DATE: October 2, 2019
TO: Professor Hach
FROM: Birgitta Cockburn
SUBJECT: Cultural Differences between Russian and Jewish Fairytales
Every country has its own culture that influences its peoples’ daily lives. Fairytales are heavily influenced by the culture of the society that they are written in, and they can tell a lot about its society. Raisel’s Riddle by Erica Silverman and Vasilisa the Beautiful by Elizabeth Winthrop are both examples of “Cinderella” stories, or stories where an underdog rises to the top after being mistreated. Both fairytales depict women as being maids, and help reveal that both societies still view women in the more traditional view.
The Memo’s Audience
This memo is for those who are interested in how a country’s culture can be seen in a fairytale and how culture affects fairytales. This memo can also act as a stepping stone for those who want to learn more about the “behind-the-scenes” of fairytales. Vasilisa the Beautiful and Raisel’s Riddle will be used as examples to show how the role of women in society are very similar.
Background of Russia and Israel
Every fairytale that one reads comes from a unique and deep culture. The fairytale Vasilisa the Fair, comes from Russia. Russia has had numerous conflicts over the years, from the Russian Revolution to the Cold War, that have seriously affected the Russian people. Before the Russian Revolution, Russia’s government was a bureaucracy, but then once the Russian Revolution ended Russia became Communist and was led by Joseph Stalin. After this switch, the existence of fairytales was questioned on whether or not they supported Communist ideals. However, fairytales held a great importance to the Russian people, so they were saved and interpreted to have Communist ideals.
Israel has also had a conflict-filled history that dates to early times. This conflict is mostly caused by religion. The Jewish people have been faced with prejudice from world leaders, such as Adolf Hitler during World War II. The Jewish people still face conflict today in the Middle East as religion-based conflicts still exist.
The Role of Women in Israel versus Russia
In Raisel’s Riddle, Raisel is seen more for her intellectual ability, solving riddles, than Vasilisa is in Vasilisa the Beautiful, she’s seen more for her beauty. Both fairytales have Raisel and Vasilisa working as maids, showing how both societies still believe that women should do housework. This belief can be seen throughout all cultures. In Russia, gender inequality is still a major problem today. In a recent photoshoot for the Russian Army, women were shown wearing tutus and dresses, while the men were shown in army gear with weapons. The Russian Army does have women in active duty, but they are still being shown as only being feminine. In Israel, the same problem found is seen. “Women worked outside the home, entered politics, served in the any, but they were generally confined to ‘female professions,’ women’s organizations, and subordinate tasks”(Zughayar). While the Israeli women did so much more than just common “female” jobs like serving in the military and being involved in politics, they were still seen as being nothing more than the traditional view of women. The only main difference in how women are perceived comes from Raisel’s Riddle where women are seen as being intelligent. In Raisel’s Riddle, Raisel solves riddles, showing how women in Israel are considered intelligent and more than just a “pretty face”.
Conclusion
Fairytales can reveal a lot about the society that they come from. In some cases, the culture behind fairytales from different countries is different,however Vasilisa the Beautiful and Raisel’s Riddle show how different countries can still have similar beliefs. Even though Israel and Russia both have very different cultures, the perception of women in society is still the same.Israel and Russia both have a very well-developed culture which allows for hundreds of fairytales to be written. Comparatively, the United States does not have as many fairytales because of the amount of different cultures present and due to the fact that the United States has not been around for as long as Israel and Russia. Culture is very important to societies, and are good representations of the viewpoints and beliefs that a society has.
AttachmenT
Attachment 1
References
Silverman, Erica, and Susan Gaber. Raisel’s Riddle. CNIB, 2004
Winthrop, Elizabeth. Vasilissa the Beautiful. Harper Collins, 1991.
Zughayar, Ghada. “Women in Israeli Society: An Overview By Ghada Zughayar.” PIJ.ORG,
pij.org/articles/619/women-in-israeli-society-an-overview. Accessed 6 Dec. 2019.