Childrens Literature Essay Example for Free

Childrens Literature Essay It is hard to imagine a world without books for children. Ever since there were children, there has been childrens literature too. There have been childrens stories and folk-tales when man first learned to speak. Childrens books, however, are a late growth of literature. Miss Yonge says, Up to the Georgian era there were no books at all for children or the poor, excepting the class-books containing old ballads and short tales. We shall nevertheless see that there were English books for children long before this time. In western Europe, there was no separate category of books for children before the eighteenth century. The Bible, stories of saints and martyrs, and bestiaries or books about exotic animals, were probably the first printed books available to children. Childhood, as we think about it today, is a relatively new concept. Until the 17thcentury, children were thought of as small versions of adults and treated accordingly. In most societies, children were a source of labor. There were some books (mostly for the children of wealthy families) even before the invention of movable type by Gutenberg in 1455, but they were instructional in nature and were used to instill lessons of morality, manners, and religion.. With the rise of Puritanism in England early in the seventeenth century, literature for children became moralistic. Seeing children as amoral savages needing to be taught right, society used stories filled with death and damnation to frighten children into good behavior. Humor and imagination were banned. The Sunday School Movement of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, which aimed at bringing religion to the working class, continued the didactic tone in the thousands of cheap tracts of simple stories distributed throughout England and the United States. Over the next centuries, there was a gradual shift in attitude toward children which was reflected in the reading material produced for them. Hornbooks and chapbooks appeared, still designed to instruct, but some included woodcut illustrations in addition to ABCs and religious lessons. The most famous and prolific publisher for children of the 18th century was John Newbery. He published books which were immediately attractive to children: in a small format, with illustrations, and bound in brightly-coloured flowered paper. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, Robin Hood, Mother Goose tales, Robinson Crusoe, and Gullivers Travels were published and were the most attractive to the world of a childs imagination. A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement C. Moore was published in 1823 and was one of the first works to introduce humor and laughter into the world of childrens literature. The Victorian era was a golden age for childrens books. Victorian family life is realistically depicted in Louisa May Alcotts Little Women (1868), whereas Mark Twains Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Robert Louis Stevensons Treasure Island (1880) emphasize adventure; all three books present fully developed characters. At the turn of the century several childrens magazines were being published, the most important being the St. Nicholas Magazine (1887–1943). It was also the time of classic books , such as Alice in Wonderland, and great illustrators Kate Greenaway, Edward Lear, and Howard Pyle to mention a few. In the middle of the 19th century, there were major changes in illustrations of books. Until then, wood engraving was the norm; with the development of chromolithography, which permitted printing in many colors, the world of book illustration changed dramatically. Great writers teamed with great illustrators to produce the books. The industrial revolution led to advances in printing which made books colorful, affordable, and plentiful. The growing middle class, with its increased interest in education, expanded the audience for childrens books. Walter Crane, whose work is highlighted in this exhibit, was a British artist and one of the first people to use the new printing techniques to bring color and design techniques into the world of childrens literature. The twentieth century continued a publishing industry for young people with adventure stories, series books like the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, science fiction and fantasy. During the 20th cent. in particular, new collections of tales that reach back to the oral roots of literature have come from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. International folktales have also received increasing attention. Among the many authors pursuing these themes, Verna Aardema compiles African folktales and Yoko Kawashima Watkins studies Asian oral traditions. During the 1980s and 90s in particular, multicultural concerns became an important aspect of the new realistic tradition in childrens literature. From the 1960s through the 90s socially relevant childrens books have appeared, treating subjects like death, drugs, sex, urban crisis, discrimination, the environment, and womens liberation. Recent years have brought books of children related to movies and commercial products from Disney to Star Wars as well as the psychologically-oriented young adult novel. The great scientific and societal changes of the early twentieth century had a great influence on the adventure story. The exploits of the World War I fliers replaced the cowboy and big game hunter in the dreams of young boys. Many of these adventure stories were published in long series, written by different writers all using the same name. The best known was the Stratemeyer Literary Syndicate which produced such series as the Rover Boys, the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, the Bobbsey Twins, and Nancy Drew between 1906 and 1984. Maurice Sendak and Chris Van Allsburg are two important and contemporary childrens book author who publish their stories todays. Bibliographyh Hunt, Peter, (1995), Childrens Literature: An illustrated history, Oxford University Press. Cullingford , Cedric, (1998), Childrens Literature and its Effects, Cassel E. Gavin, Adrienne, (2001), Mystery in Children’s Literature. From the Rational to the Supernatural, Palgrave Publishers Ltd Lerer, Seth, (2008), Childrens Literature: A Readers History from Aesop to Harry Potter, University of Chicago Press. Lynch-brown, Carol, (2010), Essentials of childrens literature, Pearson OMalley, Andrew, (2003), The Making of the Modern Child: Childrens Literature in the Late Eighteenth Century F. Touponce, William, Childrens Literature and the Pleasures of the Text, From: Childrens Literature Association Quarterly, Volume 20, Number 4, Winter 1995, pp. 175-182

