“The Ugly Duckling”
What is your definition of “Ugly”?
As I ponder about the real message of the fairytale; “The Ugly Duckling”. I reflect back to my
past and realize there is a deeper message to be discovered if we reflect long enough. Growing
up in a South in a community that was small, and having to overcome obstacles, challenges
and barriers of being called “Ugly” helped me understand why God created me. When reading the story of “The Ugly Duckling”, by Hans Christian Anderson, I could relate to what the
duck was experiencing. The ugly duckling struggled to know who he truly was as others kept
if from him. Deep down in his heart he wanted to be accepted by everyone, especially his
family. I grew up in a Christian home, where my parent preached the gospel and made sure
our faith walk was according to the biblical teaching of the church and of the bible. Therefore,
we were taught to love each other as Christ loved the church, never once did I ever feel like I
was not accepted in my own family. As time progressed and I became old enough to be involved in the community I had a rude awaking. I can remember the year I started 7th grade,
this was the worst years of my life.
I struggled with being accepted by my peers. My inner voice held me in a prison called “ugliness, uselessness, and worthlessness. I question myself; “Why didn’t I looked the same as the
others, why was I so dark, why did I wear braces and glasses, why was I so ugly? Why didn’t
walk with style, or assurance, why was I so useless? These are the questions that pondered my
mind. My classmates had formed an image of me that I voided every day; this image became