ASL Presentation

I really enjoyed the presentation on ASL  Storytelling by Dr. Rust and Dr. Rose.  It amazed me that American Sign Language became an accepted language in 1996.  That was about 14 years ago.  For a language that is so developed, it is strange to imagine that it was not an official language prior to ’96.  The background on ASL was very interesting to me, as I never knew or understood that ASL was its own language, with a different grammar style, and does not translate word for word into English.  

The stories and tales that the two professors told were incredibly interesting and vivid, especially lacking the spoken word.  They were more vivid than the spoken word in many ways.  The stories had so much movement and emotion.  It was very interesting to see the different view points (sky view, ground view, pan view).  It would take many words to describe a scene that Dr. Rust and Dr. Rose showed in their approximately 2 minute stories.  The story about the baby getting spiked by the football player was one that I have heard but the ASL version was much more interesting and vivid.  

http://www.happinesspages.com/baby-sign-language-FAQ.html

I also really enjoyed the ABC and number stories.  They were so interesting because they were telling stories, not using their hands to sign words, but their motions and movements to depict characters in a story.  Here is another ABC story that I have found depicting a shoot out between two cowboys.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj1MQhXfVJg&feature=related

Here is another one that I found when the man is depicting a chess match.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Iv8a299bQE&feature=related 

I found it quite funny that the deaf community, and many ASL stories crack jokes and make fun of those who can hear.  It was funny as many who can hear see the deaf as having a disability, while the deaf make jokes about how hearing is a disability at times.  I enjoyed the story about the hitchhiker as it poked some fun that the deaf can get away with some things that others can not.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GallaudetSeal.png

(Gallaudet University Seal)

It was so interesting to hear information about Gallaudet University during the presentation.  Last season, we had a softball game at Gallaudet University and it was amazing how they communicated during the game.  It was difficult for them to communicate during plays, but it was interesting to see.  I am very excited to play them against this season here at McDaniel!

Hansel and Gretel at the Zoo

     On Monday over Fall Break, my mom, Leigh, and I took a day trip to the D.C. Zoo.  They were decorating for halloween and right in the entrance was this Hansel and Gretel decor!  We immediately took out our camera and shot two pictures.  The other one of which is on Leigh's blog.  It was a very well done scene, it seemed that it was depicting the Brother's Grimm version, as Hansel is in lederhosen (characteristic German garb), and the witch in the doorway welcoming them inside of cottage made of sweets.  It was exciting to see this display, especially at the National Zoo, as I would never have expected to see a fairy tale display there!

Imagination...Vivien Deitz Presentation

This past Thursday, I was lucky to attend Vivien Deitz’s presentation, “Imagination: The Playground of Fairy Tales”.  I found her presentation to be very interesting.  I have to say that it was very different than I was expecting.  It seemed that it was going to be more of a breakdown of the two fairy tales, “Aladdin and the Magic  Lamp” and “The Velveteen Rabbit”.  But, the presentation was actually much more interesting than a simple synopsis of the tales. 

http://bakati.com/m~c-television-tv~b-11520000~f-596743-646712_596743-596928.aspx

She introduced a new word to me in her presentation: Shamanism.  Her psychotherapy outlook on fairy tales brought me a new outlook on fairy tales that we have read.  Her somatic guide imagery was something very new to me.  At first when she asked us to close our eyes and imagine ourselves going to pick up our shamanic inner child, I thought…”This is crazy”.  But, I did give it a shot, and found it to be beneficial in understanding the tales she then went on to break down into symbols and motifs. 

She did speak about how great the years 8 and younger are great years, where everything seems real.  Although I never had an imaginary friend as she did, I do understand exactly what she was talking about.  That innocence and belief that everything was real was great.  I never had a feeling of doubt, if I thought I saw it, it was real.  There was one year where on Christmas Eve I thought I say Santa and his reindeer flying around the street, and I swore by it.  No one could convince me that I saw otherwise, and I still hear about it till this day, “Do you remember when you told everyone you saw Santa…”.

http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/i/inner-child.asp

I really enjoyed her retelling of the two stories, “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp” and “The Velveteen Rabbit”, as they seemed to come to life.  She pointed out a lot of symbolism throughout the stories, specifically colors, which often are overlooked as being unimportant.  The emotions felt by the characters are another point she made an effort to point out.  Deitz made the stories more connectable through the listener (me) gaining a better relationship with the characters through a better connection.

