Children have no control over the parameters of their birth. Thus, it is important for children to have a good understanding of different cultural orientations and racial diversities so they can embrace the positive implications of being different. When children are taught different cultures, they gain an appreciation for their own. Novels such as The Cay by Theodore Taylor help children appreciate racial and cultural diversity, promote the understanding that members of the human family have more similarities than differences, while providing a gateway into man kind’s history. The Cay by Theodore Taylor is a survival novel published at Avon publishers in 1969. Taylor took only three weeks to complete The Cay despite the book’s realistic …show more content…
Both protagonist are aided by someone who motivates and inspire them to be great by do things they thought themselves incapable of doing. For instance, Phillip becomes friends with a black man and climbing a coconut tree while blind. Mayo deciding to stay and protect his home. Timothy and Lurhetta play a big role in shaping the novels’ plot because they show the main characters that racial biases are irrelevant in their current time and situation. The two novels are symbolic of man’s fight against nature. In Phillips and Timothy’s case it is the struggle to live on the cay and survive a massive hurricane while the Higgins face losing their home to landslides. Besides race the novels also share themes of family, friendship, love and coming of age. The cay is written in first person, narrated by Phillip. It is as if he is writing his memoirs reflecting on his past. “Something happened to me that day on the cay. I'm not quite sure what it was even now, but I had begun to change. Hamilton language style is descriptive and poetic. Will it really be mine—this mountain? Daddy says it will be one day. He loved the mountain, its long, lingering dawns. But he frowned, squinting off at the hills with night still huddled in their folds. Now it won’t ever be mine. (Victoria
Mary Cowhey’s Black Ants and Buddhists, explains how to implement a Multicultural Education into the primary grades. Her pedagogy encourages educators to take a step back from curriculum demands, and a step toward teaching children to think critically in the “organic happenings of life in the classroom” (Charney). This book is written in a memoir-like fashion to convey what a classroom looks like when students are encouraged to speak their mind, engage with their community, and learn through rich experiences.
According to the textbook, social diversity is based of differences unrelated to heritage such as, “gender, physical or mental or emotional disabilities, sexual orientation and alternative lifestyles.” One perfect example of this is when Miss Pointy states jokingly in her introduction that her first husband was a pirate. Though this was said in fun, it is an affirmation of the alternative lifestyle that is being divorced and remarried. This affirmation of the non-traditional family is also present in the descriptions of Sahara, Rachel’s and Darrell’s families, all of which are single-parent matriarchs. Miss Pointy captured the essence of accepting social diversity when speaking to Sahara’s mother: “You’re a class act, Ms. Jones, and you have nothing to feel bad about.” Beyond that, Sahara Special successfully asserts the existence of capable children with mental and emotional disabilities in this world, with its strong portraits of Sahara and Darrell who were selected for pull-out services and finally held back. For young readers in comparable situations, these character profiles can provide a necessary point of reference, if not positive role models, for them as they find their place in humanity. Also, for majority students, reflecting socially diverse characters in a positive way can disprove stereotypes and clarify misunderstandings held about such groups (Russell,
3. Delpit, Lisa D. Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. New York: New, 1995. Print.
Madigan, Dan. "The Politics of Multicultural Literature for Children and Adolescents: Combining Perspectives and Conversation." Language Arts. 70.3 (1993): 168-176. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
She goes on to tell readers of a child's perception of race with other life examples that she learned from her own students. She states that children learn prejudices and stereotypes early on in life from cartoons, story books and their own parents. They are easily susceptible these things even if th...
