The recurring theme of the wicked stepmother has appeared throughout many of the fairy tales. In the tale of "Hansel and Gretel", the unknown author goes into great detail describing the full extent of the stepmother's bad nature. The author carefully selects his diction in order to convey the negativity of the stepmother's character. He or she uses such words as "cruel" or "wicked" wherever the stepmother is being described by the author, which intensifies the negativity the reader perceives. This device of careful word selection is immediately followed up by "She kept Hansel and Gretel under lock and key". The rhetorical technique of description and example furthers our understanding of the depths of the stepmother's cruelty in the tale. The author paints

The unknown author utilizes many rhetorical devices of symbolism and diction throughout the fairy tale. The author provides valid points and brings the reader a glimpse into the author's world in which he or she lives in. Abuse has existed in the past and still continues on to this day. The author wanted to make society aware of abuse. The fairy tale provides several aspects or levels on which to view abuse, which can be still applied to society today.

a picture of both Hansel and Gretel imprisoned in a room in the vivid imagery. The stepmother "often ill-treated the children" and "she kept on trying to persuade her husband to abandon his children..." This is a key indicator of the abuse that Hansel and Gretel suffered under their cruel stepmother. During the times the author lived in, child abuse was common in society. The anonymous author uses the character of the wicked stepmother to convey the abuse a child would suffer during those times. The wife of the woodcutter "was forever nagging" him to "abandon" the "two brats". This is only one of the levels of child abuse children had to suffer.

Parents often abused their children. Just like today, chi

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Approximate Word count = 791
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)