Part 1: Analyse a Fairytale

Use the fairytale selected by your teacher. Support your interpretations with precise details from the text. Where possible, refer to a quotation or a clearly described moment.

Record the title and, if relevant, the author, collector, adaptor or cultural tradition associated with this version.

Title and source: _________________________________________________

Write the correct letter beside each term. Use the terminology accurately in your later responses.

Explain how the protagonist changes, or refuses to change, during the story. Use one specific detail as evidence and analyse what it reveals.

Analyse the antagonist, opposing force or source of danger. Avoid simply labelling the character as “evil”; explain how the text positions the audience to respond to them.

Describe the setting and explain how it creates an atmosphere such as foreboding, enchantment, isolation or security. How does the setting influence the characters' choices or the audience's expectations?

What internal or external conflict does the protagonist face? Explain why this conflict is significant rather than merely describing what happens.

Summarise three pivotal events in chronological order. For each event, explain how it develops tension, changes the protagonist's situation or prepares the resolution.

Event 1: ______________________________________________________________

Event 2: ______________________________________________________________

Event 3: ______________________________________________________________

Tick the conventions that appear, then explain the effect of two of them. Consider whether each convention reinforces or challenges audience expectations.

magic or the supernatural    a repeated pattern, phrase or event

transformation or disguise    a clearly opposed good and evil

a quest, test or forbidden action    a helper or magical object

an apparently just ending    a moral or social lesson

Convention 1 and its effect:

Convention 2 and its effect:

Does the resolution provide justice, escape, restoration or transformation? Explain how the ending shapes the audience's final judgement of the characters and the world of the story.

What values, warning or belief does the fairytale communicate? Consider whether the message remains convincing to a modern audience.

Part 2: Compare with Cinderella

Compare your chosen fairytale with Cinderella. Go beyond identifying similarities: explain how each writer or storyteller uses conventions to create meaning and influence the audience.

Tick the conventions used in both stories. Then select one shared convention and compare its purpose or effect in each text.

magic or the supernatural    a helper or magical object

a central conflict    transformation or disguise

a test, quest or forbidden action    a social or moral lesson

an apparently just ending    repetition or a pattern of three

Shared convention: ________________________________________________

Compare the protagonists' circumstances, qualities and agency. Use evidence from both stories to explain whether they actively shape their futures or mainly depend on others.

How do the antagonists, social expectations or other obstacles create sympathy, fear or frustration? Explain one important similarity and one significant difference.

Analyse how the settings establish different expectations about power, safety and belonging. Refer to a specific setting detail from each story.

Both stories may follow a pattern of hardship, intervention and change. Explain how the pattern operates in each story and assess which protagonist experiences the more meaningful transformation.

How do the resolutions create satisfaction, surprise or unease? Which ending is more predictable, and what effect does that predictability have on its message?

Which story uses fairytale conventions more effectively to communicate its central idea? Write a developed paragraph that includes a clear judgement, evidence from both stories and analysis of how the conventions shape meaning and audience response.