This thought came to me because I felt such a deep connection with Crane-Man. When I found out he had died, I literally had to take a five minute break from reading to control my tears. I wasn't sure why, but I was really upset by this and
I imagine Tree-Ear would have felt some of the same emotions. When I thought more, I realized that Crane-Man meant so much to me because he was like a father to Tree-Ear. He gave him advice, made him sandals, and sometimes cooked for him. This is when I started to realize that maybe Tree-Ear wasn't so parentless after all. Not only did he have Crane-Man but he also had Ajima and even Min served as a parent figure. Ajima and Min even take Tree-Ear in at the end, and give him a new name that is similar to their biological son's name. We know that Crane-Man was important to Tree-Ear because we are led to believe that Tree-Ear makes a very famous vase in the end, called "The Thousand Cranes" vase. We can also see the how important Tree-Ear is to Crane-Man because when his body is found, they discover he was clutching the celadon monkey that Tree-Ear had made him in his hand.
After I thought about the parental figures in A Single Shard, I started thinking about the other books we have read in this unit. All except Pippi Longstocking have had some sort of parental figure. Lyra has a whole slew of parental figures that look after her well-being, even though she finds out her biological parents are still alive, it is the people who care for and nurture her that seem to be the real parents. Saaski has Yanno, Anwara and Old Bess, and even though these are more like adoptive parents, they still take care of Saaski and protect her from the villagers.
This leads me to conclude that the authors of these books are perhaps saying something more about the role of a parent and what it means to be a parent and a family, especially since there is no "norm" for how a family is structured.
So I googled Thousand Cranes Vase and came up with a few pictures of it, and also some other celadon pottery I thought was cool.
.jpg)
4 comments:
First thing, your blog is looking really good! Very scrapbook-y (in a good way!)
I agree that many of the books we’ve been reading this semester do a good job at presenting alternate parent figures. I know it must be frustrating for young readers who may not have a traditional family at home to not be able to recognize their own unique family structures in the books they read. By showing different ways adults can affect a child’s life, young readers can look for other possible mentors in their daily lives, and perhaps form the lifelong bond they lack from a biological parent.
Also, I’m glad you put the pottery pictures on here; you saved me a Google search!
Great blog! I also agree with your point that many of the books we've read have shown alternate families and parent figures. Family doesn't always have to be structured as mom, dad, sister and brother. I think a family consists of people who care for you and look out for your best interests and show you unconditional love. Tree ear had that in crane man and that caring relationship had a significant impact on tree ear's life.
I really enjoyed your personal response and emotional connection to Crane man that you had. I think it is really important for us as readers to think about how the books we are reading affect us during this point in our lives and the ages that we are because it says so much about how we have come to understand and appreciate literature since we were children. Reading and connecting with the loss of a parent figure, especially a paternal one, is one that resinated so much with me as well. My father and I are very close and regardless of the fact that Crane man was not Tree-Ear's biological father, he was the only father he ever knew. The love, tenderness and kindness that the two of them shared was an undeniable father/son relationship which indeed made them a family. Your point about how there is no "norm" of how a family is structered is such a good point! Today we see families of all different types and kinds and it is with stories such as this one that we are reminded that a family is bounded in love and that every family is going to be different and unique in its own way. Great post, I enjoyed it!
I loved the way you tied in all of the books we have read up to this point! I also believe that this idea of parents not necessarily being biological to have a role in a child's life goes along with another idea. The idea that children are essentially shaped by the surrounding culture and social environment.
Post a Comment