeare’s work and implements many of Shakespeare’s plays into his classroom lesson plans. Shakespeare is not the only material that Rafe’s classroom covers throughout the year, but there is a definite emphasis. This documentary shows a classroom of ordinary students doing extraordinary things, from learning teamwork, vocabulary, grammar, presentation, etc…
After viewing the documentary I felt a bit surprised to how complex the material being covered in the classroom. The students were reading novels that are usually read in later high school years, such as Of Mice and Men, Grapes of Wrath, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and others. It is unbelievable that these 5th grade students were able to read, comprehend, and discuss these adult fiction novels. Rafe values the point of every child having a chance to do something great. Each child should be given equal opportunities, but this sadly is not entirely possible. So his teaching methods allocate many special privileges to his students including field trips to other states and putting on performances in the classroom. With the opportunities he gives his students he expects them to become inspired and produce serious work effort and goals in their school work.
So after our class viewed this documentary film, we were given an assignment to reenact a scene from Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Each of the class groups were given different scenes from the play and were assigned to perform them to the class by live presentation or by video. These performances were to be a modern adaptation of the play, having any type of language, setting, or revisions. This was awesome assignment, mainly because it gave the class the opportunity to see and critique each others performances. Some interesting websites that I found helpfully in better understanding Shakespeare and altering it to a modern day revision were http://www.rsc.org.uk/exploringshakespeare/, good YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpyc7120o1o
Poetry:
To start our poetry unit, the class read 2 books. Wishes, Lies, and Dreams by Kenneth Koth and the short novel, Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech. In Koth’s novel, it explains different variations to writing poems. Some poem ideas that I got out of it were poem types such as I wish, noise, color, seasons, lies, and I seem to be/ but I really am. Love that Dog gave the class an easy introduction to poetry and how creative it can be. Each person, in each group was assigned to post a poem that they enjoyed, and then write a prompt for the group to respond to. So each group member would write a poem using the groups prompts for instruction. Here are the group’s poems and prompts:
Danielle
At The Zoo ~William Makepeace Thackeray
First I saw the white bear, then I saw the black;
Then I saw the camel with a hump upon his back;
Then I saw the grey wolf, with mutton in his maw;
Then I saw the wombat waddle in the straw;
Then I saw the elephant a-waving of his trunk;
Then I saw the monkeys-mercy, how unpleasantly they-smelt!
Write a poem based on your favorite animal without giving that animal away.
Sarah
The Cow ~Robert Louis Stevenson
The friendly cow, all red and white,
I love with all my heart:
She gives me cream with all her might,
To eat with apple tart.
She wanders lowing here and there,
And yet she cannot stray,
All in the pleasant open air,
The pleasant light of day;
And blown by all the winds that pass
And wet with all the showers,
She walks along the meadow grass
And eats the meadow flowers.
Write a poem similar to The Cow, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Make sure that your poem is about an animal and uses the same rhyming pattern that Stevenson used. (A, B, A, B) Your poem should be a total of twelve lines.
Laura
Caterpillar ~Christina Rossetti
Brown and Furry
Caterpillar in a hurry,
Take your walk
To the shady leaf, or stalk,
Or what not,
Which may be the chosen spot.
No toad spy you,
Hovering bird of prey pass by you;
Spin and die,
To live again a butterfly.
Write a descriptive poem using an adjective in every line to describe your favorite animal. (Lower elementary grade levels)
or
Write a poem about something else in life that goes through changes. (ie: you, your family, your home, your thoughts, your goals etc.) (Upper elementary grade levels)
Matt (mine)
Isn’t My Name Magical ~ James Berry
Nobody can see my name on me
my name is inside
And all over me, unseen
like other people also keep it.
Isn’t my name magic?
My name is mine only.
It tells I am individual.
The one special person it shakes
when I’m wanted.
If I’m with hundreds of people
And my name gets called,
My sound switches me on to answer
Like it was my human electricity.
Isn’t that magical?
My name echoes across the playground,
It comes, it demands my attention.
I have to find out who calls,
Who wants me for what.
My name gets blurted out in class,
It is a terror, at a bad time,
Because somebody is cross.
My name gets called in a whisper
I am happy, because
My name may have touched me
With a loving voice.
Isn’t it all magic?
