Anthropomorphism in Children’s Literature: From Wily Wolves to Erudite Pigs
Animals have dominated stories that people pass from one generation to another, especially those that are intended for children literature. They are, however, to the biologists’ dismay, being treated anthropomorphically which implies giving human emotions to animals. Biologists contend that giving the animals human traits misguides the children as they learn to associate humans traits with animals that cannot have them. Contemporary scholars agree that the first children’s books to fit the narrative were published in the 1740s when the Pretty Little Pocket Book debuted. It was intended for amusement and instructions of Pretty Miss Polly and Little Master Tommy (Thwaite and Newbery 2). From them on, the use of anthropomorphism in children’s literature is promoted because of many reason. It promotes relatability from the reader to the main characters as they lack gender, age race. However, at the same time it also provides emotional distance for the reader when the message of the story …show more content…
At a young age, the children already do not distinguish between the real world and the virtual reality and teaching them that animals have human traits like compassion, kindness, loyalty and t6he ability to converse with others like humans do. A kid reading a book that shows rabbits talking to each other but does not understand that in real life they do not converse would be hard put to figure out why rabbits in the neighborhoods are not speaking or standing on two feet. Anthropomorphism shows pets as caring and kind and with the ability to solve small mysteries, but the reality is that none of the traits can be attributed to any domestic pet or any other animal that human beings can relate
Animals have dominated stories that people pass from one generation to another, especially those that are intended for children literature. They are, however, to the biologists’ dismay, being treated anthropomorphically which implies giving human emotions to animals. Biologists contend that giving the animals human traits misguides the children as they learn to associate humans traits with animals that cannot have them. Contemporary scholars agree that the first children’s books to fit the narrative were published in the 1740s when the Pretty Little Pocket Book debuted. It was intended for amusement and instructions of Pretty Miss Polly and Little Master Tommy (Thwaite and Newbery 2). From them on, the use of anthropomorphism in children’s literature is promoted because of many reason. It promotes relatability from the reader to the main characters as they lack gender, age race. However, at the same time it also provides emotional distance for the reader when the message of the story …show more content…
At a young age, the children already do not distinguish between the real world and the virtual reality and teaching them that animals have human traits like compassion, kindness, loyalty and t6he ability to converse with others like humans do. A kid reading a book that shows rabbits talking to each other but does not understand that in real life they do not converse would be hard put to figure out why rabbits in the neighborhoods are not speaking or standing on two feet. Anthropomorphism shows pets as caring and kind and with the ability to solve small mysteries, but the reality is that none of the traits can be attributed to any domestic pet or any other animal that human beings can relate