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Cinderella

Folklore
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A folktale heroine who endures persecution but achieves elevation through magical aid, symbolizing virtue rewarded and transformation.

Detailed Definition
Cinderella’s rags-to-riches story, aided by a fairy godmother, emphasizes virtue rewarded and transformation. In poetry, she symbolizes hope amid oppression, the magic of possibility, and the triumph of kindness over cruelty.
Example
Example in poetry:
In the Brothers Grimm version rendered poetically by Anne Sexton in “Cinderella,” the tale critiques social mobility and luck; In Perrault’s original, Cinderella’s slipper symbolizes grace and transformation; In Carol Ann Duffy’s “Cinderella,” the fairy tale is subverted to expose marital disillusionment; In Sylvia Plath’s “The Disquieting Muses,” Cinderella represents impossible feminine ideals; In modern feminist poetry, Cinderella often signifies the trap of passive waiting; In Tracy K. Smith’s “Watershed,” Cinderella’s rags-to-riches myth is contrasted with racial and economic realities.
Additional Notes
Cinderella, the archetypal persecuted heroine rewarded through virtue and magic, symbolizes hope, transformation, and social mobility; poets may subvert her story to critique passive femininity, class structures, or the illusion of “happily ever after”—her glass slipper becomes a metaphor for identity, fragility, or the fit between self and destiny.
Also Known As
Ashen Maiden Persecuted Heroine Glass Slipper Princess
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