Lesson Transcript of The Ugly Duckling

'The Ugly Duckling' is one of Danish storyteller (说故事的人；故事作者；短篇小说作家) Hans Christian Andersen's most famous fairytales. With a powerful message about self-image (自我形象) and acceptance (接纳), the story is valued for its ability to teach children the importance of kindness to others. This lesson gives you a brief plot summary and analysis, discusses the story's major characters, and finishes with a quiz to test your knowledge.

“丑小鸭”是丹麦童话作家汉斯·克里斯蒂安·安徒生最著名的童话故事之一。通过一个关于自我形象和接受的强有力的信息，这个故事被认为是有价值的，因为它能够教导孩子们善待他人的重要性。这节课给你一个简短的情节总结和分析，讨论故事的主要人物，并以测验你的知识结束。

Introduction to the Ugly Duckling

Think of a time in your life when you felt left out (忽视，不考虑；被遗忘) or different; maybe you were the new kid in your school or your neighborhood, or the only person of your cultural background in your class. Maybe you can remember being teased for wearing glasses or braces, or for not being the best at kickball. These are all life experiences that teach us important lessons about acceptance and kindness towards others, and one of the most famous examples of such a lesson in children's literature is Danish storyteller Hans Christian Anderson's fairytale 'The Ugly Duckling,' published in 1843.

想想你生命中的某个时刻，你觉得自己被遗忘了，或者与众不同;也许你是学校的新生，也许你是邻居，也许你是班里唯一一个有这种文化背景的人。也许你还记得曾经因为戴眼镜、戴牙套或者踢球技术不太好而被人取笑过。这些都是人生经历，教给我们接受和善待他人的重要经验。在儿童文学中，这类经验最著名的例子之一是丹麦童话作家汉斯•克里斯蒂安•安德森(Hans Christian Anderson) 1843年出版的童话《丑小鸭》(the Ugly Duckling)。

Story Summary

The story tells of a plain-looking little bird (the Ugly Duckling) born in a barnyard. His brothers and sisters as well as the other birds and animals on the farm tease him for being plain and ugly, so he runs off to live with a flock of wild ducks and geese until hunters shoot down the flock. Alone again, the Ugly Duckling finds a home with an old woman, but her cat and hen also tease him, so he doesn't stay there long.

这个故事讲的是一只长相普通的小鸟(丑小鸭)出生在谷仓的院子里。他的兄弟姐妹以及农场里其他的鸟和动物都取笑他长得又丑又丑，所以他就跑去和一群野鸭和鹅住在一起，直到猎人把这群野鸭和鹅打下来。又独自一人，丑小鸭和一个老妇人找到了一个家，但是她的猫和母鸡也戏弄他，所以他没有在那里呆很久。

In his wanderings, the Ugly Duckling comes across a flock of migrating swans, and he wishes to join them but can't because he's too young and can't fly well enough. When winter sets in, a farmer rescues the Ugly Duckling, but the farmer's children and other animals frighten him with their noise and teasing, so again, he flees. He spends a cold and lonely winter hiding in a cave until springtime, when the flock of swans comes to the lake near his hiding place.

在他的漫游中，丑小鸭遇到了一群迁徙的天鹅，他想加入他们，但是因为他太小了，飞得不够好，他不能。冬天来临时，一个农夫救了丑小鸭，但是农夫的孩子和其他动物用他们的叫声和戏弄把他吓跑了，所以他又一次逃走了。他躲在洞穴里度过了一个寒冷寂寞的冬天，直到春天，一群天鹅来到了他躲藏的地方附近的湖边。

When the Ugly Duckling approaches the swans, he's delighted to find that they accept him and treat him like one of them. When he looks at his reflection in the lake, he realizes, to his astonishment, that he's matured into a beautiful swan himself. When the swans fly off from the lake, he spreads his wings and joins them, finally having found a family who accepts him.

当丑小鸭走近天鹅时，他很高兴地发现天鹅们接受了他，把他当天鹅一样对待。当他看到自己在湖中的倒影时，令他惊讶的是，他意识到自己已经长成了一只美丽的天鹅。当天鹅从湖里飞走的时候，他展开翅膀，加入了他们，最终找到了一个接受他的家庭。

Story Analysis

'The Ugly Duckling' is a popular story about personal transformation (转化) and self-image. It is sometimes said that Anderson wrote the story based on his own experiences as a boy, being teased for the shape of his nose and facial features and for his social awkwardness. However, like the Ugly Duckling's transformation from plain to beautiful, Anderson grew up to be a world-famous author.

《丑小鸭》是一个关于个人转变和自我形象的通俗故事。人们有时会说，安德森写这个故事是基于他自己小时候的经历，因为他的鼻子形状和面部特征，以及他社交上的尴尬而被取笑。然而，就像丑小鸭从平凡到美丽的转变一样，安德森也成长为一位举世闻名的作家。

Characteristic ( 特征；特性；特色) of the fairytale story, Anderson's tale shows a character overcoming (克服) a challenge and miraculously arriving at a happy ending. The Ugly Duckling's transformation might not be magical in the same way we think of magic in stories like 'Cinderella'; there's no fairy godmother waving a wand to make the Ugly Duckling beautiful, but the magic is in his self-discovery and how much being loved and accepted alters his appearance as much as his natural growing up.

作为童话故事的特色，安德森的故事展现了一个人物克服了挑战，奇迹般地获得了一个幸福的结局。丑小鸭的转变也许并不像我们在《灰姑娘》中想象的那样神奇;没有仙女教母挥舞魔杖让丑小鸭变漂亮，但神奇之处在于他的自我发现，以及被爱和被接受对他外貌的改变有多么大，就像他在成长过程中经历的自然变化一样。

Part of the duckling's struggle comes from the treatment he receives from others, but also from the fact that he simply accepts their perception of him and doesn't realize, until he gets a good look at himself, how truly beautiful and wonderful he is. While he transforms into a beautiful swan on the outside, the real transformation occurs inside him; only when he finds a group who accepts him at face-value does he have the courage to examine his own reflection. The moral of the story teaches us to accept one another no matter how different we might appear.

小鸭挣扎的部分原因来自于他受到别人的对待，但也来自于他只是接受了别人对他的看法，直到他看清了自己，他才意识到自己是多么的美丽和精彩。当他外表变成一只美丽的天鹅时，真正的变化发生在他的内心;只有当他发现有一群人以表面价值接受他时，他才有勇气审视自己。这个故事的寓意告诉我们，无论我们看起来多么不同，都要彼此接受。