Thank you for your great suggestion. I am going to look for that as I would
like to get it for my grandson. After all, the point should be to
introduce students to the wonderful richness of the folktale. The Disney
movie helped in that it brought those stories to more people's attention.
I, agree, that Disney often changes things to fit their objectives -and not
always for the better. But, we must also remember that Disney movies are for
"Entertainment", not for education. and most kids know the difference. Now,
before anyone else jumps in - Disney studios has, in the past, put together
some very well-done movies that did educate- but still were made more for
entertainment than anything else. I am thinking especially of "The Living
Desert" ( if I have the title correct_) And, of course, some of the short
movies with cartoon characters emphasizing safety ,etc. And in the Disney
TV shows there were often educational segments that were well-done. But, if
you want strictly educational and/or factual movies, you should go to those
sources. If you want entertainment you should go to those sources.
Toni Koontz
akoontz@cdeducation.org
Media Specialist
St. Charles Preparatory
www.cdeducation.org/schools/sc
Columbus Ohio
Carpe Diem
-----Original Message-----
From: School Library Media & Network Communications
[mailto:LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU]On Behalf Of Madeline L. Buchanan
Sent: Friday, May 09, 2003 7:54 PM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Alternative to Song of the South
I show a wonderful animated cartoon movie of Brer Rabbit adventures. The
students see it as a wonderfully entertaining show in which they become
familiar with southern folklore and it is one of their favorite movies. The
movie is actually a day in the life of Brer Rabbit where he avoids being
cooked and eaten by Brer Fox and Brer Bear by tricking them over and over.
The movie can actually be shown in parts as well as in one sitting.
Although the "Tar Baby" story is one of the segments, there is nothing to
imply prejudice, race relations, or any other stereotypical incident that
could be insulting to our students, teachers and parents. There are no
human characters in the story, only animals. These are strictly cartoon
adventures with no mention of slavery, the uncle, or southern speech
patterns. I use it in teaching folklore and dialect and tell the students
how the word "Brer" started, letting them know that the titles of Brother
and Sister are titles of respect and are still used today, especially in
church settings and with all cultures.
I don't have the information about the video at home but ordered it from
Library Video Company.
I then compare the stories in this video to the Anansi stories from Africa
and the Caribbean. It's so interesting when the same story theme shows up
in both the Anansi and Brer Rabbit stories, teaching us that folklore
threads run throughout all cultures.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Madeline L. Buchanan
Library Media Specialist
W. J. Christian School (Retiring in May)
Birmingham, AL
Voice: (205) 231-5277
Fax: (205) 231-5279
Email: mlbuchanan1@charter.net
http://www.mlbuchanan.com/
http://www.wwisp.com/~wjcs/
"The imagination should be allowed a certain
amount of time to browse around."
--Thomas Merton
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