Çocuk Kitaplarında Özgürlük ve Öz Güven Değeri: Küçük Kara Balık ve Martı Örneği

Children's literature is not only a form of aesthetic expression but also a powerful educational tool that supports children's emotional, cognitive, and moral development. Instilling values such as freedom and self-confidence, which are particularly influential in character development, at an early age plays a decisive role in children's development of their individual identities. Therefore, examining how these values are conveyed through literary works offers significant contributions to both children's literature and the literature on values education. However, the comparative studies examining the themes of freedom and self-confidence together are limited, and Richard Bach's The Seagull, in particular, has not been adequately examined in the context of these values. Therefore, this study aims to analyze how the values of freedom and self-confidence are structured in children's literature, using The Seagull and Sameh Behrengi's The Little Black Fish as a basis.

Document analysis, a qualitative research method, was used in the study. Data were collected based on the content of two selected works and analyzed using a content analysis approach. The data obtained during the analysis process are structured at the "theme," "category," and "code" levels and systematically presented in the findings section. Two main themes were identified in the study: freedom and self-confidence. Each theme was divided into different categories and supported by various codes under these categories.

The research findings indicate that both works structure the themes of freedom and self-confidence from different perspectives. In "Little Black Fish," the theme of freedom is explored through three categories: the desire for freedom, individual awareness, and mental liberation. These categories reveal the character's resistance to environmental constraints and their search for a different way of life. The theme of self-confidence is further subdivided into seven categories in the same work: individual power, leadership, communication, courage, wisdom, resilience, and purposeful living. The Little Black Fish's courage to explore the outside world, his determination in the face of obstacles, and his ability to share what he has learned with others are associated with these categories.

Furthermore, the obstacles to freedom in the work are evaluated under two separate categories: social pressure and boundaries, and society-individual conflict. In The Seagull, the theme of freedom is structured through the categories of desire for freedom, mental liberation, and individual freedom. The character of Jonathan Livingston embodies these categories with his courage to think differently from the crowd and his will to choose his own path. In the analyses related to the theme of self-confidence, three main categories were identified: broken self-confidence, individual strength, and courage. The character's breakdowns in the face of failure, the process of retrying, and their efforts to overcome themselves were evaluated within this context.

Furthermore, the obstacles to freedom in The Seagull were analyzed within the framework of social pressure and boundaries, as well as the conflict between society and the individual. In addition, the theme of "inner journey and identity search," a specific finding in The Seagull, has been addressed under a separate heading. This heading is divided into two main categories: identity search and personal development, and these themes are linked to the individual's process of self-discovery, inner transformation, and existential questioning.

According to the findings, the individual's search for inner freedom and self-confidence is at the forefront in both works. In Little Black Fish, the character's curiosity about the outside world, his journey despite the warnings of his environment, and his questioning of what he has learned are all linked to the theme of freedom. The same character's ability to remain true to his path despite the dangers he faces and to defend his own decisions is a powerful example of the theme of self-confidence. In The Seagull, Jonathan Livingston thinks differently from the crowd, embracing a new lifestyle by risking solitude, and questioning the meaning of flight, which underscores the value of freedom. His pushing his own limits, relentless pursuit of experimentation, and desire to surpass himself all align with the theme of self-confidence.

In the discussion section, the findings are compared with results from studies such as Calp and Calp (2019), Belet Boyacı, Güner, and Babadağ (2017), and Erol and Kara (2020). These studies also emphasize the role of children's literature in instilling values; however, this study offers a more holistic perspective by addressing freedom and self-confidence in tandem. In conclusion, it appears that the works "Little Black Fish" and "The Seagull" effectively convey core values such as freedom and self-confidence to children and support individual ident lopment. In this respect, the study makes a significant contribution to both the fields of children's literature and values education. It is recommended that future research examine different values (such as justice, love, and empathy) through other literary works and analyze these values in children in a comparative manner across various age groups.