"All the children had to wear a gas mask in case of a gas attack by the Germans. They tried to make the masks like Mickey Mouse faces so the children would like them. But I didn't. They had big ears on them"
- Gerald Scarfe
About this Quote
This quote by Gerald Scarfe speaks with the fear and uncertainty of living in a war-torn nation. During World War II, the Germans had the capability to launch gas attacks, so the children were required to use gas masks to secure themselves. In an effort to make the masks more enticing to the children, they were designed to appear like Mickey Mouse deals with. Nevertheless, Gerald Scarfe did not find the masks appealing, likely due to the fear and stress and anxiety connected with them. The masks had large ears, which may have been a suggestion of the risk they remained in. This quote acts as a suggestion of the worry and uncertainty that lots of people experienced during World War II.
"Raising children is an incredibly hard and risky business in which no cumulative wisdom is gained: each generation repeats the mistakes the previous one made"
"At the heart of the Reggio Emilia approach is the belief that children are full of potential, competent, and capable of constructing their own learning"
