which version of the cinderella story is the best one to read to a child?

Question

I have to write an argument synthesis on this particular ques. So can somebody give me sum ideaz thankz!

Answer 1

you could read a modern version by Louise Alcott here http://www.readbookonline.net/read/94/3630/

Incidentally when I read the story to my daughter, then aged three, I refused to give her the ending about the handsome prince arriving and whisking her off to his palace and living happily ever after, so I revised it and said she had her own career and car and was a very independent woman.
When my daughter started nursery school, and the teacher was reading the more orthodox Cinderella, she got to the end and said the Prince married Cinderella and the ugly sisters went to work as servants for them, and my little one shouted out, 'well that's not the proper story that my mum reads me. She had her own money and a career ...'

Answer 2

First off, do you know where the idea for the ORIGINAL Cinderella story came from? It's to do with the ancient Chinese custom of foot binding where very young girls had their feet bent back on themselves and made to walk on them until they stayed that way. The smaller the feet, the more beautiful the girl was considered (it's believed that this is becasue when the feet were placed together with the insides touching, it looked like a vagina). The original Cinderella is pretty much the same until the point where she runs away losing her shoe (please disallow Disney embelishments like magic mice etc). The prince decides to go and find her by finding out who fits the shoe as it is the smallest shoe he has ever seen (yeah, cos she's supposed to be pretty, right). When he gets to her house and the first ugly sister tries on the shoe it doesn't fit becasue her feet are too big (that's why she's 'ugly') so she cuts her toes off to make the shoe fit. The prince thinks he's found the one until he sees the blood then realises that it is not her. The the second ugly sister shows up, same thing happens again (except she cuts off her heels), and the prince sees the blood and know it ain't her. Then Cinderella shows up, shoe fits and everyone lives happliy ever after. Personally I'd tell the original story as it illustrates the female need to achieve perfection by 'surgery'. Very true in today's society, but the moral being that it doesn't always work. Kids need lesons like this and I think it's a shame we try and hide them from squemish things in stories. It also gives a bit of a history lesson as well. Personally I loved reading gory things when i was a child. But of course make the child aware that you don't need small feet to be pretty!!! You might also be interested in reading the original fairy stories (many from the brothers grimm) as many of them are gory and people come to sticky ends, for example Pinoccio stomped on Jimminy Cricket and killed him in the original - demonstrating that you need your consciense (sp?) cos of all the nasty things that happened to him afterwards. Disney has really changed a lot of them for 'happy endings', which is fine as long as the original stories aren't lost. I hope this gives you an interesting and original subject to write on. Good luck!

Answer 3

I'm lost... what have 'they' done to the Cinderella story? I was surprised to find Snakes & Ladders changed to Chutes & Ladders (I guess my generation was too traumatized!)... My guess is they replace the wicked step-mother?