There is the escape from reality, a low level job, and a way of life, in general. Each character is very relatable simply because so many people, in real life, are not happy with the way their lives are or seem to be turning out. “Mountain climbers don’t carry bricks”-Zig Ziglar. Sometimes one has to be selfish to better his or her situation. Laura wants to escape the fact that she is different and others don’t understand her. Amanda spends her time regretting her choice to marry Laura and Tom’s father who she blames for her current circumstances. She really wants her children to be happy, but maybe should spend more time thinking about what to say next. Jim has a reasonable desire for escape; a little more money, a little less work. Tom is beyond dissatisfied but wants to be responsible, but also seemingly envies his father’s escape and leaving him to be the man of the house. Williams likes to use bird imagery in his writing. Birds can symbolize freedom. They can go as they please and never look back. Tom leaves everything behind and finally escapes in the
There are many fairy tales that are well known to a majority of American youths. Most children are familiar with the basic structure of the fairy tale. They will tell you that there is usually a problem, a villain, a hero and a lesson to be learned in the end. Using the familiar platform of a fairy tale is a great way for teachers to introduce multiculturalism to the classroom. Multicultural literature can positively shape awareness of different cultures. It is important for the teacher to make certain the literature chosen does not promote bias or stereotypes. In this reflection I will examine Lon Po Po A Red-Riding Hood Story From China by Ed Young. By comparing and contrasting the story of Lon Po Po with the version of Little Red Riding Hood most familiar to them children will learn about some of the similarities and differences among American and Chinese culture.
The Cay, by Theodore Taylor is a realistic fiction that took place in around World War II. The book is about a young boy named Phillip Enright, who lived with his overprotective mother and laid back father in Carrisal. Carrisal was currently surrounded by German ships. Phillip’s overprotective mother, decides it would be best if the family went back to Williamston, Virginia, where his mother was born. Phillip and his mother board The Hato, a ship that would take them to VA. On April 6th, The Hato was torpedoed. During the chaos, Phillip gets hit on the head by falling debris, and when he regains his consciousness, he finds himself on a boat with an old black man (Timothy), and a cat (Stewcat).
One of the main issues that has been a result of representing the under-represented in children’s literature is essentialism. Essentialism is the idea that members of a specific ethnic group should be the only ones to represent their culture in literature because they will give an accurate portrayal of their culture. Essentialism is a very sensitive issue because whole cultures are being represented and those cultures do not want their ethnic group to be portrayed in a negative manner. Furthermore, while essentialism is a matter of opinion and personal beliefs there is one novel that gives a good account as to why essentialism may be preferable to most audiences. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang is a novel that displays stereotypical images of Asians and shows how three main characters
Family has the biggest influence on how race is perceived for some. Read stated, “children begin to develop attitudes About race between the ages of two and five, that not talking about race leaves them vulnerable to misinformation and stereotyping, and that children 's acceptance of differences among ethnic and racial groups is essential if we are to create a society with freedom and justice for all” (Readman, 2011, p.50). Educators need to teach an understanding and acceptance of our differences. The exposure of other races and ethnicities
On the first day of school, I was in culture shock. There were so many different races of people: from Whites to Asians to Hispanics to Blacks. This diversity was foreign to me and the only diversity that I was exposed to ...
In conclusion, this book gave me a whole new view on life and how we can interact better with different people. The book emphasized that culture is key to understanding people. Sometimes it is hard to connect with others because they are indicated as different but in due time we can adjust. Every culture has their own traditions when it comes to what they eat, what to wear, dating, various ceremonies, holidays and more. Reading this book helped me become more accepting of who I am and where I come from.
In 1995, Delpit published Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. Although the excerpt analyzed in this paper is from a larger work, it was written by Delpit (1995) as a self-contained speech. This excerpt includes many of the concepts Delpit believes to be the basic cultural conflicts in the classroom, which are stereotyping, child-deficit assumptions and student isolation and invisibility. Delpit's goal is to "remove the dynamic of oppression that are inherent in any classroom…that come together when (primarily white) teachers spend time with 'other people's children'" (Delpit, 1995, pg.69). Through Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom, Delpit lays the foundation for multicultural education and details ways teachers can solve the inherent problems that arise as a result of many cultures interacting in the classroom. The purpose of this paper is an analysis of this text through an analytic, interpretive and normative reading.
At a young age, third culture kids gain an expanded worldview by living in a country and culture that is different from their home culture. They observe many geographical differences around the world, and they learn that people view life from different philosophical and political perspectives. For example, people in some parts of the world think of Saddam Hussein as a hero, while people from other parts believe he’s a villain. Western culture is very time oriented, while relationships are of far greater importance in Eastern lands....
Learning about culture, language and fairness. It is important that educators must aware of the differences and similarity of the families and children. “Families communicate their culture’s values, beliefs, rules, and expectations to their children. What is acceptable in one culture may not be acceptable in another” (Edwards, 2010, p. 55).