Violence: Why It Is Necessary in Children's Literature

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Violence: Why it is Necessary in Children’s Literature Children’s literature is a fairly new phenomenon, just around 200 years old. It was during the Enlightenment that the first books designed for children were created. Beginning with fables and tales intended to educate children about religion, socially acceptable behaviors, and morality, children’s books began a tradition that is continuing to grow and evolve well into the Twenty-first Century. From very early on there was one element of children’s books that caused many question its relevance and still do today: violence. Violence in children’s stories and books has been present from the beginnings of this genre and it has been an issue of contention for many adults, especially in the current and last century. Including violence in children’s literature is an important aspect that cannot be removed without negatively impacting the literature and its goals. Violence has remained a prominent element of children’s literature throughout the years to serve as a warning device, letting children know of the real world dangers in society through a safe medium, the creation of fictitious worlds, characters, and tales. The following will examine a wide range of children’s literature, from early fairy tales to modern works, spanning more than a century. In all of these works there are three main categories of violence that should be considered: adult verses adult, adult verses child, and child verses child. It is common knowledge that there is violence in the world. This violence takes many forms; sometimes it is physical, other times it is emotional, and even at times it is verbal violence. No age is free from violence on either end of the conflict. Adults are probably most commonly viewed as the perpetrators of violence in the world. Although much of this violence is between adults children are still aware of it

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