Wild Girl Workpack

1
The Wild Girl is loosely based on the story of Marie-Angelique ‘Memmie’ Leblanc.
Memmie was found in the woods of Songy, in the Champagne region of France, in
1731.
In this play the writer has imagined that Memmie was found by a Count and
Countess who have no children of their own. They try to win Memmie’s trust and
treat her kindly in the hope that she will one day become a daughter to them and live
a normal life.
The picture above shows an image of a French noble woman of the time with her
daughter. Memmie, however, has lived wild in a forest for a long time and has learnt
to live wild like an animal. What do you think she looks like?
2
IDEAS FOR AN ENGLISH LESSON TO INTRODUCE THE
CONCEPT OF A WILD CHILD
(can be adapted to suit KS2 and KS3)
1. Mind map the words ‘wild child’ as a group
2. Students create a character profile for a ‘wild child’ using the following questions
as a guide:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What does he / she look like?
Where does he / she live?
How does he / she communicate?
What does he / she eat and drink?
What special skills does he / she have?
What can’t he / she do?
Why is this child wild?
Draw a picture of your wild child
3. Read the opening paragraph of the ’Article from Chamber’s Edinburgh Journal’ as
a class:
One evening, in September 1731, the people of the village of Songi were alarmed by
the entrance into the street of a girl, seemingly nine or ten years old, covered with
rags and skins, and having a face and hands black as those of a negro. She had
also a gourd leaf on her heard, and was armed with a short baton. So strange was
her aspect, that those who observed her took to their heels, and ran in-doors,
exclaiming, "The devil! the devil!" Bolts were drawn in on all quarters, and one man
thought to ensure safety by letting loose a large bull-dog. The little savage flinched
not as the animal advanced in a fury, grasping her club with both hands, she
discharged a blow at the head of the dog, as it came nigh her, with such force and
celerity as to kill it on the spot. Elated with her victory, she jumped several times on
the carcass; after which she tried in vain to enter a house, and then ran back to the
wood, where she mounted a tree and fell asleep. Thirst, it was supposed, had led
her to the village. That year, the region had suffered the worst drought for 50 years.
3
4. Students imagine they are someone in the village of Songy (where the ‘wild girl
arrived). Students describe what they saw and experienced as if they were telling the
police. This ‘witness statement’ should draw on the events described in the
paragraph but should also be embellished imaginatively:
I was just coming out of my house when I heard the most terrible screams….
5. Students pair up as characters in the village. In these pairs students prepare a
short scene in which the two villagers hatch a plan to catch the wild child.
These are presented and the teacher (possibly in role as the local Count or
Countess) who chooses the most effective plan.
4
WHERE DOES THE STORY COME FROM?
The full account follows:
An article from Chambers' Edinburgh Journal number 528: 12th March 1842
The story of the Wild Girl of Champagne is detailed by a trustworthy French writer, M
de la Condamine. One evening, in September 1731, the people of the village of
Songi were alarmed by the entrance into the street of a girl, seemingly nine or ten
years old, covered with rags and skins, and having a face and hands black as those
of a negro. She had also a gourd leaf on her heard, and was armed with a short
baton. So strange was her aspect, that those who observed her took to their heels,
and ran in-doors, exclaiming, "The devil! the devil!" Bolts were drawn in on all
quarters, and one man thought to ensure safety by letting loose a large bull-dog. The
little savage flinched not as the animal advanced in a fury, grasping her club with
both hands, she discharged a blow at the head of the dog, as it came nigh her, with
such force and celerity as to kill it on the spot. Elated with her victory, she jumped
several times on the carcass; after which she tried in vain to enter a house, and then
ran back to the wood, where she mounted a tree and fell asleep. Thirst, it was
supposed, had led her to the village. That year, the region had suffered the worst
drought for 50 years.
