Proof that Images Enhance Even the Best Stories
Before the invention of the printing press, storytelling was largely done orally or through pictures — that’s why churches have stained glass windows.
But even with printed words, images are HUGE. The best way to drive a point home on a blog post, a piece of sales literature, or whatever, is to include a connecting image that moves the spirit. Words, no matter how how brilliant, always gain power when combined with a photo or a drawing.
For example, take a look at these images from two of the finest works of fiction every written — Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, and The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri.
Gustave Dore’s illustrations for The Divine Comedy and Sir John Tenniel’s illustrations for Alice have left their mark on the minds and hearts of many a reader, myself included. Here are a few of the images — what feelings do they stir in you?
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Brad, I’ve not read the Divine Comedy, but Alice is etched in my heart and imagination - along with Tenniels’ illustrations. I just have to see them to be six years old again - and enchanted. Thank you!
Joanna, You’re welcome! Glad It’s nice to feel six years old, isn’t it?
Brad,
There certainly is a contrast between the moods of each story’s illustrations, isn’t there? To me, the Alice in Wonderland illustrations elicit lighthearted, fun, adventurous feelings; but the Divine Comedy illustrations create a heavy, oppressive, fatalistic — even terrifying emotional atmosphere.
You’ve definitely made your point!
Jeanne
Brad,
I can only support Jeanne’s comment. The Divine Comedy illustrations are terrifying. But there is also a difference between The Alice in Wonderland illustrations and the way many children’s books today are illustrated. It is a bit difficult to express for me, but in my opinion the illustrations in Alice in Wonderland are not “child-like” in the way “child-like” illustrations or cartoons are today.
Hi, Ulla!
I completely agree with your assessment of the Alice in Wonderland illustrations. Even the stories themselves tended to be written at a higher intellectual level in the days of classic children’s literature than they generally are today. Your point is a very interesting one!
Jeanne
Ulla & Jeanne, yes, Ulla’s idea is interesting. Could it be that in those days the world had a different concept of “childhood”? I think at the time when Alice was written, the concept of childhood, as a state of being distinct from being an adult, didn’t exist.
Brad, it is sad that as adults we have allowed cost to dictate the lack of images in adults books. When viewing these images from two very different books it is clear how an image is worth a 1000 words. The images alone evoke an emotional response and allow readers to fully engage in the tales. These were great choices to use in the post. I wonder why we now have this notion that with the exception of magazines, “picture books” are for children only.
I guess, in those days, adulthood was just a matter of degree. It’s really interesting to consider that, on the whole, children tended to be better readers in the days of the classics, when they weren’t written down to — or perhaps I should say in the days when the reading levels of most children’s books were higher. Children also tended to behave better in the days when they were expected to be little “adults.” Fascinating topic to delve into!
Karen, Didn’t realize cost was a factor in keeping images out of adult books. How tragic. Maybe I should try to market my cartoons to Web sites instead of book publishers …?
Jeanne, Young people must have been better readers in those days - weren’t they reading classic “adult” literature, perhaps in Greek or Latin, before college age? Shame on us for lowering the bar.
Brad,
I think you’re right that many children were reading Latin (I’m not sure about Greek) in those days. (Some still do today when homeschooling parents or private schools use the classic curriculum.) Most classic literature also tended to be written at a level that could be enjoyed by adults and children alike. An unfortunate fact is that many (non-homeschooled) “children” today are graduating high school with very poor reading skills. We have, apparently, lowered the bar considerably in the interim.
This is one reason why it’s so important to preserve parents’ right to homeschool their children. While many believe parents shouldn’t be allowed to homeschool unless they have a teaching credential, it’s been proven over and over again that homeschooled kids are well-prepared intellectually (and, yes, socially, as well) for life and work and that they typically become some of the most successful college students.
My youngest son (now nearly 20) was homeschooled his entire life, and he’s grown up to be responsible, caring, well-adjusted, creative (in music and art), and intellectually capable. Almost as soon as I’d taught him to read, he began devouring books and couldn’t get enough of them. He was also raised reading the King James Version of the Bible — which is, to my knowledge, the most beautifully and poetically written version in existence. Aside from its moral and spiritual influence, I believe this early Biblical foundation added an extra dimension to his intellectual life.
I live in California, where the right of parents to homeschool their children is currently being challenged; and, while I’m glad my son’s education is complete, I’m very concerned that the right my family has enjoyed could soon be taken away from other homeschooling families. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen, because our nation’s kids need all the help they can get to receive a quality education.