Create a poem that involves your own name. It can involve the letters of your name, the meaning, things or objects that can somehow relate to your name. This self poem should be close to 6 lines. Thinking abstractly, use your imagination.
Poetry is a terrific way for students to use their creativity and imagination to express whatever they would like to. Such as their feelings, likes/dislikes, thoughts, or abstract ideas such as animals, nature, seasons, or automobiles. Anything is possible when writing poetry. A poem do not have to rhyme, or follow order, or even make complete sense. Poetry is a written way of expression, using writing instead of verbal words. The author James Berry has written poetry for years and is critically acclaimed writer.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
poems
A Boy's Best Friend
My hippo is missing, he's vanished,
I haven't seen him since noon,
How could I misplace something so "biggish"
What if he flew away on a balloon.
Ill need to put up some missing flyers,
they'll read "My Hippopotamus is Gone"
"He's a good hider, he looks like a pile of old car tires"
"He's got two front teeth, and goes by the name John"
Ive got a few baseball cards as a reward,
I will be so lost without him,
oh geez, I never checked the backyard,
Why is John in the pool, I didn't know he could swim?
My hippo is missing, he's vanished,
I haven't seen him since noon,
How could I misplace something so "biggish"
What if he flew away on a balloon.
Ill need to put up some missing flyers,
they'll read "My Hippopotamus is Gone"
"He's a good hider, he looks like a pile of old car tires"
"He's got two front teeth, and goes by the name John"
Ive got a few baseball cards as a reward,
I will be so lost without him,
oh geez, I never checked the backyard,
Why is John in the pool, I didn't know he could swim?
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Young Adult Novels
When exploring the world of young adult fiction, the possibilities are truly endless. A good book can leave you mesmerized, pleading for more. This is exactly what novels like Speak, Stargirl, and Series of Unfortunate Events do to young readers. They invoke questions to be asked, solutions to be questioned, and happy ending to be doubted. These novels have so many fascinating components from how Stargirl dresses, to how Melinda strives to communicate with her friends and family in Speak, to attempting to uncover the secrets behind the Baudelaire family.
Reading these books myself makes me rethink my childhood memories or reading and becoming involved with the stories I read.
One large series of books that I could not put down as a child were Matt Christopher’s sport series. (http://www.mattchristopher.com) Mr. Christopher was a young adult writer; his works were admired by young boys. He earned the #1 Sports Series of kids and has published more than 100 books with sales approaching six million copies. Each book had a man character involved in some sort of sport or activity. They would always have a confrontation or dilemma and would have to overcome the obstacles in order to succeed. Matt Christopher had novels of almost every sport including soccer, baseball, running, snowboarding, lacrosse, dirt biking, golf, volleyball, hockey, and swimming. These stories captured my imagination and interest because I could relate to the material I was reading and I felt connect myself with the characters in the story. Mr. Christopher’s work has spanned three generations of readers along with writing and publishing more than one hundred twenty novels. In my eyes, these achievements make him the most prolific and bestselling sportswriter for children and young adults that I have ever encountered.
When reading Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, there was multiple times throughout my reading that I felt very confused and distant to Melinda’s way of thinking. Melinda was a very courageous yet timid young woman during her first year of high school. Dealing with her fears of popularity, friendship troubles, and the persona of Andy Evans Melinda cocooned herself in her own small world. She could not find a comfortable way to reach out to her former friends, her parents, or her teachers/ counselors. She felt that no one would ever understand. A great website that I found deals with Melinda’s controversial issues and compares them to the Scarlet Letter and Hester’s issues. Making connections with these to stories lets young adults possibly have a better understanding of how internal guilt and uncertainness can have an effect on them. (http://writerlady.com/novelsh/Deceitdespair.html#slsdiscuss)
The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony has a total of 13 books in the series and all of them encompass the adventures of the Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. The author, Handler, has created a fictional author/narrator for this series of books. Lemony Snicket is a character that Handler invented, and has implemented him into the stories of the Baudelaire children. So the nature of Lemony Snicket is in fact a fictional character as well as a real person. This persona of Lemony Snicket is quite enticing, in regards to his mysterious connection to the Baudelaire family, the affiliation known as V.F.D, and his devotion to sharing the truth about the Baudelaire family, and how their story came to be.
