Author Archives: jason.perez

by

Anti-Slavery ABCs

The Anti-Slavery Alphabet is a piece of literature written for children to explain the evils of slavery. It is important for the writer to convey the everyday experience of a slave, an experience that would move anyone into wanting to abolish the practice. I particularly appreciated the fact that the piece of literature was a poem. Because it was not a lengthy, wordy piece of text, I believe that it worked very well in explaining to children what slavery was and how it needed to be stopped. Furthermore, while its content was of a serious matter, the rhyme scheme made the poem fun to read, something that many children in our society today need present in a piece of literature in order to enjoy it.

What I found particularly interesting with the piece is the fact that the poet uses each letter of the alphabet to explain to readers what she’s trying to convey. Through this use, not only do children become aware of what slavery is, but also, learn the letters of the alphabet at the same time. While I’m not quite sure this was the poet’s intention, it can definitely be seen as a way to introduce the alphabet to beginning readers. She, as the saying goes, killed two birds with one stone.

I greatly enjoyed what each letter represented, but I greatly enjoyed what the “Y” stood for. It’s always been told to me that the youth of a particular time are the future of our country and all its endeavors. What is being mentioned with the “Y” is that the youth are an essential part of the war against slavery. They will be the ones who have the opportunity to change the evil practices that exist so that future generations do not have to experience them. As it was said in the poem, “And think not it can ever be too early to begin”, it surely is never too early for anyone to make a difference in the world.

by

Kiddie Lit Response

“Critics who treat adult as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grownup, to admire the grownup because it is grownup, to blush at the suspicion of being childish-these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence.” This quote from C.S. Lewis that Beverly Lyon Clark mentions in her book Kiddie Lit was one that I found particularly interesting. In a society where maturity is a coveted quality, it was quite difficult for me to view this statement as having some truth to it. Being an “adult”, in my opinion, means having much responsibility, one being having a maturity level that greatly surpasses that of a child. As an adult, one is responsible for being a role model for children. This means that we are responsible for explaining to young minds what it means to be mature and what behaviors are socially acceptable or unacceptable. Furthermore, we have responsibilities that are necessary for us just to survive. This includes the all wonderful world of paying bills, feeding ourselves, and sheltering ourselves. There are, in fact, worries to have when being an adult. So for Lewis to say being concerned about being a grownup is childish is a bit inappropriate.

When we, as adults, cross the line from adulthood back into childhood/childishness, it can definitely be frowned upon. This is not to say that we cannot lower our maturity levels from time to time. Let us be completely honest, there are moments when we tend to “play around” and act like “children” when we are around our friends or when we are around younger siblings, nieces, nephews, etc. However, if this behavior carries over into our professional lives, society definitely raises its eyebrow. With this being said, I disagree with Lewis’ claim that being worried about acting childish is childish itself. There are instances in our lives where we just need to be aware of our behavior because of societal and professional expectations.