SETTING

SETTING

The Rapunzel story is one of the German original fairy tales. First was published in 1812 by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, the Grimm Brothers. It took place in a little German village. There were once a man and woman who had long in vain wished for a child. This couple was from a small German village that had a house with a small window in the back of the house, from which the woman saw this splendid garden full of lush colors with plenty of crisp beans, green peas, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, cucumbers, beets to the crinkly lettuce, with a bed planted with a most beautiful rapunzel plant. The fruits and the vegetables in this garden were so fresh, so green and so tempting, that it made the woman feel that she should have some salad no matter what it cost. However this garden was surrounded by a high wall and no one dared to go into it, because it belonged to the witch “Dame Gothel” who had great power and was dreaded by the entire world.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

I saw a T.V. documentary about teenagers dating, promiscuous sex and unexpected teen pregnancy in today’s world. Perhaps related to that time, when Rapunzel was closed in her tower in the middle of the woods where she experienced the life of a girl that crossed the sexual and natural boundary of womanhood. This also reminded me of the story, when Rapunzel’s romance with the prince, lead to her out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Rapunzel let her golden braids down, for him to climb up to her, and when the enchantress found out she got so angry, cutting her hair off, as a symbol of virginity or chastity, and she banished Rapunzel to the middle of nowhere.

In today’s world parents do not keep their teens locked up forever and they do not cut their hair as a punishment for having sex that might lead to unwanted pregnancy. Teenagers dating are different now. Some teens have the guidance of their parents, and others make their own decisions, while others use the approach of “middle of-the-road.” In today’s society most teenagers usually date with the “Big Three Dating” approach, a movie, a nice dinner, a dance or game, that with parent’s navigation the teens can distinguish from lust, infatuation and true love. Perhaps, all of these could prevent teenagers from having unsafe sex that could lead to out of wed lock-pregnancy. Therefore parents do not suffer the dissolution of having their teens pregnant which action could be a sign of dishonor.