A study on the contribution of Ananda Rajakaruna's use of poetry in developing child personality

Abstract

Background: A child is a human being who likes to think and see through imitation and objects close to nature, exploring the world around with curiosity. There, formal and informal education contributes to child personality development. The role of literature in uplifting child personality is unique, and the main objective of this research is to study the contribution of Ananda Rajakaruna's (1885 - 1957) poetry creations as a writer to develop child personality through poetry literature. Here, the research question raised is what Ananda Rajakaruna's approach as a poetry creator is to develop child personality. Research Method: For this research, children's poems written by Ananda Rajakaruna were used under primary data sources, and books and articles written by other authors regarding child personality and children's literature were studied under secondary data sources. Here, the qualitative research method was followed, and the data collected from library research were analyzed using the descriptive method to reach conclusions. The way Ananda Rajakaruna's position in writing children's poetry is directed towards objects of nature and the psychoanalytic approach were observed in this study. Results: The current socio-economic and political background is corrupting the children's world both physically and mentally. In such a position, it is expected to bring children's poetry (especially written by Ananda Rajakaruna) closer to the children's world in a new way, and also, taking it as a responsibility of adults, to direct the child towards it and build the foundation for creating a future citizen with aesthetic thinking. Conclusion: Through a poetic language that is understandable to the child's mind, the behavioral patterns of objects close to the children's world such as birds, butterflies, flowers, etc., are brought close to the child's mind in a certain advisory tone, and through that, it is possible to develop the child's personality, bring the child closer to nature, and direct them to provide self-protection.