Does Childrens Literature Always Have an Overt and a Hidden Agenda - Essay Example

? Does children’s literature always have an overt and/or a hidden agenda? One thing that can never be said about any type of writing is that it always will do one thing or another. What writers will choose to include in their development of a piece of writing will vary widely and therefore it can never be assumed that there will always be anything in relationship to writing. Text is not even something that can be expected because there have been books created for children with no text. However, it could be said that there is very often an overt or hidden agenda in a piece of writing intended for children. The number of meanings that have been created for the writing that is done for children is wide and has the scope of all meanings in the universe as writers have approached subjects as varied as imagination to the concept of death. Children are a part of the human experience, therefore writing for them is not limited by any topic that can be ascribed to human phenomena. The following paper will examine the idea of whether or not an agenda is essential in children's literature, the type of agendas which are used and also how they potentially affect young readers. Adult topics such as sex, death, poverty, and abuse have all been a part of children’s literature. Children are not immune to the ills of society therefore the topics that affect them, even if they are not pretty, will be represented in books in order to create the sense of normal to the worlds that children are presented in these works of fiction. There is very little that is off-limits in a children’s book as long as it is presented at a level that can be understood by a child. An example of this can be seen in Swallows and Amazons as the topic of child abuse is touched upon when the children of the Walker household notice the oddities in the Blackett household that lead to some vague conclusions based on observations and innuendo (Ransome 1985). Children understand a great deal more than they are given credit for and through the novels that are created for them most writers will find a way in which to express reality even if it is framed in the fantastical. What are communicated through children’s books are often meanings that are socially relevant in ways that can be explored without disrupting their sense of security within the spaces of their world. However, even this is not always true. J.K. Rowling has established the theme of her seven book story of the young wizard Harry Potter as death. Death is the overriding theme along with themes of child abuse, abandonment, and unexplained anger that many young people can relate to from the experiences of their own life that have left them with negative feelings that erupt with seemingly little stimulation. The nemesis in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Voldemort, often stands as a surrogate for the ills of childhood and the ways in which life presents itself as unfair and with emotions that feel outside of the self (Rowling 1997). Rowling pulls very few punches in her work. She confronts what most would deem as adult topics straight on through the eyes of children whose worlds are separate from the experiences of adults. Her agenda would appear to affirm that the hard experiences that adults understand are felt and experienced by children and that to shy away from them is to deny the realities of life. One of the experiences that Rowling had at about the same time that she developed her basic concept of Harry Potter was that her mother died. Rowling was 25 when she conceived the idea of Harry Potter and that was the same year that her mother died of Multiple Sclerosis (Oprah 2010). The effect of having a parent die is cataclysmic and can influence any type of artist for quite some time. Those who express their feelings in their work cannot help but reflect their feelings about the event. The themes in Harry Potter show the great sense of loss that the author undoubtedly felt and the rising crescendo of death is reflective of the experience. The books spiral deeper and deeper into loss, much the same way that it is experienced. When losses of this magnitude are experienced the feelings associated do not just go away. As successive characters in the books died, the pain of that loss is increased with each experience for the characters, culminating in a war that takes the lives of numerous characters. The message is that loss happens whether you are nine or ninety and even heroes cannot prevent it. Reynolds (2009, p. 108) uses the example of Alice in the Lighthouse in order to show an author who uses theories of radicalism as they are associated with modernism as an underlying theme in a children’s book. Reynolds (2009, p. 108) suggests that this type of use of a children’s book is an example of how children’s literature can operate as a way of exploring new ways of thinking about the world. This is a very specific and identifiable agenda in which an author is looking to express thoughts with the result of shaping ideas within readers. Subtext can be very powerful as writers explore their own concepts in worlds that are used as conduits between their thoughts and the next generation. However, the development of an agenda is not always the point of a writers expressed meanings. While the expression of an aspect of life from the perspective of an author will have a transformative effect, it does not mean that it is the author’s intention to transform the thinking of the reader through an agenda. Looking at Rowling once again shows that the discussion of grief and death does not appear to have a purpose for transformation towards an agenda. It is one thing to create meaning, another to create an agenda. Creating transformation does not always mean that it serves the purpose of an agenda. Giving meaning to writing does not mean that it has been designed to serve the bias or viewpoint of a writer. On the contrary, it may mean that it is trying to inspire thought within the reader so that they can develop their own perspective on a theme. Peter Hunt (2009, p. 12), in an article that addresses some of the aspects of meaning in children’s books, discusses how adults act as the mediator between the child and the story. Through reading them and presenting them in a variety of mediums, what is communicated is culture at a scope that is defined by the beliefs