There is a difference

by Hans Christian Andersen

"Look, with what singular beauty Providence has invested it," she said. "I will paint it, together with the apple branch, whose beauty all have admired; but this humble flower has received just as much from Heaven in a different way; and, various as they are, both are children of the kingdom of beauty."And the sunbeam kissed the humble flower, and he kissed the blooming apple branch, whose leaves appeared covered with a roseate blush.Is there something about the apple branch that seperates him from the dandelion? Whats with the apple branch and the the other flower? Will this be a battle?, Love or Mystery? Well it's what we find out when we read There Is A Difference.

Genres: Childrens, Fairy Tales, Short Stories

31 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1835

About the author

Hans Christian Andersen (often referred to in Scandinavia as H.C. Andersen) was a Danish author and poet. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories — called eventyr, or "fairy-tales" — express themes that transcend age and nationality.

Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Little Mermaid", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Nightingale", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and many more. His stories have inspired plays, ballets, and both live-action and animated films.

Reviews

[Vaishali · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Poor, despised plants," said the apple-bough, "it is not your fault that you are so ugly, and that you have such an ugly name; but it is with plants as with men—there must be a difference."

"A difference!" cried the sunbeam, as he kissed the blooming apple-branch, and then kissed the yellow dandelion out in the fields. All were brothers, and the sunbeam kissed them—the poor flowers as well as the rich.

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have arranged my takeaway thoughts into a haiku, as best I could:

"Elitists may preen,
But those who’ve seen more know worth
Comes in varied forms."

[Elinor Loredan]

11/2023 reread:
This one seems to be an allegory of how we are all God's children and of equal value in his sight.

***
11/2022 reread:
Many different kinds of beauty exist and are equally valuable.

[Liliana Gulyasik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, this one captured me. The message reminded me of an allegory about how a German shepherd can never be a poodle and a chihuahua can never be a golden retriever, meaning that we are all built to be different shapes and sizes and equally beautiful in our own way. Dogs don't look at one another and wish to look like the other, though unfortunately in our world, many of us want to change our appearance to resemble someone else. Whenever I catch myself in a mindset of wanting to unrealistically change the way I look, I remind myself of that allegory. It works to ground me every time.

I adore the implementation of dandelions being considered a weed even though they bring so much joy to people's lives AND are liver-supporting herbs. Ever since about a year ago, I educated myself on the health benefits of dandelion roots and leaves. It's safe to say that anytime I hear someone calling it a weed, I shall teach them how wrong they are. They grow in the spring because it is after winter when our body needs the most liver support. Hence, dandelions are given to us by nature to use it and consume it for our benefit, as we are one with nature!!!

This is definitely one of my favourite HCA short stories if you couldn't tell.

[Amelia Bujar · Rating 1 out of 5]

FULL REVIEW ON MY WEBSITE
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...

This one was really not for me. Maybe reading children stories as an adult isn’t the best thing to do for some people.

I personally found this story to be very boring and uninteresting. I really had hard time reading it because I just couldn’t get into the story.

The story is pretty quick read, but that’s the only good thing about this story for me personally.

The writing style in this one was very generic which every fairytale has.

[Andrei Tamaş · Rating 2 out of 5]

Egalitatea de sub haina inegalităţii literaturizată într-un mod hiperbloc.
****Mi-am propus, în această perioadă în care mă simt întru totul presat de timp, dar totodată avid de a citi ceva, să descopăr ceea ce în copilăria mea timpurie nu am putut afla. Citind basmele lui Andersen, constat că, deşi au un colorit aparent infantil, ele sunt deopotrivă şi pentru "oamenii mari".