Role of Parents in The Wide Wide World

The role of parents has changed drastically over the years. In The Wide Wide World the role of parents is very traditional, in that the mom takes care of little Ellen and the dad provides for the family by going to work.

Susan Warner shows the huge role Mrs. Montgomery plays in Ellen’s life, from the very beginning of the story. Ellen loves her mom more than anything in the world. She trusts her so much. When Mrs. Montgomery asks how her daughter trusts her Ellen replies, “Why mamma,--in the first place, I trust every word you say—entirely—I know nothing could be truer; if you were to tell me black is white, mamma, I should think my eyes had been mistaken. Then everything you tell or advise me to do, I know it is right, perfectly.”

Captain Montgomery plays no role in his daughter’s life. She never sees him because he is always gone on business. I noticed from the start that Ellen does not even seem to care that she never sees her father, and also seems to see him as solely an authoritative figure, very different than her mother. “I’ll not go down till papa is gone,” she thought—“he’ll ask me what is the matter with my eyes.” She doesn’t worry about crying in front of her mom because she definitely cries to her mom and with her mom a lot!

Towards the end when Captain Montgomery goes to tell his wife the news of finding a ride for Ellen to Aunt Fortune’s house he shows no sympathy towards Mrs. Montgomery. Mrs. Montgomery, of course wants to wake Ellen immediately, but Mr. Montgomery demands that she stay asleep until the last moment possible. Mrs. Montgomery obeys her husband’s requests despite her strong opposition.

In this story it is clear that the male is the head of the household. The role of the mom is probably a little skewed in this particular story since Mrs. Montgomery is so ill, but we can still see that she is in charge of taking care of Ellen, and Captain Montgomery works and makes all decisions for the family.

Five Theories for Analyzing Children's Literature

There are many theories for analyzing children and children’s literature in the nineteenth century. This was such a rapidly changing time that there were conflicting views on who children actually were in society. I believe one theory pertains to the concept of age. Although children are obviously the youngest in society they are important figures that have the ability to influence and shape other parts of society. MacLeod says, “Good children sometimes even lead adults to a better way of life in the fiction”. Multiple times McLeod and Sanchez-Eppler discuss the fact that children are the future, which was definitely a new concept for the people of the time. This leads me to another theory for analyzing children’s literature. Children are innocent and have so much freedom, yet they have no power at all. Harriet Appleton reflects this idea in her poem, “As she shuttles between the wish to be baby and the desire to be mother Harriet encapsulates the dilemma of childhood—how it proves a period of both remarkable freedom and inherent powerlessness, something to be yearned for and to escape…” (Sanchez Eppler).

A significant item to notice is that the stories do not show detailed settings and information about the environment. I think this is due to the fact that the authors want to solely focus on the morals they are trying to teach the children. Also, it makes it easier for children from all backgrounds to understand and learn from the stories. MacLeod said, “Complexity would have obscured the messages”.

In analyzing children’s literature it is important to note that all the stories are written by adults so they intend to teach children moral lessons they believe are important to their future. “Childhood was wholly preparation entirely a moral training ground for adult life” (McLeod). The adults are attempting to prepare the future generation and teach them to conform to social expectations. Finally, though the stories are written for children, the lessons within the stories are not always lighthearted. They show the children that there can be harsh consequences for their actions. For example, the story about the boy that burns down his house is extremely severe to tell a young child.

A little more...

Hey,

My old neighbors have two kids who both went to TCU, who are almost like a brother and sister to me. They are 5 and 7 years older than me, so I got to see them go through college and loved it! I visited TCU for the first time my junior year in high school when I lived in Flower Mound, which is only about 45 minutes away from campus. I fell in love with it immediately. I really liked the size of the campus, and the individual attention and help that is available while at school.

If I were made Chancellor of TCU there wouldn't be a whole lot that I would change. I love the campus, the way things are run, and all the programs TCU and the student government organizes and offers. One thing that I think could use some improvement is the meal plan and the amount of places to eat on campus. I think there should be more variety and choices on the meal plan, rather than just the BLUU.

I believe a good teacher teaches in all different ways because students do have various learning styles. I think this really helps students to be able to learn the information better. I like it when teachers either use real life experiences and examples, or even let us do projects for real clients and use real world applications. Also, I think it is important for a teacher to love their job and love what they are teaching. Students can always tell if they care what they are talking about. An excited teacher usually makes a student more excited about learning. I think what makes a good student is actively participating in and out of the classroom and being excited about learning even if everything single thing we do in class isn't always fun.

If I could have dinner with three people they would be Laura Bush, my great grandfather, and Sarah Palin's daughter.

My friends and family always make fun of me because I am a perfectionist and like everything to be very organized! At first I usually come off as a reserved person, but I really am outgoing once you get to know me. Finally, my faith is a central part of my life. I love God and love learning more and more about the Bible.

I am taking this course because it's required, but I do think it will be very interesting. I had never heard of the writing associates before this class but I think it is a great idea and will be useful to everyone.

I have always been fairly good about keeping up with all the readings for my classes. I really like to read outside of class, but I wish I had time to read more than I do. I usually try to catch up on reading in the summer. I like to read a variety of fiction books, but I really do not like science fiction. I obviously write papers for school all the time, but other than that I text and email all the time. I also have to write reports frequently for my sorority. I really like to write and I journal almost every day, but I think it could use some improvement, like making everything flow better and sound more sophisticated or professional.

I think my blog reflects who I am, and I hope that as I get used to blogging more it will reflect who I am even better. I am a really laid back, easy going person and I think this blog shows that. I chose the polka dot background because I love polka dots and patterns. To be honest, I wasn't totally sure how blogging could be useful since I have never blogged before, but I really think this is a great way to get everyone involved and hear what everyone has to say.

I have read, understand, and agree to the syllabus for this class.

Elizabeth

About Me

I am a sophomore here at TCU and I am a strategic communications major, otherwise known as advertising/public relations, and I am also a business minor. I am from Katy, Texas, which is a huge suburb of Houston. I grew up there almost my whole life, besides the two years I lived in Flower Mound, Texas. I love staying busy with Young Life, my sorority, or just hanging out with friends. A few of my favorite things include coffee, Chipotle, pictures, and traveling. I have never had a blog before so this is will be an interesting, new experience!!