book

Children as Confident Players in Literature

21 Pages 2080 Words 1557 Views

Assignment Children could be considered as confident players in societies which often overlook the young. Compare and contrast. Response Both Toni Morrison and Mark Twain successfully portray how confident children are overlooked by society as children are usually associated with innocence. Both authors hold this view up to scrutiny to show the hypocrisy in this statement as children can sometimes seem more mature and wise than adults. Harper Lee also believed this and said through the character of Atticus Finch that, "maybe we need a police force of children, because sometimes children are able to see through the lies adults tell as they are so used to being deceived." This is clearly shown through the bluest eye with Mr Henry and the prostitutes as the children are able to tell immediately of,  the grown-up getting-ready-to-lie laugh.  Showing the children's scrutinizing nature of adults emphasizes how they are perhaps not as innocent as society believes. The joining of each word adds to the humorous aspect of the statement, highlighting how the children are bored with the being lied to, presenting them again as mature beyond their years. From the very beginning of the novel Morrison shows confident child players of society through the character of Rosemary Villanucci as she denies Claudia and Frieda entry into the car, expressing her power over them: ˜She rolls down the window to tell my sister Frieda and me that we can't come in.' Morrison uses visual imagery of how this little girl actually rolls down the window in order to make a snide remark, emphasizing how children can be very sinister towards each other. This theme is highlighted in Claudia's reaction to this: ˜ ¦but more than anything wanting to poke the arrogance out of her eyes and smash the pride of ownership that curls her chewing mouth.  The use of language here with words such as ˜poke', foreshadows the baby doll episode later in the novel, and highlights how children in the novel seem to have their own society and class system outside of adult view. Mark Twain also shows Huck Finn as a confident player of society as he is able to see through the supposed ˜king' and ˜duke' almost immediately, and sees them for frauds: ˜It didn't take me long to make up my mind that these liars warn't no kings nor dukes, at all ¦' The use of vernacular adds to the authenticity of Huck's acknowledgement. Twain himself recognised the importance of single words, in such things as vernacular and said, "I like the exact word and clarity of statement, and here and there a touch of good grammar for picturesqueness.  The irony of this scene is that when these two frauds pretend to be the two brothers of the deceased Peter Wilks, they are able to fool a huge number of adults, which emphasises the irony of it being a child who sees through their lies. Another author who emphasises children being taken for granted is Jodie Picoult, with the character of Anna Fitzgerald in "My Sister's Keeper , as she shows Anna's maturity and understanding for the situation at hand being taken for granted as she is still a child, again this shows the hypocrisy of society. Like Anna, the character of Claudia in ˜Bluest' also shows her maturity at such a young age and how it is overlooked in such times as the period episode as her older sister Frieda takes her for granted because she is only a child: "Oh, Claudia. You so dumb, she's just going to wash her clothes and all.  The use of a demeaning tone shows how even older childre

Read Full Essay