Uncle Tom's Cabin

What a story." Uncle Tom's Cabin" does not fall on the list of the patterns that we said children s literature possesses. When you look at this story you must look at it in parts to see how it realats to common childrens literture. We said that childrens littiture contain lots of details that gives the reader a picture of what is going on. "Eliza was standing by the window, looking out in another direction, when Sams quick eye.... The trader got a glimpse of her as she diapered down the bank." There was not very deep details given in this portion of the story, but you could see Eliza and feel the flutters of her heart when she saw Sam. During this time period God was present and exalted in books as in this one. This story continued to show God as a being that you should trust and have faith in order to make it through what was an impossible situation. Eliza said "Lord,help!Lord, save me!" and she also would tell people how he (God) has been helping her and giving her strength to continue her journey. Even thought parts of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" went along with our thoughts of childrens literature, when you think of good prevailing seems very absent here. How could anyone see anything good about enslaving people and making them do things that one could do for themselves. I had to again look at this concept in parts to see how it is used in this story. After Eliza and Harry crossed the river a man helped them out, and they received shelter form strangers. When you look at this story as a whole you cant see much good. Once you break it down into parts it shows that no matter how evil people my be, eventually some good people will come along and change things for the better.

When I first began to read this short story I really was lost and confused. Since it was mandatory that I read I had to keep reading, otherwise I would have tossed this one to the side. I tried to relate this story to the things that we listed in class that children literature should posses base on the Sanchez Eppler readings. One thing that we said that children literature has is the good prevails over evil theme. When the old woman is telling her story of how she was captured, blind folded and held at gun point, she tells us about the birth of twins. One of the twins died and the other lived. The mother of the littel girl wanted the old woman to take her so that she could live and have a better life, but once they left that house she was taken to another place were she became enslaved. After reading that I was like something good has to come out of this horrible situation, and of course it did. The young baby Capitola went through so may bad things in her life but she still came out on top. She was rescued by Major Warfield and he gave her a room, clothes, food , and every thing that her heart desierd that she thought she would never recive.

The Lampighter

In the "Lamplighter" the young eight year old girl Gerty was lost and in need of some serious guidance. Gerty had to endure more than most girls have to experience especially today in this society. I know that there are still young girls around the world that do not know were their fathers are and their mothers have abandon them or died when they was very young. Even though this may be still be the case, young girls today have so many different resources that can provide the assistance they need. In the "Lamplighter" (pg 81) it says that, "Gerty was scolded, beaten, deprived of the crust which she usually got for her super.." Well this sentence clearly tells us that she did not get much to eat at all but this particular night she we to bed without anything to eat. Gerty had no other way of eating except what Nan gave her, but today there are various places that offer homeless and limited income families food to eat.

In the video the young girl found a way to release her stress which was through yoga. Gerty's yoga was the wood-yard that she went to to get away from Nan and the rest of the world. I do believe that if Gerty never got sick she would have been able to go to the wood-yard and her kitten would have never found its way into the house and been killed by Nan. The young girl in the video could practice yoga any where she pleased so she would still be able to calm her self down unlike Gerty.

I do think that if Gerty had the chance to be on the show it would have helped her think of new innovative ways to release the anger she had toward Nan. As well she would have leaned that she should be her self but without the attitude, because no on likes a person with a bad attitude.