The dual perspective of a reader of these Series of Unfortunate Events seems to connect the readers to the story right away, from the beginning of the book to the end. Lemony Snicket does not exactly introduce himself per say, but he does include points about his life, such as the triptych that his close friend Professor Reed painted for him. “He painted fire on one panel, typewriter on the other, and the face of a beautiful, intelligent woman on the third.” (pg. 55) The triptych is entitled “What Happened to Beatrice.” These small exerts in the novel gives the readers a chance to familiarize themselves with Mr. Snicket, understanding his great interest in the Baudelaire’s story and how his role is so influential on the reader’s opinion of the characters throughout the novel. The whole series is Mr. Snicket’s opinion about Count Olaf, his misfits, the Baudelaire orphans, their guardians over time, etc… The way these books are written makes the reader sympathize with the children and Mr. Snicket, therefore giving the readers a drive to follow the lives of the Baudelaire children and read about their series of unfortunate events.
Lemony Snicket’s irony throughout the book gives the story a sense of lightheartedness when dealing with the truly disastrous events that have come upon the Baudelaire family. Without pieces of irony such as “S.O.R.E Special Orphan Running Exercises” or the explanation of the masquerade on page 167, this book would be completely devastating. The use of irony allows the reader and the author to step back and compare the lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, and how they compare to a normal life of three adolescent children. Their lives have gone this tremendous twists and turns and it seems that the E.N.D is eight more novels away.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli was on of my favorite reads of this semester. The character of Stargirl is so mysterious and eccentric, she has the capability to make a rainy day glow with sun beams and change the heart of anyone that gives her a chance to be heard. When Leo first hears of Stargirl his first thought of her is, how will she survive without being unchanged, how can she survive being different? Stargirl proves to Leo that anything is possible if you just believe that it can be. Leo learns about love, hate, passion, creativity, imagination, and ego is his short time with Stargirl. This novel is an emotional tale about the dangers of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.
Reading these books myself makes me rethink my childhood memories or reading and becoming involved with the stories I read.
One large series of books that I could not put down as a child were Matt Christopher’s sport series. (http://www.mattchristopher.com) Mr. Christopher was a young adult writer; his works were admired by young boys. He earned the #1 Sports Series of kids and has published more than 100 books with sales approaching six million copies. Each book had a man character involved in some sort of sport or activity. They would always have a confrontation or dilemma and would have to overcome the obstacles in order to succeed. Matt Christopher had novels of almost every sport including soccer, baseball, running, snowboarding, lacrosse, dirt biking, golf, volleyball, hockey, and swimming. These stories captured my imagination and interest because I could relate to the material I was reading and I felt connect myself with the characters in the story. Mr. Christopher’s work has spanned three generations of readers along with writing and publishing more than one hundred twenty novels. In my eyes, these achievements make him the most prolific and bestselling sportswriter for children and young adults that I have ever encountered.
When reading Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, there was multiple times throughout my reading that I felt very confused and distant to Melinda’s way of thinking. Melinda was a very courageous yet timid young woman during her first year of high school. Dealing with her fears of popularity, friendship troubles, and the persona of Andy Evans Melinda cocooned herself in her own small world. She could not find a comfortable way to reach out to her former friends, her parents, or her teachers/ counselors. She felt that no one would ever understand. A great website that I found deals with Melinda’s controversial issues and compares them to the Scarlet Letter and Hester’s issues. Making connections with these to stories lets young adults possibly have a better understanding of how internal guilt and uncertainness can have an effect on them. (http://writerlady.com/novelsh/Deceitdespair.html#slsdiscuss)
The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony has a total of 13 books in the series and all of them encompass the adventures of the Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. The author, Handler, has created a fictional author/narrator for this series of books. Lemony Snicket is a character that Handler invented, and has implemented him into the stories of the Baudelaire children. So the nature of Lemony Snicket is in fact a fictional character as well as a real person. This persona of Lemony Snicket is quite enticing, in regards to his mysterious connection to the Baudelaire family, the affiliation known as V.F.D, and his devotion to sharing the truth about the Baudelaire family, and how their story came to be.
