posted
There's a great Pearls Before Swine on the same subject. I have it on my fridge. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find it online.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Launchywiggin: What's wrong with finishing your homework BEFORE going out to play? Most people I know would agree that this is a GOOD THING.
-from someone who owns every Calvin book ever made.
IIRC there is a beautiful Calvin & Hobbes without any dialogue where Calvin asks his father to play out in the snow and his dad initially indicates he has too much work. Calvin walks off dejected, and his father looks at the pile of work one more time, gets up, goes outside and plays with Calvin all day. On the last panel you can see Calvin giving him a kiss goodnight while his dad hits the books again.
It would be stupid to say homework must always be observed first, or that people shouldn't have to postpone fun to get unpleasant yet necessary things done.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Launchywiggin: What's wrong with finishing your homework BEFORE going out to play? Most people I know would agree that this is a GOOD THING.
-from someone who owns every Calvin book ever made.
IIRC there is a beautiful Calvin & Hobbes without any dialogue where Calvin asks his father to play out in the snow and his dad initially indicates he has too much work. Calvin walks off dejected, and his father looks at the pile of work one more time, gets up, goes outside and plays with Calvin all day. On the last panel you can see Calvin giving him a kiss goodnight while his dad hits the books again.
It would be stupid to say homework must always be observed first, or that people shouldn't have to postpone fun to get unpleasant yet necessary things done.
also, no offense to launchywiggin, but focusing on the homework before play aspect of that strip is missing the point.
Posts: 8741 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
Right! The focus of that strip is that kids who take medicine have the imagination sucked right out of their bodies!
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
Stimulants are hard hitting medications. Someone who just took a strong dose of Adderall isn't too far off from how Calvin is depicted in that comic.
Posts: 3060 | Registered: Nov 2003
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They can be, but it depends on the the stimulant, the dose, and the individual. Every child that takes Adderall doesn't automatically drop into a gloomy unimaginative morass.
Posts: 3275 | Registered: May 2007
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quote:IIRC there is a beautiful Calvin & Hobbes without any dialogue where Calvin asks his father to play out in the snow and his dad initially indicates he has too much work. Calvin walks off dejected, and his father looks at the pile of work one more time, gets up, goes outside and plays with Calvin all day. On the last panel you can see Calvin giving him a kiss goodnight while his dad hits the books again.
I would say this is a great example of the importance of prioritizing as a father. Given that Calvin goes to sleep at 8, I'd say Dad's making the right choice to sacrifice a bit of sleep for the sake of spending time with his son. It's the last frame that delivers the message, though--it takes sacrifice, and the work still has to be finished.
My question is: Am I stealing a child's innocence and imagination by teaching them to be responsible? I try to teach my nephew(7) that you have to earn your rewards in life. When I babysit, we do work before we play. His mother hasn't learned this lesson yet, like so many other adults I know.
Posts: 1314 | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
I'd say that's still missing the point of the strip. No one's saying there's anything wrong with teaching a work before play value system. The point of the strip is that Calvin isn't even capable of letting his imagination distract him. He can't hear Hobbes anymore. That's why the last panel is Calvin and a stuffed doll, because that's what Calvin and Hobbes was reduced to. There is no more Hobbes.
ETA: In other words, there's a difference between teaching a value system and having an attitude forced upon you through medication. It's not like Calvin will suddenly go back to "normal" when the homework is done.
That said, I don't know enough about Adderall to comment on whether on whether or not the comic accurately depicts its effects.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
For strong doses, yes, PSI, that's pretty much what happens.
But ideally, though, as MattP points out, the dose should be adequate to allow creativity and spontaneity while improving ability to focus on more boring/routine tasks.
Posts: 3060 | Registered: Nov 2003
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quote:In other words, there's a difference between teaching a value system and having an attitude forced upon you through medication.
Ok--I see what you mean.
I have a lot of cognitive dissonance surrounding this comic and the value of imagination vs personal responsibility (ie growing up).
Posts: 1314 | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
Calvin is six years old (in canon, at least; the homework he gets seems more reasonable for ten or twelve) and can read. He is not going to learn anything very valuable from his homework. Going out to play, on the other hand, will foster imagination, creativity, joy, and not being a fat slob like most American children.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
I know it would defeat the point of the strip but I was always curious what the actual effects of calvin growing up would be. By all appearances he IS a genuine child prodigy in a super advanced first grade class, so I imagine he'd make almost as interesting an adult as he does a kid.
Posts: 4136 | Registered: Aug 2008
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quote: By all appearances he IS a genuine child prodigy in a super advanced first grade class, so I imagine he'd make almost as interesting an adult as he does a kid.
Yes, but, by all appearances Calvin's stuffed tiger comes to life when no one's watching. You have to assume that at least some of Calvin's genius is in his perception of himself.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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quote:Originally posted by King of Men: Calvin is six years old (in canon, at least; the homework he gets seems more reasonable for ten or twelve) and can read. He is not going to learn anything very valuable from his homework. Going out to play, on the other hand, will foster imagination, creativity, joy, and not being a fat slob like most American children.
Isn't Calvin at the precise age where he should be learning rudimentary arithmetic and literacy? I mean granted his command of the English language demonstrates that comic book reading is absolutely sufficient for stellar diction, but I believe the comic strip demonstrates over and over again that he sucks at math.
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posted
When it shows him unable to subtract 2 from 3, I believe we're dealing with a bit of exaggeration, either artistic to get the funny, or Calvin's as a protest against being forced to do homework.
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posted
And I think, KoM, that was the message of the strip. There would be no Calvin and Hobbes, or at least not the Calvin and Hobbes that I grew up with, if he wasn't allowed to have his wild imagination and protest his homework every single time.
Posts: 1711 | Registered: Jun 2004
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quote:Isn't Calvin at the precise age where he should be learning rudimentary arithmetic and literacy? I mean granted his command of the English language demonstrates that comic book reading is absolutely sufficient for stellar diction, but I believe the comic strip demonstrates over and over again that he sucks at math
If the events of "present" are any indication, Calvin probably won't grow up to be a mathematician, but his command over linguistics and philosophy is pretty up there.
Posts: 4136 | Registered: Aug 2008
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quote: I would say this is a great example of the importance of prioritizing as a father. Given that Calvin goes to sleep at 8, I'd say Dad's making the right choice to sacrifice a bit of sleep for the sake of spending time with his son. It's the last frame that delivers the message, though--it takes sacrifice, and the work still has to be finished.
Can't agree more. Listen to "Cat's in the Cradle" for emphasis.
Posts: 354 | Registered: Jan 2006
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quote:Originally posted by FlyingCow: Of course, there is also this interpretation.
The most disturbing part of that bit is hearing Calvin speak. I don't know what his voice sounds like, but it's not that.
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