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What I have been researching here is further breakdown of the tale of the Emperor's New Clothes, hoping to gain a better understanding and also looking for a relationship that exists between what I have researched and my concept. Key elements of the tale have been highlighted below and touch on the basic principles (is this the right spelling?) of my concept (stated in previous blog)
The Emperor's New Clothes Fairy Tale
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The story presents an emperor who concerned
himself with only surface appearance,
who sought to dress and show himself with his elaborate clothing. Upon hearing
of a new suit of clothes made from a special
material that was fine, light, magnificent, and invisible to the foolish and
the unworthy, he eagerly wished to try it on. Before doing so, however,
he sent two of his trusted men to observe the cloth. Neither could see the
cloth, and neither wanted to admit themselves foolish or unworthy, and thus
both praised the cloth. The emperor then was dressed by the two swindlers
("weavers" of this "cloth"), and demonstrated himself in a
parade.
All the citizens observing the parade praised wildly of the color, the magnificence, and the design. Although everyone was praising empty air, as it seemed to themselves, all were afraid of the consequences if they admitted that they could not see a thing. The crowd pretended to cheer, marvel, and welcome the elegant new clothes of the emperor, when a small child noted:
"But he has nothing on at all"!
This remark had an impact on everyone, including the emperor, and he ended the parade with an even more flamboyant (and vain) show of dignity.
In later versions, the ending is sometimes modified where the townspeople realize they had been tricked and give the emperor some of their clothes and he's still the sharpest dresser in the land.
All the citizens observing the parade praised wildly of the color, the magnificence, and the design. Although everyone was praising empty air, as it seemed to themselves, all were afraid of the consequences if they admitted that they could not see a thing. The crowd pretended to cheer, marvel, and welcome the elegant new clothes of the emperor, when a small child noted:
"But he has nothing on at all"!
This remark had an impact on everyone, including the emperor, and he ended the parade with an even more flamboyant (and vain) show of dignity.
In later versions, the ending is sometimes modified where the townspeople realize they had been tricked and give the emperor some of their clothes and he's still the sharpest dresser in the land.
Origins
It
has been claimed that Andersen's original source was a Spanish story recorded
by Don Juan Manuel (1282-1348).
___________________________________________________________http://www.arikiart.com/articles/emperors-new-clothes-fairytale.htm
___________________________________________________________http://www.arikiart.com/articles/emperors-new-clothes-fairytale.htm
Analysis
This story of the little boy puncturing the pretensions of the emperor's court
has parallels from other cultures, categorized as Aarne-Thompson folktale type
1620.
The expressions The Emperor's new clothes and The Emperor has no clothes are often used with allusion to Andersen's tale. Most frequently, the metaphor involves a situation wherein the overwhelming (usually unempowered) majority of observers willingly share in a collective ignorance of an obvious fact, despite individually recognising the absurdity. A similar twentieth-century metaphor is the Elephant in the room.
The story is also used to express a concept of "truth seen by the eyes of a child", an idea that truth is often spoken by a person too naïve to understand group pressures to see contrary to the obvious. This is a general theme of "purity within innocence" throughout Andersen's fables and many similar works of literature.
"The Emperor Wears No Clothes" or "The Emperor Has No Clothes" is often used in political and social contexts for any obvious truth denied by the majority despite the evidence of their eyes, especially when proclaimed by the government. Amazon.com alone lists 17 works with one of these two phrases in the title, and this ignores political magazine articles and non-mainstream authors.
In practice, the phrase is often used as persuasion by partisans when in fact it is not obvious that their position is correct.
The expressions The Emperor's new clothes and The Emperor has no clothes are often used with allusion to Andersen's tale. Most frequently, the metaphor involves a situation wherein the overwhelming (usually unempowered) majority of observers willingly share in a collective ignorance of an obvious fact, despite individually recognising the absurdity. A similar twentieth-century metaphor is the Elephant in the room.
The story is also used to express a concept of "truth seen by the eyes of a child", an idea that truth is often spoken by a person too naïve to understand group pressures to see contrary to the obvious. This is a general theme of "purity within innocence" throughout Andersen's fables and many similar works of literature.
"The Emperor Wears No Clothes" or "The Emperor Has No Clothes" is often used in political and social contexts for any obvious truth denied by the majority despite the evidence of their eyes, especially when proclaimed by the government. Amazon.com alone lists 17 works with one of these two phrases in the title, and this ignores political magazine articles and non-mainstream authors.
In practice, the phrase is often used as persuasion by partisans when in fact it is not obvious that their position is correct.
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