Reflections for Classroom Discussion Based on the Picture Book
The picture book of La Llorona has been analyzed as an important tool from three different perspectives: the teaching of historical conditions, social values and legends as traditional stories (Tórrez & Maagerø, 2016). In this part of this paper, I want to elaborate on that work, and focus on three more possibilities for classroom discussion based on the legend in the picture book. These are namely Maria’s unhappy ending, the role of the mother in the society and the fact that children should be careful when going outside on their own at night.
Maria’s unhappy ending
When children read or hear a story, they commonly expect a happy ending where the protagonists overcome the dangers and end up happily with their loved ones. However, this is not an absolute rule and in modern times some break this pattern (Maagerø, 2012, 194). Such stories which do not end well have much power in conveying their main message, …show more content…
The legend teaches that no matter what sacrifice a woman has to make, no sacrifice is too big for her children, if she is a good mother. Maria in the story is depicted as a bad mother because she could not sacrifice the lack of receiving attention from her husband, to just be content with being a good mother to her kids. If she had put her children first and continued to care and love them, even when her husband ignored her needs, she would have still been considered a good mother. For Collett (2005, 329), “a woman may become a mother by giving birth, but she truly takes on a mother identity by playing a socially defined, publicly visible role’. She further suggests that “a mother’s success is measured by her child’s life and achievement”. From Collett’s ideas, we can then deduce that Maria failed as a mother due to her proud and wrong decisions, and this is an interesting topic to discuss in educational
The picture book of La Llorona has been analyzed as an important tool from three different perspectives: the teaching of historical conditions, social values and legends as traditional stories (Tórrez & Maagerø, 2016). In this part of this paper, I want to elaborate on that work, and focus on three more possibilities for classroom discussion based on the legend in the picture book. These are namely Maria’s unhappy ending, the role of the mother in the society and the fact that children should be careful when going outside on their own at night.
Maria’s unhappy ending
When children read or hear a story, they commonly expect a happy ending where the protagonists overcome the dangers and end up happily with their loved ones. However, this is not an absolute rule and in modern times some break this pattern (Maagerø, 2012, 194). Such stories which do not end well have much power in conveying their main message, …show more content…
The legend teaches that no matter what sacrifice a woman has to make, no sacrifice is too big for her children, if she is a good mother. Maria in the story is depicted as a bad mother because she could not sacrifice the lack of receiving attention from her husband, to just be content with being a good mother to her kids. If she had put her children first and continued to care and love them, even when her husband ignored her needs, she would have still been considered a good mother. For Collett (2005, 329), “a woman may become a mother by giving birth, but she truly takes on a mother identity by playing a socially defined, publicly visible role’. She further suggests that “a mother’s success is measured by her child’s life and achievement”. From Collett’s ideas, we can then deduce that Maria failed as a mother due to her proud and wrong decisions, and this is an interesting topic to discuss in educational