Vivien Deitz’s presentation resulted in me now really opening up my imagination when reading these fairy tales.    

Rammstein vs. Snow White

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L_G5fGYU9k

Youtube Link for "Sonne" by Rammstein

The song “Sonne” by Rammstein uses many motifs from the Snow White stories that we read in class this week, yet it also varies in many ways.  Throughout all of the versions of Snow White that we read in class this week, Snow White was depicted as passive and innocent.  She was a tortured girl by a stepmother or aunt who found safety when sent out into the woods.  In this music video, she appears to be the absolute opposite.  Rather than exhausted and in need of refuge, she enters the dwarves home and takes charge.    It is apparent that the dwarves all idolize her for her beauty and continually give her what she wants, but in return she is harsh.  When she first enters, they give her gold, and she hits one with it, and later spanks them. 

The song makes Snow White out to be a terrible person.  She abuses the dwarves and takes advantage of them, as well as doing drugs (gold).  In the stories, Snow White is killed by an evil character, but in this video, she is killed by her own evil characteristics.  In the video, there is no prince to rescue her from her death, but an apple that falls.

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs/images/6366576/title/snow-white-wallpaper-wallpaper

Disney Depiction of Snow White: Snow White takes care of the Dwarves

There are also many similarities in the motifs in the folktales we read as well as “Sonne”.  The dwarve in “Snow White” by the Grimms and the video were miners.  The video also takes two of the motifs for the attempted killing of Snow White.  In “Snow White” by the Grimm’s, the wicked stepmother tried to kill Snow White three times, once with lace, once with a poisoned comb, and once with an apple.  The comb and apple made appearances in the video, but there was no sign of lace.  Although no lace, Snow White did fix her stockings, which may have been hinting at the lace.  There was also a glass or crystal coffin that entombed Snow White after her death and she was placed on top of a mountain to be mourned by the dwarves.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Snow_White_Poisoned_Apple.png

Snow White accepting the apple which kills her

In the end of the video, it was an apple that saved Snow White, rather than kills her as in the Grimm’s version.  As she lay dead, an apple fell from the tree, breaking the glass/crystal coffin, and she catches it.  The video is very relatable to the folktale versions we have read in class, yet very different through the evilness of Snow White. 



“Cupid and Psyche” vs “The Tiger’s Bride”

Both “Cupid and Psyche” and “The Tiger’s Bride” are versions of AT 425: Search for the Lost Husband.   They both entail a beautiful girl, who, in the end, is transformed into the form of her lover.  In “The Tiger’s Bride”, the heroine is transformed by the Tiger King into a woman of tiger form, while Psyche is transformed in the conclusion into an immortal by Cupid.  

http://www.medeaslair.net/cupid.html 

The Beast in each story, both Cupid and the Tiger King, choose to conceal their image.  It is the the Tiger’s Bride who convinces the Tiger King to reveal himself out of curiosity as well as a fear from not wanting to show her virgin body to a terrifying beast.  On the other hand, Psyche is content with her loving and caring husband, but her evil and jealous sisters convince her that she is married to a horrible beast who will kill her after a certain time.  

http://thereimoldeffect.blogspot.com/2009/05/tigers-bride.html 

Both of the beauties go on their own journey’s to win the “Beast”.  Psyche goes and tries to win Cupid back through his jealous mother Venus.  The Tiger’s Bride does not have a journey that is similar to Psyche, but has a journey through her own emotions in which she has to make a decision to stay with the Tiger King and goes and re-reveals herself to him after giving permission to leave the castle.

http://www.medeaslair.net/cupid.html

“The Tiger’s Bride” is a more recent tale, written in 1993 by Angela Carter, and based of off an  Italian poem.  “Cupid and Psyche” on the other hand is an ancient greek tale.  Even though they are so far apart in culture and time, they are similar in their motifs although they vary in certain characteristics.  The Greek tale deals with the deities and immortality, while Carter’s tale is very risque and revealing in comparison.

http://www.joannabarnum.com/gallery/fantasy/tiger1 

Little Red Riding Hood: A Forever Interpreted Story

There are so many different versions, adaptations, and parodies of Little Red Riding Hood.  It is amazing how the story has traveled through the centuries.  When I was younger I never thought much into some of the ridiculous aspects of a the fairy tale that I do today, and see through different cartoons and videos.  

