Chris

=__ Where The Wild Things Are __=
 * Illustrated and composed by Maurice Sendak in 1963 **
 * Removed from libraries in its first years, then it was discovered that children were flocking towards it... **

__** Introduction **__ __**Context:**__ Maurice Sendak is the author and illustrator of ‘Where the Wild Things Are’. Other works by Maurice Sendak include illustrations for the ‘Little bear’ series and he also wrote and illustrated ‘Outside over there’ and a controversial book called ‘In the Night Kitchen’, which had a young, naked boy prancing throughout its pages. In the 1960s, the male stereotype was a strong influence on the growing society. It is linked in the book to the pleasure of power and domination through the use of facial expression and colour tones in the illustrations. For example, when max is crowned king, his colours a bright in opposition to all the other colours which are dull and dark. And his facial expression is one of smug happiness, that he is above everything else. __**Personal:**__ This book was one that I have heard a lot about, there has even been a movie made about it. It looked interesting and it turned out it’s quite hard to decipher. This book has good morals, and I thought its illustrations weren’t that bad either.
 * Who is the author and what other works have they created?**
 * What culture and historical period was this book written in?**
 * Why did you choose this book and what does it mean to you?**

__**Meaning:**__ The messages and meanings in ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ are basically don’t let your emotions get the best of you. Each ‘Wild thing’ represents a (bad) part of the kid, which he had to give up to be with his family. Also unconditional parental love is shown to be a very influencing factor as after max has come back from his adventure; his supper is still as warm as it was when he left it. Furthermore, parental domination is shown, through the fact that max was sent to his bedroom at the start of the book. Then when he was with the ‘Wild Things’ he was king, a dominating force that made all the decisions, much like his parents. Maurice Sendak wrote and illustrated the book, so he knew what to make and what features to add to the pictures. He did this in the ‘Wild Things’, while they are described as scary in the book, their faces and lumbering frames make them appear almost jovial. They are described nothing like what they look like.
 * __ Conclusion __**
 * What are the messages or meanings in the book?**
 * What are the visual and language features and how do they work to create meaning?**