I decided to change the settings on my comments so that anyone, even anonymous users, can leave a comment. Some family and friends have told me that because they don't have a Google account, they don't comment. If you decide to comment under anonymous, just sign your name, so I know who it is!
As a side note, have you heard of Tintin? I never had, but was introduced to me through "The Read-Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease. Joseph read them as a kid. I asked Joseph and Nathan why Tintin is so great. Joseph, who is into learning about WWII right now, is intrigued by the issues raised in Tintin. It was written just post WWII. So maybe this is equivalent to the t.v. program "24," (made for a post 9/11 world) except it's primarily written for kids?? Nathan and Joseph both like the language used in Tintin's adventures. Nathan really likes the pictures.
Nathan spent his entire week reading Tintin's adventures. It's apparently my fault because I picked up the books on hold at the library and among them were four of the books as pictured above. Each adventure boasts at least 8000 words which is pretty darn good for a graphic novel. To paraphrase Jim Trelease, "Kids don't even realize how much they are reading." They are recommended especially for reluctant readers.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Changed My Comments Settings
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hmmmm, you might want to peruse this Forbes article about Tintin. Apparently it's supposedly racist.
ReplyDeleteI report, YOU decide.
http://www.forbes.com/2007/07/23/tintin-congo-herge-cx_ll_0713autofacescan01.html
Weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth! What a good opportunity to talk about racism! A good post-Martin Luther King day discussion is comin' right up!
ReplyDeleteIn a retrospective of the Tintin series, it is pointed out that even in the 1930's when the first few Tintin books came out, the issue of racism was brought to Hergé's attention.
ReplyDeleteHergé was so affected by his own lack of sensitivity that he responded in several ways. The author of the retrospective chronicled Hergé's acknowledgment of a lack of sensitivity. The author also pointed out that in his books containing depictions of Native Americans, Hergé included some stereotypical perceptions (such as clothing made of animal skins and feather headresses) but that Hergé addressed head on the ill treatment and oppression of the Native Americans at the hands of caucasians. The author also noted that Hergé was far out in front of others in addressing racial misunderstanding where he had a handle on it, and that he addressed with frankness evils of the slave trade and oppression.
I think this is one of those books where one sees the beginnings of racial social justice ideals in the writing but embedded in the times where it was a pretty new idea.
Billions of blue blistering barnacles! I loved Tin Tin when I was 8 years old. A real blast from the past. Now Shelley knows where I got the above phrase, which I use now and then when things are really intense.
ReplyDelete