Aladdin was an incredibly successful movie by all accounts, redefining the levels of box office success animated movies could achieve. It received a long list of accolades, from oscars to golden globes, and is widely lauded as one of Disney’s greats (so much so that it became a broadway musical and is being adapted into a live action movie). Like most Disney movies, it’s also had its own set of controversies, from racist song lyrics to anglicanized protagonists to racial caricatures to even subliminal messaging. Most of these have been comprehensively covered, however, and I wanted to focus on something that caught my eye while watching through recently.
There’s a scene at the conclusion of the beginning chase reel (dubbed by the song “One Step Ahead”) in which Aladdin gives his bread to two street urchins looking for food. He then proceeds to stand up for them when a snobby prince comes into town. This, of course, is meant to characterize Aladdin as someone who is selfless and heroic. But it also has a dual result of presenting a character that, by his very characterization, challenges the idea of the undeserving poor. Confused? Well, let’s get into things.
The undeserving poor, according to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, are “poor people who are thought to have bad moral character and do not deserve to be helped.” The concept of the undeserving poor stretches back ages, to civilizations and societies long gone. In recent memories, this idea has manifested itself as laws against homelessness and begging in 19th century London, resulting in mass incarceration and terrible prison conditions. In our modern society, those in poverty who are capable of working, or at least are deemed as capable of working, won’t receive certain benefits from the government. The reasoning behind this is that those poor who work don’t do so because of moral corruption, and don’t deserve help in getting back on their feet. Aladdin, whether intentionally or not, takes a shot at this idea.
Aladdin is a street rat. He’s homeless and owns little except the clothes on his back and a rug to sleep on. This is an integral part of his character; it is the source of his selflessness and also his insecurities. The reason why he makes a deal with genie to let him free is because he sympathizes with being trapped and not being able to do what he wants, as he feels the weight of poverty weighing on him. By the definition of the undeserving poor, because of his poverty, Aladdin should be selfish, or at the very least, that his poverty is his own fault. In fact, some may even argue that the reason Aladdin is still poor because he chooses not to work, instead relying on leeching off society, stealing food to eat and not doing anything to better his situation beyond that. Except that, he can’t.
Aladdin is hardworking and clever, as we see in the opening chase. He finds ways to hide from, outsmart, and ultimately trump the guards chasing him. Furthermore, he’s a morally upright person (aside from the stealing, which he has to do to stay alive), handsome (as stated by the prostitutes, the princess, and the sultan himself), and witty. These are all traits that would make him readily employable and productive. But from the very beginning of the movie, he’s called out for being a street rat. It may be because he stole food, which again he needs to do to stay alive, but they don’t appear to give him a second chance. If the merchant had, say, made a deal with Aladdin, exchanging food for good, honest work, by Aladdin’s characterization, it seems probable that he would take the opportunity. Instead, because he is a street rat, he is spurned and chased by street rats. Redemption isn’t a big value in the society of Agraba, similar to our modern society in regards to the poor and homeless.
This lack of opportunity for redemption is starkly opposed to the cookie cutter Disney plot, one that revolves around the redemption of the protagonists, concluding with salvation and a happy ending. Aladdin, over the course of the movie, overcomes his faults of lying and issues with insecurity, ultimately choosing to free genie instead of wishing for princehood. The result is that the sultan changes the laws of royalty to allow Aladdin to marry Jasmine, and we conclude with a happy shot of the two on a flying carpet, watching fireworks in the distance. The fact that Aladdin can redeem himself in the eyes of the sultan, and in the eyes of the audience, directly contradicts this idea that the poor are irredeemable and invalidates the way that both Agraba and our current society treats the poor. Granted, Aladdin is a Disney prince and a paragon of morals, there are many people that emulate enough of his ideals that they should not be grouped in as being morally corrupt and should be helped in getting back on their feet and re-establishing their lives. These blanket statements help nobody, serving only to make the issue of homelessness worse and ruining the lives of many honest people.
Lesson Plan Day 4
Purpose: to begin to introduce problems surrounding social and economical aspects of film and how these problems are brought about
Keywords: poverty, corruption, social status
Introduction (15 minutes)
Purpose: to ensure understanding of key words before discussion
Define the undeserving poor and define poverty. Discuss the differences between the two and mention the connotation of the two terms.
Break the students into small groups and have them each group come up with an aspect that determines social or economic status in a historic society. Then, have each group present their aspect and open up to classroom to discuss why the aspect affected status in the past.
Video Essay (10 minutes)
Purpose: to use Aladdin as an example of multiple arguments to strengthen or undermine a main argument
View the fourth video: "The Undeserving Poor"
Fill out the day four worksheet while watching.
Discuss the responses on the worksheet.
Wrap-Up (25 minutes)
Purpose: to ensure the week of discussion comes full circle in the minds of the students; to evaluate the students ability to argue and debate any topic
For the final grade of this unit, there are two options (write an essay or organize a socratic seminar) For the students who want to have a verbal debate, pick one prompt for the group to discuss and open up the classroom to effectively and fully resolve the prompt. Evaluate the students on ability to include all of the aspects of argument.
For the students who wish to write an essay, allow them to pick a prompt from the resources page to debate on in 3 page argumentative essay.
For the students who want to have a verbal debate, pick one prompt for the group to discuss and open up the classroom to effectively and fully resolve the prompt. Evaluate the students on ability to include all of the aspects of argument.