The dual perspective of a reader of these Series of Unfortunate Events seems to connect the readers to the story right away, from the beginning of the book to the end. Lemony Snicket does not exactly introduce himself per say, but he does include points about his life, such as the triptych that his close friend Professor Reed painted for him. “He painted fire on one panel, typewriter on the other, and the face of a beautiful, intelligent woman on the third.” (pg. 55) The triptych is entitled “What Happened to Beatrice.” These small exerts in the novel gives the readers a chance to familiarize themselves with Mr. Snicket, understanding his great interest in the Baudelaire’s story and how his role is so influential on the reader’s opinion of the characters throughout the novel. The whole series is Mr. Snicket’s opinion about Count Olaf, his misfits, the Baudelaire orphans, their guardians over time, etc… The way these books are written makes the reader sympathize with the children and Mr. Snicket, therefore giving the readers a drive to follow the lives of the Baudelaire children and read about their series of unfortunate events.
Lemony Snicket’s irony throughout the book gives the story a sense of lightheartedness when dealing with the truly disastrous events that have come upon the Baudelaire family. Without pieces of irony such as “S.O.R.E Special Orphan Running Exercises” or the explanation of the masquerade on page 167, this book would be completely devastating. The use of irony allows the reader and the author to step back and compare the lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, and how they compare to a normal life of three adolescent children. Their lives have gone this tremendous twists and turns and it seems that the E.N.D is eight more novels away.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli was on of my favorite reads of this semester. The character of Stargirl is so mysterious and eccentric, she has the capability to make a rainy day glow with sun beams and change the heart of anyone that gives her a chance to be heard. When Leo first hears of Stargirl his first thought of her is, how will she survive without being unchanged, how can she survive being different? Stargirl proves to Leo that anything is possible if you just believe that it can be. Leo learns about love, hate, passion, creativity, imagination, and ego is his short time with Stargirl. This novel is an emotional tale about the dangers of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Speak
1. From the beginning of the book, Speak, there is an underlying element to Melinda that as a reader I felt uncertain about. She keeps to herself at school and while she is at home. She talks about her former friends and remises on past experiences that they had together. Melinda’s mother works downtown so she rarely sees her unless she misses the bus for school in the morning. Her father gets home late in evening and Melinda usually finds ways to keep distance between herself and her parents. When Melinda talks, it is most likely to herself, reminiscing in her closet about former friends, current fears, or future decisions. Throughout the entire story Melinda is finding her inner voice, her will to speak out on the world. Melinda’s believes that the norms of high school are related to groups and popularity. She wants to fit in, yet criticizes the groups such as the Martha’s.
As for the others view of Melinda Sordino, the school students attach a dark shadow to Melinda. Rumors are constantly generated by anonymous classmates and she even loses her only somewhat friend, Heather, because of the negativity that surrounds Melinda.
4. Some symbols that seem to be relevant in the Melinda’s struggle in the novel Speak are the tree, biting her lips, mascots, and IT. Melinda is assigned an art project in the beginning of the school year, to create a work of art that expresses Melinda’s persona. Her object to work with is a tree. In the beginning Melinda continuously draws a dead or dying tree. This can relate to how Melinda expresses herself in the book, with her artwork. The constant change of the mascots could relate to Melinda and her personality changes that have happened so quickly through the school year. Biting her lips seems somewhat violent in a sense, but I was Melinda’s way of keeping to herself. Holding in her thoughts, pains, fears, and joys (the little that she had). IT, Andy Evans, is a monster and someone that can never be trusted. Melinda had been silent and frightened because of Andy Evans and the control that he had over practically the entire school Melinda constantly battled with this emotional and physical struggle until one day she was finally ready to speak out of Andy’s tyrant behavior and put him in his place. All of these symbols personify Melinda and her journey to find her inner voice in order to finally speak.
As for the others view of Melinda Sordino, the school students attach a dark shadow to Melinda. Rumors are constantly generated by anonymous classmates and she even loses her only somewhat friend, Heather, because of the negativity that surrounds Melinda.
