The+Little+Mermaid

=The Little Mermaid=

By Greg, Courtnie, Sara, Maggie, Katie, Tori, Jake
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Read the Hans Christian Andersen version
 * Original Version**
 * The Little Mermaid is a story about a young girl who lives in the sea, and instead of legs she has a tail like a fish. She was the daughter of the Sea-King and had 5 sisters of which she was the youngest. They were taken care of by their Grandmother, a very wise women, who would tell them stories about the world above. The girls were not allowed to go up above until they had turned 15. Each year a sister would go up and come back with a new story, but the youngest, and most anxious, had to wait until it was her turn. When her time finally came, she went up and swam to a ship where she saw the Prince who she became fascinated with and could not take her eyes off of. A storm quickly approached and all the crewmembers where thrown to the ocean. She swam after the Prince and brought him to land. All she wanted was to become a human to be with him, so she went to see the Sea-Witch who agreed to give her feet but for a cost. Every time she would take a step it would feel as if she was walking on a thousand knives. Mermaids have the loveliest voices of all, so the sea-witch cut of the little mermaids tongue so she could not sing or speak. The Sea-Witch agreed that if the Prince fell in love with the Little Mermaid, she would remain a human forever, but if he ever married another, she would turn into the foam on the top of the ocean. The Prince stumbled upon her and brought her back to the palace. He grew very fond of her, but only treated her as if she was a little child. She traveled with him to meet women when it came time for him to marry, but he never thought of making her his wife. The sisters knew of the Little Mermaids fate, and visited the Sea Witch and traded their hair for their sister’s return to the ocean, but she had to plunge a dagger through the Prince’s heart in order for the transformation to be complete. But she could not do it because she loved the Prince too much. However, instead of becoming the foam of the sea, because of her good and unselfish dead she is risen with the Daughters of Air, sparing her life and giving her an immortal soul and allowing her to on day float to the kingdom of heaven.


 * Other Versions**
 * The Disney version is a popular well known story of The Little Mermaid. Find the plot summary of the movie here.

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 * Critical Views & Analysis**
 * This articletakes a critical look at the Hans Christian Andersen version of the Little Mermaid. Even though there are thousands of versions of this tale, Hans Christian Andersen’s version is the most popular. Many critics have said that The Little Mermaid was based on his life because when he was a child he loved fairytales. The article talks about traditional mermaids. Traditional mermaids were known to be a warning of shipwreck that causes sailors death and trapping their souls in cages. Some tales state that mermaids cannot live on land for long, while others have them live on land for years once they marry their human husband. The one thing in common in most of the tales is that the mermaid returns to the sea with her husband. Yet, in Hans Christian Andersen’s version the mermaid does not return to her home in the sea. Many critics have looked over Andersen’s ending and have different views on it. Some think that he had a sad ending but wanted to change it to a happily ever after ending and that is why the ending does not fit. Some critics have said that maybe he wanted to teach the children to be good with a Christian virtue. Therefore, the ending can be interpreted differently.
 * Andy and Deana's Web World analyzes different Disney texts. The website analyzes adventure vs. reinforcement of family values, a woman's place, and race/ethnicity of all Disney tales.
 * This article summarizes the Hans Andersen version of the Little Mermaid. It also explains how Andersen tried to use the story to express the ideas of Christian faith. The article portrays a feminist perspective of the Little Mermaid. It also expresses where the word "mermaid" originates from as well as the description and understanding of the ending of Andersen's version.

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 * This criticizes the changes that Disney makes. How they tend to contradict themselves and how their changes can “scar” little children. For example in the Disney version of Little Mermaid at the end of the movie, Ariel’s father gives her the legs she had been so longing for. (Well why couldn’t he just have done that in the beginning and saved us the hassle?) We understand that Disney wants to spare us the blood and the Darkness that the “scary” story has, but they take out the things that are most important to the story. Like showing how good and kind The Little Mermaid is in the Hans Christian Andersen version.
 * Read a feminist view of the Disney version of The Little Mermaid.

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 * Mass Media Versions of Little Mermaid**
 * Watch the original Disney movie trailer (1989) of the Little Mermaid.
 * This website shows the version of Little Mermaid that is shown on Broadway in New York. It tells who stars in the play and where to see the play. It also tells information like the opening of the play, the running time, reviews of the play, and photos/videos from the show.
 * The story of Little Mermaid and its themes have appeared in literature and other forms of art. This page provides a small discussion of some of the better known treatments by authors and other artists.


 * This is another video version of "The Little Mermaid" which was made in Japan in 1975 called Andersen Douwa Ningyo Hime.

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 * Watch a sneak peak of the Broadway rendition of The Little Mermaid.

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 * Blogs on The Little Mermaid:**


 * The New York Arts Beat Blog gives insight on the Broadway production of The Little Mermaid.


 * Ashley Myers discusses the feminism in The Little Mermaid in her blog.