Children try out roles, occupations and experiences in their pretend play. The acted out play is borrowed from the world around us and from the world of fiction children meet in stories, movies, and television and computer games. Pretend play is a way for children to act out situations to gain experiences and better understandings of things around them for example a toddler nursing her doll is copying her mother’s care of a new sibling( Youngquist & Partaray-Ching, 2004). Through role play the children develop and foster imagination skills, understand others’ perspectives, problems solve, expands communication skills, develop and express feelings and self-confidence, and socialize (Degotardi, 2005). It includes pretending with objects, actions and situations.
In Miyazaki Hayao’s Spirited Away (2001) anime film, it professed customary adaptation of cliché fairy tale storylines wherein two characters meet to overcome life-threatening challenges; eventually fall in love then live happily ever after. However, the film distinguishes itself from traditional fairy tales by exhibiting a unique context which catches the interest of both children and grown-ups. Spirited Away and fairy tales both incorporate the illusive appeal of magic in their stories. Magic is one of the things that hooks children to admire and devote themselves into the world of fairy tales. Their young minds are overwhelmed in awe that powerful forces like these may exist and allows them escape their reality.
Little girls learn that they are supposed to like dolls and pink, while little boys learn that they are supposed to like trucks and the color blue. Through various forms of guidance and direction from external influences, children experience gender role socialization they quickly learn what behaviors are encouraged by their parents and peers, and which ones are not. These ideas are further reinforced by the media's portrayal of traditional gender roles. As a result, children internalize these beliefs pertaining to gender roles and their behavior is modified accordingly. The child's first influence in regards to gender roles is the family.
Fairy Tales: Good Outweighs Evil Every Time Once upon a time, everyone was a child with hope in a fairy tale, happy-ever-after, life. A child’s innocence is inevitable; he reads fairy tales looking to see the good overcome the evil, relating it to his own life and the obstacles he faces. Fairy tales always have a happy ending providing hope for the reader; however, some believe this concept distorts real life. If an adult explains the concept of fairy tales, teaches a child the hidden moral, and differentiates between real life and fantasy, fairy tales can impact, encourage, and strengthen a child. Fairy tales have a positive affect, providing entertainment, while teaching morals through obscured concepts.
Barbie Doll clearly displays a strong sense of feminism. It specifically attacks the modern day pressures that women are faced with as far as appearance goes. The author seems to have the opinion that women are pushed to make themselves perfect in the eyes of society. I think this is why this poem has a very negative and almost angry tone to it. Barbie Doll has a few main themes that can be easily recognized; the main ones that Piercy addresses are the pressures of being a female and the desperate attempts to please others.
Applying Theories to Children’s Literature Melanie Sherrill ENG 290: Children’s Literature in a Pluralistic Society February 12, 2012 Denese Wolff, Facilitator University of Phoenix Applying Theories to Children’s Literature Children learn from various children’s books. Many theories of development help people understand how they learn, and which kind of books that will suit children of a certain age. The theories that help people understand this are Piaget’s cognitive theory of development, Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, Kohlberg’s theory of the development of moral judgment, and Vygotsky’s theory of social development. Piaget’s cognitive theory of development and Erikson’s psychosocial development theory can help people understand how children learn from books. Two critical approaches that will help reader’s critic “Are You My Mother?” are archetypal criticism and psychoanalytical criticism.
Lecture Friday 11 May. QUESTION: Is Their Eyes Were Watching God really a feminist novel? [Questions of the week] I prefer the label “gynocentric.” A gynocentric novel is one in which the social dynamics emanate from the relationships and represented subjectivities of female characters. Does the author have to be female? No, but it helps.
Young children are interested in playing with many of the same things and not just gender specific toys. However society, the marketed media and parents inadvertently gear children towards playing with traditional male and female products. The article “Sweden Makes my Gender-Free Toy Christmas wish Come True” by Sarah Ditum exposes a toy gun made for both boys and girls. The Nerf Gunn is the step in the right direction toward breaking down the gender divide. Girls will be encouraged to step out of their gender roles and play with a toy usually marketed to boys .
It’s a testament to growing up captured in the pages of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, exemplified by the use of symbolism and vivid characters. The use of these elements shows how a child begins to understand the adult world in terms that her young mind can identify with. As Alice progresses through the story, she begins to change her views and, finally, outgrows Wonderland. Lewis Carroll, also known as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was a reverend with, according to sources, a stammer. “Alice Liddell … was one of his photographic subjects and the model for the fictional Alice.” (Rodrigo A. Siqueira) She was a girl who he knew through her parents, who were old acquaintances.
Gender, a social construct, is predominant from the moment a child is born, whether it is from parental influence, the media, clothing, or even children’s toys. These influences can affect the way a child learns how to “do gender”. The various toys, such as Barbie dolls and G.I. Joe action figures, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, Bratz Dolls, Power Rangers and most action figures that companies market to children of different genders reinforce stereotypical gender norms and perpetuate conventional gender roles. Parents should be conscientious when choosing their children’s toys because some toys can shape the overall learned gender norms of those children.