Beautiful Life

All living things must die in this world, but they live on in another. This is the lesson of Hans Christian Andersen’s  The Last Dream Of Old Oak. In this story an oak lives for 365 years. The oak then meets a fly, called the Ephemera that lives only for one day. “Poor little creature, only lives for one day,” the oak says. The fly is really happy enjoying life no matter how long he lives. “How can you be so happy when you have such a short life?” says old oak to himself.  In the end, old oak has a vivid dream of being lifted from the ground into the light. I think this story has an amazing lesson to teach us about enjoying life because, death is not the end but a new beginning.

  The tree lives a long time unlike the fly. Old oak is grateful to be in such a beautiful world but, scared to die. While the fly is less scared of dieing because, he knows he has an eternal life which, the tree doesn’t know about yet. Old oak feels that life should be filled with fear and measures life in years. The fly feels that everything is so beautiful and joyus and measures his life in moments.“Everything around me is so wonderfully bright and warm, and beautiful, that it makes me joyous.”  This story is a christian story where people are represented by the oak and fly who both end up believing in eternal life.

“Eternal life is not primarily duration but quality of life, "life to the limit.”

― John Eldredge

“All who live possess eternal life, and few would trade it for an immortal body, if they truly understood what it is to be alive.”

― Audrey Auden, Realms Unreel

  As winter was coming, he noticed how birds were coming to him to rest before their long journey across the ocean. The oak could be seen far out at sea so sailoris would look for the oak and would know where they were. In the fall, the oak is so beautiful with it’s leaves all colorful and bright. It had no idea how many eyes looked eagerly for it. The tree has a great purpose in this world like all of us.

“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth” (Exodus 9:16).

   Winter was coming, and the breeze would sing to the oak good night for it was the trees 4’th century to be able to sleep. As he was sleeping, he could see butterflies chasing each other, summer flies dancing around him, and the cuckoo that would come and sing to him. Oak’s life has past before his eyes. People say that when you die you see your whole life flashing before your eyes. As oak looked down, he could see on a patch of grass a grasshopper. Beetles hummed, the birds sang, and the bees murmured. All of them had a tune of their own way , filling the air with songs and gladness. “Where is the little blue flower, and the wild apple-tree with its lovely blossoms, and all the glory of the wood, which has flourished year after year?” asked the oak. “We are here we are here” said whispers to the oak. “Why this is beautiful, too beautiful to be believed,” said the oak in a joyful tone. “I have them all here, both great and small; not one has been forgotten. Can such happiness be imagined?” It seemed almost impossible.

“When you are with the Eternal God in heaven  it can be imagined, and it is possible,” sounded the reply through the air.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

                                                                                                         John 5-24

  As he grew taller and taller his roots were being pulled up from the ground. The tree was being pulled to heaven. Actually, the tree was being uprooted by a terrible storm, yet to the tree, it was a very different experience. The tree learned that when he dies he will keep living on and on with an eternal life. Life is to beautiful to believe all is here nothing is forgotten so much happiness can be imagined

    In the end, the story is not about a fly and a tree. It’s about people. It teaches us that god has a purpose and a path for all of us to be in the world. The tree learned that when he dies he will keep living on and on for eternity.

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

                                                                      John 11-25

The Little Matchstick Girl

“Every man’s life is a fairytale written by God’s fingers” -Hans Christian Anderson.

Imagine that instead of having a party on New Year's with your friends and family, it is 1845, you are wandering the cold streets with no shoes, feet blue and red from the cold and you are trying to sell matches so your father doesn’t beat you when you get home.  That was what life was like for the little girl in the short story The Little Matchstick Girl.

The Little Matchstick Girl  is a story about a dying child’s dreams and hopes.  In this story a little girl is sent out on the cold streets of Denmark by her impoverished parents on the last evening of the year to sell matches.  The cold little girl was not able to sell any matches and begins to despair because she knows that her father will beat her when she arrives home.  

The girl then sits in a corner against a stone wall and strikes a match against it, the warmth she feels is incredible.  Looking to her right she sees a hot stove, the match dies out and the scene fades away.  This happens three more times, beginning with a stunning view of a beautiful new year's feast, then a christmas tree, and when she lights the lasts match the christmas tree reappears this time lit with thousands of candles.  The tree is so tall that it merges with the sky and the girl’s dead grandmother appears in front of her.  

The grandmother was the only person in her life that had ever loved her.  The girl goes to her grandmother and they both leave to a world without hunger nor pain.  In the morning people find the girl frozen to death against the wall and clutching her matches, half burned out.  All they mutter is “She tried to warm herself” but little do they know of the beauty she had witnessed with her grandmother that night.

In Hans Christian Anderson’s time begging was illegal, and child abuse was common.  Not only was the girl cold and hungry but she was also abused at home, increasing the sorrow of the story when she only sees release from her distress in dying.  People on the streets didn’t want to be caught up with the law so they refused to help the little girl who was freezing and begging on the streets.  It makes you wonder, how many times have I turned my face, and not helped someone in need.  It will surprise you to notice that you probably have done that many times.  This story also shows that you shouldn’t take things for granted because some people for example, the girl in the story, found that a match might give her a world of comfort.

I think that the three images she had were like three wishes so when “her soul ascended into heaven” the wishes came true.  Around the time that this story was set, many people were poor because of small salaries so they could only dream of being part of the great scenes the girl had seen.

