Symbolism, Imagery and Allegory in Children's Literature

This article delves into the use of symbolism, imagery and allegory in children's literature, with examples from Maurice Sendak's 'Where the Wild Things are' and the nursery rhyme 'Ring a Ring o Rosies'. It also explores the effects of popular culture on language and literature, and the benefits of storytelling for early childhood education.

Running head: Education
Education
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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INTRODUCTION:
An example of a Picture Book is Maurice Sendak’s enchanting book entitled, ‘Where the Wild
Things are’. The book won the Caldecott Medal soon after its publication in 1963. An example
of a Poem for children in early years education include, ‘Ring a Ring o Rosies’.
Symbolism, Imagery and Allegory in the book entitled ‘Where the Wild
Things are’: Wolf signifies wildness and is a wild creature. When Max dons on his wolf suit,
he tends to be at his wildest and is most mischievous. Throughout the story when Max wears the
wolf suit, he is at his mischievous best but towards the end of the story, when he takes off his
hood, he is back to being a small good boy again and is not a boy who is conflicted by a sea of
emotions.
The Forest too signifies wildness. When Max is taken over by powerful emotions and behaves
wildly and mischievously, it is but natural for him to go back to a forest, the place where man
originally stayed. Max therefore goes back to his primal roots when powerful emotions overtake
him. Max’s retreat to the forest symbolizes a child looking into the mystery and darkness of the
human soul. Once Max acknowledges the darker side of himself, and gives it the time to let it
wear itself out, the forest goes away and his room becomes normal again.
Genre of the book entitled ‘Where the Wild Things are’: The book entitled, ‘Where
the Wild Things are’ is a picture book and belongs to the genre of Children’s Literature. It is
written for children, reflects their mind, and appeals to them. The voice of a child is included in
this story. The beautiful pictures in the book reflect Max’s state of mind and helps t o move the
narrative forward.

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Writing Style of the book entitled, Where the Wild Things are’: There are only
ten sentences in the book entitled, ‘Where the Wild Things are’. There are three hundred and
thirty eight words which spans over thirty seven beautifully illustrated pages. The emphasis on
pictures rather than words is an essential characteristic of picture books and is especially suitable
for very young children in their early years of education.
Symbolism, Imagery and Allegory in the nursery rhyme entitled, ‘Ring
a Ring o Rosies’: The poem entitled, ‘Ring a Ring o Rosies’ have their origin in English
history. The historical period dates back to the Great Plague of London in 1665. The symptoms
of the plague included a rosy red rash in the shape of a ring on the skin (‘Ring around the rosy’)
During that time pockets were filled with sweet smelling herbs and flowers (‘or posies’) which
was carried because it was believed that the disease was transmitted by bad smell or odour. The
term ‘Ashes Ashes’ refers to the cremation of dead bodies. The death rate in London was over
sixty percent at that time and the Great Plague of London only came to a stop with the Great Fire
of London in 1666 that killed all the rats that had caused the plague. The version that was written
in English replaced the word ‘Ashes’ with (A-tishoo, A-tishoo) as sneezing was a symptom of
this disease. The falling down was represents the death of the plague victim.
Genre of the nursery rhyme ‘Ring a Ring o Rosie’: The nursery rhyme
entitled, ‘Ring a Ring o Rosie’ belongs to the genre of Children’s Literature. It is a singing game
played by children and is also a folksong that appeals to children. However, the voice of a child
is not included in this nursery rhyme as the rhyme refers to the Great Plague of London.

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Popular Culture: Popular culture refers to the culture that is based on the tastes of
ordinary people. It refers to a set of practices, beliefs etc that are present in society at a given
point in time. Popular culture derives from a plethora of sources especially commercial media.
Examples of popular culture items include films, television commercials, television programs,
video games, brand names and symbols, sports, fashion and even food that are consumed by the
majority of a society’s population. Popular culture is the general culture of the society. The rise
of the internet with its quick speed has also helped in the popularization of popular culture.
Effects of Popular Culture on Language: Words determine thoughts. According
to anthropologists, the entire structures of languages were completely dependent on cultural
contexts in which they flourished and existed. This was an extension of what can be termed as
‘Standard Social Science Model’, which views the human mind as capable of grasping any types
of culture. Language is not only a medium of displaying culture but it is also a part of culture.
Differences in linguistics are also seen as the mark of another culture and may lead to
divisiveness between different groups of people. Popular Culture affects the language of a
particular society. Each culture is evaluated by its literary work of art. Cultural studies try to
revive popular culture in order to give voice to the people, the masses of society, to study mass
culture as ideological imposition. The various forms of popular culture include film, music,
sports, advertising, fashion, magazines, toys, comics and cyber culture. All these affect the
language of a particular society. Culture and language is interrelated and this relationship can be
analyzed by their impact on each other. Language can be defined as a cultural component that is
used by people of a particular country in order to express their sense of purpose. Each and every
culture is examined and analyzed by its literary work of arts. Language is ingrained in culture
and culture is reflected and passed on by language. Language is used to maintain cultural ties and

