The role of parents in the Wide, Wide world I found to be very direct and at time to be very strict in guiding Ellen on the right path towards becoming a woman. We see throughout the text that Ellen is very obedient and well mannered towards any adult figure. As such the case when the doctor instructions her that she must not excite her mother, Ellen took the advice to heart and was determined to follow it. The text also wants us to view the parents role as as teaching tool for children on how to grow up and showing them how they should be when they do reach adulthood. We see this in the entire shopping scene with Ellen and her mother as she is constantly getting things that she thinks Ellen will need in the future that will help her grow into a woman, since she will not be their to show her how. I also feel as though the text wants us to view parents close relationship with God, and by doing showing us how important it is to be associated with God. We see this when Mrs.Montgomery openly admits that she love God more than Ellen and tells Ellen that she to must love God more that she loves her.
I feel as though the text was creating an atmosphere that was very accurate during the 19Th century and separating the identities of the household between the father and the mother. The identities of the father during this time period was to constantly be working to support his family while showing little affection to maintain that male authority that all men must live up to. While woman were supposed to be domesticated and keep a clean house hold and be able to raise the children. We know this by the fact that Mrs.Montgomery doesn't appear to work and the fact she is the one raising Ellen shows the role that she had as a mother. While Mr.Montgomery is constantly gone and is hardly mention in the story and when he does appear he is constantly establishing his role as the man of the house. With the little affection he shows to Ellen and the constant rules and standards he sets for her to follow. This was the common model of the family household for the 19Th century.
Ellen I'm sure is the type of person who loves both her parents very dearly, but as for what kind of love she has for each parent is totally different and plays into how she perceives each parent. I feel as though Ellen has a true mother daughter bond with her mother and would do anything to please her in anyway. They also both have a mutual respect for one another because they both try to do whats best for one another, while still maintain the terms of a mother daughter relationship. As evident by the way Ellen cares and caries the burden of her mother leaving her in the near future because she knows her mom wants her to be strong while she is away. While her mother loves her dearly and does what she can to help her in the future by buying items she believes will help her in the future, and by preaching lessons that she feels are influential for her to live by. The type of role that Ellen expects her mother to have in her life is one of guidance and love. Ellen is always looking for the approval from her mother as she always agrees with her and also looks for her to be her emotional support with all of the things that are going to change in the near future. While Ellen and her father have a simple type of relationship were there was a respect in that he was her father and provided for her nothing more. As for the role she expects for him to have in her life is nothing more that an authoritative figure. Which is seen at the end when he breaks up Ellen and her mother as she leaves and Ellen says she never heard a word her father said or the candy he gave her. Which shows how she has little remorse for him and is nothing more than the authoritative figure in her life.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Constructions of Childhood Prompt
Most of the ideas and theories from MacLeod's "Children's Literature for a New Nation" and Sanchez-Eppler's introduction to "Dependent States: The Child's Part in Nineteenth-Century American Culture" can be seen as setting the tone for children's literature. With five theories that range from socialization, political views, gender separation, and others that form the bases of how children's literature and children them self were viewed and how it evolved during the nineteenth-century.
The first theory I developed is that of how children's literature was written to be used as a teaching tool for children on the matter of conforming social expectations in the eyes of parents, schools, and other so called experts. I believe this theory to be true in that most children's stories are written with the idea that children will grasp the idea of the perfect image that these stories want them to follow. Which eventually will lead to the children growing into this ideal social expectation outlined for them by the parents, schools, and experts who control children literature. "Children matter then not as selves, but as stages in the process of making an adult identity." (Sanchez pg4) This shows how Sanchez viewed how children had no chance of making their own identity but rather were expected to become the ideal adult.
Another theory is how authors of children's literature during this time period put little emphasis on the setting of children's stories. " No doubt because their purpose were so selective, authors gave scant attention to the settings of their narratives." (Macleod pg4) This was done in order to keep the story simple so kids could understand. By making the setting so plain it became universal therefor kids were able to connect with story and characters much more fluidly.
