I want to start by talking briefly about the distinction between summary and analysis, and how multiple readings can be drawn from the same text.
When we write papers for this class, our goal is to analyze a particular work of literature. That means we’re arguing for a particular perspective about how the work defines the experience of being human. Sometimes that’s in relationship to a universal human experience (Harry Potter is about the thrill and terror of growing up) and sometimes that’s in relationship to a specific time and place (Lord of the Rings is about the experience of defeating the Axis in World War II). Sometimes your analysis might find a meaning that the author likely intended (Frankenstein is about scientific arrogance) and sometimes it might find meaning the author didn’t intend, and might strongly disagree with (Dracula is about the negative psychological impact of Victorian sexual repression).
One important thing to remember is that these aren’t mutually exclusive. Maybe you think Dracula is about the fear of immigration. There’s no reason a smart reader couldn’t see the text as commenting on both immigration and Victorian sexual mores. Or, more complicatedly, you might think that Dracula is about the benefits of a restrictive sexual climate, and the perils of unrestricted sexuality. You could probably construct an interpretation of the text which supported either side, and there isn’t necessarily a right answer (although of course some readings are more easily supportable than others).
The great thing about analyzing literature is that any text contains a potentially infinite range of interpretations. In a way, this is a bit like a movie adaptation. Think about how Clueless updates Jane Austen’s Emma, or how Ten Things I Hate About You puts a Shakespeare story in a new context. These movies create a new reading of an old story, and in the process they construct a new argument about what the story means. Every society can do this; there could be a Chinese Emma, or an Emma set in New York during the AIDS crisis. A movie adaptation is a form of interpretation, and interpretation is infinite.
Of course, you’re not making movies here. Instead you’re writing an academic critical paper which argues about the meaning of a text. But your papers have infinite range to explore, because interpretation is infinite.
In your papers you also need to summarize, which means describing, briefly, events in a story which are relevant to your argument. Your summary is important because it helps focus the reader on the portions of the text which you find most meaningful. But analysis is the important step, and the majority of your writing for this class should consist of analysis. In my comments on your papers, I may critique your balance of summary and analysis, and this is what I mean: the ratio of saying what happens versus saying what it means.
Here are two interpretations of the famous story of Little Red Riding Hood:
- Little Red Riding Hood is placed in a dangerous situation because she is too friendly with a wolf, thus showing the importance of not talking to strangers.
- Little Red Riding Hood puts on a red cloak which represents the onset of female sexual identity. She meets a wolf, who symbolizes masculine sexual aggression. The story is about the onset of puberty.
Now you try it! Pick one fairy tale (I’m going to be very loose with the boundaries around ” fairy tale;” if you’re wondering if it counts, then yes it does) and provide two different interpretations of what it means.
Trevin Prince
Hans Burger
Writing 211
17 May 2022
2 Key Takeaways from The Emperor’s New Clothes.
The Emperor’s New Clothes can have several interpretations but to me there are 2 key elements that stand out. The first being people’s concern with social status or coming across as better than you are. The second point is that regardless of the situation, children are brutally honest.
In this fairy tale an emperor, so shallow in his existence only spends his money on the finest clothes. The emperor neglects his other financial duties in order to fund his extreme addiction to having the fanciest of clothes. One day, 2 con men arrive in town and tell the emperor that they can weave the finest clothes that only the smartest and most worthy of men can see and all they needed was the finest silk and gold thread to do so. The emperor being shallow and concerned with his appearance hires the men in order to make these “lavish threads”. Several days pass and the emperor grows tired of waiting, but too afraid to not be able to see the clothes for himself sends his wise men. When they arrive, they cannot see any clothing on the looms, but too afraid to admit they are a fool or unfit for their jobs speak high praise of the nonexistent clothes. After the conmen finish the clothes, the emperor holds a parade to show off the royal clothes that everyone spoke so highly of. While wearing nothing he walks down the street. All the citizens, not wanting to seem like morons, coo and caw at how amazing the clothes are. speaking of non-existent accessories. It finally takes one little boy to speak out saying that the emperor has nothing on and boys’ father to reenforce that statement that people finally begin agreeing and not worrying to say what they’ve wanted to say from the beginning.
