OK, today my blog entry is going to be a story. It's writtten by an Asian woman called Suniti Namjoshi, and is from the Blue Donkey Tales. I love this story; it's one that my English Lit teacher gave to my class in the 1st year of English Lit A Level. I think it says a lot about people. It also says a lot about my Lit teacher, and the values that she has. She is a wonderful lady, and while I know that all that she did for me cannot be put into words, a bit of what she did can be shared. It was this lady who helped me to overcome an eating disorder, to value and assert myself, and to pursue my ambitions - regardless of what others may think. I owe so much to her, and I'm not sure that she knows just how much I value her, and her friendship.

THE BLUE DONKEY.

Once upon a time a blue donkey lived by a red bridge. 'Inartistic', said the councillors who governed that town. 'A donkey who lives by our bright red bridge should be of the purest and silkiest white or we must request that the said donkey be required to move on.'
The matter soon turned into a political issue. One party said that the donkey never had been and never would be white and what was asked of the donkey was grossly unfair. If, on the other hand, the donkey were required to be a nondescript grey )instead of a loud and laughable blue), they would be prepared to accept the solution as a reasonable way out. But the opposing party found a fault in their logic. 'Just because donkeys have never known to be white', they pointed out patiently, 'it does not follow that a donkey is incapable of achieving whiteness. Your argument imposes and arbitrary limitation on the creature's potential.' Good heavens!' cried the others. 'Are you suggesting that the donkey's blueness may be a matter of culpable wilfulness rather than a mere genetic mischance?' 'Yes,' responded the logicians. 'Let us confront the creature and you can see for yourselves.'
They approached the donkey, who happened to be munching a bright pink carrot which clashed most horribly with the bright red bridge. 'O Donkey,' they said, feeling they had better get it over with at once, 'we'd like you to turn an inoffensive grey or else move on.' 'Can't and won't,' replied the donkey. 'There you see,' cried half the populace. 'Obviously wilful!' 'No, no,' cried the other half. 'Patently flawed!' And they began to dispute among themselves. The donkey was puzzled. 'I'm a perfectly good donkey,' she said at last. 'What exactly is the matter with you?' 'Your blueness troubles us,' wailed the citizens. 'It clashes with our bridge, as does the pinkness of your carrots. Oh what shall we do? We cannot agree among ourselves.' 'Look again,' advised the donkey.
And so they did; they looked and argued and squabbled and argued and after a while most of them got used to the blueness of the donkey and didn't notice it any more. But a few remained who maintained strongly that blueness was inherent, and a few protested that it was essentially intentional. And there were still a few others who managed to see - though only sometimes - that the Blue Donkey was only herself and therefore beautiful. These last occasionally brought her a bunch of blue flowers which she put in a vase.