Nursery rhymes linger in our minds our entire lives; they are repeated to us at an early age and remain in our subconscious longer than commercial jingles. What makes Mother Goose so memorable? Surely it is not the content of the nonsensical poems: young children not care about the content of a nursery rhyme, and toddlers are incapable of grasping it. Nursery rhymes are not like fairy tales: they do not moralize, nor do they tell deep stories. Nursery rhymes endear, entertain, and enlighten because they are catchy. Called nursery rhymes for a reason, these verses grab hold of a child's attention like nothing else. Even throughout adult life, we are still captivated by familiar tunes like "Twinkle Little Star." But not all nursery rhymes have melodies attached to them. "Little Miss Muffet" is devoid of singsong but still has rhythm and cadence. Both these familiar nursery rhymes captivate audiences because of their catchy rhyme schemes, rhythms, and other audible content. Nursery rhymes also entertain because of their nonsensical nature and surreal subject matter. Both "Little Miss Muffet" and "Twinkle Little Star" amuse and charm children because they combine lyricism and musicality: they are harmonious, pleasing poems. Little Miss Muffet" contains words that are unfamiliar or archaic. The resulting verses sound surreal and evoke an otherworldly environment. Even if the child cannot understand...
A "tuffet" is obviously something that Little Miss Muffet sat upon. The child can then use his or her imagination to determine what a tuffet really is. In fact, even adults cannot agree on the definition of "tuffet." It may be a tuft of grass thick enough to sit on, or a small stool. Whatever the case, language like this lingers in the mind, making the nursery rhyme memorable. Likewise, "curds and whey" is not in common vernacular, at least in North America. Curds and whey may not be archaic words but because they are unfamiliar, children will relish them. "Little Miss Muffet" also contains an element of surprise and fright: the spider. Not only is the spider "big," it sits "down beside her." Most children have some fear of creepy critters, even if not specifically directed towards spiders. Spiders, like snakes, always contain some element of awe and surprise. In the nursery rhyme, Little Miss Muffet was frightened away. If the child identifies with the protagonist in the short tale, he or she will feel a simultaneous sense of trepidation and excitement. The nursery rhyme is delightful in the same way a good thriller film is.
For instance, in Jacob Have I Loved, a twin comes of age in the 1940s, and finds that she indeed can make ordinary life more than extraordinary. Realistic fiction also tends to be more contemporary in tone, connecting with issues that are relevant to contemporary family situations. Issues such as divorce, dysfunctional families, adoptions, etc. are dealt with in a serious and relevant manner; in On My Honor, a
Military Deployed Parent Perceptions of Involvement in the Education of their ChildrenChapter Four: FindingsOverviewThis transcendental phenomenological study\\\'s objective was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child\\\'s education. Within the broad objective, the central question was: What are the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child\\\'s education? However, to capture all the necessary details
Charlotte's Web: Field Research, Psycho-Social Research, and a Textual Summary and Analysis Introduction and Field Research Background My niece Ariel, age 11, agreed to read Charlotte's Web by E.B. White with me, and to be my informant on this project (Shapiro, "Personal Interview"). Ariel is extremely bright (IQ over 140), and has already finished the 7th grade, having skipped second grade in elementary school (I bring this up not so much to
Child Abuse in Literature Child Maltreatment Child maltreatment entails all types of neglect and abuse of a child below eighteen years by caregivers, parents or any other person (Crosson-Tower, 2006). Child abuse encompasses all forms of physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect or child exploitation that causes potential or actual harm to a child's well-being, dignity and development (Smith & Fong, 2004). According to Scannapieco & Connell-Carrick (2005), child maltreatment is
Child Abuse "Although it is extremely important when interviewing children about alleged abuse to determine whether the abuse was single or repeated… we have little information about how children judge the frequency of events… [and] overall children were very accurate at judging the frequency of a single event, but much less so for repeated events." (Sharman, et al., 2011). Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) reports that in the year 2010
Children's Lit Montano urges a rigorous critical examination of children's literature for racism, linguicism, sexism, and bias. The importance of critical examination is to empower teachers, students, and parents to recognize the root causes of bias, prejudice, and stereotype. The function is not simply to point out obvious instances of racism, linguicism, sexism, and other biases. Moreover, it is not enough to include literature written from multicultural perspectives in classroom syllabi.
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