A Little Tragedy

The tale of "The Little Mermaid" is a tragedy unraveling into a descriptive fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen. The central character is the quiet and thoughtful little mermaid who lives with her father, the sea king, and her wise old grandmother and many sisters. Living at the bottom of the ocean, the mermaids are allowed to rise to the surface of the water at age fifteen.

Patiently waiting for years to rise to the surface, the little mermaid finally swims up to the surface and sees a boat full of people and a prince, whom she falls in live with. While she watches, a storm comes and destroys the ship, and she saves the prince from drowning. Wanting more than anything to be with him, she tries to find a way to become human. Although she searches for a way to become human, she finally resorts to the sea witch, who gives her legs, but takes her voice and says she must marry the prince or she will die.

Swimming to the surface of the ocean, the little mermaid receives her legs. On land, whenever she walks it feels like hot coals under her feet. The prince decides to marry a princess. On their wedding night the only way the little mermaid can live is if she stabs the prince with a knife, but as she stands over him as he sleeps, she throws the knife into the sea and jumps in after it. Dissolving into sea foam she is met by angelic creatures who say she can work three hundred years for a soul because she sacrificed herself, and every time she sees a child being good a year will be taken away, but every time she sees a child being bad, a day will be added. The theme of this story is sacrifice.

This tragedy is made for children and is trying to motivate them to be obedient. Describing places with much detail, Hans Christian Andersen’s book is beautifully written for children. Apart from the descriptive style, Andersen’s story is designed with the themes of love and sacrifice. One of the poorly written apects is that the characters, who have no names, never give the readers much understanding of their personalities.

Not So Happily Ever After

“The Little Mermaid” is a descriptive tragedy fairy tale, although it is more commonly known by the Disney movie, which varies dramatically from the original version. Written by Hans Christian Andersen, “The Little Mermaid” was published in the mid-19th century, although the exact dates are unknown. Suddenly “knocking on his head” as Hans Christian Andersen said, “The Little Mermaid” was one of his one-hundred and sixty-eight numerous imaginative stories for children.

The central characters of the story are the quiet, thoughtful little mermaid, who desires more than anything to live above the water, and the handsome young prince, whom she falls in love with. Underneath the water also dwells her father, the sea king, her proud grandmother, and her five lovely sisters. When she turns fifteen, she is allowed to swim to the surface of the water. She stares in wonder at the prince dancing and laughing on the ship. Crashing waves and pelting rain soon end the ship’s party and send the prince flailing into the sea, where the little mermaid rescues him and brings him ashore.

Returning to her underwater home, the little mermaid hopelessly dreams of the prince, wishing there was a way for them to be together. Eventually resorting to the horrendously wicked sea witch, she travels to the whirlpool, which is filled with human skeletons and slimy creatures, and through a series of terrible enchantments she sells her tongue to the witch in exchange for a pair of human legs. The malicious sea witch tells the little mermaid that if she cannot woo the prince to love her with all his soul and to marry her, she will turn into sea foam. While she is on land she meets her prince, who takes a fancy to her, for she is exquisitely and enchantingly beautiful, and he brings her into his palace to live, where she enjoys many hours spent dancing, horseback riding, and sailing with him.

Disastrously, the prince favors another girl and marries her, although he cares deeply about the little mermaid. When the prince and his new wife are sleeping, the little mermaid’s sisters bring her a knife, telling her that if she kills the prince with it she will be saved from death. She takes the knife. She enters his bedroom. She raises it to strike. The little mermaid cannot force herself to kill him, for she loves him more than her own life. Into the water she perishes, rather than betray her beloved. Expecting to find herself turned into sea foam, she awakes under the water filled with transparent floating bodies, and is told that because of her good deed she will be shown mercy as she enters into a purgatorial-like land. This tragic ending shows the importance of not trying to be what you’re not and the power of self-sacrificing love.

This is a not so happily ever after fairy tale tragedy about the strength of self-sacrificial love. Sacrificing yourself and your hopes for another is one of the most important themes because it leads back to the ultimate story, the story of creation and redemption through Jesus, who sacrificed everything for humanity. Disappointingly, the story concentrates essentially on earning eternity by performing good deeds. Filled with vivid images and brilliant descriptions, the story is told captivatingly, although the many twists and turns of the story tend to be tiring. Overall this story is unique, just as are all of Hans Christian Andersen’s stories, is enjoyable to read, and challenges readers to think about the meaning of love and eternity.

