Analyzing A Selection Of Childrens Literature English Literature Essay

Analyzing A Selection Of Childrens Literature English Literature Essay With the birth of the field of children’s literature over two centuries old, Carnegie Medal winners represent only a small part of the history and tradition of children’s literature. The Graveyard Book (2009), the most recent addition recipient of the award, follows some of the traditions of the field, and differs in others. In my attempt to discuss how The Graveyard Book fits into the history and tradition of children’s literature, I will be comparing it with other notable works in the field, specifically, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island (1883), J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997), and Philippa Pearce’s Tom’s Midnight Garden (1958). As a fellow Carnegie winner, Tom’s Midnight Garden, offers a comparison of fantasy fiction, and when considered with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone provides an interesting view of the changes that have occurred in the genre over the years . Treasure Island is structured similarly to The Graveyard Book, and both novels are good examples of the bildungsroman genre. In the course of this essay I will be referring to a range of critical material relevant to my discussion. The effect of children’s literature on children, and the reverse, is circular; as children’s attitudes to the world around them change, so too does the literature written for them, and as that literature changes, it again affects children’s attitudes. Furthermore, the evolution of adults’ understanding of childhood has affected which books are deemed suitable for publication. Children’s literature commonly exemplifies the beliefs and context of the culture in which it is written, however, since the majority of children’s literature is written by adults, it often reflects issues that concern adults, and not the intended audience. Adult-authors must make assumptions about the reaction of a child-reader or the beha viour of a child-protagonist, and in doing so, can sometimes offer a poor representation of a child’s perspective. This difference between the adult’s and child’s attitude to children’s literature can often be seen in the contrast between best-selling books, and those books that win literary prizes. Contrary to this, The Graveyard Book has won the Newbery Medal, Hugo Award for Best Novel, and the Locus Award for Best Young Adult novel in 2009, and the 2010 Carnegie Medal (Wikipedia contributors, 2011), spent fifteen weeks on the New York Times best-seller list for children’s chapter books (Rich, 2009), and has a film adaptation currently in production (Wikipedia contributors, 2011). Gaiman himself recognized the unusual nature of a book being both popular and prestigious, saying that typically ‘there are books that are best sellers and books that are winners’ (Gaiman quoted in Rich, 2009). The popularity and prestige of a children†™s book is dependent on a number of different elements; instruction and/or delight, and social, cultural and historical contexts (Maybin, 2009, p. 116). Maybin states that ‘prizes signify a book’s prestige in the eyes of the critics, but they are not necessarily an indication of its appeal to children’ (Maybin, 2009, p. 118). The division between the children’s books awarded literary prizes, and those that are popular with children is significant. An example of such division can be seen when comparing Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights (1995) and Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone; Northern Lights was the 1995 Carnegie Medal winner, while Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone only reached the shortlist for the 1997 Medal, but went on to win the Nestlà © Smarties Book Prize, The British Book Award for Children’s Book of the Year and the Children’s Book Award, all of which, suggestively, have invo lved children in the judging process. Like The Graveyard Book, both books are fantasy-adventure novels featuring a young protagonist. All three novels are read an enjoyed by adults and children, but while Northern Lights is considered by adults to be ‘quality’ literature, Harry Potter is criticised being not literature but a ‘phenomenon’ (Zipes, 2009, p. 289). Nicholas Tucker (2009) argues that the criteria for judging the quality of children’s books varied according to conceptions of childhood; for those with a romantic conception, the emphasis is on an exciting, imaginative storyline, whilst those who view childhood primarily as preparation for adulthood favour books that are ‘truly representative’ (Tucker, 2009, p. 153). If compared to earlier children’s books, it appears that modern children’s literature reflects the development of a clearer concept of childhood.

About fear Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

About fear - Essay Example Dr. Ivan Kos presents a number of diverse stages of fear. The first is real fear that is based on life experiences and states. If something or someone causes hurt to an individual, there is a reason to fear similar scenarios. The basis of this kind of fear is entirely dependent on past familiarity with emotions that cause tension and mixed interpretations with respect to an individual’s understanding of fear. The second articulates a sense of realistic fear. This focuses on the realities that grounds and drives people to steer clear of risks. The last is the poignant and the larger-than-life fear that heavily reflect on an individual recollecting past occurrences whilst injecting those events into the current state of affairs. Also, this group is particularly applicable to arguments. It generally affects the line of attack of people in dealing with varying positions (Willa 138). Often, conflict is the equivalence of unfulfilled needs and this highlights fears linked to the nec essities. The most prevalent fear in intractable inconsistency is the fear of loss in regard to one’s security or identity. Social groups and individuals recognize themselves in varied ways in the context of language, culture, religion, and race and this renders them opinionated.

The Making of a Football Blog Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Making of a Football Blog - Essay Example The author is the one to usually generate the content of a weblog, or blog for short and simple terminology. All blogs have a home on the internet somewhere. That home could be your own website, e.g. http://yoursite.com. But, your blog’s home could also be upon a free blogging site, such as http://yoursite.wordpress.com or http://yoursite.blogspot.com. Even though you have a site for your football blog and are ready to generate content, you still must have a working knowledge of the subject matter that you are writing. For example, if you want to write about your favorite Premier League Football Club your blog could be called the United Ones, Manchester U, Manchester FC, United Biggest Fan, etc. This would not necessarily be the name of your blog to which you would write stories, articles, interviews, game recaps, boxscores, matchup previews, etc. about Manchester United or your favorite Football Club. Generated content is the main thing that is on a blog. You do need to make sure that when generating the content that not only does you have the knowledge of the material that you are presenting, that you are accurate in your spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. Lastly, you also want to make sure that the content written on your blog is original and not a copy of anybody else’s work without giving them the credit they so rightfully deserve. Social Media and Blogs Social media can allow for your blog to have increased visibility to gain you more followers than you would have without the use of the social media that is available to you out on the internet. Technology allows us to get information at our fingertips instantly, and social media allows us to instantly connect with another person from anywhere in the world. Using social media, like Twitter and Facebook, in conjuncture with your blog will allow your blog to be visible in places where it might not have otherwise been seen or by people who otherwise would not go searching fo r it. Furthermore, the use of Twitter and Facebook can allow your followers to ask questions more directly and be able to give comments and advice to you about how to possibly improve your blog. Also, if you plan on using a blog with a lot of images within it, then it might be best if you had a photo streaming account with a site like Flickr. This might be useful for a blog about a football club, using images from the team in a photo gallery or highlight reels. With Twitter, you can even keep up with the game live as it is being played down upon the field. Lastly, with the social media of today, you can link one with another so if you are tweeting about the game, then your Facebook account can receive those same tweets posted directly to your wall. Podcasts Another way you can provide information on your blog to your followers is through the use of podcasts. Podcasts are essentially an audio format that is posted onto the web in either QuickTime, WAV, or even Flash formats. These po dcasts can be downloaded and listened to upon an MP3 player for further listening pleasure. With this feature, you can place upon your blog a recorded interview you did with Manchester United’s star, David Beckham about the upcoming match with Wolverhampton about how he feels his club lines up with Wolverhampton.