Moral-Educational Teachings and the Issue of Cognitive and Emotional Standards in Children's Poetry: The Case Study of Latif Halmat’s Children Poems

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran.

2 MA in Persian Language and Literature, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.

Abstract

Children’s poetry, as a foundational component of children's literature, plays a significant role in conveying moral and educational teachings. However, the effectiveness of these teachings depends on their alignment with the cognitive and emotional capacities of the child audience. Neglecting such standards not only disrupts the communication process between the poem and the child reader but also undermines the primary aim of conveying ethical and educational teachings. Latif Halmat, a prominent poet of children’s poetry in Kurdish literature, pays particular attention to expressing and conveying moral and educational teachings in his poems. In the present research, we critically examine the children’s poetry of Latif Halmat, relying on the emotional and cognitive criteria and components within children’s literature and the extent to which the cognitive, emotional, and narrative components of his poems align with the cognitive and emotional developmental criteria of child audiences is critically examined. The findings indicate that while Halmat is notably attentive to developing educational themes—addressing issues such as environmental ethics, individual and social values, and literacy— his poems often fall short in several areas: incorporating children’s lived experiences, aligning with their cognitive and emotional development, maintaining an appropriate narrative structure, and avoiding a sermon-like tone.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Aman-Khani, Isa & Khojeh, Aisheh. “Children’s Literature and Contemporary Ideologies”. Research in Persian Language and Literature, No. 42, 2016, pp. 139–166.
Berk, Laura. Developmental Psychology (Vol. 1: From Conception to Childhood). Translated by Yahya Seyed Mohammadi. Tehran: Arasbaran, 2013.
Dehghanian, Javad & Bashirizadeh, Tahereh. “A Critique of Selected Award-Winning Poems of the Children’s Book Council in the 1960s”. Studies in Children’s Literature, No. 24, 2021, pp. 127–154.
Dixon, B. Catching Them Young (Vol. 1): Sex, Race and Class, in Children's Fiction, London: Pluto Press, 1977.
Fox, M. “The Role of Children's Literature in Social and Emotional Development”. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 1(1), 2001, pp. 9-24.
Goswami, Usha & Bryant, Peter. Phonological Skills and Learning to Read, London: Routledge, 2016.
Grimm, Jacob Ludwig Carl & Grimm, Wilhelm Karl. Fairy Tales and Legends of the Brothers Grimm. Edited by Lily Owens. Translated by Hassan Akbariyan Tabari. Tehran: Hermes, 2004.
Halmat, Latif. Dîwani Mendalan. Karaj: Mang, 2016.
Hamedi Shirvan, Zahra & Sharifi, Shahla. “An Examination of Ideological Teachings in Selected Works of Iranian Children’s Literature in Age Groups D and E”. Thinking and the Child, No. 8, 2013, pp. 17–38.
Hosseinpanahi, Fardin. “The Narrative Origins of Fairy Tales and the Political-Ideological Foundations of Indo-European Cultures”. Literary Criticism, No. 62, 2023, pp. 163–207.
Hunt, Peter. Criticism, Theory, and Children’s Literature. Translated by Sohrab Rezvani and Amin Izadpanah. Tehran: Madreseh Publications, 2021.
Jowkari, Mahnaz & Hadaegh, Bahi. “An Exploration of the Extent of Ideological Influence in Young Adult Novels: A Case Study of Lullaby for a Dead Girl”. Literary Criticism and Theory, No. 6, 2018, pp. 29–51.
Khosronejad, Morteza. Inevitable Rereadings: Approaches to the Criticism and Theory of Children’s Literature. 2nd Edition. Tehran: Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, 2021.
Lakoff, George & Johnson, Mark. Metaphors We Live by. Translated by Hajar Agha Ebrahimi. Tehran: Nashr-e Elm, 2016.
Lanser, Susan S. "Plot." In: The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Translated by Masoud Jafari. Tehran: Markaz, 2010, pp. 123-133.
Malmir, Teymur. “Critique and Evaluation of Latif Halmat’s Children’s and Young Adult Stories”. University of Garmian Journal, Vol. 11, No. 2, 2024, pp. 433–436.
McKenzie, J. “Gender, Power, and Children’s Books: The Politics of Representation”. Children’s Literature Quarterly, 47(1), 2022, 67-82.
MirSadeghi, Jamal. Elements of the Story. Tehran: Sokhan, 2009.
Morshedi, Siavash. History of Children’s and Young Adult Literature. 2nd Edition. Tehran: Farjamine Sokhan, 2018.
Mostafa Ismail, Muzafar. Rûxsar û Nawerokî Çîrokî Mendalan la Lay Latif Halmat. Erbil: Haji Hashem Printing House, 2011.
Nikolajeva, M. Reading for Learning: Cognitive Approaches to Children's Literature. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2014.
Nodelman, P. The Hidden Adult: Defining Children's Literature. Baltimore, us: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008.
O’Sullivan, Emer. Comparative Children’s Literature. Translated by Maryam Jalali and Mahbubeh Farhangi. Tehran: Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, 2019.
Piaget, Jean & Inhelder, Bärbel. Child Psychology. Translated by Zeenat Tofigh. Tehran: Nashr-e Ney, 1990.
Piaget, Jean & Wallon, Henri. Imitation and Representation from the Perspectives of Piaget and Wallon. Translated by Zeenat Tofigh and Mohammad-Ali Amiri. Tehran: Nashr-e Ney, 1997.
Prince, Gerald. Dictionary of Narratology. Translated by Sayyed Rahim Moosavinia. Ahwaz: Shahid Chamran University of Ahwaz, 2012.
Prince, Gerald. Narratology: The Form and Function of Narrative. Translated by Mohammad Shahba. Tehran: Minou-ye Kherad, 2012.
Rastani, Zhāleh. The Tortoise and the Hare Race. 6th Edition. Tehran: Zekr–Ghasseidak, 2023.
Sadjadi, Bakhtiar. “Stylistic Analysis of the Works of Ruwange and Kifri Literary Schools: with Especial Reference to the Poetry of Sherko Bekas and Latif Halmat”. Journal of Kurdish Literature, Vol. 3, No. 4, 2017, pp. 131-165.
Sulaiman, Shahmiran. Rûberû le-gel Latîf Halmatda. Erbil: Aras, 2011.
Tatar, M. Off with Their Heads! Fairy Tales and the Culture of Childhood. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992.
Winner, E., Rosenstiel, A. K., & Gardner, H. “The Development of Metaphoric Understanding”. Developmental Psychology, 12(4), 1976, pp. 289-297.Top of Form 
Yousefi, Hadi & Gorgani, Shirin. “The Image of the Palestinian Child in the Poems of Latif Halmat”. Journal of Resistance Literature, Vol. 11, No. 20, 2019, pp. 193–214.

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 26 November 2025
  • Revise Date: 16 April 2026
  • Accept Date: 17 April 2026

Share

How to cite

Statistics