Hidayat 1

Alia Hidayat
11/21/12
English 281
A New Old Look: Viewing Society through the Lens of Childrens' Literature
In today's society, traditional literature interpreting institutions will put far more importance on
the reading of traditional texts such as Shakespeare and other classic texts than children's literature.
These texts and their connection or implications to larger societal ideas often go unnoticed in
comparison to the works of more traditional authors. However, these children's texts can argue just as
complex points, and represent the societal assumptions, concepts, ideals, and events just as well as the
more traditionally analyzed texts. By not looking more closely at and analyze children's literature, such
as the works of Roald Dahl, Doctor Seuss, and Hans Christian Anderson, we overlook key texts that
would shed light on an important topics in society, particularly massive social reactions to concepts or
events, as well as the idea of childhood as it appears in different cultures.
Chidlren's literature has shown to have just as much of a social impact and argument as classic
texts such as blah blah. For example, in the works of blah blah, who we as a society have marked as a
classic children's author, we can see statements and arguments that have just as much strength as any
adult text. In much of Roald Dahl's works, he often evaluates the legitimacy of authority, in both
government, families, and schools. One common theme, for example, which he writes about in several
books including Boy and Matilda, is corporal punishment and more generally, the legitimacy of highpower figures in schools. In both of these books, the theme of corporal punishment and cruelty by
powerful school leaders such as Mrs. Trunchbull in Matilda's school are used to portray the childhood
condition as poor, and the complete subjection to almost tyrannical rule by parental and educational
powers as unethical. In The Witches, he uses the threat of the witches of England to decry both the
supreme power of the father as well as the idealized image of the English school, which ultimately
force the main character of the story, an orphaned boy, to become exposed to the threat of the more

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evil English witches. Children's texts can make just as strong arguments as more traditional,
serious literature, and we can learn a lot about the specific issues, concepts, and events happening in
an author's time that informed the writing of children's texts
Historically, children's books have passed under the radar as being less potent, or being more
harmless than adult literature in terms of politically or socially charged arguments hidden in the text.
This may be because children's literature is accepted into culture more readily, as more adults feel that
they can connect maybe even better representation of popular mindset. Though this makes children's
literature less likely to be taken seriously in institutions such as universities, this characteristic of these
texts makes them a very good representation of the general sentiment at the time. The fact that the
nature of the children's story and the nursery rhyme is that to both appeal to children and adults as a
sort of central theme or message makes it a perfect source to analyze what concepts would connect to
people through the idea of childhood. As seen in Roald Dahl's book, The Witches, the main
character speaks from the point of view of a boy, in order to connect to both children and adults from a
general theme of childhood. In Doctor Seuss' book, And To Think That I Saw it on Mulberry
Street, the father of a young boy says, in response to his son's tale of what happened at school,
"You eyesght's much too keen. Stop telling such outlandish tales. Stop turning minnows into whales."
Here we can see in the condescending tone of the father a metaphor for how little importance is put on
the opinions of children, as well as a dismissive attitude towards matters of imagination and fantasy.
Combined with what was seen in The Witches, we can see that children's texts are one of the most
direct ways to deal with understanding concepts of childhood and common societal beliefs about
family.
One possible outcome that may be argued against the importance of children's texts as important
analytical subjects to institutions such as schools and universities is the perception that children's
stories are just as they seem: for children. Children's literature is certainly distinguishable as targeted

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specifically for children, and some may argue that, since children are not likely to appreciate the subtle
references, messages, or social commentary in a text, the authors of this kind of literature would not put
these elements in a children's text, and because of this, these texts are much more simple and therefore
do not contain as many messages or commentary that would be nearly as useful or interesting to
analyze as, for example, Shakespeare. However, the very nature of the children's story makes it one that
contains much of a society's values; the fact that they are aimed at very straight-forwardly introducing
young children to what a society feels are its core values makes fairy tales, short stories, and children's
literature just as important to understanding culture and history as more traditional texts. Stories by
authors like Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm illustrate how people may put more of
their beliefs and values into teaching children through stories than in adult texts, as childhood is
typically portrayed as a formative time to instill important moral values and beliefs into children.
Because of that, we can see some of the purest and strongest arguments in children's literature, and
they contain just as much important commentary as more traditional works.
Important social issues, information, and assumptions from the author's particular part in society
show up in literature meant for reading by children with just as much potency and clarity as in adult
texts. Children's literature can give a new viewpoint on issues that wouldn't typically been given much
thought in more traditional texts, such as corporal punishment as seen in Dahl's books. Particularly
important in children's texts is the treatment of the concept of childhood itself, and how it plays off of
and comments on parental and governmental power, a point of view which is often overlooked in the
more analyzed and observed texts. In conclusion, large institutions such as schools and universities do
not place enough importance on looking at children's literature, and in doing so are losing on an
important dimension and critical viewpoints with which to learn about history and society.