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Mi ges i fy atgoffa yn ddiweddar o stori sydd wedi aros yn y cof ers i mi ei chlywed hi am y tro cyntaf mewn gwasanaeth yn yr ysgol gynradd. Chwarae Moch Bach yw’r stori honno, sef addasiad Emily Huws/Ann Jones o Piggybook gan Anthony Browne CBE.
Os ’da chi’n gyfarwydd â gwaith yr awdur, mi fyddwch chi’n gwybod fod ei luniau’n gallu bod yn reit wahanol a quirky. Mae rhai pobl yn meddwl eu bod nhw’n grêt tra mae eraill yn eu gweld nhw’n weird ac yn creepy.
Mae Morgan yn dad sy’n byw mewn tŷ gyda’i wraig a’i feibion. Waeth i ni fod yn onest, mae bechgyn y tŷ yn hen bethau diog a digywilydd sy’n poeni am ddim ond am eu boliau, a does ’na ’run ohonynt yn mentro codi bys i helpu.
Wrth i’r fam druan chwysu chwartiau yn golchi’r llestri, smwddio a gwneud y gwlâu, yr unig beth sydd gan y dynion dan sylw ydi loetran o gwmpas yn diogi.
Wedi cyrraedd pen ei thennyn, mae’r fam yn diflannu, gan adael nodyn digon swta: “Hen foch ydych chi!” Dyna pryd mae’r weirdness yn dechrau! Dwi’n licio’r elfennau swrrealaidd sydd i’r stori, ac os edrychwch yn ddigon manwl, fe welwch fod ’na lot o bethau bach rhyfedd - fel y gwrthrychau siâp moch sydd ym mhobman.
Heb neb yno i gadw trefn, buan iawn mae pethau’n mynd yn draed moch – yn llythrennol. Mae’r bechgyn ar eu gliniau ac yn edrych yn ddigon truenus ynghanol y budreddi. Tybed ydi hi’n rhy hwyr? Ddaw Mam byth yn ôl?
Cyhoeddwyd y llyfr 35 mlynedd yn ôl, ac mae’n ymddangos fod y llyfr gryn dipyn o flaen ei amser ar y pryd yn y ffordd y mae’n cyflwyno trafodaeth am gender roles a gender inequality (ok, mae o wedi dyddio erbyn rŵan). Yndi, mae hwn yn sicr yn llyfr o'i gyfnod (fe welwch fod diffyg amrywiaeth yn y llyfr a rhai stereotypes) ond mae nifer o’r negeseuon yn berthnasol heddiw.
Mae hi’n stori reit glyfar ac mi allwch ei mwynhau hi ar sawl lefel. Mae’r awdur hefyd yn hyfedr wrth ddefnyddio hiwmor tywyll i godi cwestiynau sy’n gwneud i chi feddwl ac yn herio'r syniad (annerbyniol) mai'r merched sy'n gwneud y gwaith tŷ. Wnaethon nhw droi’n foch go iawn? Chawn ni byth mo’r ateb, a dwi’n licio hynny. Yn sicr does ’na ddim prinder o gyfleoedd trafod gyda phlant ifanc yma.
Mae Sul y Mamau wedi mynd a dod ’leni, a dw i’n mawr obeithio fod mamau ar draws y wlad wedi cael seibiant haeddiannol, ond, meddyliwch, ydach chi’n gwneud digon i helpu o gwmpas y tŷ bob diwrnod arall o’r flwyddyn? Os ddim, well i chi ddechrau rhag ofn i chi droi'n fochyn eich hun!
I was recently reminded of a story that stayed with me since I first heard it in a school assembly years ago. That story is Chwarae Moch Bach, Emily Huws/Ann Jones's adaptation of Piggybook by Anthony Browne CBE. If you’re familiar with the author's work, you’ll know that his illustrations can be quite different and quirky. Some people think they’re great while others see them as weird and creepy.
Morgan, the father, lives in a house with his wife and sons. Let’s be honest here, the men of the house are rude, boorish and lazy, who don’t seem to care about anything other than where their next meal is coming from. Not one of them is prepared to lift a finger to help!
As poor mum rushes round like a headless chicken washing the dishes, ironing and making the beds, the men sit around lounging about complaining.
Having reached the end of her tether, the mother disappears, leaving nothing but a curt little note: "You are all pigs!” That's when the book gets a little bit weird. I have to say I rather like the surreal elements to the story – it’s full of little details, such as all the pig-shaped objects everywhere.
Without anyone there to maintain order, things soon become a shambles and the house turns into a pig sty – literally! It’s not long until the boys are on their knees begging for mum to come back. Will it be too late? Will she ever come back or are they doomed to live like this forever?
The book was published 35 years ago, and I think it was ahead of its time back then in the way that it presents a frank discussion about gender roles and gender inequality. (though it’s aged considerably by now) Yes, this is a book that is very much 'of it's time' - you'll notice a distinct lack of diversity and quite a few stereotypes, however, I've decided to just accept it as a book that was written in 1986 and not judge it against today's standards. Despite all this, many of its messages are still relevant today.
I think it’s a clever story with lots of little details that can be read on many levels. The author is skilled at using a somewhat dark humour to raise some really good moral questions. He challenges the unacceptable and antiquated idea that it's the mother's job to do the housework. Did they actually turn into real pigs? I guess we’ll never know but I quite like that. There’s certainly no shortage of good discussion points.
Mother's Day has once again come and gone, and I very much hope that mothers across the country had a well-deserved break, but just think, are you doing enough to help around the house on the other days of the year? If not, you’d better start or you might end up with trotters yourself!