Review of an Ecological Science Research Article from a Primary Scientific Source :: essays research papers

Powell, K., 2005. Fish farming, Eat your Veg, Nature, 426, 378-379.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The article that I chose to review discussed the possibility of maintaining and sustaining aquaculture by changing the diets of the farmed fish. The idea of carnivorous fish turning into vegetarians would help for future sustentation of aquaculture. There were pros and cons to either side of vegetarianism and the maintaining of carnivores. There are issues that would require research and analysis to which the author points out to the reader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aquaculture has increased by 5% over the past 10 years. The wild stock of fish that is caught to feed the fish farms has numbered 11 million tons, which is 12 % of the total fish hauled from the sea each year. Carp and tilapia are the most farmed fish in the industry that already are consisting of a vegetarian type diet. Salmon and trout are the next largest farmed fish. The difference is that the salmon and trout are carnivores. The author reports that the carnivorous fish are more expensive to cultivate and more resources are needed to maintain these types of farmed fish.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most farmed fish are fed on a diet that consists greatly of fish oil and fishmeal. Fishmeal is made from a protein rich powder of ground up cheap fish as a source of nutrients and proteins. The problem with using these within the farm diet is that the demand for the fish oil will overpower the supply as aquaculture expands and booms. The author states that the â€Å"demand will outstrip supply of oil by 2010.† (Powell).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Feed companies which supply the fish farms with fishmeal and fish oil as a staple to the diet of the carnivorous fish will seek different sources of protein. This protein could possibly come from larger fish such as mackerel, herring, and blue whiting. If this happens it would put more pressure on the natural stock already being harvested for other purposes. Some companies are traveling to the Antarctic to collect krill, which has repercussions for the bottom of the food chain in that the ocean itself is a primordial web of life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The author boosts that the fish will be able to eat Soya beans, corn, rapeseed, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, and wheat gluten if converted to a vegetarian diet. The author also reports that some salmon farms already use these foods as staples in their fish farm diets.

In the Romanesque Church the Interior Decoration Was More Important Than the Architecture. Do You Agree

