Read “The Favored Daughter”, attached below.
For now, you should just read the story; keep in mind the guidelines for critical reading, and be sure to read actively and thoughtfully. You’ll have the opportunity to discuss this reading in the next assignment.
The following questions should help get you started thinking analytically about the stories.
- Do you think that “The Favored Daughter” could be considered a “Snow White” story, or do you think the comparison is a stretch? What similarities do you notice? What differences? Does “The Favored Daughter” share the same motifs we associate with “Snow White”? Does the plot structure remain the same?
- How do the characters in this story compare to those in Western Snow White stories we have discussed so far? Which characters are present in each version? Do they seem to remain more or less the same, or is something about the character’s identity, behavior, or background significantly different? Are any characters added or taken away? How does this impact the story?
- How does Ilâmbe (the “favored daughter”) compare to the other Snow White figures? What virtues (positively valued character traits or behaviors) are embodied by each? What do you think this implies about the values of each culture?
- The plot structure of “The Favored Daughter” resembles “Snow White” in many ways, but the ending is very different. What’s up with that? Why does “The Favored Daughter” end the way that it does; what are we supposed to learn from this ending? Does this story teach the same lesson(s) as “Snow White”?
