A song that I heard...

So, the other day I was going through Pandora.com, I don't know if any of you heard of it, but it's a pretty cool website. Try it out. Anyway, I came across this song, and realized that it has something to do with my project...kinda. So, I googled the lyrics and here is the link because they are really long.

Fairy Tale, by Sara Bareillis

The beginning of the song where she says that, "Cinderella's on her bedroom floor She's got a Crush on the guy at the liquor store Cause Mr. Charming don't come home anymore", reminded me of my post on enchanted and how Prince Charming isn't so charming anymore. Because In Enchanted Giselle falls for Robert instead of Edward (Prince Charming) which is like this. If Cinderella falls in love with the guy from the liquor store he may have some baggage with him, just like Robert had in Enchanted (his wife left him, and he's a single father struggling to have a relationship) which shows that society is trying to get away from the idea of perfection that Disney and other authors have given Prince Charming as a characteristic.

The middle of the song has a lot of fun references to other maidens in Fairy Tales like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.

The ending is what I really found interesting. With in the last verse Bareillis repeats the chorus however adds a line in the middle, "You're so worried bout the maiden though you know She's only waiting spent the whole life being graded on the sanctity of patience and a dumb appreciation but the story needs some mending and a better happy ending...", which I find very interesting. It shows that women have the power to make decisions for themselves and they shouldn't wait around for their "Prince Charming". It's important to take charge, and that's the only way of having a happier ending.

Ok, so Sara Bareillis introduced us to princesses that are just like everyday girls (doing chores and falling for unworthy guys), and gives us an entirely different moral at the end of the song than what I have seen in my previous readings. However, I think it's safe to say that this is definitely one of the best morals I have ever run across when dealing with Fairy Tale-like characters. I think that she's trying to say that every girl is a princess and shouldn't wait around for Prince Charming and take control of their life.

So, yeah, it isn't an actual Fairy Tale, but you must admit it does kick some major butt!

-Nicole

=]

Briar Rose (post 2)

So, I've read a bit more and...

Chapters 4-6

Throughout chapter four I've learned a lot. Most of which doesn't have to do with the book or the fairy tale that the book is based off of, but of the Jewish culture. Gemma has now passed away and Becca and her family are holding a funeral service, and the customs that Yolen has worked into the story have really sparked my interest. I wasn't aware that when a funeral is being held Jewish people put drapes over there mirrors, and better yet I didn't know why. Also, I've learned that it is a great honor to shovel dirt into someones grave when they die. I found these websites: this and here which give an idea of Jewish funeral customs.

What I discovered about the story in these chapters is that Gemma, has many aliases and none of her family members know her actual name, not even her only daughter. She didn't have a husband only a single daughter who has had three daughters. Not allowing her to pass on her name, but only a fairy tale. It's like Sleeping Beauty where the curse is that Briar Rose cannot pass on her name.

The family finds a box that belonged to Gemma and in it are many random items varying from photos, to news paper clippings, to random documents none of which connect Gemma to the life she said she lived. For example, she told her family that she came to America in the beginning of the second world war, however a document of immigration dating 1944 which would mean she came to America in the middle of the war.

Maybe in Gemma's eyes she was indeed little Briar Rose, the girl who was awoken while everyone around her slept and never awoke...an endless sleep...maybe that's where she lost her parents and siblings? That's if she had any...

We'll see...

Nicole

=]

Briar Rose -A Thorny Situation

Ok, so I started Briar Rose by Jane Yolen and I have to say so far it's a little confusing. It's not the contents of the text...it's more so the way it is organized. The story goes back and forth between the past and present in order for the reader to get the whole story, but sometimes I can't tell when it's the past or the present and it's a little tricky.

Anyway...

Chapters 1-3

The first chapter begins with Gemma babysitting her three granddaughters Sylvia, Shana, and Becca. They ask for a story, a story they know by heart, known as Briar Rose. Yolen starts the book this way to let the reader know that the girls enjoyed the story at one time and were very close with their grandmother.

The second chapter starts what is the present with Gemma in a nursing home and the sisters (who have grown apart) going to visit her. Becca is the only one who has kept in touch with Gemma and visits her almost everyday while the other two have moved out of state and made lives for themselves. It's not really said if Gemma recognizes the girls, but she starts to tell them the story they loved when they were younger. However, as she starts the story Sylvia exclaims, "not that again" (11). Both Shana and Sylvia are very uncomfortable while with their grandmother and offend Becca many times while being there. They're sisters, however Shana and Sylvia resemble how stepsisters treat Cinderella, they are mean and ruthless. They also treat Gemma terribly as shown by Slyvia's response to Gemma's story and the fact that Gemma believes that she is Briar Rose. Both Slyvia and Shana think she is crazy and they also believe that Becca is nuts for believing Gemma's claims about being Briar Rose which also adds to their wickedness.

The third chapter is another flash black to their childhood and to Gemma telling Becca the story before bed. There isn't much to this chapter, however it does add to the closeness between Gemma and Becca which seems to be very important to the story line. Maybe Gemma is Becca's fairy godmother in deguise helping her to sirvive her life with two mean sisters.

Well, we'll find out.
Nicole