4. Some symbols that seem to be relevant in the Melinda’s struggle in the novel Speak are the tree, biting her lips, mascots, and IT. Melinda is assigned an art project in the beginning of the school year, to create a work of art that expresses Melinda’s persona. Her object to work with is a tree. In the beginning Melinda continuously draws a dead or dying tree. This can relate to how Melinda expresses herself in the book, with her artwork. The constant change of the mascots could relate to Melinda and her personality changes that have happened so quickly through the school year. Biting her lips seems somewhat violent in a sense, but I was Melinda’s way of keeping to herself. Holding in her thoughts, pains, fears, and joys (the little that she had). IT, Andy Evans, is a monster and someone that can never be trusted. Melinda had been silent and frightened because of Andy Evans and the control that he had over practically the entire school Melinda constantly battled with this emotional and physical struggle until one day she was finally ready to speak out of Andy’s tyrant behavior and put him in his place. All of these symbols personify Melinda and her journey to find her inner voice in order to finally speak.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Fairy Tales
After reading “The Classic Fairy Tales” and finishing up our Fairy Tales unit I began to think about my childhood experiences with the fairy tales that we talked about in class. As a child I remember constantly watching the Disney versions of these traditional tales, but I never knew that most of them were indeed an adaptation of the Brother’s Grimm edition. The Disney revisions were obviously geared towards an adolescent age group so it is understandable that most of the fairy tales lost a lot of gruesome reality. The Brother’s Grimm stories contained the classic points of fairy tales such as magic, a battle of good and evil, mostly happy endings, deep love/marriage, having the main character resolve a serious conflict, the saving elements, a battle of youth versus old, etc… All of these points usually show up in our traditional fairy tales, but what separates Grimm’s and Disney’s is that not everything always works out how it should. There a twists and turns in the Brother Grimm’s stories that make them stand apart from all other fairy tales.
After reading a section in the book, what I found to be most helpful and also interesting was sharing our personal ideas with our small groups. Having someone record our ideas as well as answering questions was an effective way of always having our ideas documented. There were numerous times in our group discussions when we related back to our original ideas, adding on to them, and also dissecting them for a deeper meaning. This unit did not necessarily provoke me to do any outside research other than watching Snow White on You Tube. Using resources is one of the most crucial skills that all teachers and future teachers should develop. In this technology advanced time, practically everything you could imagine is at our dispense including the internet resources, books, articles, hands on activities, teacher chat rooms, etc…
When we were assigned to find the differences between Grimm’s and Disney’s Snow White versions the best way for me to contrast the two was to be exposed to both. So I went online and was able to watch the entire Disney film of Snow White. Having the Grimm version in my mind I was able to easily distinguish differences between the two. A great assignment or activity that could be incorporated into this lesson would be reading the Brother’s Grimm version in small groups or individually and then as a whole watch the Disney version in class. The Disney films run a little over an hour which is plenty of time for the students to watch and take notes all at the same time. As a class, the students could make a chart or circle graph that illustrates the similarities and differences of the two stories. This activity would work well with younger students between 1st and 3rd grade.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the Fairy Tales Unit. It brought back many positive memories that I have with classic fairy tales. This unit also made me rethink how those traditional stories effected my childhood education and what activities I remembered that I enjoyed. I look forward to sharing these activities with my future classroom and hopefully they will gain the same appreciation that I have for these classic fairy tales.
After reading a section in the book, what I found to be most helpful and also interesting was sharing our personal ideas with our small groups. Having someone record our ideas as well as answering questions was an effective way of always having our ideas documented. There were numerous times in our group discussions when we related back to our original ideas, adding on to them, and also dissecting them for a deeper meaning. This unit did not necessarily provoke me to do any outside research other than watching Snow White on You Tube. Using resources is one of the most crucial skills that all teachers and future teachers should develop. In this technology advanced time, practically everything you could imagine is at our dispense including the internet resources, books, articles, hands on activities, teacher chat rooms, etc…
When we were assigned to find the differences between Grimm’s and Disney’s Snow White versions the best way for me to contrast the two was to be exposed to both. So I went online and was able to watch the entire Disney film of Snow White. Having the Grimm version in my mind I was able to easily distinguish differences between the two. A great assignment or activity that could be incorporated into this lesson would be reading the Brother’s Grimm version in small groups or individually and then as a whole watch the Disney version in class. The Disney films run a little over an hour which is plenty of time for the students to watch and take notes all at the same time. As a class, the students could make a chart or circle graph that illustrates the similarities and differences of the two stories. This activity would work well with younger students between 1st and 3rd grade.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the Fairy Tales Unit. It brought back many positive memories that I have with classic fairy tales. This unit also made me rethink how those traditional stories effected my childhood education and what activities I remembered that I enjoyed. I look forward to sharing these activities with my future classroom and hopefully they will gain the same appreciation that I have for these classic fairy tales.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Snow White Differences
When comparing the Brother’s Grimm Snow White to Walt Disney’s version there are many subtle differences that change the overall theme of the story. The Brother’s Grimm version takes a much more dark and ominous path while Walt Disney’s is much more pleasant and happily ever after. Overall the two versions both involve the saving element of the story, a battle of youth versus old, and the empowering story of good overcoming evil.
