‘The Other’ – a threat or a resource? Polar interpretations of two children’s stories: ‘The ugly duckling’ by H.C. Andersen and ‘Raspberry Juice’ by H. Shenhav

Abstract

This article examines the educational work towards tolerance by analyzing two opposed social views in children’s stories: ‘The ugly duckling’ by H.C. Andersen and ‘Raspberry Juice’ by H. Shenav. ‘The ugly duckling’ depicts a social state based on the evolutional ladder, where the white entity is at the top, and the black one is at the bottom, concluding that multicultural society is an artificial order that is not recommended. ‘Raspberry Juice’ describes a social order based on cultural relativism where each entity is on equal footing, concluding that diversity encourages cooperative intercultural relations, widens ones’ horizons and promotes personal growth. The approach is interdisciplinary in scope, and, thus, it offers perspectives ranging from literary analysis, anthropological study and critical thinking skills. It provides teachers with the opportunity to develop social awareness in their classrooms and their students’ critical thinking skills, necessities in a democratic society. Figure 5 can be regarded as a litmus test when choosing a social text/program/activity aimed at teaching democratic values.