A post in the Blog Publico about the play for children The Ogreling by Suzanne Lebeau gave me the opportunity to express some thoughts.
As a review says:
“The Ogreling” tells the troubling tale of a six-year-old ogre who lives alone in the forest with his mother. Under her doting care, he is oblivious to his cruel heritage as the son of an ogre until he starts school, where the sleeping monster within him awakens and hungers for flesh and blood –especially that of young children! The ogreling decides to confront his inner demons by undergoing three tests, the outcome of which will seal his fate as either boy or beast. The author Suzanne Lebeau explores the permanent battle between the forces of good and evil which inhabits everyone throughout this story, for after all, ogres may not only exist in children’s tales…
In the above-mentioned post, Mariana points out what seems to be the comment of Susana Lebeau, that: “Children are interested about the evil represented in the adults and the evil that exist on themselves. That is something that they understand by themselves. It is the adults who feel themselves perturbed and fear the crude stories of the imperfection of the world.” I understand this as a critic to the overprotection that the adults have on children, moved by their own fears, without realizing that children understand and are curious about it.
If children understand in some degree the evil in the adult world then, are those “naughty”, “bad behaved” and “hell” children only the reflection of what their parents are, but without the control of the conscience and the adult rules that the later have?
With the showing in the media of the abuse to children, may it be that the modern parents develop a fear to the interaction with their children? This may be especially in “developed” countries where a possible traditional role of the family seems to transform quicker nowadays.
saludos.. lo leí también en público y me dejó pensando..
ReplyDeletetenemos un corazón inclinado al mal.. siempre, cierto?..
hay humanitos que será de nosotros???
saludos Nico.
Yes...I think that all humans have this weird fascination with violence...they only difference is how we respond to the violence. If we weren't interested in violence rap music would not exist, most video games would not exist, and most movies would never be made.
ReplyDeleteI think that the book sounds very interesting...I think I would even let my children read it (when I have them) I would have to read it first...it is only natural to want to protect your children...but what I would want to protect my children from would be becoming desensitized because of the violence. If your children play video games and watch movies with so much violence that they just become accustomed to it in the real world...that is what is wrong. Knowing that everyone has internal struggles with good/evil is not something I would have to protect my children from.