Childrens Literature: Instruction through Delight - Book Report/Review Example

Children's Literature: Instruction through Delight Generally, children's literature and books may have been taken for granted and dismissed as a person matures just like any of the childhood paraphernalia that one has to grow out of and store away along with outgrown clothes and toys. Transformative Energies by Kimberley Reynolds, however, puts emphasis on the relevance, dynamism and magnitude of children's literature. In this essay, one can be challenged and informed as the issues regarding children's literature have been thoroughly discussed and affirmed. Reynolds puts major emphasis on the role of children's literature as a transformative vehicle to both readers and writers. She points out several concerns summed up in the subtitles: The aesthetic of childhood innocence; Children's literature and the aesthetic of transformation; the uses of children's literature; and In and out of the nursery. There have been attempts at putting a boundary on what is supposed to be "children's literature." Reynolds discusses that this is a seemingly impossible situation in the sense that children's literature cannot be confined in one box and be given a label. It transcends barriers regarding its contents, ideas, characters and related matters. The closest criterion that can be made on this issue is the unwritten code of practice where children's literature should contain "no sex, no violence, and no 'bad' language (meaning that the writing should refrain from swearing, slang, and most aspects of colloquial or idiomatic use, and be grammatically correct)." Like any other literary form, it covers a wide variety of elements and possibilities. Moreover, Reynolds points to the main focus of her discussion which is transformation. She mentions Juliet Dusinberre who "argues that children's literature plays a seminal role in bringing about cultural change, including preparing the way for modernism." The examples of stories like "Alice in Wonderland" is said to have "challenged authority, released subversive energies, refused to condescend and preach to readers, and, particularly for modernists, foregrounded issues to do with language as the medium of meaning," according to this scholar. Moreover, Reynolds mentions Graham Greene, who "was convinced that childhood reading (referring both to children's writers such as Potter and books read in childhood) is profoundly influential." Greene says that the influence of books read in childhood is profound and is deeper and more effective than "any religious teaching." This is supported by Betty Greenway, who says that "artists are made by the books they read as children." The sensory images provoked in these literary pieces are more influential than merely words, according to Greenway. This is again supported by Sylvia Plath, who is said to have experienced that "the rhythms, images, and sometimes earthy language of nursery rhymes helped her articulate deeply ambivalent feelings about family relations, childhood, and the literary tradition." In addition, Reynolds mentions Francis Spufford who supports the aforementioned ideas in his study, The Child that Books Built (2002), which is "an autobiographical account of himself as a young reader." According to Spufford, "the words we take into ourselves help to shape us." Another figure is Judith Plotz whose ideas "support the notion that children's literature both directly influences the way its readers who become writers write, and represents a valuable cultural space for writers." Reynolds sums these all up by saying, "children will not just inherit the future, but need to participate in shaping it." She then continues to discuss the uses of children's literature. She says, "Children's literature, then, is both a breeding ground and an incubator for innovation." She adds, "There are also aspects about writing for children that result in a kind of wild zone where new ways of thinking are explored, given shape, and so made part of the intellectual and aesthetic currency of that generation of child readers." She mentions reasons why children's literature has a special appeal to writers. First, it is "avoiding the cultural spotlight especially if, consciously or not, they are exploring ideas that they feel may not sit comfortably within the literary establishment or other cultural institutions." Secondly, "another appeal of children's literature for writers and illustrators comes from the oneiric dimension of childhood; the logic of dreams, fantasy, play, and the imaginary, all associated with the young, and is seen to be more permeable and plastic than the rationality assigned to adulthood." Finally, "a crucial part of the explanation for why children's literature is so good at stimulating and nurturing innovation is that many children's texts operate two semiotic systems simultaneously: the visual and the textual, and the entire domain is bound up in interactions between formats and media that are beginning to change the nature and delivery of narrative fiction." Reynolds essay ends with the idea of Jacqueline Rose that "children's literature