Disney Princess Article: Did Ariel really not learn anything?

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posted by rhythmicmagic

People say that Ariel never learned a lesson in The Little Mermaid and that she never really was sorry for what she did. I kind of agreed with this until I watched The Little Mermaid last night, and I realized that she does actually learn a lesson.

When people like to defend Ariel, they tend to point to this line:
Daddy, I'm sorry! I - I - I didn't mean to. I didn't know –
However, those who say Ariel doesn’t learn anything say it is only one moment, and that she was really just sorry she got caught.

The weaker scene everyone remembers

However, no one pays attention to the scene after Eric starts to go after Ariel. Look at what happens here:
Ursula: Now! Do we have a deal? (Triton signs contract.) Ha! It's done then.
(Ariel is released and Triton is withered as Ursula laughs.)
Ariel: No . . . Oh, No!
Sebastian: Oh, your majesty . . .
Ariel: Daddy? . . .
Ursula: (Picks up crown.) At last, it's mine. Ho, Ho . . .
Ariel: You - You monster!
Ursula: Don't fool with me you little brat! Contract or no- AAAAHH! (She is hit
with a harpoon thrown by Eric.)
What this leaves out is that Ariel starts fighting after she calls Ursula a monster. This part of the scene shows that she is genuinely sorry for what happens to Triton. While this may not show her taking responsibility for it, we do see her learn her lesson. Before Eric came and they were fighting Ursula to protect each other, Ariel started fighting Ursula to avenge Triton. What happened to Triton truly angered and distressed Ariel, and when you watch the scene, you can see that Ariel says “No” after she is taken out of the- seaweed vortex- before Triton is turned into seaweed. Now, would Ariel have gotten anywhere before Eric got there? Probably not. But she still was fighting Ursula out of anger for what happened to her father. She fought Ursula before Eric ever turned up.

The stronger scene everyone forgets

Now ultimately, I will say that the movie should have done a better job of showing Ariel apologize and take responsibility for her mistakes. They should have added a scene where she went to Triton and apologized or even apologized publicly for the trouble she created before she goes back to the surface and is turned into a human. That could have been a Brave-like ending that I think would have been really powerful. However, Ariel did learn from her mistakes and was sorry for them, and she had still changed in the end when she said, “I love you, Daddy.”

I love you, Daddy

wavesurf, PrueFever and 7 others like this

MaidofOrleans Great article! I've always been of the opinion that Ariel learns something from her adventures, and I'm glad to see someone else supports that. :)

Jayden-G I do see your point, but j think she is sorry for what happened, not for her going to the human world. Ther is no indication that she felt bad or was remorseful until Triton bumped into them, and Ursula showed him the contract. After he was turned into whatever that was (forgot the name of it at the moment), and Ursula put the crown on, she got mad because Ursula did this and caused all of this trouble and tricked her, not because she did anything. Nonetheless, she knew that Ursula was a sea witch and had some knowledge of what happened to her in the castle, so she obviously knew that she should not have been trusted. She did not care or seem remorseful at all until Triton showed up. I think she was sorry for what happened, but not for going to the human world behind her back and disobeyed him. We disagree on Ariel and Jasmine (and that's cool), so good article.

kristenfan10109 of course she does everyone learns from there mistakes its how we grow and I'm glad another person thinks so to great article

rhythmicmagic Thanks everyone! Jayden-G- Yeah, I get what you're saying. I don't really think Ariel was sorry for going to the surface, either, but I DO think she was sorry for making a deal with Ursula. I think that, had she gone about it another way that didn't hurt anyone, she wouldn't be sorry. But I do think she was at least sorry for the part about going to Ursula and making a deal that hurt someone else. My point was just that she was sorry for a reason other than getting caught. So I think we actually kind of agree.

