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Little Jack Horner
A Kinder, Gentler Jack - The Non-threatening Multicultural Representation
Similar to the image of Little Jack contented by the hearth, this representation
of Little Jack Horner is not one of a bad little boy getting away with
a misdeed. Rather, this little boy appears to be comfortable in his warmly-colored
corner, snuggled in a fuzzy winter sweater, smiling as he lifts the prize
from the pie he holds in his lap as though it were given to him generously.
As with the other illustrations, a sprig of holly notes the pie as a Christmas
pie, and as happily as Little Jack enjoys his treat, he does indeed seem
like the good boy ”he claims to be. Notable in this illustration,
then, is the complete lack of anything provocative, indicative of unseen
literary or cultural history, or naughty in any way. This bland characterization
of Little Jack is then most likely indicative of contemporary educational
culture and literature, in which a very carefully constructed non-offensive
culture of plurality moves to take the place of the strictly white western
European culture that created and preserved the rhyme.
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