as being charged with the care of certain older forms of literary texts such as myths and legends as a means of preserving and eventually restoring values perceived as being 'on the point of collapse' in contemporary culture." Moreover, she continues, "Children's literature is not just capable of preserving and rejuvenating outdated or exhausted genres; it also contributes to the creation of new genres and kinds of writing, though to date this has gone unacknowledged because, as Dusinberre notes, there is a widespread assumption that children's literature is a second order of creativity that lags behind and imitates what happens in adult fiction." Transformative Energies by Kimberley Reynolds is indeed an eye-opener. It has shown the magnitude and dynamism of children's literature which has often been set aside and taken for granted. Based on Reynolds' essay, the following children's literary pieces are analysed and discussed: The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne, Northern Lights by Philip Pullman, and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. These stories can be divided into two classifications: the first two have animal characters and may be considered fables, while the stories on the second category have human characters and may be considered realistic but with fantastic elements. Given that these stories are for children, it is assumed that the readers are children and also adults who are reading it for their children. Since The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Voices in the Park have animal characters, therefore they can be assumed to target children of pre-school years. The stories, Northern Lights and Treasure Island are for more mature children in the primary education level ranging from seven to twelve years old since these are more adventure stories. Moreover, the fables can be suitable for both girls and boys, while the Northern Lights is suitable for girls since it has a female major character and Treasure Island for boys since it has a male major character to whom they could empathise with. The romantic conceptions of childhood such as inquisitiveness, carelessness, wilfulness immaturity, initiation to adult life, happy endings and fantastic elements as paired with Juliet Dusinberre's "challenged authority, released subversive energies, refused to condescend and preach to readers" are evident in these children's stories. Inquisitiveness Peter Rabbit, the playful and hyper-active rabbit, showed this inquisitive nature right after his mother forbade him to go to Mr. McGregor's place. He dismissed his mother's warning and without hesitation explored the forbidden place. True enough, the forbidden place turned out to be an unfriendly place. In addition, Smudge, the cheerful daughter gorilla of a gloomy father gorilla, treaded the unsafe ground of Charles, the depressed son gorilla of a grumpy mother gorilla. She was not afraid of the looks of their neighbour in the park. The children met each other at the park despite their parents' indifferences. This act resulted in friendship and changed outlooks. Moreover, Lyra Belacqua, characterized as "a half-wild, half-civilized girl, left among" the Jordan College scholars by chance was also "a sanguine and practical child." Her curiosity brought her to the North and made her experience lots of adventure. These adventures were also life-threatening but were necessary for her to accomplish her mission. Then there was Jim Hawkins, a young boy who was exposed to the brutal realities of life such as the death of Billy Bones and the discovery of the map to Treasure Island. His desire to keep the secret and to find the treasure was a manifestation of his curiosity. Details of his adventures even show how he left his hiding place just to satisfy his curiosity about what was happening around him and with the pirates. Being a child amidst ruthless men is unthinkable much more to contradict them but Jim's inquisitiveness was not controlled. He treaded forbidden grounds and was fortunate enough to have survived. Carelessness The characters did not see any harmful consequences in their actions so they continued to pursue their adventure. Despite some hazards and failure and pain, they continued. Peter Rabbit did not heed warning. His carelessness led him to the hazardous encounter with Mr. McGregor. With Smudge, she did not care about unpleasant and negative appearances. She reached out and touched other gorillas' lives. In addition, Lyra Belacqua went on her journey without thinking what dangers lurked behind those people, animals and places. She trusted strangers and was fortunate to have met some helpful ones like the bear Iorek Byrnison and her daemon aide named Pantalaimon. Similarly, Jim Hawkins' carelessness was evident in his decisions. He easily trusted people and consulted them without first thinking whether they were reliable. He came in the company of pirates and had it not been because of Dr. Livesey and Ben Gunn, he could have lost his own life and his loved ones. Wilfulness Even without adult supervision and despite warning from adults the child characters in the children's