Private Worlds of Dying Children

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The Private Worlds of Dying Children Essay “I argue that the children’s acquisition of information about their world and their place in it is best understood as a socialization process, and that their decision not to reveal their awareness reflects their knowledge of the order to which they have been socialized, of how it is acceptable to die in this society” (Bluebond-Langner, 1978, p. xi). In Bluebond-Langner’s study “The Private Worlds of Dying Children”, she questions why children act the way they do when dealing with terminal illness. She also looks at the way adults and children have constructed the topic of death and disease as an inappropriate topic to be discussed. This study also looks at how children act as competent social actors and display agency in order to respect this social construction. Children as competent social actors refers to children having agency, meaning that children have an understanding of what is happening around them and that they are able to make their own decisions and have independence. The theory of children as social actors believe children can socialize themselves appropriately, according to their surroundings. In the work of Bluebond-Langner in “The Private Worlds of Dying Children,” there are many cases in which children are proven to be competent social actors. One of the first cases where Bluebond-Langner displays the theory of children being social actors is in Act 1, Scene 14, when Jeffrey says to Nurse Stevens, “See my Mommy’s red nose? That’s from me. That’s from crying. Everybody cries when they see me. I’m pretty sick, you know.” (Bluebond-Langner, 1978, p. 33). Jeffrey is showing his understanding of what is happening around him and interpreting it in a way he understands. From the observations that Jeffrey has made of his visitors, such as family, he has concluded that his condition causes
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