The Viscount D'Epinoy, then in the country, was quickly told of this apparition, and a
search being made early next morning, the little wanderer was observed at the top of
a lofty tree. Supposing that she was thirsty, they brought a pitcher of water, and set it
below the tree. The wild girl, after cautiously looking all around, came down and
drank; but being startled, she reascended the tree before she could be approached.
In the hope of startling her less, a woman and child were then directed to offer food
to her, and entice her down. This plan was successful, and the savage was caught.
She struggled violently, but was carried to the house of M D'Epinoy. In the kitchen,
fowls were being dressed at the moment, and she instantly flew on one of them, tore
it to pieces, and ate it. An unskinned rabbit was placed before he, which, with
amazing rapidity and voracity, she also skinned and devoured.
It was soon found that if the little savage possessed any speech whatever, it was
merely a word or two in some foreign or instinctive tongue. The usual sound uttered
by her was a wild scream, not articulated, but formed entirely in the throat. If anyone
approached to touch her, she grew wild, and shrieked violently. She had blue eyes,
and, strange to say, it was speedily discovered that her skin was really white, or
nearly so, a black paint having been apparently laid on her face and hands. It was
noticed that her thumbs were very large, and this was afterwards explained by her as
arising from her habit of springing like a squirrel from tree to tree, by resting upon
them. Being placed by M D'Epinoy under the care of a shepherd, she at first gave
much trouble by scraping holes in her place of confinement, and flying to the tops of
trees or the house-roof, where she was as much at home as on the level ground.
She could run with immense speed, and, sometime after she was taken, frequently
showed her powers by catching rabbits and hares at the request of her patrons. Her
food had been raw flesh, fish, roots, fruits, branches, and leaves; and she never
chewed her meat, but swallowed it whole.
5
It was found extremely difficult to wean her stomach from the taste for raw food.
When first taken, she was allowed by M D'Epinoy to cater for herself about his ponds
and ditches. She swam like a duck, and was extremely dexterous in diving for and
catching fish, which she brought ashore in her teeth, and then gutted and ate. Frogs
were a peculiar dainty to her. One day, when presented to a dimmer-company at M
D'Epinoy's, she looked around at the table, and seeing none of her own good things,
she suddenly ran out to the nearest ditch, where she speedily gathered an apronful
of frogs. These she brought into the dining-room, and, before the guests knew her
drift, she had spread her collection over the whole of their plates. It may be guessed
what consternation was caused by the leap-frog game which then took place.
When she had learned to express her ideas in speech, she informed her friends that
she had had a companion, a girl somewhat older than herself, and black, or painted
black. They had quarrelled about a chaplet, dropped by someone. The elder girl
struck the younger one on the arm, and the younger one returned the blow by a
violent stroke of the baton on the brow, which felled the other to the ground, and
"made her red", that is, drew blood. Sorry for her companion afterwards, the younger
took the skin of a frog and spread it over the wound. They parted, however, each
taking separate directions. Before this happened, the pair had crossed a river, which
must have been the Marne, three leagues from Songi. It had been their custom to
sleep all day in trees, which they could do with perfect safety. The elder girl alluded
to was sought for, but was never found. A rumour went that a black girl had been
found dead not many leagues from the spot where the other was taken; but as it was
long ere the latter could tell the story, the affair could not be unravelled at that
distance of time.
Le Blanc, as the little savage was named, had a distinct recollection of being twice at
sea, and of latterly escaping with her companion from a ship by swimming. From her
statement, it was conjectured that Le Blanc, at least, was from the coast of Labrador,
and had been kidnapped and carried to the West Indies. Failing to sell her by the
trick of colouring her as a negro, the kidnapper seems to have brought her to some
coast near to France. The hazy recollections of Le Blanc, which had reference partly
to canoes and seals, and partly to sugar-canes, confirm this conjecture. How long
the wanderers had been in Europe it is impossible to say, but it is evident that Le
Blanc had long been familiar to solitary as well as savage habits. The attempts made
to accustom her to cooked food nearly cost her her life, and acquired voracity could
not be overcome. At the hospital of Chalons, and subsequently in a convent, where
she spent much of her after-life, she was civilised, however, in every respect. The
Duke of Orleans, and many great people, were kind to her. She was, of course, an
object of great curiosity to all. The period of her death is unknown to us, but in 1765
she was still living in Paris. Some peculiarities marked her through her whole life,
and particularly a certain rolling motion of the eyes, acquired when she wandered in
the woods, and had to guard against surprise. She knew then no fear, however, and
hesitated not to front the wolf or wild-cat. Besides the bludgeon mentioned, which
she said she brought from her own country, she had for defence a stick pointed with
iron, which she brought, she said, from the hot country.
