When the mother came home from work,she saw the house in a mess .Write a possible conversation between the mother and father regarding the mischievous deeds of their son.
Answers
Of all of the common assumptions that we discussed in class, I think one of the most common is the idea that a children’s text should in some way teach the reader something. We of course talked about the term didactic, and how a didactic book strongly pushes a lesson onto the reader, telling them that they should believe this or that. Many times a reason for that lesson isn’t even given, as though the young person reading the book should just accept that lesson because they are told to, because the other knows better. As I was reading Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss, the book I selected for the assignment, I was hoping that it wouldn’t be as didactic as most other children’s books, and that it would be as playful and exciting as I remember as a child. On the last two pages of the book, however, the absent mother returns home, the cat has disappeared, the children are behaving nicely, sitting in chairs, and it is pretty obvious that even though they got into mischief they are still good children after all. Nothing really has changed at the end of the book. Although all sorts of things got played with, and the children broke the rules I am sure they know about (like, “Don’t fly kites in the house”), major boundaries were never crossed.
We talked about how the opposite of a didactic book might be an ambiguous book, or a book that encourages the reader to think about issues, to make decisions for themselves. In that kind of book, the author usually wants to the reader to think for her or himself, to understand that some things are difficult, even for adults. The author may present a problem and ask you what you think, or might just never come around to saying exactly what you are supposed to believe. The last page of Cat in the Hat ends with the narrator saying, referring to the mother, “Should we tell her about it? / Now what SHOULD we do? / Well . . . / What would YOU do / If your mother asked you?” (61). In some ways, this is probably a pretty ambiguous ending. The author asks the reader that if your mother left, if someone wanted you to do what you weren’t supposed to, if you did it anyway, and if you didn’t get caught, then would you tell your mother or father what happened? Most adults wouldn’t tell what happened themselves, but the question is there anyway, and it seems to be really asking children what they believe.
Answer:
Mother: Sara, its good that you have now learned cooking. You will be take core of the family when I am away or sick. ... Cooking is indeed something that everyone should know. Mother: Absolutely, Even men should know it.