The Founding of America

The history of America’s founding dates back hundreds of years to England, where revolutions occurred over freedom of religion. Because of lack of freedom the Puritans sailed to America, where they set up colonies.

One of the great contributors to the Reformation’s role in advancing political and religious liberties was Martin Luther who said that the church and the people should have more freedom in religious matters and that the government should no longer legislate about God. Saying that the government could not force people to believe in a certain religion, Luther believed that the role of the state was limited to secular things, and people’s minds and opinions could not be controlled, which was also believed by John Calvin, who came after Luther, and said that people’s minds and opinions are exempt from government control. During his life, Calvin also said that if a king went against God or ordered a individuals to go against God, then they should and must disobey the king. Although it was a long time after either of these men lived, America was built on their basis of freedom of beliefs and religion.

The Puritan Revolution broke out in England, when Charles 1st tried to force his Scottish subjects to worship in ways they found offensive. During this time, Samuel Rutherford wrote a book called Lex Rex that said the king should not have authority in religious matters, and if the government broke its own law the people could break laws. In 1688 the glorious revolution broke out when King James 2nd tried to enforce The Divine Right theory, but parliament forced him off the throne.

On August 5, 1620 the Puritans, who are called pilgrims, sailed for the New World to have religious freedom. When they arrived in America they drew up a document called the Mayflower Compact, which pledged their mutual submission to each other and promoted fair laws. Believing that God was the perfect king and the Bible a perfect expression of His will, the Puritans advocated a government in which written words, not people, were sovereign.

As people, dating hundreds of years back, fought for there freedom of conscience, they set up the basis of America. In his lifetime, Martin Luther said that freedom of religion was right. Fighting against Divine Right of Kings, the Puritans turned against the king in the revolutions. Finally, sailing to America, the Puritans escaped from the king to found America.

America's Roots

America, as people know it today, could not be as it is except for numerous courageous people who took risks and for events which took place. Without the ideas that support Christianity and many events which took place prior to it, the American Revolution most likely would not have occurred. Advancing political and religious freedom happened during the Reformation, which was one of the most essential steps to freedom in America. Although the colonies were not even founded yet, two revolutions in England were already setting the stage for America’s birth. Bravely sailing to America, the first colonists began to shape the way that America would be governed.

The Reformation’s role in advancing political and religious liberty was enormous because it was the first time when certain daring people took the chance of speaking out and proclaiming their thoughts and ideas which may have opposed the governments. Probably the most outspoken of all people during the reformation was Martin Luther who posted his ninety-five theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, boldly naming all of his objections to the way the Catholic Church operated. As no one had ever even hinted that there might be something wrong with the Catholic Church, Martin Luther’s objections were a big step towards religious freedom and separation of church and state.

Writing “Institutes to the Christian Religion,” John Calvin had an exceptionally significant part to play in the Reformation through his writing, which later influenced the founders of the U.S. and shaped their political ideas. These men’s writings were similar. Before religious freedom could be grasped, the first risky, but vital steps had to be taken during the Reformation by Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others like them.

Setting the stage for America’s birth were two revolutions: the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution. In 1641 a long and terrible civil war broke out, which lasted years. Sometimes called the Protestant Revolution, this war was between those loyal to the king, Cavaliers, and English Puritans, who wanted to purify the Church of England, hence the name Puritans. When King James II was on the throne, he refused to recognize the colonies of New England and believed in the Divine Right of Kings theory, which says that a king has been divinely appointed by God, and therefore has the right to do whatever he wishes. This led to the Glorious Revolution when Parliament peacefully took James II off the throne without using violence.

Essentially, these two Revolutions, the Puritan Revolution and the Glorious Revolution, prepared the way for America’s beginning, because it showed the government that the Puritans were serious about their beliefs, were even willing to stand up and fight for them, and were tired of the government’s unrelenting control over their beliefs.

