Cinderella By Anne Sexton

Devices:

Paraphrase (cont.)

• Simile
• Synecdoche
• Repetition
• Allusions
• Juxtaposition

Cinderella had to go home the prince walked her home but she disappeared ,and the prince could not find her.This happened again for 3 days , but on the 3rd day the prince covered the floors with wax and Cinderella's shoes got stuck in it. Now the prince could find his bride.He went to the stepmothers house and went to see if the shoe fitted any of the stepsisters. one removed her toes other her heal in order to marry the prince but the prince discovered that it wasn't them with the help of the dove. He tried once more with Cinderella and the shoe fitted her perfectly.

As nightfall came she thought she'd better

get home. The prince walked her home

and she disappeared into the pigeon house

and although the prince took an axe and broke

it open she was gone. Back to her cinders.

These events repeated themselves for three days.

However on the third day the prince

covered the palace steps with cobbler's wax

and Cinderella's gold shoe stuck upon it.

Now he would find whom the shoe fit

and find his strange dancing girl for keeps.

He went to their house and the two sisters

were delighted because they had lovely feet.

The eldest went into a room to try the slipper on

but her big toe got in the way so she simply

sliced it off and put on the slipper.

The prince rode away with her until the white dove

told him to look at the blood pouring forth.

That is the way with amputations.

They just don't heal up like a wish.

The other sister cut off her heel

but the blood told as blood will.

The prince was getting tired.

He began to feel like a shoe salesman.

But he gave it one last try.

This time Cinderella fit into the shoe

like a love letter into its envelope.

Paraphrase (cont.)

Paraphrased (cont.)

She went to the ball

The prince was looking for a wife

Everyone was getting ready except Cinderella

She begged to go

her step mom threw tiny beans in the pile of ashes

pick them up in a hour and you can go

The dove brought many people to help her pick them up

She finished but her stepmother did not allow her to go

She went to her moms grave to beg the dove to let her go

The dove dropped the package.

its impossible since the bird is so small but its no surprise since its a fairytale .

She goes to the ball and nobosy recognizes her.

At the wedding ceremony

the two sisters came to curry favor

and the white dove pecked their eyes out.

Two hollow spots were left

like soup spoons.

Cinderella and the prince

lived, they say, happily ever after,

like two dolls in a museum case

never bothered by diapers or dust,

never arguing over the timing of an egg,

never telling the same story twice,

never getting a middle-aged spread,

their darling smiles pasted on for eternity.

Regular Bobbsey Twins.

That story.

The stepsisters came to ask for her forgivenessin order to receive money (benefits from her wedding) the bird pecked her eyes out

Classic ending

But their happily ever after is lifeless (they never truly lived it).They never grew old had children a fake smile shown forever.

Like Bobbsey Twins who's adventures froze at a certain age .

That story

Next came the ball, as you all know.

It was a marriage market.

The prince was looking for a wife.

All but Cinderella were preparing

and gussying up for the event.

Cinderella begged to go too.

Her stepmother threw a dish of lentils

into the cinders and said: Pick them

up in an hour and you shall go.

The white dove brought all his friends;

all the warm wings of the fatherland came,

and picked up the lentils in a jiffy.

No, Cinderella, said the stepmother,

you have no clothes and cannot dance.

That's the way with stepmothers.

Cinderella went to the tree at the grave

and cried forth like a gospel singer:

Mama! Mama! My turtledove,

send me to the prince's ball!

The bird dropped down a golden dress

and delicate little slippers.

Rather a large package for a simple bird.

So she went. Which is no surprise.

Her stepmother and sisters didn't

recognize her without her cinder face

and the prince took her hand on the spot

and danced with no other the whole day.

Attitude

The attitude is earnest because Sexton tells the obvious story but her honest view about it

Paraphrase (cont.)

Or the maid,

who rides the bus when it crashes

and gets a ot of money from the insurance

from cleaning floor to shopping at Bonwit Teller (expensive store)

That story.

Once upon a time

Cinderella's mom told her if she was god she was going to be blessed

her father remarried to a women with 2 daughters who had the hearts of stone

Cinderella turned to be there maid

she slept in front of the fire and was always dirty her body filled with ashes

Her dad brought presents

he brought jewels for the stepsisters and

a twig for Cinderella (in the grim story she asked for that)

she planted it on her mothers grave and a magical tree grew that granted her her every wish and it would drop it to her .

The bird is important so take care of him

Or the charwoman

who is on the bus when it cracks up

and collects enough from the insurance.

From mops to Bonwit Teller.

That story.

Once

the wife of a rich man was on her deathbed

and she said to her daughter Cinderella:

Be devout. Be good. Then I will smile

down from heaven in the seam of a cloud.

The man took another wife who had

two daughters, pretty enough

but with hearts like blackjacks.

Cinderella was their maid.

She slept on the sooty hearth each night

and walked around looking like Al Jolson.

Her father brought presents home from town,

jewels and gowns for the other women

but the twig of a tree for Cinderella.

She planted that twig on her mother's grave

and it grew to a tree where a white dove sat.

Whenever she wished for anything the dove

would drop it like an egg upon the ground.

The bird is important, my dears, so heed him.

Shift

The shift occurs at the beggining of the last stanza because Sextons true point of view is exposed

Cinderella

by Anne Sexton

Paraphrase

You know the story:

the plumber with the 12 children

who wins the lottery and goes from rags to riches

That story.

Or nanny,

that is very gorgeous

gets the heart of the old son

from rags to riches

That story.

Or the milkman who works for teh wealthy

products he sells

he goes into real estate and makes money

From rags to riches (homogenized the milk (cheap) ; martinis expensive drink)

You always read about it:

the plumber with the twelve children

who wins the Irish Sweepstakes.

From toilets to riches.

That story.

Or the nursemaid,

some luscious sweet from Denmark

who captures the oldest son's heart.

from diapers to Dior.

That story.

Or a milkman who serves the wealthy,

eggs, cream, butter, yogurt, milk,

the white truck like an ambulance

who goes into real estate

and makes a pile.

From homogenized to martinis at lunch.

THEME

The theme of the poem is that happily ever after has a sour taste, because its not truly a happy ending

Title

The new meaning of the title is that Fairy tales dont always have a happy ending

Cinderella, the Disney Story Filled with a happily ever after , Dreams do come true