Cinderella Speech

Good morning/afternoon, my name is Mel Howard. I am an expert in literature and more specifically the role of fairytales over time. Cinderella is one of the most well-known fairytales around the world, there are between 500 and 1500 different versions of this story currently worldwide. Each story symbolises a different culture and within that culture, their Values and attitudes. The story of Cinderella is based around a young lady (the heroine), who suffers in the hands of her step-family after the death of her mother. The heroine is not always referred to as Cinderella, in some versions different names which better suit the culture are used. In some stories the heroine’s father is absent; in other stories he is present but simply neglects her. The heroine has a magical guardian who helps her triumph over
Her nasty family. Her guardian is often the key to the heroine receiving her greatest wish and is usually referred to as the Fairy Godmother. In some versions, the guardian is a representation of the heroine’s dead mother, sometimes in the form of an animal, or in Grimm’s version, a tree is planted over her mother’s grave; this provides the heroine with materials for the magical event. Most tales include a magical event sparked by a Piece of clothing that causes the heroine to be recognised for her true worth. The clothing article is usually a glass slipper or some other form of shoe. Almost every version of the story consists of the following characters: Heroine’s mother. Some stories only mention her once, while other versions have the dead mother providing assistance to the heroine in either an animal form or through magical objects. The ‘evil’ Stepmother has been a
Villain since the earliest known versions of Cinderella; she is very cruel and makes the heroine do chores and other cruel business. The heroine’s father is absent but not dead in most versions, the father does not usually interfere in the conflict between the step-family and the heroine. The