When explaining Snow White’s true beauty the Brother’s Grimm explained her as white as snow, red as blood, and black as ebony. Disney’s version involved all except for red as blood. Instead they said red as a rose. This subtle difference shows how maturation of the audience each story is attempting to appeal to.
Multiple differences occurred when involving the portrayal and the overall demise of the Queen as well. In Disney, the Queen had Snow White dress in rags to hide her beauty, where as in the original, the Queen secretly grew extremely envious and resentful of Snow White, and soon ordered a huntsman to kill her and bring back her lungs and liver. In the film, the huntsman takes a pig’s heart as proof of Snow White’s death. To stay clear of the Queen’s wrath Snow White ran into the forest and hid in a cottage she stumbled across. In Disney, the animals of the forest led Snow White to the cottage.
When the dwarfs arrive home from the mines in the film, they believe that a monster of dragon has entered their home and taken refuge. So they decide to go into the cottage with their pick-axes and slay the creature. In the Brother’s Grimm version the dwarfs find Snow White asleep in bed and decide not to wake her because she is so beautiful.
In the end of the story, the Queen/ Witch is forced to put on a pair of red hot iron shoes and forced to dance till she dropped dead. This was obviously much too graphic for the Disney version, so they decided to end the Queen’s wrath by making her run of a cliff. The overall story differences where quite surprising to me, especially how the Queen dies.
When comparing both versions of Snow White, the accustomed fairy tales symbols are usually included such as magic, a battle between good and evil, marriage, true love, the saving element, and youth versus old. Incorporating all of these components gives you the overall theme of Snow White. So overall the theme of the story would have to be that true love conquers all. When your heart is full of envy and not pride you will be eaten up by your own deformities. Just like the Queen, she could not stand anyone to be better than herself, and that element alone ultimately lead the Queen to her death.
When explaining Snow White’s true beauty the Brother’s Grimm explained her as white as snow, red as blood, and black as ebony. Disney’s version involved all except for red as blood. Instead they said red as a rose. This subtle difference shows how maturation of the audience each story is attempting to appeal to.
Multiple differences occurred when involving the portrayal and the overall demise of the Queen as well. In Disney, the Queen had Snow White dress in rags to hide her beauty, where as in the original, the Queen secretly grew extremely envious and resentful of Snow White, and soon ordered a huntsman to kill her and bring back her lungs and liver. In the film, the huntsman takes a pig’s heart as proof of Snow White’s death. To stay clear of the Queen’s wrath Snow White ran into the forest and hid in a cottage she stumbled across. In Disney, the animals of the forest led Snow White to the cottage.
When the dwarfs arrive home from the mines in the film, they believe that a monster of dragon has entered their home and taken refuge. So they decide to go into the cottage with their pick-axes and slay the creature. In the Brother’s Grimm version the dwarfs find Snow White asleep in bed and decide not to wake her because she is so beautiful.
In the end of the story, the Queen/ Witch is forced to put on a pair of red hot iron shoes and forced to dance till she dropped dead. This was obviously much too graphic for the Disney version, so they decided to end the Queen’s wrath by making her run of a cliff. The overall story differences where quite surprising to me, especially how the Queen dies.
When comparing both versions of Snow White, the accustomed fairy tales symbols are usually included such as magic, a battle between good and evil, marriage, true love, the saving element, and youth versus old. Incorporating all of these components gives you the overall theme of Snow White. So overall the theme of the story would have to be that true love conquers all. When your heart is full of envy and not pride you will be eaten up by your own deformities. Just like the Queen, she could not stand anyone to be better than herself, and that element alone ultimately lead the Queen to her death.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Matthew Schupp: First Blog
My name Matthew Schupp, I am a senior here at Chico State. I play Lacrosse of the Chico Club team. I transferred to Chico State from Sierra College in Sacramento. I have always wanted to teach every since I can remember. My mother works in the attendance office at a local middle school in Orangevale, Louis Pasteur Middle School. I have always loved to work with children. My expectations for the class are to learn more about childrens literature and have fun doing it. I'm looking forward to this semester.
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