Fairy Tales By Hans Christian Andersen - 1749 Words

Fairy tales are an entertaining and memorable way to teach valuable lessons to children. However, things have not always been this way with fairy tales. In the past, fairy tales could serve as an outlet for unpopular ideas and thoughts, or a way for people with little value in society to express themselves. Fairy tales were often tightly related to their author’s culture, possibly because it made the story more familiar. In Hans Christian Andersen’s â€Å"Den Lille Havfrue†, better known as â€Å"The Little Mermaid†, Andersen uses prominent mythological and cultural ties to display the struggles of a young girl who wants to see what the world offers, as opposed to staying at the bottom of the ocean and living a mermaid’s long, but soulless and definite life. Written in the early 1800s in Denmark, â€Å"The Little Mermaid† is an excellent display of a mix of Danish mythology, beliefs, and society. Denmark is a country that has always been heav ily reliant on water, as it and its surrounding lands are surrounded by it. Thus, a large portion of their mythology revolves around the ocean and its creatures, such as mermaids. In the beginning of the 19th century, a public education system was set up in Denmark, which prompted an enormous influx of literature and philosophy. Among such literary works came â€Å"The Little Mermaid†, written by Hans Christian Andersen. Andersen is known for his writing style and the way characters act and respond. â€Å"His very first tale, ‘The Tinder Box’, opens in aShow MoreRelatedFairy Tales And Realties By Hans Christian Andersen2034 Words   |  9 PagesFairy Tales and Realties â€Å"Now then, let us begin. When we are at the end of the story, we shall know more than we know now: but to begin† (Andersen) This is the way the story of â€Å"The Snow Queen† begins, by the author Hans Christian Andersen. As this story unfolds the reader see’s many avenues that this multi-faceted story shows, based on imagination and reality. It is easy to get lost and discouraged throughout the short story, but in the end, all is found and made known like looking at one’sRead MoreGender Roles Of Men And Women1362 Words   |  6 PagesGender Roles in Fairy Tales Fairy tales have been around for generations. They are a way to express the idealistic realities of society. In most fairy tales, the roles of men and women reflect the way men and women are portrayed in reality. Many cultures believe that women are to be seen and not heard and that the only necessity for them is to take care of the house and raise children to repopulate society. Fairy tales originated from oral tradition. These stories were passed down and here eventuallyRead MoreAnalysis Of â€Å"The Little Mermaid† By Hans Christian Andersen.1361 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of â€Å"The Little Mermaid† by Hans Christian Andersen â€Å"The Little Mermaid† by Hans Christian Andersen is one of the worlds most cherished fairy tales. Through the years, this story has inspired its fair share of different adaptations and spinoffs, as well as intertwined itself in popular culture. Although it is widely considered a children’s story today, upon close examination, we can find various elements of literary devices and themes, all of which provide the seasoned reader with a deepRead MoreThe Little Match Girl1045 Words   |  5 PagesGIRL -Hans Christian Andersen- Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) is a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children’s stories. Although during his lifetime he was acclaimed for having delighted children worldwide, his stories were always meant for adults as well. His poetry and stories have been translated into more than 150 languages. They have inspired motion pictures, plays, ballets and animated films. However, fairy tales take the most importantRead MoreEssay on The Little Mermaid1044 Words   |  5 PagesENG 215: Studies in Children’s Literature Prof. Bonniecki September 30th, 2010 Diaz 1 The Little Mermaid The Little Mermaid is a fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. The tale is about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a merperson to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince. The tale was first published in 1837 and has been adapted to various media including musical theater and animated film.The standard of this classicalRead MoreThe Little Mermaid Analysis1404 Words   |  6 Pages As young children many of us enjoyed classic fairy tales such as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Thumbelina, and more. These stories had a great impact on our childhood as we loved to hear about the main character’s adventures and how we could connect the events that happened in these stories into the real world. But, have you ever wondered what these stories really meant? That Cinderella might not be the charming, romantic story as we know it or that there is a deeper, philosophical meaningRead MoreThe Ugly Duckling1186 Words   |  5 PagesBrittany Wiegreff Professor Eichler English 102 B16 10/18/2011 Essay 2 The Ugly Duckling Analysis The tale of â€Å"The Ugly Duckling† has been told for many generations. It is the story of a little swan that is mistakenly hatched in a duck’s nest and because of his strange and different appearance he is teased and ridiculed. Even his mother can’t understand how this â€Å"ugly duckling† could be one of her own. The ugly duckling goes through many hardships and a long, lonely winter. Then upon seeingRead MoreRomance Romance Essay810 Words   |  4 Pageswritten by Hans Christian Andersen, falls under the category of paranormal romance. The story presents young mermaid who longs to gain a human soul after falling in love with the prince. In order to gain a human soul, she must give up her identity as a mermaid and her life in the sea (Andersen). The Little Mermaid displays a romantic love of a mermaid towards a prince, as she sacrifices her life to make the prince happy. Romances do not always end happily ever after like most fairy tale stories doRead MoreFairy Tale Assignment1243 Words   |  5 PagesAssignment: Answer one of the following questions, considering the entire passage. Provide three specific examples of fairy/folk tales from any culture and how they relate to the question you’ve chosen. 1. Maria Tatar, in Off With Their Heads!, writes: F airy tales are not written in granite. My own experience has shown that we continue to rewrite the tales as we reread them, even though the words on the page remain the same. But it is important to remember that what we produce in our retellingsRead MoreEssay On The Mermaid926 Words   |  4 Pagesbecome the woman as a human. She needs to recognize the changes body inside before she will give a chance to realize her love. Andersen portrays human love, as a product of maturity unlike the mermaid in Disney seems to grow up complete because she has already been experienced love, whereas Disney depicts it as a cause of full-grown. Disney makes loss maturity of value that Andersen had conveyed a message throughout the story. Andersens story perpetrates sexist values by teaching of values for a new generation