Experiencing Magic: Findings

Findings
The Magic of the Characters (and Their Stories)
Filipino children love these characters and their stories because they are magical. They are magical because they are
1) mirrors that hold up children’s reflections of themselves, and
2) are windows to places and things that children have, until then, only imagined in their games and dreams.
Reflections of Themselves

Children love these twenty five characters because they are magical. They are magical because like a hall of mirrors, they hold up children’s reflections of themselves. Children are enchanted to meet in the pages of a storybook people who are like them in many ways, even if unlike them in some (Darigan, et. al., 2002; Huck, et. al., 2001; Lynch-Brown and Tomlinson, 2005; Norton, 1987). In reading, as in life, people want to find meaning. This is especially true among the young (Bettelheim, 1976). Children can hardly relate to anything or anyone that they can not understand (Ocampo, 1997). So reading should be able to connect children with themselves, especially in terms of their own situation (Paratore, 2002).

• Child and Childlike Characters
Child readers identify with storybook characters that satisfy their needs (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Hunt, 1994; Lesnik-Oberstein, 1994). As human beings, they have the same needs as adults (Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Maslow (1943) enumerates these as physiological, safety, social, esteem, aesthetic, and self-transcendence needs (in Norton, 1987). Piaget (1962) and Vgotsky (1998) add another, the children’s need for play. It is such needs that are satisfied by the 25 best-loved characters. These needs are met in relation to the developmental stages the children are in – cognitively (Piaget, 1983) psychosocially (Erikson, 1959), and morally (Kohlberg, 1958). At each age, children seek and find some meaning congruent with how their minds and understanding have already developed (Bettelheim, 1976). Children do not think and comprehend in the way that adults do (Villanueva, 2007).

Among the twenty five characters, ten are children, like the readers who love them. These are Chenelyn, Juan, Pilo, Filemon, Raquel, Rosamistica, Og, Carancal, Teo, and Ang Tatlong Haragan. Like Chenelyn, children can do different tasks but can get tired doing them and when they do, they need to rest; and like her, they too need to be appreciated and cared for (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Juan and Pilo, children like to play; and like the two, they need to know the limits of their playfulness (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Lurie, 2003; Marcus, 1997; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Filemon children need to nourish their body and mind – and enjoy eating appetizing food, pretending, and acting; and like him, they will do what they can, even make a sacrifice, in order to get what they want, because like him they need to achieve and be recognized (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Raquel, children are full of imagination, and hope – especially in the midst of life’s challenges and difficult times; and like her, they are vulnerable but brave (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Gatmaitan, 2007; Lurie, 2003; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Rosamistica, children need the safety and security of a family and a home; and like her, they need to love and be loved (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Carancal, children have the power to triumph over life’s challenges; and like him, they need to feel worthy, to be competent and successful despite their physical limitations (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Evasco, 2005; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Rosamistica and Carancal, children are small but capable of doing big things for other people; and like them, they give a heroic image to childhood (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Evasco, 2005; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Og, children make believe that they have special powers and can do what they want; and like him, they need to be accepted and belong, not laughed at and made fun of (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Lurie, 2003; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Teo, children know that young as they are, they have duties and roles to perform so that there will be order and harmony around them; like him, they have a need to be good or right not only to please others and gain their approval, but also to relate well with them (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Lurie, 2003; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Ang Tatlong Haragan, children need to understand what the boundaries of behavior are - what is unacceptable and punishable, and what is not; and like them, they need to be clearly told and shown what is right and wrong so they will act or reform accordingly (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Lurie, 2003; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991).

Indeed, children identify with these characters because in their own ways, they satisfy certain needs for them - and so are interesting and valuable to them (Darigan, et. al., 2002; Huck, et. al., 2001; Lynch-Brown and Tomlinson, 2005; Norton, 1987). Though children do have differences rooted in their individual and social contexts (Lesnik-Oberstein, 1994), they have the same basic needs as young human beings, and these are reflected in and by their favorite storybook characters who are children like them: the need for physical well being; the need to love and be loved; the need to belong; the need to achieve competence; the need for approval and recognition; the need to know; the need for beauty, order, and harmony; the need for safety and security; and the need for play. (Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). It is these same needs that are met in and by the other characters.

