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January 16, 2007
Rapunzel, a bit much
For Christmas I put some books on the girls amazon wish list that were taken from a book list a friend had for home schooling. As I added the books I couldn't help but imagine sitting with the girls as they quietly and obediently listened to me read aloud for endless hours (with smocked dresses on and bows in their hair- LOL) Just kidding!
One of the books was A Treasury of Children's Literature, just the title sounded promising, non of that sexed up Disney crap. So I was reading Rapunzel to them the other day and was surprised by the actual story. I don't think I ever knew she was in the tower because she was kid napped or taken by a witch. The witch would call to her to let down her hair and then come to visit her in the tower. So a prince hears her singing and calls to her to let down her hair, thus their "courtship" begins. He asks her to be his wife and she asks him to bring a skein of silk so she can weave a ladder to leave the tower with him (why he can't just bring a ladder I don't know). The witch finds out about the prince and cuts off Rapunzels hair and sends her away to live in a dessert in "great sorrow and misery".
Now this is pretty different from what I've been reading the girls and I wasn't quite sure what Lizzie would say to the witch calling her a wicked girl and cutting off her hair. But there's so much more. . .
So the witch stays in the tower to wait for the prince and when he calls to her she throws down the braids. He climbs up and she tells him that Rapunzel is gone and she lunges at him and he falls out of the tower, but not to his death, he only lands on a bed of thorns and both his eyes are put out.
At this point I'm wondering what in the world kind of homeschooling list the book was taken from and who thought it was a good thing to read to kids. LOL
So he's blind and wondering around and happens to hear her singing in the dessert, obviously they reunite and her tears of joy healed his blinded eyes. (what?) But wait- it still gets better yet! (once his sight is restored) He looks and sees that there are children with her- twins, a boy and a girl. They are his children! They all return to his kingdom and "live in peace and happiness for many long years".
Ok so I know I totally just gave a book report on a children's story but I was so surprised, in a funny-huh this isn't goodnight moon sort of way. I realize when we read certain concepts to kids they don't process them to the depth that we do but I am a bit weary of these stories now.
Hm, maybe tonight we'll read about Little Red Riding Hood and see how the hunter came and found the wolf and cut his belly open to release Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother and he and Little Red Riding Hood stuffed the wolf's stomach with rocks and sewd him back up! That should give them sweet dreams! Reading is the BEST!
| By JennR | 5:16 PM
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