IMS 103 Assignment Blog

Anne Sexton
-1950s-colleague of Sylvia Plath-conversational tone in “Cinderella”
-author’s version of Cinderella story is closer to original Grimm Brothers writing rather than the Disney mutilation

Stanza 1:

"You always read about it:
the plumber with the twelve children
who wins the Irish Sweepstakes.
From toilets to riches.
That story."

“You always hear about it:” – the event never happens to you, but you hear about it only through reading news (no one in your world has it happen)

Stanzas 1-4 present unattractive people that:
-don’t have a remembrance for the world they left behind when getting money
-the people are mostly passive (with the exception of the milkman); you get the feeling that they don’t deserve the boon of money
-the tone is gritty – doesn’t leave things unsaid

Stanza 5:
“Once” – the event the author’s about to describe has only happened once, but you hear about it constantly, as if it could happen again, and maybe even to you (when the chances that that will occur are nil)

Stanza 8:

“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.”

Original Grimm Brothers version of the events told in Stanza 8:

“The eldest went with the shoe into her room and wanted to try it on, and her mother stood by. But she could not get her big toe into it, and the shoe was too small for her. Then her mother gave her a knife and said, "Cut the toe off, when you are queen you will have no more need to go on foot." The maiden cut the toe off, forced the foot into the shoe, swallowed the pain, and went out to the king's son. Then he took her on his his horse as his bride and rode away with her. They were obliged, however, to pass the grave, and there, on the hazel-tree, sat the two pigeons and cried,

"Turn and peep, turn and peep,
there's blood within the shoe,
the shoe it is too small for her,
the true bride waits for you."

Then he looked at her foot and saw how the blood was trickling from it. He turned his horse round and took the false bride home again, and said she was not the true one, and that the other sister was to put the shoe on. Then this one went into her chamber and got her toes safely into the shoe, but her heel was too large. So her mother gave her a knife and said, "Cut a bit off your heel, when you are queen you will have no more need to go on foot." The maiden cut a bit off her heel, forced her foot into the shoe, swallowed the pain, and went out to the king's son. He took her on his horse as his bride, and rode away with her, but when they passed by the hazel-tree, the two pigeons sat on it and cried,

"Turn and peep, turn and peep,
there's blood within the shoe,
the shoe it is too small for her,
the true bride waits for you."

He looked down at her foot and saw how the blood was running out of her shoe, and how it had stained her white stocking quite red.”