There are several key points that speak out to support interpretation that I had of this story. The first of which would be the emperor himself wanting people to think highly of him for having the finest of clothes. That coincides with today people worrying about having the finest clothes, finest accessories, the newest phones and the fastest cars or the biggest houses. The other main point to support this is people not wanting to speak the truth out of fear of what everyone else would think of them. The wise men couldn’t see anything on the looms yet fear of being judged or chastised made them lie about seeing the clothes. People today will let the same fear dictate whether they speak out against something they believe just because they worry about what others think about them. The second interpretation of the story that I got was that regardless of the situation, a child will always be brutally honest. Every single person regardless of their social status lied to make themselves seem important or smart. It wasn’t until towards the very end of the parade that a young child had said out loud what everyone was thinking. The young boy didn’t care if he hurt the emperor’s feelings and he didn’t care what people thought of him when he said it. He spoke the truth that everyone wanted to say but was just too afraid to.
Interesting points there but aside from social status, what exactly should an emperor stand for or at least represent?
Hi Travis! I had totally forgotten about the story of the emperor’s new clothes! I can remember my elementary school had the picture book and it was so well illustrated. I definitely agree with the first part your interpretation of this fairytale. The emperor wanted to be seen as grand and wealthy meaning he cared more about his social status compared to his other “ruler-ly” duties. However, I’m not sure that I would have seen the evidence of children being brutally honest without you pointing it out! That’s definitely a fresh perspective. I wonder if you have thought at all about the implications of the con men? I feel like there is a lesson to be learned there, as well.
Discussion #1: The Infinity of Interpretation
My Two Interpretations of the Three Little Piggies:
1. The three little piggies even though they represent as animals that symbolizes laziness still manage to build houses of their own in order to survive therefore showing that productivity brings prosperity.
2. The three little piggies’ house structures evolve after the next therefore showing signs of intelligence development within the animals.
The way I interpreted the three little pigs was more along the lines of hard work builds stronger foundations, since the piglet that spent the most time and did the hardest work, got the best result, though I do agree with both of your interpretations! In a way, the three little pigs are almost a speed show of evolution as you mentioned in your second interpretation.
Hey Keanu,
I love that interpretation that productivity brings prosperity. I fully agree with that statement but I also like to think that working smarter, not harder can be true sometimes. So little bit of contradiction. But hard work pays off and shows characteristics.
Discussion 1: The infinity of Interpretation
Fairy Tale Picked: Beauty and the Beast
Interpretations:
1. With the two main characters being referenced as Beauty and Beast respectively, and the ending result of them gaining affection for each other, this fairy tale displays that personality and the person beneath the surface matter more than appearances.
2. Yet another way to interpret the tale of Beauty and the Beast is the inevitability of arranged marriages during the time frame in which the tale was published, which is shown through the Beast’s desire to keep Beauty with him forever.
I also did Beauty and the Beast which yours uploaded while I was typing mine apparently. You did a wonderful job taping into these symbolisms. It was cool to see how we both chose two different interpretations for this tale!
Two Interpretations of the Beauty and the Beast
1. The story touches base on how Belle has Stockholm Syndrome. She is held captive by Beast which introduces feelings of empathy towards him and eventually falls in love with him.
2. The story upholds to the “typical” gender roles of a society. Men are seen to be more masculine and assertive like Gaston. Women are supposed to be swooning over these men and super girly in a sense. This is where Belle breaks these gender norms and portrays herself smart and peculiar.
Yes, I believe that Belle does suffer from Stockholm Syndrome, this psychological condition can root from a personality disorder or experience denial as a defense mechanism.
Belle is smart in the beginning for having her guard up against her captor but I can’t say that for the rest of the story.
Hi Hannah. I really like your two interpretations. I would never have thought of Stockholm syndrome as a way to look at Beauty and the Beast. But it make sense knowing what we know today about kidnap victims and the psychological impact. Also, since the story was originally from 1746, it would be very strange if it were not chauvinistic.
