HIT: Faithful Elephants

[Dolan <rdolan@SUFFOLK.LIB.NY.US>]

LM_NET LISTSERV-

Thanks to all who responded to my question.  The consensus seems to be
that guns and ammunition were not available to use on the elephants
because all were being used in the war effort.  However, Hilarey Crew, sent
the following reply:  An article by Kay E. Vandergrift and Ariko
Kawabatta, "History Into Myth: The Anatomy of a Picture Book" in Bookbird
36.2 (Summer 1987) points out the inaccuracies of the story which has been
criticized in Japan.  The article states that Ushio Hasegawa, a children's
literature critic, has argued that the elephants were not killed for "the
sake of people's safety" as in the "legend" but were "part of the army's
propaganda effort to encourage people to prepare for the worst and, more
importantly, to encourage their (especially children's) hatred of the
enemy."  The book, Kawaisouna Zoo, on which the English translation is
based, has apparently been removed from the Japanese school curriculum
according to the authors of the article.  The answer as to why the animals
were slowly starved to death rather than shot is also being raised in
Japan.  Ariko and Vandergrift suggest some answers: shortage of ammunition
(the railings of the zoo were being used for bullets)  and the fact that
the gunfire might cause panic, and the nearness of the zoo to the
emperor's palace.  The article is also useful for an analysis of English
editions of the Faithful Elephant pointing out distortions and
innacuracies.
Thanks to all, once again.
Renee Dolan
Moriches Elementary School
Moriches, New York

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