The Impact of “The Little Mermaid”

In our world fairy tales are everywhere. A fairy tale is a children’s story about magical and
imaginary beings and lands. Fairy tales often can impact the way we see this world. One story
that has had a big impact on me is “The Little Mermaid”. This tale has affected me
emotionally, culturally, and intellectually, shaping my thoughts and feelings in significant
ways.

Emotionally, Ariel’s deal with the sea witch Ursula really affected me. Ariel made a
dangerous deal with the sea witch Ursula to become human for three days. She gave up her
voice in exchange for legs, hoping that Prince Eric will kiss her and break the spell. And if
the prince doesn’t kiss her in three days, She will belong to Ursula forever. She made this deal to be with Prince Eric, believing in the power of true love. Basically she leaves everything to
be with that person and doesn’t care about sacrificing herself to be with him.For her it was
love at first sight .This part of the story had a strong emotional impact on me.After seeing
that , It made me think that if someone truly loves you, they should be willing to make great
sacrifices for you.For a while, i thought that people would do the same thing for me.
However, it changed my emotions when I experienced my first relationship in real life. Back
when I met my first girlfriend in high school. The first day I saw her I fell in love. I felt that
she was my soulmate and we were going to last forever. So she asked me to enroll in the
same college that she was going to. Until one day, she felt that she needed to leave me to
pursue her modeling career. In her mind she felt that our relationship wasn’t working. I tried
to convince her that it was just a new stage in our relationship and that we should stay
together, helping and supporting each other. She saw me as an obstacle in her life and
decided to end our relationship. This broke my heart and I went into a deep depression. I
thought that she really loved me, and she would do anything for me. But I found that not
everyone is willing to make such sacrifices. Realizing this was painful, it broke my heart. But
it taught me that real life love isn’t always like a fairy tale, and it helped me adjust my
expectations and understand relationships better.

Culturally, “The Little Mermaid” reflects themes that are very relatable to my own
experiences growing up. King Triton, Ariel’s father, insists that she had to obey him even if
she was 16 years old. He mentions to her that as long as she lives under the ocean she will
abide by his rules. Ariel doesn’t like this idea and swims away crying .This part reflects the
cultural connection this fairy tale has with my culture. Parents often enforce strict rules,
expecting their children to adhere to their guidelines even as they grow older. Like Ariel, I
often felt restricted by my parents’ rules and tried to find ways to be more independent, even
if it meant going against their wishes. I wanted to become more independent before I was 21years old and for my parents that was going against their rules. Also I did things like going
out without permission and getting my ears pierced without them knowing. By doing all this I
broke many rules and went against their wishes. This relates to Ariel’s journey in the same
way, when her father told her that she shouldn’t be out exploring because it was dangerous.
She didn’t listen to him and disobey his rules. After discovering this her dad was so mad that
he told her that until she was under the ocean she had to follow his wishes . This connects
with my experience because my parents also told me that as long as they are paying the rent,
we need to do whatever they say. This created a tense relation between me and my parents,
they used this excuse as a way of manipulating me to obey the rules that they made. Ariel’s
dad did the same thing with her,prohibiting her to go and explore alone. Additionally they
would prohibit things that make you happy in a way to show how powerful they can be.
Triton reflects the way my parents think when it comes to their kids. This has a strong
connection with my culture and life. Seeing Ariel’s struggle in the little mermaid made me
think about my own experiences.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8IbTGzsfpo

When it comes to my tense relationship between me and my parents. Having strict parents
sometimes can be very rigid, they always try to manipulate you and have you under their
control. To sum up In the pursuit of my sense of independence and freedom, I also didn’t
forget to respect my parents. Most of the time, it turned out to be a one-sided effort as they
were focused more on what they do for me instead of taking my endeavors into account.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXKlJuO07eM

Lastly, “The Little Mermaid” has played a role in improving writing skill and
understanding of English. “The little mermaid” was the first one that introduced me into the
literary world of fairy tales. This helped analyze how the little mermaid acted in different
versions. When I read and watched the story,I became more interested in its different versions. I found out that Disney usually shows a happy version of fairy tales, while the
original ones can be darker and more complex. This made me want to read and compare these
different versions. Writing about their differences and issues helped me improve my writing
skills. By looking at how the versions are different, I learned more about storytelling and got
better at expressing my ideas clearly. By doing this, my writing skills improved greatly. I
began speaking English more fluently, writing better and brainstorming more effectively
before writing essays or summaries. “The Little Mermaid” had a wonderful impact on this
part of my life.

Overall, “The Little Mermaid” has influenced the way I view love, independence, and
personal growth. Due to Ariel’s struggle and struggles, I do know more about the details of
actual relationships that love can often reach for more than simply the ideals from fairy tales.
Speaking culturally, I related well to the various needs that Ariel had for freedom among
strict parental expectations and paralleled my road towards independence. It has also
developed my love for storytelling by researching different story adaptations that have
enriched my writing skills and ability for analysis. Indeed, this short story has touched my
emotions and perspectives to such an extent that it has finally played a critical role in shaping
me as a writer and a thinker. It is just one example of the fact that everything which we may
get from stories touches many more lives than what is written.

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