Literature for Children is the Answer?

The advent of KSSR and KSSM in 2011 marks a new beginning in the education landscape of Malaysia. Children  as early as Year 1 are given the taste of literature.  They read and listen to literary materials deem appropriate for young learners.  Why do you think the move to include literary materials for young learners is made? Do you think we are going towards the right direction in prescribing literature for learners in primary education?

(Early discussion is considered for postings from 5 - 9 February 2013)

Beware of the Goblin Man!

Everyday I get agitated. I read Harian Metro (I must confess this is one of my reading diet for the day) and I read about young, sweet and innocent Laura and Jeanie get conned by sweet talking Goblin Man over and over again.  I read about young girls leaving the comfort of their parents' wings to soar high above with the men they barely know and have just met virtually via Facebook. Do not they learn how
"The wicked quaint fruit- merchant men,
 Their fruits like honey to the throat.
 But poison in the blood;

The conniving Goblin Man stood out in this poem for me.  There are many other issues we can emphasize in Goblin Market by Christina Rosetti. Which of the issues found in the poem stood out for you?

Ladies, please remember:
"For there is no friend like a sister
In calm or stormy weather;
To cheer one on the tedious way,
To fetch one if one goes astray,
To lift one if one totters down,
To strengthen whilst one stands."

After Apple Picking - I am Done!

The coming semester is looming fast.
"And I keep hearing from the cellar bin
 The rumbling sound
 Of load on load of apples coming in"

I no longer look forward to listening to the sound.
I no longer as passionate as before to not let the apples fall.
1987 has taken its toll on me.
I know when February appears I will drag my feet to my apple orchard
"For I have had too much
 Of Apple-Picking: I am overtired
 Of the great harvest I myself desired"

After Apple Picking speaks to me each time the semester begins and ends. It brings meaning to me as I have impossible expectations of myself and others. But I guess dream small and you will not be disappointed. In your reading of  After Apple Picking, do you empathize with the speaker? How does the poem speak to you?

Expostulation and Reply by William Wordsworth

In today's world, paper qualification is pursued in earnest by individuals.  An educated person is defined by the number of paper qualifications she has.  Her claim of being knowledgeable in an area must be substantiated with copies of certificate, diploma or degree.

Do you think William Wordworth would agree with the direction in which education is heading towards today?
Do you agree that  you gained knowledge even  if  'sit you thus alone, And dream your time away?' or  'That we can feed this mind of ours, In a wise passiveness?. 

George and Lucy: Italy, England and the View

In A Room With A View, the story is set in 2 different distinct geographical settings.  Is there any connotative meaning to this technique of introducing two contrasting places as the setting for the story?

The word view is mentioned several times in this novel. The novel begins by immediately introducing the word view to the readers.  In the first page, the second line, Charlotte complained about the room they were given when Lucy and she arrived at the Pension Bertolini, " She promised us south rooms with a view close together, instead of which here are north rooms, looking into courtyard, and a long way apart."   The word view is also found in the final chapter. George carried Lucy to the window, "so that she, too, saw all the view"( 3rd last page).  Why do you think Forster used the word view several times in this novel?

I am an Adult and I am reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

A decade ago, I was baffled when a few of my students reverently mentioned  Harry Potter.  They wanted me to include J.K Rowling's work in their list of readings.  They balked at my choice of assigned reading texts by writers who have long left this world.
I was curious. Who is this Harry Potter?
On my way home, I stopped by a book store in Gombak and got hold of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I started reading after dinner and... I didn't put the book down until I reached the final page.  I was really hooked! Ever since that night I visited Harry Potter at least once a year.  Crazy isn't it?
Did you have the same reaction reading the Philosopher's Stone?  What is it about Harry Potter, his friends and his adventures that make children and adult jump into Harry's world over and over again?