Cinderella

Grimm Brothers, “Ashputtle” & Anne Sexton, “Cinderella”

Words that caught my attention:

Ashputtle:
Pious- A virtue, possibly religious devotion or spirituality. Humility.
Pitch - A viscous liquid, derived from plants or petroleum products.
Wickedness- Cruel, unjust, selfish. Evil which is to be contrasted with good.
Falsehood- In the wrong; antonym of true.
Cinderella:
Bonwit Teller- Defunct department store in NYC founded in 1895; upper class boutiques.
Blackjacks- Marine fighting squadron 441; shot down 49 planes during the Cold War; activated in the 1940s and again in the 1950s.
Al Jolson- Acclaimed American singer, comedian and actor; “the world’s greatest entertainer”; born in Lithuania. Painted his face black for performances.
Bobbsey Twins- Four star characters in the children’s adventure novels written from 1904 to 1979; twins were referred to as a “simple duplication of protagonists”.

Findings:

Although I enjoyed both assigned versions of Cinderella, I found there were more eye catching words in Anne Sexton’s account. Throughout her story she makes reference to well-known people and places in multiple descriptions. Many of these references, such as Bonwit Teller, Blackjacks, Al Jolson and the Bobbsey Twins, I was unfamiliar with upon reading. Interestingly enough all turned out to be American icons from the mid-1900s. Some of these references are used to describe Cinderella herself. One is used to illustrate the stepsisters and another is applied to one of the opening stanzas to describe a charwoman who lucks out. Unfortunately I have found that some of the wit of this story is lost when connections like these are missed and unrecognized. After researching these words I liked the piece even more than I had the first time I read it. In the Grim Brother’s version, I noticed words that either stood out due to my unfamiliarity to them or as a result of their strong meaning. The word ‘pitch’, which I have found refers to a thick liquid that comes from plants, is used in reference to the substance the prince placed on the staircase. The other three words: pious, wickedness and falsehood stood out as being daring and made the story more interesting and more dramatic to me as I read it.