Comments | adoption: On Elephants and Eggs

azriona in adoption

On Elephants and Eggs

Oct 25, 2009 09:26

I posted this at my journal in a locked post, but I thought it would be appropriate to post here as well, very slightly altered. I don't mean to be definitive or anything, but I do think it might spark an interesting conversation, so here you are ( Read more... )

Comments 12

mashena October 25 2009, 14:14:12 UTC

wow. I really enjoyed reading this. Thanks for sharing.

azriona October 27 2009, 00:07:36 UTC

Thanks - I was worried about posting it, a bit, but I'm glad you liked it.

(The comment has been removed)

azriona October 27 2009, 00:10:15 UTC

I'm so glad it resonated - I worry about reading it to our (adopted) kids, and what they might take away from it. And I worry that in twenty years, they'll look at us in horror and go, "You read me THAT?!?!?"

(Of course, they might be equally horrified by me dancing at stoplights.)

mary_goodnight October 25 2009, 17:57:56 UTC

I like the Horton books. I like that he's always standing up for the literal little guy. I don't think it's a broad story about adoption, I think it's just a story of a particular circumstance one that is all to common to kids. I always really liked it because Horton is male and not the biological parent but he takes care of that egg even in the rain and unlike in real life he is rewarded for it. And I don't think it's a slam against daycare because Mayze leaves for 51 weeks. I would consider a mom leaving a kid anywhere for 51 weeks without so much as a letter abandonment. My friend was under 8 when her mother left her alone to live by herself so she could move in with her boyfriend. She could have used a Horton ( ... )

azriona October 27 2009, 00:27:02 UTC

I don't think it's a broad story about adoption, I think it's just a story of a particular circumstance one that is all to common to kids.

I agree, on the whole. I don't think Geisel was thinking to write a story about adoption - I doubt it ever really crossed his mind. I've found in my own writing that people tend to see what they want - that's half the fun for me, really, is hearing what my readers spot that I never intended in the first place.

But in the end - there are adoption elements present in the story. And I don't think they can really be ignored. I'm not saying they're the focus - but good books are rarely about one thing and one thing only. Horton has a lot of stuff going on, and sometimes you do need to look at the whole picture as well as the individual pieces. The idea of two sets of parents is one of those pieces.

And I don't think it's a slam against daycare because Mayze leaves for 51 weeks.And again, I agree. I think the woman who chose to see that was perhaps stretching just a bit. I have no doubt that ( ... )

rredhead October 26 2009, 16:39:19 UTC

When I read this book, I immediately thought of adoption. You wrote a great essay - thanks for sharing!

azriona October 27 2009, 00:27:14 UTC

Thank you!

angelicvampyre December 10 2009, 05:25:58 UTC

One the othe teachers at the boys I look after school read this and we had a conversation about it and i thought i would come back here and post.

She read it a bit different then you. She read it as the bird wanted a baby but could not be bothered having to spend the time to hatch it. So she finds another "mother" for it. however when the hatching comes the one that put in the work is awarded the baby. She as someone who has two kids who are adopted was really annoyed at this. Granted she has had people ask her if "she could not be bothered having kids so just adopted instead" She sees the bird as the adoptive mother (in some light even though she did give birth/lay the egg) and horton as the birth/suggorgate mother. Jus thought you might like a differnt way of looking at it.

azriona April 1 2010, 21:14:23 UTC

I'm sorry it took so long to respond - the day you posted this, our baby son was placed with us, and I'm afraid the notice for this comment was lost in a sea of emails. :) I only caught it now because someone else commented on the essay.

Regarding your friend's interpretation: wow. That's so completely not how I read it - but it's a interesting way of seeing the book. It totally flips everything around, doesn't it? I don't think it's what Geisel was going for when he wrote the book - but then, surrogacy wasn't available in 1940. I wonder if he would write it differently today?

(And how horrible that people actually asked if her she couldn't be "bothered" to have kids! I hope she slapped them. Thank goodness, I haven't gotten that question. Yet.)

angelicvampyre April 2 2010, 02:23:37 UTC

I had forgotten about this comment. Congrats on getting your son! Its funny how different people read things