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Question
Is the story Didactic and gives a moral?
Solution
Being born to highly religious parents, many of T. S. Arthur’s works are moralistic in nature. He was also a strong proponent of temperance and the tone of the story is didactic. His short story, An Angel in Disguise features both his characteristic moral message, and his strong views on the consumption of alcohol. It shows that you can always find good in people, despite their lives, and how they look. The man found the pureness of the little girl and called her an angel because to him, she was one, in disguise. The tone to us was peaceful, because everything worked out in the end. The evil people try and shun a motherless, poor and disabled girl. A man with a mean wife takes in the girl to find that she’s an innocent, pure soul. They tend to her and care for her due to her condition, physically, mentally and emotionally, and see that she’s An Angel in Disguise. The moral of the story is to not judge a book by its cover, and to give people or things a chance before you push it away. The man gave her a chance while everyone judged her for being motherless and disabled and unwashed. He welcomed her into their childless home. He didn’t judge her while everyone else did, and we think that was the intended message.
The author quotes extensively from the Bible to uphold his didactic theme that one must help the disabled and children. Joe lectures his wife on the virtue of selfless benevolence to children. He says, ‘How the Savior rebuked the disciples who would not receive them; how he took them up in his arms, and blessed them; and how he said that ‘whosoever gave them even a cup of cold water should not go unrewarded’.
Thus the story carries a message about love, kindness, human feelings and bereavement.The author’s message is to help other people, because we should be kind, sympathetic and tender. We should help poor and hopelessly diseased children, because there could be an angel in disguise for us. The main theme of the story is that people can change and feel the plight of other people.
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Here is some information downloaded from the Internet on Ile Amsterdam. You can view images of the isle if you go online.
| Location | South Indian Ocean, between southern most parts of Australia and South Africa |
| Latitude and longitude | 37 92 S, 77 67 E |
| Sovereignty | France |
| Political status notes | Part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
| Population | 35 |
| Census notes | Meteorological station staff |
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