Jeanne
Jeanne, Thanks for bringing up homeschooling. I heard about the proposed legislation in California and think it is ridiculous. Our government creates problems and then makes them worse by enacting legislation designed to fix them. I can’t believe your situation there isn’t getting more press and raising indignation everywhere.
Brad,
Activist judges in California are attempting to rewrite the CA Education Code by reading more into it than it actually states. Since no provision is made in the Code for homeschooling, per se, it falls under the purview of Private School regulations — and, in fact, homeschooling families are required to file a Private School Affidavit each year they intend to homeschool.
As such, the state has no say in the specific minimum skills, credentials, etc., that homeschooling parents must possess other than the single, broad requirement the Code allows for private schools, which states that the instructor must be “a person capable of teaching.”
California families have other options for meeting the state’s compulsory education laws, such as hiring a private tutor (who must be certified), enrolling in an independent study program offered by the Public School system, or enrolling in a satellite program offered by a private school. However, none of these options — including registering as a private school — requires that the parent possess a teaching credential.
Anyone interested in further information on this topic — or anyone who would like to keep up with the California case — will find a great deal of information at the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) website.
You’re right that homeschooling parents everywhere should be concerned, because legal precedents can have far-reaching effects, even on those whom they don’t directly affect at the time they are set.
Thanks for letting me sound off on behalf of homeschoolers!
Jeanne
Jeanne & Brad,
this discussion about homeschooling is very interesting. Homeschooling is not allowed in Germany at all. The discussion here is going in another direction: Are parents executing their educational duties or are they delivering their kids to school and that’s it? Reading is not usual in many homes anymore; children are placed in front of the TV - so they are silent and occupied. I was brought up in a reading home - my parents used to read a lot and we had many books. I loved to go to the library (and still do regularly). That was, ahem, about 45 years ago.
Ulla, We have the same issue here, but seems to have faded into the background lately. Some people I know with young children have literally thrown their TVs in the trash. I admire them but haven’t found the courage to do it myself. (And we won’t tell anyone how long you’ve been going to the library!)
Brad, like yourself, I had no idea cost is what kept photos out of adult’s books. But no matter what the reason is, it’s a shame. from what I can tell though, there are more and more books using photos, sketches and other types of images which lead to a great reading experience.
Alina
Brad and Ulla,
What a shame that homeschooling is outlawed in Germany! This sad fact has resulted in the “legal” harrassment and break-up of close-knit, caring families through fines and imprisonment of homeschooling parents (whose only crime is the desire to do what’s best for their children) and forced removal of children from their homes. That’s an abuse of these families’ basic human rights.
The plight of the Gorber family is a case-in-point. Six of the Gorbers’ eight children (their ninth is on the way) were removed from their home in January and placed in foster care and youth homes as a result of homeschooling, and they’ve only just regained custody of their three-year-old son this week after a chaotic six-hour Family Court hearing. At that hearing, the judge refused to return the other five Gorber children to their parents until the parents undergo a psychological evaluation–despite the fact that the children have already been evaluated and found to be well-adjusted. (These children have been in state custody in excess of six months.)
Another German couple, the Dudeks, were each sentenced to three months in jail for homeschooling. (Read the details of these distressing stories at the HSLDA website: German Court Keeps Five Kids Because Parents are Homeschoolers.)
In light of the varying degrees of persecution of homeschoolers around the globe, Ulla, your question about whether or not parents are executing their educational duties is a powerful and timely one. It’s certainly true that many parents ignore their children’s educational needs in the home environment. Yet, as long as they dutifully send their children off to school each day, everything is fine — with the authorities, at least. Yet, in cases such as the German ones mentioned above, homeschooling parents are being harrassed precisely because they are willing to execute their educational duties to their children. Homeschooling is no easy task; it takes real dedication and self-sacrifice — particularly for parents of families with multiple children, such as the Gorbers. What a terrible shame it is that any government would persecute parents for giving their all to educate their children.
Jeanne
Ulla, Jeanne, Wow … what an amazing story. I had no idea this is going on in Germany. Ulla, is this something new? Is this where things are headed in the U.S.?
Brad,
One would hope that things could never go that far in the U.S. Yet many are fighting to remove — or at the very least, seriously curtail — the right of American parents to homeschool their children.
Hopefully, the situation in Germany will be turned around soon, as well. I empathize with these dedicated German parents and pray that the German authorities will come to their senses in the very near future — perhaps through international pressure — and stop persecuting the families whose parents work hardest to provide a quality educational experience for their children.
Jeanne
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