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What do you think of the argument that Ebony Elizabeth Thomas is making here?
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18 responses to “Theorizing Fantasy”
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I agree with Ebony Elizabeth Thomas about the lack of representing of Black culture in books. As she stated back in the days the book were based on white culture. The diverse culture were not included in books, the character didn’t resemble them or go through any situations they were going through in their lives. When diverse characters are included, they are often stereotyped, which can cause negative and inaccurate representations. When you imagine adventure, fairy tales, happy every after, it is predominantly white as Ebony stated.
I believe that things have gotten way much better when it come to inclusion. More and more stories are being made about diversity and writing about situations that they can relate to. Classrooms are filled with books of different cultures, so they kids see themselves in the books being published. Just like Disney is coming out with movies with different character that viewers can relate to.
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Ebony Elizabeth Thomas is making an argument about the lack of representation of Black culture in literature. I agree with this argument.
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I believe that the argument Ebony Elizabeth Thomas is making is one that stresses how important diversity amongst literature is. Thomas emphasizes that she experienced “dissonance” at not being represented in books that she read, or not having a sense of relatability or shared experiences with characters she often came across. She also makes the point that she was often advised to stay away from particular genres, such as fantasy or those that touched on more magical or imaginative elements, as there was pressure for her to place more focus on succeeding in more present situations and realistic aspects of her life. I agree with this argument as POC are often not afforded the same liberties as white peers to “dream” or delve into more creative and abstract mediums, and that there is more of an importance placed upon them on learning history and rights. I think it is important that she touches on how this burden can actually be proactively approached or alleviated through engaging with material that is in fact fantasy or imaginative, or that has positive representation of minorities.
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I think Thomas makes a compelling case for the importance of diversity in fantasy literature, highlighting its potential to broaden readers perspectives and empower marginalized communities.
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What do you think of the argument that Ebony Elizabeth Thomas is making here?
1980s Detroit media was white-centered. The books written by Black people were about their struggles. While this is important, Thomas admits that she wanted to read adventure at eight years old, not learn about the KKK. She further speaks about the imagination gap; since Black people are represented in books only in certain portrayals, it limits them in one’s imagination, as well. She explains how there are only five types of Black characters, such as the enslaved, the one living through Jim Crow, the one living in the Civil Rights movement, the one tempted to join a gang, and the black best friend. If Black people are limited to just these portrayals, people will only view them in this way. We learn a lot through what we read, even if it is unconsciously.
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I completely agree with Thomas. I believe there needs to be more representation, and definitely one where it is a positive portrayal instead of having to prove one’s humanity. It would be great to have more fantasy with diverse characters, as many children will be able to relate to them more.
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Thomas, in my opinion, makes a strong case for the value of diversity in fantasy literature, emphasizing how it may extend readers’ horizons and provide voice to underrepresented groups. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas argues that there is insufficient literary portrayal of Black culture. I concur with this argument.
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I think the argument that Ebony Elizabeth Thomas is making is that there is a lack of representations of Black Culture in literature. Growing up, she didn’t have any characters she could relate to whenever she read children’s literature. She gained dissonance as she was raised with black culture in her family and community but from television and books, she had a white-based imagination as she describes it. The literature available in schools that had predominantly black characters was usually historic. But she wanted an adventure book with fantasy that black children could see themselves in. She created the literature that she wanted to read as a child. The lack of diversity in children’s literature creates an idea of certain people if they are only portrayed as certain characters. There is a need for more POC and AAPI representation that is written by people from these communities to properly portray their culture. Having these stories in the classroom is important for the child’s development. It helps the students gain an understanding of themselves and each other.
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Ebony Elizabeth Thomas says that there is a big hole in writing when it comes to Black culture. I agree with her point of view. It’s important to recognize that Black voices and stories aren’t often featured in literature because it’s a sign of a bigger problem: mainstream stories often ignore or downplay minority points of view. Increasing representation can help people feel more included and empathetic. It can also improve the literary world by giving readers a wider range of situations and points of view to learn from.
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The argument that Ebony Elizabeth Thomas is making is that there was not enough books or tv shows that represented the black culture, and as a young black child looking at tv shows or reading a book there wasn’t characters that look like her.
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Ebony Elizabeth is trying to prove that it is important for a black child to see themselves in books, she brings up the importance of diversity in children’s literature and I agree with her, when children see themselves in literature they are being empowered and they are given motives to do well.
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I totally agree with Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, who says that there’s a big hole in writing when it comes to Black culture. It’s messed up that Black voices and stories aren’t often featured in literature. This is a sign of a bigger problem: mainstream stories often ignore or downplay minority points of view. If we increase representation, it can help people feel more included and empathetic. Plus, it can improve the literary world by giving readers a wider range of situations and points of view to learn from.
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I definitely agree with Ebony Elizabeth Thomas. She argues that a lot of writing does not represent black culture or even any black characters that black children and adults could relate to. The only black characters that were represented were historical figures and she just wants to see some more black characters in a magical world.
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What do you think of the argument that Ebony Elizabeth Thomas is making here?
I definitely agree with Ebony Elizbeth Thomas there is definitely a lack of black representations, there definitely should be more representations of black characters.
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What do you think of the argument that Ebony Elizabeth Thomas is making here?
One of the biggest takeaways from this interview was the question of, “what shapes childhood imagination across culture.,” and how that leads to the argument of boundaries of imagination. She points out clearly that because the black children usually take the same kind of certain position in children’s books and then as we grow older watching black children play a specific role we set already in a particular way, and it’s been unexamined. -
Ebony Elizabeth Thomas argues that there is not enough literary portrayal of Black culture. I agree with this argument. More representation is necessary, in my opinion, and it should be a positive representation rather than requiring people to demonstrate their humanity.
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Thomas is arguing that there is a lack of representation in fantasy. I agree with this, just as i noted how there were originally no women in the hobbit book, there is a lack of representation racially and otherwise in the whole genre.
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I 100% agree with the point Ebony Elizabeth Thomas is making: there isn’t enough representation for young black children or their culture. Although lately, perhaps after 2020, I’ve started seeing more children’s books being advertised for young black children, but mostly for very young kids, between ages 3-6. I believe that with time, older kids will also find their culture represented in new books.
This argument reminds me of a TedTalk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She reflected on the initial stages of her book creation process, mentioning how she always envisioned her characters drinking tea and ginger beer, even though she had never done so herself. This felt unfamiliar, and it made me think about the lack of books depicting Black culture in a negative light.
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