8 - Kohlberg Explains Cú Chulainn: Developing Moral Judgment from Bully to Boy Wonder to Brave Warrior

Summary

Abstract

Ethel B. Bowden, a scholar of children's and young people's literature, employs approaches borrowed from her field to take a fresh look at the “heroic biography” model by which the boyhood deeds of the medieval Irish hero Cú Chulainn have been interpreted by earlier scholars. The author concludes by considering the implications and consequences (including the “pluses” and “minuses”) of introducing the narrative life and times of such early medieval heroes, given these stories’ undeniable surfeit of violence, into the contemporary classroom.

Keywords: Cú Chulainn, boyhood deeds, Lawrence Kohlberg, moral judgment, transition to adulthood, violence

The scholarly study of children's literature traces the evolution of storytelling from ancient, isolated societies to our modern, multicultural world and examines the impact of those tales on young listeners and readers. Talented storytellers, who watch for and listen to the reactions of adults and children, engage in extemporaneous editing and foster interaction while sharing tales. Retelling the adventures of Beowulf and Grendel, or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, provides listeners with opportunities to vicariously experience difficult situations and challenges. Traditionally, the family unit has held the responsibility of sharing stories that include the consequences of decisions and actions, good and bad. Today, in the absence of a village storyteller and communal gatherings as the venues for teaching social values, the educational system has assumed this role by choosing and sharing stories of heroes. Classrooms serve as the public crucibles for examining social values through sharing and retelling of sagas, legends, fairy tales, and folktales. Increasingly, young learners have access to human, print, and electronic resources as they explore the world outside their immediate culture and experience. From the emerging reader to the experienced young adult reader, connecting with stories of heroes and their conflicts creates a space to investigate possibilities and wrestle with dilemmas, leading to opinions formed by close reading and critical thinking. In today's classrooms, educators equipped with various theories of child development continually evaluate ancient stories, now preserved in texts, finding the rationale for and relevance of using these texts as new teaching material.

In suggesting the introduction of an ancient Irish warrior to a contemporary young adult audience, I will briefly discuss the initial purpose of literature for children, how literary narratives have mirrored societal values and how this tradition still influences the evaluation of modern texts for the classroom.