SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN

THE DESIGN SCHOOLFOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT

NAME: MOY CHIN HOONG

STUDENT ID NO: 0314014

FILMS SELECTED: CINDERELLA & SNOW WHITE

WORD COUNT: 859

ENGLISH 2 (ENGL 0205)

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1: COMPARE – CONTRAST ESSAY

LECTURER: CASSANDRA WIJESURIA

SUBMISSION DATE: 5TH DECEMBER 2013 (THURSDAY)

1

There are so many types of animated movies such as Toy Stories, Lion King,

Cinderella and so on and so forth. Among all of these movies, people will always

have a deep impression on certain movies especially Cinderella and Snow White.

Why are these two stories but not others? These two stories are very well known and

most of the people usually know about them. This is because many parents will use

these stories as a bedtime story for their kids and the teachers will also use these two

stories as a story telling session in kindergarten.

Both Cinderella and Snow White have a lot of similarities throughout the stories, from

their personality to the story line. And, they do share a very common thing, which is

both of them also have an evil stepmother. Their stepmothers jealous about their

beauty and always plan something else to hurt Cinderella and Snow White. Cinderella

and Snow White are very beautiful young ladies but after their fathers past away, their

evil stepmothers treat them like an ill-treated servant by asking them to do all the

works in the house. Even though both these stories have a lot in common, but they do

have differences such as the writing tone, physical appearances and the people who

protected them.

Cinderella and Snow White are two different stories but they are having the similar

plot. Cinderella is a France story, and Snow White is from Germany. The Germany

story, Snow White, is a crueler story. Snow White’s mother dies just after her birth.

Her father remarries an evil and cold-hearted queen, who is her stepmother and her

beloved father dies not long after the marriage by leaving the young Snow White

alone with her wicked stepmother. Snow’s stepmother’s cruel jealousy even leads her

stepmother to summons the huntsman to kill Snow White. Although the terror has

overcome, Snow is then fall into a Sleeping Death after eating the poisoned apple.

While Cinderella, which is from France was written in a lighter and lovely tone. It is a

more peaceful theme compared to Snow White. Cinderella’s father still very cares

about her and loves her so much. But, Cinderella’s stepmother overrules him and that

is why Cinderella is being bullied in the house.

Other than the writing tone is different, their physical appearances are also dissimilar.

The phrase “lips red as a rose, hair black as ebony, and skin white as snow” is

perfectly used to describe Snow’s features. She has a rosy red lips and cheek with

2

short black hair that is parted in the middle and styled in a bob. She is short in height

and has a very fair skin, and people always define her as the “fairest in the land”.

Snow White has simple signature dress code, which is the combination of blue color

blouse, light yellow long skirt and red bow hair band. Whereas, Cinderella is in

average height and she is a stunning young lady with classically beautiful features.

She has attractive pink color lips and twinkling blue eyes. Her skin is perfect and fair,

and her hair is golden blonde in color and medium length with soft bangs. Cinderella

was in the maid’s outfit in the early of the movie because her stepmother forced her to

serve the household. But, she got her princess outfit at the end, which is a sparkling

silvery-white ball gown with a white peplum, light silver headband and glass slippers

from Fairy Godmother.

The next difference in these two stories is both Snow White and Cinderella are

guarded and defended by different people. In Snow White, she enters the forest after

she escaped from the terror and after that her animal friends have led her to the

cottage of the Seven Dwarfs. Finally, she meets with the Seven Dwarfs and becomes

their friend very soon. The Seven Dwarfs treat Snow White as a princess and always

cheer her up by singing songs to her. They even hand make a coffin that carved with

glass and gold for Snow White while she is in the Sleeping Death. However,

Cinderella does not have these seven little men but a Fairy Godmother. The Fairy

Godmother is the one who helps Cinderella to get to the ball. Cinderella’s Fairy

Godmother appears to help her while the evil stepsisters cruelly destroyed the dress

she planned to wear to the ball. For examples, the Fairy Godmother turns Cinderella’s

mice friends into horses; her horse, Major into a coachman; and finally an elegant

silvery white dress and glass slippers on Cinderella.

There are several ways in which Cinderella and Snow White are dissimilar even

though these two stories have very similar plot and the main characters have the same

personality. Most of the characters in Cinderella reflect their corresponding characters

in Snow White. For instances, the princes and stepmothers in both Cinderella and

Snow White; and the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella and the Seven Dwarfs in Snow

White. Both of these stories are referred to the fairy tale of a nice and beautiful young

lady who is poorly treated, but luckily she ended up living happily with a good

husband.

3

Reference list

(2013). Snow White: Then and Now. StudyMode.com. Retrieved on 1 Dec 2013,

from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Snow-White-Then-And-Now-

1649916.html

4