Romanesque art and architecture we can see that there are many points for and against the statement ‘in the Romanesque church the interior decoration was more important than the architecture’. There are many surviving Romanesque churches throughout Europe which we can look to when discussing topics like this particular one. However, many of these churches have been redecorated, restored, extended in later periods or even just left in disrepair, but from looking at a wide range of buildings from different regions and countries we can get a general sense of what the buildings would have looked like at the time.In my essay I will discuss points in favour of the above statement, points against the above statement and also my own opinion on the subject. I will firstly discuss a few of the points in favour of the topic ‘interior decoration was more important than the architecture’. Looking at many Romanesque churches and buildings we can see that the interior deco ration is more important than the architecture. The first point, and example, is that the architecture was plain and basic, more about being structurally sound than aesthetically pleasing the viewers, and we can see this at Cuddesdon Church, in Oxfordshire.This church in England, even though the architecture and interior decoration are both modest compared with many other Romanesque churches, shows us that the interior decoration is more important than the architecture. The exterior stone walls are thick and undecorated. The architecture is exclusively for functional reasons, not decorative. There is a tower, west portal and south portal off this cruciform shaped church.However the interior decoration in this church was more elaborately considered and carried out than the architecture. One example to show this is the tower crossing, which has richly ornamented Norman arches. All the outer faces of the arches have two orders with angle half-rolls, except for the arch facing the nave. This has a hood with doghead stops, an outer order of zigzag, and an inner order with roll-moulding. In many of the Romanesque churches the interior decoration is elaborate, intricate and sophisticated.The patrons, architects and designers in the Romanesque period may have had the notion that the interior decoration was more important as that was where people would have worshipped, prayers would have been said and where ceremonies were held. Examples of this elaborate interior decoration can be seen in places such as the Cappella Palatina (Palermo), the Santa Maria in Trastevere (Rome) and the Eglise Notre-Dame de l'Assomption (Gourdon). These buildings have interior decoration features such as decorated capitals, fluting, vaulting, frescoes, arches, round blind arches and sculptural decoration.There are many other features of Romanesque interior decoration that add to the point that architecture was less important than the interior decoration. Maybe if the architecture really had been more important than the interior decoration, the Gothic style of architecture would have emerged sooner replacing the plain and basic architecture that was associated with the Romanesque style. The second point to discuss is that the interior decoration was not, in truth, more important than the architecture.The architecture of the Romanesque style could also be seen as carefully designed, well thought out and engineered. Even the most architecturally simple buildings would reinforce this point, because if the architecture was not considered as important, the exterior would be plain, different types of stones would not have been used, there would be no vaulting, no arches or any other structurally yet decoratively relevant features. The buildings would not be able to support towers, there would not have more clerestories or upper levels.There are then the Romanesque buildings where the architecture is startlingly intricate, elaborate and detailed. An example of this is the Egli se Notre-Dame-la-Grande, Poitiers. The west front of Notre-Dame-la-Grande is one of the finest Romanesque facades in France. It is flanked by turrets topped with conical spires, which, along with the rich sculpture, are the hallmarks of Poitou Romanesque architecture . The plan of the church consists of a central nave with aisles which is a common plan in Romanesque architecture of the province of Poitou.The sculpture of the West Front depicts many scenes; saints, prophets, creatures, foliage, the story of Jesus, the word of God spread by apostles and Christ in Glory. The inside of the church consists of a dim, barrel-vaulted nave with no clerestory, more narrow side aisles, a transept crossing capped with a tower, a diminutive choir, and a groin-vaulted ambulatory with radiating chapels. Other examples of buildings where the architecture is clearly not less important than the interior decoration are St. Martin's Cathedral (Mainz), Abbaye aux Hommes (Caen), Winchester Cathedral (Ham pshire) and LyonCathedral (Lyon). Some of the architectural features in these buildings include Romanesque towers, vaults, intricate exterior sculpture, high rising towers and outer buildings, ample windows and strong walls capable of reaching significant heights (without the use of buttresses). From looking at several buildings and different points of view regarding the statement ‘in the Romanesque church the interior decoration is more important than the architecture’, I can discuss my ideas and opinions regarding the above statement.In my opinion neither the architecture nor the interior decoration has priority or more importance over the other. I would say there is a parallel between the two aspects. The architecture allows for the interior decoration to be created, as it structurally supports the whole building and constructs features for the interior decoration to be created on, for example sculpture on columns and arches, mosaics and frescoes on ceilings and wall s, and stained glass windows which are structurally able to be placed there because of walls (and later buttresses).An example, in my opinion, of a Romanesque building where architecture and interior decoration are parallel in terms of importance is the Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire. Off the south aisle of the nave is the Prior's Door, which has a magnificent example of 12th-century Romanesque carvings. Dating from about 1150, its tympanum depicts Christ in Majesty held aloft by archangels and blessing the creatures of the universe. Two human heads peer down from the corners and the pilasters on the sides have medallions populated by various beasts and humans .This massive scale cathedral shows how both architecture and interior decoration were equally important, as both features were sophisticatedly designed. In conclusion, we can see that there are many different ideas about the statement ‘in the Romanesque church the interior decoration was more important than the architect ure’. In my opinion both features are equal, however the whole subject is open to debate for academics and art historians. Architecture can seem plain and incomplete without interior decoration, and interior decoration cannot exist without architecture.The fact that many buildings still survive help us to understand the Romanesque period and the art and architecture from that time. Yet as we have no firsthand experience with the buildings at that time we cannot characterize what the architects and engineers, or even just the viewers of the buildings, were thinking in regards to architecture versus interior decoration. ?Bibliography †¢http://www. sacred-destinations. com/reference/romanesque-architecture †¢http://www. wordiq. com/definition/Romanesque †¢http://www. sacred-destinations. com/categories/romanesque

Racism And Slavery Black Or The Egg, Slavery Or Racism

Which came first, the chicken or the egg, slavery or racism? The question of whether racism is the root of slavery, or if slavery caused racism is an ongoing debate that throughout history historians has been batting to answer, and have yet to come to an agreement. Some people think that people were made slaves because of prejudice toward the color of their skin, therefore, racism caused slavery; others believe that people saw slaves as inferior to them, and therefore slavery caused racism. Jordan’s â€Å"The Mutual Causation of Racism and Slavery†, Morgan’s â€Å"The Paradox of Slavery and Freedom† and Bacon’s Rebellion helps us see where the separation between white and black slaves began in America. Slavery and racism are interconnecting, but by looking at the sources and articles, we can see that slavery caused racism. The article of Jordan’s â€Å"The Mutual Causation of Racism and Slavery† helps to look at not only two sides of the discussion, but also a third side, that both racial prejudice and slavery work hand in hand. The Article â€Å"The Paradox of Slavery† also helps us see how slavery and racism connect. The first side in The Mutual Causation of Racism and Slavery shows that slavery causes racism. When people first started migrating to America, most Africans were equal to the English settlers. â€Å"It is equally clear that a substantial number of Virginia’s Negroes were free or became free. And all of them, whether servant, slave, or free enjoyed most of the same rights andShow MoreRelatedSocio-Historical Impact of ‚Äà ºRacism Is the Result of Slavery‚Äà ¹803 Words   |  4 PagesSocio-Historical impact of â€Å"Racism Is The Result Of Slavery† Human nature wants to cast people who are like oneself as better than people not like oneself. 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