Peanut Butter and Freedom!

Talking about ‘freedom’ through a story of peanut butter may seem incredulous. 

However, Matt Haig’s short story “The Invention of Peanut Butter and Why it Caused Problems’, helped my older students, not just reflect on the idea of freedom, but also the form of the story, i.e. a ‘fable’ as an effective medium of passing on a ‘lesson’ and getting the listener to pause and reflect. 

When I started reading the story, the children were smirking, probably at the fact that I was reading them a ‘baby’ story. But as the story went on, I waited to see their body language and facial expressions change, as I knew they would. Backs straight, heads leaning forward, faces open and receptive, 

The story offered us the scope to discuss whether it was ok for personal freedoms and rights can infringe on those of another. How easy it is to get taken in by smooth-talking and ‘bribes’ which can come in a variety of forms and how easy it is to get dependent on them until you just ‘follow along’, enslaved without realising you are. 

I loved how one of the children felt that the story could be an allegory of British rule in India and how smoothly they transitioned from traders to rulers, much like ‘Sol’ in this story. I was quite gobsmacked with this connection as it was something that never crossed my mind on the numerous occasions I have read this story. I am always amazed by how much I learn from the children!

The story features in ‘Here I Stand’ a book put together by Amnesty International. It is a thought-provoking collection of short stories and poems celebrating freedoms or mourning their loss. These stories explore where we stand concerning human rights in today's society,  the sacrifices made to win them, what needs to be done to spread them, how easily these rights are under attack, and how imperative it is to defend them.

I picked up a copy of this book a few years ago from Kahani Tree Children's Bookstore, Mumbai.