Saturday, February 13, 2016

Week 4 Reading Diary: Hans Christian Andersen

For the extra credit reading, I chose the Hans Christian Andersen unit, since I'll be using some of these stories for my Storybook.

The Princess and the Pea

  • The prince is quite picky, looking all over and still not finding a princess.
  • It's a bit suspicious that someone could just walk up to the doors of a palace (I'm assuming), knock, and be let in.
  • If the princess is able to feel a pea that is put under 20 mattresses and 20 down beds, does that mean she's very sensitive? I don't see that as a particularly good thing.
The Emperor’s New Suit
  • The emperor is obsessed with clothes. He had a coat for every hour --that is just excessive.
  • Two swindlers entered the city, claiming they were the best. The most expensive cloth would be invisible to those who aren't worthy. The emperor thought it'd be a good idea to use it to test who was worthy.
  • The emperor paid a great sum, and provided them with the greatest silks and cloths. They mimed weaving, but wasn't actually doing anything.
  • The emperor sent an old minister to check up on their work. He had to lie, so no one would find out he couldn't see anything.
  • The swindlers asked for more cloths, silk, and money and kept them all. 
  • The swindlers presented the suit to the emperor, which indeed does not exist, and the emperor had a procession through the city. Everyone expressed how beautiful it was, even though none of them can see anything.
The Brave Tin Soldier
  • There were 25 tin soldiers made from the same tin spoon, who looked identical but one, who only had one leg.
  • Nearby is a toy castle with a paper dancer doll in front. 
  • The tin soldier tries to work up the courage to talk to her, but can't.
  • He is placed by the window, but unfortunately is blown out the window down onto the street.
  • It starts to rain, and when two boys walk by seeing him stuck in the drain, fashions him a boat out of newspaper and sets him in the gutter. He cruises along until he comes into a bridge that is also a drain.
The Brave Tin Soldier (cont.)
  • He goes through adventures with rats, fishes, and the market, until he eventually ends up with the same family again.
  • One of the boys threw him into the stove, for some reason.
  • The door opens and the wind carries the paper dancer doll into the stove as well.
  • The tin soldier had melted into a tiny tin heart, while the pretty doll is burnt and all that's left is her tinsel rose.
The Wicked Prince
  • A prince conquers towns all around and accumulates wealth and gold.
  • He vows to conquer God also. He builds a ship that sails in the sky. 
  • God sent angels, and as the prince shot bullets at them, they turned to stone and fell down to earth.
  • A single drop of blood from one of the angels falls onto the ship, burns a hole in it, and weighs it down until it comes tumbling down to earth.
  • The prince builds another ship, but before it set sails, God sends a swarm of little gnats. One of them got into the prince's ear and stung him. The poison made him dance and jump around before the soldiers he had gathered, making them mock him, the mad prince.
The Little Match-Seller
  • The little girl is trying to sell matches, and no one cares, even though she's sick.
  • The lights matches to warm herself up, until she runs out.
  • She eventually dies, and her grandmother carries her soul to Heaven.

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