As a kid my mom never really told me childhood fables. So, our first assignment blog on how a well-known story has affected me isn't exactly my forte. But I did watch a lot of movies back in the day. So when I recalled all the renditions of Jack and the Beanstalk, I knew it was perfect for this blog. As a toddler I remember watching the Mickey Mouse version of Jack and the Beanstalk. Although cute, this version never struck me in any intellectual sort of way because I always knew a mouse, a duck, and large dog were not a realistic or likely trio. Then in 2001, Brian Henson wrote and directed "Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story".
This movie never received much kudos, and only a measley 67 likes on facebook, but between the golden eggs, the harp, and magic beans, this story created a fantasy world for me. Jack and the Beanstalk remains one of the few fairytales that keeps its original message with few adaptations. Although the story is intended to be about poverty becoming wealth, critics believe it also contains a matriarchal view, due to Jack's commanding mother, and also many think the story teaches children it's okay to steal like Jack. In all seriousness though, Sir Francis Palgrave believes the story originated with the vikings (probably made a connection between those big, burly men and the giant) and the story doesn't really pertain to much other than providing entertainment value. Other than the small fear of eating beans I took away from this tale as a child, I don't perceive a deeper meaning from Jack and the Beanstalk. The unlikely events in the fairytale are imaginative and fun, but do not convey a greater message.
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