ENG 2403 - Unit 2 Short Essay 1 PDF

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Unit 2 Short Essay 1...

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UNIT 2 SHORT ESSAY 1

1 Unit 2 Short Essay 1

Morgan Dietz

Kean University

UNIT 2 SHORT ESSAY 1

2

A theme is an underlying message or story in a piece of literary work. Themes are important because they explain the underlying message the author is trying to relay. “Little Snow-White” and “The Story of Princess Hase” have a common theme of jealousy and selfishness which pushes the plots of the stories forward. This is shown through the actions of the stepmothers in the stories.

The themes of jealousy and selfishness are seen in both the 1857 version of “Little Snow-White” and “The Story of Princess Hase.” In “Little Snow-White,” the stepmother is so infatuated with her own appearance, she decides that she wants to kill her stepdaughter so that she could be the prettiest woman. In the story, it says, “One day when the queen asked her mirror: Mirror, mirror, on the wall, Who in this land is fairest of all? It answered: You, my queen, are fair; it is true. But Snow-White is a thousand times fairer than you. The queen took fright and turned yellow and green with envy. From that hour on whenever she looked at Snow-White her heart turned over inside her body, so great was her hatred for the girl. The envy and pride grew ever greater, like a weed in her heart, until she had no peace day and night. Then she summoned a huntsman and said to him, ‘Take Snow-White out into the woods. I never want to see her again. Kill her, and as proof that she is dead bring her lungs and her liver back to me.’” (Grimm & Grimm, 1857 p. 1). The stepmother in the story attempts to kill Snow-White multiple times. She tries to kill her by telling a huntsman to slaughter her in the woods, tied her dress too tightly, put a comb with poison in her hair, and gave her a poisoned apple. The mother is relentless in her pursuit to kill her stepdaughter, all because of her selfish desire to be the most beautiful woman.

UNIT 2 SHORT ESSAY 1 3 Similarly, in “The Story of Princess Hase,” the stepmother is extremely jealous of her stepdaughter, Princess Hase-Hime. Hase is an extremely skilled poet and musician. In the story, it says, “Hase-Hime was a skilled musician though so young, and often astonished her masters by her wonderful memory and talent. On this momentous occasion, she played well. But Princess Terute, her step-mother, who was a lazy woman and never took the trouble to practice daily, broke down in her accompaniment and had to request one of the Court ladies to take her place. This was a great disgrace, and she was furiously jealous to think that she had failed where her step-daughter succeeded; and to make matters worse the Emperor sent many beautiful gifts to the little Princess to reward her for playing so well at the Palace” (“The Story of Princess Hase,” n.d., p. 2). This excerpt shows the reasoning behind why Princess Terute, Princess Hase’s stepmother, is so jealous of her. Princess Terute also had a son of her own, and she was extremely jealous of the attention that Hase received over her own son. Because of these two reasons, she attempts to kill her step-daughter. She tries to kill her twice, once by attempting to poison her, and the second time by telling a servant to take her out into the woods and kill her, just like in the story of Snow-White.

The similar characteristics between the two women are recognizable. They both selfishly want their step-daughters killed so that they are able to benefit in some way. For the queen in “Little Snow-White,” it is so she can be the most beautiful woman. For Princes Terute in “The Story of Princess Hase,” it is so that Hase cannot embarrass her anymore and so her son can receive more attention from his father. One of the main differences between the two stories is how they drive the plot forward. From the beginning of the story “Little Snow-White,” the step-mother wants to have Snow-White

UNIT 2 SHORT ESSAY 1 4 killed. Although Snow-White never performs an action that makes her step-mother hate her, the queen still wants her killed. This is different than in “The Story of Princess Hase.” In “The Story of Princess Hase,” Princess Terute is embarrassed by Princess Hase’s talent, which is the first reason she wants her killed. The second reason is that Princess Terute believes that Hase receives more attention and love than Terute’s son, Hase’s half brother.

Both of the stepmothers in the stories “Little Snow-White” and “The Story of Princess Hase” are selfish, jealous women. They both attempt to kill their stepdaughters to gain for themselves. The theme of jealousy and selfishness is a universal human theme that is clearly seen in multiple cultures, as shown in these German and Japanese fairytales. The idea of jealousy and selfishness are parts of human nature, and this is clearly shown by the stepmother’s lack of concern for their stepdaughters simply because the girls had something that the stepmothers wanted.

UNIT 2 SHORT ESSAY 1

5 References

Grimm, J. & Grimm, W. (1857.) “Little Snow-White.” https://blackboard.kean.edu Notari, D. (2020) What is a theme in literature? Study. https://study.com/academy/lesson/whatis-theme Unknown. (n.d.) “The Japanese Fairy Book/The Story of Princess Hase.” https://blackboard.kean.edu...