As we've seen in previous lessons, fairytales (indeed, all folktales) change. Some changes are due to time, some due to the age of the intended audience, some due to the history of the time in which they are being told: Basically tales are changed, either slightly or greatly, to change their message.
In today's world, many folktales are changed to fit other media, and certain audience age-groups. One corporation which has done this with many tales is the Disney corporation. For this lesson, select a movie by Disney that is a recreated folktale. You are going to watch the movie and read at least two versions of the folktale (or do research into the original story, depending), and make extensive comparisons and commentary.
There are two parts to this assignment, so read carefully below before you watch any movie.
Grading Rubric:
10: All answers are correct within the second revision of this lesson. Answers are correct, complete, and clear; all lesson requirements have been met. All answers are in complete sentences with correct grammar and spelling.
9: All answers are correct within the third revision. Answers are correct, complete, and clear; all lesson requirements have been met. All answers are in complete sentences and work is spell-checked, but may have a few grammatical errors.
8: All answers are correct after four or more revisions. Answers are correct, complete, and clear; all lesson requirements have been met. All answers are in complete sentences and work is spell-checked, but may have a few grammatical errors.
7: One or two answers are incorrect. All other answers are factually correct, complete, and clear. All lesson requirements have been met. All answers are in complete sentences and work is spell-checked, but may have a few grammatical errors.
6: Reserved for administrative use.
5: Plagiarism - purposeful or mistaken which will lower your final grade for the course (so be very careful when posting your work!); lack of effort, disrespect, or attitude (we are here to communicate with you if you don't understand something); or 9 or more errors; or lesson requirements have not been met.
Also be aware that you will have a chance to revise your work. More than 2 revisions will result in a lower grade, so read the directions carefully and make sure you meet the requirements. No lesson is complete without the approval of the instructor, and all revisions must be completed before a grade is assigned. No grade will be given for incomplete work.
Do not submit text that you have copied from sources, including websites. All of your work should be in your own words. Using copied text would be considered plagiarism. For more information, review our page on Plagiarism and Citation.
Part I
Submit to your instructor what Disney movie you intend to watch, and where you intend to read two versions of the original story. (There are lots of resources for individual folktales available freely online. You can find one such resource here. Be sure to give a full citation for the stories you intend to read.) The second version of the folktale can be a retelling from a slightly different time period or from a totally different culture, the choice is yours; one version, however, must be closely related to the movie.
For example, say you chose to watch Sleeping Beauty. One of the pages of the site linked above gives access to four different versions of the tale and links to about four other versions of the tale, some from different cultures (and one in another language). You would need to choose two versions to read, and cite them correctly for your teacher to know which ones you were planning to use.
If the Disney movie you chose is instead the retelling of a legend, you can find two separate sources that tell the story of that legend. Please note that this may require more citation and research than the folktale or fairytale option, and that if that is the case you are willingly taking on that extra work.
The teacher must approve your selections before you may proceed.
Note: Stories that you have already read as part of this course or will be reading later in this course are less likely to be approved, so be prepared to make a back-up selection.
Part II
Answer both the Analysis and Reflection sections below.
For the movie
For the first version of the folktale (or for one of your historical sources)
For the second version of the folktale (or for another of your historical sources)
Overall
Write several paragraphs for someone who has just watched the same movie you did. They didn't know the story before watching the movie, and are wondering what was changed from the "original" story. Be detailed about what has changed, why you think the changes were made, and also how you feel about the changes that were made. Make sure your paragraphs are clear and use proper grammar.
The materials in this lesson are © Compuhigh and may not be reused without express written permission.