The Jungle Book Rudyard Kipling

Some questions to consider Why is Mowgli’s introduction to the jungle community changed in the film? Why is Shere Khan absent in the beginning? How does Disney’s adaptation undermine the ecopedagogical value of the original story? How does the film adaptation re-present Mowgli’s interaction with the animals in the jungle?

Children’s Literature Mostly instructional, with morals and lessons to be learned (before the 18 th Century) Rhymes, riddles, short stories Children’s literature was meant to entertain and instruct Environmental conservation is an equally important lesson to be learned

Environmental studies in children’s literature Children’s literature addresses both socio-cultural and environmental issues through: children’s natural empathy with animals and their environment “ecological democracy” in which human subjects listen to what the nonhuman world has to say The distinction between man and nature seems to be less distinct in children’s environmental literature There is “an emphasis interrogating the relationship of culture and nature through the relationships of children and animals, with particular scrutiny on the subjectivity or objectivity of the animals depicted in these narratives” (Greta Gaard 325) There is also “a connected self-identity: a connection with and a joy in nature, and a connection across cultures” (Gaard 332) Is it because children are still innocent and still very much connected to nature?

“Ecopedagogy raises important questions of praxis—the necessary unity of theory and practice—for ecocriticism. Noting the disjunct between theories and activisms focusing on either social justice or ecological and/or inter- species justice, ecopedagogy raises questions that challenge the backgrounding and invisibility of animal studies in ecocriticism, and argues for the necessary confluence of social, ecological, and inter-species justice as central to an inclusive and liberatory praxis” (Gaard 326) “Ecopedagogy clearly distinguishes itself from a type of environmental education that seeks accommodation within a global neoliberal framework, championing ‘‘sustainable development’’ without challenging the unsustainability of an economy advocating endless growth” (Gaard 326) – how does this relate to our questions about the selective interpretations and applications of Thoreau’s nature writing in the previous lecture? Is ECOPEDAGOGY the answer?

Who is Mowgli? Who am I? Children’s literature often discuss a self identity which is constructed in relation to or in opposition to nature, animals, and diverse human cultures and identities “We be one blood, ye and I” – how much of this unity do we see in the jungle? Does Mowgli share the same (metaphorical) blood as the other animals? Who then is Mowgli? Man-cub or wolf-child? Is Mowgli one of the “white men” who ride elephants and carry guns or the “brown men” who serve the white men? We find out that he is one of the Indians (he resembles one of the villager’s child) What is Mowgli’s role in this tale of self-discovery and social order? How does Mowgli’s identity (or identities) disrupt the natural order? Mowgli’s identity (or identities?) motivates the animals’ actions The wolves want to protect him, Shere Khan wants to eat him, the monkeys want him to be their leader – they work within or outside of The Law of the Jungle, depending on their motivations Mowgli’s reluctance to adhere to the rules of the village places him outside of society; he is neither man nor wolf How does this affect the discussion of a self-identity? Do readers identify with Mowgli? And if they do, who do they perceive themselves to be?

One of the questions raised in most children’s literature is “who am I?” and their discussion of identity are often constructed in relation to “others The term on the left of the binary is the term taken to be at the centre of discussion, of importance Left / Right “I” / Other (Not I) Man / Animal Man / Nature “Man-cub” places man on the left of the binary, which empowers him, places him at the centre of the system The animals are aware right from the start that Mowgli is human and therefore different. His difference marks his identity as “man-cub” with “man” being the definitive characteristic. Also, we need to remember that the narrator is human and he would sub or unconsciously place man in the centre of the discussion. “wolf-child” places the animal in him at the centre – this affects the discussion about identity. The villagers on the other hand, refer to Mowgli as “wolf-child”, with his animal behaviour defining him, marking him as different from civilised men

Nature, wilderness, or man-made spaces “[K]ipling’s Indian jungle are Edenic sites where children run wild, free for the most part of adult control. This freedom has been earned by a violent early rupture—but neither child seems to know what he or she is missing, and thus makes a reasonably smooth transition to a new environment” (Mary Goodwin 106) “Mowgli’s jungle is neither picturesque nor quaint; it does not require cultivation or intervention by humans, most of whom are not up to the task physically or morally anyway. The jungle is not changed or improved by men … it was never a human habitat and never had a special meaning for other humans except as a place to avoid” (Goodwin 108) “The jungle … has a well-organized ecosystem and ancient social structure of its own, ordered on standards of survival that are as pitiless and inexorable as age and death” (Goodwin 108)

