CR Exercise 2: Cinderella
In “Spells of Enchantment,” Jack Zipes argues that: The humane ties between people based on compassion and love can only be solidified if the protagonists recognize what and where evil is. The fairy tale involves arousing the protagonists and sharpening their perception of what is really occurring so they can change or bring about changes to master their own destinies. In this respect, the narrative structure of the fairy tale is conceived so that the listener will learn to distinguish between destructive and beneficial forces, for the art of seeing and intuiting is nurtured by the fairy tale. (11)
Pick ONE of the Cinderella or Catskin tales for your response this week. How does this tale try to teach the reader how “to distinguish between destructive and beneficial forces"?
To answer this question, first identify a rhetorical strategy in the tale that you want to focus on. Possible strategies include things like narrative structure/plot, character, setting, figurative language and imagery, or other fairy tale conventions (review our master list for more ideas). Begin by introducing this rhetorical strategy and quoting a passage from the tale that illustrates it.
Spend the rest of your response analyzing this passage—that is, breaking it down and explaining how the parts come together to create specific rhetorical effects. Feel free to briefly summarize other parts of the tale as needed to help you develop your analysis. You may use the following questions to help guide your analysis:
-How does the passage portray the difference between good and evil?
-How does the passage reflect the rhetor’s particular view of good and evil?
-How does the passage help the reader learn the difference between good and evil?
-How does the passage communicate a larger ideology or cultural perspective on good and evil?
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CR Exercise 2: Cinderella
Almost every fairytale involves a battle between good and evil, and Cinderella is no exception. Cinderella is aimed at teaching the reader how to distinguish between destructive and beneficial forces through narrative structure. After the death of her mother, Cinderella’s father remarries; this new union is the beginning of all her troubles. “The man took another wife who had two daughters, pretty enough, but with hearts like blackjacks, Cinderella was their maid” (Sexton 27-30). In this tale, Cinderella is the “good guy.” On the other hand, her evil stepmother and her two stepsisters, who are described as having “hearts like blackjacks,” are the “bad guys.” They turn Cinderella into their maid, which is an evil way to treat someone, especially a family member. This makes good and evil an obvious dichotomy. Here, good and evil cannot be confused; it is rather apparent.
Evil is seen early in the tale when Cinderella begs to attend the prince’s ball. Her request is met by an angry response in which her stepmother intentionally throws a dish of lentils and commands her to pick them up from the floor. “Pick them up in an hour, and you shall go” (Sexton 48-49), she states. Cinderella’s only desire is to attend the ball. But, her stepmother, with her evil tendencies, does not simply decline. Instead, she gives her an impossible task of collecting the lentils in an hour and offers false hope by telling her she can go if she achieves the task. That is eviler than simply saying “no”.
After the lentils are (magically) picked up, Cinderella’s request to atten...