The document compares the roles of children in three literary texts, focusing on different characters such as the boy from 'Birches', Rosie from 'Seventeen Syllables', and Dee and Maggie from 'Everyday Use'. Each character's experience highlights themes like cultural identity, parent-child relationships, and the contrast between childhood innocence and adult burdens. Through these comparisons, it illustrates how children's perspectives reveal deeper societal issues and generational differences.

1. Compare the role of the childin at least three of the set texts.Angel Leung 4XAnthea Wong 4YColettie Lee 4YPoonYui Sum 4U

2. Child - DefinitionBelow 12 years oldParent’s son / daughter

4. Characters involvedBoy(Birches)Rosie(Seventeen Syllables)Dee(Everyday Use)Maggie(Everyday Use)

5. Boy & rosieCOMPARISON

6. Boybending movement  escape into his imagination (upward movement) and coming back to reality (downward movement)Role as a child:allows him to have such imaginations and freedomgives a stark contrast to the role as an adultgives readers a stress-free sense towards the character given with this roleComparison (boy and Rosie)

7. RosieWesternized:her name “Rosie”her imitation of Shirley Templeher struggles and limitations contrast to those of her motherRosie + Tome have conflictse.g. views on getting married or notComparison (boy and Rosie)

8. Comparison (boy and Rosie)Role as a child (Rosie):explore matters in life such as love/infatuation and playfulnesscuriosity and playfulness as a child + her westernized mindset create conflicts in ways of looking at things between herself and her mum Tome

9. BOY & DEECOMPARISON

10. Comparison (boy and Dee)Not the subjectObject of attentionBoy:“I should prefer to have some boy bend them”(23)Dee:“a dress so loud it hurts my eyes” & “Bracelets dangling and making noises”pg. 347Dee:aggressive and proud

11. Comparison (boy and Dee)Freedom and LibertyBoy:imagine and conquer on birchesDee:leave countryside  town

12. ROSIE & MaggieCOMPARISON

13. Comparison (Rosie & Maggie)Level of being influenced/affected by external factorsRelationship between parents (mothers)

14. 1. Level of being influenced/affected by external factorsRosie: Does not embrace her own culture (i.e. Japanese culture)Knows very little Japanese“English lay ready on the tongue but Japanese had to be searched for and examined” pg.2081. Level of being influenced/affected by external factors‘worship’s Western culture“she was the child Shirley Temple piping ‘On the Good Ship Lollipop’ ” pg.216Source: Hatena, ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MGP2BBV7L.jpg

15. Maggie: cherishes her own heritage although Dee does nothas profound understanding of the history behind historical objects“Aunt Dee’s first husband whittled the dash,” said Maggie so low you almost couldn’t hear her. “His name was Henry, but they called him Stash.” pg. 350not affected by Dee’s behavior1. Level of being influenced/affected by external factors

16. 2. Relationship between parents (mothers) Rosie: distant relationship with Mrs. HayashiLinguistic barrier (Western VS Japanese)does not fully understand each other“…Rosie pretended to understand [the Haiku Tome wrote] thoroughly and appreciate it no end” pg. 208Generational difference (Nisei VS Issei)Rosie does not understand Tome’s situation“Do you know why I married your father?” [Tome] said without turning.“No,” said Rosie.

17. Maggie: intimate relationship with MamaMama ignores Dee’s requestgives Maggie the quilts“And then [Maggie and Dee] sat there just enjoying, until it was time to go in the house and go to bed” pg. 3522. Relationship between parents (mothers)

18. DEE & MAGGIECOMPARISON

19. Comparison (Dee & Maggie)3 Differences:1) Different level of intimacy with Mama (conveys different parent-child relationships)2) Different ways in valuing heritage (brings out the theme of heritage, ancestors  younger generation)3) Showy Vs Practical (brings out the theme of generational difference, contrasted by narrow generation gap between Maggie and Mama)Krakow Spotlight, www.usinfo.pl/krakow/images/everydayuse.jpg

20. 1. Different level of intimacy with MamaDee: less intimate with MamaDominant and superior role in the family“She used to read to us without pity, forcing words, lies, other folks’ habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice.” P.346Insincere to Mama“She pins on my dress a large orchid, even though she has told me once that she thinks orchids are tacky flowers.” P.345

21. 1. Different level of intimacy with MamaMaggie: more intimate with MamaComfortable and relaxed together“And then the two of us sat there just enjoying, until it was time to go in the house and go to bed.” P.352Sincere interaction and conversations with Mama“Maggie and I thought about this and Maggie asked me, ‘Mama, when did Dee ever have any friends?’ ” P.347

22. 2. Different ways in valuing heritageDee: Sees heritage as consumer goodsPick and choose“After dinner Dee (Wangero) went to the trunk at the foot of my bed and started rifling through it.” P.350Source: Films Media Group, ffh.films.com/Common/FMGimages/32666_Full.jpg

23. 2. Different ways in valuing heritageMaggie: VeneratesheritageDeep understanding in its history “ ‘Aunt Dee’s first husband whittled the dash,’ said Maggie so low you almost couldn’t hear her. ‘His name was Henry, but they called him Stash.’ ” P.350

24. 3. Showy Vs PracticalDee: more showyFor display(P.361 “Hang them”)Source: Living a Literary Life, upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/G...

25. 3. Showy Vs PracticalMaggie: more practicalFor use“Maggie would put them on the bed” P.351 Source: Digital Resource Commons, drc.ohiolink.edu/.../60536/32514-filmstrip.jpg

26. GENERAL ROLEOF CHILDRENSUMMARY

27. Role of child (general)To represent innocence and purity To contrast the burden and worries of adultse.g. Birches: the playful and carefree boy in the nostalgic memory of the weary persona

28. To provide a naïve perspective (applicable only to children and adolescents)e.g. Seventeen Syllables: Rosie=naïve narratorA naïve narrator: uncomprehending character e.g. a child or simple minded adultnarrates the story without realizing its implicationstheir ignorance/inexperience serves to expose faults/ issues in their worldResult: readers know more about what’s going on than the narratorEffect: sense of irony or pathos(an evocation of sympathy, pity, sorrow in reader)

29. To convey parent-child relationships To bring out the centre of thoughts (themes) of the literaturee.g. Seventeen Syllables, Everyday Use