Discussion 1: The infinity of Interpretation
Fairy Tale: The Twelve Dancing Princesses
Interpretations:
1. The twelve princesses all live in one room and at night the king shuts their doors and locks it up, thus showing toxic masculinity by controlling what the princesses are able to do and being emotionally insensitive.
2. The twelve princesses sneak out every night to dance but no one knows where they go and the king has assigned a man to find out. The reward for the discovery is a hand in marriage from one of the princesses. Eventually, the man finds out and marries the eldest princess without her consent. This story is about gender inequality because the male gender is being routinely prioritized over the female.
I enjoyed your take on the Fairy Tale. I definitely agree with your second interpretation. Great work!
Discussion #1: The Infinity of Interpretation
Interpretation of “The Little Match Girl” by Hans Christian Anderson
1. The story is a commentary on the social and economic climate of the mid 1800s. Anderson, much like Charles Dickens, uses the heartbreaking tale of a destitute young girl freezing to death because of her low income, threadbare clothing, and hunger to bring awareness to the lack of middle class in parts of Europe at the time.
2. Since many fairytales include a lesson of morals, The Little Match Girl is no different. The child tries to sell matches to the passers-by, but not knowing her situation, no one stops to help. This makes the reader feel both empathy for the girl, knowing that she is cold and afraid, and frustration that others will not show any kindness to her. The elements are too difficult for her to handle and she dies from the cold. It is only when her lifeless body is found the next morning spectators feel pity and remorse that they did not help. Anderson was hoping to teach his audience that it is important to help and care for others who are less fortunate, even without knowing their entire circumstances.
Two Interpretations of Rumpelstilskin
1) I think one of the ways you could look at this story is to say that one should be very careful about the promises you make. If not you could make a promise that you can’t possibly keep. Which then says a lot about what kind of person you are. A person who can’t or doesn’t keep their promises is dishonest and undependable.
2) Another way of looking at this story is that lying to impress someone will most times come back to bite you. Often times the lie ends up hurting people you care about as well as damaging your own reputation.
Rumpelstilskin is a good story to choose here as it is a clear tale told from multiple angles so it can be interpreted in many different ways.
But I would have to agree with you that it is about lying and what that will bring, but also what kind of person lies and what that does to them and the people they love. But you could also say that the story is about not letting your information out to hurt you later, by the fact that the woman overhears his name and that is why she keeps her kid.
Hey Brady, great interpretations and I remember reading the story of Rumpelstilskin as a kid.
Jasmine Olson
Hans Burger
Writing F211
May 19, 2022
Beauty & The Beast Fairy Tale
Two interpretations in the Fairy Tale, The Beauty and The Beast:
1. Beauty is found within. My interpretation is that inward characteristics are valued over outward appearances, this is shown when Belle (Beauty) falls in love with the Beast’s kindness for her.
2. Belle (Beauty) is resilient for enduring capture while saving her father’s life. Belle remained strong for herself, her father, and finally for the Beast. Through many trials and tribulations Belle (Beauty) has displayed resilience. An example of this is when she showed empathy for her captor (The Beast).
Discussion 1
Two interpretations of the Little mermaid.
1.) The little mermaid is a story known by many. One way that the journey of Arial can be seen is her independence from her father symbolizes the starting of females in the world of men, when the fatherly presence is absent from their depiction of the world.
2) The second interpretation I had of the Little mermaid’s story was that in the fairy tale, Arial is always under the watch of her family, especially her Father. It is not until she breaks away from them and enters the world above on her own that and eventually meets the human prince. The only way for a young woman like herself to break away from her family was with the marriage to the Prince.
Discussion 1: The Infinity of Interpretation
2 Interpretations of Rupunzel:
1. When looking at this story you can say it symbolizes that determination is key and you should never give up no matter the obstacles ahead.
2. Another way to look at the story of Rupunzel is that true love is difficult and there will always be obstacles in the way.
