Chapter 12

I was just watching a video about a “Britain's got Talent” singer, as I thought: Wait, this woman is just like Ugly Girl from our English book! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY) Both Susan Boyle and Ugly Girl have a most extraordinary and rather unpleasant appearance, hiding their actual personal qualities. But, in the end, they don’t care about the opinions of others and act exemplary.
Susan turns out to be a marvellous singer; Ugly Girl is the only person, who really helps Matt to get out of custody and save his reputation. In my opinion, this chapter is an excellent lesson for life, showing, that “behaving” (p.91, l.19) isn’t enough, sometimes you need to differ from the lame masses for the sake of justice and moral. And, as you can see, it pays off! Not only did she get a “very positive report on her participation” (p.91, l. 12f.), she also demonstrated her real character to the rest of the school... I think this is far more important than any other superficial attribute.
As I see it, the chapter deals with another topic too, her inexplicable feelings for Matt. Is this love in the robust and warrior like Ugly Girl? The way she explains her feelings definitely makes me believe it: “What was happening to Ugly Girl? It was scary, almost” (p.94, l. 3). If you saw the connection between Ursula and her pseudo-identity as a weak soldier, protected by a large shield, the developing intangible feelings have now crept past his defence and are infiltrating his body. The soldier was so used to relying on his shield, that this new, irrational power hit him at a vulnerable spot.
So, I hope Ursula Riggs doesn’t fall back to her Ugly appearance, she should face her feelings for Matt and maybe this is the beginning of true love.