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The importance of children's literature
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The importance of children's literature
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The dictionary definition of courage is bravery or boldness. In the set texts of Little Women and Treasure Island, courage is defined through the interaction of the characters, the situation and their reactions to it. Thus, there are different aspects of courage explored throughout the texts resulting in either in physical or psychological pain or a mixture to the characters. In this essay, I will analysis the method that each author employs to inform the reader of courage, discuss some aspects of courage explored in the texts and look at how courage differs between the genders. Alcott uses characterisation to display courage. She builds the characters over a period through their words, actions and appearance in conjunction with other characters comments and an omniscient authorial voice (Lukens, 2003). The character of Beth has a shy manner and timid voice, staying at home and who admits to being afraid of people. She is ‘dear’ to other characters and the author tells the reader her pet name is mouse. Yet this character shows courage by thanking Mr Laurence, who frightens her, for her piano causing Meg to exclaim that ‘the world is coming to an end’ (Little Women p.63) Alcott enhances this action through intertextuality to Pilgrims Progress where Mr Laurence is one of the biggest lions guarding the Palace Beautiful. Beth is the foil for the main protagonist, Jo for whom this behaviour is normal as evidence by her statement of Mr Laurence ‘I’m sure now that I shouldn’t be afraid of him’ (Little Women p.52). This illustrates that there are different levels of courage dependant on the characteristics of the character. Stevenson (2009) admits in his essay about his first novel that he does not use psychology and fine writing wh... ... middle of paper ... ... (eds), Children’s Literature Classic Text and Contemporary Trends, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan in association with Open University Loxley, D. (2009) ‘Slaves to adventure: The Pure Story of Treasure Island’ in Montgomery H and Watson N (eds), Children’s Literature Classic Text and Contemporary Trends, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan in association with Open University Lukens, R. (2003) ‘Character’, A critical Handbook of Children’s Literature, Boston (USA), Ablong Reynolds (2009), http://learn.open.ac.uk/file.php/6764/!via/resourcepage/59898199/6764/moddata/resourcepage/ea300_dvd1_Boys_and_girls_reading_19th_century_transcript.doc Stevenson, R. (2009) ‘My first Book: ‘Treasure Island’’, in Montgomery H and Watson N (eds), Children’s Literature Classic Text and Contemporary Trends, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan in association with Open University
Treasure Island has a very clear call to adventure near the start of the story in which Jim Hawkins uncovers his signal to cross the threshold. During the prologue of this novel, Jim and his mother finds a new customer visiting their inn. He was a retired pirate who carried a chest with him, he knew he was near death so he gave Jim the key to it. Inside the chest, Jim found a map to a place called Treasure Island where there was supposedly hidden loot. “Mother could there be treasure here? I mean it is a map to Treasure Island” (Stevenson 42). That is when Jim decided to step out of his ordinary world and accept the call to adventure. It was a decision that took courage and bravery, two characteristics that he maintains throughout the rest of the story. This part of the novel clearly shows the call to adventure that Jim Hawkins
...t wealth, valuables, and his own ethical adulthood, which is a treasure in itself. Treasure Island is a tale that indulges readers at an unconscious level because the readers can relate to Jim’s quest to find himself. (Cliff Notes)
While the journey’s main aim is quiet obvious, it is possible to argue that there are implicit and explicit goals behind this journey. Explicitly, the idea of pursuing a journey to an exotic island to find a pirate’s treasure is undoubtedly appealing. Indeed, as a child, it offered Jim a chance to escape the inn’s confinements and his mother’s authority. Nevertheless, there are many implicit goals behind this journey. Firstly, it was intended to help him acquire knowledge and experience through nature. Secondly, it aimed to make him realize his own capacities and capabilities. Thirdly, Christopher Parks (2009) argues that the journey’s fundamental aim was to make Hawkins’ fit for his future role in the service of the Empire. Fourthly, it provided him a chance to aid his mother’s as well as his own financial condition. And finally, according to Diana Loxley (2009), imperialism and colonial exploration are what lurks behind the quest for the treasure. Certainly, the characters in the novel are all engaged in an intoxicated pursuit after the treasure in order to transfer it to the Empire, gain their own share, improve their lives and rise up in ranks. Furthermore, Treasure Island has also been regarded as a psychological journey from childhood to adulthood, motivated by the search for a father (Maybin, Haslam & Watson, 2009). However, Hawkins’ voyage concluded with a number of outcomes that changed his life
Throughout the past fifty years, Maurice Sendak has been a challenging and inventive voice for children’s literature. His work will continue to be entertaining and educational for young children and adults alike for many years to come. Sendak has won many awards for his work in children’s literature; however, much controversy surrounds his work. Sendak’s books have had grotesque characters, kids becoming “wild things”, kids get stolen by goblins, kids are eaten by lions, and some kids are naked. Through all the controversy that has surrounded Sendak’s books, he has risen to success.
