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The Question of Moral Education: Reading Selected Bangla and English Folktales

Received: 13 June 2024     Accepted: 18 July 2024     Published: 15 August 2024
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Abstract

Moral education is a type of education that distinguishes between right and wrong and determines human behaviour. In other words, moral education is an educational programme that focuses on moral and ethical values. The folktales' moral education aims to prepare the audience to be responsible, respectful, and resilient citizens who will contribute to the development of society, the nation, and the world at large. This study classifies moral themes and investigates their educational impact by conducting a qualitative content analysis of selected Bangala and English folktales. The study finds that each folktale incorporates some moral education, which is necessary in all aspects of human society. Folktales from the oral literary tradition play an important role in imparting moral education that includes historical, cultural, and religious ideologies and values. Folktale performances convey the moral values imbued in folktales to both children and adults. Folktale performance has been a part of human culture since time immemorial. The stories told in a pleasant ambience not only entertain, but also teach children moral lessons and values that will help them become better members of society. The folktale genre aims to educate children by instilling moral values, socialisation, behavioural changes, psychological development, and spiritual upliftment. The study concludes proving that these folktale-based lessons teach children human qualities like hard work, courage, love, sympathy, forgiveness, respect for elders, patriotism, tolerance, heroism, truthfulness, fraternity, and religiosity, among others. Furthermore, these folktale performances also highlight social vices such as pride, envy, wrath, theft, hatred, wickedness, ingratitude, injustice, disobedience, and dishonesty, which typically lead to retribution and nemesis.

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 12, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijla.20241204.13
Page(s) 107-115
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Folktales, Oral Tradition, Human Behaviour, Moral Education, Ethical Values

References
[1] Al-Khaizaran, H. (2007). Traditions of Moral Education in Iraq. Journal of MoralEducation, 36(3), pp. 321-332. UK: Institute of Education, University of London, Retrieved from
[2] Arnold, M. (1983). Dover Beach. In Allison, A. W. & et al (Eds.), Norton Anthology of Poetry. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
[3] Bentham, J. (1789). An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. London: Claredon Press.
[4] Bhandari, D. R. & Sethi, R. R. (1987). Studies in Plato and Aristotle. New Delhi: S. Chandra & Co. (Pvt.) Ltd.
[5] Bhuiyan, A. (2011). Nitibidya (Ethics). Dhaka: Abosar.
[6] Bohlin, Karen E (2005). Teaching Character Education Through Literature: Awakening the Moral Imagination in Secondary Classrooms. London and New York: Routledge.
[7] Chowdhury, U. R. (2014). Tuntunir Boi (A Collection of Folk Tales). Dhaka: Bishwoshahitto Kendro.
[8] Coleridge, S. T. (1983). The Rime of Ancient Mariner. In Allison, A. W. and et al (Eds.), Norton Anthology of Poetry (3rd Ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
[9] Dawood, N. J. (Trans) (2014). “Surah Al-Ra ‘d:11”, The Koran. London: Penguin Books.
[10] Day, L. B. (2010). Folktales of Bengal. Kolkata: Book Club.
[11] Eliot, T. S. (1983). The Waste Land. In Allison, A. W. and et al (Eds.), Norton Anthology of Poetry (3rd Ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
[12] Grimm, J. & Grimm W. (1984). Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Varecha, V. (Trans). London: Cathay books.
[13] Hartland, E. S. (Ed.) (1890). English Fairy and Other Folk Tales. London: Dodo Press.
[14] Hornby, A S (Ed.) (1991). Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. London: Oxford University Press.
[15] Islam, K. N.. (2014). Manus (Man), Sajed Kamal (Trans). In Hoda, M. N. (Ed.), Poetry of Kazi Nazrul Islam in English Translation, Vol I, Fourth Revised Print, Dhaka: Nazrul Institute.
[16] Lillie, W. (2007). An Introduction to Ethics. Delhi: Surjeet Publications.
[17] Majumdar, D. M. (2007). Thakurmar Jhuli (A Bag of Stories). Dhaka: Abosar.
[18] Marx, K. (1959). Economic and Philosophical Manuscript, Bttomore, T. B. (Trans), London: Oxford Press.
[19] Mia, A. J. (1996). Society, Politics and Morality: Perspective Bangladesh, Philosophy and Progress. University of Dhaka: Dev Philosophy Research Centre, Vo 13, No. 11.
[20] Mill, J. S. (1972). Utilitarianism. London: Dent and Son.
[21] Nargis, S. S. (2015). Bangladesher Prathomik Storay Naitik Shikkha: Shikkhakrom O Bidyaloye Anushilon (Moral Education at Primary Level in Bangladesh: Curriculum and Its Practice in the Schools). Dhaka: Anyaprokash.
[22] Sinha, J. (2015). A Manual of Ethics. Kolkata: New Central Book Agency (P) Ltd.
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  • APA Style

    Rahman, M. H. (2024). The Question of Moral Education: Reading Selected Bangla and English Folktales. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 12(4), 107-115. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20241204.13

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    ACS Style

    Rahman, M. H. The Question of Moral Education: Reading Selected Bangla and English Folktales. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2024, 12(4), 107-115. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20241204.13

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    AMA Style

    Rahman MH. The Question of Moral Education: Reading Selected Bangla and English Folktales. Int J Lit Arts. 2024;12(4):107-115. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20241204.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijla.20241204.13,
      author = {Md. Habibur Rahman},
      title = {The Question of Moral Education: Reading Selected Bangla and English Folktales
    },
      journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
      volume = {12},
      number = {4},
      pages = {107-115},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20241204.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20241204.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20241204.13},
      abstract = {Moral education is a type of education that distinguishes between right and wrong and determines human behaviour. In other words, moral education is an educational programme that focuses on moral and ethical values. The folktales' moral education aims to prepare the audience to be responsible, respectful, and resilient citizens who will contribute to the development of society, the nation, and the world at large. This study classifies moral themes and investigates their educational impact by conducting a qualitative content analysis of selected Bangala and English folktales. The study finds that each folktale incorporates some moral education, which is necessary in all aspects of human society. Folktales from the oral literary tradition play an important role in imparting moral education that includes historical, cultural, and religious ideologies and values. Folktale performances convey the moral values imbued in folktales to both children and adults. Folktale performance has been a part of human culture since time immemorial. The stories told in a pleasant ambience not only entertain, but also teach children moral lessons and values that will help them become better members of society. The folktale genre aims to educate children by instilling moral values, socialisation, behavioural changes, psychological development, and spiritual upliftment. The study concludes proving that these folktale-based lessons teach children human qualities like hard work, courage, love, sympathy, forgiveness, respect for elders, patriotism, tolerance, heroism, truthfulness, fraternity, and religiosity, among others. Furthermore, these folktale performances also highlight social vices such as pride, envy, wrath, theft, hatred, wickedness, ingratitude, injustice, disobedience, and dishonesty, which typically lead to retribution and nemesis.
    },
     year = {2024}
    }
    

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