DON’T JUDGE ME OTHERWISE… There are similar messages between ‘Crusher is Coming’ and ‘Voices in the Park’ which is important to understand for young people. While these two books differ greatly there are some key messages which are shown in both books. When analysing and comparing these two stories, the reader will understand that they shouldn’t judge others by their appearance, symbolism and how you think can affect your personality. One of the similar messages in ‘Crusher is Coming’ and ‘Voices in the Park’ is that you shouldn’t judge people by how they look.
In the story Voices in the Park’Charles’ mother sees him talking to a poor looking girl. Charles’ mother judged the girl by her appearance and thought that she was rough, but in reality she was nice. “Then I saw him talking to a very rough-looking child” but she didn’t see Charles and Smudge playing together and she didn’t see Charles giving her a flower. Therefore Charles’ mother is judging Smudge and the reader was given the message that that’s not the right thing to do.
In ‘Crusher is Coming’ Peter’s friend (who looks like a big tough guy) is coming to his house and Peter tells his mum “please don’t kiss me this afternoon when Crusher comes home Mum. ” Peter wants to look tough because he thinks people will accept and respect him. “Peter has just cleared his room. He is giving all his stuffed animals to his sister Claire, because tough crusher is coming home after school tomorrow. ” Peter is getting rid of his toys and he’s getting away from what he likes to do so he can look tough.
However, when Crusher comes to pete’s house he does girly stuff like tea party and playing with dolls. Peter’s mum kisses him anyway and Pete is surprised by Crusher’s behaviour. This gives the message that we shouldn’t judge people by their appearance and it’s ok to have a softer side. It also gives the message that how you think will change your behaviour, perspective, thinking, actions and reaction. Peter thinks that when Crusher comes over to his house he should act tough so Crusher will accept him and be friends with him.
In ‘Voices in the Park’ Charles’s mother is thinking that she’s rich and has a higher status than everyone else. This is clear when she is looking for Charles and sees a poor man sitting near her. The mother says “You get some frightful types in the park these days. I called his name [Charles] for what seemed like an age. ” She thinks that something bad may have happened to her son because she thinks that poor people do bad things. She does not have a good time at park, unlike her son ‘Charles’, because her judgment influences her behaviour. So how you think can change your personality and your behaviour.
Both stories show that if you think positively, you will be positive, but if you think negatively you will be negative. Symbolism is shown through both stories to…. They use different font, colours and symbols to convey different characters and their perspectives. Voices in the park’ is written for older readers. In this story they have used a formal font and 77777777dull colours for Charles’ mother to show that she is a formal rich woman, but they have used a messy font and 7777777bright colours to show that Smudge is a playful, fun girl.
In ‘Crusher is Coming’ there are not as many symbols as there are in Voices in the Park’ but there is one symbol that shows what Peter wants to be like. There is ‘Skull and Crossbones’ picture hanging on Peter’s bedroom door. This symbol has always represented danger, death and cruelty. Peter has hung that picture on his door because he wants to show everyone that he’s tough, dangerous and cruel. So in this way, throughout both stories. Symbols, colour and font represent different characters and their personalities.
Crusher is Coming’ and Voices in the Park’are clearly different stories, however there are some similar messages throughout their pages. By analysing and comparing the books’ treatment of discrimination symbolism and how you think will change your behaviour, there’s clearly some strong similarities. The similar messages in the books are important to learn and demonstrate them in young people’s lives to contribute to a better society in the future. What do YOU think?