Analysis Of Cinderella By Anne Sexton

The poem “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton tells the story of Cinderella but differently then the beloved fairy tale portrayed by Walt Disney. Sexton emphases the way the Grimm Brothers told the story of Cinderella. Readers will feel a sense of hatred toward the idea of Disney’s version of the story. Sexton shows the Cinderella story in a more realistic way and explains how not everything will have a happy-ever-after.

In the first four stanzas of the poem Sexton makes fun of these unrealistic fairy tale stories. Readers can feel her sarcasm when she writes “You always read about it: the plumber with twelve children who wins the Irish Sweepstakes. From toilets to riches. That story” (Sexton 1-5). Writing in a very sarcastic tone really brings out the theme which is; life does not work the same way as fairy tails do. Life may not always have a happy ending. The fifth stanza begins to tell the story of Cinderella. Sexton’s version of Cinderella shows an unpleasant reality, violence, and death. Cinderella’s mother dies, in the poem, and forgotten

Each line provides, about seven to twelve syllables which gives the poem a consistent feel. Another observation of the form of the poem is that each stanza tells its own story. Each stanza has something different to give to the poem. Each stanza ends with a period which shows the ending of an idea and moving on to the next step in the poem. The form of this poem seems to be very simple and easy to follow for readers. It is not a crazy spaced out poem which could make it difficult for readers to understand. The lines are primarily end-stop oriented around the stanzas which are about five to twenty-five lines in length. The only unusual thing readers will find in this poem is the repeating line “that story.” The way Sexton uses this phrase, mocks and bashes the idea of a fairy tale. This phrase makes the theme and tone of the poem very clear to the