The Hundred Acre Woods: Yay or Nay?

Hello future English 102 students,

My topic was psychology and Disney; with a specific focus on a show you might be familiar with, Winnie the Pooh. I wanted to know how fairy tales and children’s literature were similar, what kind of an impact they have on a child’s life, and people’s perspectives on the furry animals of The Hundred Acre Woods.

            My number one advice to you on this research paper that many people may have already addressed would have to be, DO NOT PROCRASTINATE on this paper!! Your lives would be much easier if you simply started researching when Professor Hicks tells you it is time. I am not kidding you will come across MANY articles that aren’t necessarily related or useful to your topic. Personally I found it much more helpful to begin looking for books first rather than looking for articles. I also recommend that you look through these blogs to see if anyone has a topic related to yours and see what kind of sources they used. One last thing, if you are having difficulty with this research paper DO NOT hesitate on asking Professor Hicks for help she can definitely help you and may even guide you to some helpful resources!

I hope some of my useful sources will be able to guide you in the right direction!

Adams, Jennifer R. "Using Winnie The Pooh Characters To Illustrate The Transactional Analysis                        Ego States." Journal Of Creativity In Mental Health 4.3 (2009): 237-248. Academic                            Search Complete. Web. 26 May 2015.

Bettelheim, Bruno. “’Cinderella’: A Story of Sibling Rivalry and Oedipal Conflicts.” The Uses of                        Enchantment. N.p.: n.p., 1976. Rpt. in Writing and Reading across the Curriculum.                              Eds. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosens. 11^th ed. Boston: Longman-Pearson, 2011.                   651 -57. Print.

Heuscher, Julius E. A Psychiatric Study of Fairytales: Their Origin, Meaning, and Usefulness.                   Springfield, Ill.: Thomas, 1963. Print.

Mallet, Carl. Fairy Tales and Children: The Psychology of Children Revealed through Four of                  Grimm’s Fairy Tales. New York: Shocken, 1984. Print.

Disney's Frozen: A Feminist's Dream Come True?

Abstract:

My research is mainly focused on Disney's Frozen, and how this movie emulates feminist ideals. I find this topic interesting because when I first heard about this movie, I initially thought that it was just going to be another Disney princess movie. But when I actually watched it, I was amazed at how different this movie was from the other Disney fairy tales. Frozen introduces a queen-princess duo, which is interesting because it puts a lot, if not total, emphasis on the female characters rather than the males. You have Elsa, the queen and the primary authority figure of the movie, and you have Anna, the princess and the counterbalance to this dynamic relationship. In my opinion, both of these characters are the embodiment of the ideal feministic traits; they are independent, strong, individualistic, and optimistic. And also, this movie introduces a new meaning to the concept of "true love." Prior to the release of this movie, it was a commonly held belief that an act of true is only shared between a man and a woman (a.k.a. the prince and the princess). I mean, this must have been quite a twist for the people who saw this movie; for the first time, true love is not defined by a prince's kiss, but by the love between two sisters. Keeping that in mind, I wanted to dedicate my research to finding out if this movie really is any different from the other Disney princess movies. If so, then Frozen can be a model by which feminists can use to continue to better their lives and their place in society.

My Advice:

1. Utilize your resources. Learn how to use the library database, or how and where to find books and other sources. 

2. Pace yourself. Don't rush into the research paper without planning it out first. But most of all, don't put off planning you research paper till the last 2 weeks. Plan ahead once you know your topic and Professor Jenny confirms it. Don't procrastinate!

3. Collaborate. Work with your peers and see what they have to say. Maybe, they might even point you in the right direction.

4. Have fun! Remember, your research paper should be about something that's interesting to you, or something you want to share to other people. The research paper is not really tedious work if you make it into something you enjoy. 

Work Cited:

Schanoes, Veronica. Re-visionary Fantasies: Feminism, Fairy Tales, and Myth. n.p.: ProQuest, UMI Dissertations Publishing, 2007.

Greenhill, Pauline. "'The Snow Queen': Queer Coding in Male Directors' Films." Marvels & Tales, 29.1 (2015): 110.

Press, Andrea L, and Tamar Liebes-Plesner. "Feminism and Hollywood: Why the Backlash?." Media Report to Women, 32.1 (2004): 14.

Andersen, Hans Christian. The Snow Queen. Denmark. 1844. Print.

Munford, Rebecca, and Melanie Waters. Feminism and Popular Culture: Investigating the Postfeminist Mystique. Illustrated ed. I.B. Tauris, 2013. 240. Print.

"Disney's Frozen--A Lukewarm Attempt at Feminism." 5 Sept. 2014. Web. 8 May 2015.

Feder, Shira. 

"COLLEGE FEMINISMS: Slamming the Door: An Analysis of Elsa (Frozen) - The Feminist Wire." The Feminist Wire. 16 Oct. 2014. Web. 8 May 2015.

Ross, Deborah. “Escape from Wonderland: Disney and the Female Imagination.” Marvels & Tales, Vol. 18, No. 1 (2004), pp. 53-66. Published by: Wayne State University Press. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41388684