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Essay / The Theme of Overcoming Obstacles in Children's Literature
“Obstacles are those frightening things you see when we take our eyes off our goals,” wrote Henry Ford. Everyone is different, but we all have obstacles. We must never give up, but rather stay focused on the journey and the direction we need to take to continue. The variety of general texts on early childhood reveals that nothing is impossible, obstacles are only opportunities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Excerpt from the book, Where The Sidewalk Ends, from Shel Silverstein's short poem, "Listen to the Mustn'ts", the majority of the text is about limitation, but at the end of the poem, with an empathetic whisper, he expresses how the possibilities are endless. At the beginning of the poem "Listen to the Don'ts," Silverstein explores the restrictions that are represented in our world: Listen to the don'ts, my child, Listen to the don'ts, Listen to the don'ts do, the IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TSListen to the NEVER HAVESThe capital words are vitally important at the beginning of this poem, conveying the idea of the many limitations that are expressed throughout daily life. As the poem continues, Silverstein ends the poem by writing, “So listen to me carefully – / Anything can happen, my child, / ANYTHING can happen.” The end of the poem dominates the beginning with the confident whisper. The speaker of this poem is someone with experience. The importance of the speaker and the words used suggest how to see opportunities where others see obstacles. This poem, “Listen to the Mustn’ts,” supports the idea that anything can happen; Obstacles are not a reason to give up a chance for something else. In the early childhood chapter, Owl Diaries: Eva's Treetop Festival, by Rebecca Elliot, Eva talks about an owl who just wants to organize a successful Bloomtastic festival for her class. Eva has to overcome different obstacles throughout the story, but in the end, all her hard work pays off. After Eva's teacher, Miss Featherbottom, liked her idea of the festival; Eva goes to talk to her best friend, Lucy, about her excitement and concerns. Eva doesn't know where to start and how to do everything on time. Lucy responds: “Make a to-do list. Then you will know what you need to do.” Instead of seeing this as a problem, the author shows that there are solutions because nothing is impossible. Throughout the story, Eva has challenges with one of her classmates, Sue. As Eva presents her idea to the class, Sue interjects: “What ARE YOU responsible for, Eva? Who made you the queen of the festival? Following this, Eva nervously finishes her thoughts with her class. She just wants Sue to mind her own business. As the stories progress, Eva realizes that all this work is a heavy task to undertake alone; she doesn't know how she's going to get there until the next day. “Then I thought about what Miss Featherbottom had said when I first told her my idea. Share the work! "). Eva did exactly as Miss Featherbottom suggested. The message conveyed here is that when obstacles arise, find a way to solve them, and sometimes solving the problem doesn't mean doing it alone. Eva's asking her classmates for help meant she needed Sue's help at the podium: “I couldn't believe Sue said yes. She even smiled at me. Type of. Then she helped me build the podium after school.” At the end of the festival, all of Eva's determined work was a success: "We..