Un pequeño cuento de Navidad “The Little Match Girl” de Hans Chistian Andersen, es una historia sobre los sueños y esperanzas de los niños, la moraleja no es el final del cuento como ocurre normalmente sino el cuento en si mismo.

Os recomendamos en primer lugar como siempre leer la historia intentando entenderla (si fuera necesario usando un diccionario para las palabras que nos resulten más complicadas) y después podemos ver el video de Disney&Pixar (son 6 minutos de duración) que nos ayudarán a comprender perfectamente la historia en inglés, ¡disfrutarla!

“Most terribly cold it was; it snowed, and was nearly quite dark, and evening-- the last evening of the year. In this cold and darkness there went along the street a poor little girl, bareheaded, and with naked feet. When she left home she had slippers on, it is true; but what was the good of that? They were very large slippers, which her mother had hitherto worn; so large were they; and the poor little thing lost them as she scuffled away across the street, because of two carriages that rolled by dreadfully fast.

One slipper was nowhere to be found; the other had been laid hold of by an urchin, and off he ran with it; he thought it would do capitally for a cradle when he some day or other should have children himself. So the little maiden walked on with her tiny naked feet, that were quite red and blue from cold. She carried a quantity of matches in an old apron, and she held a bundle of them in her hand. Nobody had bought anything of her the whole livelong day; no one had given her a single farthing.

She crept along trembling with cold and hunger--a very picture of sorrow, the poor little thing!

The flakes of snow covered her long fair hair, which fell in beautiful curls around her neck; but of that, of course, she never once now thought. From all the windows the candles were gleaming, and it smelt so deliciously of roast goose, for you know it was New Year's Eve; yes, of that she thought.

In a corner formed by two houses, of which one advanced more than the other, she seated herself down and cowered together. Her little feet she had drawn close up to her, but she grew colder and colder, and to go home she did not venture, for she had not sold any matches and could not bring a farthing of money: from her father she would certainly get blows, and at home it was cold too, for above her she had only the roof, through which the wind whistled, even though the largest cracks were stopped up with straw and rags.

Her little hands were almost numbed with cold. Oh! a match might afford her a world of comfort, if she only dared take a single one out of the bundle, draw it against the wall, and warm her fingers by it. She drew one out. "Rischt!" how it blazed, how it burnt! It was a warm, bright flame, like a candle, as she held her hands over it: it was a wonderful light. It seemed really to the little maiden as though she were sitting before a large iron stove, with burnished brass feet and a brass ornament at top. The fire burned with such blessed influence; it warmed so delightfully. The little girl had already stretched out her feet to warm them too; but--the small flame went out, the stove vanished: she had only the remains of the burnt-out match in her hand.

She rubbed another against the wall: it burned brightly, and where the light fell on the wall, there the wall became transparent like a veil, so that she could see into the room. On the table was spread a snow-white tablecloth; upon it was a splendid porcelain service, and the roast goose was steaming famously with its stuffing of apple and dried plums. And what was still more capital to behold was, the goose hopped down from the dish, reeled about on the floor with knife and fork in its breast, till it came up to the poor little girl; when--the match went out and nothing but the thick, cold, damp wall was left behind. She lighted another match. Now there she was sitting under the most magnificent Christmas tree: it was still larger, and more decorated than the one which she had seen through the glass door in the rich merchant's house.

Thousands of lights were burning on the green branches, and gaily-colored pictures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down upon her. The little maiden stretched out her hands towards them when--the match went out. The lights of the Christmas tree rose higher and higher, she saw them now as stars in heaven; one fell down and formed a long trail of fire.

"Someone is just dead!" said the little girl; for her old grandmother, the only person who had loved her, and who was now no more, had told her, that when a star falls, a soul ascends to God.

She drew another match against the wall: it was again light, and in the lustre there stood the old grandmother, so bright and radiant, so mild, and with such an expression of love.

"Grandmother!" cried the little one. "Oh, take me with you! You go away when the match burns out; you vanish like the warm stove, like the delicious roast goose, and like the magnificent Christmas tree!" And she rubbed the whole bundle of matches quickly against the wall, for she wanted to be quite sure of keeping her grandmother near her. And the matches gave such a brilliant light that it was brighter than at noon-day: never formerly had the grandmother been so beautiful and so tall. She took the little maiden, on her arm, and both flew in brightness and in joy so high, so very high, and then above was neither cold, nor hunger, nor anxiety--they were with God.

