In “The Frog King, or Iron Heinrich” by the Brothers Grimm, the princess loved to play with her golden ball. When it rolled down into a well she was very upset, until a frog from the well approached her and asked her what was wrong. He agreed to get the ball as long as she would repay him back. She offered him extravagant possessions like her jewels and crown, but all he wanted was to be her companion, to drink, eat, sleep and live with her. Though she agreed, she did not keep her promise and ran home. At dinner the next day, while the king and princess were eating, the frog knocked on the door. The king made her keep her promise. When the princess was heading to bed, the frog insisted that he would sleep in her bed with her, but she refused. Enraged and overwhelmed for her disgust in the frog, she picked him up and threw him against the wall. Suddenly, the frog turned into a prince. He explains to her that a wicked witch put a curse on him. In the carriage taking the two back to the prince’s kingdom is the prince’s servant Iron Heinrich was with them. The prince heard cracking sounds and thought that the carriage was falling apart, but they were just the sounds of iron hoops Heinrich had put around his heart to keep it from breaking of sorrow when his master was in the well as a frog.
There are a wide variety of differences between Brothers Grimm “The Frog King” and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. First of all, the “beast” in “The Frog King” if a frog, whereas in Beauty and the Beast he is a large, hairy creature. Secondly, Disney’s version portrays the “beauty” as a virtuous, kind woman, whereas in the other version she is a young girl who does not want to accept the frog. Lastly, in the end of “The Frog King,” the girl throws the frog against a wall, where he transforms into a human prince. In Beauty and the Beast, the girl agrees to marry him, and then he transforms into a human.
Level One, Two and Three Questions:
1) What is the princess doing?
2) Why does she not keep her promise to the frog?
3) How does the princess’ behavior relate to other children?
Hey Deja and Carolyn. I read your Lv. 1, 2, and 3 questions and I had a question or two of my own? First off, when you ask "What is the princess doing?", what do you mean? Do you mean when she was playing with her ball, crying over losing it in the well, or maybe talking to the frog? Because depending on what she was doing, it may or may not match up with your Lv. 2 question. Also, when you ask about how her behavior relates to other children, I was wondering if the princess was a child? In the first paragraph of the story, it states that she is the "youngest daughter" (pg.47), of the king, but doesn't necessarily call her a child.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point Nikara! I hadn't noticed that the level 1 question needed to be a little more specific, otherwise the level 2 question changes. Excellent observation.
DeleteGreat summary and discussion of "The Frog Prince" from the Brother's Grimm! I like your attention to detail in the story's plot and how well you compare the story to the Disney adaptation (great work!). The next step for you will be to add a couple of MLA "citation sandwiches" to your post so that you show your readers where in the story you are getting your information. You do an excellent job summarizing, but you need at least one to two quotes to back up that summary.
ReplyDeleteOverall, excellent work.