Thursday, October 20, 2016
Question to Consider: Hansel and Gretel
Recently, we have been exploring the double-function of storytelling to teach and entertain. What do you think "Hansel and Gretel" is trying to teach us? Write an analytical paragraph in which you explore this question. As always, be sure that you support your ideas with evidence from the text. Also, continue to practice varying your sentence structure (i.e. including dependent and independent clauses).
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I think that Hansel and Gretel is trying to teach us that people are not always what they seem with the kind old lady turning out to be the witch. I also think it is trying to teach us that if you trust in God everything will turn out all right as shown by Hansel telling Gretel to trust in God then them making their way back to the house.
ReplyDeleteI believe "Hansel and Gretel" is teaching us several things, one being that you should use your head in hard situations instead of panicking. Throughout the story, Hansel and Gretel manage to keep themselves calm enough to make plans for survival. For example, when the two had first found out about their mother's plans, Hansel tells Gretel to calm down while he thinks of a plan. This plan (using pebbles to get back home) ended up saving them the first time they were sent into the woods. Another lessons that was taught throughout the story was not to put your trust in just anyone and to be aware of your surroundings. This can obviously be seen in how the children trusted the old woman or evil witch, but can also be seen with the situation with their mother. Hansel and Gretel realized what was happening because they were paying attention to their parents. While their mother was obviously someone that they were supposed to trust, the two didn’t trust her not to leave them in the forest and instead expected the worst from her.
ReplyDeleteI think “Hansel and Gretel” is trying to teach us to never give up and to face our fears. In the text, the siblings face something that children often fear the most: abandonment by their parents. To add to their fears, they are left in a forest where “wild beasts” live and could possibly “tear them to pieces”. I think it’s also teaching the importance of family. Hansel acts as the rock in many of the situations, with Gretel crying more easily and having feelings of helplessness. However, when Hansel gets locked away by the witch, Gretel steps up and proves that she is just as clever (by knocking the witch into the oven and trapping her there) and able. In the end, the children have faced their fears of the forest and lived through abandonment, all because they were able to step up when the other was in peril.
ReplyDeleteI believe Hansel and Gretel is trying to show us that no matter what situation you are in, you can get out of it if you think hard enough and remain calm. The first time this showed up in the text was when Hansel and Gretel heard their stepmothers plan to abandon them in the forrest. Hansel was able to think about the situation without panicking like Gretel did. He simply thought hard enough and was able to come up with a solution. The second time they were abandoned, Hansel's idea to leave bread crumbs didn't work, but he remained calm and they were able to find a source of food soon enough. The third time this idea was portrayed was when Hansel was out in the shed, and instead of sticking his finger out, he stuck out a bone. The final time this idea was shown was when Gretel realized that the witch wanted to bake her in the oven, and tricked the witch into getting in the oven herself. Throughout the book a few ideas are represented, but I believe the most prominent was that a bad situation can be fixed by staying calm and thinking about the situation.
ReplyDeleteI believe Hansel and Gretel are trying to show there affection for each other which is unable to be taken from them. We first notice Hansel and Gretel overhearing there parents chatting about doping and leaving them in the woods. Gretel takes this to offence and starts to heavily cry. Her big brother felt there is nothing to worry about, for he had a plan. Hansel collected the pebbles on the way to the forest and evenly distributed them on his path. Hansel had shown his care and empathy in order to keep Gretel safe. The second time going into the forest Hansel's plan had not worked. He and Gretel were stranded in the forest with no food. After three days of painful walking they were fortunate to find a house made out of food. The sibling knew they couldn't give up on each other and they kept pushing until they found the residence. Once the two pursued the house they were mislead by the old witch. The wicked witch locked Hansel away and left little Gretel to do everything. Gretel knew she and Hansel were to be eaten and was at a very tough spot."If only the wild animals in the forest had eaten us up, at least then we would have died together." Gretel is feeling like she can do nothing with out her brother. When she is given the opportunity to save her brother by tricking the witch she gives it a shot. Gretel was able to trick the witch into climbing into the oven because she loved her brother and had the chance to save him and get away.
ReplyDeleteI think the story of Hansel and Gretel teaches us numerous things. Such as not trusting people you don't know (even little old ladies). This story also shows that your mind can get you out of almost everything if you think hard enough and stay relaxed even in the worst circumstances. Another thing to notice from Hansel and Gretel is their talent in problem-solving. They had to work through very dangerous and scary situations but managed to both stay calm, and get each other out of those situations. Overall I think that the story Hansel and Gretel is trying to teach us to obviously not judge a book by its cover (the crazy old lady) and that even when surrounded by problems and danger, staying calm and thinking will always help you in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI think that Hansel and Gretel is trying to teach us to stay with our family, and not just abandon them when hard things come our way. I think that it is also saying that we should not trust strangers when you are in a state of vulnerability. Going back to my first point, I think this story shows that when Hansel and Gretel stuck together, they could escape the with. However if they had given up on each other they probably would not have escaped, and died like the selfish step mother.
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot of life lessons and morals from reading Hansel and Gretel. One of the lessons I think the story teaches the readers is to always stick by your family and don't betray them. The mother abandons her children for her own well-being, but ends up dying. (karma!) I think another big theme in the story was being clever. Hansel always saved himself and his sister by making a trail of pebbles to lead them back home. Gretel saved herself and her brother by being clever and shoving the witch in the oven!
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