Aside from these ten child characters, three others are also characterized as children, though non-human: Onyok, Tiktaktok at Pikpakbum, and Butsiki. In addition, six characters are relatively “childlike” opposite the antagonists: juvenile Pilandok, small and slow Pagong, little Duwende, tiny Langgam, short Pandakotyong, and youthful Mariang Alimango. Children identify with those they perceive to be similar to themselves in some way (Lesnik-Oberstein, 1994), Like Onyok, children have family and friends to help them know what they are and what they can do, and to make them feel a sense of contribution, value, and acceptance; and like him, they need to have self-esteem and self-respect (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Lurie, 2003; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Tiktaktok at Pikpakbum, children differ from and fight with their siblings, but care for each other nonetheless; and like the two, they need the security and harmony of loving and being loved for what they are and despite themselves (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Lurie, 2003; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Butsiki, children need others to join the causes they take up so they can achieve the good that they set out to do; and like her, they need to be believed and trusted as capable of doing what is right even when it is unpopular (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Pilandok, children enjoy pranks, jokes, and tricks, especially when they are made on adults or “big people” who mistreat others (Lurie, 2003); like Pagong, children delight in seeing a “better and bigger” other get a comeuppance, especially through the wit or cunning of an erstwhile victim (Lurie, 2003); like Duwende, children are amused at giving a “misbehaving adult” his just punishment (Lurie, 2003); and like the three, they need to feel secure in the belief that the “bad” eventually get what they deserve (Bettelheim, 1976; Lurie, 2003). Like Langgam, children feel safe having a roof over their heads and food on their tables; and like him, they need to have a home to shelter them from life’s storms and resources to see them through (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Pandakotyong, children are proud of what they can do and will even take up challenges to show it; and like him, they need to prove themselves and get recognition for it (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Mariang Alimango, children can quietly suffer hardship and later get rewarded for it; and like her, they need to believe that their suffering will end and they will be happy in the end (Bettelheim, 1976; Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Similar to their kinship with the ten human child characters, children identify with these nine child non-human characters because they are somehow similar to them not only in their needs but also in their interests, quirks, and wishes (Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Lurie, 2003; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). It is the same needs that are met in and by the remaining characters.

These characters -- Kas, Ampalaya, Matsing, Tipaklong, Peles, Ibong Adarna, Lola, Emang Engkantada, and Mariang Sinukuan -- which are seemingly non-childlike on the surface actually hold similarities with the child readers who love them. Like Kas and Ampalaya children can act aggressively and selfishly and when this happens, they should face the consequences of such actions; and like the two, they need to act in accordance to social expectations if they want peace and harmony around them (Bettelheim, 1976; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Lurie, 2003; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Matsing, children can be shortsighted and self-centered; and like him, they need to learn foresight and fairness (Bettelheim, 1976; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Lurie, 2003; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Tipaklong, children enjoy music and movement, fun and games; and like him, they need to know that at the end of the day, they have to prepare for tomorrow nonetheless (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Lurie, 2003; Gatmaitan, 2007; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Peles, children get tired of monotony, try something new, and want to get immediate satisfaction from it; and like him, they need to develop patience and perseverance in their pursuit of gratification (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Lurie, 2003; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Ibong Adarna, children are colorful and musical, and can enchant with such qualities; and like it, children need others as an audience to demonstrate the beauty and power of their abilities (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Lurie, 2003; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Lola, children are strong and enduring; and like her, they need an opportunity to show their concern for those around them (Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Evasco, 2005; Gatmaitan, 2007; Lurie, 2003; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Emang Engkantada, children have a wellspring of fairness and compassion; and like her, they need beauty and order around them (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Lurie, 2003; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991). Like Mariang Sinukuan, children ask why things are the way they are; and like her, they need peace and harmony to reign (Canon, 2006; Diaz De Rivera, 1997; Lurie, 2003; Sutherland and Arbuthnot, 1991).

Indeed, these twenty five characters because they are magical because they hold up children’s reflections of themselves (Darigan, et. al., 2002; Huck, et. al., 2001; Lynch-Brown and Tomlinson, 2005; Norton, 1987).