CINDERELLA

By Charles Perrault

Cinderella’s mother died while she was a very little child, leaving her to the care of her father
and her step-sisters, who were very much older than herself; for Cinderella’s father had been
twice married, and her mother was his second wife. Now, Cinderella’s sisters did not love her,
and were very unkind to her. As she grew older they made her work as a servant, and even sift
the cinders; on which account they used to call her in mockery “Cinderella.” It was not her real
name, but she became afterwards so well known by it that her proper one has been forgotten.

She was a very sweet-tempered, good girl, however, and everybody (except her cruel
sisters) loved her.

It happened, when Cinderella was about seventeen years old, that the King of that country
gave a ball, to which all ladies of the land, and among the rest the young girl’s sisters, were
invited. And they made her dress them for the ball, but never thought of allowing her to go there.

“I wish you would take me to the ball with you,” said Cinderella, meekly.

“Take you, indeed!” answered the elder sister, with a sneer; “it is no place for a cinder-
sifter: stay at home and do your work.”

When they were gone, Cinderella, whose heart was very sad, sat down and cried bitterly;
but as she sat sorrowful, thinking of the unkindness of her sisters, a voice called to her from the
garden, and she went out to see who was there. It was her godmother, a good old Fairy.

“Do not cry, Cinderella,” she said; “you also shall go to the ball, because you are a kind,
good girl. Bring me a large pumpkin.”

Cinderella obeyed, and the Fairy, touching it with her wand, turned it into a grand coach.
Then she desired Cinderella to go to the trap, and bring her a rat. The girl obeyed, and a touch of
the Fairy’s wand turned him into a very smart coachman. Two mice were turned into footmen;
four grasshoppers into white horses. Next, the Fairy touched Cinderella’s rags, and they became
rich satin robes, trimmed with point lace. Diamonds shone in her hair and on her neck and arms,
and her kind godmother thought she had seldom seen so lovely a girl. Her old shoes became a
charming pair of glass slippers, which shone like diamonds.
“Now go to the ball, my love,” she said, “and enjoy yourself. But remember, you must
leave the room before the clock strikes eleven. If you do not your dress will return to its original
rags. I approve of pleasure, but not of dissipation, and I expect that you will show your gratitude
by obeying me.”

Cinderella kissed and thanked her godmother. Then she stepped into her coach and drove
off, with her footmen behind, in great style. The Fairy, when she was gone, returned to
Fairyland.
 Cinderella was received at the King’s palace with great respect. The Lord Chamberlain
bowed low to her, thinking she must be a very great lady by her dress and carriage, and he
showed her at once into the ball-room.

She was so beautiful that everybody looked at her, and wondered who she was; and the
Prince asked her to dance with him, and afterwards would dance with no one else.

But she made haste to leave a little before the hour fixed, and had time to undress before
her sisters came home. They told her a beautiful Princess had been at the ball, with whom the
Prince was delighted. They did not know it was Cinderella herself, and she was amused to hear
them admire her grace and beauty, and say that they were sure she was a royal lady.

The Prince was quite vexed when supper-time came, and he could not find his beautiful
partner, and no one had seen her leave the room. But in hopes of beholding her again, he
persuaded the King to give another grand ball. As soon as her sisters were gone to it,
Cinderella’s godmother arrived.

“You were so good and obedient last time, that I shall let you go out again,” said she to the
young girl.

And once more the rat, mice, grasshoppers, and pumpkin (which had gone back to their
original shapes after the first ball) were turned into the grand carriage and attendants, and
Cinderella, in rose-coloured satin and rubies, went to the royal ball.

Directly the Prince saw her, he asked her to dance, and would have no other partner, and as
he led her past her two unkind sisters, she saw them look at her dress with envious eyes, and
knew that they wished they were as beautiful, and as well-dressed as she was.

But in the midst of her enjoyment, Cinderella remembered the Fairy’s command, and at
half-past ten glided out of the room, and drove home again. Her sisters found her waiting to
undress them in her usual rags, and kept her up to tell her how beautiful the unknown Princess
was, and how well she was dressed.

Again the Prince was vexed at the sudden disappearance of the beautiful stranger, and
once more he persuaded the King to give a grand State ball.

“I wonder if Princess Beauty will be there!” said the sisters to Cinderella. “We must have
new dresses, for she is so splendid. She makes every one look shabby.”

Cinderella smiled as she helped them to dress. She was sure the Fairy would let her go to
the ball too. And she was right. Her godmother, pleased with her obedience, came in good time,
and Cinderella, dressed in blue satin and pearls, went in the same style as before.

The Prince would scarcely let her out of his sight, and Cinderella, who was getting a little
spoiled by all the flattery she heard, began to think more of herself and less of the Fairy; so the
time stole on, till glancing up at the clock, she saw it wanted only five minutes to eleven.
At once she darted out of the room, and ran through the palace as fast as she could go, but
as she reached the hall, she lost one of her precious glass slippers! She did not stop to pick it up,
but rushed to the door. Alas! the clock had struck
Eleven. She found no coach, only a pumpkin, and the rat and mice ran quickly away when they
saw her; while all her fine dress turned to rags, and she had to run home alone in the darkness of
the night.

