Wednesday, February 11, 2009

11. Ashpet


Title: Compton, Joanne. Ashpet: An Appalachian Tale. New York, Holiday House, 1994.
Summary: A servant girl named Ashpet is indentured to the Widow Hooper and her 2 mean daughters, Myrtle and Ethel. As in all Cinderella tales, Ashpet toils from dawn till dusk, cleaning, cooking, washing, chopping wood, etc. while the lazy (and of course ugly) sisters lay about. Whenever anyone visits the Hooper cabin, Ashpet is concealed beneath a washtub because the sisters are jealous of her beauty. The action begins when the big summer church revival approaches, and in the bustle of preparations, Ashpet inadvertently lets the fire go out. The next day, Myrtle is sent to get fire from Granny since Ashpet is too busy working. Myrtle hollered outside Granny's cabin, but refused to go in and brush her hair, so Granny wouldn't give her the fire. Then Ethel was sent out, with the same results. Finally Widow Hooper sent Ashpet, and she was polite and brushed Granny's hair. When Granny asked if Ashpet was going to the church meeting, Ashpet said she'd probably be too busy working. Soon after, the Hoopers left for the revival. Granny appeared at the cabin, rapped 3 times on the floor, and magically the cabin was sparkling clean. And, there was a new dress and shoes for Ashpet! After being warned by Granny to be home before midnight, Ashpet went off to the meeting and attracted the attention of the Doc Ellison's son. When the Hoopers offered to share their picnic lunch with him, he took it and went to sit with Ashpet, mortifying the Hoopers, who stomped off home. As Ashpet and the doctor's son walked home, she realized how late it was becoming, and kicked off her shoe to distract him, then ran home. The next day, the doctor's son came to the Hooper cabin. Ashpet was stuffed under the washtub. The doctor's son appeared with the missing shoe, tried it on the sisters, who of course couldn't fit into it. As the doctor's son prepared to leave, he tripped over the washtub, revealing Ashpet. She tried on the shoe, which of course fit perfectly. The doctor's son then paid off Ashpet's remaining years of servitude, and they went off together --"happy as could be".
Cultural origins and how identified: In the author's note, Compton states that the Cinderella story is very old, with the earliest recorded version being "Yeh-shien" from China in 850 A.D. Hundreds of Cinderella stories have been collected since then. The Grimm Brothers recorded "Aschenputtel" in 1812, and European immigrants might have brought a similar version to the Southern Appalachian region of America, where eventually it morphed into "Ashpet". This version was published in 1948 by Richard Chase in Grandfather Tales. Compton has further adapted the tale to make the prince a more likely mountain character--a doctor's son.
Audience: School Library Journal states that this is appropriate for Grades 1-3 [ages 6-9] according to its review. I think this would make a good family storytime at the library or at a school reading night, since everyone is so familiar with the Cinderella tale. It could also work as part of a study unit on Appalachia.
Notes on adaptation for telling: I'd give the doctor's son a name of his own, which he lacks in this version, and might wear a little creative costume--a bonnet or some such--to reflect the homespun atmosphere of the tale. The story would make more sense if the audience had some understanding of Appalachian traditions and lifestyle; another reason to tell it to older listeners.

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