Cinderella
The poem I chose to analyze was "Cinderella" by Anne Sexton. To begin, when I am making any comparisons between versions of Cinderella, it is to Disney’s version. When I first clicked on the link to the poem, I really had no prior knowledge on Anne Sexton or what her work was like. However, by the time I finished reading her adaptation of “Cinderella”, I found myself typing her name into Google to learn more about her! I absolutely enjoyed reading both her interpretations of “Cinderella” and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Her tone in Cinderella I thought was on the edge of sarcastic, yet she portrayed it in a very witty way. I was very surprised to find out once I searched more about her that she was born so long ago. Her work had a very modern tone to it, especially for a woman born nearly a century ago. The first few stanzas that Sexton opens with are genius. They introduce the theme of “rags to riches” immediately. The main elements of the story that she maintains to the original are, first, that Cinderella’s mother has died and she is now in the care of an evil-hearted step mother. However, in Sexton’s version, Cinderella’s father also mistreats and neglects her. She describes him as sharing many gifts with her step-mother and step-sisters, yet she is given “the twig of a tree.” However, in Sexton’s version she is able to plant the twig and gain a place for her mother, who has taken on the shape of a dove, to become her watchful guardian. In Disney’s traditional version, Cinderella has a fairy godmother who waves her wand and creates magic. Next, Sexton is very graphic in describing how the prince finds Cinderella. She has both of the sisters amputate parts of their feet in order to fit the gold shoe. Obviously in Disney’s children’s version, the trying-on of the glass slipper is not quite as brutal. Finally, I love how Sexton ended her poem. She described Cinderella and her prince in say that “their darling smiles (were) pasted on for eternity”. It almost feels like Sexton making fun of them for their cheesy love story- fantastic!
Sexton, A. (n.d.). Cinderella . - Famous poems, famous poets.. Retrieved June 26, 2014, from http://allpoetry.com/poem/8505487-Cinderella-by-Anne-Sexton
Photo Credit: http://abriegrowsinbrooklyn.com/post/1301247745/poet-of-the-week-anne-sextonCinderella. By William Peed, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton S. Luske, Clyde Geronimi, Ben Sharpsteen, Ub Iwerks, C. O. Slyfield, Donald Halliday, Al Teeter, Oliver Wallace, Paul J. Smith, Mack David, Jerry Livingston, Al Hoffman, Joseph Dubin, Mac Stewart, Eric Larson, Don Lusk, Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Claire Du Brey, Rhoda Williams, and Luis Van Rooten. Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., 1949.