The connexion she had had with society in early life may be supposed to have in
some measure cultivated the intellect of this extraordinary creature.
6
OTHER CASES OF WILD CHILDREN
There have been a number of children found to be living wild for a time.
They may have been abandoned.
They may have been lost when their families were escaping from dangerous
situations.
They may have been lost.
The first really famous feral child was Wild Peter, “ a naked, brownish, black-haired
creature” captured near Helpensen in Hanover in 1724, when he was about 12. He
climbed trees with ease, lived off plants and seemed incapable of speech. He
refused bread, preferring to strip the bark from green twigs and suck on the sap; but
he eventually learnt to eat fruit and vegetables. He was presented at court in
Hanover to George 1st, and taken to England, where he was studied by leading men
of letters. He spent 68 years in society, but never learnt to say anything except
“Peter” and “King George”, although his hearing and sense of smell were said to be
“particularly acute”.
7
FERAL CHILDREN
For many years cases of children growing up feral have kept people fascinated.
It is impossible to imagine how hard it would be for them to survive in an animal
world, without human contact and compassion.
What is evident is that children from a young age, who survive without human
interaction in their crucial developmental years, will have enormous problems
readjusting to society.
Experts believe that unless a child has learnt to speak by the age of 5, their brain is
unable to pick up language
Oxana Malaya was discovered in 1991, living with a pack of dogs on a rundown farm
near the village of Novaya Blagoveschenka, Ukraine. When she was three, her
alcoholic parents left her outside one night, so she found shelter and food with the
dogs, and that is where she stayed. When she was found, she could hardly speak,
and ran around on all fours barking.
She now lives in a home for the mentally disabled, with reports saying she has the
mental age of a six year old.
Luckily Oxana was able to learn to talk again because she had already acquired
some language before her abandonment.
In 2007 a 27 year old Cambodian woman was discovered. A family claimed she was
their daughter, identifiable by a scar on her right arm. They had lost two daughters
nearly 20 years previously while herding buffaloes.
They tried to teach her to fit into their family life, by dressing her, and attempting to
teach her their language. But, she preferred to crawl and refused to wear clothes.
She tried to escape many times, and succeeded recently, taking off her clothes and
running back into the jungle.
8
CAN YOU IMAGINE LEARNING TO LIVE IN A FOREST?
CAN YOU IMAGINE OUR PLANET WITHOUT FORESTS?
FORESTS IN 2013
Millions of people around the world depend on forests for hunting, gathering and
medicine, forest products such as rubber and rattan, and small-scale agriculture.
Deforestation can disrupt the lives of local communities, sometimes with devastating
consequences. Forests provide a vast array of resources to all of us, including food,
wood, medicine, fresh water, and the air we breathe. Without the trees, species can
disappear, the natural water balance can become disrupted and the ecosystem that
supports the human population can fall apart.
CARBON SINK
Forest trees and other plants soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store
it away as they grow and thrive. Tropical forests alone hold more than 210 gigatons
of carbon, seven times the amount emitted each year by human activities.
UNIQUE BIODIVERSITY
Eighty percent of the world’s known terrestrial plant and animal species can be found
in forests, and tropical rainforests are home to more species than any other
terrestrial habitat. A square kilometer of forest may be home to more than 1,000
species.
