Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Multicultural Literature (12/5 discussion)
In response to the discussion regarding whether or not children should be exposed to multicultural literature through the media at an early age, I believe that they should be shown these things. This is a topic that kids will face at some part of their lifetime, so it's important that they learn of these issues earlier than later. I feel as though it is a travesty to paint a pretty picture in the mind of a child and tell him/ or her that life is always like that; even though, it's not. Considering that this is aimed at 4 or 5 year olds, it is important to explain it using language and examples that they would be able to understand. This should only be taught by their parent/guardian.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Arjun, while I agree with your point that children should be exposed to multicultural literature, I think its also important not to overwhelm them with these issues because a kid's mind is a fragile thing. Part of their image/belief of the world being a happy place is due to their imagination, and if we overwhelm them and completely erase this image than their imagination suffers, which will affect them later in life. My point is that I believe children should be exposed to these issues, at the right age and in the right amounts.
I feel that children need to be exposed to the realities of our world in a way that will not diminish their "innocence" or imagination. Children will eventually grow up and become bombarded with the real world if they were never exposed as youngsters. I think literature is a great way to deal with this problem. Children's books can show the dynamics of our world using soft language and cartoon images, thus making a safe learning environment. Also, parents should be able to help teach their children.
I believe that there are always ways to expose children in a way that does not hurt their innocence. I think that making sure a child is exposed to a diverse community at an early age will keep them from judging people later.
Post a Comment