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KEY TOPICS: Anthropocentrism, racism, film, critical literacy, children
SUMMARY: Rarely are beloved classics critiqued. A European classic like 'Curious George' is a case in point. When originally published in the 1940's, 'Curious George's' privileged Euro-American audience would not have thought to look for bias. However, historical distance and a post-colonial world order that engendered multicultural politics have fostered the intellectual conditions for people to want to - need to - critique texts for their cultural assumptions. Whatever its genre - book, film - I believe "Curious George" should be critiqued. Here is a tale of a monkey captured by an adventurous white man in an unnamed jungle and forced to adapt when he is brought to the "civilized" world (England?) by his paternal "keeper." It assumes nature is intended for humans and that the Anglo West breeds civility. This is no quaint children's tale from way back when. Yet 'Curious George' is used in classrooms without, I worry, any sort of critical lens that would present school children with a more complex view of the world by engaging issues of anthropocentrism and even racism.
In single file, the class assistant ushered two dozen children from their walled classroom to the brightly-lit foyer a few metres away. It was time for Music. Smiling broadly, I stood on the edge of the well-worn oval carpet that lay in the centre. A television on a tall stand loomed behind me. Curious eyes gave me the once over. 'Who is this?' the children wondered. I gestured for everyone to sit down and with the assistant's help everyone did. Not surprisingly, as they sat down cross-legged, I was peppered with questions from every row: where's Ms. S.? what's your name? what are we watching? are we going to have Music? Leaning forward, I held up the 'Curious George' film case that I had hid from view. It was time to introduce George, everyone's favourite monkey (right?). For a moment, there was quiet (timing is everything in teaching). The class assistant and I exchanged smiles. Then, squeals of delight from Ms. P.'s kindergarteners that delivered a mix of pleasure and annoyance. They were excited about their upcoming lesson but they would need to listen well; I would have some thought-provoking questions to ask. "My name is Ms. A."
"I want you to watch what happens to George, while he's in the jungle," I said to the class. My students were 4 and 5 years old, I had to be more explicit: "Do you think it's fair that he's taken out of the jungle - out of his home - and brought to another country?" By now, schooled in answering teachers' questions, the children seemed to ponder mine and offered up a balance of yeses and noes. I nervously clicked 'play' on the DVD player. I wished right then that we could have just played with the instruments. Then again, I am much better at asking questions than interpreting music notes.
The film is a series of flashbacks that chronicle George's life from the jungle to the city. The protagonist's antics are what people find entertaining. Come to think of it, 'monkey see, monkey do,' might just have come from this famous Reyersbach tale! Smoking a pipe - it seems monkeys can get high too - and mistakenly dialling the police on the telephone - you can imagine the ensuing confusion - get children, even adults, laughing out loud. When the 'man in the yellow hat' disciplines George, the laughs just continue. This simple formula - get George in and out of trouble - appears to work, in fact, it has worked for years. We take 'Curious George' for granted, and there lies the problem.
(NOTE: 'Storify' version link above.)
Listen to AUDIO RECORDING // Read STORIFY Version
SUMMARY: Rarely are beloved classics critiqued. A European classic like 'Curious George' is a case in point. When originally published in the 1940's, 'Curious George's' privileged Euro-American audience would not have thought to look for bias. However, historical distance and a post-colonial world order that engendered multicultural politics have fostered the intellectual conditions for people to want to - need to - critique texts for their cultural assumptions. Whatever its genre - book, film - I believe "Curious George" should be critiqued. Here is a tale of a monkey captured by an adventurous white man in an unnamed jungle and forced to adapt when he is brought to the "civilized" world (England?) by his paternal "keeper." It assumes nature is intended for humans and that the Anglo West breeds civility. This is no quaint children's tale from way back when. Yet 'Curious George' is used in classrooms without, I worry, any sort of critical lens that would present school children with a more complex view of the world by engaging issues of anthropocentrism and even racism.