9
Forests are essential for life on earth. Three hundred million people worldwide live in
forests and 1.6 billion depend on them for their livelihoods. Forests also provide
habitat for a vast array of plants and animals, many of which are still undiscovered.
They protect our watersheds. They inspire wonder and provide places for recreation.
They supply the oxygen we need to survive. They provide the timber for products we
use every day.
Forests are so much more than a collection of trees. Forests are home to 80% of the
world’s terrestrial biodiversity. These ecosystems are complex webs of organisms
that include plants, animals, fungi and bacteria. Forests take many forms, depending
on their latitude, local soil, rainfall and prevailing temperatures. Coniferous forests
are dominated by cone-bearing trees, like pines and firs that can thrive in northern
latitudes where these forests are often found. Many temperate forests house both
coniferous and broad-leafed trees, such as oaks and elms, which can turn beautiful
shades of orange, yellow and red in the fall.
The most biologically diverse and complex forests on earth are tropical rainforests,
where rainfall is abundant and temperatures are always warm. Forests also play a
critical role in mitigating climate change because they act as a carbon sink—soaking
up carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that would otherwise be free in the
atmosphere and contribute to ongoing changes in climate patterns.
But forests are being destroyed and degraded at alarming rates. Deforestation
comes in many forms, including fires, clear-cutting for agriculture, ranching and
development, unsustainable logging for timber, and degradation due to climate
change. This impacts people’s livelihoods and threatens a wide range of plant and
animal species. Some 46-58 million square miles of forest are lost each year—
equivalent to 36 football fields every minute.
10
WHY ARE OUR FORESTS DISAPPEARING?
CONVERSION TO AGRICULTURE
As the human population continues to grow, there is an obvious need for more food.
In addition, agricultural products, such as soy and palm oil, are used in an everincreasing list of products, from animal feed to lipstick and biofuels. Rising demand
has created incentives to convert forests to farmland and pasture land. Once a forest
is lost to agriculture, it is usually gone forever—along with many of the plants and
animals that once lived there.
FUELWOOD HARVESTING
Wood is still a popular fuel choice for cooking and heating around the world, and
about half of the illegal removal of timber from forests is thought to be for use as
fuelwood.
ILLEGAL LOGGING
(Illegal logging in Sumatra)
National laws regulate the production and trade of timber products at all stages, from
harvesting to processing to sales. These laws can be violated in any number of
ways, such as taking wood from protected areas, harvesting more than is permitted
and harvesting protected species. Illegal logging occurs around the world, and in
some places, illegal logging is more common than the legal variety. This destruction
threatens some of the world’s most famous and valuable forests, including
rainforests in the Amazon, Congo Basin, Indonesia and the forests of the Russian
Far East. Illegal logging also depresses the price of timber worldwide,
disadvantaging law-abiding companies, and depriving governments of revenues
normally generated by duties and taxes. Poor communities near forests are often
vulnerable when outsiders try to gain control over the timber nearby, which can lead
to repression and human rights violations.
11
FIRES
(Forest on fire in the Amazon, Brazil)
Fires are a natural and beneficial part of the forest landscape, but they can be a
problem when they occur in the wrong place, at the wrong frequency or at the wrong
severity. Each year, millions of acres of forest around the world are destroyed or
degraded by fire. The same amount is lost to logging and agriculture combined. Fire
is often used as a way to efficiently and inexpensively clear land for other uses such
as planting crops. These fires not only alter the structure and composition of forests,
but they can also open up the forests to invasive species, threaten biological
diversity, alter water cycles and soil fertility, and destroy the livelihoods of the people
who live in and around the forests.
The Amazon, the planet’s largest rainforest, lost at least 17% of its forest cover in the
last half century due to human activity. In Indonesia, the island of Sumatra has lost
85% of its forests—primarily due to conversion for oil palm and pulp plantations—
and a similar level of destruction is taking place on the island of Borneo.
Deforestation also undermines the important carbon sink function of forests. It is
estimated that 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions are the result of deforestation.
