Created by Lorelei Heuer on Tue, 10/15/2024 - 11:30
Description:
Original illustration by Lucy Kemp-Welch: "My Early Home" in Anna Sewell's Black Beauty (1877)
Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty is a beloved story that has been appreciated since 1877 for its timeless significance and empathetic story telling. The story is from a first person perspective of the horse protagonist, Beauty and follows him as he is relocated multiple times due to changing circumstances. Beauty's story begins in a pasture with his mother as shown in the above illustration. The pastoral illustration is a pleasant memory that shows readers Beauty's joy in the initial setting. Beauty is fond of his home, spending his days alongside his mother and the other colts. Beauty plays with the other young horses, and as they tend to kick and bite, Beauty's mother Duchess interjects. She reminds him that he is well-bred and should be well-mannered, gentle, and hardworking. With those qualities that are favored and the hierarchy based on behavior, we can see the didactic influence immediately in the story.
There is also the immediate introduction to the main theme of the story presented in an obvious way. The horses' master is good to them, treats them well and favors Duchess (or Pet as he affectionately calls her) and her young one. He is presented as good, and is loved in return. However, there is a plowboys who comes to overindulge in berries from the hedge and is entertained by throwing sticks and stones at the horses. In return for his cruelty, he is punished when he is caught by their master.
The qualities of the humans with power over Beauty and the other horses and the way they use or abuse this power reflects the theme of the children’s novel. Those who are truly good are good to all of God's creations which means treating animals with compassion. Sewell places value on the morals of Christianity as we can see in the distinguishment between right and wrong. Like all didactics, goodness is praised and sinning is punished. Sewell says the purpose of her writing in the novel is “to induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses.” The personification of Beauty emotionally connects children to the horse, allowing them to develop empathy for animals and understand why the mistreatment of animals is wrong.