“Slavery with a smile” - the media controversy about children’s literature on the topic of slavery and the rhetoric of the publishing industry

• Authors: Klęczaj-Siara Ewa

Title variants

PL

„Niewolnictwo z uśmiechem” – kontrowersje medialne wokół literatury dziecięcej o tematyce niewolnictwa a retoryka przemysłu wydawniczego

• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Discussions about the appropriateness of American children’s books on ethnic and racial issues have recently become headlines in American daily newspapers. Journalists and opinion writers are questioning the themes and the perspectives of the authors. While some believe there must be limitations on what is published for young readers, others claim any kind of censorship is a violation of the freedom of speech. The paper will provide examples of media debates concerning recently published books for children. Among others it will discuss the controversy about Ramin Ganeshram’s picture book A Birthday Cake for George Washington published in 2016 and no longer distributed because of its “sanitized” vision of slavery.

PL

Dyskusje dotyczące poprawności amerykańskich książek dla dzieci o tematyce etnicznej i rasowej w ostatnim czasie znalazły się w centrum zainteresowań mediów publicznych. Dziennikarze i opiniotwórcy kwestionują tematykę książek oraz perspektywy autorów. Podczas gdy niektórzy uważają, że publikacje dla dzieci powinny być ograniczone pewnymi ramami, inni każdy rodzaj cenzury traktują jako naruszenie wolności słowa. Niniejszy artykuł analizuje debaty medialne dotyczące ostatnio opublikowanych książek dla dzieci na temat niewolnictwa. Między innymi omawia kontrowersyjne wycofanie ze sprzedaży książki ilustrowanej autorstwa Ramin Ganeshram pt. A Birthday Cake for George Washington z powodu promowania pozytywnego obrazu niewolnictwa.

Keywords

EN

#SlaveryWithASmile; W.D. Myers; Ch. Myers; A Birthday Cake for George Washington; slavery; children’s literature; media rhetoric

PL

#SlaveryWithASmile; W.D. Myers; Ch. Myers; A Birthday Cake for George Washington; niewolnictwo; literatura dziecięca; retoryka mediów

• Publisher: Polskie Towarzystwo Retoryczne
• Journal: Res Rhetorica
• Year: 2018
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 54-63

Dates

published

2018

Contributors

author

Klęczaj-Siara Ewa

• KAZIMIERZ PULASKI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITIES IN RADOM

References

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Identifiers

DOI

10.29107/rr2018.2.5