literature in this study pursued their plans and went their own ways. Peter Rabbit came first in the most vivid illustration of childish wilfulness. His mother clearly instructed that they refrain from going to Mr. McGregor's garden. He did exactly the opposite and experienced the worst life-threatening situation in his young life. It was not mentioned whether Peter Rabbit returned to Mr. McGregor's garden again but the lesson is obvious. He suffered the consequences of his wilfulness. Smudge in Voices in the Park manifested her own wilfulness. She initiated the friendship with Charles even if he looked unfriendly and despite the presence of his intimidating mother. This nature of Smudge turned out positively because she was able to influence the outlooks of others. Had she refrained from the others, she could have tended to be less cheerful because she would have been alone and friendless. Being wilful in this case shows positive results. The simplicity of this story could have deeper insights depending on the readers and on the perspective one has to employ. Lyra is another portrayal of childhood wilfulness. She was not allowed by her uncle Lord Asriel to go North with him but she still pursued it by herself. Fortunately, her going to the North had even saved Lord Asriel eventually. This attribute of Lyra, however childish in nature, was the very element that made her accomplish her mission. Had she remained in Oxford, and had she been an "obedient" and conforming girl, all the other kidnapped children would have never been saved. Like Smudge, Lyra positively affected the lives of other characters in the story. In the novel Treasure Island, Jim Hawkins did some wilful acts of pursuing the hunt for treasure and for leaving his safe refuge that threatened his life and made him captured by the pirates. This could be associated with his inquisitiveness and carelessness. Being young, his inexperience had made him do things without caution and he just moved on without much thinking and reflection that adults usually do. Even if he ended quite safely and more wisely, his challenging and life-threatening experiences are not to be taken lightly. What if he did not surpass them all What if he was not lucky Immaturity All characters manifest immaturity. They are all young and they lack the knowledge about life and the possible threat these challenges may bring them. Peter Rabbit may be about the age of early childhood, Smudge may be of early childhood too. As for Lyra and Jim Hawkins, they are about nine to twelve years old or in the later childhood years for they were already capable of heavier tasks. Obviously, the characters are shown as immature beings because they are intended to young audiences. Being immature, they needed adult guidance. For Peter Rabbit, his mother was there to give the warning. For Smudge and Charles, their parents were there to provide companionship and protection. For Lyra, her daemon served as her guide along with the golden compass. Finally, Jim had his mother, his friends, Dr. Livesey and Ben Gunn. They are shown to be helpless and dependent on adults and others for direction, safety and right decisions. Initiation to Adult Life Most, if not all the stories show that the children learn something vital from their experience. They all ended up better than who they were at the onset of the story. Peter Rabbit had suffered enough to give the reader a hint that he had learned his lesson and may not do the same act again. Although the nature of children will be to repeat similar mistakes, Peter may have learned something to avoid exactly the same misfortune. Actually, he may have remembered where Mr. McGregor's gate so that whenever he would venture in the same place again, he would be able to escape readily. In the case of the gorillas, with the help of Smudge, Charles had become optimistic about life and the father of Smudge had become light-hearted despite their condition. With this experience, Smudge must have benefitted too. It is but natural that when one gives out something to others and when one makes others happy, he or she would feel some sort of fulfilment and joy. The seemingly gloomy situations can still be overcome and changed by one's outlook. This story vividly tells the readers that attitude determines one's sense of being and disposition. Lyra's situation is another case of experiencing some mistakes and adventure in order to learn some valuable lessons in life and in order to save others. Her drive to go North and her adventurous nature made her accomplish great things for others unconsciously. She was helpless without her daemon and the golden compass which served as her guide. In every journey to adulthood, it appears natural that a child should have some adult guidance. In Lyra's case, she could not have done it alone without these two aides. She ended up being more responsible and wise, two attributes credited to adults. Jim Hawkins, on the other hand, had the most vivid manifestation of initiation to adult life. This novel clearly and realistically portray how a young boy became a young man through the many involvements and introduction to life's