Throughout the many tales of Kissing the Witch, my favorite tale had to be The Tale of the Handkerchief due to the efforts the queen goes through to be queen. She even tries to play the more negative role by remaining queen and “hurting” the princess, but in reality the princess is happy where she is. As a peasant, she is happier than of holding a title. I believe the stories tied together capture who women are today due to the fact that in each story there is a different role being played which relates to modern day because there is always going to be the mean girl, the nice girl, the quiet girl, the pushover, the aggressive one, and the list goes on, and I believe each girl is portrayed in a different manner. The Tale of the Handkerchief can relate to all these because in other stories if we heard a princess being a peasant, it would come off as a terrible thing, but in this book the princess is more content as a peasant, and isn’t afraid to stand her ground as a woman. I like this book because it shows that the stereotypical “mean girl” or “witch” also has a story behind that, and was once considered the “innocent” one. This being said, it relates to why the author titled the book Kissing the Witch. The title itself is a contradiction of kissing which can be done through passion and love, and witch stereotypically considered evil, but as I was saying we see both sides throughout the tales.

Though I must confess, I have not seen many Disney movies since I was about eight years old, there is no remembrance of a witch in the Disney movie eating out Snow White’s lungs. While reading this, I couldn’t compare it too much to Disney due to the fact it has been so long since I have seen it, but certain things were just so comparable. While reading the Grimm’s brother tale, I was at the edge of my seat waiting for something bad or disturbing to happen. The Grimm tales in a general sense are always a little eerie, but I kind of like it due to the fact I love horror story lines. I don’t remember if in the Disney version Snow White goes through numerous trials with the witch coming back as a peddler, but it made me so irritated that she kept letting her in. Overall, I think the story lines are very similar yet Disney has a more positive feel for it. In my eyes, the them of the story is to go with your gut, and don’t get distracted by the little things as Snow White did with the witch.

A Father
one daughter
he does not have three
in order to live
she puts down lentils and peas

Ashes to lead the way
she did not want to stay
but her hubby he be
she had to go see

No sign of an egg
no sign of a key
just an old lady, a bird
but where is he?

Be quiet they are coming
It’s too quick to flee
hide behind this barrel
It may be scary

Cannibals, robbers
they drag a girl in
the finger with ring
lost behind the barrel bin

it lands in her lap
a sleeping potion saves the day
they get out of there
while the robbers hit the hay

the wedding arrives
a dream to be told
no sign hung up
written, “Be bold, Be Bold.”

but what happens next?
this is the test
which fairy tale told
is so repulsively expressed?

My name is Marilyn Sanders, and I grew up with one brother in an extremely small town, which as Kim and I discussed in class is filled with wineries. I loved growing up in a small town, but knew literally everyone in the town or was related to them so it was my time to branch out. At 17 years old, and two weeks after graduating high school I moved to Quincy, California to attend Feather River College and be a part of their rodeo team. I was a barrel racer there for two years, until a bad car wreck caused me to delay rodeo for a while. I transferred here not knowing exactly what I wanted to be, but I love kids and decided Liberal Studies is a good route for me.  Everyone always questions how young I am because I am nineteen and junior in college, but I think it’s kind of nice. I work two jobs, go to school, and am just trying to get the feel for Chico.

In my eyes, being a “reader” is someone who enjoys reading as a hobby. They do not read because someone tells them they have to read, but because they find happiness in doing so. They are someone who searches for different kinds of books, stories, writings, just to have something intriguing to read.

In all honesty, I don’t read much outside of school. I may read a fascinating story from facebook that someone shares or a magazine every now and then, but I can’t remember the last book I read out of willingness. I am a relatively slow reader, and get annoyed because I have too constantly read stuff over and over again to understand it. I read very differently outside of school because for school work I have to set away a time of day where it is quiet where I have time to think to read a story rather than reading a magazine I would just read during breaks in the day and what not due to not being as important as school text.

In William’s Article, he brings up a point that kind of caught my attention. He discusses the literary crisis” but then in further detail discusses that the argument stands put, but exactly what are they arguing. They are arguing numerous different things such as the perception of young people, and their reading and how that plays a role on each generation, as well as questioning if it is not the instrumental role of reading then what exactly is it? Overall he is pretty much saying why not teach people of each generation the good and the positive side to literacy rather than focusing so much on the bad that it scares generations away from having the desire to want to read. I believe the take-away of the article for me was the last paragraph, because even though I was kind of skeptical and confused for some of the article, the end seemed to have a good solution.