But in the corner, at the cold hour of dawn, sat the poor girl, with rosy cheeks and with a smiling mouth, leaning against the wall--frozen to death on the last evening of the old year. Stiff and stark sat the child there with her matches, of which one bundle had been burnt. "She wanted to warm herself," people said. No one had the slightest suspicion of what beautiful things she had seen; no one even dreamed of the splendor in which, with her grandmother she had entered on the joys of a new year.”

Fuente:online-literature.com

En los últimos días es más que probable que hayáis escuchado hablar (y mucho) de Nelson Mandela, pero ¿Quién fue? ¿Cuáles han sido las fechas que han marcado su vida?  ¿Por qué se ha convertido en una leyenda?.. para poder responder éstas y otras preguntas tenemos éste articulo del economic times donde resaltan 5 de los momentos claves de su vida

JOHANNESBURG: Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first black president, was regarded as one of the great figures of the past century for his generosity of spirit, sacrifices in the name of equality and his efforts to reconcile the races in South Africa amid the ever-present specter of conflict.

Here are a few momentous occasions in the life of Mandela, told partly through his own words:

April 20, 1964: Charged with sabotage, Mandela delivered a statement during his trial in Pretoria that revealed the depth of his resolve in the fight against apartheid and his willingness to lay down his life in an effort to end white racist rule.

``During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people,'' Mandela said. ``I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.''

Two months later, he and seven other defendants were sentenced to life in prison.

Feb. 11, 1990: Mandela walked out of South Africa's Victor Verster prison near Cape Town after 27 years in captivity, holding hands with his wife, Winnie. He held up his fist and smiled broadly. Mandela's release after so long was almost inconceivable for deliriously happy supporters who erupted in cheers as hundreds of journalists pressed forward. The world watched the electrifying occasion live on television. Because of Mandela's decades-long confinement, few people knew what he looked like or had seen a recent photograph. Mandela said he was astounded by the reception.

``When I was among the crowd I raised my right fist, and there was a roar. I had not been able to do that for twenty-seven years and it gave me a surge of strength and joy,'' Mandela wrote.

He also recalled: ``As I finally walked through those gates to enter a car on the other side, I felt even at the age of seventy-one that my life was beginning anew.''

May 10, 1994: Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa after democratic elections, taking the oath of office at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the South African capital. Leaders and other dignitaries from around the world attended the historic occasion, which offered many South Africans another chance to celebrate in the streets.

At the close of his inauguration speech, Mandela said:

``Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world,'' he said. ``Let freedom reign. The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement! God bless Africa! Thank you.''

June 24, 1995: Mandela strode onto the field at the Rugby World Cup final in Johannesburg, wearing South African colors and bringing the overwhelmingly white crowd of more than 60,000 to its feet. They chanted ``Nelson! Nelson! Nelson!'' as the president congratulated the victorious home team in a moment that symbolized racial reconciliation.

Mandela's decision to wear the Springbok emblem, the symbol once hated by blacks, conveyed the message that rugby, for so long shunned by the black population, was now for all South Africans.

The moment was portrayed in ``Invictus,'' a Hollywood movie directed by Clint Eastwood. The film tells the story of South Africa's transformation under Mandela's leadership through the prism of sport.

July 11, 2010: A smiling Mandela waved to the crowd at the Soccer City stadium at the closing ceremony of the World Cup, whose staging in South Africa allowed the country, and the continent, to shine on one of the world's biggest stages. Mandela appeared frail as he was driven in a golf cart alongside his wife, Graca Machel.

Mandela had kept a low profile during the month-long tournament, deciding against attending the opener June 11 after the death of his great-grand daughter in a traffic accident following a World Cup concert.

The former president did not address the crowd on that emotional day in the stadium. It was his last public appearance

Fuente: The Economic Times

Intentaremos conocer a Nelson Mandela a través del amplio legado que nos ha dejado y que perdurará a través del tiempo: sus palabras. Hemos seleccionado lo que para nosotros son 10 de las más relevantes frases que ha dicho a lo largo de su vida,

1. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
2. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
3. “I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”
4. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
5. “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
6. “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
7. “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”
8. “I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.”
9. “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.” 
10. “Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.”