What do you think is very significant to the children in these stories?
- God
and the moral values of society, which includes respecting their elders
and parents especially. In “A Token For Children.” The little girl
states that “I would weep if I ever disrespected my parents”. It is also
stated in many other stories the moral behaviors of children and
defined them as a “Good Girl” or a “Bad Boy.”
2. What are some of the reasons that the children might care about the morals of society?
- Time
period could be a huge factor in society views and religious values or
expectations as well, and everything from setting to the character or
family background can determine the way that the child acts. So these
poems could represent the views of society on children behavior in a
whole.
3. What kind of message could one interpret from these poems?
- To
listen to their parents and to respect each other would definitely be
one of the main messages from these readings. This could teach children
that are reading these pieces of literature that having moral values and
respect for others especially your elders is a good thing, and can take
you a long way, which is a very valuable lesson for children to learn
that they will carry with them all of their lives. Education is also
emphasized as important by uplifting reading in some of these poems and
it also states that one of the boys in the poems says that he will be
silent in school and do as told, so that he can learn how to write, and
in the end he succeeds.
4. Would you say that praying is important in these stories?
-yes,
because in the stories praying and the bible was referred to as what
fed the soul so to speak. It is also written in one of the poems that if
the children were to misbehave that they would pray that they would act
better and do as told.
Part II
- Some
things that were similar were the religious views that prayer was
important in “A Token for Children” and many other poems. They believed
that praying was a significant part of life.
- There
was also in multiple stories parents that were ill and must be taken
care of by others, therefore the children were expected to be on their
best behavior.
- There was some old language use in some as well.
- There was also the idea that the children must show respect to their elders and be on their best behavior as well.
- Education and literature was a key component in some poems and stories as well that we previously read.
Low Stakes Writing Assignment:
My favorite form of Poetry is a Sonnet, because it has so much to offer. A sonnet can be written in two different ways. Because the sonnet has fourteen lines it is very flexible and easy to work with, and the writer can add a great deal of detail in there. A sonnet is a lot of fun to read and includes a a great deal of poetic devices. Another thing that makes this interesting is the fact that a sonnet is about love, which is appealing.
My Reflection: I do not feel as if children like sad stories, at least not the majority of them, because children love imagination and to be lifted up to feel good. I believe that it is significant to teach students about how older literature was written and how it was viewed by people years ago. Literature has evolved over time, but it is significant to find the root of language and writing to learn and grow as readers and writers from that beginning point. Also, older literature can give us a view on how the world was and how it has changed.