Cinderella's Physical Beauty example essay topic

The French, German and Russian versions of Cinderella have the same basic plot. Each version communicates the same message; goodness produces it's own rewards, despite adversaries. However, each version is unique in communicating the beliefs, values and morals of that culture. The French version proclaims that goodness is rewarded with eventual happiness, through physical and inner beauty.

Cinderella was internally beautiful but unhappy with her stepfamily. Cinderella's clothes had hidden her physical beauty. Cinderella would never have been granted her wish from her fairy godmother had she not been good. Her godmother had said to Cinderella before she granted the wish, 'Be but a good girl and I will contrive that you shall go'. Cinderella went to the ball looking magnificently beautiful because her godmother had seen that Cinderella was good.

Cinderella was rewarded for being good. As soon as Cinderella walked into the ballroom everyone was in awe of her physical beauty, including the Prince. They all exclaimed at her beauty 'How beautiful she is'. Cinderella got to the ball thanks to her inner beauty. The Prince noticed Cinderella's physical beauty. Cinderella's inner beauty shone out and kept the crowd, and the Prince, interested.

The Prince fell in love with Cinderella's beauty 'so intently was the Prince gazing on her'. Cinderella ended up living the life of her dreams, married to the Prince. The Prince had married her because he loved how beautiful she was. Physical beauty is valued over inner beauty.

The Prince fell in love with Cinderella's looks, not her personality. Cinderella had inner beauty when she was in rags and no one offered to marry her. As soon as she is physically beautiful the Prince wants to marry her. However because Cinderella was internally beautiful, she was rewarded with the option to become physically beautiful. Cinderella was not made physically beautiful by her fairy godmother. Cinderella's fairy godmother had just given Cinderella the chance to show off her possessed beauty, both inner and physical.

Therefore physical beauty and goodness are related because with both Cinderella was able to overcome circumstances to succeed in life. If you are internally beautiful then that will shine out in physical form. Cinderella was happy to marry the Prince, and happy to be noticed. This happened because she was physically beautiful. She was physically beautiful because she was good. So Cinderella's goodness was rewarded with happiness, because she was internally and physically beautiful.

The French version implies that image is all that matters; everything had to be the best, this is a French value. Cinderella was referred to as 'the best creature in the world'. The clothes that the stepsisters wore were the 'very newest fashion'. Cinderella's own coach was 'the finest'; it was gilded all over with gold. Cinderella was covered in gold, silver and various jewels. Cinderella looked the 'prettiest'.

The words used to describe the fashion of the time are very emotive. The French version goes into more detail with the image side of the story. This suggests that the French are more concerned with image and physical appearance than others. This stands out as a value in the French culture. The Russian version reads that if you are good you will be rewarded, you must be physically beautiful to be noticed and internally beautiful to remain noticed. Conkiajgharuna was always good, but not happy until she was married to the Prince.

The Prince noticed her because she was physically beautiful. Physical beauty causes people to notice you. Inner beauty is a tool that keeps you in the spotlight. Conkiajgharuna was kind toward the cow. In reward for her kindness the cow granted Conkiajgharuna food. 'In one of my horns is honey, the other butter, which you may take of'.

Conkiajgharuna would have starved had the cow not offered her food. Conkiajgharuna was kind and in return was rewarded. After this Conkiajgharuna had met a Devi. Conkiajgharuna was kind to this old woman despite the Devi's appearance. The Devi rewarded Conkiajgharuna with the knowledge of a magic spring. Bathing in this Conkiajgharuna came out looking splendidly beautiful.

Conkiajgharuna was rewarded for her kindness. However, Conkiajgharuna stepsister was unkind to the old woman and was therefore punished. Goodness is rewarded; those that are bad are punished. A neighbour completed Conkiajgharuna's work because Conkiajgharuna was a good girl. Conkiajgharuna was made beautiful by the spring because she had been good to the Devi.

Conkiajgharuna was again rewarded for being good. Conkiajgharuna went to church and everyone was amazed at her beauty, 'They were amazed at her grandeur'. Conkiajgharuna always had been beautiful on the inside, only now had people noticed her. People noticed Conkiajgharuna because of her physical beauty, not her inner beauty. However, Conkiajgharuna's inner beauty had got her to the point where she was given the option to look physically beautiful. Conkiajgharuna was kind and then rewarded.

