Running Head: ANNE SEXTONS CINDERELLA CRITIQUE

Anne Sextons Cinderella Cririque

Charon Bingham
Post University










ANNE SEXTONS CINDERELLA CRITIQUE 2

Anne Sextons poem tells the story of a popular fairy tale character, Cinderella, in a
more different approach than many the conventinal versions. In essence, she employs a dark
and ironic retelling of the classic fairytale. The poem guides the focus away the happy
endings of Disney versions and move towards the pain neglect and death. The research
analysis aims to critic the poem.
Anne Sexton exploits the Grimms fairy tales to build a more realistic and thematic
from-rags-to-riches story by using an ironic/sacarsic tone (Joose, 2011). Repetition is used as
a stylistic device by Sexton in the first four stanzas to state the thesis myths of That story.
She uses that justification to relate her own version of Cinderella. The building of sarcastic
tone relies on the application of hyperbole, simile and symbolism to relate the anonmous
narrators feelings via interjections within the context that remain constant. The character,
cinderella is descirbed as a spolied brat who is nave and out of touch. Anne Sexton describes
Cindrrellas walk by comparing it to Al Jolsonss and cites her sleep tobe on a sooty hearth.
For this reason, the readers initial feeling may be pity for the character. The reality remains
that Cinderella made her bed by opting to believe in fairytales rather than attempting tomake
her situation better. Nevetheless, the use of sacarsm and irony keeps the user amused and
entertained (Joose, 2011).
The speaker intejects with commentary throughout the poem. Commentary enabled
her to deliver personal opinion thus allows the reader to view another side of the storyline.
Consequently, the reader has the ability to build his/her own interpretation as well as embarce
the speakers view. The comment It was a marriage market", found in the second line of the
sixth stanza presents on of the most commentary interjections incorporated in the poem
(Behrens & Rosen, 2011). The metaphor offers Sextons opinion of what these types
occasions represent in her mind and also sways the reader away from the story. Such
ANNE SEXTONS CINDERELLA CRITIQUE 3

interruption compliment the poems tone and helps to form a relationship between the
speaker and reader by personalizing it.
Finally, perhaps as he most controversial feature, Anne Sexton persents the reader
with an unexpected tuen in the eight stanza. She resorts to a grotesque form of hyperbolein to
realte to the anticipated happy-emding unlike the turn in moct conventional poemswhere it
resloves situations that end up to it. The prince arrves to find Cinderella and the mean sister
tries to take her place but the slipper does not fit, sp she cuts off her toe. Obiviously blind to
the spill of blood, the prince is ready to take her away until the dove promts him to galnce at
all the blood (Behrens & Rosen, 2011). Anne Sexton uses a dark theme that incorporates
graphic scenes suitable for mature audiences. She stated, but her big toe got in the way so
she simply sliced it off and put on the slipper (Sexton, 2004, p. 249).
The speaker adds curious comments in the poem that gives a deeper insight to the her
own perceptions on life. For example, when she asserts that amputaions do not just heal up
like you wish (Behrens & Rosen, 2011). Anne Sextons creates a fromal disassociation with
the character in the poem and appears to plead for herself. In respect to that , readers can
draw personal conclusions the speaker develops a juxtaposition for interpretation.
The speaker herself, Anne Sexton, never refers her version of Cinderella as a fairytale.
In line with the image and word choices, the poems tone communicates her cynicism that is
expressed by way of humour. Each of the story the speaker paraphrases involves an
encouraging reversal of fortune and the usual happy ending, both of which are universal
characteristics of fairytales. The plot adopts a poetic structure. The poem is among the
numerous versions available for readers usage. It is a classic fairy tale in which the plot has a
variety of versions.

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References
Behrens, L., & Rosen, L. J. (2011). Writing and reading across the curriculum. Boston:
Longman.
Joosen, V. (2011). Critical and creative perspectives on fairy tales: An intertextual dialogue
between fairy-tale scholarship and postmodern retellings. Detroit: Wayne State
University Press.
Sexton, A. (2004). Anne Sexton: A self-portrait in letters. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.