U1A1 Introduction to Fairytales

1. Overall lesson and elements found in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

The Grimm fairytale 'Snow White' has many valuable lessons for children of all ages to learn from. Some of the valuable lessons include 'Don't talk to strangers' , 'Real beauty comes from within a person', 'It's important to have good friends', and 'Good triumphs over evil'. For kids who grew up loving this classic fairytale, the lessons from this story continue to be a part of their life. The most crucial lesson learnt is to not talk to strangers. However, Snow White failed to follow this as her naivety makes her talk to the old lady and accept the poisoned apple in return. As a result, she falls into deep sleep and the evil queen who disguises herself as the old lady to kill Snow White was successful in doing so. Another valuable lesson learnt is the main theme that good will triumph over evil, where the good deeds are rewarded and the evil acts are punished. In this fairytale, the main character Snow White, essentially achieves her happiness and love whereas the evil queen breaks the mirror and continues to live a life of agony. Additionally, there are various elements found that contribute towards telling these lessons.

Elements of Fairytales:

- this fairytale begins with a RECOGNIZABLE BEGINNING of "Once upon a time..."

- the main PROTAGONIST is Snow White who can be identified as the innocent and naive character, whereas the ANTAGONIST is the evil queen and she is the evil stepmother who eventually ends up losing

- Snow White is part of the ROYALTY as she is the princess and her father and stepmother are the king and queen of the castle. Despite her being thrown out of the kingdom, Snow White eventually marries another prince and becomes the princess once again.

- the seven dwarfs are the REOCCURRING PATTERN/NUMBERS

- the MAGIC AND ENCHANTMENT is the poisoned apple, the evil mirror and witchcraft

Common Archetypes

- The hero is the prince that saves Snow White from the enchanted spell

- The villain is the evil queen/stepmother as her intentions are to kill Snow White

- The helpful animals in the fairytale aid Snow White in finding the dwarfs house and cleaning it

- Innocence is displayed through Snow White who is virtuous and kind

Archetypal Themes

1. Initiation: Snow White is an innocent character who lives a peaceful life until her stepmother arrives. She faces several challenges throughout the story that were absent in the beginning. She is dismissed from the castle, goes through the forest alone, attempted to be killed twice as the queen considers her a threat because of her beauty.

2. Quest for love: Snow White eventually finds her true love that she was searching for at the beginning. In addition to that the prince recovers her from the deep sleep spell and saves her life

Archetypal Settings and Symbols

The archetypal setting is nature which symbolizes the character reflecting on her choices when she is travelling through the forest. As well as the country side which symbolizes healing when the prince kisses her to save her.

2. How did this tale speak to the modern audience?

Fairy tales have been targeted towards a younger audience, hence many fairytales have been altered to suit the needs of modern learners. Wilhelm, one of the Grimm brothers edited and rewrote some fairytales, however they were still not appropriate enough for children and included harsh circumstances. Then, Disney created the new modern fairytales to entertain the younger audience in a kid friendly context. The original fairytales portrayed extreme violence and suffering whereas the modified fairytales have a dilemma and resolutions with happy endings.

Furthermore, the story concludes with a happy ending where the prince marries the princess which appeals to the modern audience. The romantic moments between the Prince and Snow White establishes that love is a necessity for living and love eventually conquers hate. This tale speaks to the modern audience by making them believe that good will always win over evil and hence encouraging the audience to perform good deeds. Also, the punishments endured by the characters are rarely harsh for performing bad deeds. The modern reinterpretation of the fairy tale ' Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' leaves a positive impression on the minds of the audience and a contended feeling of love.

3. Why does this fairytale posses a timeless quality?

This fairy tale possesses a timeless quality as the variety of themes displayed such as good vs evil or the quest for love allow the audience to look back to this fairy tale as they can reminisce and feel uplifted. It provides valuable lessons for people of all ages to understand and live by. In addition to that, the queen's devastating loss and death proves to the audience that everyone should spread love and never show jealousy. It demonstrates that the good will always win and good people remain happy such as Snow White, the prince and the dwarfs. Furthermore, Snow White is faced with a quest for love and eventually finds her true love who saves her from the spell, this shows the audience that love can overpower anything and it is imperative to live a virtuous life. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a fairy tale that will always be timeless as it contains diverse lessons and morals for audiences to follow.

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