The Prince was very much surprised when he missed Cinderella again, and leaving the
ball, went in search of her. He asked all the attendants, but no one had seen her, and when
enquiry was made of the porter, he said that no one had gone out of the palace except a poor
ragged beggar-girl.

However, the Prince’s search was rewarded by his finding the glass slipper, which he well
knew belonged to the unknown Princess. He loved Cinderella so much that he now resolved to
marry her; and as he felt sure that no one else could wear such a tiny shoe as hers was, he sent
out a herald to proclaim that whichever lady in his kingdom could put on this glass slipper
should be his wife.

All the great ladies who wished to be a Princess tried to put it on, but in vain. Cinderella’s
sisters tried, but could not get it on, and then Cinderella asked if she might try. They laughed at
her; but the Prince, hearing of her wish, sent for her. She went with her sisters in her poor dress,
but very clean, and at once put on the slipper. Then she drew the fellow of it from her pocket,
and slipped it on her other foot.

The Prince, who had thought the moment he saw her that the poor girl was very much like
the beautiful Princess, was delighted. He insisted on Cinderella telling him her story, which she
did very modestly, and all listened with wonder.

As her tale ended, the Fairy godmother suddenly entered the room, and placing her
godchild’s hand in the Prince’s, said:

“Take this young girl for your wife, Prince; she is good and patient, and as she has known
how to submit to injustice meekly, she will know how to reign justly.”

So Cinderella was married to the Prince in great state, and they lived together very
happily. She forgave her sisters, and treated them always very kindly, and the Prince had great
cause to be glad that he had found the glass slipper.
Tittle: Cinderella

Setting: The story takes place a long time ago in a land ruled by a king and queen.

Character:

*Main characters:

Cinderella and her step-mother

*Minor Characters include:

The step sisters, fairy godmother and the prince

Theme: The themes of “ Cinderella “ are implied. The reader can infer one or more themes from
it. One theme is that you should make the best of any situation and things will work out in the
end. Another might be, good triumphs over evil.
 Gist of the story

Cinderella is the story of jealousy, virtues and sufferings of Cinderella and hostility of her
older sisters. The fairytale about Cinderella has won many generations and everyone who
believes that a humiliated being will rise and win and also that beauty and virtue not only have to
be rewarded but also recognized.

In a far away, long ago kingdom, Cinderella is living happily with her mother and father
until her mother dies. Cinderella's father remarries a cold, cruel woman who has two daughters,
Drizella and Anastasia. When the father dies, Cinderella's wicked stepmother turns her into a
virtual servant in her own house. Meanwhile, across town in the castle, the King determines that
his son the Prince should find a suitable bride and provide him with a required number of
grandchildren. So the King invites every eligible maiden in the kingdom to a fancy dress ball,
where his son will be able to choose his bride. Cinderella has no suitable party dress for a ball,
but her friends the mice, led by Jaques and Gus, and the birds lend a hand in making her one, a
dress the evil stepsisters immediately tear apart on the evening of the ball. At this point, enter the
Fairy Godmother, the pumpkin carriage, the royal ball, the stroke of midnight, the glass slipper,
and the rest, as they say, is fairy tale history. When Cinderella entered the palace, everybody was
struck by her beauty. Nobody, not even Cinderella’s stepmother or stepsisters, knew who she
really was in her pretty clothes and shoes. The handsome prince also saw her and fell in love
with Cinderella. He went to her and asked, “Do you want to dance?” And Cinderella said, “Yes!”
The prince danced with her all night and nobody recognized the beautiful dancer. Cinderella was
so happy dancing with the prince that she almost forgot what the fairy godmother had said. At
the last moment, Cinderella remembered her fairy godmother’s words and she rushed to go
home. “Oh! I must go!” she cried and ran out of the palace. One of her glass slippers came off
but Cinderella did not turn back for it. She reached home just as the clock struck twelve. Her
coach turned back into a pumpkin, the horses into mice and her fine ball gown into rags. Her
stepmother and stepsisters reached home shortly after that. They were talking about the beautiful
lady who had been dancing with the prince.

The prince had fallen in love with Cinderella and wanted to find out who the beautiful
girl was, but he did not even know her name. He found the glass slipper that had come off
Cinderella’s foot as she ran home. The prince said, “I will find her. The lady whose foot fits this
slipper will be the one I marry!” The next day, the prince and his servants took the glass slipper
and went to all the houses in the kingdom. They wanted to find the lady whose feet would fit in
the slipper. All the women in the kingdom tried the slipper but it would not fit any of them.
Cinderella’s stepsisters also tried on the little glass slipper. They tried to squeeze their feet and
push hard into the slipper, but the servant was afraid the slipper would break. Cinderella’s
stepmother would not let her try the slipper on, but the prince saw her and said, “Let her also try
on the slipper!” The slipper fit her perfectly. The prince recognized her from the ball. He married
Cinderella and together they lived happily ever after.
 PROJECT
IN
ENGLISH
SUBMITTED BY: JOANNA MARIE MANDEOYA
GRADE VI-GEMINI

SUBMITTED TO: MR.SONNY BOY ARAGON