Winnie the Pooh: NOTES

In which Piglet is surrounded by water’.

The version of childhood being constructed in the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ story is that children are those who think of the most innovative ideas as a result of underestimating a problem or the situations severity and the consequences or limitations that coincide. Also, through the desire of adventure and the lack of knowledge Christopher Robin displays juvenility suggesting that children are expected to say silly things with such surety, such as, ‘I expect there is an east pole and a west pole’ also as a result of their wild imaginations. When the wise Owl speaks with complex vocabulary, the boy Christopher doesn’t understand and therefore reinforces the idea that children are generally expected to not have gained the knowledge to interact with adults at such an advanced level. The text also suggests through capitalisation of the words, ‘Company’, ‘Clever’ and ‘Anxious’ that they are all typical desires and feelings of a child. The young characters of the story also try to recognise a situation; no matter how serious, as an adventure and try to overlook the obstacles it may present.

In opposition to this, when piglet says that he couldn’t do anything to escape, it suggests to audiences that children are also likely to feel vulnerable through their lack of experience, and in piglets case as result of his physical inability, (being small).

It is proposed that children are praised over their ability to think of ideas as exemplified when ‘Pooh himself said something so clever could only look at him with mouth open and eyes staring’. As a reaction to this praise Pooh bear responds in quite a shy and modest manner even though he contradictory made an excuse, ‘there was water in his eyes’ rather than he couldn’t read to avoid potential discouragement.