Cinderella Flashcards
by The Brothers Grimm — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: Cinderella
What are the dying mother's last words to Cinderella?
She tells her to be good and pious, promising that God will protect her and that she will look down from heaven and be near her.
What gift does Cinderella ask her father to bring from the fair?
The first branch that knocks against his hat on the way home -- which turns out to be a hazel twig.
What does Cinderella do with the hazel twig?
She plants it on her mother's grave and waters it with her tears until it grows into a handsome tree where a white bird grants her wishes.
What impossible task does the stepmother set as a condition for Cinderella to attend the festival?
She dumps lentils into the ashes and tells Cinderella to pick them all out -- first one dish in two hours, then two dishes in one hour.
How does Cinderella complete the lentil-sorting tasks?
She calls on pigeons, turtle-doves, and all the birds beneath the sky, who swarm in and pick the good grains from the ashes.
How does Cinderella escape the prince on each of the three nights?
Night one she hides in the pigeon-house, night two she climbs a pear tree, and night three she loses her golden slipper on the pitch-covered staircase.
How does the prince trap Cinderella on the third night?
He has the entire staircase smeared with pitch so that her left golden slipper sticks to it when she runs away.
What does the stepmother tell the eldest stepsister to do when the slipper doesn't fit?
She gives her a knife and says to cut off her big toe, telling her she won't need to walk when she's Queen.
Why do the stepsisters call the heroine "Cinderella"?
Because she sleeps by the fireside in the ashes and always looks dusty and dirty.
How does Cinderella's father behave toward her after remarrying?
He is passive and compliant -- he does not protect her from the stepfamily and even doubts she could be the prince's bride, calling her a "little stunted kitchen-wench."
What contrast does the story draw between the stepsisters' appearance and character?
They are described as "beautiful and fair of face, but vile and black of heart," establishing that outer beauty can mask inner cruelty.
How does the prince recognize Cinderella when she appears in her ordinary clothes?
When she puts on the golden slipper and it fits perfectly, he looks at her face and recognizes the beautiful maiden who danced with him.
What role does the stepmother play in the slipper-fitting scene?
She tries to hide Cinderella from the prince, saying she is too dirty to show herself, and she encourages both daughters to mutilate their feet.
How does the story show that inner virtue matters more than outward appearance?
Cinderella is covered in ashes yet wins the prince through her goodness, while the beautiful but cruel stepsisters end up blinded and mutilated.
How does the story portray maternal love surviving death?
Cinderella's mother continues to protect her from beyond the grave through the magical hazel tree and the white bird that grants her wishes.
How is the theme of perseverance through suffering illustrated?
Cinderella endures years of forced labor, mocking, and sleeping in ashes without losing her piety or goodness, and is eventually rewarded for her patience.
What does the story suggest about justice and forgiveness?
Unlike some versions, the Grimm tale offers no forgiveness -- the stepsisters are permanently blinded, suggesting wickedness earns absolute punishment.
What is the effect of the pigeons' repeated chant "Turn and peep, turn and peep"?
It creates suspense and functions as a truth-revealing device, exposing each false bride through the same incantatory refrain.
What type of irony is present when the stepmother promises Cinderella can go if she sorts the lentils?
Dramatic irony and broken promise -- the stepmother never intends to let Cinderella go, even after she completes the task twice.
How does the story use foreshadowing in the mother's deathbed speech?
Her promise that God will always protect a good and pious child foreshadows the supernatural aid Cinderella receives through the tree and birds.
What does the golden slipper symbolize in the story?
It represents identity, destiny, and truth -- only the foot that fits reveals the true bride, and deception (cutting off toes/heels) cannot fool it.
What does "pious" mean as used in the story's opening?
Devoutly religious and morally good -- Cinderella's mother urges her to be "good and pious" so that God will protect her.
What is a "stratagem" as used when the prince smears pitch on the stairs?
A clever trick or plan designed to achieve an advantage -- the prince uses it to trap Cinderella's slipper so he can identify her.
Who says "Shiver and quiver, little tree, / Silver and gold throw down over me"?
Cinderella speaks this incantation at her mother's grave to summon magical dresses and slippers from the hazel tree.
What do the pigeons sing when the true bride is finally found?
"Turn and peep, turn and peep, / No blood is in the shoe, / The shoe is not too small for her, / The true bride rides with you."