Oral Tradition and Values Education: A Case Study Dede Korkut Stories

Author :  

Year-Number: 2015-Volume 7, Issue 1
Language : null
Konu : null

Abstract

Turkish culture bears a culture of wealthy oral tradition of which background dates back to hundreds of years. Among them the oldest ones are epics, proverbs, folktales, anecdotes and folksongs. Anecdotes of Nasreddin Hodja for instance are among the richest samples of our oral tradition. In the same way Dede Korkut stories, with the 12 stories they contain, are not merely based upon heroic narratives; they also function as educative texts with the type, concept, value and code of conduct exemplified in stories. Similarly, proverbs have reached to modern day throughout ages upon being uttered and tested by collective experience and intellect. Likewise folksongs are heart-moving expressions of love and partition; joy and sorrow and common life experiences. The reason they have lived so long can not only be explained with the fact that they are written somewhere but because they are engraved in public memory. Once they lose their unique position then they are lost and forgotten eternally; not to be shared orally or written anymore.Upon analyzing the issue of oral tradition and education in general, present paper shall elaborate values education in particular on Dede Korkut Stories. Globally approved values of goodness are friendship-amity, loyalty, valor, bravery, compassion, trustworthiness, honesty and reliability. Knowing well one’s friend or foe, staying alert against dangers are not merely a practice of testing the values but they are also prerequisites of surviving. These stories spring forth to treat, boost and enliven such values. The reason they are narrated is to reproduce values in a way to train the personality and fit it into real life. The vitality of oral tradition elements in modern age is strong evidence that they still possess an educating, entertaining and developing function.

Keywords

Abstract

Turkish culture bears a culture of wealthy oral tradition of which background dates back to hundreds of years. Among them the oldest ones are epics, proverbs, folktales, anecdotes and folksongs. Anecdotes of Nasreddin Hodja for instance are among the richest samples of our oral tradition. In the same way Dede Korkut stories, with the 12 stories they contain, are not merely based upon heroic narratives; they also function as educative texts with the type, concept, value and code of conduct exemplified in stories. Similarly, proverbs have reached to modern day throughout ages upon being uttered and tested by collective experience and intellect. Likewise folksongs are heart-moving expressions of love and partition; joy and sorrow and common life experiences. The reason they have lived so long can not only be explained with the fact that they are written somewhere but because they are engraved in public memory. Once they lose their unique position then they are lost and forgotten eternally; not to be shared orally or written anymore.Upon analyzing the issue of oral tradition and education in general, present paper shall elaborate values education in particular on Dede Korkut Stories. Globally approved values of goodness are friendship-amity, loyalty, valor, bravery, compassion, trustworthiness, honesty and reliability. Knowing well one’s friend or foe, staying alert against dangers are not merely a practice of testing the values but they are also prerequisites of surviving. These stories spring forth to treat, boost and enliven such values. The reason they are narrated is to reproduce values in a way to train the personality and fit it into real life. The vitality of oral tradition elements in modern age is strong evidence that they still possess an educating, entertaining and developing function.

Keywords


  • Aksoy, Ö.A. (1988). Atasözleri ve deyimler sözlüğü I. İstanbul: İnkılap Yayınları.

  • Aksoy, Ö.A. (1988). Atasözleri ve deyimler sözlüğü I. İstanbul: İnkılap Yayınları.

  • Başar, L. K. (2012). Dede Korkut hikâyelerinde savaşçı eğitimi, Turkish Studies, 7(4), 1009-1017. Ergin, M. (1958). Dede Korkut kitabı I. Ankara: Türk Dil Kurumu Yayınları.

  • Dostoyevski, F. (1989). Karamazov kardeşler II (N. Y. Taluy, Çev.). İstanbul: Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı Yayınları. Gökyay, O.Ş. (1973). Dedem Korkut’un kitabı. İstanbul: Başbakanlık Kültür Müsteşarlığı Yayınları.

  • Kaşgarlı, M. (1999). Divanü Lügat-it Türk I (B. Atalay, Çev.). Ankara: Türk Dil Kurumu Yayınları.Kırzıoğlu, M. F. (2000). Dede – Korkut Oğuznâmeleri. Ankara: Atatürk Kültür Merkez. Yayınları.

  • Meeker, M. E. (1992). The Dede Korkut ethic. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 24(3), 395-417. Platon (1989). Kratylos (S. Y. Baydur, Çev.). İstanbul: Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı Yayınları.

  • Sina, A. (2004). Alkestis ve Deli Dumrul. Ankara Üniversitesi Dil-Tarih ve Coğrafya Fakültesi Tarih Bölümü Tarih Araştırmaları Dergisi, 23 (36), 225-235.

  • Taşdelen, V. (2012). Dede Korkut’un dünyası. Bizim Külliye Dergisi, 51, 61-64.

  • Ünver, S. (1968). Halkın anayasası atasözlerimizin altı bin senelik mazisi üzerine. İzmir: İzmir Soroptimist Kulübü Yayınları.

  • Yunus E. (1972). Divan (F. K. Timurtaş, Haz.). İstanbul: Tercüman Yayınları.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        
  • Article Statistics