Post by Hector on Jan 27, 2017 2:19:38 GMT
One of Barkses stories from mid 50s, which many people consider (me included) to be his best era, in both art and writing terms. Likewise,
this story is pleasant to the eyes and well structured from a thematic point of view. However, there is a trait i personally disliked; it features
one of the worst versions of Donald's character i have seen. I know Donald is supposed to have weaknesses, like all of us; his role is that of a
person everyone can feel identified with. But! That must be the first time i saw him act totally like a jerk.
To be more specific, the story begins with the nephews making their new year's resolution: to never be late for school, otherwise, they are
comitted to washing the dishes for one month. In the beginning, Donald seems proud of their determination and that's probably what motivates
him to make his own resolution: to never show anger again (the nephews state they will later come up with some penalty for their uncle in case
he breaks his own promise).
Soon, it is revealed Donald is not as good a guardian as he showed in the beginning. Instead of caring about being a good role model and turning
his kids into worthy members of society, he only cares about getting rid of the chore of doing the dishes. With a trick, he makes them be late
for school, exploiting not only their maturity to make the resolution in the first place, but also their sensitivity and sense of duty. A detail that
makes Donald even less likeable in this story is the difference between two pictures. In the picture where Donald is doing the dishes (before the
nephews have fallen for his trap), the kids in the background are seen studying. Later, in the picture the kids are doing the dishes, Donald is seen
in the background just lying on the couch. A great contrast between the kids' energeticness and creativity and Donald's sloth.
Maybe Donald didn't deserve the humiliation he received in the end of the story, getting humiliated worldwide, but can you blame the nephews? I
mean, they're just kids. If kids are pushed, they will push back. What spoiled my mood even more is the thought that, in real life, a parent of this
kind (i'm sure there are plenty of those) would have had it his way and the kids would have never been able to do anything to react. Their potential
would have got wasted, since the lesson they'd have got from that experience is that being a nice person is a weakness that will be used against
you.
Anyways, maybe i'm just overreacting, but this is not a story i would read again. If, unlike me, you do not allow fiction to affect you, give it a go.
Rating: 7/10
this story is pleasant to the eyes and well structured from a thematic point of view. However, there is a trait i personally disliked; it features
one of the worst versions of Donald's character i have seen. I know Donald is supposed to have weaknesses, like all of us; his role is that of a
person everyone can feel identified with. But! That must be the first time i saw him act totally like a jerk.
To be more specific, the story begins with the nephews making their new year's resolution: to never be late for school, otherwise, they are
comitted to washing the dishes for one month. In the beginning, Donald seems proud of their determination and that's probably what motivates
him to make his own resolution: to never show anger again (the nephews state they will later come up with some penalty for their uncle in case
he breaks his own promise).
Soon, it is revealed Donald is not as good a guardian as he showed in the beginning. Instead of caring about being a good role model and turning
his kids into worthy members of society, he only cares about getting rid of the chore of doing the dishes. With a trick, he makes them be late
for school, exploiting not only their maturity to make the resolution in the first place, but also their sensitivity and sense of duty. A detail that
makes Donald even less likeable in this story is the difference between two pictures. In the picture where Donald is doing the dishes (before the
nephews have fallen for his trap), the kids in the background are seen studying. Later, in the picture the kids are doing the dishes, Donald is seen
in the background just lying on the couch. A great contrast between the kids' energeticness and creativity and Donald's sloth.
Maybe Donald didn't deserve the humiliation he received in the end of the story, getting humiliated worldwide, but can you blame the nephews? I
mean, they're just kids. If kids are pushed, they will push back. What spoiled my mood even more is the thought that, in real life, a parent of this
kind (i'm sure there are plenty of those) would have had it his way and the kids would have never been able to do anything to react. Their potential
would have got wasted, since the lesson they'd have got from that experience is that being a nice person is a weakness that will be used against
you.
Anyways, maybe i'm just overreacting, but this is not a story i would read again. If, unlike me, you do not allow fiction to affect you, give it a go.
Rating: 7/10
