March 07, 2022.
Notes about “There is a difference” by Hans Christian
Andersen.
These words are not literary criticism. They are only
about the sparks that arise in a reader’s soul when a book, a short story, or a
poem is read.
On top of that, reading the short story 'There is a
difference' by Hans Christian Andersen made arise some sparks about empathy and
selfishness. Two important feelings that, in some way or another, conjugate
human actions throughout history.
Empathy is the ability to share someone else’s
feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that
person’s situation. On the other hand, selfishness is the complete refusal of
someone else’s feelings or experiences. However, the ironic fact about the
latter is that still being a feeling of refusal of someone else’s feelings and
experiences, it needs someone else to achieve what it needs. The difference is
that it does not create bonds as empathy does.
In short, it is not a fault the Apple Tree Brach
recognizes its beauty, but it is a mistake to imagine that the beauty depends
exclusively on the Branch’s beauty. The exclusion starts from a limited view
and ignores essential parts to understand the whole complexity of the garden.
There is a difference indeed, but it is about perspective.
#hanschirstianandersen
#literature