CyberFive When you really think about it, technically Ariel did change (as what you've written), the line just wasn't as clear or obvious as it should have been, and technically she didn't have to. It's actually not really in your face about it, but it's Triton that needed to change his ways. Ariel's views were the correct one: not all humans are bad and by falling in love with Eric and him saving her and Triton's life during the climax, she proves that. Triton then has to understand this because it was his callous actions and stubbornness that forced her to make those foolish choices in the first place.

girlygirlspwn Cyber, ariel didnt know that for a fact though. remember what she say, "i dont see how a world that makes such wonderful things can be bad!" she was really just being naive and wishful thinking. America makes wonderful things and lots of people say we are bad! she had no proof humans are good any more then triton had they were bad. actually Triton has more proof, since humans killed his wife.

rhythmicmagic Thanks both of you! CyberFive- I agree that Ariel did change and that it should have been more obvious about her change, I kind of touched on that at the end. And I also agree that it was more about Triton changing, but I am still of the mindset that the protagonist should change or learn something or have some self-discovery or something. And I do think Ariel has some of that. girlygirlspwn- I'm not sure we can take what happens in the second sequel as reason for Triton's motivation in the first movie. I do agree Ariel was being naïve, but I also think she had closer to the right mindset that some humans are good and some are bad.

shanyuisboss Bravo! This was wonderful! You pointed out great points and Finally someone decides to make an article about this!

disneyland2013 Thank you! No I'm not the only person who thinks this!

GreatLance_30 Wow! I agree with all your points! Great article!

rhythmicmagic Thanks all of you! shanyuisboss and disneyland2013, like I said in the article, I didn't think like that until I watched the movie last night!

Newbiehere13 Someone else noticed this scene! :D But there's still a scene that still confuses me, when Ursula had her on that golden vortex, Ariel just watched as Ursula and Triton made an agreement, she didn't object to her father's decision or was she just restrained from moving, I'm not sure. Anyhow, great article as always!

rhythmicmagic Newbiehere- I'm pretty sure that she couldn't really do anything and was just sort of suspended in the golden vortex, especially because she was slowly turning into seaweed as well. Thank you!

Swanpride Yeah, but I think THAT'S the scene they should have done different. They should have given Ariel a line in which she says "Don't do it, it was my decision!" The way they did it, it looks more like Ariel is waiting for Triton to save her. The question is not really if Ariel changed or not, but how much of change was shown on screen and that wasn't particularly much.

shanyuisboss ^I actually agree, I believe Ariel was sorry, but I think they could've made her look a bit more guilty.

rhythmicmagic Swanpride- I'm not entirely sure which scene you're talking about. If you're talking about the second one, I don't think she was able to in the seaweed thing. If you're talking about after that, I guess you have a point. Thanks for sharing your insight.

maryksand Great article and I actually agree with the fact that Ariel does not particularly change to a high extent, but DOES learn a lesson nonetheless. Also, her attraction to the human world was defined by open mind and longing for knowledge versus Triton's discriminatory tendencies and judgment towards entire culture because of the actions of a few while conveniently overlooking the legitimate damage inflicted by Ursula under the sea and in his zone of responsibility seeing as she safely ran illegitimate business under his nose causing harm to his citizens he was in charge of. Ariel's actions were directed at debunking bigotry, expanding horizons and obtaining independence whereas Triton's were driven by said bigotry regardless of how strongly he made himself believe he has a right to perpetuate this mindset. I would also like to point out that Ariel doesn't fight or actively confront Ursula until the point where her father and Eric end up in danger because she is willing to face the consequences of her own decision but not willing to let her loving ones be negatively affected by them.

rhythmicmagic maryksand- I recognize a lot of your brilliant article in that comment! But yes, thanks for your two cents.

Disneyfan231 I agree. Ariel did learn from her mistakes. And her apology was geniuine and real, because she would never put anyone at risk besides herself. And we see the regret in her face during the climax of the film. Ariel learns to not give up a part of herself to follow her dreams, her dreams wouldn’t be complete unless you are. And if anything it was all Triton’s fault that this happened.

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Phantomrose89's Favorite DP Love Songs

posted by phantomrose89

When I was faced with the decision of what to play during my wedding, it was easy- Disney love songs. I wanted to incorporate Disney into my wedding (which is in December), but not have it be in-your-face or cheesy, so that was my decision. (I'm also having a glass slipper as a cake topper.) :) So while planning my list, I realized that I have very specific favorites when it comes to DP love songs, so I thought I'd share them with you. Enjoy!

10) A Whole New World

Man, does this song get on my nerves. I’m sure it was groundbreaking when Aladdin was released, but this song is so cliché...

