The Little Mermaid lived in a castle with her father, the sea king, her grandmother and her five sisters. She would sit and dream of the day when she would turn 15, so she could take the trip above the waves to the land. Finally when the little mermaid turned 15 she went straight to the land above the waves. The first thing she saw was a ship with a handsome Prince aboard. Suddenly, there was a terrible storm and the ship began to split into two because of the rough winds and rain. The little mermaid immediately dove into the ocean so she could save the wonderful Prince. When she brought him back to land she began to revive him until she noticed that there were people coming, so she had to quickly return to the sea. One of the girls who was coming noticed the Prince and tried to help him, making the Prince believe she was the one who saved him. When the little mermaid returned to the sea all she could think about was being with the Prince. Her grandmother had told her that she had to forget about the Prince because mermaids live for 300 years and then turn into foam on the sea. The only way she could have an everlasting soul like a human is if she marries one and he loves her forever. The little mermaid knew that humans didn't like mermaid tails, so she went to the sea witch to get a potion for her to have legs. The sea witch told her she could have a potion to get legs, but every time she walked it would feel like swords were going into her feet. She also told her that if the Prince marries someone else, she will die and turn into foam the day after his wedding. The little mermaid agreed and went to land to drink the potion. The Prince found her laying by his house and they started to become close. He would tell her that he almost died in a terrible storm but there was a wonderful girl who had saved him. One day the Prince asked the little mermaid to be a bridesmaid in his wedding because he was marrying the girl who supposedly saved his life in that storm. The sea witch decided to change her rules and allowed the little mermaid to kill the Prince so she could turn back into a mermaid. Last minute, the little mermaid wasn't able to kill the Prince and she ended up being taken by the children of the air who lived in the heavens. The little mermaid never felt so free!
I would use this in my classroom by having them explain which parts of the story are realistic and which parts of the story are fantasy, and cannot happen in real life. I would also have the students determine what the theme is of this story being that it is so prevalent. They should understand that this story is telling them not to change yourself to make someone else happy. I could also have the children read another version of the Little Mermaid and compare the two stories.
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