Remember that time when all you had to do in one afternoon was have tea with your imaginary friend? Or when butterflies were bigger and could talk? When fairies lived in the woods and mermaids lived in the stream next to your house? I do….but most don’t. Most modern children would look at me like I was crazy if I told them I had mermaids in the creek next to my house. I had a wild imagination growing up, just like the character Anne Shirley, who lived through her imagination. Children today, however, face worldly issues, moral pressures, and are forced to grow up earlier, while their imagination slips away.
Children’s literature from different generations show how the values and morals of that time can affect a child. In the award-winning novel Anne of Green Gables, the main character, Anne Shirley grew up as an orphan. Even though she is an orphan, she possesses the qualities of what childhood should be. She is kind-hearted to others, has a lively imagination, is friendly, sees the beauty in simplicity, and strives to be a good girl. She plays outside, loves her family, does well in school, and embraces her innocence.
Anne lives without the worry of the adult world around her. She is innocent, and her biggest concern is making friends. Anne’s family doesn't share their concerns with her, because it is not her problem yet. Children of this generation are so concerned with the world’s problems. They stress if parents are low on money. They worry whether or not their parents will get a divorce, they won’t be liked, or if they will have a good future. "Children need time to grow and emotionally mature in order to cope with what life throws at them," says Ms. Freegard (Coughlan). Children should not be worried about such th...
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Paton, Graeme. "Childhood being eroded by modern life, experts warn." The Telegraph. The Telegraph , 23 Sep 2011. Web. 18 Sep 2013. .
Coughlan, Sean. "Modern childhood 'ends at age of 12'."BBC News Education and Family. BBC, 05 March 2013. Web. 18 Sep 2013. .
Britt, Robert Roy. "Is Modern Society Ruining Childhood?." Live science . Live science, 22 Apr 2009. Web. 18 Sep 2013. .
Senior, Jennifer. "Little Grown-ups and Their Progeny."New York News and Features. New York Media, 31 Mar 2013. Web. 18 Sep 2013. .
Children within this age group however are on the path of becoming young adults with their own identities. Finding your own identity when not being exposed to any negative thought provoking subject matter is difficult. Exposing a child to such topics that are out of their comfort zones is difficult enough without having to worry how the child will take in the newfound information. But through literature, parents and educators are able to expose children to difficult subjects such as abuse, religion, drugs, and so on and guide them into making the positive choices in life. Some are lead by example, and it is much easier to lead with a fictional character the children can relate to than just expecting them to know what to do when life takes a turn for the
It seems that there are always new and improved devices being released to the public for entertainment and assistance. However, Louv sees that children should not be so reliant on touch screens and portable gaming; they take away from what should be a lively and interactive childhood. Last Child in the Woods reveals the problems with separating children from nature. Louv lengthens simple descriptions, poses rhetorical questions, and provides vivid imagery to help the reader connect with his own beliefs. His goal is to help stop the never-ending stream of media from taking away carefree and simple childhoods from the younger
Tickell, C., 2011. The Early Years: Foundations for life, health and learning. An independent report on the Early Years Foundation Stage to Her Majesty’s Government. London: HMG
As repeated by several philosophers, childhood is a vital time period which truly shapes an individual. The University of Pittsburgh conducted several studies and concluded that parental guidance and behavior
Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables is a beloved character from children’s literature, characterized by her spirited nature, chatterbox personality and vivid imagination. Despite her rampant optimism, however, Anne had a difficult childhood, growing up as an orphan without a home, passed from place to place throughout her youth. Although her past was not an easy one, Anne showed incredible resilience and upon her arrival to Green Gables, she was not beaten down by hardship, but remained lively, bright spirit full of life. A significant contributing factor to Anne’s resiliency was her impressive imagination, which she used to escape reality and image a different life. This is highlighted in the first half of the novel, as Anne discussed
‘Some idea of a child or childhood motivates writers and determines both the form and content of what they write.’ -- Hunt The above statement is incomplete, as Hunt not only states that the writer has an idea of a child but in the concluding part, he states that the reader also has their own assumptions and perceptions of a child and childhood. Therefore, in order to consider Hunt’s statement, this essay will look at the different ideologies surrounding the concept of a child and childhood, the form and content in which writers inform the reader about their ideas of childhood concluding with what the selected set books state about childhood in particular gender. The set books used are Voices In The Park by Browne, Mortal Engines by Reeve and Little Women by Alcott to illustrate different formats, authorial craft and concepts about childhood. For clarity, the page numbers used in Voices In The Park are ordinal (1-30) starting at Voice 1.