4

My Favorite Couple

posted by JNTA1234

"Romance will always be so new and love will save the day..."

One thing for sure about Disney they know how to do romance. So I'm counting down my favorite DP couples.

10.Aladdin and Jasmine
Aladdin is my #1 and Jasmine is my #2 but together they're my #10. Does that make sense? Yeah, I never gotten the sense of True Love between them. Their relationship seems very physical in my opinion, like they're just two kids in high school messing around. The way Jasmine said "I love you" seemed very half assed to me. Don't get me wrong, I love Aladdin and Jasmine, they're my childhood heroes, but I don't think they're in love.

9.Tiana and Naveen
Another mismatched...

1

Casting The Princesses (Version 2)

posted by JNTA1234

Snow White-Ellen Page

Cinderella-Scarlett Johannson

Aurora-Dianna Agron

Ariel-Emma Stone

Belle-Emmy Russom

Jasmine-Freida Pinto

Pocahontas-Naya Rivera

Mulan-Brenda Song

Tiana-Rihanna (I only put her here because everyone else thinks so for some reason)

Rapunzel-Amanda Seyfried

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Jessikaroo's Best Dressed Princesses

posted by Jessikaroo

I'm going to try my very hardest to keep this short and sweet, as anyone who has read my other articles knows I have a tendency to ramble. :)

10. Snow White

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Classic and iconic, just like Snow herself.

9. Pocahontas

Yeesh, two of my my...

The Disney Princesses (Part 2)

posted by sweetie-94

After a while the food was finished and the girls sat down to eat the lovely spaghetti carbonara that Mary had made. All of them loved it!

After they where finished Mary told them about some ideas about what the first episode would be about and they decided that it was going to be about the husbands of each of the princesses since all of them where married.

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5

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posted by IsaacKuo

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10. John Smith

"You think that, only because you don't know any better"

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2

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posted by PrincessLD

Disney Princess Award

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2

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posted by pulgaenana

I posted this idea like 2 months ago, not sure if anyone actually followed it but here I come (:
I decided to post pictures of my bedroom... because of reasons. Not for showing off or anything just because I think it will be fun.

I'm just warning, not all in my room (but mostly) is Disney related, so get prepared to a lot of Tangled and a lot of Avengers... just warning.

Punzie welcomes you (:
My door, a huge Tangled poster and an avenger A somewhere there...

A general look of my bed.

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2

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posted by PociandSmith

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10. Beauty and the Best
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posted by pretty_angel92

This is actually my first article, so i apologize if it's too simple. i don't really know how to work with this XD

So here it is... sweetie-94's interview of May.

1-Congrats on winning the DP fan of the month. Did you expected it?
Thanks, I knew that I was going to be fan of the month someday.

2-How did you discover Fanpop?
I was looking at some pictures and even answered a few questions. When it said that only by signing in you could save your answers, which I did in May 2010.

3-Which user do you admire or feel more comfortable with?
While I love many people here I have to say that I admire...

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IsaacKuo's Disney Princess ranking

posted by IsaacKuo

I've decided to take a little break from The Golden Goose and sketch the Disney Princesses. While I'm at it, I might as well make one of these lists. Sorry if my list is boring and conventional...

10. Briar Rose

Oh, I'm such a bad girl. I'm a rebel...in my dreams!

Briar Rose is lovely and perfect, but her character isn't given any opportunity to shine.

9. Cinderella

Call me maybe

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8. Snow White

As long...

3

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posted by sweetie-94

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10. Tangled

I truly agree with this placement, why did they switched the title from Rapunzel to Tangled? Because the movie was going to appeal to both boys and girls, it would've been a good change if it wasn't for that the title is so awful and many other Fanpop users agreed with me, not only is it an awful title, but the title doesn't make much sense at all.

Here are some comments from you :)
-Tangled, Tangled and Tangled! Awesome movie,...

4

sweetie-94's favorite DP wardrobes

posted by sweetie-94

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10. Ariel
I know that many people loves her wardrobe which I still do, but most of her outfits aren't outfits I would like to wear myself like that pink dress, I have no problem with the color at all, but...

