gal 4a

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anne copeland
match girl  

In 1880s England on a New Year's Eve, a poor child stood in the dark streets with the wind howling and snow blowing everywhere.  She had a handful of matches, and she needed to sell all her matches before she went home.

No one was buying the matches and she was feeling sorry for herself, as she was so cold and hungry.  Finally, out of desperation, she lit one of the matches and saw a lovely vision that made her feel comfortable again. 

  

After awhile, she lit another one, and another, and finally, she lit the whole bunch, and she went into the vision.  In the morning she was found dead from hypothermia.

I believe this story is about the dark night of all our souls, and how each of us has a little Match Girl inside that can rescue us from that dark night.  The story, on the surface, seems dismal, but in reality, this little girl was able to light her creativity under the worst of circumstances, and use that creativity to transcend the dark night of her soul.  In the end, the fact that she is dead is really symbolic of her transformation through her creativity, which allowed her to see the good despite her miserable circumstances.  I have often lit my little match of creativity to get me through the dark nights of my soul and it HAS transformed my life too.