‘For as long as humans have been around, stories have helped children find meaning in life, and discover their place in the world.’ (Smith, 2007, p.5). Children’s stories are more than entertainment. They give children the opportunity to learn about their own self, by putting themselves in the position of the characters within stories.
In children’s fiction especially, therefore, character is of utmost importance. ‘The worlds most exciting plot if it features cardboard characters will be as unappetising as yesterday’s rice pudding’ (Cleaver, 2004, p.54). Not only do we see the world of the story through the eyes of characters, but we learn which characteristics and attributes are acceptable, and how to become better people. ‘Character is distinctiveness, the signature of a person in word and deed, or in silence and inaction.’ (Wall, 2007, p.16). It is by the actions and inactions that we define a person’s character, and the same is true for the characters that populate the world of our stories. What we must remember, though, is that we are attempting to ‘produce the illusion of living beings.’ (Bennett & Royle, 2004, p.61).
In this essay I am focussing on two modern children’s series as case studies, as I feel these books epitomises the underdog as the hero in children’s fiction. The first collection I am referring to is the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. This is one of the most successful children’s book of all time, and has been the focus of many studies as a result. The second series I am focussing on is the Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch. This series is written by an American author, and features two main characters who throughout the story are the most unlikely heroes; Cass and Max-Ernest. Both these books consist...
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...r to defeat the greatest evil of the modern wizarding world. Due to the inciting incident of the series, the moment the Dark Lord tries to kill Harry as a baby and the spell bounced back, temporarily vanquishing him, Harry enters a world where he is famous, and almost God-like in his reputation. Had Harry grown up in the wizarding world, he may have been the classical hero of the Ancient Greeks. However, Harry’s future mentor Professor Dumbledore saw the dangers of this far in advance:
‘It would be enough to turn any boy’s head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he wont even remember! Can’t you see how much better off he’ll be, growing up away from all that until he’s ready to take it?’ (Rowling, 1997, p.20).
And so young Harry was left to grow up in a household where he was oppressed, bullied and powerless, growing up in true underdog style.
After a four week survey of a multitude of children’s book authors and illustrators, and learning to analyze their works and the methods used to make them effective literary pieces for children, it is certainly appropriate to apply these new skills to evaluate a single author’s works. Specifically, this paper focuses on the life and works of Ezra Jack Keats, a writer and illustrator of books for children who single handedly expanded the point of view of the genre to include the experiences of multicultural children with his Caldecott Award winning book “Snowy Day.” The creation of Peter as a character is ground breaking in and of itself, but after reading the text the reader is driven to wonder why “Peter” was created. Was he a vehicle for political commentary as some might suggest or was he simply another “childhood” that had; until that time, been ignored? If so, what inspired him to move in this direction?
of The Modern Language Association Group on Children's Literature and The Children's Literature Association 6 (1977): 93-114. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. James P. Draper and Jennifer Allison Brostrom. Vol. 79. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 11 Mar. 2010.
‘Every child knows what it’s like to be Cinderella because all children feel unappreciated at times and want to be special.’ (Smith, 2007. P.6). While it is unlikely that most parents would abuse their children in the same way as in our fairy stories, or lock them in the cupboard under the stairs like Harry Potter, every child knows what it is like to be ignored, or (in their eyes) unfairly punished for something. ‘Children often feel helpless because they are subject to what they consider the whims of adults.’ (Cleaver, 2004, p.56).
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.
‘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.
In Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone, Harry's life is far from normal when he finds out that his family is very well know in the wizard world. He undergoes many challenges and engages in his first battle with Lord Voldemort, the evil villain that killed his parents.
Every story has characters and their roles reveal much about the meaning and values of the story; additionally, the role that they play can serve as a representation of different ...
Children literature is a term that refers to the texts written for children. The artist uses creative ways to ensure that children are provided with educational books, touching on a variety of themes. This paper will include comparison of two characters from the two texts, “Hana's Suitcase: A True Story,” authored by Karen Levine and “Charlotte’s Web,” written by E.B. White, with the aim of understanding ways in which problems are solvable as indicated by selected characters.
Norton, D. E., & Norton. S. (2011). Through The Eyes Of a Child. An Introduction To Children’s Literature. Boston, MA, 02116: Eight-Edition Pearson Education
Sipe highlights five different expressive engagements—dramatizing, talking back, inserting, and taking over—that children portray during story book read- alouds. He believes that teachers must encourage these behaviors in children because it shows participation and it inspires children to take over the story. Some of these expressive engagements are reasonable while some serve as a disfavor to children’s learning. On page 482, he gives instruction on how teachers can implement the expressive engagements in their classroom. Sipe claims, “the first type of expressive engagement, dramatizing, can be encouraged through dramatic reenactment” (481). This can be problematic for fairy tales such as “The Juniper Tree”. This story about a stepmother killing her stepson by beheading him then cooking him in a stew, and a little boy turned into a singing bird who then later kills his murderer by “…dropping a millstone on her head and crush[ing] her to death” (252) can be gruesome for children to dramatize. Another expressive engagement that Sipe mentions is “inserting”. Sipe claims that if children are encouraged to insert themselves or other people around them into the story that they are reading, they can exercise their power over the tales. Through this process, Sipe claims “children in process of becoming one with the story, to the extent of assuming their stance as fellow characters with equal agency and presence in the story” (478). The story of the little boy in “The Juniper Tree” suggest a different view about mechanically inserting characters in a story. The little boy must learn about what each of his family members did to contribute to his death. When the little boy died, he did not know anything about the causes of his death and the things that happened after. He had to learn that his “mother, she slew [him]”, his father
For centuries, children stories have been a valuable tool in teaching lessons and morals. Like most stories that one was read as a child, there lies a life lesson that the author is trying to portray. Whether it was told orally like the story Beowulf or written by an author like Chaucer who wrote The Canterbury Tales, there are life lessons that are being taught through the characters and their challenges that they endure.
Fantasy writer Philip Pullman says, “After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” Stories have been central to how human history has been shaped and remembered. On a grand scale, stories have been a way to pass down culture and remember history. On a smaller scales, they have been used to spend an entertaining evening or- often in many cultures, put a child to bed. While the power of a stories is one that has gone generally unnoticed, William Cronon urgently calls us to pay attention to stories. As Cronon argues in “A Place for Stories”, the manner in which a story is told influences what futures generations will both learn and recall on their own.
Kathy (2016) has said there are lack of character with disability or impairment in the children’s literacy. The representation of character in literacy is important to children who experience disability to work towards inclusion, because it communicates strong message to the children with disability, as they identify with characters who are like themselves, and it helps to disestablish ableism.
The character is emphasising the moral and educational value of stories in human development and understanding by saying that there is always something to learn from stories, even when they are retold repeatedly.
Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” tap’s into young readers anxieties by opening their imagination to new thoughts of possible events that they might experience in the future. Dahl uses Charlie Bucket, the main character as the hero of the story, and arguably a role model for young readers, to portray the life of a poor child who is not blessed with all the things that he wants, because of his economical situation. In this critical paper, I will argue how Charlie Bucket’ character can be considered a role model/ hero for young readers. Discussing the following: the way in which he portrays the not “sunny side of things”(Bettelheim, 272) that taps into young readers anxieties, such as the fear of reaching a point of starvation in their life. Secondly, how he is not a selfish person, who worries about the consequences that others suffer because of their behavior, even though of the critical economical situation that his family is living. And finally, the way in which his good behavior resulted in a victorious end, where he was able to bring complete joy to his family, by taking them from extreme poverty to a place where they would never have to worry about starvation or money anymore.