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Post by lilyofthevalley on Aug 18, 2014 18:02:19 GMT
Having not gone to anything in years at the Edinburgh Festival, this year I have treated myself to attendance at various events in the Festival. Today was my last one. I went to a theatre performance of 'Private Peaceful' based on the book of that name by Michael Morpurgo. It is described on the internet as 'a novel for older children'. It is also described as 'an unflinching examination of the horrors of war and the injustice surrounding the execution of soldiers by firing squad, on the - often false - grounds of desertion or cowardice'. The publicity material was quite explicit about the subject matter. I know that Michael Morpurgo is a children's author and it seems that the book has won a Blue Peter award.
The play was a monologue so one actor. There was one prop that was alternately an iron bedstead or barbed wire with a trench behind with a lot of sound and visual effects. The performance was a remarkable tour de force. It was immensely moving. Tears were running down my cheeks at the end. The actor got a standing ovation.
But what amazed me was the ages of the children attending the performance. I was at the front of the queue waiting to go in. Behind me there seemed to be almost an entire small primary school of children, I would say with ages from about 7 upwards. There were some teachers with them. In the row in front of me was a family with their three children. There was a boy aged about 7 and two pre school children that I would guess to be about 3 and 4.
Clearly this was thought to be fine. I was shocked. The play ended with Private Peaceful's terror at facing the firing squad and his death. How can families and schools think that this is OK for such young children? What do you all think? I would certainly not have allowed my children to attend this performance at such a young age.
Lily x
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Post by daffin on Aug 18, 2014 18:21:47 GMT
It sounds like they were far, far too young.
I still remember an exhibition of Hiroshima photos I got taken to when I was about 12 and how it made me terrified of nuclear war for years. And 12 is very different to pre-school!
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Post by sooz on Aug 18, 2014 18:37:46 GMT
No way, especially knowing snooz, he'd be trying to process that for months afterwards, wow!!
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Post by serrakunda on Aug 18, 2014 18:54:46 GMT
It sounds way too much for me, but schools will probably have a done lot on the war this year. I had cause to complain to Simba's teacher about a history project this year. They were dressed up in 1930s clothes, told about the Kindertransport, had signs hung round their necks and asked to write farewell letters to their families. The teacher seemed to think it was ok as they stopped short of telling them that those left behind ended up in gas chambers. I was horrified when I went to parents evening and saw the wall display with a huge picture of hitler in the middle, swastikas all over the place and photos of the kids looking suitably bereft with their suitcases and signs. Bering in mind as well that this is a special school
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Post by moo on Aug 19, 2014 5:34:56 GMT
Deffo a ( saddening very frequently happening for my liking ) one of my OMG the world really has gone stark staring mad....
The war saddens, scares . & deeply challenges me still.... No way should children have been allowed in almost a 'reportable' incident to SS.... Me & mine would never recover... Nightmares for life....
xxx. moo. Xx
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Post by lilyofthevalley on Aug 19, 2014 8:07:15 GMT
It is described as a novel for older children, not teens. The question then arises, 'How do you define older children?' In my view I would only have considered taking a young person aged between 16 and 18 or maybe 14 if especially mature and particularly interested in the subject matter. Private Peaceful himself was 16 years old when he signed up (like many others he lied about his age) and he was executed by firing squad two years later. My enjoyment of the play was marred by my anxiety (not the parents') about the preschool children in the row in front. They started off by squirming around but then they were staring in goggle eyed attention at the horror unfolding.
Lily
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Post by ham on Aug 19, 2014 11:18:03 GMT
I sometimes think these thing should be rated like the cinema and staff should have prevented them going in. maybe parents did not know what was going to happen ,
but does amaze me what parent let their children do but who knows what some of them watch on tv or access on the pc.
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Post by corkwing on Aug 19, 2014 13:09:25 GMT
To me, it sounds like it wasn't appropriate for a number of the children.
