comparing and contrast cinderella
Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, the girl who finds her prince with the help of a magical fairy god-mother, transforming her previously horrible life to a fabulous depiction of every little girls dream. Generations of children around the world have heard the story Cinderella countless times, however most people are unaware of the multiple versions of this legend. The European version of Cinderella ,“Aschenputtel” written by the Grimm Brothers consists of the female protagonist being treated as a servant, yet somehow manages to leave her cruel family behind for her Prince whom she lives happily ever after with. Another version of Cinderella is the Native American tale “The Algonquin Cinderella”, where the female protagonist is also mistreated by her family, however she is fortunate enough to “find” her own prince in her village. Although both stories present similar morals, both vary in details such as characters, settings,and use of magic. Initially, although “Aschenputtel” and “The Algonquin Cinderella” both include female protagonists who lived horrible lives, the characters themselves are the most apparent difference between the two tales. Even in the very beginning of the text both female protagonist share different names, in Grimm’s version the girl is named Aschenputtel which is the German translation for “ash polish”, in other words a cleaning lady or maid (What does Aschenputtel mean, answers.yahoo). However in the Native American version the girl is named Oochigeaskw translating to “scarred women” in the Native American Language (Legendary Native American Figures, native-languages.org).
Additionally, not only do both characters have different names but they also have contrasting physical aspects. Aschenputtel is a beautiful girl whose new family forces her to cover up her beauty “[taking] away her pretty dresses, putting [her in] an old gray kirtle, and givingbher wooden shoes to wear”(183); as opposed to Oochigeaskw whose older wicked sister
Additionally, not only do both characters have different names but they also have contrasting physical aspects. Aschenputtel is a beautiful girl whose new family forces her to cover up her beauty “[taking] away her pretty dresses, putting [her in] an old gray kirtle, and givingbher wooden shoes to wear”(183); as opposed to Oochigeaskw whose older wicked sister