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Re: Piddy, Ma and adult responsibilities
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From: Claudia Pearson <pearsoncrz_at_earthlink.net>
Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 08:08:47 -0500 (GMT-05:00)
I do see a shielding of young characters from what are perceived to be "adult" responsibilities in many books, Meg, and sometimes wonder if it is the result of a construct of "childhood" as a time which should be free from such responsibilities. Of course this does not accurately reflect the lives of a vast majority of children living around the world.
At Hollins we studied the history of "childhood" in western cultures, its appearance and development along with literature written for younger audiences as a parallel to the development of school systems and laws eliminating child labor. There was a time when working class children did not go to school and carried adult responsibilities almost from the time they could walk. Working class children in old paintings are sometimes even depicted as small adults rather than the rosy cheeked cherubs of today.
Are working class children typically featured in the children's lit cannon, or is the typical protagonist still a derivation of Little Goody Two-Shoes? And when a young protagonist "burdened" with work or adult responsibilities is it romanticized (SECRET GARDEN) or posited as a horrible thing which has happened to a privileged child (LITTLE PRINCESS) and must be overcome, or as one of the undesirable aspects of a future society (HUNGER GAMES)?
This suggestion is, of course, a very broad generalization, but was my immediate reaction to your question. How many white middle class characters in modern literature shoulder quotidian responsibilities like Piddy? While they may have "chores," do these rise to the same level, and why is what Piddy does notable if not as a comparison to what is perceived to the ideal (carefree) childhood?
Claudia Pearson coRA SCBWI Southern Breeze Georgia - Alabama - Florida Panhandle lookagainpress_at_earthlink.net
>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Meg Medina <Meg6000_at_aol.com>
>>... I can't say that I consciously decided to make Piddy feel protective, but I was very aware of her special place as the only daughter. I think that teens do shoulder enormous responsibilities...from economic contributions to filling in emotional needs of their parents. This is especially true when parents are working more than one job. In Piddy's case, she is cooking, doing laundry, helping with shopping...pretty far from the light hearted image we have of teens partying etc. Again, these were the experiences that were familiar from my own upbringing and what I still see in first-generation immigrant families. This idea of shielding teens from the duties and obligations of adulthood is absent. Do you see that in your settings?
>>
>>Meg Medina
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password: Look4Posts Received on Fri 01 Aug 2014 08:09:05 AM CDT
Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 08:08:47 -0500 (GMT-05:00)
I do see a shielding of young characters from what are perceived to be "adult" responsibilities in many books, Meg, and sometimes wonder if it is the result of a construct of "childhood" as a time which should be free from such responsibilities. Of course this does not accurately reflect the lives of a vast majority of children living around the world.
At Hollins we studied the history of "childhood" in western cultures, its appearance and development along with literature written for younger audiences as a parallel to the development of school systems and laws eliminating child labor. There was a time when working class children did not go to school and carried adult responsibilities almost from the time they could walk. Working class children in old paintings are sometimes even depicted as small adults rather than the rosy cheeked cherubs of today.
Are working class children typically featured in the children's lit cannon, or is the typical protagonist still a derivation of Little Goody Two-Shoes? And when a young protagonist "burdened" with work or adult responsibilities is it romanticized (SECRET GARDEN) or posited as a horrible thing which has happened to a privileged child (LITTLE PRINCESS) and must be overcome, or as one of the undesirable aspects of a future society (HUNGER GAMES)?
This suggestion is, of course, a very broad generalization, but was my immediate reaction to your question. How many white middle class characters in modern literature shoulder quotidian responsibilities like Piddy? While they may have "chores," do these rise to the same level, and why is what Piddy does notable if not as a comparison to what is perceived to the ideal (carefree) childhood?
Claudia Pearson coRA SCBWI Southern Breeze Georgia - Alabama - Florida Panhandle lookagainpress_at_earthlink.net
>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Meg Medina <Meg6000_at_aol.com>
>>... I can't say that I consciously decided to make Piddy feel protective, but I was very aware of her special place as the only daughter. I think that teens do shoulder enormous responsibilities...from economic contributions to filling in emotional needs of their parents. This is especially true when parents are working more than one job. In Piddy's case, she is cooking, doing laundry, helping with shopping...pretty far from the light hearted image we have of teens partying etc. Again, these were the experiences that were familiar from my own upbringing and what I still see in first-generation immigrant families. This idea of shielding teens from the duties and obligations of adulthood is absent. Do you see that in your settings?
>>
>>Meg Medina
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password: Look4Posts Received on Fri 01 Aug 2014 08:09:05 AM CDT