*~Belle's Discovery: The Diary of Gabrielle Rousseau~* Part 3

posted by DreamyGal

*~DreamyGal Productions~*

Belle almost couldn't believe that her Mother was actually considering marrying someone so atrocious. He made Gaston look like Prince Charming for crying out loud. She could barely keep her eyes open so she decided to go to bed. The next morning, she told Adam about all that she had read so far while they ate their breakfast. Afterwards she headed outside to the rose garden to sit in the fresh air and read. As she looked at her Mothers beautiful penmanship, she noticed tear stains on the pages. Her poor Mother. Belle thanked her lucky stars that her Papa never forced her to do anything she...

1

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posted by Horsegirl202

Mulan

Okay I wrote one last time now my top 3!

1. Mulan
As you might know I'm a little obsessed with her right now. She's smart and clever and not really wanting to be a perfect daughter. Mulan is strong and brave. My favorite DP at the moment.

2. Tiana
I love her! Tania is funky, hard-working and funny. I wish I could sing like her, her voice is amazing. I love how tiana is smart and never gives up.

3.Belle
Belle is one beauty that I really love. She also has a amazing singing voice. She accepts to love the beast (Some told me I look like Belle because of our hair color, even my RL (real life)friends agree to that. She is one of my 3rd DPs.

Hope you enjoyed and keep watch for my fan-fiction story, Ching Lan: the daughter of Mulan and Shang part 4.

Tiana

Belle

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Interview with Characters from Disney's Mulan

posted by SweetPea2007

Unfortunately my next interview is very short and rushed, but I was lucky to get a second with the characters from Disney’s Mulan. Mulan and Shang had agreed to talk to me, but then the Emperor called them in for something, so this has to be super quick while they prepare to leave.

(I am trying to be heard and seen as they gather supplies and prepare their horses)

Me : Mulan, who is that girl you see staring straight back at thee if not yourself?

Mulan : The girl's name is "My Reflection" who uses thick powder and red, hot lipstick.

(She laughs as she adjusts a strap and gathers a bag up)...

2

Interview with the Characters form Disney's The Little Mermaid

posted by SweetPea2007

This beautiful morning I have the great honor of interviewing the characters of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Unfortunately due to extreme resentment Ursula and her sister are not allowed to participate, but King Triton may be coming by later…that is why this interview is being done outside beside the Ocean. Flounder and Sebastian are going to come by for a little bit too. Melody was turned into a mermaid and sent to Atlantis to play with her aunts during the interview. Our honored guests are starting to arrive, so we shall start soon.

(Ariel comes skipping up and gives me a big hug and...

2

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posted by starlight77

Over the centuries there have been many different hair fads and crazes. The Disney princesses are no different. Most of their hairstyles occur just because it fits with their story, but I would like to point out some princesses whose hair have a bit of a history. These were the most apparent ones I could find but if you guys know of any others feel free to let me know. I also love to look at the models for the princesses, whether they be famous people that inspired the look of the princess or the live models like in this video. Man I would have really loved to be a model like the girls in the...

2

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posted by blossomyumyum

I recently discovered that these articles were ALL over the Most Recent pages and as I am still fairly new to Fanpop, I have decided to make my own. Thanks to phantomrose89 on this idea, it's greatly fun!

First Name: Technically Annabel but everyone calls me Emily. My name has a long story, where my Dad had written out Annabel in a birth form, yet it was supposed to be written as Emily. But when my doctor had come in the nursery, a second later she was explained to about having rattles in the face with coos of Emily being talked about every second. Ha ha, long story short, just call me Emily...

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*~Getting to Know LoveLullaby~*

posted by LoveLullaby

Maria= that disney girl

Hey! So, March 1st 2012 marks the day I joined Fanpop and my first article! I'm so glad there is a Disney Princess spot! I've seen some people's articles on here about themselves, when I was looking through articles, and I thought I should make one so people can get a taste of me, LoveLullaby! :)

Name:
Maria- not a name I would of chosen for myself (I'd prefer Belle Anneliese or Ariel Sierra) but I am proud of it :)

Country of Origin:
I am originally from the sunny Phillipines! Hollahhh to all my Pinoys out there! When I was 4 I moved to not-so-sunny England, but I love it, still :)

Favorite Movies:...