Take a class with Professor Shrek
Excerpted and rewritten/Wu Xinhui
"Cinderella", "Snow White", "The Three Little Pigs", these popular fairy tales make us have endless memories of our childhood. The stories always talk about romantic love, ruthless villains, and beautiful princesses who are kind and innocent...
New fairy tales emerge, classics no longer exist
We grew up in the so-called "golden age," watching videos, listening to music cassettes, and using mobile phones that were shaped like bricks. However, the new generation of young people are immersed in the culture of iPods, mobile phones and various electronic devices. Times have changed! Young people no longer cherish the memory of so-called "classic" fairy tales, but are keen on new fairy tales such as "Monsters, Inc." (Monsters, Inc.), "Toy Story" and "Mulan" (Mulan).
▲New fairy tales such as "Monsters, Inc.", "Toy Story", and "Mulan" have shaped new childhood memories and thinking patterns for the younger generation.
Among them, the most famous one is "Shrek" released in 2001. The reason why this popular children's cartoon is so popular is its subversion of traditional character portrayal and creative plot development. Shrek, a giant who originally lived in seclusion in the swamp, his peaceful life was disturbed by a group of fairy tale characters gathered under the urging of the tyrant Lord Falk. In order to drive this familiar fairy tale army out of his residence, Shrek must complete a mission - to rescue the imprisoned Sleeping Beauty, Princess Fiona, who is Lord Falk's soon-to-be-married bride.
Stay with friends and find yourself
In this heroic rescue operation, the accompanying donkey played a very important role. This chattering donkey always gives advice and guidance to Shrek in a strict manner. As the plot develops, the audience can see that Shrek has gradually transformed from his tough and bitter old self into an emotional, gentle and loving new person.
The movie opens with Shrek in a rage attacking a group of fairy tale villagers who are trying to set fire to their children. It happens to be in sharp contrast to the image of Shrek as a caring boyfriend who cares for his girlfriend to be married and sends flowers and balloons in the latter part of the movie. It turns out that Shrek has always been regarded as a giant monster and abandoned by everyone, just like people who are unaware of their own value and essence before they believe in the Lord. It wasn't until he experienced many trials and difficulties, and with the help of his friends Donkey and Princess Fiona, that Shrek finally discovered that he is kind and generous.
At the same time, the relationship between Shrek and Princess Fiona is also getting better. However, the wedding date of Lord Falk and Princess Fiona has been set. On the wedding day, Shrek mustered up the courage to "rob the wedding" in order to save his beloved from a loveless marriage. In this scene, Donkey warned Shrek that he must wait until the priest asked "Is anyone opposed to this marriage?" before interrupting the wedding. Unexpectedly, Shrek said "Fuck it!" and rushed into the auditorium impatiently to stop Mr. Falk. Take away his beloved. Shrek's answer symbolizes the break with tradition. The etiquette and etiquette that were valued in the past have been abandoned, and a new era is coming.
▲In this heroic rescue operation, the chattering donkey accompanies Shrek, breaking through all the layers of defense and winning her heart.
Times change, culture changes
"This generation can be called the 'millennial generation' - an era that no longer pays attention to appearances and false forms. Today's teenagers are all about feeling and acting immediately. They no longer think twice before making a decision or worry about the future. Time flies. , the gap becomes wider.” From the perspective of an outsider like me (also a young person), at the editorial meeting of the KRC Cultural Practice Camp’s Kingdom of God Magazine in July last year, the founder, Mr. Gao Lili, and the editor-in-chief, Mr. Su Wen’an, discussed “Shrek” with the editorial group. ” teachings and metaphors. As a spectator, I felt that what these Chinese parents said was quite reasonable.
