『키가 크고 수수한 새라 아줌마』와 『내 친구 윈딕시』를 이용한 생태교육의 비전

Sarah, Plain and Tall and Because of Winn-Dixie as Texts for Ecological Education

This thesis aims to examine Sarah, Plain and Tall and Because of Winn-Dixie as ecological texts which raise ecological consciousness among readers. These stories are about mentally wounded, lonely living beings forming harmonious relationships through understanding, and respecting each other. Their relationships are great models of ecological community in that members identify others’ happiness with their own one while maintaining diversity and tolerance, the two core aspects of ecological community. In Sarah, Plain and Tall, Sarah and the Witting family members make an effort to make each other happy and understand differences, which leads to forming a loving family. The main characters of Because of Winn-Dixie, India Opal Buloni and a suffering dog Winn-dixie, make friends with neighbors who have their own past sorrow. They form an heart-warming community through understanding and helping each other. The above novels demonstrate that the most effective means of raising environmental consciousness is experiencing literature, for people are strongly affected by sympathy rather than logical persuasion.