Pursuing their dreams of religious liberty, many Puritans decided to make the journey across the ocean to America and settle there. The colonies were founded. When the colonists came together to draw up their laws, they realized that without a king they were powerless to restrain lawlessness, but they knew that they couldn’t possibly survive unless they founded their laws on biblical moral standards, while still having a separation of Church and State. Wisely, they drew up a document called the Mayflower Compact, which pledged their mutual submission to each other. Concerning the separation of Church and State in years to come, some were not as effective at keeping them separate, which led to unjust events and eventually the Salem witch trials. The Salem witch trials were a time when many women were unfairly and brutally executed for being accused witches.

Thankfully, after this terrible epoch followed a revival and the Great Awakening, and American colonists began to sort out how their government should function correctly. The Puritans flight to America was vital to the way America is set up presently because they learned by trial and error the most effective way to run a government.

Significantly, because of the events which led to the American Revolution, America was founded with biblical morals. When the Restoration took place it advanced political and religious freedom. Because of two Revolutions which took place in England, the beginning of America was indirectly prepared. Fleeing and settling in America, the Puritan colonists set into place laws that we still follow today.

Union Gives Strength (Hans Christian Andersen Style)

Once upon a time, in a distant and beautiful county where rolling green hills and an ocean of golden poppies stretched as far as the eye could see was a small humble cottage were an elderly man and his two sons dwelled. The wise old man loved his sons and had taught them everything he knew so that they were strong, smart young men. Every day the father, whose hair was silver as the full moon, sat on his three-legged stool and played splendidly on his mandolin while his two sons worked in the fields. His mandolin was his favorite possession and pastime, and when he played, it instilled joy in all who heard it, and birds of all shapes and sizes would divert their flights to perch and listen to the great artisan.

But one day in late autumn, when the last of the golden leaves were beginning to drift toward the ground, and a dusty darkness lay over everything, the mandolin ceased to sing, but was replace by the sound of hollow wind. The father lay languishing in his large oak bed; his health was failing. Each day one of his sons sat by his side while the other labored in the fields alone. But he wanted to teach his sons an important lesson while he still had time.

Calling his sons to his bedside, he asked them to bring a large, tightly-bound bundle of sticks into the room. When they brought it in, carrying it together for it was very heavy; their father commanded them to break the bundle of sticks apart. The eldest son, who was intelligent and knew how to use leverage cleverly, set the sticks on his knees, and pushed. But his trick, which had always worked before, resulted in only an aching leg. Like his older brother, the younger son was a practical son, due to his father’s impeccable teaching, so he grabbed his best saw and tried to saw the bundle of sticks apart. Although it was sharper then an alligator’s teeth and sturdier than a brick wall, the saw broke in half.

They both turned to their father in consternation and he told them, “You see my meaning; union gives strength.”

Small Friends are Good Friends (Hans Christian Andersen Style)

Once upon a time not so long ago in a land far away where the water was as blue as the sky, an ant as small as a speck of dust, woke up as happy as a child on Christmas because the sun was shining as brightly as a diamond, and she went running as fast as a cheetah down to the beautiful stream, which had as many currents as gorillas have fleas and long rocks protruding from the water like knives, while the water leaped and bubbled around it like it was laughing. As she was drinking like a camel which had not had water for many weeks, a wave jumped up like a huge roaring monster and dragged her under.

A dove, who was as white as newly fallen snow in December when children go sledding for the first time and as soft as a fresh pillow, was gliding over the trees that stood as tall as towers with there many branches reaching out like many arms and fingers, when she spotted the ant, who was yelling for help as loud as a trumpet, and dropped the bough she was carrying to build her nest with into the rushing river. The ant climbed aboard the bough and laid there like a shipwrecked sailor who had been brutally thrown around like a potato in the ocean. When the bough floated to shore the ant flopped onto the ground, water-logged as a sponge, and then got up and thanked the white dove.

A couple of weeks later when the leaves, which were turning brown and yellow and falling to the ground, a hunter, who was as mean as a grizzly bear with a toothache, took such a perfect aim at the same beautiful dove that saved the ant, that Robin Hood’s jaw would have dropped like a rock off a cliff, but the ant, who was as angry as a wild boar, stung him so hard that he ran like he was being chased by the Roman army, and he never—as long as he lived—never took a step out of his house. However, the brave little ant and the kind dove learned that the smallest of friends are the best of friends.