Write a 3 pages paper on representation of children in the poems. This brings about the thesis statement, “Besides children being so pleasant, they harbor folly in them that could harm them”.

Children are also represented as being curious, as seen when Matilda would lift the tea-pot lid to pep at what was in it, or would tilt the kettle even if she had been asked not to do it. This character is in resonance with the thesis statement as it brought Matilda immense harm when she decided to meddle with her grand mama’s things in her absence. Her curiosity made her to want to try her grand mama’s spectacles and snuff.

The poet also demonstrates the meticulousness in children, as seen when Matty decided precisely do the things that she had been asked not to do once she was sure that no one could see her i.e. “Ah! Well,” thought she, “I’ll try them on, as soon as grandmamma is gone.” The meticulousness and curiosity in children is also demonstrated when the poet describes how Matty placed the spectacles upon her nose and proceeded for the snuff box thinking “Oh! What a pretty box is that. I’ll open it,”

The poet also shows how dedicated a child can get. According to the statement, “so thumb and finger went to work to move the stubborn lid,” which shows how dedicated the child was to make sure she saw what was inside. This brought her the bitter consequences as the personified statement illustrates, “Poor eyes, and nose, and mouth” as she suffered when the snuff caught them. This followed her lesson which demonstrates the folly in children as she smarted with the pain for something she had been warned against, later bringing her to promise to refrain from meddling evermore.

The Owl and pussy-cat poem shows how adventurous children can get. This is on the basis that the Pussy-cat and the owl got on the beautiful boat and carried with them some honey and plenty of money. They also sang for each other and after their marriage danced by the light of the moon. It also shows the appreciativeness harbored in children e.g. after the owl sang to the pussy-cat, the pussy-cat said,” You elegant fowl! How charmingly sweet you sing! “. The poem also represents children as people who understand the society. This is because instead of asking to be given for free, the owl and the pussy-cat asked the piggy to sell the ring to them i.e. nothing comes free.

According to Marlene (1983), on the poem “Oliver Twist”, the underprivileged children are represented as people who understand the society and its ills. The poem shows how lightly the society takes the children’s abilities e.g. “Oliver Twist can’t do this, if so do so”. It also indicates how badly their emotions were considered e.g. “mother oh lady says to jump mother oh Grady says to cry”, irrespective of the fact that their colors as children were not important.

The rights to education for the black kids were forsaken when they were asked to stay home and mind baby and being polite to the white “Ma’am”. It also shows how poorly their affairs were looked into as seen when the poet writes of whites in blue and dyed in black, in black limousine, in air conditioned crawl whereas little children fainted and dropped black flies in the heat singing of Hector and Lysander. The little black children are also represented as a disrespected lot as seen marching past, stiffly bloused after singing and dancing as slaves for Hector and Lysander and people of such stately recognition.