"To be born in a duck's nest, in a farmyard, is of no consequence to a bird, if it is hatched from a swan's egg."
I opened H.C. Andersen for the first time today. What a fascinating and tragic personality! The Ugly Duckling is possibly his most famous work and it's what you might call an autobiographical fairy tale. The poor ugly animal suffers, escapes to suffer more, and finally, on the brink of suicide, it just happens to end up on top of the world, thanks to an unknown birthright. A duck with luck.
Taken literally, it says that a select few are destined for greatness and the rest are simply stuck where they are. Sorry kid, you're a misfit and you don't have any say in the matter, so just cross your fingers, keep scraping by, and maybe one day you'll find that you're a swan. A rather dark, pessimistic message for a children's story, don't you think? Disney, we need some major help here!
The Ugly Duckling is a fantastic piece of poetry--soooo much imagery and emotion. But damn, it's depressing. Classism and elitism were never my favorite subjects. Maybe I'll move on and find a happy Andersen fairy tale.
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Dude, you are a study in the duality of man. here you are waxing on the Ugly Duckling and I witnessed you almost set yourself on fire by pouring gasoline on a giant log on fire in your parents backyard....I could say I have now seen everything...but I can't...I have never seen someone eat their own head.
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