The Little Mermaid
Folk Tale/Fairy Tale Rewrite
Summary: In “The Little Mermaid,” Hans Christian Andersen depicts the life of a mermaid, and her aspirations to live life on land as a human.
The little mermaid lives deep in the dark depths of the sea with the sea king (her father), her father’s subjects, her five sisters, and her grandmother. The little mermaid longed for nothing more than to see the world above the surface of the water, but a mermaid is not allowed to go up to the surface until the age of 15. The little mermaid waited patiently, and listened to the experiences of her sisters who had gone up before her until her day finally came.
Once the little mermaid surfaced, she spotted a large ship, and on that ship a young prince. A storm hit, and the prince was thrown into the sea. The little mermaid was able to rescue the prince from the jaws of death, and she brought him to shore. She soon heard voices, and she saw a young maiden exit a temple far in the distance. The little mermaid acted quickly and swam away from the shore, sheltering herself behind large rocks. The young maiden saw the prince and quickly went to his side, and he suddenly came to. The little mermaid solemnly dove back down to her father's Palace.
The story of the little mermaid's encounter with the prince circulated throughout the kingdom, and she soon learned where the prince lived. As the little mermaid observed the prince and his people, she became more fond of humans. Back down in the sea, the little mermaid asked her grandmother if humans continued to live on forever. Her grandmother told her that just like mermaids, humans die too. Except, unlike mermaids, humans do not just turn into sea foam after death, humans still had souls that lingered on.
The news of an eternal soul intensified the little mermaids thirst to become human. The little mermaid's longing to become human drove her to seek the help of a sea witch. The sea witch gave the little mermaid an elixir that would give her
Summary: In “The Little Mermaid,” Hans Christian Andersen depicts the life of a mermaid, and her aspirations to live life on land as a human.
The little mermaid lives deep in the dark depths of the sea with the sea king (her father), her father’s subjects, her five sisters, and her grandmother. The little mermaid longed for nothing more than to see the world above the surface of the water, but a mermaid is not allowed to go up to the surface until the age of 15. The little mermaid waited patiently, and listened to the experiences of her sisters who had gone up before her until her day finally came.
Once the little mermaid surfaced, she spotted a large ship, and on that ship a young prince. A storm hit, and the prince was thrown into the sea. The little mermaid was able to rescue the prince from the jaws of death, and she brought him to shore. She soon heard voices, and she saw a young maiden exit a temple far in the distance. The little mermaid acted quickly and swam away from the shore, sheltering herself behind large rocks. The young maiden saw the prince and quickly went to his side, and he suddenly came to. The little mermaid solemnly dove back down to her father's Palace.
The story of the little mermaid's encounter with the prince circulated throughout the kingdom, and she soon learned where the prince lived. As the little mermaid observed the prince and his people, she became more fond of humans. Back down in the sea, the little mermaid asked her grandmother if humans continued to live on forever. Her grandmother told her that just like mermaids, humans die too. Except, unlike mermaids, humans do not just turn into sea foam after death, humans still had souls that lingered on.
The news of an eternal soul intensified the little mermaids thirst to become human. The little mermaid's longing to become human drove her to seek the help of a sea witch. The sea witch gave the little mermaid an elixir that would give her