There short stories were very fun to read because i never knew something like this existed! I read a little background about the author and he had studied in a Theological Seminary which explains why his stories always teach about correct behavior for children. In my opinion this was a good idea to instill certain values in the children from the start. Children have a mind like sponges up until the age of 5, we learn in psychology, so why not try to mold their minds so they can be the best of their potential? These two short stories on the other hand definitely took this subject of scaring the child into doing good, a bit too far. I am sure any child reading this short story will be scared and will try to abide by all of the rules. It is just not practical that a child could go so astray just from one day of skipping school. However, the purpose of the book was surely completed and in my opinion we need more books like this now that teach the children all about manners, ethics, emotions and how to handle tough situations in life. This book was also most likely to standardize teachings of morals at home because if every child is reading the same book then they all learn the same thing unlike what happens in society today. Today, children learn different things about morals and manners at home from their parents and when they meet at a place like school, those teachings clash. This is a reason why uniformity in personal values and beliefs have been erased and you get a very diverse settings among children in schools. In essence they have to deal with three different cultures; one taught at home, one taught at school by teachers and one taught by their peers. Thus in order to minimize confusion, there should be the same books for all children of a particular age group. They should all be learning to respect one another and be honest and truthful at all times. These things instilled in them early on may bring a huge different to their future.
Tag Archives: obedience
“The Truant” & “The Truant Boy’s End”
It can be argued that all facets of our culture are tools of propaganda. Much like advertising, literature, music, fashion, etc. not only reflects the current cultural values and beliefs, but simultaneously shapes it as well. If children are seen as citizens of the future and also small people that must undergo conformation to become “normal” members of society, children’s literature is a perfect place to start implementing a set of values that are synonymous with the mainstream’s. In “The Truant” and “The Truant Boy’s End”, The Messrs. Abbott clearly implies that a child’s obedience directly correlates to his/her worthiness of love.
In “The Truant”, a young boy named Henry gets distracted on the way to school by a boat. God forbid children develop and cultivate their sense of adventure and curiosity! No, children must go to school, bury their heads in books, and conform! However, Henry’s little escapade costs him and sends him in a spiral of guilt and causes him to commit more sins. In “The Truant Boy’s End”, children are taught that should they wander from the defined path set before them of obedience, they will surely die alone and sad out in the cold. Children are information sponges and would understand from these pieces that should they be disobedient or tell a lie even once that they will be unworthy of love and will be alienated from society. A great tool used in propaganda is fear and what better way to create a society with an anxiety of fitting in and being normal than to scare children in seemingly harmless pieces of literature.