As we grow older, we can more or less see some of the shortcomings or deficiencies of today's young people. Originally, I thought it only happened to "ABC" (American Born Chinese). But it is clear that this phenomenon is spreading like an epidemic. Barbara. In Barbara Myerhoff's novel "Number Our Days" (tentative translation), it is written that Jewish children immigrated to the United States, causing a disconnect with their parents' native culture; they lacked understanding of their parents' native culture. Without self-awareness of culture, one cannot appreciate the culture of the motherland. Of course, one might argue that a generation gap is inevitable, but the surge in immigration from Asia to the United States has produced revolutionary cultural upheavals. This phenomenon can be seen from the rapidly developing technology, ever-changing media, and endless news and current events.
Tradition vs new ideas
The seemingly simple and innocent children's cartoon "Shrek" points out the core of these problems: simple new rules can often replace the old etiquette and polite requirements. Men and women in love no longer need to be of the same race or of the same family. The eloquent donkey in the movie actually married Miss Charizard, and in the sequel "Shrek the Third", they gave birth to five little flying donkeys! Lord Falk in the movie is not a handsome king who is friendly to the people, but an evil prince with a short stature. In order to make up for his shortcomings, he always wears prosthetics and rides on tall horses. In fact, the ugliest monster in the show, the protagonist Shrek, is the most amiable character in the entire film. The producers presented an important metaphor to the audience in the play, which is that people have multiple depths, and if given the opportunity, their true inner selves can gradually be revealed.
Since Shrek was always regarded as a big and annoying monster, he foolishly believed in "treating others with their own tastes"; it was not until he met "Ass" and his beloved Princess Fiona that he found his true self. self. In fact, Princess Fiona also embarks on a journey of self-discovery. The audience will discover that she secretly endures the secret of the curse, turning into a monster at night, and can only return to her princess status during the day. Unless she finds true love, this transformation curse can only be lifted and she can return to her original form - the princess that Fiona considers herself to be. However, when the spell disappeared and the true nature of the monster was revealed, she still happily accepted it, and she and Shrek lived "happily ever after" in the swamp, accompanied by many fairy tale characters! The fairy tale plot of the two happily riding on the onion carriage on their honeymoon subverts the stereotype of the pumpkin carriage. It can be seen that today’s young people are full of ideas and are intolerant of clichés.
The new paradigm provided by this film is both good and bad. The filmmakers strive to illustrate the vast differences between the nature and appearance of things, but avoid talking about "utopian" ideals and "Barbie-like" perfect etiquette and grace. Therefore, young people are led to the satisfaction of instant gratification, which is different from the older generation's teachings of frugality, savings, hard work and gratitude. Their parents were severely disciplined by the previous generation and had little room for creativity. They valued academics and the acquisition of knowledge. But when they want to ask the next generation to do the same, the younger generation is dismissive.
Get closer and enjoy the parent-child relationship
How to alleviate the impact caused by different concepts? Maybe start by sharing your movie and reading experience with young people, and establishing friendships, so as to get a glimpse of the popular trends and latest trends in post-modern culture.
Christian parents may wish to learn to establish a relationship with their children as both father (mother) and friend. This will help the second generation of immigrants who grew up in a foreign culture bridge the gap. Of course, there are many times when parents' advice still stands, especially when a child falls in love with the "handsome guy" at work, has a conflict with a friend, or encounters a critical professor. On the other hand, parents should actively participate in their children's lives; attend extracurricular activities, go to the park to play Ultimate Frisbee (American Football Frisbee) on weekends, or go rock climbing!
The church can also help bring people closer together, blending old and new ideas in an attempt to understand how young people think. You might as well organize various parent-child interactive learning courses or retreats to teach truths and doctrines in different ways, using relaxed, humorous and lively language, combined with jokes or cartoons to present them. "Veggie Tale", which uses vegetable characters to act out biblical stories, is a good example.
If we are willing to know more about young people, we will be able to convey our ideas in depth and influence their lives. My most sincere suggestion is to ask parents to design parent-child activities to enjoy fun time, such as watching "Shrek" and its sequels together. Parents and children exchange experiences and share the parent-child relationship that money can’t buy!
(Image source: 'http://www.shrek.com/main.php)
Author profile
Xinyi Leng is a junior at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, majoring in economics and pre-med. Xinyi likes to take care of sick children and hopes to be a pediatrician in the future.