I think that there is often ignorance - and I have been guilty of it myself. Michael Morpurgo is a children's writer and so you assume that the play will be suitable for children.
What worries me more is parents who don't then remove their children when it's clear that the subject matter isn't suitable. I had a call to go and collect Sprat from the theatre because he was scared of the mouse in a production of The Gruffalo. Didn't mind doing it and was glad that the school had the sense to abort his participation. I'd have been upset if they'd cajoled him into staying.
I heard an interview with a parent who'd taken their child to see the "real" Peter Pan. If you've read the story, it's pretty gruesome: doesn't take many pages before you find Captain Hook ripping out someone's throat and leaving them for dead. Despite the advertising emphasising that the production wasn't suitable for young children, they'd still taken their child AND hadn't taken him out when he was distressed AND were now trying to sue the theatre for his distress. I'm afraid I had little sympathy.
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Post by ham on Aug 19, 2014 14:38:36 GMT
I remember taking dd to see slumdog millionaire. I had not realised the gruesome content of it,I totally misunderstood the spiel about it. as soon as I realised I asked dd to leave but she did not want to. she really identified with the story and understood where the young man was coming from while I struggled with all the jumping around she totally got it. She found it therapeutic.But had she wanted to I would have walked out.
mind you have taken her to see some films and the adverts totally out of order.
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Post by corkwing on Aug 19, 2014 14:56:31 GMT
I bought Slumdog Millionaire as it was advertised as the "feelgood film of the year". I couldn't handle the horror and switched it off. It didn't make me feel good! I guess I didn't get to that part...
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Post by donatella on Aug 19, 2014 20:04:31 GMT
I took my three to see Life of Pi in 3d. I hadn't read the book beforehand so wasn't fully aware of the story. I remember posting on the auk boards about it and a fair few people were horrified. My kids loved it. They didn't fully understand the story but were mesmerised by it.
I have to say I find Michael morpugos books hard going. We did try to read War Horse but gave up. We bought the DVD - definitely more for the grown ups I thought.
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Post by lilyofthevalley on Aug 19, 2014 21:41:21 GMT
My children are now adults. Shortly before my daughter's last birthday (she was 28) we went to the cinema to see the film about Nelson Mandela (I seem to remember that it coincided with his death) and we found it very interesting. There was a trailer for the film 'Twelve years a slave'. My daughter was very keen to go as a birthday treat. I had my reservations and feared it would be too violent for me. However I felt obligated. My fears were realised. It was far too violent for me and I could not watch it. If I had been there on my own I would have walked out. However I was there with my daughter so felt I had to stay. I sat through the film with my eyes shut for most of the time. So the tables can turn! It can end up being the parent who needs protection from the subject matter!
Lily
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Post by rosie on Aug 20, 2014 23:26:00 GMT
I quite agree with you; I wouldn't take a young child to something like that. I like Michael Morpurgo books but a lot of them although written for children have adult themes. DD has read lots of his books but when she was younger we did look carefully at notes about the books as some were really not suitable until she was older. War Horse as well as being set in the war has the two young boys being shot for desertion so we avoided the book and film for a while. ironically she then did the First world war, war poets and war horse at school ! We did make sure we watched the film with her at home first though.Perhaps it isn't so surprising there was a school party at the performance! I do sometimes wonder about the topics they cover at school at quite a young age. I was very surprised in year 7 when doing the ww1 topic they studied some of the very 'graphic' poems by Wilfred Owen. I felt at the time that 11 was a bit young. I think they would have been better covered a few years on.
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Post by peartree on Aug 24, 2014 11:49:20 GMT
Oh no Lilly how awful
I do think children's exposure to inappropriate things damages them inside and gets brushed off as not an issue when it is!
Know what you mean about roles reversed. Blossom has discovered horror films, including one about a ouji board recently and I hate that. I couldn't watch it that's for sure, mind you I have been known to look away at midsummer murders!
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