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Point of view
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From: Nina Lindsay <nlindsay>
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 1995 08:20:00 -600
Responding to Ginny's question about the character of Charlie Simms. I always felt 'uncomfortable' -- not necessarily in a bad way -about his character. I understand this is a common reaction for white readers, because he is the one redeemable white character, yet he is completely estranged -- almost exiled -- stripped of community. While some may find this a criticism of Taylor, I find it a very powerful device in her work. It illustrates a tension of that part of history that I don't think is usually portrayed in children's literature, and magnifies the overall tension of the times -- giving a feeling of the impossibility that the state of things could continue as they were. (It is interesting also that Charlie Simms is definetely a 'device' in the story, almost in the way that African-Americans have historically been used in the canon of American Literature. Taylor lets him be a character as well as a device, though, which helps him succeed as both.)
Now this is really going to date me, but here goes -- My fifth grade class read
"Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry". Some perspective: it was a class of about 30 kids -- about 60% African American, 30% white -in an urban area, public school, fifteen years ago, headed by a white, female teacher. I'm also white and female. Anyhow, from that first reading, I don't remember the character of Charlie Simms at all -- or really any of the white characters. But I remember VIVIDLY identifying with the character of Cassie. By 'vividly' I mean I can still call up the pictures I had in my head as I read that story for the first time (especially the sidewalk incident), and in every one I'm holding Cassie's hand (literally) . I don't know if this can say anything about anyone else's experience -- but in mine, Taylor's work succeded brilliantly in bringing a quiet, lower-middle-class white girl in 1981 into the world of Cassie Logan. How's that for point of view?
Nina Lindsay Student--School of Library & Info. Studies UW Madison nlindsay at mail.soemadison.wisc.edu
Received on Tue 17 Oct 1995 09:20:00 AM CDT
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 1995 08:20:00 -600
Responding to Ginny's question about the character of Charlie Simms. I always felt 'uncomfortable' -- not necessarily in a bad way -about his character. I understand this is a common reaction for white readers, because he is the one redeemable white character, yet he is completely estranged -- almost exiled -- stripped of community. While some may find this a criticism of Taylor, I find it a very powerful device in her work. It illustrates a tension of that part of history that I don't think is usually portrayed in children's literature, and magnifies the overall tension of the times -- giving a feeling of the impossibility that the state of things could continue as they were. (It is interesting also that Charlie Simms is definetely a 'device' in the story, almost in the way that African-Americans have historically been used in the canon of American Literature. Taylor lets him be a character as well as a device, though, which helps him succeed as both.)
Now this is really going to date me, but here goes -- My fifth grade class read
"Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry". Some perspective: it was a class of about 30 kids -- about 60% African American, 30% white -in an urban area, public school, fifteen years ago, headed by a white, female teacher. I'm also white and female. Anyhow, from that first reading, I don't remember the character of Charlie Simms at all -- or really any of the white characters. But I remember VIVIDLY identifying with the character of Cassie. By 'vividly' I mean I can still call up the pictures I had in my head as I read that story for the first time (especially the sidewalk incident), and in every one I'm holding Cassie's hand (literally) . I don't know if this can say anything about anyone else's experience -- but in mine, Taylor's work succeded brilliantly in bringing a quiet, lower-middle-class white girl in 1981 into the world of Cassie Logan. How's that for point of view?
Nina Lindsay Student--School of Library & Info. Studies UW Madison nlindsay at mail.soemadison.wisc.edu
Received on Tue 17 Oct 1995 09:20:00 AM CDT