http://offthemark.com/search-results/key/red+ridinghood/

I found this print cartoon to be very funny.  The cartoon is a social cartoon which pokes fun at how things are seen to be easier for younger generations.  It relates Little Red Riding Hood, the story we all know, to another situation we also are all familiar with.  Everyone has a grandparent, parent, aunt, uncle, or elderly figure who at one point makes a comment about how much easier things are nowadays.  I am familiar with hearing, “I used to have to use books for schoolwork, not the internet”, or “I never had a cellphone”.  This cartoon brings back that familiarity with the idea of frozen foods and how available it is to get a good meal without the time and effort.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXBBSuvv6ec 

I also found a great video about Little Red Riding Hood.  When I was young, I really enjoyed the muppets as well as Cookie Monster from Sesame Street.  This video incorporates both of these into one skit.  The moral of Perrault’s “Little Red Riding Hood” is that children, specifically ladies, should be careful of who they talk to, and the gentle ones are usually the most dangerous.  The moral of this Sesame Street clip is that if you want to stay healthy or get better from being sick, cookies will not do the trick...but rather healthy, nutritious foods.

What is great about this video, is it has so many characteristics of the original story, yet it is so different.  Little Red Riding Hood brings goodies to her grandmother to make her feel better, the contents of the basket, though are more characteristic of the Cookie Monster.  Kermit as the reporter also brings a new aspect to the story.  The main aspect of the story that changed was the wolf.  In the versions of Little Red Riding Hood that we read, all of the Little Red Riding Hood characters showed no fear when confronted by the wolf in the woods.  But in the end, the wolf turned out to be villainous.  This Sesame Street version, on the other hand is the complete opposite.  The Cookie Monster was scared of the wolf, as well as Kermit when the wolf answered the door.  While in fact, the wolf was the doctor who was helping the sickly grandmother.

Both the cartoon, and the video clip were hilarious to me.  They both brought forth a more relatable aspect of the story for younger generations.  It brings out my curiosity of other versions and parodies of other fairy tales.  

The Psychi of Fairy Tales

I have never thought of psychoanalyzing fairy tales, but fairy tales work well with psychology.  For a form of art that has a “depthlesness”, these stories have such depth from a psychological standpoint. 

This Tuesday, Dr. Mazeroff, a psychology professor here at McDaniel, gave the class a very interesting presentation, and myself, a new perspective on fairy tales.  It was my first time being exposed to psychology, having never learned much about it before.  He detailed Freudian and Jungian theories and how they both can be be applied to folk tales.  The Id, Ego, and Superego can be applied to all tales, be it specific instances or actions by a character.  Dr. Mazeroff’s explanation of Freud’s theories and applications to these tales surprised me.  The sexual connotations, innuendos, and psychosexual stage theory that Dr. Mazeroff pointed out, and the Freudian theories of such connotations in these tales was a view I did not expect.  Maybe it was my naiveness or that I ‘turned the other cheek’, but I never thought about fairy tales in this light before. 

Jung’s ideas, on the other hand, I was more familiar with.  Archetypes and symbols are things that I have learned to watch for in literature, but never applied this investigation to fairy tales.  Jungian’s basic archetypes are ones that can be seen in most tales, be it the evil stepmother or the trickster.  The Jungian concept of the hero’s journey, which Dr. Mazeroff described, seemed consistent with as many tales that come to my mind.  In Hansel and Gretel, the two children start off as normal, they go on a journey, deny it the first time by returning home, but the second have no choice but to take the journey, and in the end succeed in killing the evil witch and taking her riches, then returning to their ordinary world, richer and happier.

It was very interesting to me to have Dr. Mazeroff break down Hansel and Gretel through his background in psychology for a tale that when I read it, I read it mainly as is.    As I continue through the course and continue to read more tales, I will attempt to apply some of the Freudian and Jungian theories and concepts in my analyzation of these tales.

As a side note...This is a video from one of my favorite television shows.  The show is a comedy about a pair of friends from New Zealand trying to succeed in New York as musicians.  It is a joking clip making fun of television in New Zealand, but I found it similar to folk tales.  It pokes fun at folk tales, and the unrealistic qualities that we tend to ignore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9Qu3iP3RYA&feature=related