"Ideas about children's specialness and separateness coincide with the growth of governmental power and visibility." (Macleod pg7) Children characters were used constantly in literature to express political ideas and influence the nation. Childhood theories and the innocence factor of children contributed to the amount of political discourse. Which attempted to reform, direct, and influence the nation through the children and the adults by holding them up to a standard by which to follow and show the direction that they wanted the United States of America to move.
The theory regarding the gender division in children's literature showed the nation the roles that males and females were expected to fulfill in American society. Children's literature was used as a tool to mold girls into becoming women and boys into young men. With women being expected to be a subservient to the man of the house which was the path that most women were expected to follow. I feel as though that this ideology of women during this time period was forced onto the general public and this view drastically changed overtime where we know see in many households that women are the dominant force of the family.
The final theory is how mostly all children's literature during this time period was focused on establishing a moral at the base of all its stories. " Public virtue depended upon the character of private citizens, thus the developing moral character of children was the object of much anxious attention in the period."(Macleod pg 3) All stories during this time had a moral in order to influence children and guide them on the path that adults wanted the future generations to have. Which is why a huge emphasis was predicated on children literature so that future generations would have ideal morals and standards when they grew up.
The first theory I developed is that of how children's literature was written to be used as a teaching tool for children on the matter of conforming social expectations in the eyes of parents, schools, and other so called experts. I believe this theory to be true in that most children's stories are written with the idea that children will grasp the idea of the perfect image that these stories want them to follow. Which eventually will lead to the children growing into this ideal social expectation outlined for them by the parents, schools, and experts who control children literature. "Children matter then not as selves, but as stages in the process of making an adult identity." (Sanchez pg4) This shows how Sanchez viewed how children had no chance of making their own identity but rather were expected to become the ideal adult.
Another theory is how authors of children's literature during this time period put little emphasis on the setting of children's stories. " No doubt because their purpose were so selective, authors gave scant attention to the settings of their narratives." (Macleod pg4) This was done in order to keep the story simple so kids could understand. By making the setting so plain it became universal therefor kids were able to connect with story and characters much more fluidly.
"Ideas about children's specialness and separateness coincide with the growth of governmental power and visibility." (Macleod pg7) Children characters were used constantly in literature to express political ideas and influence the nation. Childhood theories and the innocence factor of children contributed to the amount of political discourse. Which attempted to reform, direct, and influence the nation through the children and the adults by holding them up to a standard by which to follow and show the direction that they wanted the United States of America to move.
The theory regarding the gender division in children's literature showed the nation the roles that males and females were expected to fulfill in American society. Children's literature was used as a tool to mold girls into becoming women and boys into young men. With women being expected to be a subservient to the man of the house which was the path that most women were expected to follow. I feel as though that this ideology of women during this time period was forced onto the general public and this view drastically changed overtime where we know see in many households that women are the dominant force of the family.
The final theory is how mostly all children's literature during this time period was focused on establishing a moral at the base of all its stories. " Public virtue depended upon the character of private citizens, thus the developing moral character of children was the object of much anxious attention in the period."(Macleod pg 3) All stories during this time had a moral in order to influence children and guide them on the path that adults wanted the future generations to have. Which is why a huge emphasis was predicated on children literature so that future generations would have ideal morals and standards when they grew up.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
First Blog Entry
Hello My name is Steven Bocanegra and I hail from the great city of El Paso, Texas and that's about 10 hours away from Fort Worth. I am currently in my second year at Texas Christian University and I am a communications major but have not decided on a minor as of now. I'm a very outgoing Person with a relaxed personality and I look forward to participating in this class as it is one of my most interesting classes this semester.
