Trust Them to Figure it Out

This is an article published in the Journal of the Spanish Association of Anglo-American Studies and written by Maria Ropero. The main focus of the article is the viewpoint of Toni Morrison on the subject of children’s literature. Many of the children’s books that Toni Morrison wrote with her son Slade Morrison are discussed while adding comments from an interview with Toni Morrison. This article unlocks the answers to many questions about the style of Toni Morrison’s children literature. Morrison claims, “when children simply comply with norms and expectations, they don’t have their own lives and their own experiences” (Ropero 47).  Morrison believes that children have to be subjected to real life conditions to fully understand the capability of children to deal with the choices that life presents. Morrison does not undermine the authority of the parents or the education system, but believes that the central goal of education should be to encourage children to think and decide for themselves (Ropero 47). According to Morrison, we should “trust the children to figure it out and give them the opportunity to figure it out” (Ropero 48). Ropero argues in the article with Morrison’s beliefs that society has cheated children and not allowed them to make crucial decisions and observations that will help them to develop into capable adults. This article emphasizes the need to have children make their own decisions and for parents to stop protecting children from all of life’s disappointing situations. Children need to be able to face difficult situations and make their own choices of how those situations will affect their own life.

This article is helpful in understanding Toni Morrison’s beliefs and expectations ofchildren when she co-wrote her series of children’s books. In many of the children’s books, children are subjected to life’s harsh realities (oppression, mean people, prejudism, etc.). The children are subjected to situations that many parents try to shield their children from. In The Book of Mean People, a young child tells of all of the mean people in his life. These people include his friends, teachers, and family members. The child tells of these people yelling and making mean faces at him especially. His remarks about all of the mean people in his life make readers feel sorry for him, but, by the end of the book, the child has made the decision that he is not going to let all of the negativity in his life to turn him into a negative person. He triumphs over the oppression and adversity in his life and makes the choice to be happy and smile through the difficult moments that life may bring. This text is a perfect example of the beliefs of Toni Morrison presented in the article. This child has faced some difficult situations in his life and has made his own choice to be happy; he has made this decision without the help of his parents or influence from other adults.

Ropero, Maria L. "Trust Them to Figure It Out." Journal of the Spanish Association of Anglo-American Studies. 30.2 (2008): 43-57. Web. 27 Apr. 2013