serious problems and "realities." Death and killings were the worst exposures he was first introduced to. Then came the other incidences of betrayal, corruption, deception and greed that he had to either accept or keep himself away from. His transformation from simple to a more complex individual is greatly manifested in how he overcame his "enemies," gained friends, attained wealth and decided to refrain from treasure hunting. The only indication that he was still young at end of the novel is his frequent nightmares about the sea and golden coins. Happy Ending Interestingly, all of these stories end happily. All the characters end up having learned something from experience and yet were successful and safe. Peter Rabbit, for instance, was able to come home and be reunited with his mother and siblings. Although he suffered the consequences of his disobedience and carelessness by becoming ill and not being able to eat "bread and milk and blackberries" for supper, he was back home safe and comforted. In addition, the four gorillas at the park went home with a better understanding about life, much better than at the beginning of the story. Smudge was responsible for the changes in the outlook of the sad boy and the melancholic father. She gave the boy some touch of hope by befriending him, and she cheered her father by her own positive outlook in life. Although it has not been literally stated, the mother of the boy must have experienced a positive change too. The story ends happily in the sense that all four went to their respective homes with lighter loads and moods. Moreover, Lyra Belacqua had grown to become a more knowledgeable person. She was able to accomplish her mission, or the mission placed on her shoulders without her being actually able to discover that she had a purpose to fill despite her age and inexperience. Her struggles, defeats and triumphs had made her a better person. With the help of her friends, she was able to come out safe and successful. Walking into the sky along with her daemon demonstrates a better life and an elated feeling after all that she encountered. Leaving the place of her birth is also suggestive of her achieving a better and higher level of life. Lastly, Jim Hawkins at the end of the novel vowed never to get involved with any treasure hunting anymore and had fits of nightmares about the sea and the treasure. However, he became better off economically and had learned from his mistakes and his experience. He was brought home safe and successful, another form of a happy ending. Jim had gained wisdom and confidence in his experience and was explicitly victorious. This quality of a happy ending must be a necessary part of children's literature to accomplish the 'instruction through delight' intention or the so-called transformative purpose of children's literature to its readers. Tragedy may be too heavy and too harsh for the small minds to perceive. However, showing bits by bits of difficulty (The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Voices in the Park) and samples of harsh realities of life such as death, killings and defeats (Northern Lights and Treasure Island) give these literary pieces some sort of reality and plausibility so that the readers will learn from reading them. Fantastic Elements Of the four stories for children, only the Northern Lights has the obvious element of fantasy in the forms of the golden compass, the personal daemons and the friendly bears. These are included so that the achievements of Lyra Belacqua could be justified. Besides, these fantastic elements make the story more appealing and entertaining. At a closer scrutiny though, all the other three stories show some touch of fantasy, what with animal characters in The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Voices in the Park and the seemingly impossible achievements of Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island. The survival of Jim Hawkins and the mature decisions he had made cannot be made by any ordinary individual of his age. Conclusion Romanticising childhood in The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Voices in the Park, Northern Lights and Treasure Island are manifested in the child major characters, such as inquisitiveness, carelessness, wilfulness immaturity, initiation to adult life, happy endings and fantastic elements. This confirms Kimberley Reynolds' Transformative Energies that children's literature has "challenged authority, released subversive energies, refused to condescend and preach to readers." In the final analysis, it can be noted that children's literature is an entirely unique and distinct genre of literature that has a specific place to fill in the both the literary world and the human world. It is not only a vehicle of transformation but it has its own excuse for being. Works Cited Browne, Anthony. 1998. Voices in the Park. New York: DK Publishing. Potter, Beatrix. 2002. The Tale of Peter Rabbit. London: Warne. Pullman, Philip. 1998. Northern Lights. London: Scholastic Ltd. Reynolds, Kimberley. Transformative Energies. Stevenson, Robert Louis. 2005. Treasure Island. London: Sterling. Read More