and ideologies that supports what is meaningful within the social experiences that they choose to express. However there can be wide differences between the meanings that children gather from textual experiences than those that the adult believes is being communicated. An example from the Harry Potter text is that the gulf between adult experiences and childhood experiences is based upon disbelief by adults of the reality within which children live. In other words, do not go to the adult to solve a problem because it is likely that they will not understand. This is not an uncommon message of childhood literature. Through expressing this gap, the fiction for children also communicate a sense of capability. While the mysteries and mythologies of childhood may seem remote from the adult experiences, fiction has effectively reinforced this understanding of the differences between adults and children through showing that children see the world through truths that adults often cannot face. However, what children’s books do is creates idealized situations with solid resolutions. Although children go on adventures that are not perceived by adults until they have ended, such as occur in the stories by Ransome (1985) it is clear that they are mature and capable in their pursuit of resolving the situation presented to them. The writers of children’s books who separate the adult and child experiences show that it is the powerlessness of larger life in the lives of adults that often leads to expressing the desire to have some sort of more simplified control. Expressing a part of life from the perspective of the author creates a framework for inspiring thought about that part of life. Sometimes the dialogue between the author and the reader can be framed by the idea of ‘This is my experience of the situation. What are your thoughts?’ A good piece of writing will allow the reader to form their own concepts based on the ideas that are presented. The difference with children is that they are more easily shaped and may not have other ideas to contribute to the discussion, thus they adapt what they are reading without conflict. A good literary example of this comes from one of the Harry Potter books in which Harry and Luna share the same ability to see the dead horses that draw carriages at Hogwarts. The thestels, as Rowling calls them, are only visible to those who have shared the experience of seeing someone die. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix the unique club of those who have watched someone die is expressed through giving the characters a unique ability that comes from this experience (Rowling 2004, p. 62). As an adult reader who has seen death, the uniqueness of this experience can be understood, but other adults who have not watched death come to take someone they love may not know how to understand this passage. Children are even farther removed from the experience as they are still trying to understand what death means. However, what Rowling accomplishes is to create the ‘club’, expressly discussing the difference before and after the experience of seeing death. She expresses that there is a difference in the experiences of those who have seen death and engages them to think about how that difference has affected their lives. She reveals her perspective on the experience, but rather than trying to shape the ideas for others there is more of a question involved in the discussion. It is not an agenda that she is creating, but more of a question posed as to whether or not others feel the same. The answer for some is that they understand what she is saying because their experience was the same. Children, however, may have no other understanding of the passage than to see that in Harry’s world, seeing someone die gives a character a unique ability. It adds to the mystery of death without expanding its horrors. Peter Hunt (2009) goes on to speak about the power struggle that arises from the adult writer to the child reader. The adult is in a position to communicate what they will to the child and the child may or may not be manipulated by this experience. The question that must be asked about this common theme of adult exclusion from the childhood adventure is what is the message that the author is trying to express in this theme? Taking the Harry Potter series into account again, it is clear that the message is not that children have softer experiences on hard topics. The amount of death in the series is not taken lightly. The characters grieve and experience loss on a level that is almost more adult than childlike. The characters face the obstacles that are put in their path with a high level of maturity. The children in the books are the definition of ‘old souls’. Hunt (2009, p. 14) uses the example of Winnie the Pooh written by A. A. Milne who was reflecting experiences of World War I in the stories. A. A. Milne was more known for his pacifist’s viewpoints, but what has been discovered recently is that he participated in writing propaganda for M17 during the First World War. His contributions were in conflict with his beliefs which can be seen in his poetry where he reveals some of the deceptions he was charged with writing (Flood 2013). Hunt (2009) sees this reflected in his work, an agenda of propaganda that was in reverse as children are influenced by the way in which his beliefs manifest in his work. In the end, it is the ability of adult writers to influence how children perceive their world that gives these writers social power. A question that should be asked is whether or not all of the messages available in children’s literature should be received. The children reading the books are likely not near as sophisticated as the characters in the books. Children do not often face dragons and monster spiders so their experiences and the ability to face them are not often tested. In most books the ability to face obstacles that adults cannot take from them is the core of the storyline. Peter Rabbit experiences this sense of otherness for his adventure where he experiences dangers outside of the view of an adult (Potter 2004). The adults are excluded from the adventures of children in most literature but this does not exclude adult ideas from the stories. This is the power that the writer has in his or her hands as they craft their stories. The social construction of society changes, but literature remains as a representation of its time. This