Letters to Children Based on Nel Noddings' Theory of Care Ethics

Nell Noddings an American philosopher of education, considers the human being to be the center of moral education and believes that a person who feels compassionate, will be in state of discomfort and anxiety. This state awakens him/her to go beyond self. It is due to this awakening that the person considers the needs of others as his/her own needs and tries to satisfy them in sofar as he/she considers himself as responsible for others’ needs. The poets of lyric poems presented their wise words in the form of teaching children, which were often short but with high moral concepts, in the text of romantic poems. The main reason and motivation for writing educational children's letters in the romantic system is to draw conclusions from stories, awakening and lessons. Both from Nell Noddings' point of view and in the children's letters, emphasis is placed on human relationships, because morals are made in relation to others and gain meaning.

The present study is descriptive-analytical, using data collection and library documents through note-taking and evaluating the notes.

The findings show that some verses of the letters to children in the lyrical poems are consistent with examples and theoretical bases and concepts of the ethics of care and compassion and educational theories from the point of view of Noddings' theory of care ethics. Letters to children are private letters in the heart of the text of lyrical poems, which have independent meanings while being connected to the text. These letters do not have a specific place in the text of the lyric poem; sometimes they appear in the beginning and sometimes at the end of the poem.

Emotional preoccupation with others and compassion for the general public have a wide expression in letters to children. Paying attention to human values is one of the most important approaches of poets in communication ethics.