Well the main reason I came to TCU was first and foremost was the great academic prestige the school has as well as the outstanding journalism program, but I just fell in love with the campus and city of Fort Worth and that is what sealed the deal for me to come here. If I were made chancellor of TCU for a day the first thing I would do is build a parking lot structure in order to deal with the limited parking on campus. A good teacher to me is one that makes the classroom come alive and actively makes the material they are teaching interesting and engaging for the students and truly loves to teach. While a good student is willing to do what it takes to make the grade they want and is always listening, participating, and fully grasping the curriculum. As for the three people I would like to take out to lunch would be Colin Cowheard he is why I wanna be a journalist, second would be Barack Obama so I can say I ate lunch with the president, and the third would be Will Ferrell to keep the whole table laughing. Three things people should know about me is one I love to talk about sports, two I have a deep passion for writing, and three I love wear baseball caps. As for three things I want to know about the class is one where is everyone from, two what is every one's major, and third what is every ones favorite video game.
My reason for taking this course besides filling a requirement was that this course sounded interesting and I wanted to read some of the work of major American writers. What I hope to get out of this class is to gain a respect for some of the American writers we will be reading and hopefully gain some new perspective when it comes to American writers.
The types of reading I do inside the class are whatever is assigned to be read for the class. While outside of class I love reading the Fort Worth Star Telegram and grabbing a Sports Illustrated every once in a while. The types of text I like to read are either sports related, I love reading fiction novels, and autobiographies. The types of writing I primarily do are texting, emailing, and general writing my thoughts and feelings on my facebook page. Writing to me has always had a special place in my heart I regard it one of my favorite activities and is why I wanna pursue a career in writing. I feel that writing allows you to escape the real world and just let you express whatever you want in your own creative world.
The type of message that I feel my blog is sending is one of honesty, realism, and at most times a positive outlook. I feel that most of my views are intended to be positive but are also very honest and my overall blog gives people an idea of what kind of person I really am. I chose black as my background because it represents being bold and strong which is how I see myself. As for the picture I chose it also shows my other side which is being loving and caring. Overall I feel that my blog is Representative of the type of person i am and my eagerness to participate in this course.
I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus.
X Steven Bocanegra
Well the main reason I came to TCU was first and foremost was the great academic prestige the school has as well as the outstanding journalism program, but I just fell in love with the campus and city of Fort Worth and that is what sealed the deal for me to come here. If I were made chancellor of TCU for a day the first thing I would do is build a parking lot structure in order to deal with the limited parking on campus. A good teacher to me is one that makes the classroom come alive and actively makes the material they are teaching interesting and engaging for the students and truly loves to teach. While a good student is willing to do what it takes to make the grade they want and is always listening, participating, and fully grasping the curriculum. As for the three people I would like to take out to lunch would be Colin Cowheard he is why I wanna be a journalist, second would be Barack Obama so I can say I ate lunch with the president, and the third would be Will Ferrell to keep the whole table laughing. Three things people should know about me is one I love to talk about sports, two I have a deep passion for writing, and three I love wear baseball caps. As for three things I want to know about the class is one where is everyone from, two what is every one's major, and third what is every ones favorite video game.
My reason for taking this course besides filling a requirement was that this course sounded interesting and I wanted to read some of the work of major American writers. What I hope to get out of this class is to gain a respect for some of the American writers we will be reading and hopefully gain some new perspective when it comes to American writers.
The types of reading I do inside the class are whatever is assigned to be read for the class. While outside of class I love reading the Fort Worth Star Telegram and grabbing a Sports Illustrated every once in a while. The types of text I like to read are either sports related, I love reading fiction novels, and autobiographies. The types of writing I primarily do are texting, emailing, and general writing my thoughts and feelings on my facebook page. Writing to me has always had a special place in my heart I regard it one of my favorite activities and is why I wanna pursue a career in writing. I feel that writing allows you to escape the real world and just let you express whatever you want in your own creative world.
The type of message that I feel my blog is sending is one of honesty, realism, and at most times a positive outlook. I feel that most of my views are intended to be positive but are also very honest and my overall blog gives people an idea of what kind of person I really am. I chose black as my background because it represents being bold and strong which is how I see myself. As for the picture I chose it also shows my other side which is being loving and caring. Overall I feel that my blog is Representative of the type of person i am and my eagerness to participate in this course.
I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus.
X Steven Bocanegra
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