In single file, the class assistant ushered two dozen children from their walled classroom to the brightly-lit foyer a few metres away. It was time for Music. Smiling broadly, I stood on the edge of the well-worn oval carpet that lay in the centre. A television on a tall stand loomed behind me. Curious eyes gave me the once over. 'Who is this?' the children wondered. I gestured for everyone to sit down and with the assistant's help everyone did. Not surprisingly, as they sat down cross-legged, I was peppered with questions from every row: where's Ms. S.? what's your name? what are we watching? are we going to have Music? Leaning forward, I held up the 'Curious George' film case that I had hid from view. It was time to introduce George, everyone's favourite monkey (right?). For a moment, there was quiet (timing is everything in teaching). The class assistant and I exchanged smiles. Then, squeals of delight from Ms. P.'s kindergarteners that delivered a mix of pleasure and annoyance. They were excited about their upcoming lesson but they would need to listen well; I would have some thought-provoking questions to ask. "My name is Ms. A."
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| The Reyersbach's |
The authors of 'Curious George' were Margret and Hans Augusto Reyersbach, a married German Jewish couple. Theirs was a story of love, Nazi persecution, trans-Atlantic migration, and eventually success in America as co-collaborators on the 'Curious George' book series. Indeed, the Reyersbach's own trials and tribulations make for an incredible story. Their much beloved 'Curious George' was a creative outlet and, with the world around them so bleak, must also have been a source of entertainment and pleasure. Nevertheless, they could not have predicted that their mischievous little monkey would garner so much attention - he was an instant hit!
"I want you to watch what happens to George, while he's in the jungle," I said to the class. My students were 4 and 5 years old, I had to be more explicit: "Do you think it's fair that he's taken out of the jungle - out of his home - and brought to another country?" By now, schooled in answering teachers' questions, the children seemed to ponder mine and offered up a balance of yeses and noes. I nervously clicked 'play' on the DVD player. I wished right then that we could have just played with the instruments. Then again, I am much better at asking questions than interpreting music notes.
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| Curious George smoking a pipe |
The BBC recently published an article in its 'Culture' section titled "The hidden messages in children's books." As author Hephzibah Anderson puts it, "Revisiting kids’ books in adulthood can yield all sorts of weird and wonderful subtexts, some more obvious than others." I couldn't agree more: 'Curious George's' sub-text is a good deal weird but not so wonderful.
George wasn't born 'George' nor was he from the city. Heck, he's a bonafide monkey! The seemingly innocent man in the yellow hat decided that he wanted a monkey for his own pleasure - what else would you call co-habitating with 'George'? So, in cunning pursuit of that "exotic find," he pursued his desire all the way to where monkeys are indigenous. That's the back-story, isn't it? If it sounds familiar, it's because for too long now the object has been 'nature,' 'Africa,' the 'exotic,' while the subject - the one with visible, practical agency - the liberal, western adventurer who dons a cap and a smile knowing full well that they can return home. (Granted, these days many middle-class minorities - like me - could be characterized in that way as they seek jobs and travel experiences in far-flung places.)
What it comes down to is awareness and enough discomfort with the subtext to raise questions. That's the serious part of reading, which can really deepen children's respect for literature. I have no doubt that the opportunity to ask and answer questions can also expand children's awareness of their own ethical positions. "When you go on a trip, do you hope to find something to bring back with you?" That's a question I think I might ask next time. My students' answers will help us all 'read' the world a little better.
George wasn't born 'George' nor was he from the city. Heck, he's a bonafide monkey! The seemingly innocent man in the yellow hat decided that he wanted a monkey for his own pleasure - what else would you call co-habitating with 'George'? So, in cunning pursuit of that "exotic find," he pursued his desire all the way to where monkeys are indigenous. That's the back-story, isn't it? If it sounds familiar, it's because for too long now the object has been 'nature,' 'Africa,' the 'exotic,' while the subject - the one with visible, practical agency - the liberal, western adventurer who dons a cap and a smile knowing full well that they can return home. (Granted, these days many middle-class minorities - like me - could be characterized in that way as they seek jobs and travel experiences in far-flung places.)
What it comes down to is awareness and enough discomfort with the subtext to raise questions. That's the serious part of reading, which can really deepen children's respect for literature. I have no doubt that the opportunity to ask and answer questions can also expand children's awareness of their own ethical positions. "When you go on a trip, do you hope to find something to bring back with you?" That's a question I think I might ask next time. My students' answers will help us all 'read' the world a little better.
(NOTE: 'Storify' version link above.)
