Author Archives: dominique.white

by

A Coon Alphabet

 

A Coon Alphabet Edward Windsor Kemble

There were a lot of things about “A Coon Alphabet” that were very striking. The language, the title. What really shocked me was the illustrations. The illustrations in the Coon Alphabet are pretty horrifying. To me, they dehumanized black people and almost made them seem animal-like. I found it so disturbing. It was seemingly meant to be a comedy, however I did some background research on this book. It was written after the Civil War, and during this time there were many books backing up the decision to free the slaves and show how horribly they were treated. However, according to digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu, this book was written to prove that blacks were

“deserving of their ill-treatment.”

Also, during this time, racial stereotypes were commonly used in writing and illustrations in children’s books. This was also during a time where white actors would put on “blackface”. The author, Edward Windsor Kemble, was a well-known “artist” for his cartoon of soldiers, Indians and blacks.

 

 

by

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland is a book that can be interpreted in many different ways. Just as it has been translated into many different languages, it carries different meanings for different people. Some feel it is just a children’s book, nothing to pay much attention to. It is filled with “nonsensical things” such as talking animals and absurd ideas. I think this is the beauty of this book. The fact that it can be interpreted in so many ways. There are so many abstract ideas and hidden themes in this book that I would have probably never seen had I not done such a close reading.  I think in many ways “Children’s Literature’ isn’t just for children. In the case of Alice I feel that this is clear. The themes and the underlying messages make this story very appealing. Reading this closely I feel as though I’m actually reading it as a child is. The deeper I read the less I see these things as nonsense, (although very unlikely), it’s a lot deeper than that. I honestly don’t know if this was Caroll’s intention but it really had me thinking. And also after reading this book, I’m tempted to watch the Disney version again, and pick out the differences and see if I can still pick up on these hidden themes.

by

The Anti-Slavery Alphabet

The Anti-Slavery Alphabet was very interesting to me. The fact that such a political piece was directed at children and attempting to catch their attention is interesting. The author seems to want to influence the younger generation, which is something many do now. By using language the author attempts to both entice the child reader as well as make sure they understand the basic principles of what an abolitionist is standing up for. The rhyming of the poem also makes the grim topic somewhat enjoyable for the child reader, which is important.

 

” ‘E’ is the eagle, soaring high; An emblem of the free; But while we chain our brother man; Our type he cannot be.”

” ‘I’ is the Infant, from the arms of its fond mother torn, And, at a public auction, sold with horses, cows and corn.”

” ‘L’ is the Lash, that brutally he swung around its head, threatening that “if it cried again, he’d whip it till ’twas dead.”

 

These quotes all stood out to me. The first seems to be calling upon the child’s sense of humanity. The fact that the symbol of the country is the symbol of hope and freedom, however there are people who are no different then themselves who are not able to enjoy this freedom. The next two were some that I found to be a very harsh reality to be in a children’s “alphabet” book, however it was probably quite effective. To bring up the selling of children from their families, mothers in particular, this puts the children reading this in the shoes of those who is living this. The power in these last two quotes makes it apparent how important and urgent the author felt this issue to be.

I would really love to learn more about this book, I never knew about it before this and would love to get more of a background on it.

by

Peter Pan : An Adult’s Fantasy

The first thing that struck me while reading Jacqueline Rose’s, The Case of Peter Pan, was the fact that it was about Peter Pan. The story of the boy who never wants to become an adult. He wants to stay a little boy forever. He NEVER wants to grow up. I felt this was the perfect entrance piece of writing to read for this course because it gave a good insight to some of the history of Peter Pan but it also challenged ideas and raised questions that probably wouldn’t have come up otherwise. But what I really wanted to focus on is what really stood out to me. I was thinking about it through the entire text was when Rose said,

“Peter Pan offers us the child — forever.”

While reading this, I went back to Beverly Clark’s, “Kiddie Lit” where she mentions that there is some part in us that “values childhood. But we also dismiss it.” People love taking trips down memory lane to the times before responsibility and work and paying bills. I know I do. So there is a little Peter Pan in all of us I guess. Some part of us that wants to stay young. However this is not acceptable “adult behavior”. Eventually we all “grow up” and become a rational, responsible adult. Peter Pan never does. He is an adult’s fantasy.