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oLahav said:

Like most simple things in life, this kids’ book can be analyzed and dissected in ridiculous ways. So let’s have some fun! A few questions to think about:

- Any symbols you think the whole thing represents? I’ve got a good one I’ll be posting later.
- Whose you’re favourite character?
- What’s your favourite chapter/little story, and why?
- Why do you think these very silly stories appeal to kids even in this sophisticated age?
- Did Disney ruin or improve upon the classic tales?

Waiting for a few replies (hopefully).

lala said:

Eeyore is my favorite. He can’t seem to keep his tail on and his house keeps falling down. He has very low expectations and ts grateful for anything good that happens. He may be depressed, but he is hilarious, just the same. I love the old classic Pooh rather than the Disney, but whatever the children like and what motivates them to read is the important thing.

oLahav said:

I agree, Eeyore is my favourite too. He’s so humble he can never imagine somebody else thinking about him or considering his opinions. His humour (as can be seen in the chapter with his birthday when hes refering to his invisible gifts) is surprisingly funny. He’s also actually caring and helpful, in spite of his grumpy exterior- he was the first to try and come to Roo’s help when he fell into the river (although nobody noticed and he didn’t really help at all). Eeyore rules.

oLahav said:

The thing about Winnie the Pooh is, in some ways, it can be seen as a criticism of humanity. The only real human in the forest is Christopher Robin, who’s a kid and clearly doesn’t possess any great intelligence or abilities other than an active imagination. Yet the other animals perceive him as a G-d like figure.

In a lot of situations throughout history, that’s the way humans work. Societies sometimes tend to be carried behind a leader without ever questioning whether he’s the right person to lead them, just because of things like charisma, a nice smile or plain lies. And when the leader ends up imperfect… well, it can’t be good.

lucyinthesky said:

I love Eeyore too, but Piglet is a close second! I don’t think these stories are that silly. I think kids still love them even to this day because the animals are just so lovable and colourful. They each have their own distinct personalities, and the stories written about them are simple and universal, but still interesting.

Even today as adults, we can take these children’s book characters and have the ability to relate to them. When I was grade school my teacher introduced me to two books by Benjamin Hoff – one is “The Tao of Pooh” and the other is “The Te of Piglet”. He uses all the the fictional characters in Winnie the Pooh to explain the principles of Taoism. The books are great for understanding the way these characters behave and why they do what they do. I would definitely recommend reading these if you like the Winnie the Pooh characters!

oLahav said:

I’ve recently read the House at Pooh’s Corner, and I have to agree with your point that the characters are “simple and universal, but still interesting”. I found the final chapter especially intriguing.

Like all things in life, you can analyze the books using metaphors and ideas endlessly. But sometimes, it’s better to take things as they are.

I also believe that Disney did take away from the books, but they also added some positive things too. Tiger, for example, is in my opinion done a lot better by the Disney productions than the original books. Anybody has an opinion on this one?

lala said:

How has Disney improved Tigger? I need to go buy another set of these books to read again-so I can carry on in this discussion. But Disney’s Tigger is obnoxious, in my opinion.

chandra_avinash said:

Has anyone read this series called “Pooh for Philosophers”? It analyses Pooh Bear and his friends from a philosophical stand point. Rather nutty, but fun nevertheless.

oLahav said in response to:

Tigger really only appeared in the second book and just for a couple of chapters (one where everybody found out what he likes to eat and another where Rabbit tries to get him lost in the forest). He’s described as “bouncy”, and Piglet’s afraid of him, but other than that his character isn’t very well defined in my opinion. He clearly holds a high opinion of himself and lies a lot, but whether that stems from naivety, stupidity, or pride is unclear.

Disney’s Tigger gives a whole new meaning to the word bouncy. He’s featured in a lot more stories, episodes and movies, where his character is established in a much clearer way. As well, the voice acting is usually very well done when it comes to Tigger. So in my opinion, Disney’s version is better.

lucyinthesky said:

@chandra_avinash – Interesting! I’ve never heard of that book. It does sound familiar to the Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet. I shall check it out.

@lala and oLahav – I don’t Tigger is exactly obnoxious deep down inside. While he does overestimate his abilities, I think that is because he is overly optimistic and wants to do as much as he can – although he never seems to finish what he’s started. That’s just my opinion though – if anyone can find me evidence to the contrary I would be very interested in hearing it! Tigger seems to be a real mystery in terms of what his true intentions are.

windwind said:

If Christopher Robin did not exit there would be no srories. While he is not a main character, no story is complete without him, in that sense he is kind of G-D. Besides, they are all kind of in his head(or rather in his father’s), they were created for him, of him and as part of him. His imagination is the most important thing here and in that sense is more imprtant than any intelligence or ability. (What would we be without imagination?). My favorite character is Rabbit, though. He is so rational and organized and logical in the midst of it all, reluctantly carried away into adventure, always the sound of reason.

oLahav said in response to:

Regarding Rabbit- I agree that he tries to be rational and logical at all times. But I don’t like his irrational suspicion of strangers and the actions that he carried out as a result (though the plans were logically and thoroughly created)- he tried to kidnap Roo and get Tigger lost in the forest! Not out of any bad intention, of course, but still, it’s not very nice.

chandra_avinash said:

I like the owl (and I forgot the owls name).....nutty to the core :) there is this story where the owl gives them wrong directions after (mis)reading and acts all high and mighty throughout

all characters seem to be a caricature of humanity…..this has to be one of the loveliest stories ever; and apart from kids, it still has an amazing appeal to adults

windwind said:

True, he is not a very nice person, Rabbit, he acts within his limits. I agree that the charaters are very well portrayed and represent humanity in all its grandure and smallness.

lala said:

oLahav and Lucy, perhaps I was too harsh on dear Tigger. You are kind people willing to look deeper into the nature of behavior and be supportive of individuals. I just remember a Disney T. V. program that featured Tigger for an episode and the character ran around on his tail, bouncing, as you say, with no clear purpose, making a lot of whooping noises that were irritating to me at the time. I was probably in a bad mood. Clearly he was just expressing his youthful exuberance for just being alive and having the ability to bounce on his tail!