5 Main theories for analyzing children and childhood literature

While analyzing both texts McLeod's "Literature for a New Nation," and Sanchez Eppler's Introduction to Dependent States:"The Child's Part in the Nineteenth-Century American Culture." I was able to grasp several theories for analyzing children and childhood literature through their text. One of the main theories of children literature is that the purpose of the literature was not merely written to entertain the readers but to educate them.(McLeod, pg.89-90)It educated young readers about important lessons to follow in life to become good citizens as they age. "Moral didacticism was their sole reason for being their young readers directly." (McLeod, pg.90)The writers used real experience stories to enhance the teaching of the moral lesson to the readers to provide the children with models of how to be moral.

In order teach the children the moral lessons the authors used extreme examples to get their information across to the children.Their goal was to get the children to be obedient, well behaved and respectful to others. The stories would give examples of how to have good morals and manners. Some of the examples that were given by McLeod involved detailed descriptions of children who did not abide by their parents rules and in return something awful would happen to them for their wrong doing. In one example used the little boy did not listen to his parents when they told him not to go ice skating because the ice was thin, the child did not listen in return for being disobedience the child experienced a life threatening situation. (McLeod, pg.90-91).
Another main theory that can be analyzed through the children literature is that the literature was not only written to educate the reader about important moral lessons but to also educate the children about socialization, forming character and important skills, such as reading and writing (Sanchez, Eppler pg.xxi)It taught children how to conform to social expectations, and what roles to follow by showing examples of innocent children figures in the stories.

One of the other main theories that can be analyzed through the readings is that the literature was also used to teach children how to be humble, unselfish and to always put others before themselves (McLeod, pg94-95). The story used many example comparing good and evil to set their point across. These were traits that composed a good citizen. With the rise of a new nation and society it was important to teach children to never be selfish or to covet or want more than their neighbor in order to maintain equality within the new society. It almost seemed like they wanted everybody to be the same, the authors had ideas and illusions of the world resembling one another and idealized that all families and homes would be the same (pg.96).
Not only did the children's literature educate its young readers about morals and demonstrating good behavior but it also informed them and taught them about cultural transitions. (Sanchez, Eppler pg.xx)It taught children about differences between boy/girl, the transition of urban to industrial economy and racial inequality. In between the 1820s and 1870s major changes were occurring with society and for once major changes were occurring with children such as mandatory schooling and child labor laws (pg.xx(20)).

Over all the use of childhood and children in literature involves age because unlike gender, or race, or even class age is inherently transitional.(Sanchez, Eppler pg.xxv). And the use of children symbolizes a transitional phase that we go through our life period, in which we use to obtain our morals, beliefs and life lessons so that in the end it can shape us into the ideal adults.