The little bull sits under the cork tree and sniffs a flower. He is an icon of childhood, and of peace and contentment. He bucks the trend, breaks expectations, cherishes peace, fails to respond to the stimuli a bull is supposed to respond to. He is the anti-hero.
Ferdinand is lauded for his commitment to peace and contentment. But he’s also one of the few strong images children have of the upside of introverts. As a society, we reward extroverts. We tell our children not to be shy, to ignore their innate instincts about who to trust. We watch them grow and tell them to go, butt heads, snort and play with the other kids.
But, I’m for Ferdinand. For the kid who sits quietly pleased with his own company. Bravo, little bull. Bravo.
"... When he got to the middle of the ring he saw the flowers in all the lovely ladies' hair and he just sat down quietly and smelled.
He wouldn't fight and be fierce no matter what they did. He just sat and smelled. And the Banderilleros were mad and the Picadores were madder and the Matador was so mad he cried because he couldn't show off with his cape and sword. So they had to take Ferdinand home.
And for all I know he is sitting there still, under his favorite cork tree, smelling the flowers just quietly.
He is very happy."
No comments:
Post a Comment