Reality on The Secret Island

[Daisy]

So far so good then... I hope it won't disappoint as it goes on, unlike Minnow on the Say!

[Courtenay]

Well, the main let-down with Minnow, I felt, was exactly what Philippa Pearce herself admitted in the interview I found in the Guardian — "too much plot and a very unconvincing villain". However, thanks to various spoilers on here, I'm already aware that The Secret Island doesn't HAVE a villain, so at least I won't be disappointed by any unconvincing ones!

[Wolfgang]

However, thanks to various spoilers on here, I'm already aware that The Secret Island doesn't HAVE a villain, so at least I won't be disappointed by any unconvincing ones!

Unless you read the German edition or the backtranslation .

[Chrissie777]

For me the terrible aunt is villain enough...

[Rob Houghton]

Yes, I agree. I think there is a villain in The Secret Island - its called 'Authority'.

[Chrissie777]

And this aunt abused her authority big time!

[Wolfgang]

Did she really? Wasn't that what she did in terms with the law then? When was children's work abolished in Great Britain? Ill-treating children by authorities surely wasn't forbidden then. Corporal punishment at schools still took place at least until the 70s of the last century of the 20th century, if I remember the comments of members of this forum correctly.

[Jack400]

Yes- but the 'punishment' was supposed to fit the 'crime'. The book was effectively (from memory) depicting children that were not allowed to be children but were the essentially ill-treated child servants of their aunt.

[Rob Houghton]

When I said 'Authority' was the villain, I didn't actually mean 'authority' as in corporal punishment etc, but 'Authority' in general - the authorities - people searching for the missing children, wanting them to conform - to go to childrens homes, etc. Authority represents an end to freedom in the book, and this is the children's enemy, therefore, the 'villain'.

[Wolfgang]

The social concept of "allowing children to be children" and being enforced by the society is rather new, at least in Western societies with Eurpopean roots.
Children were used on ships-of-war (and others probably as well) to carry gunpowder to single guns during battles, according to a Wikipedia entry a first class ship like the Victory needed 90 of them to keep all guns firing. They became obsolete (for that purpose) when new gun types were developped.
If the article is correct they took orphans, run-away children or pressed them.

[Chrissie777]

Corporal punishment at schools still took place at least until the 70s of the last century of the 20th century, if I remember the comments of members of this forum correctly.

It did take place in German schools way into the late sixties from my own personal experience.

[Rob Houghton]

Corporal punishment was still being done in British schools into the mid 1980's.

[Chrissie777]

That's despicable!
But it was the same at home. I'm coming from such an unhappy home with too strict parents who should actually have been intelligent enough to realize that corporal punishment does not solve anything.
In Germany they finally passed a law in 2000 which no longer permits parents to beat up their children.
It came 26 years too late for me...

Sorry, this is a very touchy topic for me. I got carried away.

[Rob Houghton]

Corporal punishment never bothered me, and I'm probably more of an advocate of it than against it - although the sort we had in the 1970's mainly consisted of a couple of swipes on the hand with a ruler (flat side down) rather than a cane or slipper etc. I witnessed two boys being given the ruler during a playtime when I took a teacher's coffee cup back to the staff room, aged about 9, and in secondary school I did have a maths book slammed down on my head for not paying attention - something that, obviously, would be illegal now, even though it wasn't 'corporal punishment' as such.

Having done a few teaching stints at Primary schools as an adult, I really do think the presence of corporal punishment helped with discipline. These days there is NO discipline in primary schools. At least children were more respectful of their teachers in the 1970's and also had pride in their work and their school.

[sixret]

Having done a few teaching stints at Primary schools as an adult, I really do think the presence of corporal punishment helped with discipline. These days there is NO discipline in primary schools. At least children were more respectful of their teachers in the 1970's and also had pride in their work and their school.

Excellent observation, Rob! Only people who truly experience the school environment and have been in the school as teachers/tutors would see that disciplinary actions of some sorts really help with the discipline of the students.