Reading Through Chaos
As I read a Curious George book aloud to my sons, I was struck by the example of the little monkey. Almost without exception, George willfully disregards the instruction of his father figure, the Man with the Yellow Hat, and gets into trouble. Yet the story is always brought to a happy ending by George somehow redeeming himself in a serendipitous way – had he not snuck into the penguin tank, he wouldn’t have been able to save the baby penguin.
Obviously, George doesn’t have a mind of his own; his is a manifestation of H.A. Rey, the creator of George and his curiosity. Does the author believe the ends always justify the means? Was the author trying to force a pragmatic worldview upon his impressionable readers? I cannot speak to Rey’s motivation, but, as a father, I can point out the error in George’s behavior and teach my boys about George’s disobedience, even if he did save the baby penguin.
When we teach our kids to read, we give them the keys to the most exhilarating mode of transportation ever created. They can go anywhere, be anyone, and do anything. But, just as it would be foolish to give our kids the keys to a Ferrari without teaching them to drive, we shouldn’t teach our kids to read without also teaching them to discern.
Why is a child susceptible to a goon in a black van offering them candy? Because they innocently trust; they’ve no reason to doubt. They assume the act of benevolence is a revelation of the giver’s nature, and gratefully accept the bait. Perhaps not so calculated, authors possess the same power of influence over readers, especially readers without discernment. That influence is one of the reasons I write. Were it not for the potential to influence I would leave my words bound in a diary.
The Golden Compass is the first volume in the “His Dark Materials” trilogy, written by Philip Pullman. The book came under the intense scrutiny of the Christian church for its apparent anti-God, anti-church message. J.R.R. Tolkien was accused of writing “The Lord of The Rings” trilogy as a mere allegory with a pro-God message. Both authors rejected the claims their novels were anything more than works of fiction, but neither denied the influence of their personal beliefs on their writing.
When asked about the influence of his faith on “The Lord of the Rings,” Tolkien said, “The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all references to anything like ‘religion’, to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism.”(1) Frankly, I don’t see how it could be any other way. If you read any of my writing, you won’t find the use of obscene words. I strive to avoid them in my speech, I don’t want my kids to use them, and I don’t like to read them, therefore I don’t include them in my text. My personal belief influences my written content. But, particular words are the least of our concern; the real issues are themes
Thanks for this inspiring and lovely post. Reading has always been a priority in our family. We started our sons interest in books early and this continues to give them hours of enjoyment. Best wishes.
You hit the nail on the head.
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