4EDUCATION
is affected by the popular culture of the society. Films tends to extend culture through the
language of a film. Books also help to extend culture. One very effective way to transfer culture
through books is by translation. Texts that are translated reflect almost all the aspects of culture.
Religion is a cultural component and without language has no meaning. Religion can be
propagated and extended through the culture and language of that society. The similarities
between culture and religion can be expressed and transferred through language. Religion is
perceived to be popular culture by its believers. Sport is another factor that helps to extend
language and culture. Travelling has become very easy and convenient with the rise in
technology and with that, travelling has become a significant source in expanding culture and
language. Tourism not only leads to cultural exchange but it also indirectly tends to expand
different religions and languages through the medium of tourists (Friedman, 2017) Culture is
thus a component and cannot be separated from language since language is more often than not
embedded in culture. According to scholars, people draw a social importance and cultural unity
by using the same language as the group they belong to. Language refers to cultural artifacts and
shows people’s cultural identity. Language and culture are thus intricately intertwined and
cannot be separated from each other.
Effect of Popular Culture on Literature: Popular Culture has a very important
effect on Literature. Novels mirrors and documents the realities of society throughout the world.
Cultural norms are represented through forms of fiction, including the novella, drama and the
novel. Culture is creative expression, traditional knowledge, skills and resources. These include
oral and written literature and history, dance, drama, music among other things. Thus, culture is a
broad concept that encapsulates all aspects of human life including literature. Examle include,
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. According to scholars, culture has several meanings that mostly

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deal with rhetorical structures of discourses, knowledge constructs and speech acts. Popular
culture is an outline of beliefs, symbols and values in terms of which individuals express their
feelings and judgments in a free and a democratic manner. Literature is a factual, imaginative
and creative work about the life of people and thereby it underlines the connection to culture.
Literature and culture are closely connected (Friedman, 2017). Books are written and more often
than not, they reflect the society, societal norms and popular culture of a given point in time.
Literary texts reflect the different aspects of society that is also a reflection of popular culture.
Literary text are cultural documents that provide a greater understanding of a country. Culture
and literature are interrelated. Culture is determined by literature and literature is determined by
culture. Since time immemorial, people have felt the need to express their views and opinions on
events and things happening around them and to them. For example, Imaginative literature is an
example of an important tools that helps one to reflect the events and happenings that are taking
place at a given point in time. Literature is perceived as a reflection of culture and society,
portraying the dreams and ideas of people in the most creative and imaginary manner. It inspires
as well as depicts social changes and is often treated as a cultural representation. Literature is an
important source of cultural knowledge because literature depicts a personal understanding or
interpretation of the life and values as the author experiences them. The study of literature allows
individuals to develop ethical standpoints and new ideas and can help people to portray
themselves as educated members of society. Studying of literature can also be a thought
provoking and an eye-opening experience (Danesi, 2018). Literature and culture are both
interwoven and interrelated and both share a strong relationship with one and another, because
since time immemorial, literature has always embodied culture. The first literary work in the
English language that conveys cultural context about life is written in Anglo-Saxon English or

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Old English which appeared in the early Middle Age and is known as ‘Beowulf’ which is a epic
poem that is heroic in nature. Beowulf which is a part of Old English Literature reflects what
actually happened during the ancient Old English period in which the heroes went to wars,
fighting against all things and people that are evil and came back home with glories. The
literature written during the Middle English period reflects the changing fortunes of the English
in a comprehensive manner. Geoffrey Chaucer who is known as the Father of English Literature
was considered as one of the greatest poets of the Middle Ages. His ‘Canterbury Tales’ reflect
the society of his times and many characters in the ‘Canterbury Tales’ are religious figures and
the setting of the pilgrimage to Canterbury reflects the religious and significant theme of the
cultural context in England at that time, during the Middle Ages (Danesi, 2018).
The plays of William Shakespeare also reflected the political ambience and political issues
between nations that took place in Europe in that era, and this particular culture about that period
is preserved in his writings. In conclusion, it can be said that literature reflects the cultural life of
people and how their traditions and culture used to be in a given point in time.
Storytelling Video: Storytelling is a great way to instill the love of learning and
knowledge in a child and also stir the imagination of a child.
0-1 minute: Let the children choose the story they want to listen
1-2 minutes: Engage in a lot of fun and participation with String-a-long stories
2-3 minutes: Be expressive and take recourse to props to heighten characters in the story.
3-4minutes: Try to be imaginative and enact the story in front of the children.

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