A Hearth's Warming Essay.

Discuss the similarities and differences between the events told in Hearth's Warming Pageants and actual historical records

When adapting historical events for purposes of entertainment, it is inevitable that some details would get edited, modified or outright deleted in order to appease its audience. In some cases, this is for dramatic effect, in others, it is a work around for the limitations of the medium used. The Hearth's Warming pageants have a further challenge in having to make a complex and difficult chain of events digestible to the masses. Furthermore, the pageants have a purpose of promoting unity between the three pony races, so further edits have to be considered for reasons of propaganda.

The most obvious difference between historical records and the pageants is the massive reduction in characters involved. Most pageants have a cast of six or even three to represent the dozens of players involved in the Hearth's Warming Treaty. In most interpretations, the actors play composite characters representing 'for' and 'against' the treaty for each of the races, for in order to promote unity, all races must be mutually good and evil. These composites usually take the name of the figures of Lady Platinum (Princess in the pageants), Commander Hurricane, and Chancellor Puddinghead of the Hearth's Triumvirate. Clover the Clever, apprentice of Starswirl is also commonly used, but the pegasi and Earth pony counterparts are use fictional aliases to represent the many ponies involved. It is curious to note that the members of the Hearth's Triumvirate are represented in a negative light (for they were close friends in reality), presumably to make them the 'overdogs' to their counterpart's 'underdogs'. The power plays and political maneuverings are omitted from the pageants for a cleaner narrative, and some of the more gruesome events, like the lynching of Clover the Clever, are removed for reasons of taste. This simplification makes for a clean and simple fable, well suited for promoting race unity. Any true retelling would have any moral drowned in ambiguity and complexity.

However, it is a bit of a shame that the figures of Platinum, Hurricane and Puddinghead are remembered by the majority as villains, having done so much for race unity. The price of adaptation can be, at times, unfair.

Elegance Design

Less individual bias would be appreciated, Miss Design, and perhaps a little more structure in terms of paragraphs. Also, some mention of the fictional use of Windigos would have been good. However, as it is just a holiday assignment, it was a satisfactory attempt.