Some people read this story and think that it has a sad ending, others will think that it has a happy ending.  Personally I think that this story has a both happy and sad ending.  It is happy for the girl because she gets to escape this horrible world and be with the one person who loved her.  It is sad for the other people in the world that were also suffering because instead of being warm and happy they were cold and starving.  I love this story because the little girl was rescued from her parents, the cold, and the life she was having to be warmed and fed on that new year’s night.  

Dust Under the Rug Literary Analysis

Imagine standing at a corner on a snowy day, and you’re starving so you ask someone walking by for some food. He gives you a funny glance then hurries away, just like everyone else. How does this leave you feeling? Probably like no one cares. Poverty in America is growing, and we don’t do anything to make it better, we just think “Why should I give away my money and food when it’s the government’s job?” This is one topic that can relate to the short story, “The Dust Under the Rug” written by Maud Lindsay.

In this story, a young girl named Minnie goes out to find a house where her sick mom and crippled sister can stay, and finds an abandoned yet messy cottage. She decides to clean it, but neglects to sweep under the rug thinking that no one will notice. She later finds out that dwarves occupied the house and when they praise her hard work, Minnie feels guilty about the dust under the rug so goes back to clean it and finds a pile of gold hidden under the dust.

When deciding whether or not to clean the floor, Minnie declares “I will not sweep under the rug to-day. After all, it is nothing for dust to be where it can't be seen!” (1) Just like Minnie knew the dust was there, we acknowledge that the homeless people are around, but don’t take action to help.

After driving or walking away from a homeless person without giving them anything, you might feel guilty that you didn’t take two minutes of your day to find something to give them. Minnie was being admired for her hard work, but she felt sorry that she didn’t finish her job thoroughly. “Finally, she could bear it no longer. So she sprang out of bed, and, taking her broom in her hand, she swept the dust away; and lo! under the dust lay twelve shining gold pieces, as round and as bright as the moon.” (1) If Minnie had been too lazy and abandoned the rug, she wouldn’t have been rewarded with the gold, which she brought home to her sick mother and sister. Helping out someone in need might not reward you with gold, but it can make that person’s day, which is just as good.

“Our love goes with the gold we give, And oh! forget not while you live, That in the smallest duty done Lies wealth of joy for everyone." the dwarves chant as they hear how Minnie discovered the gold. (1) That basically meant that she shouldn’t carry around a broom and go sweeping under every rug she finds, expecting gold and praise, but for better motivations like giving it to her family. So we shouldn’t give money to the poor just so we can brag about it to our parents or whatever, but so that it can make them feel not forgotten.

The Dust Under the Rug is a great short story that teaches us to do our work diligently and go the extra mile to finish. We don’t have to offer a five star hotel room to a homeless person or anything like that, but offering five dollars or a meal shows them that they aren’t forgotten and there are still thoughtful people in this world. Not only will helping them out make them feel good, but you will also feel proud of yourself for helping someone out.

Work Cited

Lindsay, Maud. "The Baldwin Project: Mother Stories by Maud Lindsay." The Baldwin Project: Mother Stories by Maud Lindsay

n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.

<http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=lindsay&book=mother&story=dust>.

The Doll's House Literary Analysis

“There should be no discrimination against languages people speak, skin color, or religion”.

-Malala Yousafzai (1)

In The Doll’s House, by Katherine Mansfield, a family named the Kelveys  are discriminated from the other families because they aren’t wealthy. A wealthier family named the Burnells acquire a beautiful dollhouse. The little girls are overjoyed to show everyone the dollhouse, except the Kelveys. One of the little Burnell girls tries to play with one of the Kelvey girls, but Mrs. Burnell is ashamed to have her daughter playing with a Kelvey so she makes them never see each other again.  I believe this story is showing how easily people discriminate other people because of their skin color, wealth, or religion.  

The Doll’s House was written in 1922. The Civil War had finished in 1865, however African-American people were still treated very poorly. White people didn’t even think that black people were human! So they treated them so badly, but this former slave, Fountain Hughes, said this “You wasn't no more than a dog to some of them in them days. You wasn't treated as good as they treat dogs now.” (2) In fact a white man named Jim Crow made fun of African-American people by painting himself black and acting super stupid. Isn’t that horrible! Another awful incident went like this: The United States Supreme Court passed a law saying that African-Americans had to use different separate bathrooms, bus seats, stores, churches and much more just because of their color! Their mottos was even “Separate but Equal” It was so awful how white people treated black people!

In The Doll’s House the Kelveys are an eyesore to their school. No one thinks that the Kelveys are worth their friendship because Mrs. Kelvey is washerwoman and Mr. Kelvey is in prison. “...the Kelveys were shunned by everybody. Even the teacher had a special voice for them, and a special smile for the other children when Lil Kelvey came up to her desk with a bunch of dreadfully common-looking flowers.” “Many of the children, including the Burnells, were not allowed even to speak to them.” “Nudging, giggling together, the little girls pressed up close. And the only two who stayed outside the ring were the two who were always outside, the little Kelveys. They knew better than to come anywhere near the Burnells.” As you can see the Burnells and the other families treat the Kelveys very poorly. The parents strictly tell their kids not to mingle with the Kelveys.

This story gives a very clear example of discrimination. Discrimination can tear down countries and we must put a stop to it. From kids bullying other kids to countries discriminating their people.

“I believe discrimination still exists in society and we must fight it in every form.”

-Andrew Cuomo (1)

Works Cited Page

"Discrimination Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/discrimination_2.html

"Voices from the Days of Slavery." - Faces and Voices from the Presentation (American Memory from the Library of Congress). N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/voices/vfssp.html