There is always one aspect of life that is essential in a person. It is established in childhood; imagination. Children have the privilege of being young enough for a certain amount of time to not let any responsibilities hinder them from learning and experiencing the world in new ways. In literature, the best way to showcase a child’s imagination is through a world entirely different from their own. Two of the most prominent fantasy worlds in children’s literature are; Narnia and Neverland. These worlds are important for they do not classify children as beings lesser than others. Instead, children are glorified and treated as equals in the different worlds. In C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, four siblings travel into a wardrobe and are transported to a magical realm, known as Narnia, where they discover that they must help bring the fantastical realm out of its eternal winter. In J.M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy, the story of Wendy Darling and her brothers John and Michael is explored as a young boy who never grows up takes them to Neverland; an island where the only inhabitants are pirates and the Lost Boys. In both of these stories, there is one element in both that makes these otherwise entertaining tales into inspiring coming of age stories. This element is in the importance of the role of the absent parent. Both Lewis and Barrie eliminate the security of the parents, making the children fend for themselves in a new, strange world. These worlds are able to be fully explored as children enter them, their open minds bringing about new ideas that an adult could never even dream of. The idea of growing up is identical with the idea of cutting ties with your parents and becoming your own person. Therefore, in order ...
Childhood is the period of being a child which is from birth up until when the child reaches puberty (adolescence). A myriad people perceive childhood as being fun and joyful but many would disagree and would now begin to consider it as being problematic. This essay will be impartial and promiscuous by discussing supporting arguments that childhood is and is not considered as being in crisis. Part of this essay will be looking at different authors or journalists who believe childhood is in crisis due to many factors such as; children not spending time outdoors, them being allowed to used electronics too much etc. While other authors and journalists will be looking at the opposite side as to children only being innocent or that parents are to blame and the media due to confusion over whether childhood is in crisis.
Steven Mintz, author of “Huck’s Raft: A History of American Childhood” (2004), writes about the conceptualization of childhood in America. He views the history of childhood in this country as having three overlapping phases. Phase one he terms as premodern childhood. This phase took place in the colonial era and in this period of time adults viewed children as adults in training. Mintz suggests that in the premodern phase the parental responsibility was to hurry children toward their adult role and status (Mintz, 2004). Phase two for Mintz was about the middle of the 18th century when children were regarded as innocent, malleable and fragile. Adults viewed the young as needing to be sheltered from contamination. However, childhood was more
Maybin, J. &Woodhead, M. (2003). Childhoods in context. Southern Gate, Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Schor, J. B. 2006. When childhood gets commercialized, can children be protected?. I U. Carlsson & C. von Feilitzen (red.), In the service of young people, pp. 27--48.
Newman, Philip R. and Barbara M. Newman. Childhood and Adolescence. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co., 1997.
Every single child of the world has rights that protect and guarantee a peaceful childhood full of education, love, health and care. Nevertheless, the children were not always treated as boys or girls. The idea of children and childhood is not natural; conceptions of childhood have changed over the centuries. These historical changes depend on the modes of socioeconomic organization, forms of parenting, and socio-political organization in different places and times in the history of mankind. For all that childhood is a social creation.
Fairy tales are one of many ways to teach young children how to behave when they grow up. It teaches them to follow their dreams and express themselves. Fairy tales affect children's developing brains in the strangest ways. They inspire children to be and act like heroes. The options are endless. Children can be anything they want to be. Little girls can be beautiful princesses and little boys can be fearless princes. Imaginations run wild. The entire world is in their hands. But as they run away with their imaginations of magnificent lions and legendary wizards, their innocence diminishes because of the brutality displayed. The reality is that fairy tales aren't as sweet as we think they are. For this reason, parents are doubtful about reading fairy tales to their children. As society shift towards a era of fairy tales...
...rm a society of their own: luxurious, frivolous, indefinitely happy and ultimately healthy. I am holding Psychology Today September/October issue. The last page advertises, “The study of psychology is the key. Hands-on experience is what turns it. Unlock human potential.” The picture that goes with it shows a woman teaching two young girls. They are wrapped in serenity. This page screams, “This is what you have to do if you want the children this smart and calm!” The truth is, whatever ads offer, should be divided by ten and then taken with a grain of salt. Same goes even for the kids magazines. Boy’s Life shows athletic boys that are capable of performing adult-age stuns and tricks. They look excessively neat, clean, groomed and dressed like adults with exquisite taste. This puts a lot of pressure on kids whose parents let them be kids and dress age-appropriately.