High school students in many American schools first read this book in an English class, which has been a staple for many schools. A required reading assignment exposes many more people to the book. Even though the book is considered to be a children’s book by many, it is still enjoyed by people of all ages.
Lots of observations were collected whilst the children were making their maps and working together to find the word treasure, so I have highlighted just a few to address the overall understandings of the findings.
Bravery is evident in today’s literature as shown in Summer Sisters. In the book Summer Sisters, Vix goes to stay with Caitlyn and her family for a summer. Vix’s bond with her summer family forever reshapes her ties with her own (Book Browse). The summer she fell passionately in love opened doors to opportunities Vix had never imagined (Book Browse). Throughout the book the paths that the women choose are explored and readers find the bravery of each woman as they balance the fine line between friendship and betrayal (Book Browse).
Perceptions of exceptionalism are embedded throughout countless works of literature, encouraging readers to take strides against the institutions holding them back and to develop a stronger sense of individualism. Order and rebellion, and the balance between them, play significant roles in molding exceptional individuals apart from the society that shaped them. The ideal “exceptional individual” is depicted through characters such as Robinson Crusoe in Daniel Defoe’s novel, Robinson Crusoe, and Jim Hawkins of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. These characters dare to disobey others, seek greatness, and challenge the suffocating societies they came from. Both Crusoe and Jim manage to defy societal and class expectations and achieve their
Richardson, Alan. “Wordsworth, Fairy Tales, and the Politics of Children’s Reading.” Romanticism and . Children’s Literature in Nineteenth-Century England. Ed. James Holt McGavran Jr. Athens: . . . University of Georgia Press, 1991.
Potter’s book is, beneath its didactic Victorian narrative, remarkably subtle and subversive in its attitudes towards childhood, and its message to its child readers. Browne’s Voices in the Park, on the other hand, dispenses with any textual narrative; by his use of the devices of postmodernism, visual intertextuality and metaphor, he creates a work of infinite interpretation, in which the active involvement of the reader is key. Although The Tale of Peter Rabbit is not a ‘modern’ picturebook, and was written to a different concept of childhood than Voices in the Park, it certainly falls within Bader’s description.... ... middle of paper ...
When thinking of books that seem to be written specifically for young boys, Treasure Island is a book that comes to many minds. Treasure Island is the epic tale of thrill seeking and adventure. Stevenson’s main character is a small boy, Jim, who gets to go away from his mother and embark on a trip across the ocean. There are sea fearing pirates, sword fight, and bloody killings. These are typically things that interest boys. Stevenson also follows the literary pattern described by Perry Nodelman in his book, The Pleasures of Children’s Literature. He describes that many novels written by men follow a pattern when it comes to the plot of their stories. “There is an unified action that rises toward a climax and then quickly comes to an end” (Nodelman 124). Treasure Island follows this pattern. The novel moves towards the climax of finding the treasure and then ends quickly without too great of detail with how the treasure money is spent or what happens in the character’s lives. In many ways, Treasure Island exemplifies the narrative patterns of a “boy book.”
Literature has been part of society since pen met paper. It has recorded history, retold fables, and entertained adults for centuries. Literature intended for children, however, is a recent development. Though children’s literature is young, the texts can be separated into two categories by age. The exact splitting point is debatable, but as technology revolutionized in the mid-twentieth century is the dividing point between classic and contemporary. Today’s children’s literature is extraordinarily different from the classics that it evolved from, but yet as classic was transformed into modern, the literature kept many common features.
Treasure Island, published in 1883 is one of his most famous adventure and action stories. It’s arguably Stevenson’s most famous work. It’s a Bildungsroman, “coming-of-age story” which focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the character from youth to adulthood. Stevenson was very intrigued with ...
Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, is a tale of adventure filled with exciting characters and set in exotic locales. This paper will present background information on both the novel and its author and analyze and discuss the major characters, themes and motifs. Stevenson was born the only child of a prosperous middle-class family in Edinburgh, Scotland, in November 1850. His father, Thomas, was a civil engineer who specialized in the design and construction of lighthouses. His mother, Margaret, was the daughter of a well-known clergyman (Livesey). Probably the two most important influences during Stevenson’s childhood were his family’s strict Presbyterian religion and his own poor health. During his frequent bouts with tuberculosis, his loving nurse, Alison Cunningham, liked to entertain him with stories of bloody deeds, hellfire, and damnation. This rendered him a frightened, guilt-ridden child and also apparently something of a little prude, a characteristic he certainly outgrew by the time he reached his late teens (Harvey).
In the juxtaposition created by the reluctant combination of the roles of the mother and the tradeswoman, it is perhaps foremost a tragic contradiction within Mother Courage's character, rather than her role as a tragic heroine, that is emphasized. Alternatively, this contrast could be interpreted as an indication that Mother Courage is morally "neither all good nor all bad"...