BUT WHO WILL TELL THE EMPEROR HE HAS NO CLOTHES?

ERNESTO S. MANINANG

Fairy tales, folklores, urban legends and nursery rhymes undeniably surpass the test of time. They continue to be a part of the collective consciousness of the masses, regardless if you’re an old man or a young child. Indeed, humans are storytelling creatures. One of these beloved stories is Hans Christian Andersen’s The Emperor’s New Clothes. As all the other children’s tales, it is amusing, humorous and teaches a lesson that remains relevant today.

We have the titular characters: The vain emperor, who cared more about his reputation and lavished admiration of his constituents than serving theme. Next we have the townspeople, whose fear of being labeled as unworthy, fooled themselves and praised the cloth for its supposedly fine threads and patterns. Lastly, is the small child whose blunt honesty and innocence punctured the bubble of deceit.

Through the lenses of modern literary theory, the story can be perceived as an idiom and an allegory for political and cultural situations and positions. One way of interpreting it is the psychology of herd mentality, which happens when people adopt to the values and standards of the majority instead of valuing their own. They conform to the societal notions, disregarding their own individuality, deceiving others and in return, deceiving their own. They imitate the popular opinion instead of forming one of their own, making them ignorant and ill-informed. As Nietzsche quotes, “Do not underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers.”

However, way of perceiving it is one that promotes social activism and awareness. The emperor can be considered as a stereotype of the delusional leader: Narcissistic, self-serving, foolish and ignorant to the plight of his people. The gullible townspeople can be a representation of the media and the leader’s blind followers. They play along with his foolishness, praise him and suck up to him, all in the efforts of protecting their own their own skin or elevating themselves in the social hierarchy. This is what Rizal probably meant when he wrote, “The youth is the hope of our future.” It takes a child, innocent and uncorrupted by power nor vain, to expose the truth among the falsehoods.

Whichever moral you choose to uphold, as teachers we must know the importance of imparting this to our students. We want them to be confident; to be true to themselves; to know that everyone is unique in their own way. We want them to be socially aware; to be meaningfully involved and patriotic, to be able to recognize injustice and say, “The emperor has no clothes.”

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The author is Principal I of Sto. Tomas High School, Sasmuan, Pampanga