means that when children read classic literature they are getting messages, some subtle and others overt, that are outdated. As children are not as sophisticated as the characters in most books, the messages that are relayed in the stories will likely have an adverse affect. Hunt (2009) relates that stories from Enid Blyton, as an example, are filled with outdated social ideas that are both prejudicial and stereotypical. In her Famous Five series she reflects her time through sexist ideas as well as racial prejudices. A question that must be asked is whether or not reading classic literature for children is more important than protecting them from ideas that are subversive to enlightened thought. Reynolds (2009, p. 99) writes that “it is the words and images of often physically small texts that turn out to be capable of filling the minds of generations of young readers with experiences, emotions and the mental furniture and tools necessary for thinking about themselves and the world they inhabit”. The subtle subtexts of children’s literature often promote social construction through showing children how their characters respond to the world around them. The messages that come across about how to behave provide context for the world in ways that support social thought. Through moulding the lens through which the world is viewed, the messages of social categorization or gender differences formulate a way of seeing the world. The writers who describe the realities of the world without a higher moral context are creating society rather than merely reflecting it. Shaping is one of the powers of a writer. Shaping how thought is developed is a way in which to create the ways in which children see the world. A better writer avoids shaping and incites thought so that choices of how to view the world are available. This does not mean that guidance does not occur. The problem with all types of literature is that through creating normalizations of ideas that may be controversial, society is transformed. An example can be seen through the Cold War where spy films created images of USSR agents as being dangerous and deceitful. The image of the KGB is now one of horror and fear in the Western world, supported by the images created by literature and other media in a world in which fear of the ‘Communist threat’ is a tangible element. Even animated films will use a Russian accent to indicate a villain. This dehumanizes the sense of ‘other’ for the benefit of an agenda. Reynolds (2009) discusses the study done by Julia Mickenberg who saw that the subtext in children’s literature provided for a continuation of the McCarthy era persecutions that were a part of the cold-war fears and biases. Mickenberg found that the children’s literature of the time period was full of left-wing thinking and that it had the capacity to cross boundaries that otherwise would be cultural taboo. The works were under the radar as they promoted a certain framework of culture that may have otherwise been protested. Children’s literature can be used to promote dissention for those who have agendas that they cannot otherwise express. Therefore, agendas do exist and provide for influence on social ideas about a variety of themes. To say that there is always an agenda is not strictly true, however. Sometimes agendas can only be identified by a discussion about a topic without the intention of creating influence. An agenda indicates that there is an intention that the writer has in creating their work. An end result is in mind when the ideas have been transferred into story form. However, sometimes themes are discussed without an agenda. There is no intention of influencing thought but just opening a dialogue. If there is no intention to transform or influence, then an agenda does not seem to have been formed. The unintended agenda is the dangerous one. An example was given of Enid Blyton who shows how shifts in social awareness creates a conflict with formerly accepted norms, thus creating ideas about people in children who may not understand the difference between historical social frameworks of beliefs and current frameworks. The subtext of bias and prejudices that comes from the time period in which certain literature was written can have an effect on a child without an adult recognizing the danger. As well, when a writer finds their personal biases creeping through their work, the unintentional influence can be a part of the transformative process. Defining an agenda is the way in which to answer the question. If the idea of an agenda is expressed as a purpose, than most writers would say that they have a purpose in their writing. If an agenda is to influence and transform towards the writers way of thinking, then some writers would agree that they have an agenda. It is impossible to be absolute about most things and this is very true of writing. While social ideas will likely be expressed through a writer’s work, it is not absolute that everything that is written for children has an agenda when it is written. However, it has been shown that there are specific instances where an agenda is intended and other instances where one emerges. The likely answer to the question posed for this assignment is that while there is never an absolute about writing, most often a writer of children’s literature will create themes that serve an agenda. References Flood, Alison. (26 April 2013). Winnie the Pooh author was first world war propagandist. The Guardian [Online] Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/apr/26/milne- first-world-war-propaganda, accessed 19 May 2013. Hunt, Peter (2009) Instruction and delight, in Montgomery, H. and Watson, N. J. (eds) Children’s Literature: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 12-25. Oprah. (2010). The brilliant mind behind Harry Potter. [Online] Retrieved from http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/The-Brilliant-Mind-Behind-Harry-Potter/6, accessed 17 May 2013. Potter, B. (2006). Peter Rabbit. New York: Frederick Warne. Ransome, A. (1985). Swallows and Amazons. Boston, Mass: David R. Godine. Reynolds, Kimberly. (2009). Transformative energies. in Montgomery, H. and Watson, N. J. (eds) Children’s Literature: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 99-114. Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. London: Bloomsbury. Rowling, J. K. (2004). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury. Read More