The Ugly Duckling

By William Jafferson Clinton

V isitors to Denmark will probably come across an unusual statue(雕像)that is not of a president or war hero.It’s statue of a young women with the tail of a fish—a mermaid(美人鱼)—and it celebrates one of Denmark’s most beloved writers,Hans Christian Anderson.His name may not be immediately recognizable,but his stories such as The Ugly Duckling,The Emperor’s New Clothes,and of course,The Little Mermaid are appreciated around the world.

Anderson was born in 1805,and like the characters in some of his stories,his experiences weren’t always perfect.He worked as an actor and singer before taking up writing.He finally found success by using his imagination,and his works began to be noticed.He wrote different kinds of stories and poems;although today,he is most famous for his fairy tales(童话).The simple stories are amusing because they all have strong characters and positive message.

The Ugly Duckling is one of his popular fairy tales.One young duckling is noticeably different from the rest of its brothers and sisters.So it is often laughed at by them.The duckling is sad and wishes it could one day fly away with swans(天鹅)it sees flying overhead.Finally,after the duckling ages a bit,it realizes that it is not actually a duckling at all.It is a swan,and now that it has grown up and is beautiful,it flies away joyfully to join its kind.This story is often told to young children so that they won’t worry about being different or getting laughed at by other kids.

There are many other great Hans Christian Anderson stories,such as The Princess and the Pea and The Snow Queen.It’s never too late in life to read a new fairy tale.