What can be done to make sure we don’t lose
too many of the world’s forests?
12
A HISTORY OF CHILDHOOD
CHILD LABOUR AND CHILD RIGHTS
When Memmie was discovered in 1731 France was covered in huge amounts of
forests. Since 1731 we have created more and more farms in Europe and our lives
have become less wild and much more based in towns and cities.
Forests were cut down to provide more and more land for agriculture and although
children worked in the countryside the Industrial Revolution meant that children
began working long hours in factories.
Child labour was gradually reduced and halted in England via the Factory Acts of
1802-1878. For more information on Victorian Britain there are BBC resources at:
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/victorian_britain/victorian_children_at_
work/teachers_resources.shtml
13
FACTORIES
Children worked long hours and sometimes had to carry out
some dangerous jobs working in factories.
"I start work promptly at 5:00 in the morning and work all day
till 9:00 at night. That’s 16 hours! We are not allowed to talk,
sit or look out of the window whilst we work. The only day off
from work I get is on Sundays, when we have to go to church." Girl aged 9
In textile mills children were made to clean machines while the machines were kept
running, and there were many accidents. Many children lost fingers in the machinery
and some were killed, crushed by the huge machines.
14
(Young children working in a textile mill)
In match factories children were employed to dip matches into a dangerous chemical
called phosphorous. The phosphorous could cause their teeth to rot and some died
from the effect of breathing it into their lungs.
Why were children employed to work in factories?
Children were much cheaper than adults as a factory owner did not have to pay
them as much.
There were plenty of children in orphanages, so they could be replaced easily if
accidents did occur.
Children were small enough to crawl under machinery to tie up broken threads.
When did young children stop working in textile factories?
1833 the Factory Act was made law. It was now illegal for children under 9 to be
employed in textile factories
15
CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
Children had no right to an education in Britain until a law was passed in 1870 called
The Elementary Education Act. This was a very important milestone in the school
education system. For the first time all children between the ages of 5 and 10 were
legally obliged to attend school so they could no longer be sent to work.
For poorer families, ensuring their children attended school proved difficult to begin
with, as it was more tempting to send the children out to work if the opportunity to
earn an extra income was available. This is sadly still the case in some countries
today as children have been found working in factories making some of the clothes,
shoes and items we buy in our high street shops. That is why we have days like:
World Day Against Child Labour is on 12th
June 2013
See the UN site:
http://www.un.org/en/events/childlabourday
16
Apart from their right to an education children have many other rights too.
In 1989, the world's leaders officially recognised the human rights of all children and
young people under 18 by signing the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child.
The Convention says that every child has:
•
•
•
•
•
The right to a childhood (including protection from harm)
The right to be educated (including all girls and boys completing primary
school)
The right to be healthy (including having clean water, nutritious food and
medical care)
The right to be treated fairly (including changing laws and practices that are
unfair on children)
The right to be heard (including considering children's views)
All UN member states except for The United States and Somalia have approved the
Convention. The UK signed it on 19 April 1990 and ratified it on 16 December 1991.
It came into force in the UK on 15 January 1992.
There are, however, many countries where these rights are not being granted to
children and charities such as Save the Children campaign to encourage
governments to keep strong their commitment to the Convention.
http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/child-rights
17
Children used to play in the streets but now all the cars make that too dangerous.
QUESTIONS FOR TUTORS TO DISCUSS WITH CLASSES
Despite gaining greater rights over the years, have children lost some of their
freedom?
Have children become house- prisoners who mostly stay indoors and watch or play
in front of screens?
Playgrounds are fenced in and made as safe as possible so how can children
explore their environment physically and discover things for themselves?
What should children be allowed to do by themselves?
What age should they be allowed to go out by themselves?
When should children be allowed to make their own decisions?
18
HOW WILD SHOULD WE LET OUR CHILDREN BE?
19
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM WILD GIRL REHEARSALS
20
21