The Crayon Box That Talked

The Crayon Box That Talked
by Shane DeRolf and illustrated by Michael Letzig

The Story:

A little girl goes to a toy store and spots a crayon box that talked. The crayons did not like one another but no one knew why. So, the girl buys the crayon box and takes it home. When she gets home, she laid the crayons out and begins to draw a picture with all the crayons. The crayons soon realize that when they all work together they create something beautiful and special. The colorful picture could never have been drawn with just one color. Each and every color adds a unique touch.

Analysis:

In the book The Crayon Box That Talked, Shane DeRolf claims that people of different ethnicities and  cultures need to love and work with each other. The author does this through his characters, dialogue, and the plot.

Shane DeRolf uses crayons to symbolize the diversity of people within our world. Every crayon is a different color. They are all very important and unique. Individuals in this world are composed of  many ethnicities, cultures, languages, religions, social and economic statuses. These differences should be embraced because not one of theses can represent humanity alone. The little girl in the story is there to help the crayons realize that when they work with each other they can create something special.

At the beginning of the story, the dialogue between the crayons is not friendly. They tell one another that they do not like each other. The blue crayon recognizes that there is something wrong with the crayon box because they are always fighting. The crayons do not learn to accept and understand the differences of each crayon until the little girl draws a picture with all of them. When they see the finished picture, the crayons begin to compliment on their participation and input in the drawing. 

The plot of the story serves as a way to lead the reader in understanding that the differences in the crayons at the beginning of the story were the characteristics that were not embraced by the others, but at the end of the story, they were the characteristics that made each one of them unique. The climax of the story is when the crayons see that all of them could create an amazing and colorful drawing. This was the turning point because they begin to accept the differences because the differences is what made the picture so appealing. The resolution of the book takes place at the end, when they are all together and the drawing is complete.

Shane DeRolf  wrote this children’s book to promote anti discrimination. He decided to write this story to allow parents the opportunity to speak to their children about the differences between the crayons and the uniqueness of each individual on earth. This story is a short story with a big message that needs to be shared and spoken about.  People need to stop excluding the distinct characteristics of others that are not the same as theirs and branch out to reconcile with the ethnicities and cultures around the world. People can learn so much from each other if and only when they take the time to know and understand others that are different from themselves.

Human Race

What is Race?

Race is a socially constructed idea that was created by Westerners which places people into categories based on appearance. It is a biological myth because race has no scientific evidence that supports it. The idea of race becomes problematic because it ranks individuals from less to more civilized humans.The hierarchical construct of race leads to discrimination because one group is superior than the others. Carolus Linnaeus created four race categories: Caucasoids(White Europeans), Australoids(Native Americans/Indians), Mongoloids(Asians), and Negroids(Africans). He ranked their superiority respectively. These four categories exclude many ethnicities such as the Latin American/ Latino and Brazilian populations. This is an example as to why race is not accurate.People cannot be forced to fit into categories based on appearance because people from different ethnicities may have similar physical characteristics. In the Latino population, individuals range form having fair skin, blond hair, and blue eyes to very dark skin, brown eyes, and tight curly hair.This also proves that people cannot be placed in a category they simply do not fit into.

Race is a biological myth but the social construct behind race is real. The concept of race influences individuals on how they relate with others. The stereotypes and misconceptions of groups of people influence one to assume assumptions about somebody's wealth, health, employment, education, and physical ability is natural or biological. Ethnocentrism and discrimination are just two concepts that have affected individual's lives due to race. Some people believed that people belong to different races because they are different species of human. Therefore, people of different races cannot intermarry. In the 1930s and 1940s the Nazi used the science of eugenics to kill and sterilize the "unfit people". Others used science and the race concept to defend slavery and dehumanize individuals.

People need to start embracing the multicultural and diversity within  humanity and stop trying to fit and classify each other into categories that were created by man.There are many diverse ethnicities but there is only one race...THE HUMAN RACE.

Crash

 The other day, I was watching a film by Paul Haggis called Crash. This film follows many characters with multiethnic backgrounds whose lives intertwine. Every time I watch Crash, it makes me think about why is there so much controversy when one is dealing with race, ethnicity, religion, and culture. I think this film is a great example of real life individuals because each character is prejudice towards another and bases his or her thoughts, actions, and ideas on stereotypes. Everyone no matter who they are has been prejudice. This film is controversial and provocative because it discusses racial and ethnic issues openly. People are generally afraid to speak about this topic and usually talk about it behind closed doors. Crash allows the audience to ask themselves: is it ok to laugh at this scene? Why did I question if it is ok to laugh? It forces one to really reflect on one self and see where do I stand in this issue.

Talking about racism has become a taboo because people are so uncomfortable discussing it. Racism occurs when someone is afraid and insecure of someone different. The fear of talking about racism can be harmful because the thoughts and feelings that come from it get build up inside an individual which can become overwhelming. We need to learn to not fear diversity but to embrace it. Racism has become more subtle so for some it does not exist anymore. Racial tensions can be very difficult to live with because it is something everyone deals with everyday. I liked how the film did not have "good" and "bad" characters because every character had a pretty and ugly side. Just like each and every individual that lives has two sides. The way which we perceive things can lead to misunderstandings, which makes us jump into conclusions without even examining the whole picture.

This film is such a great way to talk about race and ethnicity because it challenges the audience and forces them to critically think. Paul Haggis offers solutions towards racism in the 2-disc director's cut edition of Crash. These include: admitting racism exists, stop denying that everyone is different but accept that we are equal, accept racism exists in us, examine ourselves and ask who are we really, and try to help others see it. By informing and getting more comfortable talking about race and ethnicity will relieve the hidden feelings and questions. Only through discussion and education can this topic be understood and solved. I recommend that everyone should watch this film and reflect upon it.

  Here is the link to the theatrical trailer:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEQ_ftkpb18