Perception of Fairy Tales

I wish to examine on how people in different ages perceive the discourse of fairy tales because once upon a time when I was still a child, I believe in fairy tales but as I grew up my perception towards it changed. I realised that fairy tales doesn't exist in real life and it only remains to be one of the story that I enjoy in my free time. As stated by Jack Zipes in his book 'Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion', "Fairy tales for children as universal, ageless, therapeutic, miraculous, and beautiful. This is the way they have come down to us in history. Inscribed on our minds, as children and then later as adults, is the impression that it is not important to know about the mysterious past of fairy tales just as long as they are there and continue to be written."( Zippes, Jack David ,1988, page 1 and 2)

While I was a child, I like to watch Cinderella story. I can potray myself as the protagonist (Cinderella) and marrying a handsome prince. I believed it was real that I could also live happily-ever-after with my beloved one. The reason why I perceive it like this was mentioned in Lewis Carl book "Fairy Tales, Sexuality, and Gender in France, 1690-1715 : Nostalgic Utopias" , he believes that " ...fairy tales can be said to outline the very contours and solidity of what we take to be "reality"." ( Seifert,Lewis Carl ,1996, page 1) Thus, I tend to believe that it was "reality" which I perceived when watching the Cinderella story.

But, as I grow older, the concept of "reality" changed. I realise how the real world look like. There are no 'prince charming' and there are no 'happily-ever-after' because the real world are a cruel places (anything can happen, for example divorces and scandal). But, I have learn so much from the fairy tales, includes morality, values and manners which is important in our life to be civilised.(Zipes, Jack David, 1994, page 19) Thus, although it is not real to me but I still watch it because there are always morale story behind it.

Fairy tales is something that I do not believes but enjoy (when I was a child or even now- an adult). Although my perception of "reality" as a child and adult are different, but as a person I'm not. The only thing which can change my perception towards it is my age differences.


Reference:
Zipes, Jack David (1988), Fairy Tales and the Act of Subversion: The Classical Genre for Children and the Process of Civilisation, Heinemann Educational Books Ltd, USA. Retrieved from:
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=TZUF7MlyYd8C&oi=fnd&pg=PP10&dq=perception+of+fairy+tales&ots=nnv-swUnTJ&sig=vD6jROcnlL7_Rwx5k0_CrZg1Hd8#v=onepage&q=perception%20of%20fairy%20tales&f=false

Seifert, Lewis Carl (1996), Fairy Tales, Sexuality, and Gender in France,1690-1715: Nostalgic Utopias, Cambridge University Press, Great Britain. Retrieved from:
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=1pnqsYZhlnQC&oi=fnd&pg=PP18&dq=perception+of+fairy+tales&ots=cnMOKf26yV&sig=OyAs9hk67RS4TXGaGnNUmt34cxs#v=onepage&q=perception%20of%20fairy%20tales&f=false

Zipes, Jack David (1994), Fairy Tale as Myth/ Myth as Fairy Tales, The University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. Retrieved from:
http://books.google.com.bn/books?id=Ld5i71RKaw4C&pg=PA18&lpg=PA18&dq=seventeenth+and+eighteenth+centuaries+literary+fairy+tales&source=bl&ots=KDKOfSg2u6&sig=q3K3DouLMgKQ-1T1o4HE8ryew5A&hl=ms&ei=6xd3TP6iGoqAvgOdjpm1Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CCkQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false

Analysis on "The Last Song" movie

Few days ago, I watched a romantic drama movie namely "The Last Song" directed by Julie Anne Robinson, starring by Miley Cyrus as Ronnie Miller, Greg Kinnear as Steve Miller, Bobbie Coleman as Jonah Miller, Liam Hemsworth as Will Blakelee and Kelly Preston as Kim (Ronnie and Jonah's mother, and also Steve ex-wife). The main story was centrally focused on Ronnie Miller's life.

feminine Ronnie

From the movie, it portrays Miley Cyrus as Ronnie (the character) and "The Last Song" is a discourse about Ronnie's life. According to Antony.H Harisson in his book 'Victorian Poets and the Politics of Culture'- "Discourse not only provides the medium for thought and communication but can also thus be viewed as the basis for action in the social world." (page 3).
He added, " ...ideology is inseparable from the signs in which it is represented, and these signs always operate within concrete forms of social intercourse." (page 3).  In the beginning of the movie, Ronnie illustrates a women who has lack of feminism but at the end she managed to change her character and became more womanly. This is because feminism is her second nature.Thus, the ideology of the film is that feminism cannot be separated from every woman's character.

Gothic Ronnie

If it is against the ideology, thus we called it as counter ideology. As what Antony stated in his book ' Victorian Poets and the Politics of Culture', " Works of art nonetheless sometimes also powerfully challenge those dominant ideological forms and present themselves as alternatives to them." (page 2). This is what happened to Ronnie. She had found other alternatives to express herself which is by joining the Gothic community contrary to what her parents wish for. This is where she slowly loses her femininity but then recovered it back after she met the person she love.








Reference:
Harrison, Antony.H. (1998).Victorian Poets and the Politics of Culture: Discourse and Ideology. Retrieved from:
http://books.google.com/books?id=PMfgoIqJL0AC&pg=PA1&dq=ideology,discourse+and+politics&hl=en&ei=WotqTOKOFMnMcOyivIAC&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false