Hello Jeramie, I would agree and also think that these are two great interpretations of Rupunzel.
Discussion 1
Two interpretations of Red Badge of Courage
In one listening of the story, you have a young soldier who gets lost in the field of battle because he does not listen to the orders of his superiors and because of this gets caught up and potentially hurt and definitely emotionally scared because they did not follow orders. The takeaway being to follow what your elders say as it is in your best interest.
Another listen uses the civil war and a young boy to talk about the folly and waste of life that war is and the young boy witnesses it all in a very short manner of time, turning him into another casualty of war unknowingly. The story and graphic nature of its telling are important to understanding the detriment of war and its effect on those who participate in it.
Discussion 1: The infinity of Interpretation
Fairy Tale: Goldilocks and The Three Bears
Interpretations:
1. The story is about a little girl curious enough to go into a cottage house, eat their food, sit on their chairs and sleep in their beds but soon, the three bears that own the house shows up to find that someone has been in the house.
2. The story can also interpret that goldilocks should have known better to go about doing things she shouldn’t be doing because you never know who you’ll be running into.
This was one of my favorite fairy tales growing up! Perspective one was the interpretation I carried; seeing her as a care free kid. I did always get a little nervous when considering that the three bears would be very upset to see her in their home.
I do have to say though, the second perspective is more logical.
Discussion 1
Fairy Tale: Cinderella
Interpretations:
1. Cinderella’s cruel freeloading stepmother marries a rich king for his wealth. When the king passes her stepmother moves her to the attic and lets her dress in rags while they are dressed nicely. Cinderella is looking for acceptance and love from her stepmother and sisters so she will do anything to please and make them happy. `No matter how much she pleases them they are never happy. One day they are invited to a ball. For Cinderella to go she had to complete all the chores on top of that her jealous stepsisters ruin the dress she puts on and leave her hanging.
1. No matter how badly Cinderella is treated and how poorly she is dressed she still maintains a positive attitude. She believed that one day she would find her true love and happiness and no longer live in misery. She was very patient, loving, and kind no matter how she was treated. In the end, she did find her true love and had a beautiful home. Her stepmother and sisters started treating her nice but she did not allow them to move with her to the castle.
Discussion 1: two interpretations of Chicken little.
1. Chicken little is overeacctive in such a way that he misses clear signals of danger because he is too focused on tiny details to see what is going on around him.
2. Chicken little is so perseptive that he knew of imminate danger before anyone else could perceive it.it
Hello Dasha Davis, I think it is so cool that you decided to use Chicken Little as your fairy tale. The two interpretations that you have listed were very thought through. My favorite one is where he was so distracted by the little things, he couldn’t see the difference in the big things.
Discussion 1: Interpretations of The Gift of the Magi
1) A young couple who do not have very much money between the two of them learn the importance of financial planning and communication of finances all in one night. Without proper communication of finances, the couple went to great lengths to express their love to each other through material things which shows the young nature of their relationship. The lack of communication not only put a strain on their physical but emotional health.
2) Life is tough for the impoverished community. The decisions one must make may seem strange to someone on the outside looking in, leaving you to ask what would drive someone to shave their head or sell their possessions.
*A third one that kind of went off the rails: Rent was more affordable in the early 1900’s when compared to today. A common debt to income ratio for buying a house is about 43% and the expenses of the couple in the Gift of the Magi are hovering around 50%. With a household income of around $1000 a year and $400 a year in rent, that leaves $50 a month for bills and groceries which today is about $1600 today. For a single couple, it seems very manageable to live off of and even save money for the future when compared to today, someone on the poorer side may have $2000-$2500 a month to live off of with the average rent in America right now sitting at about $1800. That means today you have about $700 left for the month when compared to $1600 a month left over for a comparable couple.
Hello everyone, I chose the fairy tale Rapunzel.
1. My first interpretation is that sometimes the people closest to you are really trying to use you and hide you from the rest of the world.
2. My second interpretation is that even when you are scared to leave where you feel safe, sometimes you have to spread your wings because there is a big world out there with many opportunities.