Kindness is a form of inner beauty. Conkiajgharuna's reward was to look physically attractive. People noticed her looks, but her inner beauty had been the basis for her physical beauty. Conkiajgharuna was beautiful because she was good. The Prince found a piece of Conkiajgharuna stunningly beautiful attire and later married her. The Prince married Conkiajgharuna because of the beauty of her clothes.

Her clothes were beautiful because she was rewarded for being good. Therefore physical beauty and goodness are linked. This was made possible because she looked beautiful; she looked beautiful because she was good. Conkiajgharuna's inner beauty indirectly caused her to marry the Prince. The Prince had never met Conkiajgharuna but declared that he would marry her based solely on her physical attire.

Conkiajgharuna had a happy life from then on because she had married the Prince. She had married the Prince because she looked beautiful. She was beautiful because she was good. In other words, Cinderella was rewarded for being good with eventual happiness. This was achieved because she was both physically and internally beautiful. The Russian version has a value that you must honour your elders.

Conkiajgharuna was able to look physically beautiful because she bathed in the spring. Conkiajgharuna was told to bathe in the spring by the old Devi woman. Conkiajgharuna respected her elder and was rewarded. Conkiajgharuna was rewarded because she had been kind to the old woman. However, Conkiajgharuna's stepsister did not honour the old woman. In fact Conkiajgharuna's stepsister had insulted the Devi, 'dog of an old woman'.

For this Conkiajgharuna's stepsister was punished. Conkiajgharuna honoured her elder and was rewarded; her stepsister scorned her elder and was punished. Therefore the message is to honour your elders. The Russian version has values about your race, the colour of your skin. Conkiajgharuna's stepsister was cruel to the old Devi woman 'You are a disgusting old woman'.

For this she was punished. Her punishment was to look black. The Russian versions communicates that to be coloured is a punishment. It reads that a black woman is not beautiful but ugly. This version goes a step further than ugly and it says that to be black skinned is a punishment. The Russian version clearly has values about your skin colour.

The Russian version has a high priority of social status. The Prince decreed that he would marry the owner of a golden slipper 'I will wed none but her'. The Prince did this without even meeting his bride-to-be. The only thing he knew, or thought he knew, was that she must be a Princess.

The Prince saw a golden slipper and believed that this woman must have a high social status. The German version declares that goodness is needed in life because goodness eventually results in happiness; however, physical beauty in needed to get you noticed. Cinderella was good throughout her life. Not once had she refused to do her work and she always tried her best 'Cinderella did the best that she could'. Cinderella was good; because of this the pigeons did her work. The pigeons had helped her in her chores because she was good.

Cinderella was happy because the pigeons had blessed her with their unexpected assistance. Her goodness resulted in happiness. Cinderella remained good so she was granted her wish to attend the Prince's ball. She was made up to look beautiful by her mother and because she looked beautiful the Prince wished to wed her. 'I will have no one but her'. Cinderella's goodness resulted in her looking beautiful.

The Prince wanted to marry Cinderella because of her physical beauty. Cinderella was happy because she was marrying the Prince. Therefore happiness, goodness and physical beauty are all related. The German values are beauty and class are all that matter. Cinderella's physical appearance was not the only disadvantage she had. Cinderella was considered to be very low on the social ladder.

It would have been improper for a Prince to marry a housemaid. A wife's role is to complement her husband. Image is all that matters. No matter how physically beautiful Cinderella was the Prince could not have married her. It was not until people thought that Cinderella was a foreign Princess, 'And thought that a foreign Princess was arriving'.

Not until Cinderella's social class had been raised, could the Prince marry her. The Prince still married Cinderella after seeing that see was a maid, but not until the nobles had accepted her. Cinderella needed to be in a position to show other's what she was really like, without being hampered by her social status. In all these versions Cinderella ended up being happy because she married the Prince. Cinderella married the Prince because he thought that she looked beautiful. Cinderella looked beautiful because she was good.

Therefore these stories all have a common link in their core message; your goodness will eventually be rewarded with whatever you desire, despite your circumstances. Different versions have different values dependant on the culture but they all communicate the same core message.