Cinderella
Cinderella is about a girl who became an orphan and was under the care of her step mother. Her step mother was essentially mean to her and had Cinderella as the house maid serving her and her 2 daughters. This story actually traveled everywhere that there are now many forms of the Cinderella story. the one i'm going based off of is the Disney version where everything is nice and happy. a scene that stood out to me was when she was cleaning up to be able to go to the ball with her step mother and step sisters and they completely destroyed her dress, humiliating her. at the end with the help of a fairy godmother she received a very nice gown and shoes to be able to attend the ball where she later found prince charming and eventually got married together. What made it inspiring was that hard work pays off in the end. you just have to keep your head up and not give up.
You can get more information of it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinderella
There is also this one here: http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/english/story_telling/cinderella/cinderella1.htm
I first found out about this story when I was a little girl. My dad bought me the movie and I just really liked it. there was something about Cinderella that drew me to her. I was able to relate to her, but I was not sure in what way. Again when I first saw this movie I was about 4 or 5 years old. I did not like how she was being treated in the movie. I thought that it was unfair how she was humiliated and her step mother and step sisters believed it to be okay. Now that I am older I have realized why I was so drawn to the character of Cinderella. I don’t have step sisters but I relate them to the students I competed with growing up to prove that I was just as smart as they were. And the step mother resembles the teachers who unfortunately believed I would be no one in life and I would more than likely end up being a young mother. However, I used that as motivation to prove them wrong. I have overcome the negativity to be where I am today. The prince charming in Disney describes the knowledge and great things I have yet to accomplish. This is why this story sits with me, I am Cinderella in a world where being a first generation female Hispanic is hard and unheard of in most cases, but I am doing everything I can to prove them wrong and so far I am winning. This is a story that is broadly known. It is so well known that people have taken the liberty to place Cinderella in their own cultural forms and perspectives. I have shared it with a few close friends, but never in a serious conversation.
I feel like this story can inspire others that hard work does eventually pay off. although times may be rough and you feel at an end, you cannot give up because in the end you will be recognized for the hard work you have accomplished. I am more than positive that it has been used to mobilize people to action. if you think about it, Cinderella has been accommodated to many different cultures. Just as i mentioned in my previous answer. she has been used to fit cultures and norms so that others can make a change and protest/fight for what they want. the great thing about this is that anyone can tell the story. it may be mixed up, but at the end of the day we each interrupt things differently.
empowerment, motivation, courage, self worth
