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General Activities
Activity 1Once upon a time fairy tales were told orally and one way of making them easy to remember was to use easily recognisable characters. Consider ‘Cinderella’ and some other well-known fairy tales about female characters. What similarities can you find in the characterisations? Present your findings in class, noting particularly: - the appearance (looks, clothes) of the heroine
- the appearance (looks, clothes) of the villain
- he relationship between heroine and villain
- the attitude and behaviour of the villain
- how the heroine overcomes her major problem
You may also notice common patterns in the settings and plots of fairy tales. What effect would it have if any of these traditional patterns were modernised or changed in any way? Activity 2Note how the narrator of a fairy tale has to tell the story using a third-person perspective (using ‘he,’ ‘she’) Rewrite any scene from ‘Cinderella’ from the point of view of one of its characters and explain how your first-person narration significantly changes the story. Activity 3...Cinderella’s two stepsisters discovered her to be that fine beautiful lady that they had seen at the ball. They threw themselves at her feet, to beg pardon for all the ill treatment they had made her undergo. Cinderella took them up, and told them, as she embraced them, that she forgave them with all her heart, and desired them always to love her. Cinderella was conducted to the young Prince, dressed as she was: he thought her more beautiful than ever, and a few days after married her. Cinderella, who was as good as she was beautiful, gave her two sisters lodgings in the palace, and married them the same day to two great lords of the court.
This is the ending of the most popular version of ‘Cinderella’. However, in older versions of the tale, the stepsisters were punished for their wickedness by being banished from the kingdom or made blind by birds pecking out their eyes! Discuss points for and against each type of conclusion and then decide which ending you find is the better one.
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