The JungleThe Lost City The Law of the Jungle is a social structure which respects nature’s law and maintain order in the animals’ world The laws prevent men from entering the jungle and hunting its residents, and therefore prevent the destruction of nature The Lost City is a heap of ruins which “no self-respecting animal would come within eyeshot of it except in times of drought…” (45) The wolves are the “Free People” with dignity, and who have clear and just governing laws that do not challenge The Law of the Jungle The Bandar-log or Monkey-People call the ruins their home, and they are a people without laws and leader, and are regarded as outcasts of the jungle Baloo’s lessons reveal the hierarchical structure, and the different rules that different animals follow to maintain a delicate social and ecological balance in the jungle The Bandar-log have no remembrance and have no respect for the other animals as evidenced by their treatment of wounded animals and the killing of their fellow monkeys The clear laws and the mutual respect between species (except Khan and the monkeys) ensure that the jungle is safe; the jungle is nature, and it is also a regulated space The Lost City was built by man, and creepers and weeds are taking over the structure; the man-made space becomes a lawless place where danger lurks

The juxtaposition of the jungle and the palace ruins challenges previous assumptions of nature, wilderness and man-built space The jungle is nature and is safe while man-built space is regarded as the wilderness by the animals and therefore, dangerous What about the village? The animals keep their distance out of respect and pity (they regard man as “the weakest and most defenceless of all living things” (6)) but the village is not a dangerous space What is the commentary about human civilisation and enterprise here? How different or similar is the animals’ social order to that of men’s? The monkeys’ disillusion of freedom and immunity to the Law of the Jungle is a result of their mistaken pretence to be men? Does man’s tendency to see himself as above nature and its laws lead to his eventual downfall? Is this really a commentary about civilisation or is it about colonisation?

Postcolonial and environmental issues “The Law of the Jungle, which never orders anything without a reason, forbids every beast to eat Man except when he is killing to show his children how to kill, and then he must hunt outside the hunting-grounds of his pack or tribe. The real reason for this is that man-killing means, sooner or later, the arrival of white men on elephants, with guns, and hundreds of brown men with gongs and rockets and torches. Then everybody in the Jungle suffers” (6) The arrival of white men on elephants (colonial masters) with their hundreds of brown men (servants, locals, natives) colonisation Men bring with them hunting tools and weapons of destruction The presence of men (colonisation) results in destruction of the jungle (nature)

The worlds of the jungle animals and men come together to form an imperial social structure or order So where is Mowgli? Man (coloniser) White men (colonisers) Wolves, “Free People” Shere Khan (disregards laws) Baloo, Bagheera (animals who respect the law and impart the right values) Monkeys, “Bandar- log” (lawless, outcasts) Birds, Snakes (Kaa) and other animals whose ways Mowgli has learned Native villagers (colonised)

Disney’s adaptation vs Kipling’s short story Recall the questions posed before the film was screened: Why is Mowgli’s introduction to the jungle community changed in the film? Why is Shere Khan absent in the beginning? Why is Mowgli’s initiation to the pack omitted from the film? Are we to assume that man’s integration with the jungle is uneventful and natural? The omission of the Council meetings diminishes the just laws and values the wolves uphold Shere Khan becomes less despicable; he is just a man-eating tiger How does the film adaptation re-present Mowgli’s interaction with the animals in the jungle? Bagheera points out to Baloo that “birds of a feather flock together” in the film whereas in the written story, he tells Mowgli that since he is a man’s cub, he “must go back to men at last” Mowgli doesn’t seem to have problems interacting with the different animals in the film but his presence creates tension in the Jungle in the written text How does Disney’s adaptation undermine the ecopedagogical value of the original story?

Implications on ecopedagocial value of “The Jungle Book” What is Mowgli’s motivation to return to human society? He is casted out by the younger wolves (written story) vs he falls in love with a beautiful girl from the “man village” (film) The difference in representations of Mowgli’s fight with Shere Khan He steals fire from the village and uses it to warn the younger wolves, and to teach Khan a painful lesson (written story) vs he makes use of a burning tree to scare Khan away (film) – the omission of the pain he feels at having been betrayed by the wolves, and his honourable fight with Khan prevents an understanding of kinship (between Mowgli and the wolves) and his identity (in relation to the jungle) Has Disney sanitise the story too much? The animals, Mowgli, and the humans are categorised neatly into good/bad and us/them when in the written story, we are told that these animals have laws that govern them, and that humans and animals are a part of the larger laws of nature even if they live separately from each other Have the environmental lessons from the written story been taught adequately in the film?

Optional Readings Gaard, Greta. “Children’s Environmental Literature: From Ecocriticism to Ecopedagogy.” Neohelicon 36.2 (2009): Web. Goodwin, Mary. “The Garden and the Jungle: Burnett, Kipling and the Nature of Imperial Childhood.” Children's Literature in Education Child Lit Educ 42.2 (2010): Web. Next week: The Lorax (film will be screened in class) 1 st writing assignment (200 words) due